Top 5 uses for pigs in Minecraft

Pigs are one of the most well-known peaceful mobs in Minecraft. These little critters roam around the overworld, eating grass, carrots, and potatoes. Fun fact: pigs are the oldest passive mob in all of Minecraft.

Pigs spawn naturally, and most commonly in plains biomes. These pink creatures drop pork chops when killed, and when left alive, they make great pets. Players are unable to truly tame pigs, but they can trap them in pens and keep them as farm animals.

Some players, however, will not know what else to do with their pigs besides kill them for food. Here are the five best uses for pigs in Minecraft.

5 Best uses for pigs in Minecraft

#1 - Food

Cooked pork chop (Image via trueachievements.com)

Players who are just starting in their Minecraft worlds will definitely need food. Since pig mobs spawn pretty commonly in Minecraft, players will find them with ease.

Pigs drop anywhere from one to three raw pork chops when killed. Even better, if the player kills a pig while it's on fire the pork chop will cook, and a cooked porkchop will drop instead.

More advanced players who have the looting 3 enchantment on their swords can get anywhere from one to six pork chops from one pig.

#2 - Breeding

Pigs are some of the easiest mobs to breed in Minecraft. Players breed their pigs for many reasons, mostly for XP and to get more pigs. When pigs are bred they will drop anywhere from one to seven XP points, so players can expect to gain no matter what upon feeding their pink critters.

Pigs are very easy to breed, players can feed them carrots, potatoes, or beetroots and expect the pigs to mate. To breed a pig, players should get one of the three foods mentioned above and right-click on two different pigs that are near each other. Hearts will appear around these pigs, and they will move towards each other. After a piglet will appear and the player will collect XP and see a cute baby pig!

#3 - Riding

What makes pigs so much fun is that players can ride them. Pigs can only be ridden with a saddle and carrot on a stick, but this event is lots of fun. The pigs can travel up to 5.2 m/s, which is a little faster than a slow horse in Minecraft.

To make a saddle players need three leather items, two strings, and two iron ingots. To make a carrot on a stick players only need a fishing rod and carrot. Players can combine these two items to make the carrot on a stick and control their pig.

#4 - Farm stable

Pigs in stables (Image via Pinterest)

Farm stables are always a nice addition to any player's Minecraft farm or house, but no farm stable is complete without a lot of pigs. Pigs are very easy to lead into pens and stables.

All a player needs to do is get a potato, carrot, or beetroot and hold it in their hotbar around a wild pig. Players should stay within six blocks of the pig, and the pig will follow the player all the way back to their base.

Players can find pigs most commonly in plains biomes. Forest biomes work very well too. The only biomes that pigs don't spawn are snowy tundras and wooded badland plateaus. Pigs also only spawn at light levels above seven, so it's best to look during the day and in bright areas.

#5 - Getting rid of excess foods

Minecraft pigs (Image via minecraft-resourcepacks.com)

One of the best ways to get rid of excess food is to feed it to pigs. Since pigs eat beetroots, carrots, and potatoes it makes them great for eating all the excess.

These three crops tend to grow really fast and produce a lot of extra food. Players will find that even with small farms, these three crops will produce more than enough food to support players. They often fill up an entire chestful or more after only a few harvests.

The best solution is to feed this food to pigs or trade it nearby.