Summary
Tears of the Kingdomis filled with plenty of tough enemies that players may find themselves having a difficult time dealing with. Earlier on in the game, a lot of these beasts will be able to killplayers with few heartsin a single shot. This can be pretty frustrating to deal with and makes progressing through certain areas ofTears of the Kingdomparticularly difficult.
Related:Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom – Best Food Recipes To Heal Link’s Stamina
Luckily, players can cook somerecipes that will increase their defense, making it possible to survive some of the deadliest attacks in the game. However, with so many ingredients and recipes in the game, players may not know where to start. These players can find some of thebest recipes to increase Link’s defensehere.
Updated June 13, 2025, by Bronwyn Lee:Now that Tears of the Kingdom players have had a good chance to explore, they have found some particularly rare and useful ingredients. These ingredients provide Link with some seriously powerful effects and are certainly worth incorporating into different dishes. One of the effects these materials can apply is a Defense boost - to get players started, they can find a few recipes with these ingredients here.
10Tomato Seafood Soup
Fish has proven to have some of the most potent bonus effects inTears of the Kingdom, and cooking them into certain recipes can really help to boost Link’s defense. One of the best recipes forArmored PorgyandArmored Carpis theTomato Seafood Soup.
This recipe is incredibly simple, only requiring aHylian Tomatoand between one and four Armored Porgies or Carps. By using such powerful ingredients, the player will be able to acquire the max defense bonus, making it perfect for cooking before taking on a tough foe.
9Porgy Meuniere
Porgies are one of the rarest fish inTears of the Kingdom, but they’re also incredibly effective at increasing Link’s stats.Armored Porgy, in particular, can boost Link’s defense by a significant amount.
One of the easiest dishes to make with Porgies is thePorgy Meunière. Players will need between one and three Armored Porgies, someTabantha Wheat, andGoat Butter. As a result of eating this dish, Link will receive the maximum Defense boost, making this an incredibly helpful recipe.
8Pumpkin Stew
To make some deliciousPumpkin Stew, players will need someFresh Milk,Tabantha Wheat,Goat Butter, and one or twoFortified Pumpkin. Pumpkin Stew is one of the most complicated dishes in the game, requiring quite a few different ingredients.
Luckily, players can findGoat Butter,Fresh Milk, andTabantha Wheatbeing offered by a lot of the vendors inTears of the Kingdom, althoughFortified Pumpkincan be a bit more tricky to track down. They can often be foundgrowing in Kakariko Villageand Hateno Village, where players can purchase them from various farmers.
7Mushroom Risotto
ToughMushroom Risottorequires quite a few different ingredients. For this recipe, players will need to verify they have someHylian Rice,Goat Butter,Rock Salt, and one or twoIronshroom. Players wanting a bigger boost to their defense should make sure they add as many Ironshrooms as they can.
Hylian Rice can be bought from most merchants, as well as Goat Butter. Goat Butter can also be found lying aroundthe spa in Gerudo Town, where players can pick some up for free. Rock Salt is one of the more common ingredients inTears of the Kingdomand can be found by playersas they’re mining. Finally, players can find Ironshrooms in both East and West Necluda, usually growing near trees.
6Crab Stir-Fry
The ToughCrab Stir-Fryrecipe is relatively simple to create. Players only require two ingredients:Goron Spiceand between one and fourIronshell Crab. The more crabs the player adds to the dish, the higher the defense will be.
Related:Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: Biggest Things That Have Changed In Hyrule
Players who find that they are running low on Ironshell Crabs can find them around the Necluda Sea and the Faron Sea, often skittering around the coastline.Goron Spice can be foundin the General Store in Goron City and can be bought for sixteen Rupees each.
5Meat-Stuffed Pumpkin
TheMeat-Stuffed Pumpkinis a tasty-looking dish players can cook pretty easily; all they will need is any kind of meat and aFortified Pumpkin. This dish will provide the player with some heart recovery and a medium level of bonus defense.
Players can gather meat by hunting any of the wild animals they see roaming around inTears of the Kingdom. To acquire Fortified Pumpkins, the player is best off visiting Kakariko Village or Hateno Village and purchasing some from the farmers there.
4Vegetable Curry
To make a ToughVegetable Curry, players will need to gather one to threeFortified Pumpkin, someHylian Rice, and a bit ofGoron Spice. This recipe will give players a medium-level bonus to their defense and some heart recovery as a bonus.
Hylian Rice is sold by most vendors around Hyrule, or players can occasionally come across it whilst chopping grass. Goron Spice is sold at the General Store in Goron City, and Fortified Pumpkins can be purchased from the farmers in Kakariko Village or Hateno Village.
3Veggie Cream Soup
Players wanting to cook up some ToughVeggie Cream Soupwill need to make sure they have the following ingredients:Fortified Pumpkin,Fresh Milk, andRock Salt. The more Fortified Pumpkins the player adds to this dish,the higher the defense levelwill be.
Related:Should You Choose Hearts or Stamina in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? (Spoiler Free)
Fresh Milk can be purchased from various vendors inTears of the Kingdom, Rock Salt can be found whilst mining, or it can be bought from certain merchants, and Fortified Pumpkins can be bought from the farmers in Kakariko Village or Hateno Village.
2Mushroom Skewer
One of the simplest ways players canincrease their defense inTears of the Kingdomis to cook a ToughMushroom Skewer. This recipe is incredibly easy and only requires players to cook up to fiveIronshroom.
As a result, the player will receive the max defense buff, making this meal perfect for players who don’t knowhow to counter enemieswho can one-shot them. This is most frequently a problem for players with lower hearts, and increasing their defense is a great way to work around this issue.
1Steamed Mushrooms
ToughSteamed Mushroomsare one of the best recipes inTears of the Kingdomfor increasing Link’s defense. The player simply just needs to combine fourIronshroomand oneFortified Pumpkin. This dish will then provide players with the best defense buff possible, making Link an absolute tank.
Any incoming damage will be lessened, making it possible for low-heart players to survive some attacks that would kill them in a single shot. This recipe is incredibly helpful for players who are struggling to take down some ofthe tougher enemiesin the game.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis currently available on Switch.
More:Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - Best Food Recipes To Heal Link’s Health
