Movies Like Pure Vanilla: Recipe for Romance

If you liked Pure Vanilla: Recipe for Romance (2023), a movie directed by Mickey Hiah, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Puppy Love (2023)
★ 7/10
After a disastrous first date, wild-child Nicole and socially-anxious Max vow to lose each other’s numbers until they learn that their dogs found a love match, and now puppies are on the way! The hilariously mismatched…
2
Little Italy (2018)
★ 6.6/10
Former childhood pals Leo and Nikki are attracted to each other as adults—but will their feuding parents' rival pizzerias put a chill on their sizzling romance?
3
A Valentine's Match (2020)
★ 7/10
Fired from her job as a reality TV host, Natalie returns home for Valentine's Day, only to find herself running the town festival's auction with her ex-fiancé thanks to two scheming mothers.
4
The Lost Husband (2020)
★ 6.7/10
Trying to put her life back together after the death of her husband, Libby and her children move to her estranged Aunt's goat farm in central Texas.
5
Newness (2017)
★ 6.1/10
In contemporary Los Angeles, two millennials navigating a social media–driven hookup culture begin a relationship that pushes both emotional and physical boundaries.
6
Your Fault: London (2026)
★ 7.4/10
Nick and Noah are both embarking on life-changing adventures that are threatening to pull them apart—Nick in business with his father and Noah starting a fresh chapter at Oxford University. Now living separate lives…
7
Sisters of the Groom (2017)
★ 6.5/10
When Sarah needs to impress a corporate bigwig in order to help her sister's catering business, she finds herself agreeing to be his son’s pretend date to a family wedding
8
Heartstopper Forever (2026)
★ 7.2/10
It's a new school year for the Truham-Higgs gang. As Nick and Charlie's relationship deepens, their thoughts turn to life after the last bell rings.
9
Love Jones (1997)
★ 7.4/10
Darius Lovehall is a young black poet in Chicago who starts dating Nina Moseley, a beautiful and talented photographer. While trying to figure out if they've got a "love thing" or are just "kicking it," they hang out…
10
Gabriel's Inferno: Part II (2020)
★ 8.3/10
Professor Gabriel Emerson finally learns the truth about Julia Mitchell's identity, but his realization comes a moment too late. Julia is done waiting for the well-respected Dante specialist to remember her and wants…
11
Love in Taipei (2023)
★ 6.8/10
A young American woman is sent by her parents to a cultural immersion program in Taipei where she begins a new journey of self-discovery and romance.
12
Purple Hearts (2022)
★ 8/10
An aspiring musician agrees to a marriage of convenience with a soon-to-deploy Marine, but a tragedy soon turns their fake relationship all too real.
13
Winter Spring Summer or Fall (2024)
★ 7.3/10
Remi and Barnes, two very different teenagers, meet by chance in the winter of their senior year, then spend four days together over the course of a year that will change their lives forever.
14
Lovely, Still (2009)
★ 6.6/10
A holiday fable that tells the story of an elderly man discovering love for the first time.
15
People We Meet on Vacation (2026)
★ 7/10
Poppy's a free spirit. Alex loves a plan. After years of summer vacations, these polar-opposite pals wonder if they could be a perfect romantic match.
16
How to Date Billy Walsh (2024)
★ 6.4/10
Archie has been in love with his best friend Amelia for as long as he can remember. Just when he builds up the courage to declare his feelings, she falls head over heels for Billy Walsh, a new American transfer student.
17
Hitch (2005)
★ 6.6/10
Dating coach Alex 'Hitch' Hitchens mentors a bumbling client, Albert, who hopes to win the heart of the glamorous Allegra Cole. While Albert makes progress, Hitch faces his own romantic setbacks when proven techniques…
18
Love Under the Stars (2015)
★ 6.5/10
Young at heart graduate student Becca strikes up an unlikely friendship with Emily, a quiet girl who recently lost her mother. With every passing play date chaperoned by Emily's father, Becca helps Emily come out of…
19
One Starry Christmas (2014)
★ 6.5/10
An aspiring astronomy professor finds unexpected Christmas romance when she meets a charming cowboy during her holiday travel. As she decides between this new cowboy and her practical boyfriend, she must decide whether…
20
Love Is in the Air (2023)
★ 6.2/10
A fiercely independent pilot fighting to keep her family business afloat starts to fall for the man sent by corporate to ground her operation forever.