Best Cookbooks of 2024

It’s no secret that I love cookbooks– I read them like actual books, from cover to cover, writing notes in the margins, along with dog-earring and sticky noting recipes, tips, and techniques. I’ve got a bookshelf full of them behind my desk and an overflow bookshelf in the basement. I really do love cookbooks.

That said, I’ve started using my library more to rent out cookbooks that I’m still trying on. Then, if I end up liking at least five of the recipes in the book, I warrant purchasing it. As a professional recipe developer and cookbook author myself, I know the tiresome labor of love that goes into writing a cookbook. If at least five recipes hook me, then it’s a keeper.

I also strongly believe that cookbooks make the best gifts. Cookbooks invite you to try a new recipe or cuisine and make new memories with that food. They are also the perfect gift if you aren’t sure what someone.

Whether you are looking to expand your library or for gifts, these are the cookbooks I cooked from the most in 2024.

Big Vegan Flavor: Hands down, this is my favorite book of 2024. If you’re already a fan of Rainbow Plant Life, then you’ll love this one. And, if you aren’t, then you will be by the end of this book. This is my new go-to cookbook for both dinner recipes and a refresher on cooking techniques that make vegan recipes pop. From tofu and tempeh basics to flavor enhancers (she’s got her own version of chili crisp that is amazing, along with cheesy crunchies that I’ve been putting on roasted veggies) to over a hundred unique, plant-based recipes– the title says it all. It really is a cookbook packed with Big Vegan Flavor.

The Yearlong Pantry: Naturally Ella was one of my go-to vegetarian blogs years ago, and I love Erin’s take on cooking beans and alternative grains. Her classic recipes are the kinds I’d like to cook more of when I have the time– in my dreams I’m spending hours at the farmers market, coming home to mill my own grains and soak my beans before cooking. That’s not my reality at this season of my life, but The Yearlong Pantry focuses on the foods I’m always looking to eat more of: beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds. It’s beautiful, California cooking and I highly recommend this one.

Scrappy Cooking: One of my favorite trips of the year was heading to Seattle in April to speak at a conference and hang out with some of my favorite content creators, including Carleigh from PlantYou. Her newest book, Scrappy Cooking, goes after food waste– how to repurpose leftovers and kitchen scraps into delectable new recipes. Consider recipes like homemade vanilla extract (also a great gift), onion peel powder (!), sheet-pan tacos, smoothie bombs and more. Every recipe has a photo too– another bonus!

Around Our Table: Real food for real life! All the recipes in this book are practical and adaptable and focus on whole foods. This isn’t a plant-based book as several of the recipes contain meat, but the ones I’ve tried have been easy to swap in tofu, tempeh or other meat alternatives. This book inspired my Impossible Meatballs with Polenta recipe and my Roasted Delicata Squash salad. I hate using the word healthy as I feel like it’s subjective, but all the recipes are wholesome– relying on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc.

Delicious Tonight: My mom was visiting when I got this book, and she loved it so much that she went out and grabbed a copy for her and my sister. If you know RecipeTin Eats, you’ll know this book is nowhere near vegetarian. However, I get so much inspiration from Nagi’s cooking that, as with many meat recipes, I swap in my plant-based protein. I made her Thai Beef Noodle salad using Beyond steak and OH MY WORD, it was fantastic. Every recipe has a photo; this one is jam-packed with delicious dinner recipes. I already plan on gifting it to my mother-in-law and several friends. The level of detailand endless flavor combinations, It’s probably one of the best cookbook I own, period.

Justine Cooks: Hyper-seasonality cooking at its finest. If you’re a fan of JustineSnacks on Instagram, you already know how unique and veg-forward her recipes are. I love how she presents food– a little fancy, a little rustic, with a large focus on vegetables and beans. Must-try recipes include beet-pink brioche, parmesan-crusted butter beans, and blackened squash in tomato brown butter.

Ottolenghi Simple: A new-to-me-for-2024, so it counts. And, who doesn’t love Ottolenghi? Some of my favorite cookbooks are his– Plenty and Plenty More. Simple is his newest book, a concept that, as you may have guessed, contains simpler recipes than some of his others. Like healthy, I think simple is a subjective term, but the book is packed with complex flavors with mimimal-ish effort. The food is gorgeous, veggie-packed and delicious.

The Vedge Bar Book: Even though I rarely drink alcohol, I appreciate a good cocktail when I do. One of my goals as of late is to do more hosting– weeknight dinners for friends, drinks on the back deck with neighbors, and impromptu gatherings that are imperfect, casual, and often. I went to Vedge on a trip to Philadelphia years ago, and it remains one of my favorite plant-based dining experiences, so when I saw they have a new cocktail & small plates book– I knew I wanted it. These are cocktails for gatherings– the kind of cocktail you’d expect to pay $15 for… you can make in your kitchen! Pair with one of their inventive snacks and your gathering is done for you.

Pasta Every Day: Even though this book didn’t come out in 2024, it’s been one of my favorites of the year. My mother-in-law gifted it to me for Christmas last year, and if you love pasta as much as I do, this book is for you. The book’s first half contains all fresh pasta recipes– classics like orecchiette and unique shapes like folie d’ulivo and corzetti ravioli. The book’s later half contains sauces and recipes for using your homemade pasta. This is such a gorgeous book to gift and to eat from. 10/10 from me.

Other 2024 Gift Guides: Favorite Gifts to Eat (and Drink!) and Favorite Kitchen Gifts