157 ideas
11 lists in the random food generator
Every idea the food wheel can spin is printed here, list by list. Each list uses general dish names, so it works wherever you live. Press a list's button to load it, then spin.
Popular picks8
The list the wheel opens with. Eight crowd favorites.
- Pizza
- Tacos
- Sushi
- Curry
- Pasta
- Salad
- Burgers
- Ramen
Dinner ideas20
Home-cooked weeknight dinners, from chili to stir-fry.
- Spaghetti and meatballs
- Chicken stir-fry
- Beef tacos
- Homemade pizza
- Chili
- Salmon and rice
- Chicken curry
- Burrito bowls
- Mac and cheese
- Fried rice
- Sheet-pan chicken and vegetables
- Pasta bake
- Grilled cheese and tomato soup
- Shrimp fajitas
- Veggie lasagna
- Teriyaki chicken
- Beef stew
- Stuffed peppers
- Chicken noodle soup
- Pork chops and mashed potatoes
Cuisines16
Spin a country, then find a dish or a restaurant that fits.
- Italian
- Mexican
- Chinese
- Japanese
- Indian
- Thai
- Korean
- Vietnamese
- Greek
- Lebanese
- French
- Spanish
- American
- Caribbean
- Ethiopian
- Brazilian
Fast food20
Fast food by type of food, not by chain.
- Burgers
- Fried chicken
- Pizza
- Tacos
- Burritos
- Subs
- Hot dogs
- Chicken nuggets
- Fish and chips
- Gyros
- Chicken wings
- Teriyaki bowl
- Noodle box
- Chicken sandwich
- Cheesesteak
- Shawarma
- Fried rice
- Breakfast sandwich
- Nachos
- Fish sandwich
Where to eat out16
Kinds of places to eat, for when you are going out.
- Diner
- Pizzeria
- Taqueria
- Sushi bar
- Steakhouse
- Noodle shop
- BBQ joint
- Food truck
- Café
- Buffet
- Food hall
- Deli
- Ramen shop
- Dim sum
- Burger joint
- Seafood shack
Breakfast16
Quick weekday breakfasts and slower weekend ones.
- Pancakes
- Waffles
- French toast
- Scrambled eggs and toast
- Oatmeal
- Yogurt and granola
- Breakfast burrito
- Bagel and cream cheese
- Avocado toast
- Smoothie
- Omelet
- Cereal and fruit
- Egg sandwich
- Breakfast tacos
- Hash browns and eggs
- Muffins
Lunch ideas14
Packable, office-friendly and leftover-friendly lunches.
- Turkey sandwich
- Chicken Caesar wrap
- Soup and salad
- Quesadilla
- Poke bowl
- Grain bowl
- Pasta salad
- BLT
- Leftovers
- Bento box
- Falafel wrap
- Tuna melt
- Chicken salad
- Noodle soup
Desserts16
Bakes, frozen treats and something with chocolate.
- Ice cream
- Brownies
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Cheesecake
- Apple pie
- Tiramisu
- Cupcakes
- Banana bread
- Fruit salad
- Churros
- Milkshake
- Lemon bars
- Rice pudding
- Donuts
- Crepes
- Frozen yogurt
Vegetarian dinners14
Meat-free dinners. Check labels for other diets.
- Veggie stir-fry
- Bean burritos
- Margherita pizza
- Vegetable curry
- Mushroom risotto
- Black bean burgers
- Pasta primavera
- Falafel bowls
- Veggie fajitas
- Lentil soup
- Spinach lasagna
- Tofu pad thai
- Chickpea salad wraps
- Shakshuka
Snacks12
Small bites for movie night or the afternoon slump.
- Popcorn
- Fresh fruit
- Cheese and crackers
- Trail mix
- Veggies and hummus
- Yogurt
- Nachos
- Pretzels
- Apple slices and peanut butter
- Granola bar
- Chips and salsa
- Edamame
Cook or order5
Settle how you eat first, then spin for what.
- Cook at home
- Order takeout
- Eat out
- Leftovers night
- Breakfast for dinner
Loading a list into the random food generator replaces your current entries, and Undo in the message brings them back. A list longer than the size you picked loads a random selection, and New mix deals another.
Quick start
How to use the random food generator
Couples stuck on "I don't mind, you pick", families planning the week and roommates ordering together all use it the same way. One person staring into the fridge can use it too.
Pick a food list
Under the wheel, press a list such as Dinner ideas or Desserts, or press a list’s button on this page.
Choose how many
Put 8, 12, All ideas on the wheel. A longer list loads a random selection of that size, and New mix swaps it.
Trim or add
Open Edit entries & settings to delete anything you don’t want, or add your own dishes.
Spin
Press Spin, tap the wheel or press Space. The popup shows what to eat.
Fast food
Random fast food generator: burgers, tacos or wings?
The Fast food list works as a random fast food generator: it spins a craving, such as fried chicken or a burrito, out of 20 kinds of fast food. Once the craving is settled, picking the place is easy.
Like the rest of the random food generator, the list names foods, not chains, because the chains near you are not the chains near everyone else. To spin between restaurants, add a second wheel and type the places that deliver to your street, one per line.
Going out instead? The Where to eat out list spins 16 kinds of place, from a diner or a taqueria to a food hall. Brand and restaurant names you type are yours to choose. This site is not linked to any restaurant.
