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Amazon
Recipe repertoires occasionally need a refresh. Luckily there is no shortage of cooking inspiration thanks to an array of food bloggers, cooking vloggers, and professional chefs willing to share their go-to meals online or in print. Providing the inside scoop on creating new delish dishes, along with time- and money-saving tips, has boosted the popularity of home cooked eats once more, and the list below is fully loaded with new and exciting reads curated for foodies ready to solidify their A-game in the kitchen.
Here are the best new cookbooks of 2022.
Best Sure-to-Be-a-Classic
Chinese Homestyle: Everyday Plant-Based Recipes for Takeout, Dim Sum, Noodles, and More
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Amazon
Condiments and sauce section
Many short recipes
No beverage recipes
“Omnivore’s Cookbook” creator Maggie Zhu utilizes Instagram and YouTube to regularly share traditional Chinese cooking tips and demonstrations with fans. Her new cookbook channels the authentic, yet easy-to-replicate dishes she is known for into a foundational guide for learning how to level up one’s Asian fusion cooking skills. In fact, several of the included recipes, such as tofu and broccoli, spicy wontons in red oil, and vegetable egg rolls, were inspired by the type of takeout food she’s grown to love since moving to the United States from Beijing in 2015.
Price at time of publish: $24
Number of Recipes: 90 | Pages: 224 | Date Published: 2022
Best for Families
The Real Food Dietitians: The Real Food Table
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Amazon
Modifiable Recipes
Inexpensive cookbook
Brief intro
“The Real Food Table” is the debut book from the brains behind “The Real Food Dietitians” blog: registered dietary nutritionists Jessica Beacom and Stacie Hassing. In it, they unpack their food philosophies that everyone is welcome at the table, buy organic only if you can, conventional produce is better than no produce at all, and all foods fit into a healthy lifestyle.
With built-in meal-planning tips, economic considerations, and an extremely accessible ingredients list that can be shopped for at any supermarket in America, the authors ensure each reader can eat mindfully and simply while nourishing their body in a sustainable way. Plus, there are a number of delicious recipes to choose from, including oven-baked French toast casserole, crispy baked chicken nuggets, and peanut swirl brownies.
Price at time of publish: $25
Number of Recipes: 100+ | Pages: 288 | Date Published: 2022
Best Sequel
BOSH! on a Budget
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Amazon
Seasonal produce info
Bulk buying tips
Does not have a snack-specific section
Lifelong friends and cookbook authors Henry Firth and Ian Theasby are the chefs behind “BOSH!”, the most-viewed plant-based video channel on Facebook. The duo’s latest collection of recipes is filled with mouthwatering meat- and dairy-free options, featured alongside tested money-saving tricks. From batch cooking to eating with the seasons to making your own bread and pantry staples, the “BOSH!” team delivers tons of flavor. From hearty midweek dinners and comfort food feasts to indulgent brunches and unbelievably tasty treats, this book features recipes such as apple crumble granola, General Tso’s tofu, mushroom stroganoff, big-batch Bolognese, super-easy lasagna, foolproof focaccia, and salted caramel sticky toffee pudding.
Price at time of publish: $20
Number of Recipes: 100+ | Pages: 288 | Date Published: 2022
Best Instant Pot
Vegan Richa's Instant Pot Cookbook
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Amazon
Has altitude cooking adjustments
Staples cook time chart
Requires a few harder to source ingredients
Plant-based chef and blogger Richa Hingle’s third cookbook focuses on using an Instant Pot to make a variety of international vegan cuisine. Most recipes, including dum aloo, mushroom gyro, tomato chutney, and masala potatoes, are adaptable for a keto, paleo, gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan diet—plus there’s a Q&A with the author in the introduction that addresses common questions and issues related to cooking in an Instant Pot.
