What The Cast Of Yellowstone Actually Eats

One of the recurrent battlegrounds in the beloved TV series "Yellowstone" is the Dutton family dining table. Throughout the seasons, the setting has become familiar for tense family mealtimes, set against the backdrop of world class cooking by the family chef. The cast members of the famous show have dined on all types of foods at that table, from grilled octopus to simple donuts. But what is usually in the actual daily diet routines of these "Yellowstone" actors in real life?

Coffee is certainly a strong favorite among most of them, which really shouldn't be much of a surprise. The National Coffee Association estimates that the prevalence of daily coffee usage averages to around 71% for people above the age of 25. Whether it's popular drinks, sweet and savory snacks, or delicious meals, we are taking a sneak peek into the food choices that make the "Yellowstone" stars tick.

In "Yellowstone," there is a common image that any fan of the Taylor Sheridan series would instantly recognize. Kevin Costner's character John Dutton with a mug of coffee in hand as he sets about his daily duties on the ranch. It is a unique trait that has helped the actor to bring this popular character to life on screen in the Paramount Network drama.

What might not be as common knowledge is the fact that Costner does not need to dig too deep to bring out that aspect of John Dutton. As it turns out, he is particularly fond of coffee himself ... so much so that he kickstarts every day of his life with a "big cup of coffee." What's even more intriguing, the star of "Draft Day" did not always enjoy the drink. It is in fact a habit that he has somehow adopted in the last decade or so.

This is what he told EatingWell in November 2024: "I really didn't drink coffee 10 years ago; it's a real habit that I didn't have. The problem was that going from place to place, it wasn't consistent." Costner is now so embedded into the practice of opening his daily routine with a significant dose of coffee, that he does not leave a Keurig mini brewer behind wherever he goes.

Kevin Costner explained to EatingWell that his usual coffee intake would go even a notch higher thanks to the warm family camaraderie around Christmastime. One favorite which he revealed he would gladly dig into any time of the year is apple pie. He specifically crowned the dessert as his ultimate favorite, when served warm. The California-born actor did clarify that his preference was for store-bought apple pie over homemade recipes.

Many people of course love to flavor up their desserts with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Not Costner, who said, "I'd rather put ice cream in my coffee than on my apple pie." And that's not even where his peculiar predilections end. Of all the places that offer the dish in America, he disclosed that only Sara Lee and Marie Callender's pies are suited to his "humble" palate: "Everything else is too gourmet for me," he insisted.

Costner's undeniable love for apple pie was also confirmed by chef Gabriel Guilbeau, who you may know as Gator from "Yellowstone." "He likes apple pie," Guilbeau said in a 2023 interview with The Pioneer Woman. "And chili. And hot dogs. That's his principal diet, and some ice cream, maybe. Then he'll tell me how he shouldn't, [that] he's on a diet. Then once again he'll eat the pie."

At this rate, we might just as well start referring to Kevin Costner as a bona fide gastronome. His tastes in food are not just specific, but actually easy to spot for those who follow him closely. On his social media pages for instance, are a few examples of him sampling banana shakes from various outlets across the country. For most of them, he can be seen savoring the different drinks and offering insights about the taste.

That obsessive side does show up on a few instances, however, where he gives very sharp critiques for shakes that he feels have not been prepared properly. In one such review, when he is told by a producer that the drink he had just sampled was a milkshake sundae, Costner retorted: "Yeah, no. It's a milkshake with a little asphalt in it. No, you keep messing up a banana shake!"

And among the first foods that Kelly Reilly puts into her body in the morning are bagels. For someone who splits her time between England and the United States, the actress is on record revealing that she tries to make the most of her time in New York savoring the state's famous bagels. During this same interview with The Telegraph, she also divulged that she ordinarily enjoys it buttered and fresh from the oven.

Like her "Yellowstone" on-screen father Kevin Costner, Reilly also loves to indulge in some good coffee to break the morning fast. She then follows this up with a glass of fruit juice, which she will have usually prepared in large batches and stored in her fridge. Part of her recipe for the drinks includes portions of ginger and turmeric, aiming for an immune-boosting approach.

