RecipeTin Eats’ Nagi Maehashi, Brooke Bellamy, of Bake With Brooki, feud over recipe source

It’s the oven-hot kitchen bake-off nobody saw coming: two of Australia’s happiest home cooks are suddenly at war over recipes in their mega-selling cookbooks, with upwards of $30m in sales at risk of going up in smoke.

Recipe Tin Eats author Nagi Maehashi has accused Brooke Bellamy of plagiarism.

It’s the oven-hot kitchen bake-off nobody saw coming: two of Australia’s happiest home cooks are suddenly at war over recipes in their mega-selling cookbooks, with upwards of $30 million in sales at risk of going up in smoke.

The wildly popular Nagi Maehashi, of RecipeTin Eats, was first to take the oven mitts off, accusing a newcomer, Gen Y superstar, Brooke Bellamy, of Bake With Brooki, of plagiarism of, among other things, a caramel slice recipe.

Storm in a teacup? Not so fast: cookbooks are enormously lucrative in Australia, with eye (as opposed to mouth) watering sales. Nagi, as she’s known to her millions of followers, became the fastest selling cookbook author in Australia, ever, when she launched her debut cookbook, RecipeTin Eats: Dinner, published by Pan Macmillan, in 2022.

It sold 100,000 copies ahead of Christmas, and has since sold more than 350,000 copies, making it a $13 million product.

Maehashi has compared her caramel slice recipe with Bellamy's as 'evidence' of copying. Picture: Instagram

Her empire, which includes a phenomenally popular YouTube channel starring Nagi and her best doggy friend, Dozer, is worth at least as much again. Her most recent release, RecipeTin Eats: Tonight has sold 339,000 copies.

Brooki (as she’s known to her millions of followers) stormed into the cookbook space in October 2024, with the baby-pink Bake With Brooki, which appeals directly to Gen Y bakers.

She’s sold 97,000 since release, making hers a $4.6 million book (and counting).

Brooki’s fame was built on the back of “NYC cookies” in fancy boxes that she delivers to your door, and sells around the world, to often screaming fans. She also sells “merch” including “I’m Too Old For DiCaprio” cakes, and polka dot oven mitts.

She has millions of followers on TikTok, YouTube, and on Instagram which is where the fight broke out.

Nagi’s post began: “When you see your recipes in a $4 million book.”

She continued: “I have made allegations against Penguin Australia that the bestseller Bake With Brooki by Brooke Bellamy contains plagiarised recipes, including two of mine.” (The Australian does not say this is so; only that the allegation was made)

“I’m no stranger to seeing my recipes being copied online,” Nagi continued. “But seeing what I believe to be my recipes and my words printed in a multimillion-dollar book launched with a huge publicity campaign from one of Australia’s biggest publishers was shocking.”

Nagi Maehashi. Picture: Tim Hunter.

In a note on her website, she said Penguin had strenuously denied any plagiarism, and it’s not entirely clear that a recipe can be plagiarized. A printed recipe may have some copyright protection, although even that seems to be a matter untested by the Australian courts.

In a note on her website, Nagi acknowledged the risk of legal action, adding: “To me, the similarities between the recipes in question are far too specific and detailed to be dismissed as coincidence. Penguin has denied the allegations. I have received no response from Brooke Bellamy, the author.”

She said quoted from a “letter from their lawyers” saying that “Our client respectfully rejects your clients’ allegations and confirms that the recipes in the BWB Book were written by Brooke Bellamy.”

Penguin had not replied to The Australian’s request for comment at time of going to press.

On Instagram, Nagi said: “I invite you to review comparisons of my recipes … and form your own view. To me, the similarities are so specific and detailed that calling these a coincidence feels disingenuous.

She said she ceased trying to speak to Brooke’s publisher, Penguin, via their lawyers, last month, “as there was no point continuing. They would not admit wrong doing and would not agree to take steps to remedy the situation … How I wish I could tell you what they offered me – but I can’t.”

Nagi continued: “I put a huge effort into my recipes. And I share them on my website for anyone to use for free.”

Bake with Brooki book cover.

She went on: “Penguin, you are a top-tier publisher … you have continued to sell the book after I brought this to your attention back on 4 December 2024.”

To Brooke Bellamy directly, she said she only wanted credit for her recipe, adding: “I would have given permission and knowing me, proudly promoted your book on launch.”

Her post pretty much immediately generated more than 1200 comments, most of them in Nagi’s corner, but comments were soon switched off, with Nagi citing the possibility of legal action.

Both of the cookbooks have been nominated for Book of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards, with the winner to be announced in May.

Bellamy has recently had a baby, and is in Dubai, where a pop-up cookie store was stormed by youngsters, and had queues down the street. She has one million followers, and delivers her famous cookies “across Australia and the world.”

Her Instagram shows her popping outside the bakery to be greeted by screaming fans.

The Australian has reached out to both publishers for comment, and does not suggest that Bellamy has done the wrong thing only that the allegations have been made.