Price at time of publish: $19
Number of Recipes: 150 | Pages: 384 | Date Published: 2022
Best for Seafood
Going Coastal!: 200+ Coastally Inspired Seafood Recipes From Around the Globe
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Amazon
Many recipes
Has seafood buying tips
There isn’t a photo for every recipe
International cooking show host and chef Stephanie Harris-Uyidi strives to purchase fish harvested in an eco-friendly manner, and her debut book aims to help home cooks create delicious recipes that are also sustainably sourced. She shares several cooking pointers, raw seafood education, and so much more in the “Posh Pointers” sections with pro knowledge on how to shuck an oyster, lobster variations, and the best charcoal to use on the grill.
This cookbook also includes barbecued fish collars, Shetland Islands skate cheeks and chips, and Isla Mujeres shark tacos with mango salsa, which incorporate raw fish, fish wings, or shark meat. Other recipes throughout have crawfish, salmon, shrimp, snapper, oyster, trout, and mussel as staple ingredients.
Price at time of publish: $55
Number of Recipes: 200+ | Pages: 567 | Date Published: 2022
Best for Desserts
Snackable Bakes
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Anthropologie
Photos with every recipe
Includes prep time
A few expensive ingredients
Get ready to spoil loved ones with sweet treats that taste phenomenal using this baking primer written by TikTok baking sensation Jessie Sheehan. Crumb-topped pies and no-churn ice cream are her jam, in addition to making quick desserts family and friends will love, such as butter cracker toffee bark and banana snacking cake with chocolate malted cream cheese frosting.
Price at time of publish: $22
Number of Recipes: 100 | Pages: 240 | Date Published: 2022
Best Italian
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
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Amazon
Authentic recipes
Good for beginners and experts
Lots of recipes
No photos of recipes
Original author Marcella Hazan was one of the most renowned experts in the world on Italian cooking prior to her passing in 2013. The newest edition of the book has been updated with new material by Lidia Bastianich and Victor Hazan, two contemporary pros on this popular type of cuisine.
Put Italian delicatessens staples, such as fine cheeses, figs, polenta, wine, and olives, to good use by making memorable lunches, dinners, or celebratory feasts. Popular entries include artichoke torta, chicken cacciatora, and ossobuco in bianco.
Price at time of publish: $30
Number of Recipes: 400+ | Pages: 736 | Date Published: 2022
Best Celebrity Chef
Shaq's Family Style: Championship Recipes for Feeding Family and Friends
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Amazon
Several one-pot/one-pan meals
Easy to read
Book’s overall format is a bit confusing
Whip up barbecue chicken, casseroles, sandwiches, and much more using family-favorite recipes from basketball icon and “Inside the NBA” host Shaquille O’Neal. Filled with humorous anecdotes and personal stories, this cookbook is well-suited for busy households in need of a larger repertoire of fast meals everyone at the table are sure to enjoy. Shaq fans will also have a chance to try a handful of recipes he grew up eating as a kid, such as buttermilk pancakes, banana pudding, and slow cooker southern macaroni and cheese.
Price at time of publish: $15
Number of Recipes: 80 | Pages: 240 | Date Published: 2022
Best Popular Culture
Trap Kitchen: Mac N' All Over The World
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Amazon
Basic pasta cooking instructions
Wide range of creative recipes
Fun read
Swear words appear occasionally in the text
A steady Instagram following grew into a contemporary culinary phenomenon thanks to Malachi Jenkins and Roberto Smith’s delish eats and charm. The former gang members’ journey to becoming friends and chefs is touched upon in a brief foreword by Snoop Dogg and an introduction written by “Spank” and “News” themselves, explaining how this cookbook shows how their cooking style can be adapted to suit a variety of flavors and ingredients from around the globe. The end result is dozens of renditions of cheesy, creative pasta dishes, such as Hawaiian pineapple chicken mac, cacio e pepe mac, Maine lobster mac, Irish corned beef mac, NYC chopped cheese mac, and much more.
