Even players in Stardew Valley get hungry so it's a good thing there are so many meals and recipes to choose from. What's even better is that there are meals that cater to specific activities in the game, such as fishing, farming, or foraging. One activity that definitely requires extra buffs and energy is engaging in combat.

Combat in Stardew Valley is only one aspect of the game, but it can be difficult as players quickly run out of energy when faced with formidable monsters. These meals are the most helpful when it comes to the many facets of combat and can assist any player who's ready for an adventure.

Updated On March 8, 2022, By William Quick: Though Haunter Chocolatier will be coming out in the future, there's still so much to see and eat in ConcernedApe's Stardew Valley. If you decide in favor of more adventure in lieu of farming, make sure you take some quality dishes with you to stay fighting fit.

15 Banana Pudding

Banana Pudding Stardew Valley

As part of the new update, several new recipes were added and some are definitely useful when it comes to combat. Banana pudding is one of them. Made from one banana, one sugar, and one milk of any kind, this dessert is filled with buffs.

It comes with +125 Energy and +56 Health, so it's a good way to replenish a moderate amount of energy when exhausted from a fight. Additionally, banana pudding comes with +1 Mining, +1 Luck, and +1 Defense buffs. While these buffs are small, these three work well together in terms of combat. Most combat is done in the mines, so even that buff is helpful. These buffs last only five minutes, one second, though, so make sure to do what needs to be done in that time.

14 Spicy Eel

Catching An Eel From Freshwater

While some people may consider eel an acquired taste, there are many ways to prepare it. Stardew Valley allows you to prepare the eel which you can get from freshwater sources with a hot pepper in order to prepare this dish. You can buy it directly from various traders or loot it from serpents in the Skull Cavern. Alternatively, the recipe for it can be obtained from George once you get his heart level to seven.

It provides a fairly solid recovery boost in terms of +115 Energy and *51, but its value lies in its buffs. When you eat the spicy eel, you'll gain +1 to both speed and luck which will allow you to move faster through combat areas while improving your loot chances.

13 Crab Cakes

Crab Cakes Stardew Valley

A relatively easy recipe, crab cakes is another multi-buff meal. It contains one crab, one wheat flour, one egg, and one oil. It stacks heavy with a +225 Energy Boost and + 101 Health, making it a great meal to have handy when exhausted in the mines. It also comes with a +1 Speed and +1 Defense buff, which are helpful in direct combat for both defense and attack strategies.

Another great feature is that these buffs last for 16 minutes, 47 seconds. Once eaten, this meal gives players plenty of time to defeat their enemies and collect their loot.

12 Quality Cheese

Gathering Cheese From The Cheese Presses

When you start in Stardew Valley, you'll have very little to work with, so you'll have to build up from crops until you can afford to buy and support cows and goats. Once you do, however, they can send your profits soaring by providing you with milk which you can then put into a cheese press to get some cheese.

Though both types of cheese can be quite profitable, they're also very handy in a pinch when out exploring. When your animals are happy and healthy, they have a greater chance to produce high-quality milk which can be turned into high-quality cheese that will offer you a strong boost of +325 Energy and +146 Health.

11 Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant Parm Stardew Valley

The recipe for eggplant parmesan comes from Lewis after reaching seven heart levels with him. It's incredibly simple – requiring just one tomato and one eggplant – but it packs a punch when it comes to buffing out the player.

Eggplant parmesan comes with a +3 Defense and a +1 Mining buff, giving players a huge defensive advantage when faced with monsters and creatures deep in the mines. It also boosts Energy by +175 and Health by +78, moderately replenishing the player to keep going.

10 Algae And Pale Broth

Contributing To The Large Soup Pot

Though algae may be frequently dismissed as an unappealing and useless form of vegetation, it is possible to get some genuine use out of it. Both regular and white algae are easy to obtain and can be cooked quickly into useful dishes. Algae can be caught at freshwater sources while white algae is fished from underground areas. Their cooking recipes can be obtained from Clint (Soup) and Marnie (Broth).

Once you have either four pieces of algae or two white algae, you can cook them into soup and broth respectively. They serve as an affordable and easily accessible backup with the algae soup giving a +75 Energy and +33 Health boost and +125 Energy and +56 Health from the pale broth.

9 Fiddlehead Risotto

Fiddlehead Risotto Stardew Valley

While this recipe doesn't come with any extra, specific buffs, the energy boost alone makes this recipe great for battle. Fiddlehead risotto is made out of one oil, one fiddlehead fern, and one garlic. Once eaten, it gives players a +225 Energy boost, which essentially refills the entire meter. It also provides a +101 Health boost, which is also pretty substantial, especially if players are injured from combat.