Luke Grimes once described himself as the kind of person who will go to whatever lengths for an idea he cares about. His commitment to a strict diet over the years is perhaps one example of this single-mindedness with which the "Yellowstone" star approaches life. The primary goal of this regimen is to augment the protein content he consumes and to minimize the carbs.

Grimes sat down for an interview with Men's Health for the magazine's YouTube channel in December 2024. He listed eggs, chicken, beef, and fish as the main protein components in his diet. But he is of course human, after all. In the interview, Grimes also revealed that he likes macaroni and cheese, as well as pizza in moderation. Adding, "I do love potatoes. That's my guilty pleasure!" The way he balances this is by ensuring that every single one of his meals has a protein, a vitamin source, and then a potato variety such as hash browns.

Potatoes are in fact the one carb that Grimes appears unable to stop himself from indulging in. It was a very succinct answer he gave when it was put to him as a question in the Men's Health interview: "Favorite carb is potatoes."

The number of times that Grimes actually mentioned potatoes inside that one conversation piqued the attention of fans, some who responded with some hilarious comments on YouTube. "Guys ... I think he likes potatoes," one sarcastic post read. Another said, "They should have added a counter for how many times he mentioned potatoes." A more somber user argued that the actor had nothing to feel awkward about for loving potatoes. They wrote: "Potatoes shouldn't be a guilty pleasure. [There] is literally nothing wrong with them, a great source for carbs."

In "Yellowstone," Luke Grimes' character Kayce Dutton is known to be rather eccentric in comparison to his more measured wife Monica. In real life, it would appear that Kelsey Asbille — who portrays Kayce's lover on the show — is the one who lives a more thrilling dining experience in comparison to her colleague. Asbille gets to enjoy regular trips to the Taco Bell drive-thru.

"I love Taco Bell," she said while speaking to Taste of Country right alongside Grimes himself. She even went as far as revealing what the favorite menu item was that she would usually order, saying, "The Number three combo is supreme ... Luke's from Ohio and I'm from South Carolina, so we are used to our fast food." Her co-star chimed in on the subject too, coveting her apparent ability to eat whatever she wants without consequences. "I envy her," Grimes said. "Kelsey can eat whatever she wants and [still] look amazing ... not gain a pound."

Kelsey Asbille's love for Taco Bell perhaps stems from her admitted lack of confidence in the kitchen. Speaking to Esquire during a cooking demonstration in 2022, she revealed that among all actors who star on "Yellowstone," she is probably the least qualified as a cook. The actress does have a casserole that she has mastered the art of preparing, which she also chose for her demo with the leading publication.

She borrows the recipe for the dish from her grandmother and it includes a combination of mushrooms, canned soup, rice, and butter. "I'm like the worst cast member you could ask to cook," said Asbille, before providing more history about her and the dish. "I actually called this Church Lady Rice. The best meal in town was always right after church. My grandmother and her friends would make just the best spread in the whole world. So yeah, so I learned how to make this rice and it's honestly my party trick now." The "One Tree Hill" star had also expressed similar sentiments to Marie Claire previously, saying, "I am a terrible cook. I order takeout. Chinese food is my go-to."

Kevin Costner and Kelly Reilly are not the only coffee enthusiasts among the cast members of "Yellowstone." On the show, the pair's characters essentially adopt Cole Hauser's Rip Wheeler to become a part of their family. While not quite a similar level of bond, the trio does share a strong love for coffee in real life.

There is nothing fancy about how Hauser wants to take his java "I'm pretty simple and old school. I like pour-over black. That's how I drink it," he told The Pioneer Woman in September 2024. The actor explained that in one day, he usually consumes a minimum of three cups of coffee. That count could go up to five depending on the schedule of events, as he explained that he leans on the caffeinated drink for an occasional energy boost while working.

