Alphafoodie is a recipe site I started in London in 2015. I’m Samira Kazan, and I develop, test and photograph every recipe here in my own kitchen.
The site now holds more than 1,200 recipes and tutorials, built around three things: Lebanese home cooking, making kitchen staples from scratch, and colorful, fresh food.
What you’ll find here
- Lebanese home cooking. The food I grew up with in south Lebanon: mezze, breads, stews and sweets, including many of my mom’s recipes. Browse the Lebanese recipes.
- Kitchen DIYs. More than 200 step-by-step tutorials for making the things most people buy, from tahini and oat milk to tofu and vanilla extract. Browse the kitchen DIYs.
- Colorful, fresh food. Salads, dips and everyday dishes, often Mediterranean and led by vegetables. Find your next recipe.
Not every recipe here is Lebanese. The Lebanese ones have their own collection, so they’re easy to find.
Start here
Six recipes to try first: two Lebanese favorites, two kitchen DIYs and two fresh, colorful dishes. The homemade cream cheese is the one Insider’s tester said “took the top prize” for flavor and texture.
How recipes are developed and tested
Every recipe on Alphafoodie goes through at least three rounds in my kitchen before it’s published.
- Research. I start with the flavors, checking pairings in my food science and flavor books, then add my own twist.
- First test. I cook it for my own dinner. If I don’t love it, it stops here.
- Second test. I fix what didn’t work and make it again, this time weighing everything.
- Final test. I make the finished version, record exact measurements, and photograph and film it.
When I want a second opinion, my team tests recipes too, and freelance testers sometimes cook them in their own kitchens and tell me what worked. I take every photo and video myself.
Storage, freezing and preserving advice draws on my Level 4 food safety training, which is built on HACCP-based food safety management. Older recipes get retested and updated: when I retested my hummus, I made it three ways side by side to find the best method.
I don’t use AI to create or test recipes. I use AI tools behind the scenes for admin, like organizing files and notes.
Nutrition figures on the recipe cards are calculated automatically from the ingredients, so treat them as estimates.
Who’s behind Alphafoodie
Alphafoodie is me, Samira Kazan. I grew up in south Lebanon, earned a DPhil at the University of Oxford and worked in medical research before Alphafoodie became my full-time work in 2017. Read my story.
Two people help me run it. Zarry looks after admin and email, and Rehab looks after Pinterest, and both test recipes when I need a second opinion.
How Alphafoodie is funded
Alphafoodie is free to read. It’s supported by:
- Ads, which help keep the recipes free.
- Affiliate links. If you buy through some links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my disclosure policy.
- Brand partnerships, which are always clearly labeled at the top of the post.
- My own products, like my nut milk bag, which I’ll always tell you are mine.
Spotted a mistake in a recipe? Let me know and I’ll fix it.
The Alphafoodie story
Alphafoodie began as Alpha Breakfast, because I believe everyone should eat breakfast like a king. As the recipes grew to lunch and dinner, the name grew too. The “alpha” is about strength, and about eating the best you can.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Alphafoodie starts on Facebook, then Instagram |
| 2016 | A feature on Vogue.com, and my first ever event: Hunan TV’s Day Day Up in China |
| 2017 | Alphafoodie becomes my full-time work, and my photograph makes the cover of Artful Living |
| 2018 | Royal Albert launches two tea sets inspired by my smoothie bowls; I win Best Food Styling at the Pinterest UK Food + Drink Awards; features in The Times, Entrepreneur and Adobe’s blog |
| 2020 | I win the Golden Apple on Channel 4’s Crazy Delicious |
| 2022 | Lebanese Cuisine: The Authentic Cookbook is first published, and Insider tests my homemade cream cheese |
| 2025 | A Lebanese cuisine session at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, and two Level 4 food safety qualifications, both with Distinction |
| 2026 | My cookbook is now published by Alphafoodie Press |
FAQ
Where is Alphafoodie based? In London, UK. I started it in 2015 and run it with a small team.
Is every recipe Lebanese? No. Lebanese home cooking is a big part of the site and has its own collection, alongside kitchen DIYs and colorful everyday recipes from many cuisines.
Are the recipes tested? Yes. Each one is made at least three times before it’s published. Here’s how.
Where can I buy your cookbook? Lebanese Cuisine: The Authentic Cookbook is available on Amazon UK.
Can brands work with Alphafoodie? Yes. Email admin@alphafoodie.com. I don’t accept guest posts.
Stay in touch
New recipes go out by email every week: sign up here. You’ll also find Alphafoodie on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest and Facebook. For anything else, get in touch.
