Do you love cookbooks as much as I do?
It’s so nice to have an open cookbook while you chop your veggies! It might be old school, but I just love cookbooks.
And, I especially love plant-based vegan cookbooks! I have a bunch of vegan cookbooks and use them again and again in my kitchen.
Don’t get me wrong, I also prop up my phone or my laptop sometimes and find recipes that way. But, there’s just something truly special about having a cookbook by your side.
They’re full of gorgeous, colorful photos of delicious, healthy, plant-based dishes. Cookbooks are a timeless inspiring format that is so familiar.
There’s something super cozy and special about a hardcover healthy cookbook that I can hold in my hands!
The first twenty-ish pages of the following books are essential reading when you’re getting started with a vegan, plant-based diet.
Each author includes their favorite resources, cooking methods, tips, and specialty pantry items specific to plant-based cooking.
This includes tips like egg replacers, vegan parmesan recipes, plant-based healthier sweetener alternatives, kitchen tools, and plenty more. I highly recommend reading through these sections!
I remember what it feels like to be brand new to a plant-based diet. I loved reading the introductions to vegan cookbooks because they taught me so much. They also make you feel like you’re not alone on your new journey!
These books are fantastic vegan cookbooks for beginners to a plant-based diet.
Here are my favorite vegan cookbooks:
Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking by Dana Shultz
Dana’s recipes are very approachable.
Everything I have made from her has been truly delicious!
Her philosophy is about creating recipes out of either 10 ingredients or less, all from 1 bowl, or 1 pot or they take 30 minutes or less to prepare.
Her Minimalist Baker blog has been around for a while and is my go-to when wanting to make something new! I can 100% count on every recipe I find being truly amazing!
Read the glowing reviews Minimalist Baker’s Every Day Cooking right here.
My Favorite Five Recipes from Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking:
Spicy Tofu Vegetable Stir-Fry, page 151
The Trashy Vegan Sandwich, page 168
Thai Baked Sweet Potatoes, page 149
Masala Chickpea Curry, page 129
Vegan “No Tuna” Salad Sandwich, page 167
Oh She Glows Every Day by Angela Liddon
Oh She Glows is one of the very first plant-based cookbooks I found when I transitioned to vegan and plant-based!
Since then, I’ve made many of her wonderful plant-based, healthy recipes and am always thrilled with the results.
Everyone in my family loves these recipes, whether they follow a plant-based diet or not! Most recipes are gluten-free and many are allergy-friendly.
My Favorite Five Recipes from Oh She Glow Every Day:
Loaded Sweet Potatoes, page 165
Crowd-Pleasing Caesar Salad, page 107
Fusilli Lentil-Mushroom Bolognese, page 161
Crispy Smashed Potatoes, page 123
Secret Ingredient Chocolate Pudding, page 229
Forks Over Knives Cookbook by Del Sroufe
The Forks Over Knives Cookbook is based on the Forks Over Knives documentary!
It’s packed with easy plant-based healthy recipes, cooking tips, techniques, information on approaching a plant-based diet, and so much more.
From salads to stir-frys and stews to desserts, it’s a perfect book to use when you’re new to a vegan, plant-based diet. It truly focuses on the basics, making it a fabulous place to start.
My Favorite Five Recipes from Forks Over Knives Cookbook
Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Rice in Garlic Sauce, page 221
Vegetable Lo Mein, page 162
Quinoa, Corn, and Black Bean Salad, page 63
Penne with White Wine Mushroom Sauce, page 160
Creamy Asparagus Soup, page 88
This post is all about the best vegan cookbooks.
Thug Cookbook by Michelle Davis and Matt Holloway
The Thug Cookbook is a hoot!
Straying from the glossy perfection of most cookbooks, Thug Kitchen makes cooking healthy really fun by adding an edgy sense of humor to its descriptions and context.
If you don’t like profanity, you probably won’t like this book. Aside from the brash narrative, the plant-based vegan recipes are fantastic!
My Favorite Five Recipes from Thug Kitchen Cookbook:
Tortilla Soup, page 98
Coconut-Lime Rice with Red Beans and Mango, page 72
Smoked Almond and Chickpea Salad Sammies, page 52
Roasted Potatoe Salad with Fresh Herbs, page 45
Tofu Scramble Tacos, page 8
How Not To Die Cookbook by Michael Greger
The How Not to Die Cookbook is by Michael Greger, MD, author of the bestselling book How Not To Die.
He also runs a very popular website Nutritionfacts.org. Both the book and his website are amazing resources to learn about nutrition and how a plant-based diet can prevent and reverse heart disease.
Recipes are by Robin Robertson, who has written more than twenty cookbooks!
One of my favorite cookbooks by Robin is Vegan Mac and Cheese: More than 50 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes for the Ultimate Comfort Food. Together, they present easy-to-understand, approachable recipes that are delicious, plant-based, and healthy.
My Favorite Five Recipes from the How Not To Die Cookbook
Mac & Cheese, page 143
Spinach & Mushroom Black Bean Burritos, page 94
Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Sauce, page 115
Three-bean Chili, page 64
Sesame Red Cabbage & Carrot Slaw, page 76
There are so many more amazing cookbooks out there!
These are my current go-to’s and favorites.
I have another stack of cookbooks that I’m starting to sample, so I’ll keep you posted on those!
If you’re just starting on a plant-based diet, these tips are essential!
Starting with some easy recipes is super helpful, and we have a great article with easy-peasy healthy recipes here.
If you’re new to tofu, give these plant-based, easy tofu recipes a try.
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