Build a fast food wheel for your street
- Spin the craving first. Load Fast food, choose 8 on the wheel and spin once.
- Then spin the place. Press Add wheel, type 3 to 6 places that serve that food, and spin only that wheel.
- Do both at once. Keep both wheels and press Spin all for a craving and a place together.
- Save it. Save keeps your local list in this browser for next time.
Tonight
Should you cook at home or order takeout?
Cook at home when you have the time and the ingredients, and order takeout when you don't. When neither wins, spin the Cook or order list first. It has 5 options: Cook at home, Order takeout, Eat out, Leftovers night, Breakfast for dinner.
| Factor | Cook at home | Order takeout |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Shopping, cooking and cleanup | Ordering and waiting for delivery or pickup |
| Cost | Set by the groceries you buy | Menu prices, plus delivery fees and tips where they apply |
| Ingredients | You choose every one | Set by the kitchen, so ask about allergens |
| Leftovers | Easy to cook extra for tomorrow's lunch | Depends on the portion size |
To settle both at once, press Add wheel. Load Cook or order on one wheel and Dinner ideas on the other, then press Spin all.
Meal planning
Plan a week of dinners with the what to eat wheel
Turn on "Remove the winner automatically" in Customize, then spin 7 times, one for each day, and no dinner comes up twice. Without it, repeats are more common than most people expect.
- 20Dinner ideasIn the Dinner ideas list, with All on the wheel
- 69.5%Week with a repeatChance 7 spins of all 20 dinners repeat one, without removal
- 88.9%With 12 on the wheelThe same 7 spins from a 12-idea wheel
- 0%With auto-removeEach pick leaves the wheel, so 7 spins give 7 dinners
Keep the plan
The Results tab lists every pick, and Copy or Export CSV saves the week’s plan. Save keeps the list itself under a name such as “Weeknight dinners”.
Let everyone add 2
Each person adds 1 or 2 dinners they like. Everyone had a say in the list, so nobody can blame the cook.
Let the kids spin
Tapping the wheel is easy on a phone or tablet, so even the youngest can take a turn.
Every pick uses your browser's crypto.getRandomValues before the wheel starts spinning, and New mix chooses with the same generator. The page on how picks stay random runs a 10,000-spin test.
Picky eaters
Food wheel ideas for picky eaters
For a picky eater, fill the wheel with meals they already accept, plus one new dish to try. The random food generator makes the choice, so the meal is no longer a parent's decision to argue with.
Start from the Dinner ideas list and delete every meal they refuse. Keep about 6 to 8 meals, so every slice is easy to read, and let the picky eater press Spin themselves.
Add one slice called "Try something new" and give it a weight of 0.5 in "Weights, colors & images". It then comes up half as often as each other meal: with 7 meals, that is 6.7% of spins against 13.3% for each meal.
- One accepted meal13.3%
- Try something new6.7%
- Any accepted meal93.3%
Groups
A food wheel for roommates, offices and date night
When a group can't decide what to eat, the fairest list is one everyone helped write. These set-ups use the random food generator's ready-made lists as a starting point.
Roommates
Load Fast food or Cuisines, delete what nobody likes, and save it as your house list.
Office lunch
Spin Where to eat out for the kind of place, then Lunch ideas for anyone eating in.
Date night
Spin Cuisines for a theme, or plan the whole evening on the date night ideas page, which spins an activity, a food and a budget.
Movie night
Spin Snacks for the bowl, then let the random movie generator pick the film.
Settle a yes-or-no first
"Should we order pizza?" is a yes-or-no question. Type Yes and No as entries, or use the yes or no wheel, which adds Maybe and a running tally.
Your list
How to add your own food list
To add your own food list, open Edit entries & settings and type one dish or place per line in the Entries box. Pasting a list from your notes works too. Local favorites turn the random food generator into a wheel of the places on your street.
Import a file
Import file reads a CSV, Excel (.xlsx) or text file with one food per line.
Save it
Save keeps the list in this browser, so it is ready next time.
Share it
Share makes a link with your list for a partner or roommates.
Favor a meal
A weight of 2 makes a dish twice as likely as the others.
The food wheel runs on the same engine as every wheel on this site, so saves, share links and full screen all work. For choices beyond food, such as weekend plans or a game to play, the decision wheel has its own ready-made lists.
FAQ
What to eat wheel FAQ
Is the random food generator free?
Yes. The what to eat wheel, every food list and every feature are free, with no account, sign-up or download.
Is there a random fast food generator?
Yes: load the Fast food list. It spins 20 kinds of fast food, such as burgers, tacos or wings. Add a second wheel with your local places to pick the restaurant too.
Does the food wheel include restaurant names?
No. The lists use general dish, cuisine and restaurant-type names. Type the restaurants near you as entries to spin between them.
How many food ideas does the wheel have?
The wheel has 157 ideas across 11 lists. You choose whether 8, 12 or all of a list's ideas go on the wheel.
Can I remove foods I don’t like?
Yes. Delete the line in the Entries box, or press Remove in the popup when that food comes up.
Does the wheel know about allergies or diets?
No. The wheel does not know what is in a dish. Delete anything that does not suit your diet, or start from the Vegetarian dinners list.
Can I spin for breakfast, lunch and dinner at once?
Yes. Press Add wheel to make up to 4 wheels, load a different list on each, and press Spin all.
Last updated · Written and tested by Melissa T. Brown