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Top 25 US Food Influencers on Instagram (Sep 2026)

We screened the 927,095 US-based Instagram accounts we track for food in the bio, 20,000 to 1,000,000 followers, a 50% American audience, 1.5% engagement, 70% real followers, 1,000 average Reel views and a post in the last thirty days, then ranked 25 selected creators by the CA Influence Index.

Denis GolubevDenis Golubev6 min readLast updated: 6 Sept 2026

The ranking

25 top US food creator influencers on Instagram

We screened 11,955 US Instagram accounts that name food in their own bio for an American audience, high audience quality, engagement and recent activity. The 25 below are ranked by the CA Influence Index.

25
Influencers selected
76%
Avg American audience
4.4%
Avg engagement
80%
Avg real audience
Rob Martinez
#1

robmartinezRob Martinez

Rob MartinezMid
431.8K
Followers
20.40%
Engagement rate
981.0K
Avg views
16.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

🫶🏻 I tell stories about people and food 🙅🏻‍♂️ no paid restaurant features, ever ✉️ @martinezandmu @peopleandfoodhq

Audience location
The United States74.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Rob Martinez tells stories about people and food and states plainly that he takes no paid placements. A+ at 97, the highest score here: 36 times the US median engagement rate for his size.

Why A+ on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit74% the United States
Engagement36.4x median
View power2.3x followers
Audience quality84% real
yeji
#2

yezi_eatzyeji

yejiMid
277.5K
Followers
7.85%
Engagement rate
553.3K
Avg views
8.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

👩🏻‍💻 corporate girlie's food journal ✨ 📍bay area eats 🥢 💌 dm for collabs & invites 💌

Audience location
The United States67.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Yeji keeps a corporate worker's food journal around Bay Area eating. A+ at 96 on a 92 percent real audience, the cleanest on this page.

Why A+ on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit67% the United States
Engagement14.0x median
View power2.0x followers
Audience quality92% real
Josh Scherer
#3

mythicalchefjoshJosh Scherer

Josh SchererMacro
586.6K
Followers
5.42%
Engagement rate
1.1M
Avg views
19.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

Food guy @mythical & @mythicalkitchen. NYT #1 bestselling author of The Mythical Cookbook. Host of Last Meals. Got a couple lower back tattoos.

Audience location
The United States68.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Josh Scherer cooks for Mythical Kitchen and wrote a number one New York Times bestseller. A+ at 93 on Reels reaching almost twice his following.

Why A+ on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit68% the United States
Engagement9.7x median
View power1.9x followers
Audience quality81% real
Chef pop’s
#4

heyitschefpopsChef pop’s

Chef pop’sMid
234.5K
Followers
4.57%
Engagement rate
305.8K
Avg views
30.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

🥘Food creator 📍LA 🎥 Tik Tok 276K 📺Food Network| HBOMAX 100 COOKS Collaborations| inquiries| Restaurants 📩

Audience location
The United States82.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Chef Pops creates food in Los Angeles and has appeared on Food Network and HBO Max. A at 86 on an 82 percent American audience.

Why A on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit82% the United States
Engagement8.0x median
View power1.3x followers
Audience quality70% real
Alycia H
#5

alyciafayehAlycia H

Alycia HMid
336.7K
Followers
5.22%
Engagement rate
344.5K
Avg views
15.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

➕Working Mom| Wife ➕CEO of I’ll call you later 🍌📞 ➕Living life, not overthinking it ➕Food, Fashion, and FUN Call me! 📧

Audience location
The United States92.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Alycia posts as a working mother and wife around family food. A at 85 on the most American audience in the top ten at 92 percent.

Why A on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit92% the United States
Engagement9.3x median
View power1.0x followers
Audience quality85% real
Olivia Maher
#6

liviemaherOlivia Maher

Olivia MaherMid
236.7K
Followers
3.10%
Engagement rate
219.1K
Avg views
12.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

Creator of ✨Girl Dinner™️✨ 📍 Full-Time Sister @houseofmaher travel ✈️ food 🫒 hotels 🛏️ books 📚 💌

Audience location
The United States89.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Olivia Maher created Girl Dinner. A at 84 on an 88 percent real audience.

Why A on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit89% the United States
Engagement5.5x median
View power0.9x followers
Audience quality88% real
grubwlivy
#7
444.9K
Followers
4.16%
Engagement rate
414.9K
Avg views
14.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

Join me in my battle with Leukemia💛and come hangout as I provide food reviews!🦞 my mom runs my account! @__brittany__paige__

Audience location
The United States71.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Livy posts food while writing openly about her battle with leukaemia. A at 81 on 445,000 followers.

