SpongeBob Foods We Wish Existed In Real Life
Why does cartoon food always look so appetizing? Is it the bright and exaggerated colors? Or maybe the way our favorite characters scarf down their favorite dishes? Food has always played a huge role in telling the stories we love in our favorite cartoons, from the cheesey pizza in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" to the pink donuts that Homer inhales on "The Simpsons."
There are plenty of cartoons that depict food worthy of some sort of Hall of Fame, but one classic show with food stands out: "SpongeBob SquarePants." Throughout all of the adventures, our beloved underwater friends explore a diverse range of culinary feasts that leave us wishing we lived in Bikini Bottom. Seeing as how the main character of the show works at a burger joint, viewers get to take a deep dive into the world of cartoon food in almost every episode. Tons of imaginary dishes are thought up in "SpongeBob SquarePants," and we've gone through and compiled a list of the most appetizing ones that we wish existed in real life. Keep reading to dive into the culinary world of Bikini Bottom.
The Krabby Patty
What better place to start than with the most iconic food in the SpongeBob universe: the Krabby Patty. It's the signature burger of the best hamburger joint in Bikini Bottom — The Krusty Krab. Always prepared to order by masterful fry-cook SpongeBob SquarePants, the delicious-looking burger usually includes fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sea cheese, pickles, mustard, ketchup, and, of course, whatever is in the Krabby Patty with its secret formula. It's all sandwiched between two seaweed-sea buns. SpongeBob Fandom says episodes reveal that the patty contains seaweed sauce, squid ink, dried kelp, and chum, although we don't know what the full recipe is. The show's creator, Steve Hillenburg, has hinted that the Krabby Patty has absolutely no meat — it's a veggie burger.
Despite the lack of meat, we know the Krabby Patty is a highly addictive burger, as shown by the restaurant's massive success, Squidward's obsession after trying one for the first time, and the efforts of Mr. Krabs' arch nemesis, Plankton, to steal the secret formula to help his own struggling restaurant.
We're not the only ones who dream about trying a Krabby Patty in real life. Popular food creator Binging With Babish concocted his version of the Krabby Patty, which he claimed was the all-time most requested dish for his YouTube show. There have also been several pop-ups, like the Rusty Krab in Houston, the SpongeBar in Kansas City, or a replica Krusty Krab in the Middle East that operated briefly before closing in 2019.
Kelp Shake
Sure, the Kelp Shake might be highly addictive (and possibly even a bit toxic), but "SpongeBob SquarePants" definitely makes you crave the soft drink. It appears in a curvy green bottle with a yellow label that reads "KELP SHAKE" in bright red letters. In the episode "Best Frenemies," just about everyone in Bikini Bottom loves the drink. Mr. Krabs says it tastes like a wet gym sock while Plankton says it has a pungent aftertaste — that is, until the addictive flavor kicks in. Karen, Plankton's computer wife, eventually proves the drink contains 99% kelp juice with the rest being radioactive material that causes the drinkers to grow green hair all over their bodies. But green hair doesn't seem so bad, right?
People all over Reddit have pondered what a Kelp Shake might be made of in real life. Possible flavor guesses have included green matcha, aloe vera, lime slush, 7UP, "Mountain Dew on steroids," and of course, simply kelp. Whatever it is, we want to try — and we aren't the only ones. Several online creators have made their own Kelp Shakes, including YouTube channel Feast Of Fiction whose hosts even went so far as to create the iconic bottle. Their take on the addictive drink contains soy milk, spinach, kelp extract, pineapple, green apple, and banana all blended together like a smoothie. But they left out the most important part: Does it make you grow green hair?
Grandma's cookies
You don't need to watch SpongeBob SquarePants to know "Grandma's cookies" are some of the best things both on land and beneath the ocean. If you've seen the episode "Grandma's Kisses," you were probably taken down your own nostalgic memory lane of what it feels like to get doted with love, affection, and the best cookies you could ever taste at your grandmother's house. "Grandma, you make the best cookies in the deep blue sea," SpongeBob exclaims in the episode clip. He proceeds to "lick the spoon" of cookie dough batter, which looks equally as appetizing.
What is it that makes Grandma's cookies so dang special? Although the cartoon doesn't offer any specifics about the cookies, plenty of people have tried to replicate them, like YouTubers from Feast Of Fiction. The two secret ingredients in their recipe are browned butter and pineapple juice. But let's be honest. There's only one secret ingredient that a grandmother can put in to make the most delicious cookies, and that's a grandmother's love.
