Best Cooking Classes in Taormina

Taormina is a city that is part of the Sicilian coast and, for this reason, it keeps an important culinary culture in its interior. Here you can find a wide variety of cooking classes to prepare delicious savoury dishes, desserts, pasta, pizza, snacks and much more.

If this is of interest to you, I invite you to take a look at a list of cooking classes that many visitors mention among the best things to do in Taormina. You can learn how to prepare a Sicilian pizza, appetizers such as caponata, bruschettas, stuffed pasta, seasonal seafood, and an endless list of sweet recipes such as canoli and tiramisu.

In this class you will experience the close relationship between gastronomy and culture, as it is an immersive experience. Not only will you receive advice from a professional chef, but you will also take a short tour of the local market with him to purchase the ingredients to be used.

An interesting fact about this class is that the choice of sweet or savoury recipes is usually made according to the seasonal products available at the market. In addition, during the visit, you will be able to taste cheeses, fruits and vegetables, as well as select some to take home.

Once you have all the ingredients in hand, you will set off to the kitchen of the local restaurant selected for the activity. For example, Nettuno. There, the aim is to prepare a total of three dishes, which you will then enjoy with a local red or white wine.

It is important to note that the recipes may change for each of the cooking classes in Taormina. However, among the preparations that are usually made, the following stand out:

• A starter, which will be some kind of regional appetizer such as caponata.
• A fish or seafood dish, the choice of which will depend on the season and what is on offer at the local market.
• A dessert, which will probably be one or more types of fresh pasta, typical of the region.

Useful information

• Price: the average price for this cooking class with a professional chef is €85 per person.
• Duration: the class and the market visit last 5 hours (approx.).
• Benefits: you will learn how to prepare a traditional homemade Sicilian lunch and receive an autographed apron and certificate of participation.

Signing up for a pastry class is another option you can incorporate into your itinerary to discover the gastronomy of Taormina during your stay. You will learn how to make the famous Sicilian cannoli, with the help of an expert instructor.

For this activity you will meet the chef and the rest of the group at a restaurant in the city, most likely in the historic centre area. You will enter the kitchen and get down to work to execute the recipe step by step.

The first thing you will do is the dough, followed by the preparation of the cream and the ricotta and finally, you will assemble and fill the cannolis. Once everything is ready, the plates are placed on the table and the tasting of this wonderful dessert begins , accompanied by tea or coffee.

This is undoubtedly one of the best tours of Taormina for those who love desserts. Although you can try this recipe in the different patisseries of the city, there is nothing like learning how to make it yourself to share with your family and friends.

Useful information

• Price: the cost generally set for this pastry class starts at €50 per person.
• Duration: the cannoli class lasts approximately 2 hours.
• Benefits: you will learn how to bake cannolis professionally and receive a certificate of participation.

Among the things to do in Taormina at night you can venture to a local home for a private cooking class. You will prepare a delicious meal, with the help of a local person, and then sit at their table to dine and share experiences with the family.

During this culinary experience you will learn tips and tricks for preparing the recipes. All this, while listening to anecdotes about the city and its inhabitants, as well as curiosities about the different Sicilian dishes. The idea is to make you feel as if you were with your family, while you learn and have fun.

At dinner time, you will see an authentic Italian table filled with a menu according to the season, consisting of a starter, main course, pasta and dessert. This is accompanied by delicious drinks. In addition, you will taste a small selection of red and white wines from local wineries.

After spending a lively evening and learning how to cook some homemade dishes, you can continue with other activities on your itinerary, or return to the hotel to connect with the transfer service to Taormina airport, assuming it is your last day in the city.

Useful information

• Price: the price per person for this home cooking class usually starts from around €139.
• Duration: the class usually lasts between 2 and 3 hours (approx.).
• Benefits: you will enjoy an unforgettable dinner with loved ones and locals, while learning some of the best Sicilian dishes and tasting delicious drinks.

If you're a pastry lover, you probably won't be satisfied with making just one sweet recipe. So this class is for you, because it focuses solely on desserts. You will be able to expand your repertoire as a professional or enthusiastic baker as agreed with the chef.

This is an activity that can be done at any time of the day. Therefore, you can join it after finishing one of the day trips from Taormina and, thus, make the most of every minute of your stay in the city.

You will only have to connect with the chef at the place and time agreed beforehand. The class will then begin in the restaurant's kitchen. You will learn how to prepare the main Sicilian desserts. Some of them are:

• Sicilian cannoli, a typical sweet with a cylindrical shape and filled with ricotta.
• The tiramisu al marsala, considered one of the most popular desserts on the tables of the region.
• Orange cake, prepared with the juice of fruit grown in the region and accompanied by almonds.
• Creamy chocolate, which consists of a frothy chocolate-based cream and is also complemented with almonds and salted caramel.

You will also have the opportunity to learn how to make handmade truffles, which are another popular recipe in the city. You can choose between chocolate, cocoa and hazelnut filling or then nutella and pistachio. You could also opt for a delicious lemon sorbet, which will have a delicate creamy texture that will delight your palate.