Why A on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit71% the United States
Engagement7.4x median
View power0.9x followers
Audience quality86% real
Audrey Rogers
#8

cookwithaudsAudrey Rogers

Audrey RogersMid
267.8K
Followers
2.05%
Engagement rate
295.8K
Avg views
19.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

welcome to my world of food recipes, reviews & travel 💌

Audience location
The United States66.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Audrey Rogers posts recipes, reviews and travel together. A at 81 on Reels reaching more than her follower count.

Why A on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit66% the United States
Engagement3.7x median
View power1.1x followers
Audience quality81% real
Matt Peterson
#9

mattpetersonMatt Peterson

Matt PetersonMid
488.9K
Followers
9.55%
Engagement rate
508.5K
Avg views
30.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts
Audience location
The United States68.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Matt Peterson describes the account as like the Food Network, but not. B at 79 on seventeen times the US median engagement rate for his size.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit68% the United States
Engagement17.1x median
View power1.0x followers
Audience quality70% real
Dylan Reese
#10

dylankreeseDylan Reese

Dylan ReeseMid
441.9K
Followers
2.49%
Engagement rate
267.9K
Avg views
14.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

Faith 🙏🏻 Family 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Food 🍔 Married to the beautiful @shelbreese TT: shelbanddyl YOUTUBE/Other Links ⬇️

Audience location
The United States82.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Dylan Reese posts faith, family and food in that order. B at 78 on an 82 percent American audience.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit82% the United States
Engagement4.4x median
View power0.6x followers
Audience quality86% real

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Sama
#11

samalouisaaSama

SamaMid
367.4K
Followers
3.54%
Engagement rate
258.5K
Avg views
16.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

Real food. Real life. Real sass. All in sign language. 🍓 Partnerships

Audience location
The United States75.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Sama posts real food and real life entirely in sign language. B at 78 on a 75 percent American audience.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit75% the United States
Engagement6.3x median
View power0.7x followers
Audience quality84% real
Julian Mu
#12

mubereatsJulian Mu

Julian MuMid
275.6K
Followers
2.44%
Engagement rate
194.5K
Avg views
24.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

Food, people, and places that feel like home. Current series: DISH4DISH 📩 @martinezandmu

Audience location
The United States86.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Julian Mu posts food, people and places that feel like home. B at 78 on an 86 percent American audience.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit86% the United States
Engagement4.4x median
View power0.7x followers
Audience quality76% real
h woo
#13

hwoo.leeh woo

h wooMacro
688.6K
Followers
3.39%
Engagement rate
724.6K
Avg views
15.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts
Audience location
The United States55.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

H Woo's entire bio is three words: i like food. B at 77 on 689,000 followers and Reels reaching more than his following.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit55% the United States
Engagement6.1x median
View power1.1x followers
Audience quality85% real
James Kibitel
#14

jameskibs___James Kibitel

James KibitelMid
446.8K
Followers
4.32%
Engagement rate
329.8K
Avg views
20.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

📺 Stream Tuesday 6:30 PM CT 📧 🍪Food and Fitness

Audience location
The United States71.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

James Kibitel streams weekly and lists a management address. B at 77 on a 71 percent American audience.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit71% the United States
Engagement7.7x median
View power0.7x followers
Audience quality80% real
Jay
#15

buildbyjayyJay

JayMid
233.7K
Followers
3.37%
Engagement rate
151.9K
Avg views
29.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

Food 🍔🌮 Halloween 🎃 Whatever I feel like Girl dad🖤 Philippians 2:3-4 Inquiries: /

Audience location
The United States91.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Jay posts food, Halloween and whatever he feels like, and calls himself a girl dad. B at 77 on the third most American audience here at 91 percent.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit91% the United States
Engagement5.9x median
View power0.7x followers
Audience quality71% real
Kaelyn Gutierrez
#16

thekaelyngutierrezKaelyn Gutierrez

Kaelyn GutierrezMacro
882.9K
Followers
4.08%
Engagement rate
591.7K
Avg views
21.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