Chef Gabriel "Gator" Guilbeau clearly has a soft spot for Cajun dishes, a fact that he has repeatedly pronounced himself. The increasingly popular figure first found himself working within the "Yellowstone" universe because of his function as the head of craft services for production initiatives led by creator of the show, Taylor Sheridan.

According to his own interview with The Pioneer Woman from June 2023, Guilbeau explained that the cast had also really taken to his favorite Cajun cooking. "[The cast really loves my] étouffée or shrimp-and-corn stew," he said. For those with a bit of a longer legacy on the show, he also said that he would usually prepare a choice meal every so often. "A few days a week I'll make something special for the handful of people who have been here for a long time. We're close," Gilbeau went on to explain.

The job of catering to the food needs of the entire cast and crew of "Yellowstone" is not a menial one as it is — even before we consider chef Gabriel Guilbeau's subsequent involvement as an actor on the show. He spoke in some detail of the intense schedule that he follows to stay on top of matters with all meals of the day ... starting with banana bread for breakfast. Gator insisted that the "Yellowstone" cast "loves their baked goods." He also added that he sometimes made them his signature "Cajun Pop-Tarts" for the first meal of the day. Lunch is a simple meal of beef or chicken sandwiches, with vegetarian options also on offer. When the job is to produce at least 400 of these on a daily basis, it means he cannot compromise on the work ethic.

"Some days I start at 3 a.m.," Gator explained. "It makes a difference to people to have food that's hot, homemade, and delicious when they're working 16-plus hours. My team will hightail it up a mountain in ATVs and set up tables in the woods in the middle of nowhere. Filming isn't as glamorous as you'd think."

For a man as dedicated as chef Gator is, you won't be surprised to find that he has more than one dish that tickles his fancy. In his case, another meal that he has admitted he absolutely enjoys is his Rancher's Chicken and Biscuit Dumplings. The recipe is contained in "Yellowstone: The Official Dutton Ranch Cookbook," and Gator told People that there was no other recipe in the entire publication that he loved better.

This deep attachment makes even more sense when you understand the sentimental connection that makes him so invested in the dish. "I was working in Pennsylvania and I don't know, I just felt really homesick one day," he recalled. "The only thing I could think of was what my mom used to make every couple months ... She would just make this very simple chicken soup with dumplings in it." One of the most satisfying aspects of this recipe for Gator is that it appears to give people the same experience it does him: "[People] say the same thing I say, 'I feel like I'm sitting in my mom's kitchen right now eating this.'"

Piper Perabo's breakfast of choice has more to do with her work elsewhere than it does with anything inside the world of "Yellowstone." Thanks to her main role playing Annie Walker in USA Network's "Covert Affairs," she found that she was often physically over-exerting herself in order to meet the demands of an intense action role.

In order to counter this, she was advised to start eating broiled salmon and pickled vegetables for breakfast. She did, and there was no turning back. "If you're not going to eat for a while and you're going to be jumping off buildings, it's good to go with this kind of long burning lean protein," Perabo shared with Bon Appétit.

Unsurprisingly, she also has her very own morning coffee routine. "I love to go for a walk to get my coffee," she told the publication. "There's a coffee shop in my neighborhood called Everyman Espresso and it really might be [the] best coffee in the world. I travel a lot, and I still think this is the best."

Piper Perabo's interests beyond Hollywood include the SoHo-based bistro by the name Jack's Wife Freda. She apparently has a rather special fondness for a pastry sold at the restaurant, as she once revealed to Interview Magazine. "There's the little pastry called 'the rose,'" she explained. "It's a little rolled pastry with chocolate in it, and when the guy at the bar makes your cappuccino, he puts the leftover steamed milk on the pastry. It becomes this little soft, French, dreamy [thing]. Something about it is so comforting and warm and tiny ... I love it!"

Perabo is so sold on the rose that she sang the praises of its supposed effects even on one's mental outlook. "If you're having a big day, you feel really secure after starting with that pastry," she said. Jack's Wife Freda is not Perabo's only restaurant, as she is also the proprietor of Employees Only in the West Village.