You know how some people are obsessed with stamp collections or fantasy football teams? Well, we're obsessed with cookbooks. Here, in Books We Love, we'll talk about our favorites.
Today: Our favorite vegetarian (and vegetable-forward) cookbooks.
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There's a whole lot of focus on you come January first -- you've concentrated on feeding people and gift-giving for the past two months and now you're expected to ring in a new you along with the new year. But what if you're pretty happy with you? Or you're too tired and in too much of a cookie coma to come up with (and stick to) a whole list of resolutions?
We've found an easier resolution: New Year, New Vegetables. Because while you're statistically unlikely to stick to a juice-and-steamed-rice diet for the next twelve months (and why would you, anyway?), cooking more vegetables -- and more vegetarian meals -- is a resolution that's both attainable and an excellent reason to pick up a new cookbook or two.
To get you started, here are a few of our editors' and our community's favorite vegetarian cookboks. Add a few to your shelf and that new you will be eating pretty well in 2015.
Go-to encyclopedias for vegetarian recipes:
- How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman
- Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison (Vegetable Literacy is a favorite too -- less encyclopedic, often with longer lists of more obscure ingredients)
Other vegetarian (and vegetable-forward) cookbooks:
- Madhur Jaffrey's World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking
- Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day
- River Cottage Veg by Hugh Fearley-Whittingsall
- The Moosewood Cookbook
- Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking
- Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters
- Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
What are your favorite vegetarian and vegan cookbooks? Tell us all about them in the comments!
Written by: Marian Bull
Popular on Food52
46 Comments
Gregory D.
March 15, 2017
Good list, but it's a sin that no one has mentioned Vegetariana by Nava Atlas.
Chieko M.
June 25, 2016
My favorite is Anna Jones' " A modern way to cook". I will check Heidi Swanson's book listed here to see if it has a similar approach.
Eric W.
September 9, 2015
My favorite is probably the most unusual one I have found ... Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey: Najmieh Batmanglij. It contains recipes from the all along the Silk Road, many of them very different from other vegetarian cookbooks I have found.
Sally
July 9, 2015
Mediterranean Harvest by Martha Rose Shulman is wonderful. I also turn to Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero quite often. Those are in addition to many already referenced in the comments, as well as some lovely food blogs.
Gita
July 8, 2015
I've got a number of books from Mollie Katzen & Deborah Madison (Greens in San Francisco--yummm!), 2 of the Anna Thomas books, a Madhur Jaffrey, "Diet for a Small Planet," etc. I stopped eating meat in my early teens during the 70s. Anyone remember "Laurel's Kitchen" from way back then? Still have my wee paperback copy. Recently checked out Ottolenghi's "Plenty More" from the library & may bite the bullet (as long as it's a meatless one!) & buy a copy. BTW, there's a really good reference book called "Herbs & Spices" by Jill Norman--great explanations--even gets into the subtle differences between, say, brown & yellow mustard seeds; it's on Amazon, too.
Penny H.
July 8, 2015
It's an oldy "Good Foods Without Meat" by Ann Seranne. I had a copy in the 1970's, lost it in a move to a retirement facility, then moved back into a house and needed it again. It has the best and most versatile Rice Pilaf recipe (page 210) I've ever found. Still available used on Amazon.
erin
July 8, 2015
In case anyone who's a newer cook (like me) sees this thread, I've found the blogs Connoisseurus Veg and Oh My Veggies super helpful, easy to execute, and full of great flavor.
kath7927
July 8, 2015
I recently bought My New Roots by Sarah Britton. You can check out her blog at mynewroots.org. A beautiful book - recommend by Heidi Swanson on her favourites list. I love Mollie Katzen too!
Joan S.
July 8, 2015
I've had the Moosewood Cookbook since about 1977 and the recipe for cauliflower pie with grated potato crust has been a favorite all these years. And I've never found a ratatouille recipe I like any better. I'm not, by the way, a vegetarian, just a lover of vegetables.
Nancy B.
January 9, 2015
The Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon---yup, thats a real name. My GO TO book for everything vegetarian.
susan G.
January 5, 2015
I'm from the '70s generation of vegetarians, so Katzen, Thomas, The Farm, Lappe were my first and best teachers. Close on, American Wholefoods Cuisine is a basic, comprehensive and tasty "Joy"-ish book by the Goldbecks. Crescent Dragonwagon gets better and better (love Cornbread Gospels). Heart of the Plate, Katzen's latest, is amazing and delicious.
Honeylishuss
January 5, 2015
I live in Australia but have been to the USA many times. I too was a vegetarian in the '70's and these books you've mentioned sound fantastic. I'm going to order them all.
Donald
January 5, 2015
I love meat, but I could go weeks surviving on Madhur Jaffrey's "World Vegetarian Cookbook." It has over 650 recipes, stories, tips. You know this is the way she says and cooks at home. It's sensational!
Mattheworbit
January 5, 2015
Oh dear! I see why so many people see vegetarian fare as something "lighter", for "detoxing" etc. For truly great veg food that is satisfying and not just a sometimes food, you can't go past the following Demi Gods of veg cuisine (not big names, but loved by those in the know): Bryanna Clark Grogan's books (particularly World Vegan Feast or Nonna's Italian Kitchen), her blog is at veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com. Dreena Burton is another fave - tasty wholefood veg - plantpoweredkitchen.com has loads of her free recipes. Julie Hasson is great too. This is all the sort of stuff you can eat and enjoy everyday with bold, complex flavours and innovative techniques.
patsy
January 5, 2015
My treasured copy of "Diet for a Small Planet" by Frances Moore Lappe whichI have had since the 70's - and still use it.
