How to Make a Bowl in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Use three planks in a crafting table to make four bowls. Place two planks at the left and right of one row, then the third in the middle of the row below, making a V shape.

What you need

3 planks (any type, including mixed types)
Crafting table

Step by step

Get three planks of any type; mixed plank types are allowed.
Open a crafting table. The recipe needs three columns, so it does not fit in the inventory 2x2 grid.
Place a plank in the middle-left slot, one in the middle-right slot and one in the bottom-middle slot. Leave the centre empty.
Take all four bowls from the output. This is a shaped recipe, not three planks placed anywhere.
Use bowls in mushroom stew, rabbit stew, beetroot soup or suspicious stew recipes. You can also use an empty bowl directly on a red mooshroom to get mushroom stew.
After eating a bowl-based meal, save the empty bowl that is returned and use it again.

Java vs Bedrock

The recipe gives four bowls in both Java and Bedrock. Empty bowls stack to 64. As furnace fuel, each bowl smelts half an item in Java or one item in Bedrock, so the fuel value differs by edition.

Versions: javabedrock

Frequently asked questions

How many bowls do three planks make?

Four bowls. Put the three planks in a V shape in a crafting table.

Can I use Nether planks for a bowl?

Yes. Any plank type works, and you can mix types. Crimson and warped planks can be crafted into bowls even though the planks themselves cannot fuel a furnace.

Do bowls disappear when I eat stew?

No. Eating the meal leaves an empty bowl, which you can reuse.

Can I make bowls in the inventory crafting grid?

No. The shaped recipe is three slots wide, so you need the crafting table 3x3 grid.