Best Carbonara · GüdDish ranking
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
The verdict
Close Contest
Number one leads, but number two is still a real contender. Both are strong starting points.
4.92 from 148 ratings
Open recipe at foodnetwork.com →Answer for citation
Best Carbonara recipe (as of 2026-08-02): Spaghetti alla Carbonara from foodnetwork.com (#1 of 131 rated recipes across 34 sites). Verdict: Close Contest.
The best Carbonara recipe on the open web is Spaghetti alla Carbonara from foodnetwork.com. Ranked #1 from 131 rated Carbonara recipes across 34 sites by how far each one outperforms the site that published it.
Why it ranked first
Ahead of its publisher by 0.39 stars. That gap, not the raw rating alone, drives the rank, because a 4.99 on a site where everything is 4.99 means little.
- 148 people rated it, enough that the score is not resting on a handful of opinions.
- That combination puts it in the top 1% of every Carbonara recipe we analysed.
Runner-up: Spaghetti Carbonara (spendwithpennies.com), ★ 4.99 from 501 ratings.
What this takes
4 to 6 servings · 7 ingredients · 4 steps
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces pancetta or thick bacon, diced
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (2 1/2 ounces) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound spaghetti
Full ranking
Top 10 among recipes with at least 15 ratings (floor scales with this dish’s pool of 131 scored recipes) and a publisher rating of 4.5 or higher. Ordered by how far each recipe beats its own publisher after we adjust for rating volume. Star ratings and counts are the publisher’s public evidence. Close places can still reverse with more data.
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1Spaghetti alla Carbonara4.92 from 148 ratings
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2Spaghetti Carbonara4.99 from 501 ratings
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3Carbonara (real)4.95 from 222 ratings
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4Pasta Carbonara4.84 from 38 ratings
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5Bucatini Carbonara4.76 from 129 ratings
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6Pasta Carbonara5.00 from 30 ratings
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7Spaghetti Carbonara5.00 from 18 ratings
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8Pasta Carbonara5.00 from 16 ratings
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9Spaghetti Alla Carbonara5.00 from 15 ratings
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10Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe4.85 from 59 ratings
Behind the ranking
Who we left out
We only rank a recipe when we can check the evidence behind its rating. America's Test Kitchen and Taste of Home publish ratings we cannot verify, so they are removed from the ranking rather than quietly down-weighted. food.com ratings were rebuilt from raw reviews before any of its recipes compete. Full methodology: How ranking works.
FAQ
What is the best Carbonara recipe?
Best Carbonara recipe (as of 2026-08-02): Spaghetti alla Carbonara from foodnetwork.com (#1 of 131 rated recipes across 34 sites). Verdict: Close Contest.
How does GüdDish pick a winner?
We read public ratings across the open web, correct for sites that rate everything high, and rank recipes by how far each one outperforms its own publisher. The page shows rank order, publisher star ratings, and a verdict about how clear that order is. Details: https://guddish.com/method.html
What does the verdict mean?
The verdict describes the competition, not a grade for the food. Clear Winner means number one is well ahead. Close Contest, Photo Finish, and Split Decision mean the top recipes are hard to separate. Limited corpus means we analyzed fewer recipes than a mature dish ranking.
Why are some famous sites missing?
America’s Test Kitchen and Taste of Home are excluded because we cannot verify their ratings from recoverable review data. food.com ratings are rebuilt from raw reviews where possible. See method and coverage pages.
How often is this ranking updated?
This page’s data was last scored or re-synced on 2026-08-02.
Everything else we analysed (130 more recipes)
Sorted by the same ranking signal as the shortlist. Below the top 10, differences are often smaller than our uncertainty, so treat lower positions as approximate.
