Best Foods In OSRS You Should Know

In every dangerous endeavor that you do in Old School Runescape, you need to have a good stock of healing potions or food with you. Foods in OSRS are actually pretty nice considering that there is a wide variety to choose from.

But more importantly, food in this game has various mechanics that can help you survive, even more so in the endgame. 

So, if you are looking for a guide that tells you the healing items that are worth putting in your inventory, then you are in the right place! This is our ultimate guide for the best foods in OSRS!

Basics

Before we disclose the best foods that you can eat in Old School Runescape, you have to be aware of certain mechanics first to understand how they are best utilized.

In OSRS, everything you do is based on server ticks. Whether you are attacking enemies or eating food to replenish your hit points, they do require a certain number of ticks to accomplish. 

Having said that, each tick occurs every 0.6 seconds in real life. A standard food in the game typically lasts for three server ticks before you can initiate another action.

In line with what is stated above, there are two types of “delays” you have to familiarize yourself with: Attack Delay and Eat Delay.

Attack Delay is a term used to refer to the time it takes for you to strike again. When you receive damage from a recent attack, you eat food to replenish your hit points, right? Doing so requires three server ticks (or precisely 1.8 seconds) before you can initiate another attack.

However, there are certain foods, like those that you can produce via gnome cooking, that only require two server ticks (1.2 seconds) to complete. Some examples include the Vegetable Batta, Tangled Toad’s Legs, and Spicy Crunchies, among many others.

Eat Delay, on the other hand, refers to the brief period of time that you have to wait before you can take another bite. Standard foods in Old School Runescape also need three ticks similar to the Attack Delay that was talked about previously.

Even though that is the case, some foods in the game have non-standard Eat Delay, which only requires one tick instead of three to finish. A good example of this is the first slice of an apple pie. These are also known as “Fast Foods” given that they are faster than the usual three-tick foods.

Combo Eating

If you have ever seen competitive people play OSRS, you will find that they sometimes do not die even though their HP is really close to zero. Well, part of that may be attributed to what is known as “Combo Eating.”

Simply put, Combo Eating is a strategy in Old School Runescape where you eat food with a standard three tick-delay, and then immediately follow that up with food that does not adhere to this waiting time. This will still result in a normal eating animation (three ticks), albeit the amount of hit points recovered is much higher than what you would get consuming only one type of food. 

A typical example of this is eating Shark (standard food) then followed by the cooked karambwan (combo food). This strategy is typically employed when tackling harder content like bosses and player vs. player combat.

It is worth noting that only OSRS members can use the true combo eating strategy because only they have access to the combo foods required for this to work. F2P players can only take advantage of “pseudo combo eating” where standard food is consumed followed by those that require 1-tick to eat (like the first slice of an anchovy pizza). Pseudo combat eating provides healing about one tick apart, which is noticeably slower than the “real” combo eating, though it is definitely faster than consuming food as you normally would.

Best Foods in OSRS

With all of the mechanics out of the way, it is now time to reveal the best foods that you can eat in the game. Take note that most of them are only accessible to members of Old School Runescape, but we will include some for F2P players as well. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Anglerfish

Can be acquired from: Port Piscarilius

Requires: 82 Fishing, 84 Cooking

Restores: 3 to 22 HP depending on your hit points level

The Anglerfish is definitely one of the best foods in OSRS. That is because this is one of the only foods in the game that provides variable healing based on your current hit points level. 

Although the Anglerfish only heals a relatively small amount at lower levels, it does provide 22 HP when you are at least level 93.

It is often paired with fast food (aka combo eating) to heal a considerable amount of HP. More on fast foods and combo eating later in the guide.

Now, the reason why the Anglerfish is great is that it can heal you above your maximum hit points, up to 121 HP. This “overheal” mechanic cannot be utilized while engaging in PvP, however, so do bear that in mind.

The Anglerfish requires level 82 Fishing skill and a 100% favour for House Piscarilius to capture. You’ll also need some sandworms as bait, which you can purchase from Tynan’s Fishing Supplies in Port Piscarilius.

