Cooking Classes in Cusco

One of the best ways to get to know a country is through its food. Cusco’s culinary scene features classic Peruvian dishes, modern takes on the classics and a surprising amount of international influence.

Prepare a meal with a large side of culture by shopping with locals, learning time-honored techniques or spending time in a family kitchen during a cooking class in Cusco.

Here's all you need to know about cooking classes, one of the most satisfying gastronomic experiences in Cusco.

What are the best cooking classes in Cusco

Virtual cooking classes

Create Andean cuisine without a plane ticket by taking an online class from the comfort of your own kitchen. Purchase ingredients ahead of time with a list sent to you by the chef in Cusco. Meet your instructor via Zoom to prepare a variety of plates with the national drink, a pisco sour.

Lunch or dinner cooking classes

Turn a necessary part of your day into a fun creative outing! Discover dishes that are commonly eaten at lunch or dinner during a short cooking class in Cusco, while amassing skills and knowledge to recreate these recipes after you return home.

Home cooking classes

Join a local cook in a home kitchen for the ultimate Peruvian culinary experience. Try family recipes, learn about long-held cooking traditions and experiment with local ingredients. Many home cooking classes include a trip to the San Pedro Market to round out the immersive event.

Cooking class with market visit

San Pedro Market is Cusco’s largest and most popular market. Meet your instructor or guide outside the market for a tour, enjoy tastings and help choose fresh ingredients for your meal. Make your way to a professional kitchen to concoct a multi-course meal including cocktails and dessert as you are immersed in Peruvian traditions.

Cooking classes with professional chefs

Innovative chef Marcelo Batata has made a name for himself in Cusco with a highly-rated restaurant and cooking school. Prepare a full meal with plenty of flexibility for different diets. For those with a sweet tooth, take a class at the ChocoMuseo. Craft both sweet and savory dishes with a grand finale of Peruvian fruits dipped in chocolate fondue.

What will you do?

Delve beyond ceviche and potatoes into the Peruvian cuisine of the Andes. Explore ingredients that have been cultivated over millennia, either helping select them at a market or with products carefully-chosen by your instructor.

With Andean foods like the potato-like “mashua,” guinea pig, and exotic fruits, create appetizers, salads, main dishes and sweets. If you are cooking lunch, you will likely prepare a ceviche while sipping a “chicha morada” before whipping up a quinoa risotto. You may even get a chance to make the Japanese-flavored “tiradito nikkei.”

Common dinner recipes are “lomo saltado,” a beef or alpaca dish with vegetables, or “aji de gallina,” stewed chicken in a yellow pepper sauce. Potatoes will likely appear in a course or two, often stuffed with meat or cooked into a terrine called a “causa.” Desserts center around fruits and local chocolate.

While you glean new kitchen skills, your instructor will regale you with cooking traditions, history and the science behind growing food at high altitudes.

How much do cooking classes in Cusco cost?

Virtual cooking classes cost US$25 per person for a 1.5-hour session and include live instruction via Zoom. Lunch cooking classes cost around US$40 per person to prepare a two-course meal. Dinner cooking classes cost around US$60 per person to create three courses. Many lunch or dinner cooking classes start with a visit to the San Pedro Market.

Home cooking classes cost around US$75 per person for a group class creating a multi-course meal with recipes to take home. Private home cooking classes cost US$185 per person. Home cooking classes include transportation from central Cusco accommodations.

Classes featuring a shopping and tasting tour at the San Pedro Market cost from US$85 per person to US$105 per person, depending on the amount of courses you prepare and the size of your group.

Cooking classes at ChocoMuseo cost US$50 per person. Marcelo Batata cooking classes cost from US$90 per person for group classes to US$130 per person for a private lesson.

What is included?

Cooking classes in Cusco typically include the ingredients and instructions to prepare several courses. If you choose a lunch or dinner class, expect a cocktail, starter, main course and dessert highlighting Andean ingredients.

Classes that meet at San Pedro Market offer some tastings of their featured products. Many classes give you copies of the recipes to recreate at home.

Where does it start?

Cooking classes in Cusco are centrally-located. Many classes begin at the San Pedro Market, just a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas.

Marcelo Batata classes take place at his restaurant near the Plaza de Armas. If your class is held in a local’s home kitchen, the exact address will be provided after you book your tour. Some home classes offer pickup.

For some home cooking classes and classes outside of the Cusco city limits, door-to-door transportation from centrally-located Cusco hotels is included in the price.

How long does it last?

Cooking classes in the city of Cusco last from 1.5 to 4 hours. Classes that take place in Sacred Valley last 10 hours with about 3 hours of round-trip road travel between the city and your destination.

When is the best time for a cooking class in Cusco?

The best time for a cooking class in Cusco is at the beginning of your trip. It's an excellent way of immersing yourself in the culture of Cusco through the food and by interacting with locals.

Are there any combos available with cooking classes in Cusco?

Sacred Valley sightseeing tour and cooking class

Combine a trip to some of the Cusco-area’s most desirable destinations with a quinoa cooking class. Venture a little more than an hour north of Cusco to the Sacred Valley to experience how ancient practices are continued today.

Make stops at Maras Salt Mines, the Moray Archeological Center and the community of Chinchero. Witness the dazzling fiber arts fabricated with alpaca wool at the Chinchero market before stirring up a traditional quinoa soup with a Quechua cook.

What other gastronomic experiences can you have in Cusco?

• Food tours in Cusco
• Dinners in Cusco
• Beer tastings in Cusco

Travel tips

• Let the tour provider know of any dietary restrictions when you book the class.
• Wear comfortable shoes that are good for standing for long periods of time.
• A Cusco tourist ticket is required for tours with cooking classes in the Sacred Valley.