The Pillsbury Bake-Off is an American cooking contest, first run by the Pillsbury Company in 1949. It has been called "one of the most successful promotions in the history of the modern food business".

History The first contest was held in 1949 as the Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest and hosted in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. One hundred entries were selected for the final competition (97 women and 3 men). Pillsbury paid all expenses to fly in and host the contestants. At the awards banquet, Eleanor Roosevelt presented the winner with a $50,000 check. Every contestant received at least $100 for their recipe and took home the G.E. electric stove used in the competition. All of the recipes were published in a booklet distributed to grocers nationwide. The only required ingredient in the early contests was Pillsbury's BEST Flour.

The contest was held annually from 1949–1976, 2013 to 2014, and since 2017; from 1978 to 2012, the contest was held biennially. There was no contest in 1965 because the contest was moved from October to February. In 1971, Pillsbury trademarked the term "bake-off". There was no contest in 2015, 2016 nor 2020. The contest reverted to an annual contest in 2013 and 2014, after the previous 18 contests were held in even-numbered years. Although the 2021 contest was held virtually, the Food Network aired the contest from New York, NY.

From 1996 to 2014, the grand prize was $1,000,000. From 2018 to 2019, the grand prize was $50,000 plus a kitchen makeover from GE Appliances. Occasionally, there has been a male category winner (1978, 1990, 1992, and 2002). The only male champion was Kurt Wait of Redwood City, California, who won in 1996; that year, 14 of the 100 finalists were men.

In 2014, the contest added eight additional "Sponsor Awards" for a prize of $5,000 each. Categories and winners included:

GE Imagination At Work Award: won by MaryJo Watkins of Scottsdale, Arizona – Muffuletta Mini Pies Jif Peanut Butter Award: won by Brenda Watts of Gaffney, South Carolina – Macaroon-Peanut Butter-Chocolate Tartlets Crisco is Cooking Award: won by Greg Fontenot of The Woodlands, Texas – Grilled Potato and Roasted Salsa Verde Pizza Eagle Brand Signature Recipe Award: won by Barbara Estabrook of Rhinelander, Wisconsin – Peanut and Pretzel-Peanut Butter Thumbprints Pillsbury Gluten Free Award: won by Merry Graham of Newhall, California – Herbs and Seeds Parmesan Crackers Pillsbury Clever Twist Award: won by Marie Valdes of Brandon, Florida – Spinach Dip-Stuffed Garlic Rolls Watkins Vanilla Award: won by Antoinette Leal of Ridgefield, Connecticut – Very Vanilla Lemon Tarts Reynolds Baking Magic Award: won by Elizabeth Bennett of Seattle, Washington – Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Filled Pretzels

The 2022 edition was the first in the competition's history in which the use of traditional ovens was prohibited; entrants were allowed to use any other cooking appliance. It was promoted as the "Pillsbury Ovens Off Bake-Off Contest".