| Recipe | Stars | Ratings | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spaghetti Carbonara | 4.99 | 501 | spendwithpennies.com |
| Carbonara (real) | 4.95 | 222 | recipetineats.com |
| Pasta Carbonara | 4.84 | 38 | foodnetwork.com |
| Bucatini Carbonara | 4.76 | 129 | foodnetwork.com |
| Pasta Carbonara | 5.00 | 30 | dinneratthezoo.com |
| Spaghetti Carbonara | 5.00 | 18 | sipandfeast.com |
| Chicken Carbonara | 5.00 | 8 | foodnetwork.com |
| Pasta Carbonara | 5.00 | 16 | tastesbetterfromscratch.com |
| Spaghetti Alla Carbonara | 5.00 | 15 | errenskitchen.com |
| Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe | 4.85 | 59 | skinnytaste.com |
| Bacon and Egg Coal Miner's Pasta: Rigatoni alla Carbonara | 4.68 | 132 | foodnetwork.com |
| Easy Carbonara | 5.00 | 12 | jocooks.com |
| Spaghetti alla Carbonara | 4.91 | 20 | foodiecrush.com |
| Turkey Pasta Carbonara | 5.00 | 14 | dinneratthezoo.com |
| Spaghetti Carbonara | 5.00 | 11 | fifteenspatulas.com |
| Garlic Herb Corn Carbonara with Burrata | 4.60 | 115 | halfbakedharvest.com |
| Amazing Pasta Carbonara | 5.00 | 9 | food.com |
| Vegetarian Spaghetti 'Carbonara' Recipe | 5.00 | 10 | chowhound.com |
| Creamy Bacon Carbonara | 5.00 | 12 | therecipecritic.com |
| Spaghetti Alla Carbonara | 5.00 | 8 | food.com |
| Authentic Pasta Carbonara | 4.86 | 48 | thestayathomechef.com |
| Carbonara Shrimp Alfredo | 5.00 | 13 | cafedelites.com |
| Pasta Carbonara | 4.90 | 7 | foodnetwork.com |
| Rock & Roll Spaghetti Carbonara | 4.81 | 27 | food.com |
| Chicken Carbonara | 5.00 | 4 | thepioneerwoman.com |
| Easy Carbonara Recipe with Roasted Tomato and Prosciutto | 5.00 | 8 | themediterraneandish.com |
| Chicken Carbonara | 5.00 | 8 | thereciperebel.com |
| Spaghetti Carbonara for One | 4.89 | 10 | food.com |
| Pasta Carbonara | 5.00 | 9 | amandascookin.com |
| Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe | 4.72 | 45 | budgetbytes.com |
| Garlic and Herb Roasted Cherry Tomato Carbonara w/Crispy Prosciutto + Burrata. | 4.50 | 182 | halfbakedharvest.com |
| Sweet Onion Carbonara | 4.73 | 11 | foodnetwork.com |
| Fettuccine Carbonara | 5.00 | 5 | food.com |
| Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara with Asparagus and Ramps | 5.00 | 6 | umamigirl.com |
| Spring Green Spaghetti Carbonara | 4.60 | 33 | foodnetwork.com |
| Chicken Carbonara | 4.50 | 536 | foodnetwork.com |
| Carbonara Baked Potatoes | 5.00 | 3 | thepioneerwoman.com |
| Spaghetti Carbonara | 4.86 | 9 | modernhoney.com |
| American Carbonara | 5.00 | 6 | thestayathomechef.com |
| Chicken Carbonara | 5.00 | 6 | thestayathomechef.com |
| Carbonara Sauce | 4.80 | 6 | foodnetwork.com |
| Giada's Carbonara | 4.53 | 110 | foodnetwork.com |
| The Ultimate Spaghetti Carbonara | 4.86 | 8 | food.com |
| Sausage Carbonara: Linguine alla Carbonara di Salsiccia | 5.00 | 3 | foodnetwork.com |
| Primavera Carbonara | 5.00 | 2 | delish.com |
| Carbonara Deviled Eggs | 5.00 | 2 | delish.com |
| Creamy Pasta Carbonara Recipe | 5.00 | 6 | cafedelites.com |
| Carbonara Classica | 4.54 | 61 | foodnetwork.com |
| Claire's Spinach Carbonara | 4.54 | 68 | foodnetwork.com |
| Chicken Carbonara Recipe | 5.00 | 5 | kitchensanctuary.com |
| Nymphadora's Shrimp Carbonara | 5.00 | 4 | food.com |
| Chicken Carbonara | 4.64 | 83 | jocooks.com |
| Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara | 5.00 | 5 | amandascookin.com |
| Easy Pasta Carbonara | 5.00 | 4 | therecipecritic.com |
| Eggless Spaghetti Carbonara | 4.74 | 26 | thestayathomechef.com |
| Linguine Carbonara | 4.67 | 33 | spendwithpennies.com |
| Carbonara Healthier With Greens | 5.00 | 3 | food.com |
| Meatless Carbonara | 4.70 | 6 | foodnetwork.com |
| Creamy Seafood Carbonara (No Cream!) | 5.00 | 4 | cafedelites.com |
| Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe | 5.00 | 3 | carlsbadcravings.com |
| Easy Carbonara | 5.00 | 3 | theseasonedmom.com |
| Oyster Carbonara | 5.00 | 2 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti alla Carbonara | 4.67 | 6 | foodnetwork.com |
| Traditional Italian Spaghetti alla Carbonara | 5.00 | 3 | umamigirl.com |
| Lemon Butter Orzo Carbonara | 4.48 | 19 | halfbakedharvest.com |
