10 Best Vegetarian Cookbooks Right Now
Learn the ropes of vegetarian cooking from best-selling authors and chefs who are pioneers in their industry. Vegetarian dishes do not equate to plain salads – you get stews and curries, veggie burgers, lime cauliflower tacos, and many more!
But be warned. Not all vegetarian foods or dishes are healthy. Just because you are not eating meat doesn’t mean that everything you eat is healthy. Take for example the classic French fries, which are anything but healthy.
So, it may not come as a surprise that many find it challenging to come up with wholesome dishes that are not only healthy but also super filling.
If you’re on a quest to start cooking more healthily, or just don’t like meat, try experimenting with all sorts of veggie dishes – these books are a great starter kit!
Whether you’ve been a vegetarian all your life or are an ex meat-eater, each book is perfect for both beginner and seasoned vegetarian cooks. Take your pick!
1. The Vegetarian Flavor Bible
Karen Page and her husband, photographer Andrew Dornenburg, have written some of the most respected cookbooks ever published. Presently, the married couple live in New York City and continue working on projects they’re passionate about.
The Vegetarian Flavor Bible is a must-have reference book and guide for anyone looking to explore genuine culinary creativity, tools, and how-to tips from dozens of well-known American chefs.
This book focuses on plant-based whole foods that include fruit, vegetables, grains, seeds, legumes, nuts, plus a comprehensive A-Z list of countless ingredients from herbs and spices to zucchinis and blossoms.
This groundbreaking book is an excellent start for seasoned vegetarians or for those who are looking to test the waters with vegetarianism. If you’re looking for an essential guide to empower you to create flavorful and healthful recipes, look no further!
2. The Simply Vegetarian Cookbook: Fuss-Free Recipes Everyone Will Love
Susan Pridmore is a recipe creator, writer, and photographer for the food blog the Wimpy Vegetarian. She adopted the vegetarian lifestyle three years after marrying her husband, and since then drew heavily on creating easy and delicious vegetarian recipes for the whole world to try and enjoy.
This book focuses on simplicity, which is the main ingredient in Pridmore’s book. It’s an excellent reference book for those who don’t have the time to cook complicated recipes yet still want the health benefits of a homecooked meal.
That’s not all; some recipes feature a mere 5-ingredient list which can be made in less than 30 minutes. Everything about this book is made easy for vegetarians to cook healthy and quick food. Imagine cooking anything from Portobella Eggs Florentine to Baked Eggplant Parmesan, recipes that you can prepare easily, and best of all, are super filling and delicious.
Pridmore’s book makes it extremely easy for anyone to cook vegetarian meals. She shares excellent advice on easy-to-find ingredients, easy-to-make comfort meals, and easy-to-adapt recipes for ex-meat eaters or vegans.
3. How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Completely Revised Tenth Anniversary Edition
Mark Bittman is a best-selling author of multiple cookbooks. He’s also a teacher at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and editor of Heated an online food magazine.
You’re about to learn about one of the best guides on meatless dishes that has been completely revamped and updated with beautiful colored pictures for better reference.
The brand-new edition of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian comes with new vegetarian recipes and more vegan options, along with a new chapter on teas, smoothies, and more.
Bittman’s recipes are on par and accessible for the public. His approach is bold, yet nothing too overwhelming for a beginner. With each recipe, the author takes you on a culinary adventure and the results never fail – delicious and healthy vegetarian recipes for all.
Check out one of Mark’s recipe that he graciously shared with our fans.
4. Bowl: Vegetarian Recipes for Ramen, Pho, Bibimbap, Dumplings, and Other One-Dish Meals
Lukas Volger is a famous author, and recipe developer, and he’s also the co-founder and director of Jarry, a queer food journal. Volger currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
Ramen, Pho, and Dumplings are all-time favorite dishes, and Volger’s ambition to innovate these dishes in vegetarian form has been received with great acclaim. Volger went from classic miso ramen and recreated a flavorful supper ramen dish with corn broth, tomatoes, and basil.
Every raw dish is extra with Lukas. If you enjoy eating dumplings, he has a recipe called Edamame Dumplings with Mint that’s served with soup or salad. There’s also Carrot Dumplings with Toasted Quinoa and Kale.
Aside from his creative recipes, Lukas shares many tips, tricks, and techniques on garnishes, homemade noodles, broths, and many more.
5. The First Mess Cookbook: Vibrant Plant-Based Recipes to Eat Well Through the Seasons
Laura Wright is a food photographer, recipe developer, and the creator of the award-winning blog The First Mess. Her work has been published in the Huffington Post, Food52, The Washington Post, and more.
Wright’s book, The First Mess, is mainly a plant-based book that features delicious recipes that can be cooked all year round. The book contains 125 plant-based recipes that are both accessible and flavorful even for picky eaters.
