One of the benefits of late is the comeback of family dinners. Even if you’re not a vegetarian, these popular plant-based cookbooks have something to satisfy every palate.
Our home not only centers us these days but it’s where we eat, work out, and relax.
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I’m one of those under-the-radar vegetarians. No one seems to remember or notice that I am (including my own family sometimes) and I just kind of go with the flow. You don’t have to make a special meal for me. If you have a salad and a vegetable side dish, I’m good.
And while my family can survive on chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, I like to throw in the occasional healthy meal when possible. Here are some of the sources of our meals.
Recommended Vegetarian Cookbooks for Everyone:
1. Deliciously Ella
This book, Deliciously Ella: 100+ Easy, Healthy, and Delicious Plant-Based, Gluten-Free Recipes, is the first in a series by British blogger Ella Woodward. As the title suggests, these recipes are all vegan and gluten-free.
What readers like most about this book:
- easy-to-find ingredients
- simple and easy to follow recipes
- no soy products
What readers don’t like about this book:
- many nut-recipes
- many complain that measurements and quantities are inaccurate
2. Forks Over Knives
Forks Over Knives―The Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Plant-Based Eating All Through the Year was published after the success of the documentary film by the same name. Interestingly, the knife in the title actually refers to a surgeon’s scalpel and not a kitchen knife. The recipes in this book are vegan and broken into the following categories: breakfast; appetizers; soups; salads and dressings; sauces and easy snack ideas; main dishes; side dishes; and desserts.
What readers like most about this book:
- low-calorie recipes
- inspiring stories and photos of people who switched to a vegan lifestyle
What readers don’t like about this book:
- lacks photographs of the meals
- many recipes call for soy products
3. How Not to Die Cookbook
The How Not to Die Cookbook: 100+ Recipes to Help Prevent and Reverse Disease, is written by a doctor named Michael Greger of the website nutritionfacts.org. The book is broken into the following categories: simple preparations (staples needed for recipes); breakfast; snacks, dips, and spreads; soups and chilis; salads and dressings; burgers, wraps, and more; very veggie mains; bean cuisine; great grains; sides; sweets; and sips.
What readers like most about this book:
- evidence-based eating that includes a list of the “Daily Dozen,” 12 foods to eat daily to prevent heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses.
- beautiful photos
- variety of recipes
What readers don’t like about this book:
- no nutritional information
- you need to prepare the staples first in order to make many recipes
4. Love Real Food
Love Real Food: More Than 100 Feel-Good Vegetarian Favorites to Delight the Senses and Nourish the Body: A Cookbook by Kathryne Taylor of the blog Cookie and Kate.
What readers like most about this book:
- beautiful photos
- adaptable for all types: substitutions for each recipe to show how to adapt it to gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, egg/nut-free, and soy-free options
What readers don’t like about this book:
- few dinner recipes but lots of salad and smoothie recipes
- many prefer her blog
5. Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking
From the blog, Minimalist Baker, this book Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking: 101 Entirely Plant-based, Mostly Gluten-Free, Easy and Delicious Recipes by Dana Shultz, features recipes that include 10 ingredients or less and take under 30 minutes to prepare.
What readers like most about this book:
- one pot
- few ingredients, most of which you already have on hand
- quick meals
- lots of entrees
What readers don’t like about this book:
6. Oh, She Glows
The Oh She Glows Cookbook: Over 100 Vegan Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out by Angela Liddon of the blog by the same name includes recipes for the following categories: breakfast; smoothies, juices and teas; appetizers; salads; soups; entrees; sides; power snacks; desserts; and homemade staples.
What readers like most about this book:
- delicious
- breathtaking, helpful photos
- easy to follow recipes
- provides alternate ingredients
- recipes repeat ingredients
- uses ingredients you likely already have in your pantry
What readers don’t like about this book:
- some recipes take a long time to prepare
- no nutritional information
You can find her newly released cookbook here.
7. Sweet Potato Soul
Sweet Potato Soul: 100 Easy Vegan Recipes for the Southern Flavors of Smoke, Sugar, Spice, and Soul by YouTuber Jenné Claiborne is a vegan, southern cooking book.
What readers like most about this book:
- amazingly delicious recipes
- easy to find ingredients
- historical information about each recipe
What readers don’t like about this book:
- few photographs
- many soy products
- not all recipes call for sweet potatoes, but many do
8. Bad Manners (formerly Thug Kitchen)
Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck has a huge fan base, including Gwyneth Paltrow and her brand Goop. It started as a blog recently underwent a name change and now goes by Bad Manners. Future and past books will reflect this new title and may undergo some content changes. Their books are vegan.
What readers like most about this book:
- hilarious and entertaining
- tasty, great uses of spices
- beautiful photos
- repeats ingredients
What readers don’t like about this book:
- some offended by the profanity
- you need to read the fine print, especially when it comes to cooking times
- lots of instructions
9. Vegan for Everybody
Vegan for Everybody: Foolproof Plant-Based Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and In-Between by America’s Test Kitchen is broken into the following categories: soups, stews, and chilis; burgers, sandwiches, and pizza; main dishes and bowls; stir-fries, curries, and noodles; snacks and apps; and desserts. It also includes nutritional information.
What readers like most about this book:
- easy-to-find ingredients at your local supermarket
- not trying to imitate meat dishes, so uses few meat-substitute products
What readers don’t like about this book:
- many recipes call for nuts
- some recipes use soy products
- uses fake diary products like vegan cheese
10. Vegan With A Vengeance
Originally published in 2005, this is the first book by long-time vegan chef, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Vegan with a Vengeance, 10th Anniversary Edition: Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock. The author loves to mash her New York and Jewish heritage into her recipes.
What readers like most about this book:
- interesting stories to go along with the recipes
- doesn’t require expensive ingredients
- flavorful meals
What readers don’t like about this book:
- not all the recipes are healthy
Why You Should Still Buy A Physical Cookbook
1. Kindle versions of cookbooks often contain inaccuracies
While many of these cookbooks have Kindle editions, if you read the reviews, there are often issues with missing sections, errors, or even altered content.
2. Cookbooks make nice gifts
Most of us are scratching our heads trying to think of good gifts for our loved ones now that we’re all spending so much time at home. Cookbooks make the perfect housewarming, birthday, holiday, and just-because gifts. Plus, even if they never use them, they look pretty displayed in a kitchen.
3. A cookbook tells a story
People often follow chefs or blogs for years before buying their cookbooks. Often, people who buy these cookbooks do so to show support for the author. A good cookbook gives us more insight into the author and carries us through their culinary story.
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If you’d rather not cook but still want to eat healthy, vegan smoothies, grain bowls, noodle bowls, and soups, check out Splendid Spoon. I order from them every week. You can read more about it in this blog post. Or, if you’re ready to try them out, use this link to get $25 off your first Splendid Spoon order.
Related Healthy Living Blog Posts:
Trader Joe’s Healthy Vegetarian Shopping List
Michelle Platt is a content creator and certified personal trainer. Proving it’s never too late to reinvent yourself, she’s a former attorney and teacher who loves to do the research so you don’t have to. She takes a deep dive into each topic and writes about her wellness journey here. She loves trying out new workouts, fitness tips, healthy foods, and products to share with you. This native New Yorker recently made the move to the suburbs of Minneapolis, where she lives with her husband, two kids, and two dogs.