Top 7 recipes beginners need to know in Minecraft

Minecraft is a very complicated sandbox game. With an active lifetime development that has lasted for more than a decade, nearly 15 years when including the beta and alpha, a lot of new features and items have been added to the game. Even those that are not new have seen numerous changes over the years.

With the hundreds of items available in the game, and only the in-game recipe book to help players, it can be exceptionally hard for beginners to figure out how to create some of the most basic, and important, things in the game. Detailed below are the crafting recipes for some of these beneficial items.

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7 best recipes that new Minecraft players should learn to make, ranked

7) Ender Chest

An example of the crafting recipe for an Ender Chest (Image via Minecraft)

The Ender Chest is by far the most mechanically complicated item on this list. However, it earns its spot on this list as it is one of the most important items available to players before the Ender Dragon fight takes place and the credits roll.

Ender Chests can be crafted by making an eight-numbered obsidian ring around the edge of the crafting interface, and placing an Eye of Ender within the center spot. These are effectively linked chests for individual players. This means that players can place an Ender Chest in their overworld base, and one in their nether base, and they will share an inventory.

This makes them the first item that players get access to that increases the size of their inventory, which makes them incredibly valuable.

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6) Enchanting Table

An example of the crafting recipe for an enchanting table (Image via Minecraft)

The Enchanting Table might be the single most powerful workstation in the entire game. The enchantments that players can place on their tools and weapons using it will take their ability to grind for resources and protect themselves all the way up to 11.

Enchanting Tables can be crafted by placing three obsidian along the bottom of the crafting interface, with a fourth obsidian going in the middle. Then, two diamonds go on either side of this center obsidian, with a book being placed atop the middle obsidian.

There are only a couple of downsides to Enchanting Tables. One being that players will need a large number of book cases to push the available enchantments to their most powerful level. The second is that the enchantments that are offered are totally random.

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5) Shield

An example of the crafting recipe for a shield (Image via Minecraft)

Shields are the single best item available to players for personal defense. If they are quick on the draw, and able to pull their shield up to block hostile mobs, or arrows, or even creeper explosions, the shield will take all of the damage instead.

Shields can be crafted by placing wooden planks in a three-block horizontal line across the center of the crafting grid. Then, players need to place two wooden blocks in the two top corners of the crafting grid, and a final wooden plank in the center of the bottom row of the crafting grid. Then, they need to place a single iron ingot in between the topmost wooden planks.

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4) Bed

An example of the crafting recipe for a bed (Image via Minecraft)

Beds are an interesting item within Minecraft. Using them will allow players to skip through the night time, which will stop hostile mobs from spawning, and will also keep phantoms from spawning due to the player’s insomnia being reset at night. This is great for those who like to explore or build in the Overworld at night, as the risk of creepers is almost entirely removed.

Beds can be crafted by placing three wooden planks in a horizontal line across the crafting grid, and then placing three of any color wools in a horizontal line above these planks.

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3) Torches

An example of the crafting recipe for torches (Image via Minecraft)

Torches are a vital item on the surface as well as deep underground. They allow players to light up the area, which will stop hostile mobs from spawning. It will also help them to see at night, or at all, if they are in an underground cave, making them a necessity for anyone who is serious about long-term survival.

Torches can be crafted by placing a single piece of coal or charcoal above a stick. They can be created at both a Crafting Table and within the personal crafting area, as the recipe fits within the two by two area within the inventory.

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2) Tools and sword

An example of the crafting recipe for a sword (Image via Minecraft)

Tools are by far one of the most important things that players need to know how to craft. These are the items that allow them to interact with much of the world in a way that allows for resource gathering, or just speed up their ability to do things.

Pickaxes are made by placing three of either wood, stone, iron, gold, or diamond along the top row of the crafting table, with two sticks going down the middle.

Axes are made with three of these materials in the top middle, middle left or right, and then top corner between these two cardinal directions. Then, players need to place two sticks beneath the corner of material in a vertical line.

Shovels will allow players to quickly remove large swathes of dirt or sand. They can be crafted using two sticks in a vertical line, with a single of any of the listed materials on top of these two sticks.

Hoes are required for farming crops. They can be crafted with two of any of the previously listed materials in a horizontal one by two line, with two sticks beneath either of these blocks.

Swords are the odd one out of the group, being a weapon used for self defense rather than a tool. They can be crafted by using two of any of these materials in a vertical one by two line, with a stick on the bottom, forming the handle.

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1) Crafting Table

An example of the crafting recipe for the crafting table (Image via Minecraft)

The Crafting Table takes the number one spot for a very simple reason: it is required to make progress in the game. While there are places that naturally generate Crafting Tables, such as witch huts and igloos, or some village houses, relying on these instead of crafting them is a mistake.

Crafting Tables are crafted from a single log. This log is converted into four wooden planks that, when placed in a two by two square, will turn into the said item. This workstation gives players Minecraft’s iconic three by three crafting grid, and allows them to make a large majority of the items available within the game.