🍳 Emoji Kitchen: How to Use Google’s Emoji Mashups

By the Emojis Keyboard editorial team6 min read

TL;DR

Emoji Kitchen blends two emojis into one sticker, like a crying avocado or a ghost with heart eyes. Here is how it works in Gboard and Google Search, why some pairs never work, and how to build combos you can paste as text.

Emoji Kitchen is Google’s feature for mixing two emojis into a single new picture: pick a face and a fruit, and you might get a smiling avocado or a pumpkin with heart eyes. It started in Gboard, Google’s keyboard for Android, and Google later brought it to Google Search so you can play with it in a browser. This guide explains what Emoji Kitchen is, how to use it on each platform, why some combinations simply don’t exist, and why you can’t copy the results as normal text.

One note before we start: Emojis Keyboard is an independent site and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Google. We don’t host Emoji Kitchen images. What we do offer is a fast online emoji keyboard for copying real Unicode emojis, which is handy for the text combos covered later in this article.

What is Emoji Kitchen?

Emoji Kitchen takes two emojis and shows you a hand-designed blend of them, drawn in Google’s emoji art style. Typically, a face lends its expression to the other emoji: pair 😭 Loudly Crying Face with ❤️ Red Heart and you can expect a heart in tears, or pair 👻 Ghost with 😎 Smiling Face with Sunglasses for a ghost in shades, as long as Google has drawn that pair.

The key thing to understand is that these mashups are stickers, which means they are small images. They are not new emoji characters, they are not part of the Unicode Standard, and other phones have no idea they exist. When you send one, you are sending a picture, just as you would send a photo or a GIF.

How to use Emoji Kitchen in Gboard on Android

Gboard is where Emoji Kitchen first appeared, and it is still the most natural way to use it. The exact layout can shift between Gboard versions, but the basic flow looks like this:

  1. Make sure Gboard is installed and set as your active keyboard, and update it from the Google Play Store if it is out of date.
  2. Open a chat app and tap the message box.
  3. Tap the emoji button on the keyboard to open the emoji panel.
  4. Tap an emoji. Gboard shows a row of sticker suggestions above the keyboard that mix that emoji with others.
  5. Tap a second emoji to narrow the suggestions to that specific pair, if a design for it exists.
  6. Tap the sticker you like to send it.

Stickers only work in apps that accept images from the keyboard. Most popular messaging apps do, but in a plain text field (a search bar, a form, a notes app) you may not see suggestions at all, or the sticker may not insert. If nothing appears, try the same steps inside a messaging app.

How to use Emoji Kitchen in a browser

In 2023 Google added Emoji Kitchen to Google Search, so you don’t need an Android phone to try it. Search Google for “emoji kitchen” and, where the feature is available, an interactive mixer appears at the top of the results. From there:

  1. Choose a first emoji from the grid.
  2. Choose a second emoji. The combined design appears if one exists.
  3. Use the options shown with the result to copy or share it. What you get is an image, so paste it somewhere that accepts pictures, such as a chat app or a document.

If the mixer does not show up for you, it may not be available in your region, language or browser. Google controls where it appears, and that can change over time.

Why some Emoji Kitchen combinations don’t exist

It is natural to assume Emoji Kitchen is generated automatically, but each mashup is drawn by designers. That has a few consequences:

Can you copy Emoji Kitchen emojis as text?

No. Because Emoji Kitchen results are images, there is no character code behind them. You can paste one as a picture into a chat, but you cannot type it into a username, a social media bio, a text-only field or a document title. If you try, you will either get nothing or an image attachment.

This also means the recipient sees exactly the picture you sent, regardless of their device. That is different from regular emojis, which every phone draws with its own artwork. If you want something that behaves like real emoji, works everywhere text works and can be searched or copied, you need actual Unicode characters.

Make your own text emoji combos instead

You can’t fuse two emojis into one character, but you can place them side by side to tell a tiny story, and these combos work in any app. Some ideas:

To build your own, open the Emojis Keyboard keyboard, click each emoji to copy it, and paste them together. Our themed collections are a good starting point because the emojis are already grouped by mood or occasion:

For something different, kaomoji such as (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ are built entirely from text characters, so they paste anywhere too.

Popular Emoji Kitchen combo ideas to try

If you are opening Emoji Kitchen for the first time, these pairings are good places to start. Combinations depend on what Google has designed, so a few may not produce a result on your version.

Not sure what an emoji is supposed to mean before you mix it? Our guide to emoji meanings explains the most popular ones, and the Gen Z emoji meanings guide covers the ones younger users read differently.

FAQ

Is Emoji Kitchen free?

Yes. It is built into Gboard and Google Search, and Google does not charge for it.

Does Emoji Kitchen work on iPhone?

Emoji Kitchen is a Google feature, so it is not part of Apple’s own keyboard. On any device with a browser, you can try the Google Search version by searching for “emoji kitchen”, where it is available.

Why can’t I find Emoji Kitchen in my Gboard?

Update Gboard, make sure it is your active keyboard, and try inside a messaging app that accepts stickers. Remember that only some emoji pairs have a design.

Can I paste an Emoji Kitchen sticker into my Instagram bio?

No. Bios and usernames only accept text, and Emoji Kitchen results are images. Use a combo of regular Unicode emojis instead.

Will the other person see my Emoji Kitchen sticker?

If their app can display images, yes. Because a sticker is a picture, it looks the same on Android, iPhone and computers.

Is Emojis Keyboard part of Google Emoji Kitchen?

No. Emojis Keyboard is an independent emoji site with no connection to Google. We provide standard Unicode emojis you can copy and paste.

More emoji guides