Hello, fellow Stardew Valley players! In this tutorial, we’ll discuss the top 10 health recovery items, ranked by the amount of health restored. Without any defensive skills, the maximum health is 108. We will not mention early-game items such as common mushrooms, tree berries, cave carrots, and field snacks. Instead, we’ll focus on more commonly used items.
Sashimi (10th place) If you have many crab pots, you might prefer upgrading your farmhouse to make sashimi. Sashimi restores 33 health points (18.33%). It also provides a significant energy boost and offers the highest cost-performance ratio. Some low-cost fish can turn a profit just by making sashimi, but you’ll need three hearts with Linus and an upgraded house. The upfront costs and crab pot expenses make this option less appealing.
Hops (9th place) Most players have grown hops, which yield a high harvest. While brewing beer and buying salads may be more profitable, it’s not unreasonable to eat unprocessed hops. Hops restore 36 health points (20%), but consuming several at once might feel wasteful.
Salad (8th place) Salads restore 50 health points (27.78%) and are easy to purchase at the Stardrop Saloon. Eating multiple salads doesn’t waste time, as the in-game timer pauses while consuming food. Relying on salads for health recovery throughout the game shouldn’t pose any issues.
Cactus Fruit (7th place) Gold Star Cactus Fruit restores 60 health points (33%), or 1/3 of your maximum health. The main drawback is the limited initial quantity. Without high foraging skills, there’s no guarantee of finding high-quality cactus fruit. Sam, Pam, and Linus love cactus fruit, making it a great gift option. However, if you grow your own, harvesting every three days and using fertilizer to increase the Gold Star rate is a good strategy.
Purple Mushroom (6th place) Regular purple mushrooms restore 56 health points, while Gold Star ones restore 101 health points (56.11%), the same as Gold Star Cheese. If you chose the mushroom cave early in the game, save some purple mushrooms. Although they don’t have any stars, they’re great for your first mine run as they’re free.
Lobster Bisque (5th place) Lobster Bisque restores 101 health points (56.11%). It not only provides a significant health boost but also increases speed and defense for an entire day. It’s twice as effective as Spicy Eel, which restores only 51 health points. You can purchase large quantities during Willy’s six-heart event. If you miss that opportunity, making it yourself can be a hassle and using it for health recovery feels extravagant.
Gold Star Cheese (4th place) Gold Star Cheese is a popular health recovery item among players. Since the autograbber requires a deluxe barn, having several cows isn’t a big deal. Cows produce milk daily, making the process efficient. Gold Star Cheese restores 101 health points (56.11%), a comfortable ratio that allows you to eat it at half health without danger. Many players enjoy using Gold Star Cheese for health recovery.
Pineapple (3rd place) Pineapples, exclusive to Ginger Island, have the same planting and harvesting cycle as Ancient Fruit. However, unlike Ancient Fruit, Gold Star Pineapples can be consumed, restoring 111 health points (61.67%), a higher ratio than Gold Star Cheese. With the highest quality fertilizer, you can even harvest Iridium Star Pineapples, which are valuable and convenient in the late game.
Pink Cake (2nd place) Pink Cake restores 112 health points (62.22%). Although there are many health-restoring cooked dishes, obtaining their recipes can take some time, making them less practical. Pink Cake is a simple example, with the recipe available in the second summer. The ingredients are melon, egg, wheat flour, and sugar. If it were available in the first year, it would be even better. However, by the second year, there are more alternatives, and some cooked dishes have negative effects that can override speed and luck buffs, making them unsuitable for health recovery.
Energy Tonic (1st place) Energy Tonic can be purchased at the clinic, dropped by Iridium Bats, or found in treasure chests. It restores 200 health points, instantly filling your health bar. While you might consider buying Energy Tonics when you have an excess of money, they’re not necessary when you don’t need to visit the mines. At this point, the game typically focuses on decoration, making Energy Tonics a waste for minor health recovery. Eating them when low on health can be risky, so it’s better to use other health recovery items.
And that concludes our list of the top 10 health recovery items in Stardew Valley.