How to Spot Fake Recipes Online (And Why It Matters More Than Ever)
Cocina to Career is my behind-the-scenes look at growing a creative business rooted in cultura, comida, and corazón. I share what it really takes, from rejections to recipe shoots, to turn a passion for Mexican cooking into a full-time career. Subscribe so you don’t miss the real stories, chisme, and lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Lately, many of you have been asking how to tell when a recipe—or even a photo—online is real or AI-generated. And honestly, I’m glad you’re asking, because this is becoming a serious issue that many creators, myself included, deal with every single day.
AI isn’t just generating weird, glossy, unrealistic food photos. It’s also taking real creators’ photos, altering them, reposting them, and using them to drive traffic to fake websites filled with AI-written recipes.
So today, I want to show you what to look for and why your awareness matters so much.
Facebook Example: My Refried Beans Photo That Went Viral… Without Me
Recently, my refried beans photo — this one from my blog:
👉 https://muybuenoblog.com/homemade-refried-beans/ was scraped, recolored, cropped, rotated, and turned into multiple viral Facebook “Poor Man’s Meal” memes. None of them credited me. None linked to my recipe.
They simply:
added text overlays
changed the angle
boosted saturation
and reposted it over and over
This is what AI tools make easy. And again—no credit. No permission. No link back.
Meanwhile, the real recipe (tested, photographed, written by me) gets buried.
This is happening to countless bloggers every day.
Pinterest Example: Stolen Photos + AI Recipes Ranking Above the Originals
Pinterest is another place where this problem is exploding, and it’s happening to many creators, not just one.
A couple food bloggers have shared examples with me:
📌 A chicken cutlet photo from Coley Cooks was altered and pinned to an AI generated recipe site.
Original recipe: https://coleycooks.com/chicken-cutlets/
📌 A cherry tomato tart from From a Chef’s Kitchen was warped, recolored, and repinned to a spammy URL.
Original recipe: https://www.fromachefskitchen.com/herbed-ricotta-roasted-cherry-tomato-tart/
These AI-modified versions are ranking above the original creators’ pins — even though the AI versions lead to:
scam websites
keyword-stuffed AI recipes
stolen photography
zero testing, zero expertise, zero authenticity
Meanwhile, the real creators — the ones who cooked, styled, photographed, and wrote these recipes — are being pushed aside in Pinterest search and losing valuable traffic.
The “AI Abuela” — Emotional Clickbait at Its Finest
Let’s talk about this caldo de res photo that’s been circulating on Facebook.
An older Latina woman holding a bright red “caldo de res” with whole potatoes floating like softballs.
People see an abuela and instantly feel trust, nostalgia, authenticity. Creators like me share real stories of our grandmothers in the kitchen, so these AI pages mimic that imagery because they know it performs well.
But look closer:
the bowl is digitally dropped into her hands
the caldo is not caldo de res
whole potatoes bobbing on top
there’s no story, no heritage, no real recipe behind it
It’s manipulation. They know we Latinos love our abuelas, so they use that to get clicks.
This kind of clickbait buries real cultural content in favor of emotionally charged—but totally fake—imagery.
Want an authentic Calde de Res recipe, be sure to check out my family recipe: https://muybuenoblog.com/caldo-de-res/
Why This Matters
This isn’t about “hating AI.” This is about protecting:
our culture
our food traditions
our livelihood as creators
Food bloggers today aren’t hobbyists—we’re business owners. We invest in ingredients, photography, recipe testing, hosting, and team members. We share personal stories, step-by-step guidance, FAQs, troubleshooting, and cultural context.
AI sites share…nada.
Yet they are ranking on Pinterest, going viral on Facebook, and even tricking search engines.
And when mainstream media talks about it, sometimes the tone is too light. When CBS covered the Bloomberg article, the segment included some laughter. I know it wasn’t malicious, but this issue affects real people and real livelihoods.
For creators, this is not a punchline. It’s a threat to the integrity of our work.
How YOU Can Help Protect Real Creators
Here’s the good news: you play a powerful role in keeping authentic recipes visible.
1. Recognize when a photo looks altered or AI-generated.
If the food looks too glossy, too perfect, strangely shaped, or suspiciously familiar—trust your instincts.
Want a recipe for authentic Stacked Red Enchiladas? Be sure to check out my family recipe: https://muybuenoblog.com/red-enchiladas/
2. If you recognize a photo that belongs to a creator you follow, tell them.
We can’t find every stolen image on our own.
3. Click the REAL recipe.
Traffic tells Google, Pinterest, and Facebook who the trusted source is. But also — click around a little. Fake sites fall apart fast when you look closely.
Here’s what to check:
Visit the About page. Does the creator share who they are?
Look for a real bio photo. Not an AI face, not stock photography, not a blurry avatar. A real person.
Check for a story or cultural connection. Real creators tell you why a recipe matters to them.
Look for step-by-step photos. AI sites rarely have this — because they’ve never actually cooked the food.
Do they have comments? Reviews? Reader questions? That’s a sign of a real community.
If a site has: no human behind it, no story, generic photos, overly perfect food, or a vague “food lover based anywhere” bio…it’s probably not the real source.
When in doubt, look for creators you know, trust, and recognize. Your clicks are votes— and those votes tell every platform, “This is the authentic recipe.”
4. Leave comments and star reviews on the original blog.
This helps our authentic recipes outrank AI junk.
5. Share the real link, not the clickbait.
It gives credit where it belongs and protects cultural context.
These simple actions help search engines understand: “This is the trusted creator. This is the real recipe.”
A Final Thought
I didn’t write this to scare you or bombard you with information.I wrote it because I care deeply about sharing real Mexican recipes rooted in family, culture, and heritage—and I want you to feel confident knowing where your recipes come from.
If we can spot fake images, call out stolen content, and support real creators, we keep the internet a place where good food (and real culture) can still thrive.
Thank you for being here and for caring about this issue as much as I do. If you ever see something suspicious online, feel free to send it my way.
AI isn’t going anywhere — but neither are real cooks, real stories, and real recipes.
Thanks for being here and helping keep the real stuff alive.
Con cariño,
Yvette
P.S. If you missed my earlier story about the Bloomberg article and AI tamales, you can read it here: https://open.substack.com/pub/yvettemarquez/p/when-bloomberg-calls-about-ai-tamales
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Yvette Marquez
Blog: https://muybuenoblog.com/
Cookbooks: https://muybuenoblog.com/book/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/muybuenocooking/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/muybuenocookbook/
This is so well explained (and shown), and such an important conversation to be having!
Thank you from the creator community. We share our cuisine, culture, and stories with so much heart and soul! ♥️