Manta Ray

Can be acquired from: Fishing Trawler mini-game, Drift Net Fishing (Fossil Island), Tempoross (reward pool)

Requires: 81 Fishing, 90 Fishing (Fossil Island), 91 Cooking

Restores: 22 HP

If you want food that is much more attainable than the Anglerfish but still provides the same amount of healing, then the Manta Ray is definitely a good alternative.

There are three ways to obtain the Manta Ray. The first is finishing the Fishing Trawler minigame in Port Khazard, where you will board a large ship and prevent it from sinking down the depths of the sea.

The second is by engaging in drift net fishing at Fossil Island. If you are going this route, your fishing level should be slightly higher (level 90) and you’ll have to be comfortable fishing in a different way.

The third is by defeating the boss, Tempoross. You can get a Manta Ray as a possible reward from the pool of items available after the encounter.

Despite the fact that the Manta Ray does not have the “overheal” mechanic present in the Anglerfish, it does heal you the same amount (22 HP). Moreover, the Manta Ray is slightly lower in weight, so you can bring more of it without being overburdened.

Pineapple Pizza

Can be acquired from: Combining Plain Pizza with Pineapple Ring/Pineapple Chunks

Requires: 65 Cooking

Recovers: 11x2 HP

The Pineapple Pizza is one of those “fast foods” that we have talked about earlier in the guide. This is often used in conjunction with other “standard foods” to provide more healing.

This particular food heals for a total of 22 HP, though it requires a couple of bites to finish. What’s interesting is that the first bite has a one-tick animation, while the second one finishes in two ticks.

With that information, only the first bite of the pizza (aka the first half) is needed to employ the combo eating strategy.

The only downside here is that the Pineapple Pizza weighs 0.9 kilograms, which means that you’ll gain a considerable amount of weight if you bring plenty with you. Other than that, the Pineapple Pizza is one of the highest-healing foods in OSRS for sure!

Wild Pie

Can be acquired from: Baking a Raw Wild Pie (Raw Rabbit  + Part Wild Pie)

Requires: 85 Cooking

Recovers: 11x2 HP

Some foods in OSRS can provide temporary stat and skill boosts when consumed and this next one is a good example of that.

The Wild Pie, just like the Pineapple Pizza, can heal a total of 22 HP after taking a couple of bites. But, the similarities end there. That’s because the Wild Pie has a couple of mechanics that are different from a pizza in OSRS.

For one, each bite only has an Eat Delay of one tick (compared to two ticks for the second bite from eating a pizza). Besides that, consuming a Wild Pie can increase your Slayer level by five and Ranged level by four. This makes the Wild Pie an invaluable addition to your inventory, especially if you are planning to train these particular skills.

The temporary level boost provided by the Wild Pie enables you to equip higher-level gear, which is quite nice if you are tackling much harder content than what your current level is capable of.

Summer Pie

Can be acquired from: Baking a Raw Summer Pie (Cooking Apple + Part Summer Pie (Watermelon))

Requires: 95 Cooking

Recovers: 11x2 HP

The Summer Pie is almost similar to the Wild Pie, albeit this one boosts your Agility skill by five (as opposed to your Slayer and Ranged skills).

Agility is actually one of the more useful skills in OSRS because it often grants you a shortcut in certain areas of the game, thus saving you a lot of time to get to where you want to be.

For instance, if you want to farm Kurasks in the Fremennik Slayer Dungeon, you can utilize the shortcut near the entrance if you have an Agility level of 62 or higher.

That is not the only thing that the Summer Pie does, however, because this food restores 10% of your run energy as well.

Monkfish

Can be acquired from: Piscatoris Fishing Colony

Requires:Small Fishing Net, 62 Fishing, 62 Cooking

Recovers: 16 HP

The Monkfish is a good food for healing in Old School Runescape, mainly because of its cost-effectiveness. It can be acquired by net fishing in the Piscatoris Fishing Colony, which means that you have to complete the Swan Song quest to gain access to the said area.

Although you can get it yourself, you can also purchase the Monkfish from the Grand Exchange. At the time of writing, this food is only worth 391 gold coins, so you can buy plenty without breaking the bank.