Grand prize winners Year Recipe Grand Prize Winner/City1949No-Knead Water-Rising TwistsTheodora Smafield (Detroit, MI)1950Orange Kiss-Me CakeLily Wuebel (Redwood City, CA)1951Starlight Double-Delight CakeHelen Weston (La Jolla, CA)1952 Snappy Turtle CookiesBeatrice Harlib (Chicago, IL)1953 "My Inspiration" CakeLois Kanago (Weber, SD)1954 Open Sesame PieDorothy Koteen (Washington, DC)1955 Ring-A-LingsBertha Jorgensen (Portland, OR)1956 California CasseroleHildreth H. Hatheway (Santa Barbara, CA)1957 Accordion TreatsGerda Roderer (Berkeley, CA)1958 Spicy Apple TwistsDorothy DeVault (Delaware, OH)1959 Mardi Gras Party CakeEunice G. Surles (Lake Charles, LA)1960 Dilly Casserole BreadLeona Schnuelle (Crab Orchard, NE)1961 Candy Bar CookiesAlice Reese (Minneapolis, MN)1962 Apple Pie '63Julia Smogor (South Bend, IN)1963 Hungry Boys' CasseroleMira Walilko (Detroit, MI)1964 Peacheesy PieJanis Boykin (Melbourne, FL)1966 Golden Gate Snack BreadMari Petrelli (Las Vegas, NV)1967 Muffin Mix Buffet BreadMaxine Bullock (Topeka, KS)1968 Buttercream Pound CakePhyllis Lidert (Oak Lawn, IL)1969Magic Marshmallow Crescent PuffsEdna M. Walker (Hopkins, MN)1970 Onion Lover's TwistNan Robb (Huachuca City, AZ)1971 Pecan Pie Surprise BarsPearl Hall (Snohomish, WA)1972 Streusel Spice CakeRose DeDominicis (Verona, PA)Quick 'n Chewy Crescent BarsIsabelle Collins (Elk River, MN)1973 Quick Crescent Pecan Pie BarsMrs. Jerome Flieller, Jr. (Floresville, TX)Banana Crunch CakeMrs. Ronald L. Brooks (Salisbury, MD)1974 Chocolate Cherry Bars Francis I. Jerzak (Porter, MN)Savoury Crescent Chicken SquaresDoris Castle (River Forest, IL)1975 Easy Crescent Danish RollsBarbara S. Gibson (Fort Wayne, IN)Sour Cream Apple SquaresLuella Maki (Ely, MN)1976 Crescent Caramel SwirlLois A. Groves (Greenwood Village, CO)Whole Wheat Raisin LoafLenora H. Smith (Baton Rouge, LA)1978 Nutty Graham Picnic CakeEsther Tomich (San Pedro, CA)Chick-&-Broccoli Pot PiesLinda Mowery (Worthington, IN)1980 Italian Zucchini Crescent PieMillicent (Caplan) Nathan (Boca Ratón, FL)1982 Almond-Filled Cookie CakeElizabeth Meijer (Tucson, AZ)1984 Country Apple Coffee CakeSusan F. Porubcan (Jefferson, WI)1986 Apple Nut Lattice TartMary Lou Warren (Medford, OR)1988 Chocolate Praline Layer CakeJulie (Konecne) Bengtson (Bemidji, MN)1990 Blueberry-Poppy Seed Brunch CakeLinda Rahman (Petunia, CA)1992 Pennsylvania Dutch Cake and Custard PieGladys Fulton (Summerville, SC)1994 Fudgy BonbonsMary A. Tyndall (Whiteville, NC)1996 Macadamia Fudge TorteKurt Wait (Redwood City, CA)1998 Salsa Couscous ChickenEllie Mathews (Port Angeles, WA)2000 Cream Cheese Brownie PieRoberta Sonefeld (Hopkins, SC)2002 Chicken Florentine PaniniDenise J. Yennie (Nashville, TN)2004 Oats 'n Honey Granola PieSuzanne Conrad (Findlay, OH)2006Baked Chicken and Spinach StuffingAnna Ginsberg (Austin, TX)2008Double-Delight Peanut Butter CookiesCarolyn Gurtz (Gaithersburg, MD)2010Mini Ice Cream Cookie CupsSue Compton (Delanco, NJ)2012Pumpkin Ravioli with Salted Caramel Whipped CreamChristina Verrelli (Devon, PA)2013Loaded Potato PinwheelsGlori Spriggs (Henderson, NV)2014Peanutty Pie Crust ClustersBeth Royals (Richmond, VA)2018Bejeweled Cranberry-Orange RollsAmy Nelson (Zionville, NC)2019Dublin Cheeseboard-Stuffed Appetizer BreadMelissa Jollands (Hudsonville, MI)2021Sugar Cookie Skillet PancakeJulie Holden (Austin, TX) 2022 Air Fryer Greek Crescent Nachos Laurie McKenna (Fairfield, OH)2024Mini Beef Wellingtons with Smoked Gouda Dipping SauceJulie McIntire (Independence, MO)2026Big Win Cookie BarkLori Welander (Wheaton, IL)

Broadcast Year(s) Host Network Notes1949–1957Arthur GodfreyCBS1958–68Art Linkletter1970–84Bob BarkerPlaced in the same hour as a half-hour episode of The Price is Right (except 1970–1972, when Bob Barker was only hosting Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants for the CBS Network prior to his Price Is Right days)1986–88Gary CollinsMary Ann Mobley1990–1992Willard ScottWillard Scott became the only NBC contracted person to host the Bake-Off for CBS in 1990.1994–1998Alex TrebekThis was Alex Trebek's second time on the CBS network, he was last seen on the Network 17 years earlier hosting the Goodson-Todman Game Show Double Dare.2000Phylicia RashadThe first woman to host.2002Marie Osmond2004Not airedN/ADick Clark hosted the bake-off in 2004, but it wasn't shown on television.20062008Keegan GerhardFood NetworkAired as an episode of Food Network Challenge2010Oprah WinfreySyndicationWinner was announced on The Oprah Winfrey Show2012Martha StewartHallmark ChannelWinner was announced on The Martha Stewart Show2013Padma LakshmiSyndicationWinner was announced on The Queen Latifah Show2014Carla HallABCWinner was announced on The Chew2018Ree DrummondFood NetworkWinners are announced on the Food Network television show The Kitchen2019Sunny Anderson and Jeff Mauro2021-Donna Kelce (2024); virtual -

Location held 1949–56, 1958, 1962, since 2018: Manhattan, New York, NY 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1967: Los Angeles, CA 1960: Washington DC 1964, 1980: Miami, FL 1966, 1975, 2000: San Francisco, CA 1967, Century City, CA 1968, 1996, 2008: Dallas, TX 1969: Atlanta, GA 1970, 1984, 1988, 1994: San Diego, CA 1971: Honolulu, HI 1972: Houston, TX 1973, 2004: Hollywood, CA 1974, 1990: Phoenix, AZ 1976: Boston, MA 1978: New Orleans, LA 1982: San Antonio, TX 1986, 1992, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2012: Orlando, FL 2013: Las Vegas, NV 2014: Nashville, TN

Notes

References

External links Pillsbury website Pillsbury Bake-Off website