Useful information

• Price: the price of this dessert class in Taormina starts at €60 per person.
• Duration: this class usually lasts about 3 hours.
• Benefits: you will learn how to prepare the main Sicilian desserts, which will increase your repertoire as a professional or enthusiastic cook.

Don't leave out of your culinary experiences in Taormina the classes to learn how to make pizza in the best Sicilian style. This is a classic recipe for anyone visiting any corner of Italy. During this class, you will be guided by a local pizzaiolo, who will teach you step by step how to prepare this delicious dish.

The activity will take place in one of the city's restaurants, probably near Porta Messina, or inside the Corso Umberto I Once you arrive at the location, the pizzaiolo will teach you how to make the pizza. Once you arrive at the place, the chef will go over the steps of the recipe with you and the rest of the group, show you the ingredients and explain how to handle them correctly, in order to get the best possible end result.

Next, you will start preparing the dough, which should be well elastic to be able to expand in the tray that will go into the oven. Then it's time to make the sauce, which will have the particular Sicilian style. You will probably not only cook pizza, but also the famous bruschettas.

Once the cooking time of the preparations is completed, it's time to taste everything, accompanied by a delicious wine. You will receive a certificate of participation and will take with you in your memory a nice memory and a new learning experience.

Useful information

• Price: the average price of this cooking class to learn how to make pizza is 55€ per person.
• Duration: the class lasts 2 hours and 30 minutes (approx.).
• Advantages: you will learn how to prepare pizzas like a pro and you will receive a certificate of participation.

If during your stay of 1 day or more in Taormina, you want to get to know the culinary culture of the city in depth, you can opt for this Italian pasta class. You will learn how to prepare loose and stuffed pasta from scratch, while a professional chef will provide you with a series of practical tips.

To start the day, you will head to a local restaurant where you will meet the chef and the other people who will be part of the class. Once in the kitchen, you will start the step-by-step preparation of the dough. All this with the help of the culinary professional, whom you will have to watch carefully.

You will then cut the dough according to the type of pasta you have decided to cook. Maccheroni or similar types of pasta are common, as the dough can be filled or absorb the sauce better, and this makes the recipe much more special.

When the cooking phase is finished, the food will be served and you will be able to taste each recipe. Keep in mind that you will not only taste what you or your colleagues have made, but also some of the specialities of the restaurant where you are.

Useful information

• Price: the price per person for this cooking class usually starts at 120€.
• Duration: the cooking class lasts 3 hours (approx.).
• Benefits: you will learn how to prepare various types of pasta typical of the region in the kitchen of a local restaurant with the help of a professional chef.

Those who love cooking know that it is made up of many facets and that it is trying to be more and more inclusive. That's why in this class you will learn how to make a slightly more informal, oriental-influenced dish that is often sold on the streets of Sicily: arancini.

Although it is a street food, not just anyone can make a good arancini. So much so, that many food enthusiasts take advantage of this type of class to perfect their techniques when preparing this recipe.

The experience begins in the kitchen of a local restaurant. There, a chef will explain to you step by step how to prepare the recipe, which consists of a dough filled with rice and meat ragu or mozzarella cheese and ham. You will mould the dough into asymmetrical balls and fry them until the outside is crispy.

After preparing the popular Sicilian arancini, you will sit on the restaurant's terrace to taste your culinary creation and exchange ideas with the chef about the activity.

Useful information

• Price: the average price for this type of cooking class is approximately €50 per person.
• Duration: the class lasts around 2 hours.
• Advantages: you will learn how to prepare arancini from scratch with practical advice, provided by a culinary expert. This way, you will never fail to make this recipe.

If you are enthusiastic about vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free cooking, then this cooking class is for you. You will prepare traditional Sicilian dishes, but with a variation on the ingredients. This way, you will have no problem enjoying the flavours of the Mediterranean without putting your health at risk.

This activity is completely customisable, that is, you will have the opportunity to plan the menu to be prepared together with the chef in charge of the cooking class. You will also decide where you will meet (local restaurant or a private kitchen), which will most likely be located in the city centre.

The class starts with a visit to the market or a private vegetable garden, with the purpose of acquiring all the fresh produce. Such is the case of fruits and vegetables like tomato arancinetto, aubergine, chickpeas, potatoes, peas, olives, capers, onion, courgette, celery and many more.

After harvesting everything you need, the culinary magic begins. You can prepare caponata siciliana, delicious potato croquettes, courgette flowers, aubergine mille-feuille, chickpea burgers and much more, as the options are endless. Finally, it will be time to delight your palate with all the preparations.

Useful information

• Price: the average price of this cooking class starts at 50€ per person.
• Duration: the class lasts 2 hours (approx.).
• Advantages: you will learn how to prepare gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan dishes in a simple way, with typical ingredients from the region and totally fresh.