Skip the restaurants and stay at home with our favorite Valentine's Day recipes to help you create the perfect romantic meal. Whether you're celebrating the beginning of a new relationship or having dinner with your longtime sweetheart, the best way to a person's heart is through their stomach.
Valentine's Day will be celebrated on Friday, February 14, 2025.
Valentine's Day Main Dishes
Impress your Valentine with these romantic main course recipes.
Pasta Recipes
Grab a bottle of Barolo or Chianti and try these date-night pasta recipes.
Oyster Recipes
Oysters have long had the reputation of being an aphrodisiac. When Valentine's Day rolls around, oysters are second only to chocolate. Rev up your Valentine's Day with these oyster recipes or serve up oyster crackers and show your sweetheart it's the thought that counts.
Valentine's Day Appetizers
Spread the love with these appetizers.
Soup & Salad Recipes
Pull out your coziest clothes, light a candle and whip up a soup or salad for a romantic dinner or as a prelude to dinner.
Side Dish Recipes
Whether you're serving a holiday ham, juicy prime rib, or short ribs, we've got the best side dishes for your Valentine's Day dinner.
Valentine's Day Chocolate Recipes
Impress your Valentine with these rich, melty, chocolate desserts that are way better than anything from a box.
Valentine's Day Dessert Recipes
The key to anyone's heart is food and more specifically, dessert.
Valentine's Day Drinks
Toast to love and set the mood with these Valentine's Day drinks.
Valentine's Day Traditions From Around the World
Here's a quick look at Valentine's Day traditions across the globe and a few other romantic days unique to each country.
- Qiqiao Festival (China): Qixi Festival, Double Seventh Festival or Girls' Festival is often regarded as Chinese Valentine's Day. Qixi Festival falls on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month of the lunar calendar and is a love story between Niulang (cowherd) and Zhinv (weaving maid) handed down for thousands of years.
- El Día del Amor y Amistad (Mexico): In Mexico, Valentine's Day is known as "El Día del Amor y Amistad", or "The Day of Love and Friendship." In Mexico people celebrate this day to show their appreciation for all friendships, both romantic and non-romantic, including the important role friendships have on their lives.
- La Festa degli Innamorati or The Day of Lovers (Italy): February 14 celebrates an old tradition from the Roman Empire where the Queen of Roman gods and goddesses - Juno, the Goddess of Women and Marriage is honored. Today, Italians celebrate V-Day with romantic dinners, meaningful gifts, and - of course - rich chocolate.
- La Saint Valentin (France): While many people consider the French language to be the language of love, and Paris is viewed as the capitol of romance around the world, Valentine's Day is not that big of a deal in France. When the French do celebrate V-Day it's usually a romantic dinner in lieu of chocolate, cards, or gifts.
- Eid el-Hob el-Masri or Egyptian Love Day (Egypt): Egyptians express love to their sweethearts on February 14 like everywhere else but they also celebrate Egyptian Love Day on November 4th. Traditional chocolates, flowers, and dinners are common on these very popular events in Egypt.
- Oysters (England): Oysters have been long known as an aphrodisiac and in the United Kingdom the shellfish, Pacific Oysters primarily, increase in popularity around Valentine's Day.
- Dia dos Namorados (Brazil): Brazilians largely ignore February 14th and instead celebrate 'Dia dos Namorados' on June 12th in honor of Saint Anthony, the saint of marriage and matchmaking.
- Valentine's Week (Argentina): The country of tango, passion, wine and red meat celebrates 'Día de los Enamorados' but in July they also celebrate 'Semana de la Dulzura' or Sweetness Week from the 1st - 7th.
- Monthly Celebrations (South Korea): There are 12 monthly "love days" celebrated on the 14th of each month. These days range from Kiss Day to Hug Day and on Valentine's Day it is customary for women to give men gifts.