Wright worked at her family’s local food market. Thus her passion for veggie-based recipes are based on fresh produce available all spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
The cookbook is based on whole-food recipes and includes enchanting photography. There are recipes for every meal of the day: Romanesco Confetti Salad, Roasted Eggplant, and Olive Bolognese, Fluffy Whole Grain Pancakes, and rich desserts such as Vanilla Bean Tiramisu.
Without a doubt, The First Mess cookbook should have pride of place in every kitchen around the world.
6. The Wicked Healthy Cookbook: Free. From. Animals.
Chad Sarno is the co-founder of Wicked Healthy, a plant-based culinary movement that encourages a waste-free, whole-food lifestyle. Sarno is also the Vice President of Culinary at Good Catch Foods, a plant-based seafood line that was launched in 2018.
Sarno’s creativity cannot be questioned: his book cover features a chef in a white apron splattered in blood-like beet juice from handling a bone knife. Things get even better.
Chad takes plant-based cooking to a whole different level: his innovative cooking techniques of pressing and searing mushrooms until they reach a meat-like consistency is astonishing. Also, the book covers instructive sidebars and valuable tips on how to cook oil-free and gluten-free.
This book is especially recommended for those who have decided to go from a meat to a plant-based diet; Sarno did his best to preserve the meaty texture we all know and love in his delectable dishes.
Check out a fantastic Meyer lemon cheesecake that Wicked Healthy has shared with us.
7. Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck (Thug Kitchen Cookbooks)
Thug Kitchen is more than just a website that encourages people to eat their ‘damn’ vegetables; it has transformed into a movement that has got people talking –including the famous Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow, ‘This might be my favorite thing ever.’
With millions of fans around the world, Thug Kitchen does not shy away from colorful language to inspire people to eat better and live a healthier life.
The best thing about this book its lack of pretentiousness that seems to prevail around how to eat your kale or ginger. Thug Kitchen got real and shared more than 100 recipes for side dishes, shanks, wholesome meals, and more.
If dishes such as Grilled Peach Salsa, Beer and Lime Cauliflower Tacos, and Pumpkin Chili sound great, then you’ll enjoy cooking with Thug Kitchen and their innovative recipes.
‘Sh*t is about to get real’ with Thug Kitchen, are you ready?
8. Prashad At Home
Kaushy Patel moved to England in the 1960s, and currently, along with her family, runs a small yet famous restaurant in Bradford. Patel learned the ropes of cooking from her grandmother when she was a small child. Since then, she’s been experimenting with food and written her cookbook.
While some might regard Indian cuisine as complex, Patel has made it her business to write and share simplified Indian recipes that anyone can do with readily available ingredients.
These dishes are quick and easy to prepare and a problem-solver for people who don’t have much time to cook. Patel’s insightfulness and creativity do not stop here; she took her inspiration from Italian, Chinese, and British foods combining everything into easy, quick, delicious recipes.
From bhajis to biryanis cooked Gujarati-style, this cookbook features more than 100 recipes to help you recreate warm, flavorful food in all the right shapes and textures.
9. Nobu’s Vegetarian Cookbook
Nobu Matsuhisa is the owner of several gourmet restaurants around the world, and his passion for cooking and quality ingredients and his creative skillset are well-appreciated worldwide.
This is Nobu’s first published cookbook, mainly focusing on vegetable dishes. He shares his vast experience of Japanese cuisine in 60 well-documented and creative recipes.
Nobu’s focus is on healthy, clean cooking using multiple techniques such as pickling, roasting, frying, marinating, boiling, etc. to develop flavorful vegetable dishes of various tastes and textures.
In this book, he also shares recipes on tofu and yuba, which are traditional Japanese ingredients made from soybeans.
This book is an excellent choice for those who especially love Japanese cuisine in vegetarian form.
10. Ultimate Veg: Easy & Delicious Meals for Everyone [American Measurements]
Jamie Oliver is an old-time favorite best-selling author and TV host. He’s well-known for his simple, quick yet flavorful recipes.
While Jamie Oliver does not shy away from eating and preparing meat and fish, this book is solely for vegetarians who are a fan of Jamie’s and enjoy his homemade cooking. This book is packed with flavorful and delicious veggie, meat-free dishes for anyone who’s looking to embrace a healthier lifestyle and new ways of preparing vegetables.
Some of the recipes in this book are Greens Mac ‘N’ Cheese, Summer Tagliatelle, Veggie Pad Thai, Amazing Veggie Chili, and more. You also get in-depth chapters on Soups and Sandwiches, Curries and Stews, Brunch, Rice and Noodles, Burgers and Fritters, and many more.
In his book, Jamie shares everything he knows and has explored in terms of cooking healthy vegetarian recipes, as he likes to say:
“It’s all about celebrating excellent, tasty food that just happens to be meat-free.”
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