Practice makes perfect! Jennifer Garner enjoys whipping up tasty treats in her kitchen, but she’s admittedly not a professional chef just yet.
“My success rate in the kitchen is about 50 [percent] — except with popcorn,” the Alias alum quipped via Instagram in January 2019, while sharing her recipe for making homemade popcorn.
Garner, who even grows her own fruits and vegetables, has frequently been outspoken about her culinary passions. “I cook for my kids, and we have a garden,” the Once Upon a Farm founder said during Gisele Bündchen’s “Just Label It Anti-GMO” event in April 2015. “We try to grow whatever we can, although I can’t say we have the hugest crop in the world, but I do try to pay close attention and I do my best.”
The 13 Going on 30 actress coparents children Violet, born in 2005, Seraphina, born in 2009, and Samuel, born in 2012, with ex-husband Ben Affleck. (Garner and the Argo director split in June 2015 after 10 years of marriage.)
“I make everything, [like] roasted chicken and mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade bread, corn on the cob, you know, whatever,” she added during the 2015 event in Los Angeles. “[My kids and I] talk about our food, we grow food [and] we talk about what goes into it. They plant it, they water it, they take pictures next to it.”
Affleck — who married former fiancée Jennifer Lopez in 2022 — is equally a fan of his ex-wife’s meals.
Jennifer Lopez, Jen Garner Formed ‘Friendship’ After Ben Affleck Wedding
Jennifer Lopez, Jen Garner Formed ‘Friendship’ After Ben Affleck Wedding
“Jen is a really great cook. She’s probably the best cook I know,” the Tender Bar star exclusively gushed to Us Weekly in January 2017, revealing they spent the December 2016 holidays together with their daughters and son. “We had roast chicken this year; it was really, really good. Other than that, we do pizza nights, where a guy comes and makes pizza and nobody has to cook.”
While Garner’s cuisine has earned praise from her children and former spouse, the actress isn’t immune to various cooking mishaps along the way. The West Virginia native has shared many of her culinary adventures via social media through her Pretend Cooking Show.
“I’ve [made Easter cakes before] but it didn’t work out this time,” Garner confessed during an April 2023 appearance of Live With Kelly and Ryan. “I’ve always made cinnamon rolls [on Easter Sunday] and then my kids suddenly were like, ‘Mom, can you make bagels?’ So, I make traditional Easter bagels, as one does, and traditional Christmas bagels. Although this year I wanted to make bunnies instead and it turned out [that] I made pigs.”
After showing an image of her planned rabbit shape, Garner revealed that they “puffed up a little” to resemble pigs instead.
Scroll below to revisit all of the actress’ funniest — and most relatable! — cooking fails and recipe attempts:
Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Garner/Instagram
February 2018
After Garner’s first attempt at baking bagels from scratch proved successful, she aimed to replicate it a second time. However, the end result yielded a misshapen batch.
Credit: Courtesy Jennifer Garner/Instagram
August 2018
The Yes Day actress planned to hand out samples of her Once Upon a Farm baby food to shoppers inside a Kroger Marketplace in Cincinnati, Ohio. However, she quickly realized that no one was taking her up on her offer to try the goodies.
“I understand. No problem,” Garner quipped after one patron proclaimed that they were too busy to stop at her booth.
Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Garner/Instagram
March 2019
“My cinnamon bread men seem to have had a run-in with the mafia, but they went right down, anyway. 🔪🙂,” she wrote via Instagram on March 14, a.k.a. Pi Day.
Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Garner/Instagram
August 2019
After chopping up fresh fruit to make a homemade smoothie, Garner forgot one important part of the puzzle — the blender lid. The Peppermint star switched on the appliance without the top, leading her ingredients to fly out and land all over her kitchen floor.
Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Garner/Instagram
October 2020
Garner, a superfan of Ina Garten, was eager to make the legendary chef’s crispy chicken with lemon orzo meal from her Modern Comfort Food book. However, the Adam Project star was disappointed that she ended up over-browning the meat. “It was delectable,” she did reveal in her Instagram caption.
Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Garner/Instagram
April 2021
“Oops, I did that backward,” Garner quipped of following instructions during her “Pretend Baking Show,” as she whipped up maple butter. “Dang! Well, OK, it’s gonna be great. You can’t go wrong [with maple butter].”
Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Garner/Instagram
December 2021
Garner was completely shocked when her beef bourguignon attempt ended up in flames when she made Garten’s stew for Christmas dinner.
Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Garner/Instagram
September 2022
“If you’re looking for uniformity in meatball size, don’t come here,” the Dallas Buyers Club actress quipped during her cooking show while shaping her ground beef.
Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Garner/Instagram
December 2022
When Garner went to make Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili, she struggled to chop onions without tearing up. As the mother of three showed off her knife skills, she closed her eyes to minimize crying.
Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Garner/Instagram
March 2023
Garner attempted to make homemade Snickers bars in March, leading her to speculate how much time her dry goods needed to be combined in the food processor. “Would you call that finely ground?” she quipped in her Instagram video.
Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Garner/Instagram
April 2023
Garner successfully made bagel bunnies for Easter 2021, however, two years later, her rabbits became pigs when they “puffed up” too much in the oven.
