The most-Googled searches, people and recipes in 2021

From birria tacos to Travis Scott, these were the top topics, people and recipes Americans were most curious about this year

Top Left: This image released by Netflix shows a scene from the popular Korean series "Squid Game." (Netflix via AP) Top Right: his police camera video provided by The Moab Police Department shows Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito talking to a police officer after police pulled over the van she was traveling in with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie. (The Moab Police Department via AP) Bottom Left: Travis Scott performs at the Astroworld Music Festival in Houston on Nov. 5, 2021. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File) Bottom Right: Pasta via Pexels. (KSAT 12)

Read more stories wrapping 2021 here.

In 2021, many people hoped to return to some normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this year was almost as chaotic as the last.

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Despite all the challenges Americans may have faced, they stayed strong and they remained curious.

Google has become the ultimate tool for satisfying that curiosity, whether that be how to make the delicious dish you saw on TikTok or what’s going on with your favorite sports team.

So, what were you most curious about this year? See the top searches, people and recipes below the map that breaks down daily trends by state.

Most-Googled searches:

This year, some of the most popular Google searches surrounded a nationwide search for 22-year-old Gabby Petito and later her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in her disappearance. Other popular searches included the Netflix Series “Squid Game” and the passing of rap legend DMX.

  1. NBA
  2. DMX
  3. Gabby Petito
  4. Kyle Rittenhouse
  5. Brian Laundrie
  6. Mega Millions
  7. AMC Stock
  8. Stimulus Check
  9. Georgia Senate Race
  10. “Squid Game”

Most-Googled people:

Some of the Most-Googled people in 2021 included 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of murder charges after he shot and killed two people and injured another at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Other highly searched people included Travis Scott, whose Astroworld Music Festival in Houston left 10 people dead.

  1. Kyle Rittenhouse
  2. Tiger Woods
  3. Alec Baldwin
  4. Travis Scott
  5. Simone Biles
  6. Derek Chauvin
  7. Morgan Wallen
  8. Henry Ruggs III
  9. Pete Davidson
  10. Shailene Woodley

Most-Googled Recipes:

If you were on TikTok in 2021, you probably remember the famous “TikTok Pasta” that included baking feta cheese in tomatoes. Or, maybe you remember when people were eating Cicadas after swarms of them were reemerging from the ground after 17 years. And, you can’t be surprised that birria tacos made the list, which became all the rave in 2021.

  1. TikTok pasta
  2. Bacon jam
  3. Birria tacos
  4. Crockpot chicken
  5. Hamantaschen
  6. “Squid Game” cookie
  7. Baked oats
  8. Cicada
  9. Gigi Hadid pasta
  10. Smashed potatoes

Curious to see what was most-Googled in other countries? You can check out a full list right here.


About the Author:

Emily Martin is the KSAT Insider Membership Producer. She earned a journalism degree from Texas State University, where she was news director at KTSW, the campus radio station. She has also interned at KXAN and KUT in Austin.