Easy Vegan Cooking by Leah Leneman another oldie but goodie and
The Green Kitchen by David Frankiel and Luise Vindahl
Easy Vegan Cooking by Leah Leneman another oldie but goodie and
The Green Kitchen by David Frankiel and Luise Vindahl
renee.twersky
January 4, 2015
"The Voluptuous Vegan" by Myra Kornfeld (I'm not vegan) and "The Vegetarian Feast" by Martha Rose Shulman.
Honeylishuss
January 2, 2015
Vegetarian Planet does not get good reviews - funny tho.
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/86421392
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/86421392
Pamela
January 2, 2015
Those mentioned, ans also Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons (the soups chapter alone!)
Honeylishuss
January 1, 2015
The most adventurous recipes for vegetables come from Yotam Ottolenghi in Plenty and Plenty More!
zerosummer
January 1, 2015
I love Susie Middleton's veggie-centric cookbooks, particularly The Fresh and Green Table. Most of the recipes are vegetarian or nearly so, the writing is great, and the resulting food is always insanely good. My copy is pretty much falling apart after only a couple years of cooking through it.
katephillips
January 1, 2015
If the Moosewood cookbooks are to be included -- treasures of times past -- then so should Anna Thomas' "The Vegetarian Epicure" books one and two. Her recipes have held up over time and perhaps rely less on cheese for flavor.
Cindy A.
January 1, 2015
A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop (2004). Excellent recipes, well written and tasty- adaptable if you have carnivores in the house as well. Highly recommended.
the P.
December 31, 2014
I have found VEGANOMICON by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero to be an absolutely indispensable guide to vegan and vegetarian cooking. Lots of great recipes for homemade proteins like Chickpea Cutlets and from-scratch Seitan (which is ten trillion times better than the rubbery store-bought stuff and also WAY cheaper!).
Rachel
December 31, 2014
The Rebar cookbook, from the Victoria BC cafe of the same name is one of my favourites. I'm not a vegetarian, but the big, bold flavours in their recipes are always spot-on, and are a big hit with guests.
Vivienne
December 31, 2014
I love the 'Oh She Glows Cookbook' by Angela Liddon - could convert anyone to veganism! And the Nigel Slater Tender/Ripe volumes are fantastic.
Mollie K.
December 31, 2014
Thank you for including Moosewood Cookbook —now 40 years old! I completely agree with your choices, and there are many more, both well-known and unsung. We all owe a big debt to the amazing Frances Moore Lappé for her profound (and still expanding) vision that set the foundation, and to Anna Thomas, who further blazed the trail with The Vegetarian Epicure. We're all standing on their shoulders.
LoreneFL
December 31, 2014
While this is a great list, how could "The Vegetarian Epicure," Small Planet books and (though not solely vegetarian) the NYT Natural Foods Cookbook not be included? At a time when vegetarian cooking was starting to take root with many beyond the previous odd health fanatics, these were bibles that taught us how to create protein-rich vegetarian dishes. I'd also add The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook. (I
Lynda K.
December 31, 2014
I am not a vegetarian and never have been. But Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" is one of my all time favorite books. I've used it so often, my copy is falling apart! I think everyone should have this book on their shelf.
Jean M.
December 31, 2014
"Recipes for a Small Planet" by Frances Moore Lappe. It's out of print, but you can still get it on Amazon. It is the great-granddaddy of vegetarianism and explains how to combine the right ratios of incomplete proteins in vegetables for the amino acids to complement each other and create a complete, usable protein for human nutrition. Good food, too.
Julie U.
December 31, 2014
My favorite is Molly Katzen's "Vegetable Side Dishes I Can't Live Without." Great recipes, lots of variety.
Terry H.
December 31, 2014
The Gradual Vegetarian by Lisa Tracy. Her Confetti Tuna Salad is a favorite.
Lynn L.
December 31, 2014
The best vegan cookbook that I use all the time is Isa Does It. The recipes are fantastic.
Alexandra S.
December 30, 2014
You've listed so many of my favorites. I'm not vegetarian but more and more it seems I'm rarely cooking meat, and these books have been invaluable. JanieMac (https://food52.com/users/75098-janiemac) had recommended Nigel Slater's Tender to me earlier this summer, and I have been meaning to buy it ever since. I don't have any Nigel Slater books, but I hear Tender and Ripe are great resources for vegetarian cooking.
mary
December 30, 2014
I have made many dishes, many times over, from the Moosewood book as well as The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, which has even better recipes. Easy, healthy, cheap comfort food for one or many.
arcane54
December 30, 2014
I learned to cook with The Vegetarian Epicure (books I and II) which were very popular in the 1970s along with Laurel's Kitchen. Hah, I guess I'm an ancient hippie too!
Lipska
December 30, 2014
The New Laurel's Kitchen by Laura Flinders and Brian Ruppenthal. Dates back to ancient hippie times, too, but I really learned how to cook deliciously vegetarian from Laurel's as a twentysomething at college. It still is my go-to cookbook.
nerdling
December 30, 2014
"Passionate Vegetarian" by Crescent Dragonwagon. It has some distinctly hippie stuff in it, but she has a great nose for a dish and she's a great coach for new techniques. I've made her Mushrooms Diablo, Garlic Spaghetti, Seitan Gulyas, Kung Pao Tofu and many others for years and they're always a hit. Plus, you can read the thing like a novel. It's great.
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