Price at time of publish: $17
Number of Recipes: 50 | Pages: 128 | Date Published: 2022
Best Meat Alternative
Running on Veggies: Plant-Powered Recipes for Fueling and Feeling Your Best
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Amazon
Multiple meal guides
Vibrant illustrations and photos
Individual recipe nutritional info omitted
Adidas nutrition coach Lottie Bildirici fell in love with running and completely transformed her lifestyle with a mindful approach to eating and exercise after finishing treatment for stage III Hodgkin's lymphoma. Later struggles with injury and food anxieties have continued to inform her perspective on eating well. Rather than associating foods with “healthy” or “unhealthy” labels, she sees food as fuel and practices intuitive rather than restrictive eating.
Vegetarians and omnivores alike will appreciate her low-maintenance approach to preparing nutrient-dense drinks, breakfasts, snacks, lunches, dinners, and desserts. Good recipes to break in this book are the soba noodle bowl, pomegranate-pecan crusted halibut, and roasted smoked carrot toast.
Price at time of publish: $18
Number of Recipes: 100+ | Pages: 256 | Date Published: 2022
Best for Baked Goods
50 Things to Bake Before You Die
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Amazon
Some recipes have multiple images
Full-page photos
Small print
Professional bakers, recipe developers, restaurant owners, and celebrity chefs, such as James Beard Award- winning pastry chef Dominique Ansel, Grandbaby Cakes creator Jocelyn Delk Adams, and Christina Tosi from Milk Bar, have compiled their most tried-and-true confections into one standout collection. Each recipe has a brief background note from its creator alongside yield info and concise ingredient and equipment lists.
Once all items have been procured, start off by attempting to make a batch of homemade Oreos, pistachio cheesecake bars, grapefruit tiramisu, peach cobbler scones, and red velvet layer cake.
Price at time of publish: $20
Number of Recipes: 50 | Pages: 144 | Date Published: 2022
Best Southern-Inspired
Fix Me a Plate
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Amazon
Gorgeous photography
Sauce and spice chapter
Some recipes require many ingredients
In addition to classic southern eats, “Cook Drank Eat” owner and social media maverick Scotty Scott reveals key tricks to spicing up soul food favorites like collard greens, fried okra, sweet potato pie, croquettes, and cornbread. Traditional southern fare makes for an incredible meal at any time of day, so get ready to create soft-shelled crab burgers, shrimp and grits, smothered turkey wings, blueberry hand pies, and over 50 more scrumptious entrees and sides.
Price at time of publish: $19
Number of Recipes: 60 | Pages: 168 | Date Published: 2022
Best Middle Eastern
Fast Feasts: Quick, Easy Recipes With a Middle-Eastern Twist
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Amazon
Some shorter recipes
Helpful pantry spice list
Some report e-book version has several blurred pages
Cookbook author John Gregory-Smith uses the rich history of traditional Middle Eastern dishes to help home cooks understand the ongoing evolution of how food is prepared in this multifaceted region of the world. This bridge between the past and present is further illustrated by the recipes he’s curated to show how everyday fare from Lebanon as well as its neighboring countries has always been and remains to be flavorful. Take, for example, the salmon tray bake with pea and feta mash, prawns with orzo tabbouleh, and sea bass and spinach borani.
Price at time of publish: $14
Number of Recipes: 40+ | Pages: 192 | Date Published: 2022
Best Korean
Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home
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Amazon
High-quality images
Traditional Korean food terms
Great stories, photography
Serving sizes vary throughout
The real life narration synonymous with Eric Kim’s writing style for The New York Times has been authentically conveyed through captivating food photos and personal reflections on how he gradually discovered a passion for cooking and continues to process what it means to have grown up in the United States as the child of Korean immigrants.
Novel versions of traditional Korean cuisine, such as black sesame rice cake, ganjang gejang, kimchi fried rice, and bibimbap are the clear forerunners of this debut cookbook, which makes for a compelling read even after dinner has been served.