Unlike other fishes in the game, the Monkfish stops burning when your cooking skill is at least level 92.

Shark

Can be acquired from:Harpoon fishing, Bardur (Waterbirth Island Dungeon)

Requires:Harpoon, 76 Fishing, 80 Cooking

Recovers: 20 HP

Another cost-effective food in OSRS, the Shark can heal 20 hit points when consumed. It is a bit time-consuming to get this fish yourself since you will need to engage in harpoon fishing, which is why buying it from the Grand Exchange is the way to go if you want to obtain plenty of it. This food costs a bit more than the Monkfish, though it is still affordable at only 866 gold coins apiece.

Alternatively, Bardur, an NPC you can find inside the Waterbirth Island Dungeon, will hand over some cooked Shark to you in exchange for Fremennik gear, such as the blade, helm, or shield.

Anchovy Pizza

Can be acquired from: Putting Anchovies on Plain Pizza

Requires: 55 Cooking, Small Fishing Net

Recovers: 9x2 HP

Most of the foods that have been revealed so far can only be accessed by OSRS members. If you are a free-to-play player, do not worry! There are still some foods that you can consume that are worth your time and money. Chief among them is, of course, the Anchovy Pizza!

The Anchovy Pizza can be obtained by putting Anchovies on a Plain Pizza. To get Anchovies, you have to acquire a small fishing net, and then head to various fishing locations, including the beach in Catherby, the west of Draynor Village’s bank, and various spots on the Fishing Platform, to name a few. When you have some raw Anchovies, you have to cook them on the Cooking Range.

For the Plain Pizza, you have to make a pizza base from a pot of flour and a bowl of water. After that, combine it with some tomato and cheese and you’ll have the ingredients necessary to make the Anchovy Pizza.

That said, this pizza recovers 9 HP per bite. Even though it only heals 18 HP when the entire thing is consumed, the Anchovy Pizza is still the highest healing food per slot for F2P OSRS players.

Moreover, Anchovy Pizza is a type of fast food, which enables you to utilize the pseudo-combo eating strategy to recover more hit points.

Dark Crab

Can be acquired from:The Wilderness

Requires: 85 Fishing, 90 Cooking, Lobster Pot, Dark Fishing Bait

Recovers: 22 HP

The Dark Crab is a members-only food that also recovers 22 HP when eaten, similar to the Anglerfish and the Manta Ray. However, what’s appealing about the Dark Crab is that it is significantly lighter compared to the other foods just mentioned.

Despite its usefulness, the Dark Crab is a bit cumbersome to acquire. If you want to get it yourself, you have to farm it in the Wilderness, which is quite dangerous due to the fact that the entire area is a haven for PvP.

Aside from that, the raw dark crabs that you can get from the Wilderness have a relatively low chance of acquisition. Therefore, completing the Elite Wilderness Diary is a must to significantly increase the base catch rate from 16% to 34% at level 99.

If you do not want to go through all of those things, you can purchase some Dark Crabs from other players in the Grand Exchange, though be prepared to spend money because these things are not cheap!

Swordfish

Can be acquired from: Musa Point in Karamja (F2P), Drift Net Fishing (at Fossil Island), Fishing Guild (members only)

Requires: 50 Fishing, 45 Cooking, Harpoon

Recovers: 14 HP

This next food is another great one for F2P OSRS players. The Swordfish can be acquired from the fishing spots in Musa Point in Northern Karamja. However, members can go to the Fishing Guild and have a better yield per hour.

In addition, you can only catch the Swordfish by using a Harpoon. This item can be purchased in the fishing supplies store in Karamja or the Resource Area in Corsair Cove.

F2P players often utilize the Swordfish as a combo food along with the Anchovy Pizza to recover a considerable amount of HP.

Curry

Can be acquired from: Cooking uncooked curry on a fire or cooking range

Requires: 60 Cooking

Recovers: 19 HP

On the surface, Curry is a food in Old School Runescape that might not have a wow factor given that it only recovers 19 HP when consumed. But, it is quite useful, especially when fighting against certain monsters.