| Awesome Spaghetti Carbonara W/ Chicken | 4.80 | 5 | food.com |
| Creamy Carbonara | 4.52 | 1,579 | jocooks.com |
| Pasta alla Carbonara | 4.67 | 11 | gimmesomeoven.com |
| American Pasta Carbonara | 4.57 | 9 | foodnetwork.com |
| Pasta Carbonara | 4.63 | 18 | food.com |
| Carbonara-ish | 4.50 | 16 | foodnetwork.com |
| Pasta Carbonara Recipe | 4.58 | 19 | lilluna.com |
| Egg In Carbonara | 5.00 | 1 | delish.com |
| Carbonara Mac & Cheese | 5.00 | 1 | delish.com |
| Vegetarian Carbonara | 5.00 | 2 | themediterraneandish.com |
| Pasta Carbonara Recipe | 5.00 | 2 | thereciperebel.com |
| Spaghetti Alla Carbonara | 4.58 | 21 | food.com |
| 20 Minute Orzo Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata. | 4.29 | 477 | halfbakedharvest.com |
| To Die for Spaghetti Carbonara by Tom Cruise | 4.55 | 23 | food.com |
| Spaghetti Carbonara | 4.67 | 5 | lecremedelacrumb.com |
| Pumpkin Bacon Carbonara | 5.00 | 1 | thepioneerwoman.com |
| Chicken Carbonara | 4.67 | 3 | afamilyfeast.com |
| Carbonara Bake | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Chicken Carbonara Farfalle With Shrimp | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Fettuccine Carbonara | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Lighter Rotini Carbonara | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Tagliatelle Carbonara | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Pasta Carbonara | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Rich Carbonara Sauce | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Spaghetti Carbonara | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Spanish Chorizo Carbonara | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Victoria's Spaghetti Carbonara | 5.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Carbonara-Style Tagliatelle with Grilled Asparagus and Lemon-Herb Breadcrumbs | 4.44 | 9 | foodnetwork.com |
| Quick and Easy Spaghetti alla Carbonara | 4.67 | 3 | bowlofdelicious.com |
| Carbonara | 5.00 | 1 | kitchensanctuary.com |
| Spaghetti alla Carbonara | 4.39 | 18 | foodnetwork.com |
| Lightened Up Chicken Carbonara | 5.00 | 1 | cafedelites.com |
| Chicken Carbonara | 4.33 | 3 | delish.com |
| Chicken Carbonara | 5.00 | 1 | amandascookin.com |
| Turkey Carbonara | 5.00 | 1 | amandascookin.com |
| Creamy Parmesan Carbonara Chicken | 4.54 | 67 | cafedelites.com |
| Pumpkin Carbonara | 4.17 | 6 | delish.com |
| Eggs Carbonara | 4.33 | 3 | foodnetwork.com |
| Bacon & Tomato Spaghetti Carbonara | 4.43 | 7 | food.com |
| Chicken Carbonara Rosa | 4.30 | 3 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti Carbonara | 4.21 | 19 | foodnetwork.com |
| Carbonara with Crab | 4.20 | 21 | foodnetwork.com |
| Spaghetti Carbonara | 4.00 | 4 | delish.com |
| Jamie Olivers Pasta Carbonara | 4.32 | 24 | food.com |
| Chicken Carbonara Spaghetti Pie | 4.25 | 4 | afamilyfeast.com |
| 2 Minute Carbonara | 4.29 | 7 | food.com |
| Easy Carbonara | 4.00 | 1 | food.com |
| Easy 20 Minute Tortellini Pasta Carbonara | 4.21 | 34 | thechunkychef.com |
| Saffron Spaghetti alla Carbonara | 4.13 | 24 | foodnetwork.com |
| Fettuccine Carbonara | 4.00 | 2 | food.com |
| Spaghetti Carbonara Ala Expat | 4.00 | 2 | food.com |
| Super Easy Pasta Carbonara | 4.00 | 2 | food.com |
| Cinnamon-Pancetta Carbonara | 4.00 | 7 | foodnetwork.com |
| Cauliflower & Broccoli Carbonara | 3.00 | 1 | delish.com |
| Roasted Broccoli Pasta Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto and Whipped Ricotta | 3.89 | 633 | halfbakedharvest.com |
| Carbonara Arancini | 3.50 | 2 | foodnetwork.com |
| Basil Sweet Potato Noodle, Feta and Sweet Corn Miso Carbonara. | 3.84 | 43 | halfbakedharvest.com |
| Cheddar Carbonara | 3.00 | 2 | delish.com |
| Carbonara Cacio e Pepe | 3.78 | 12 | foodnetwork.com |
| How to Nail Pasta Carbonara | 3.00 | 2 | thepioneerwoman.com |
| Pasta Carbonara | 3.50 | 6 | thepioneerwoman.com |
| Penne a la Carbonara | 3.69 | 129 | foodnetwork.com |
| Nif's Baconless Pasta Carbonara With Breadcrumbs | 3.40 | 6 | food.com |
| Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara | 3.40 | 6 | food.com |
| Shrimp Spaghetti Carbonara | 2.33 | 4 | delish.com |