Price at time of publish: $24
Number of Recipes: 80+ | Pages: 288 | Date Published: 2022
Best for Kids
Kid Chef Junior Every Day: My First Easy Kids' Cookbook
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Amazon
Useful illustrations
Contains parent guide
Not all photos high resolution
It’s time for tykes to get busy in the kitchen. Created for readers aged four to eight, this book is filled with easy recipes that children can gradually learn to make independently over time. Kid-friendly food (like teddy bear toast, frozen yogurt bark, and veggie skeleton with hummus) is the focal point, in addition to safety information that covers hygiene and heat. Also included are visuals of different kinds of appliances and bakeware plus journal space with every recipe so kiddos can jot down future modifications they would like to try or highlight which parts they like best.
Price at time of publish: $20
Number of Recipes: 25 | Pages: 130 | Date Published: 2022
Best Vegan
Practically Vegan: More Than 100 Easy, Delicious Vegan Dinners on a Budget: A Cookbook
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Amazon
Contains herb and spice info
Many photos
Small-size font for text
Registered dietitian nutritionist and “Cooking For Peanuts” blogger Nisha Melvani takes the stress away from veganism with solid, tested vegan recipes for those wanting to eat less meat. (She encourages her audience to start with one vegan meal per day instead of diving right in.)
Thousands have flocked to Melvani’s Instagram and blog, including bestselling author Jonathan Safran Foer, who urged Melvani to write this cookbook after feeding his family her recipes. With Melvani’s friendly voice and ingenious vegan hacks, plant-based cooking no longer feels intimidating thanks to easy-to-find ingredients that can be used in the kitchen over and over again—making her recipes, like cheesy broccoli fritters, fire-roasted rigatoni alla vodka, and cauliflower-sweet potato curry also budget-friendly.
Price at time of publish: $12
Number of Recipes: 100+ | Pages: 272 | Date Published: 2022
What to Look for in a New Cookbook
Easy-to-Follow Instructions
If you're confused by the instructions or wording in a recipe, you’ll end up with a headache and subpar food. Before you buy a book, browse through a few recipes to preview the writing style. Is it clear? Easy to follow? Well thought-out recipes should be a joy to read and make.
Pictures
Pictures can be much more than just pretty previews of what you want to make. People who are visual learners benefit from seeing what the food is meant to look like at various stages in the recipe. Nice photos can help you stay on track or notice when something is off.
Clean Layout
Like well-written instructions, a clean layout is key to a good cookbook. Cookbooks that are cramped, have too much going on visually, or are drowning in obnoxious color might do more harm than good. Look for something that has enough space and is arranged in a way that flows smoothly through the recipe.
Tips and Extras
As a helpful bonus, many great cookbooks have pages or sections dedicated to cooking tips, measurement conversion guide, substitutions, or the author’s personal story. While not strictly necessary, it’s something that can boost a cookbook from good to great.
FAQs
How many recipes are in a cookbook?
The number of recipes included varies from book to book. Smaller, more independent cooks might have fewer recipes in their collections compared to big collections by well-known companies or world-renowned chefs. If you Google the average number of recipes in a cookbook, you get answers anywhere from 150 to 400.
What makes a good cookbook?
There are many elements that go into making a good cookbook. Some of the most important factors include: a variety of recipes, easy-to-follow instructions, high quality pictures, an appealing layout, a personalized story from the author, helpful tables, and bonus tips.
What kind of cookbooks are there?
There’s a cookbook for just about every type of food and then some. Whether you're looking for big collections spanning multiple cuisines or highly focused recipes that focus only on one ingredient, there are books out there dedicated to a vast amount of topics. There are cookbooks for beginners, vegetarian cookbooks, cookbooks for chocolate desserts, Cuban cookbooks, breakfast cookbooks, celebrity cookbooks, dim sum cookbooks, even movie-inspired cookbooks.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
Rachel Werner is a culinary writer who has been reviewing food-focused books and businesses for almost a decade. Her food photography and recipes are also featured in content she creates for a variety of regional and national publications such as TOPS News, The Gourmet Insider, and Fabulous Wisconsin. See examples of Rachel’s work behind the camera capturing shots of plant-based eats on Instagram @trulyplanted.
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