You see, Curry is a popular food for those who fight the Chaos Fanatic or Chaos Elemental on a regular basis. The reason is that consuming this food leaves behind an empty bowl. Why is this a good thing, you ask? 

The Chaos Elemental and the Chaos Fanatic have attacks that can strip you of your equipped items. If you fill your bag with Curries, they will leave behind empty bowls when consumed. This prevents your gear from being unequipped due to the fact that your inventory is full.

To obtain some Curry, you have to first mix a potato, some water, and some cooked meat/chicken to create an uncooked stew. After that, add three curry leaves to turn it into uncooked curry. Then, place the resulting item on a fire or cooking range and you should be good to go.

Best Fast Foods in OSRS

Fast foods are a subtype of food in Old School Runescape that is usually consumed right after your standard healing items. The reason for this is that the “standard foods” require three ticks to finish (or 1.8 seconds), while fast foods often have slightly quicker animations (less than three ticks). 

That said, fast foods are often the preferred choice for leveling because they enable you to attack more quickly after consuming them. They are also great for player vs. player combat since they allow you to employ the combo eating strategy to recover more HP than consuming foods the normal way.

Anyway, here are the best fast foods in OSRS:

Premade TTL

Can be acquired from: Gnome Waiter in the Grand Tree

Requires: 160 Gold

Recovers: 15 HP

The Premade TTL (short for Tangled Toad’s Legs) is a gnomish cuisine that you can purchase from the Gnome Waiter in the Grand Tree. 

Aside from the fact that you can instantly consume this right after the best foods in OSRS, the Premade TTL alleviates the need to engage in Gnome Cooking, which is a long and arduous process, not to mention that you’ll need a lot of items just to finish one dish.

Chocolate Bomb

Can be acquired from: Gnome Cooking

Requires: 42 Cooking

Recovers: 15 HP

Although you can buy pre-made gnomish cuisine from the NPC found in the food shop at the 2nd floor of the Grand Tree, you cannot use these foods if you want to play the Gnome Restaurant minigame.

So, if you want to create some gnomish foods by hand, we suggest that you go for the Chocolate Bomb since it is one of the easiest to make.

Before anything, you must have a Cooking Level of 42. Go to Hudo at the 2nd floor of the Grand Tree and purchase all of the ingredients for the said dish, including chocolate, gianne dough, chocolate dust, pots of cream, gnomebowl moulds, and some equa leaves.

When you have all of the ingredients in your possession, create a raw gnomeball by filling the mould with some gianne dough. Bake it afterward to get the half-baked bowl.

Once you have the half-baked bowl, add an equa leaf and four chocolate bars to turn it into the half-made bowl. Bake this on top of a cooking range and you’ll get the unfinished bowl.

There is only one thing left to do here and that is to add a couple of pots of cream and one chocolate dust. And voila! You have made one Chocolate Bomb from scratch!

Meat Pizza

Can be acquired from: Putting Cooked Meat/Chicken on a Plain Pizza

Requires: 45 Cooking

Recovers: 8x2 HP

The Anchovy Pizza is undoubtedly the best fast food for F2P OSRS players. However, you might not like the idea of catching anchovies yourself because drift net fishing is not something you want to do in the game.

Fortunately, there is a good alternative to the Anchovy Pizza. What is it? Of course, it is none other than the Meat Pizza!

The Meat Pizza still requires Plain Pizza to create. However, instead of putting anchovies on top, you will be using Cooked Meat or Cooked Chicken. Both of these ingredients are significantly easier to obtain than anchovies.

The only downside here is that this type of pizza only recovers a total of 16 HP (or 8 HP per half). But, if your aim is to combo it with the other foods in this guide, then the Meat Pizza is definitely a good choice.

Cooked Karambwan

Can be acquired from: Fishing Spot northeast of Karamja

Requires: 65 Fishing, 30 Cooking, Completion of Tai Bwo Wannai Trio Quest

Recovers: 18 HP

The Cooked Karambwan is very famous for being one of the best combo foods in OSRS. It is typically eaten after a standard food to recover a substantial amount of HP in the same three-tick window.

