5 TV Shows To Watch If You Like The Great British Bake Off

Every fall in the U.S., “The Great British Bake Off” is the perfect companion for the lead up to the holiday season. There’s a reason it’s one of the best reality shows of all time, according to IMDb users. It has a relaxing vibe and doesn’t require much mental energy to watch, but it’s still entertaining and worth the time investment. It’s surprisingly hard to meet those qualifications, especially within the genre of reality TV competitions. Sometimes, a show repeats its competition format with a new set of contestants each week, which can get boring. Or, since there’s usually a time limit to every round, frantic music and anxious contestants make the show hard to watch.

Even though things go wrong sometimes for contestants, that stress rarely transfers from the “Great British Bake Off” tent, which instead gives off an addictive, feel-good energy. It’s easy to find shows featuring amateur cooks and bakers competing in challenges, but it’s significantly harder to find shows that make you feel the way “The Great British Bake Off” franchise makes fans feel: interested, but not panicked on behalf of the contestants. Not even the American spinoff, “The Great American Baking Show,” could imitate it well. The sister show was canceled by The Roku Channel after four seasons.

Perhaps you’re an avid “Bake Off” fan who needs to add shows to your watch list to fill the Prue Leith-shaped hole in your heart (the longtime judge announced her departure from the show in January 2026). But even if you’re a new fan who’s caught up and needs more recommendations, or just a foodie who loves sweet and savory television, read on. There’s only one “Bake Off,” but a few other shows get one or two of its elements right.

Holiday Baking Championship

Food Network’s “Holiday Baking Championship” is the closest dupe of “The Great British Bake Off” that the U.S. has to offer. In its search for the greatest amateur holiday baker, the show pits 12 contestants against each other every week in two challenges. They make small treats like cookies or pastries following a theme and a set of rules in the “Pre-Heat.” The winner of that round gets an advantage over competitors for the second round, in which the bakers make a bigger sweet treat and face elimination. One contestant is eliminated each week until only the winner remains to claim the title of Holiday Baking Champion and a cash prize. Jesse Palmer will host Season 13, premiering on Monday, November 2, 2026. Duff Goldman and Kardea Brown return as judges, alongside new judge Molly Yeh.

It’s fun to get to know the bakers through their holiday traditions and favorite flavors each week, and the competition format is similar to the one on “Bake Off,” although there are fewer challenges each episode. The vibes are more festive and definitely fun (starting with the fact that the set they compete on in the latest season is called Santa’s Village), but they’re also totally frantic at times, which is the complete opposite of “Bake Off.” Start here if you’re in search of another baking competition, not if you’re looking to pair your cup of coffee with a relaxing show on a lazy weekend morning.

Cake Wars

Staying in the “dessert competition show” lane is another Food Network classic: “Cake Wars,” which aired for five seasons from 2015 to 2017. The episodes features four different duos of bakery owners or amateur bakers competing to win a client, who usually needs a cake for a celebration. The first round is the Batter Up challenge, in which all four teams compete to make themed cakes or small desserts with specific ingredients.

Judges eliminate one team before the second round, and the final three go on to bake a presentation cake according to the clients’ theme specifications. Contestants are given more freedom and baking assistants to help them get the job done. Then, a winner is chosen. They win a cash prize and a camera crew follows them to the event to see the final cake. The final Cake Wars round is the closest duplicate of the Showstopper round in “The Great British Bake Off.” 

So, if you really zone in on the final round in every episode and love the “Cake Week” episode, this show is for you. It’s hosted by “Mean Girls” star Jonathan Bennett and features judges like pastry chefs Waylynn Lucas and Ron Ben-Israel.

The Great Pottery Throw Down

If you watch “The Great British Bake Off” mostly for the relaxing vibes, then your next watch should be “The Great Pottery Throw Down,” which is produced by the same company that produces “Bake Off.” The similarities are obvious immediately, even if the later show is set in a studio instead of a big white tent. Amateur potters compete in two challenges per episode (reduced from three in earlier seasons): a Main Make creative challenge in which the potters show off their skill and artistry in stages, a Throw Down which tests speed and skill via a time limit, and a Spot Test to test the potters’ decorating proficiency and attention to detail.  

The show has been hosted by Irish actress Siobhán McSweeney since 2021. Judges include potters Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller; Jones joined the “Great Pottery Throw Down” in 2015 and Miller followed in 2021. Miller began on the show as a kiln technician who helps fire the contestants’ pieces in the kiln, a high-temperature specialized oven used to harden clay. The role has been filled by Princess Fingall since 2024. Memorable challenges on the quests to become Britain’s top potter through the years include constructing a functioning toilet, building Noah’s ark with animals included, and designing a chandelier.

Big Bargain Holiday Showdown

“The Great British Bake Off” isn’t explicitly holiday-themed on its own, but it has a tradition of holiday specials and airs leading up to the season when people are planning their holiday gatherings, including the menu. So, plenty of fans take inspiration from the show while listening to the stories behind the contestants’ bakes and imagining nostalgic flavor combinations. If you take inspiration for parties from TV shows, HGTV’s “Big Bargain Holiday Showdown” must be on your watch list this season. 

Hosted by Tara Lipinski and premiering on November 10, 2026, the show features two duos on each episode challenged to transform a room in their home into a magical winter oasis on a measly $500 budget. The decorating duel will be judged by artist and designer Stephen Brown and Pelar Fullilove, an interior designer. Winners receive a cash prize along with a “surprise from Santa,” and, of course, bragging rights, per HGTV. The theme of the first episode is White Christmas, and future themes include Retro Christmas, Santa’s Workshop, and 12 Days of Christmas.

Chef’s Table

If you’re looking to wind down and relax after a long week and are up to date on “The Great British Bake Off,” it’s time to curl up with Netflix’s “Chef’s Table” and a snack. The Emmy-winning docuseries gives viewers an intimate look at the lives of world-renowned chefs and pastry chefs pushing limits and reinventing the standards in their industry. By the end of each episode, which usually features an individual chef or a duo, you learn the subjects’ origin stories, what inspires them in their craft, and the flavors that helped them ride to extraordinary levels in the cooking world. As a result, viewers often feel like they’re a part of the chefs’ daily routines.

Season 4 is dedicated to pastry chefs including Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi, Corrado Assenza, who is inspired by his native Italy, and Bali-based American pastry chef Will Goldfarb, who specializes in avant-garde creations. The footage and stories behind the recipes will make you hungry, but the “Chef’s Table” experience is soothing and similar to “The Great British Bake Off” because of every episode’s score, cinematography, pacing, and direction. When you’re finished with the original series, check out the spinoffs including “Chef’s Table: France,” Chef’s Table: France,” and “Chef’s Table: Legends.”