Pisces ♓️ NC 📍 Lifestyle~Food~Travel 3.3M on TikTok 💌

Audience location
The United States70.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Kaelyn Gutierrez posts lifestyle, food and travel from North Carolina and carries 3.3 million on TikTok. B at 75 on the largest following on this page at 883,000.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit70% the United States
Engagement7.3x median
View power0.7x followers
Audience quality79% real
Alex Rios
#17

alexrioscooksAlex Rios

Alex RiosMacro
792.2K
Followers
1.81%
Engagement rate
356.4K
Avg views
18.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

@deborahruiz personal chef Latino 🇨🇺 Miami, FL 🌴 Food Content Creator business email: full recipes ⬇️

Audience location
The United States87.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Alex Rios is a personal chef in Miami cooking Cuban food. B at 75 on an 87 percent American audience.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit87% the United States
Engagement3.2x median
View power0.4x followers
Audience quality82% real
Michael Tran
#18

betweenspoonfulsMichael Tran

Michael TranMacro
678.9K
Followers
5.82%
Engagement rate
548.9K
Avg views
23.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

nostalgic food recipes & beyond 🥄 📍sf bay area partnerships: find recipes on my blog ⤵️

Audience location
The United States64.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Michael Tran posts nostalgic recipes from the Bay Area. B at 75 on more than ten times the US median engagement rate for his size.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit64% the United States
Engagement10.4x median
View power0.8x followers
Audience quality77% real
Rey
#19
668.3K
Followers
3.73%
Engagement rate
545.3K
Avg views
22.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

Food Blogger Smooth Talker 😏 Collab: 👇🏾JUST LIKE THAT: COOKBOOK

Audience location
The United States62.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Rey blogs food and calls himself a smooth talker. B at 75 on Reels reaching more than four fifths of his following.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit62% the United States
Engagement6.7x median
View power0.8x followers
Audience quality78% real
Codie N Drew
#20

codiendrewCodie N Drew

Codie N DrewMid
325.3K
Followers
1.59%
Engagement rate
168.0K
Avg views
18.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

📍Florida -> Everywhere Food| Travel| Hidden Gems

Audience location
The United States90.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Codie and Drew post food and travel from Florida outward. B at 75 on a 90 percent American audience.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit90% the United States
Engagement2.8x median
View power0.5x followers
Audience quality82% real

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Shay, the Chef
#21

shaydolceShay, the Chef

Shay, the ChefMid
272.0K
Followers
2.55%
Engagement rate
155.5K
Avg views
29.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

Food for the Soul Basketball @decarip Chicago📍

Audience location
The United States89.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Shay cooks food for the soul from Chicago. B at 75 on an 89 percent American audience.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit89% the United States
Engagement4.6x median
View power0.6x followers
Audience quality71% real
ismatu g.
#22

ismatu.gwendolynismatu g.

ismatu g.Mid
374.0K
Followers
2.87%
Engagement rate
134.7K
Avg views
18.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

mildly lobotomized food girlie

Audience location
The United States87.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Ismatu G describes herself in four words as a mildly lobotomised food girlie. B at 74 on an 87 percent American audience.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit87% the United States
Engagement5.1x median
View power0.4x followers
Audience quality82% real
Chef Darius
#23

atlchefdChef Darius

Chef DariusMid
413.1K
Followers
2.44%
Engagement rate
165.7K
Avg views
28.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

ATL 🌆| Content Creator| Food Blogger| Cooking Made Simple 🚨Not A Caterer🚨 Collaborations: Free Recipes ⬇️⬇️

Audience location
The United States93.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Chef Darius makes cooking simple from Atlanta. B at 73 on a 93 percent American audience, the most domestic here.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit93% the United States
Engagement4.4x median
View power0.4x followers
Audience quality72% real
Vanessa Rctz
#24

nessarctzVanessa Rctz

Vanessa RctzMid
358.4K
Followers
1.79%
Engagement rate
137.9K
Avg views
22.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

Food Account 👩🏻‍🍳 @nessrctz Michoacán 🇲🇽 Business inquiries: Subscribe! New written recipes every Monday and Friday

Audience location
The United States79.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Vanessa Rctz cooks Michoacan food and runs a second account. B at 73 on a 79 percent American audience.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit79% the United States
Engagement3.2x median
View power0.4x followers
Audience quality78% real
Messy Baker
#25

messy_baker_Messy Baker

Messy BakerMid
265.1K
Followers
2.12%
Engagement rate
217.6K
Avg views
18.0%
fake followers / suspicious accounts

Grocery store cake decorator turned home baker 🎂 👇TAP FOR MY FAVORITE FOOD DYES & TOOLS ✨🧁

Audience location
The United States54.0%
CA Influence Index™

CA Influence Index: real influence in the United States, 0 to 99

Market-relative score

Messy Baker went from decorating grocery store cakes to baking at home. B at 73 on Reels reaching more than four fifths of her following.

