Eating habits are linked to the growth and development of children and young people as well as wellbeing in childhood and adulthood. The development of positive, sustainable eating habits can be promoted with the help of food education. Food education is especially important in modern society, as a wide range of food-related information is spread quickly through the social media channels. There have been hardly any studies on the subject of free-time food education and the foodscapes of young people. The objective of this research study is to understand how young people’s food-related choices and learning can be guided by food education and foodscapes and how young people learn food-related skills and knowledge during their leisure activities. In particular, the role of youth centres as food educators is examined. This study uses both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative research is used to explore young people’s views on the healthiness of their own eating habits and how they cope with everyday food preparation. The quantitative data were gathered as part of the Youth Barometer 2015 survey. It was answered by 1894 people aged 15–29 years. The data were analysed with SPSS using different statistics, cross-tabulation, factor analysis and logistic regression analysis. Food education is linked to many different foodscapes. The concept of the foodscape helps us understand the diversity of food in children’s lives. The qualitative research improves the understanding of young people’s perceptions of youth centres as foodscapes and learning environments. The qualitative data were gathered at four youth centres in the city of Helsinki. 21 young people (13–17 years of age) took part in focus group discussions. The data were supplemented by observation of the activities and interviews with youth workers. The qualitative data were analysed by qualitative content analysis. Peers and opportunities to have an influence are important factors affecting young people’s food preparation in their free time. The concept of food sense emphasises agency, subjectivity and social meaning. The quantitative and qualitative research results are studied in parallel in terms of food sense to understand youth centres’ opportunities to improve the food choices of young people. The findings of this research indicate that youth centres and guided leisure activities have the opportunity to support the food-related learning of young people and develop their food preparation skills alongside and in addition to what they learn at school and home. The work performed by different food educators should be made more visible and different organisations should cooperate so that young people can identify connections between what they learn in different environments and thus make better use of what they learn.