Three-Day Potato Salad
In the classic episode, "No Weenies Allowed," SpongeBob and his squirrel pal, Sandy, get into a karate match. Sandy sends him flying across the ocean. Luckily, SpongeBob lands on his feet, but unluckily, both feet land directly into two separate bowls of potato salad, effectively ruining a fish family's picnic. "Way to go, buddy," the dad fish scolds. "It took us three days to make that potato salad. THREE DAYS!" (via SpongeBob Fandom).
Yes, the question on everyone's mind: Why did it take three days to make potato salad? Several theories have been discussed across the internet. Some say it took him three days to fetch the finest ingredients in the sea. Others say many dishes (potato salad included) taste better the next day because it gives the flavors time to blend into perfection. The king of recreating television recipes, Binging With Babish on YouTube, has his own theory. He says the potatoes were actually pickled before cooking, and that "the lacto-fermented funk could go really well in potato salad." One thing is for sure: A potato salad that takes three days to make and invokes the full wrath of a father is probably pretty darn good.
The Jelly Patty
Yes, nothing beats a classic Krabby Patty (we think). But in the episode "Jellyfish Hunter," SpongeBob puts his own spin on the Krabby Patty by adding fresh jellyfish jelly — made from a jellyfish that he caught himself. A customer sees the concoction and asks to try it. The result is a hysteric, manic musical number where the customer tells everyone that "it's the tastiest sandwich in the sea" (via SpongeBob Fandom). This leads the money-hungry Mr. Krabs to order SpongeBob to catch all of the jellyfish in the sea to satisfy hungry customers who want the Jelly Patty.
Although it might not be the most traditional burger combination, just one look at the dripping jellyfish jelly on the succulent burger invokes a sweet-savory craving that only a jelly burger can satisfy. Several real-life restaurants have made similar burgers, like Public School Restaurant and Bar's famous PB&J Burger that features blackberry habanero jam (the restaurant has two locations in Southern California and one in Las Vegas). You can also find plenty of recipes online that mimic SpongeBob's famous creation with ingredients like grape jelly, but it's just not the same unless it's fresh-squeezed jellyfish jelly, you know?
The Triple Gooberberry Sunrise
You know we had to add the monstrous Triple Gooberberry Sunrise sundae featured in "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." SpongeBob and his starfish best friend, Patrick, get these big ol' ice cream sundaes to drown their sorrows after SpongeBob fails to get the manager position at Krusty Krab 2. The pair scarfs down an endless number of sundaes, which have a seemingly intoxicating effect on them. The sundaes do their job by putting SpongeBob back in a good mood (a sugar rush will do that to you).
So what does this special, smiley sundae consist of? A few scoops of ice cream, chocolate sauce "hair," bananas topped with cherries that serve as arms and a hat, three candy buttons for eyes and a nose, and finally a piece of red licorice for the smiling lips. As usual, the heroic food creators of the internet like Binging With Babish have done us a favor and recreated the sundaes for us, complete with ice cream made from scratch and topped with chocolate fudge, M&Ms, and the rest of the necessary ingredients. But what no one can tell us: What is a Gooberberry from Goofy Goober's ice cream shop?
Holographic Meatloaf
It doesn't matter what kind of food it is. If your loving partner prepares it for you, it has a delicious quality that you just can't replicate. Maybe that's what makes Karen's holographic meatloaf so special. In the episode "The Algae's Always Greener," Plankton wakes up every day to a digital meal prepared by his computer wife that contains meatloaf, lettuce, radishes, cherry tomatoes, and other vegetables. Although he doesn't enjoy the meatloaf in the beginning of the episode (mostly due to his jealousy of Mr. Krabs), he comes around by the end and appreciates what he has. He even calls the meal his "favorite."
The bit actually gives a nod to the real-life wonders of plankton as well. Plankton usually produces its food and energy through photosynthesis, a process that converts sunlight into chemical energy. Plankton doesn't actually need to eat real food — which means light-filled holographic meatloaf is probably exactly what Plankton needs to satisfy his appetite. So that makes two reasons why we wish holographic meatloaf were real — being able to eat "light" as a satisfying meal AND having your loving partner prepare it for you. Win-win.
The Pipsqueak Patty
There are several variations of the famous Krabby Patty, but none are as cute as the Pipsqueak Patty, which we presume uses the same secret formula as the full-size burger. This miniature version of the Krabby Patty is served to Barnacle Boy when everyone is teasing him and treating him like a child. "One Pipsqueak patty ..." Squidward says while snickering, "and your bib and high chair" (via SpongeBob Fandom). Sure, the Pipsqueak Patty may have played a significant role in turning Barnacle Boy to the dark side, but that doesn't mean it's not a delicious and adorable treat.