While it doesn't come with extra perks, the energy and health boosts are enough to make this a handy meal to eat in the middle of a battle.

8 Salads

Learning The Fruit Salad Recipe From The TV

You're supposed to get your servings of five fruits and vegetables every day to keep yourself healthy. Having access to a farm in Stardew Valley makes these easy, and you can turn your produce into salads and fruit salads for both profit and personal use. You can get the salad recipe (leek, dandelion, and vinegar) from Emily, and the fruit salad recipe (blueberry, melon, and apricot) from The Queen Of Sauce television channel.

You can get the ingredients you need fairly easily from either foraging, buying, or farming. Once you do, having a salad in dangerous areas will grant a boost of +113 Energy and +50 Health while the Fruit Salad is more generous with +263 Energy and +118 Health.

7 Fried Mushroom

Fried Mushroom Stardew Valley

Fried mushroom seems like a plain meal, but it's actually designed for combat. It's made from one common mushroom, one morel, and one oil. It comes with a +135 Energy and +60 Health boost, which is definitely helpful in any rigorous circumstance.

Additionally, fried mushroom also comes with a+2 Attack buff. This buff adds to the damage players inflict when they attack, so in this case, +2. This meal gives players an advantage, letting them inflict more damage per attack, which can ultimately shorten combat. It's exactly what warriors need in their inventory when setting out for battle.

6 Lucky Lunch

A Lucky Lunch In The Menu

There's nothing quite so comforting as a packed lunch and even more rewarding is the one you make yourself. There are plenty of ingredients to find in the valley and the surrounding areas and combining them can yield some promising results. The Lucky Lunch is a special dish that you can learn from the Queen Of Sauce channel and requires a sea cucumber, a tortilla, and blue jazz.

Once you have the recipe and gather all the various ingredients, you'll have a very fortunate meal to take with you into the underground. It provides a decent boost with +100 Energy and +45 Health and lives up to its name by giving you a +3 to Luck which lasts a whopping 11 minutes.

5 Roots Platter

Roots Platter Stardew Valley

Another meal specifically designed for combat, the roots platter is extremely beneficial to warriors and adventurers alike. It boosts energy by +125 and health by +56, even though it's only made from one cave carrot and one winter root. Simple, yet it comes with a +3 Attack buff, which is a big advantage against monsters.

Raising single attack damage by three means that players will slice through monsters more quickly and more effectively, making combat a breeze.

4 Red Plate

Red Plate Stardew Valley

A simple, fresh recipe given by Emily, the Red Plate is great for any laborious activity, including battle. It's made from one radish and one red cabbage. It provides a massive Energy boost of +240 and a Health boost of +108. One plate of this will almost fully heal any player and mostly replenish their Energy.

It also comes with a +50 Max Energy buff that increases the max Energy available to the player. This meal is great for players that delve deep into the mines and spend lots of time underground. The Red Plate fills them and sustains them through energy-draining activities, like constantly fighting monsters.

3 Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin Soup Stardew Valley

Pumpkin Soup doesn't seem like a warrior's meal, but it's versatile and comes with a variety of benefits. It's made from one pumpkin and one milk, which makes it very easy to prepare in large quantities. It provides a substantial Energy boost of +200 and a Health boost of 90.

However, what sets pumpkin soup apart is its +2 Defense and +2 Luck buffs. These buffs are extremely helpful in combat, as they help protect players while giving them more luck for critical hits. It's an easy meal to have on hand, just in case.

2 Mango Sticky Rice

Mango Sticky Rice Stardew Valley

Another new recipe from the recent update, mango sticky rice provides a high level of defense for a short while. It's made from one mango, one coconut, and one rice. While it provides a decent Energy and Health output, its biggest draw is its +3 Defense Buff.

For adventurers in dire situations, this meal can be the saving grace that lets them either run before they die or kill the monster in front of them. The buff lasts for five minutes, one second, which is more than enough time to do what needs to be done.

1 Stuffing

Stuffing Stardew Valley

A holiday meal as a combat enhancer? You bet. Stuffing in Stardew Valley is made from one bread, one cranberry, and one hazelnut, similar to real stuffing. It provides a +170 Energy boost and a +76 Health boost, which are both fairly moderate. In addition, Stuffing gives a +2 Defense boost that lasts for five minutes, one second.

A defense can make or break a battle, especially when players are already low in health. Stuffing could be the meal that saves players from dire situations or gives them the boost they need to conquer their enemies.

NEXT: Stardew Valley: Every Way Of Getting A Battery Pack (And How To Use It)