Why B on the CA Influence Index™

Audience fit54% the United States
Engagement3.8x median
View power0.8x followers
Audience quality82% real

Ranking method

CA Influence Index™ (CII): how we grade US food creator influencers

CII is a market-relative score from 0 to 99. It combines local audience fit, engagement against creators of the same size, average Reel views, and estimated real-audience share. The creators above are ordered by this score, not by follower count.

25%of the score

Audience fit

How much of the audience sits in the the United States market. Full marks once 80% of it is there.

30%of the score

Engagement

Likes and comments against creators of the same size here. Full marks at 3x that median.

30%of the score

View power

Average Reel views against follower count. Full marks at twice the following.

15%of the score

Audience quality

Share of followers reading as real people. Full marks at 90%.

Engagement is scored against the United States median for a creator’s own size: around 0.8% under 50K followers, around 0.6% above 250K. Both are rounded, because the study measures them by search rather than by census.

  • A+90-99
  • A80-89
  • B65-79
  • C50-64
  • Dunder 50

The score is capped at 99 so it never implies certainty. Read the full CA Influence Index methodology. The benchmark is local, not global. Here is the market behind it.

Market benchmark

The American Instagram market behind this ranking

The American Instagram study covers 927,095 accounts with at least 10K followers. The 25 selected profiles are compared with that study below.

Read the United States Creator Economy Report - the measurement this chart is scored against.

How the selected 25 compare with the American Instagram market

Pink = the 25 US food creator influencers above.

Grey = every American Instagram account we measure with at least 10,000 followers, all 927,095 of them.

Each bar is the share above the threshold, so a longer pink bar means the influencers above reach it more often than the market does.

Audience at least 60% based in United States

selected: 92%
market: 52%

Engagement rate of 5% or better

selected: 24%
market: 13%

Averages 1M+ Reel views per post

selected: 4%
market: 0.4%

Source: the Click Analytic American creator market study of 927,095 Instagram accounts, measured 2026-09-06. The market side is read from that study; the pink side is computed from the cards above.

Why Rob Martinez is the #1 US food creator

Rob Martinez tops this ranking with a CA Influence Index of 97 (A+), the highest among the selected accounts on this page.

The score breaks down like this

  • Audience in the United States74.0%93/100
  • Engagement against the market median for this size20.40%, 36.4x100/100
  • Average Reels reach against follower count2.3x100/100
  • Share of the audience that is real84%93/100

The top of this list is tight: 3 creators grade A+, so the component bars on each card are what separate the first calls.

The full database

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Answers on how the field was found, what the index weighs and how the niche was decided.

01How were these 25 US food influencers chosen?

We started from the 927,095 US-based Instagram accounts we track and kept those between 20,000 and 1,000,000 followers that name food in their own bio. Those accounts then had to hold at least half their audience in the United States while clearing our engagement, audience quality, Reel view and recency floors. Two accounts were removed, and the 25 published are ranked by the CA Influence Index.

02How do you decide someone is a food creator?

They do. The filter reads the creator's own bio for the word food, so every account here has described itself that way. We do not infer the niche from photographs, which is why the page holds professional chefs and people who simply film what they eat, side by side.

03Why is the biggest account not first?

Because the index measures whether an audience watches. Kaelyn Gutierrez has 883,000 followers and sits sixteenth; Rob Martinez has 432,000 and leads, on 36 times the US median engagement rate for his size and Reels reaching more than twice his following.

04Does anyone here refuse paid work?

One does, in his own bio: Rob Martinez states that he takes no paid placements. He is also the highest scoring account on the page. That is worth knowing before you brief him, and it is the sort of thing that only shows up if you read the bios.

05Who was left out, and why?

A cooking club that exists to raise money for food banks, which is an organisation rather than a creator, and one account that posted an engagement rate above 35 percent, a rate no real account of this size sustains.

06How current is this?

Every account posted within 30 days of the Sep 6, 2026 snapshot. Follower counts, engagement, Reel views and audience shares are read at that date and move week to week at this size, so re-check before a campaign.

Denis Golubev

Written by

Denis Golubev

Marketer at Click Analytic, turning live data on 400M+ creators into rankings brands can actually act on.

Last updated 6 Sept 20266 min read

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