Of all the buffs in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, gaining temporary bonus hearts is among the most important. Link starts The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with only three hearts, which can be increased over time with Heart Containers obtained from completing Shrines and praying to Goddess Statues.
But players can also gain bonus hearts by consuming elixirs and meals mixed with Hearty ingredients. Only a Hearty Lizard will provide the necessary buff mixed with monster parts for an elixir. Still, numerous components can be used in meals for many bonus hearts during Link’s adventure.
6 Hearty Simmered Fruit
The tropical rainforest of the Faron region may hide many secrets, but one thing it has in abundance is useful fruit. Aside from Mighty Bananas, Link can harvest a bounty of Hearty Durians as he explores the area. This delicacy can also be found on Satori Mountain, bought in Gerudo Town, and is a lifesaver on Eventide Island. However, players will only reap the benefits of this hearty fruit by cooking it into a meal.
Putting five Hearty Durians into a cooking pot, the “king of fruits” will transform into Hearty Simmered Fruit, providing Link with 20 extra hearts.
5 Hearty Steamed Meat
As players explore the grasslands of Hyrule, they’ll frequently come across Hearty Radishes. These veggies are identified by the tall, blossoming stalks protruding from the ground, revealing a heart-shaped Radish once collected. Hearty Radishes grow abundantly around the grassy areas of Hyrule Ridge and East Necluda. Still, they can also be bought from Beedle at the East Akkala Stable and from the General Shoppe in The Great Deku Tree in Korok Forest.
Hearty Radishes can be made into a variety of dishes, but one of the most effective is by simply combining 4 Hearty Radishes with one piece of Raw Prime Meat to produce Hearty Steamed Meat, which provides 12 extra hearts. Raw Prime Meat is easily obtained in Breath of the Wild by frequently hunting medium to large animals like boars, deer, bears, moose, wolves, and coyotes.
4 Hearty Clam Chowder
Mixing various ingredients in Breath of the Wild will produce fancy meals, such as the Hearty Clam Chowder, which provides 6 extra hearts. This recipe involves 2 Hearty Blueshell Snails mixed with Goat Butter, Fresh Milk, and Tabantha Wheat. The Hearty Blueshell Snails are relatively easy to find, making their home on the shorelines of the Lanaryu and Necluda seas.
Goat Butter can be purchased from High Spirits Produce in Kakariko Village, The Slippery Falcon in Rito Village, and the traveling merchant Agus. Fresh Milk is found at East Wind General Store in Hateno Village and is often given out as a reward for side quests, while Tabantha Wheat can be harvested from cutting grass in the Tabantha region or bought from The Slippery Falcon or a Stall in Gerudo Town.
3 Hearty Mushroom Balls
Rice Balls are one of the most versatile recipes in Breath of the Wild, as they can be combined with pretty much any ingredient to produce a convenient meal for Link with a bunch of hearts. And by adding an ingredient that gives an extra dose of hearts, they become one of the most accessible recipes in the game.
By combining one Big Hearty Truffle and 3 Hearty Truffles with one bunch of Hylian Rice, players can make Hearty Mushroom Rice Balls which provide 7 bonus hearts. Hylian Rice can be harvested by cutting grass in East Necluda, and it’s also sold at East Wind in Hateno Village, the General Shoppe in Korok Forest, and The Slippery Falcon. Hearty Truffles are found in the Great Hyrule Forest and Hyrule Field, while Big Hearty Truffles grow at the base of trees in the Hebra Mountains and the Great Hyrule Forest.
2 Hearty Salmon Meuniere
After completing the Divine Beast Vah Medoh main quest, Link can start the Akh Va’quot Shrine quest, which involves making a Salmon Meuniere for Genli, a young Rito. By speaking to the rest of her sisters dotted around the village, they’ll give Link the ingredients for the recipe, including Hearty Salmon, Tabantha Wheat, and Goat Butter.
Players should add two more Hearty Salmons to the mix to make this dish even more beneficial to provide 12 extra hearts. After being given one Hearty Salmon from Kotts, Link can find more in the ponds leading up to Rito Village or in bodies of water around Tabantha Frontier or the Hebra Mountains.
1 Hearty Fried Wild Greens
One of the simplest meals in Breath of the Wild involves cooking up some of the kingdom’s most accessible ingredients, particularly the Hyrule Herb. When cooked with a herb, flower, or vegetable, this will result in Fried Wild Greens. This meal can be essential for replenishing hearts early on in the game, but it can be improved by adding Hearty and Big Hearty Radishes.
By combining just one Big Hearty Radish with 4 Hearty Radishes, Link can obtain 17 extra hearts with the Hearty Fried Wild Greens meal. Big Hearty Radishes are few and far between, though they can usually be found in the same grassy places that Hearty Radishes grow, like Hyrule Ridge and East Necluda.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is currently available on Switch.