As you can tell by the name, you have to cook a Raw Karambwan before you can consume it. The said ingredient can be found in the fishing spot in the northeastern waters of Karamja. However, you need to complete the Tai Bwo Wannai Trio quest first. This is because you need to speak to Tinsay to successfully turn a Raw Karambwan into an edible food.

The Raw Karambwan is a bit cumbersome to catch since you’ll need a Karambwan Vessel and some Raw Karambwanji to be used as bait. Thankfully, Tiadeche has some Cooked Karambwan on offer, so check his store from time to time.

If you are into barbarian fishing, the Cooked Karambwan can also be utilized for tick manipulation in order to catch fish using this method a bit faster than usual.

Tips

Knowledge of the best foods in OSRS is certainly useful, but that is only one part of the equation. How do you best utilize these items? Well, read further to learn some handy tips and tricks!

Learn Combo Eating

Although it sounds rather complex, combo eating in OSRS is actually a pretty easy concept to grasp.

Essentially, most foods in the game require three ticks to consume. Think about the Anglerfish, Manta Ray, and Shark as primary examples of such.

Combo eating, then, is a strategy that you can employ by eating the hard foods (like the ones mentioned just now), then following it up with foods that have non-standard attack or eating delays (aka fast foods). The most commonly used foods for combo eating are the Anglerfish and the Cooked Karambwan. 

When done correctly, you will recover a huge amount of HP in a three-tick window (or 1.8 seconds) similar to consuming standard foods.

Combo eating is typically utilized in PvP, where recovering hit points faster than your opponent is a key to victory.

It should go without saying that this strategy is rather click-intensive since you need to be clicking two different items in quick succession in order for this to work.

Use Hunter Meats Sparingly

Some of the meat you can get from hunting animals can be cooked, allowing you to consume them as edible food. 

While some players prefer using hunter meats as a viable source of HP recovery, we recommend that you use them sparingly. Why? You see, these meats provide staggered healing, where you recover a certain amount of hit points initially, then it’s followed by a secondary heal after seven game ticks (or 4.2 seconds). That huge delay can result in an early death, especially in situations where you need to recover a lot of hit points in a short amount of time.

If you really want to go for hunter meat, we suggest the Cooked Dashing Kebbit and the Cooked Moonlight Antelope. The former restores 23 HP and 10 run energy, while the latter heals a total of 26 hit points and cures poison as well.

Tick-Eating

Remember that everything you do in Old School Runescape requires a certain number of server ticks to complete their animation. One server tick is equivalent to 0.6 seconds in real life.

Having said that, did you know that you can survive a ranged or magic attack if you eat something prior to receiving damage? That’s right! If you are able to eat food right before the damage is applied, you can potentially survive an otherwise deadly attack! This is known as tick-eating.

This form of tick manipulation does require a bit of practice to get it right, but it is certainly helpful, especially when tackling harder content in the game.

Although you can consume any food for tick-eating, purple sweets are preferred due to them being the only stackable food in OSRS.

Take note that tick-eating can only work with ranged or magic attacks. You cannot employ this trick against melee strikes.

Prepare to Tank with a Saradomin Brew

The Saradomin Brew is a potion in OSRS that temporarily raises your HP and defense by a considerable amount based on your hit points level. It is often paired with a Super Restore potion to address the stats being reduced when using the said brew.

Now, why did we include the Saradomin Brew in a guide that primarily talks about food? Well, the Saradomin Brew is actually helpful because its effect is a bit similar to an Anglerfish, albeit easier to obtain, and has some defense-boosting benefits to boot!

Level Up Your Fishing and Cooking Skills

If you have come this far, congratulations! As you may have noticed while combing through each entry in this guide, you need your Fishing and Cooking skills to be at a certain level to get your hands on the best foods in OSRS.

Fortunately for you, we have dedicated guides specifically to help you level up your Cooking and Fishing skills pretty quickly, so be sure to read them before heading in.

There you have it! We hope that our guide for the best foods in OSRS helps you a ton in your adventures. If you have trouble getting your hands on some of the foods mentioned here, you can visit our OSRS Shop. We have a wide selection of items on offer, which can certainly aid you in your endeavors! If you need gold, we’ve got you covered as well!