The fun-sized burger comes with a patty, cheese, and lettuce as well as extra ingredients to make a cute smile on the top bun. Sure, it might not be the most efficient meal to make, but imagine how fun it would be to throw back a bag of Pipsqueak Patties while watching a movie or a baseball game. Of course, it's enjoyable only as long as people don't mind that you're eating a kids' meal.
Krabby Patty Pizza
Is there a more delectable food portrayed by cartoons than a hot, cheesy pizza? Probably not. And the pizza that The Krusty Krab adds to its menu during the "Pizza Delivery" episode is no different. In the episode, Mr. Krabs gets a call asking for pizza, and despite not serving pizza (or doing deliveries), the money-hungry restaurant owner smashes together a plate of Krabby Patties to create a steaming hot pizza. This leads to a long adventure for Squidward and SpongeBob who are tapped to deliver the pizza to the customer's door. The mission leads to SpongeBob's iconic song: "The Krusty Krab pizza — is the pizza — for you and me" (via SpongeBob Fandom).
Although the pizza may look like an ordinary pepperoni pizza to the untrained eye, it was actually made out of Krabby Patties, meaning it was probably more akin to a burger pizza. At least that was TikTok food influencer @albert_cancook's take on the underwater pizza. In a viral video that racked up more than one million likes, he threw ground beef patties, bacon, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, mustard, pickles, ketchup, sliced cheese, and pepperoni onto pizza dough to create the iconic Krabby Patty Pizza. It was a creation Mr. Krabs would have been proud of.
Drinkable Sausage
If there's one issue with sausages, it might be that they just aren't convenient enough to consume. Enter drinkable sausage. This innovative (and horrific-sounding) meal in a carton first makes an appearance in the episode "Model Sponge." Patrick is trying to cheer up SpongeBob after he lost his job. He suggests SpongeBob should just relax, kick back, watch some TV, and enjoy a carton of drinkable sausage.
The red and yellow carton features pictures of sausages, one of which has a white bendy straw stuffed into the top, implying the very straightforward nature of the food: sausage in liquid form. It might not seem like the most appetizing dish to some, but the great minds over at the People Vs Food YouTube channel went ahead and recreated Patrick's favorite snack for contestants to try. One contestant said, "It smells like yummy broth" before sipping it. Although most didn't end up trying it, the ones who did actually said it was "really good" and that "Patrick is on to something." Moral of the story: Don't ever doubt Patrick Star.
Volcano Sauce
Next up on our list isn't so much a food as much as it is a powerful condiment. Volcano Sauce (hot!) makes its appearance in the episode "Karate Choppers" when Sandy and SpongeBob are fighting. In an effort to make her opponent surrender, Sandy grabs ahold of SpongeBob's (incredibly long) tongue and a bottle of "her favorite" sauce: Volcano Sauce. As she proceeds to tip the bottle, a drop hangs out, and an evil face appears on it and says laughingly, "By the powers of naughtiness, I command this particular drop of hot sauce to be really, really hot." SpongeBob pretends to surrender, and Sandy goes on to drink straight out of the bottle of hot sauce.
We think we speak for all spice lovers out there when we say that making a sauce so hot that an evil face literally appears in the sauce and laughs maniacally makes it one worth trying. Petition for someone to create the evil Volcano Sauce?
SpongeBob's Sundae
What better way to celebrate the weekend than with a homemade sundae? That's what SpongeBob thought on one fateful Sunday, but when he went to look for ingredients, he found he was out of ice cream and other traditional toppings, so he improvised. He starts with a healthy base of ketchup, a layer of sliced onions, and an old (apparently smelly) peanut plant, still in its pot. "A little texture never hurt," he claims in the clip. He happily scarfs down the homemade sundae, leaving him with disgusting breath that has people avoiding him all over town.
Okay, you're right. It might not be a concoction you would actually want to eat, but it's the idea behind it that makes it so appetizing. SpongeBob's endless positivity and persistence led him to make do with whatever he had, creating something he believed was special. And in the end, he truly enjoyed eating the sundae he created with his own two hands. We can all learn a little something from SpongeBob.
Binging With Babish apparently thought so too and recreated the "bad breath sundae" on his popular YouTube channel. Sure, he said it was not very good, and that "it's like eating a burger, without the bun or the burger." He also confirmed it did, in fact, give him rancid breath. But SpongeBob's creativity and gumption are still to be applauded, though.