15 best vegetarian cookbooks for veggie meal inspiration
The number of vegetarians in the UK is burgeoning (around 1.2 million Brits are now meat-free) – which means the number of us reaching for the best vegetarian cookbooks for weeknight dinner inspiration is on the rise, too. Luckily, there are more vegetarian cookbooks on the market than ever before, proving there is more to a veggie diet than meal delivery services, sweet potato, chickpeas and lentils. Yep: you can forget what you thought you knew. Vegetarian cooking isn't boring – and these cookbooks, each packed full of flavourful, creative and delicious recipes – are here to prove it.
Chosen by GLAMOUR editors, passionate home cooks and literary experts Sophie Ezra and Chaya Burns, our top vegetarian recipe books list suits full-time vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians. Those being: the ones who simply want to cook a few meat-free meals each week. Whichever camp you fall into, you'l never be stuck for ideas of things to cook again.
The best vegetarian cookbooks 2023 at a glance:
- Best vegetarian cookbook for beginners: The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
- Best vegetarian cookbook for midweek meals: Leon Happy One-Pot Vegetarian by Rebecca Seal and Chantal Symons
- Best healthy vegetarian cookbook: Whole Food Cooking Every Day by Amy Chaplin
- Best celebrity vegetarian cookbook: Veg by Jamie Oliver
- Best vegetarian cookbook for experienced home chefs: Flavour by Yotam Ottolenghi
How we tested vegetarian cookbooks:
After scouring bestseller lists and speaking to cookbook publishers about their new releases, we spoke to vegetarian home cooks and teamed up with book experts Sophie Ezra and Chaya Burns to curate a shortlist. Then, we tested as many vegetarian cookery books as we could, scoring each on the quality of recipes, simplicity, clarity and cover design. 'Cos how it looks on your kitchen bookshelf is important, right? The result is a fool-proof vegetarian books list which delivers vegetarian meals to the comfort food home cooks, the one pan veggies and those who want to dabble in plant-based eating.
After more books content? We've got sleep books, cookbooks, poetry books, romance novels, true crime books, autobiographies, mental health books and adult colouring books. We've also got coffee table books, summer books, the best vegan cookbooks for vegan cooking and books by black authors. Don't say we don't treat you.
Ahead, the best vegetarian cookbooks to add to your checkout.
Best vegetarian cookbook for beginners
The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
If there was a bible of Vegetarian cooking it would be this landmark cookbook that has inspired millions of chefs and home cooks alike. Don’t believe us? The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, which was published in 1997 when the concept of vegetarianism was just emerging into the mainstream, contains no less than 1600 recipes. No that’s not a typo. There really isn’t anything not covered in this book, which explains why innumerable food writers regularly reference it in their work. This is an old school style of cookbook, and whilst we definitely do miss the glossy full-page pictures, it is still one of the best guides out there on this subject.
Best vegetarian cookbook for midweek meals
Leon Happy One-Pot Vegetarian by Rebecca Seal and Chantal Symons
Fans of this award-winning restaurant have been hugely impressed with this one pot vegetarian cookbook which is “all about the food and not the washing up” which speaks to us on so many levels. From over a hundred easy recipes, its hard to choose our favourites as there is truly something for every palate. We loved the tips on stocking up a kitchen and what to do with leftovers (so practical!) and as per usual the design and aesthetics of this book make it such a pleasure to use. Great for quick, easy, clever meals that you will make again and again.
Best healthy vegetarian cookbook
Whole Food Cooking Every Day by Amy Chaplin
Presenting: Whole Food Cooking Every Day, a cookbook which transcends the category of Vegetarian cooking. Amongst the 250 recipes are options for anyone looking for amazing meals free from gluten-free, dairy, and refined sugar. The techniques and guidance given will help for general healthy eating even if you are not a committed Vegetarian. Chaplin is clearly passionate about elevating simple ingredients that are sourced responsibly and seasonally. These dishes ask for you attention, some are complex and layered which is not surprising given the authors background as a former executive chef, recipe developer and private chef. It is a beautiful and imaginative book that will awake your tastebuds.
Best vegetarian cookbook by a celebrity chef
Jamie Oliver brought vegetarian recipes to the small screen with his Meat Free Meals Channel 4 series, and this is the cookbook from the show, which is written in his chatty, pressure free, down to earth style. Bringing together over a hundred recipes that are simple, creative, and delicious what is great about this cookbook is that it can be used for lighter sides and salads as well as main courses for a solely vegetarian diet. Oliver has always appealed to a broad range of people, from novice home cooks to experienced gourmet devotees and every recipe is demonstrated by stunning photos and clear instructions. Another Oliver masterpiece.
Best adventurous vegetarian cookbook
Though this isn’t a strictly vegetarian cookbook, the majority of ingredients are recipes are plant based and this is a love letter to vegetables that meant we had to include it. Just that cover was enough to get us cookbook devotees found @thebibliofilles to buy this immediately. A collection of over 100 recipes from a world-renowned chef and personality that focuses on vibrant and bold flavour combinations. We love how this book categorises dishes, from earthy and savoury to sharp and punchy so you know exactly what you are getting along the way. Of course, the imagery is gorgeous and the food sublime – inspired by cuisines and cultures across the globe. If you are looking for that restaurant quality dish to impress, look no further than Flavour to inspire and guide you.
Best one-pot vegetarian cookbook
The Green Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer
This beautiful book has received thousands of ratings and reviews online as well as being a national bestseller. With 75 one-tin recipes (half of which cater for Vegans as well as Vegetarians), Iyer is considered the ultimate chef to inspire and guide busy people, providing nutritious and flavoursome dishes that are superbly easy to follow. The Roasting Tin series has been hugely successful, selling well over a million copies and The Green Roasting Tin follows her style and passion for the most amount of flavour one can achieve with the smallest amount of effort.
Best vegetarian and vegan cookbook
Bazaar: Vibrant Vegetarian and Plant-Based Recipes by Sabrina Ghayour
Another bestseller from the celebrated chef and author of Persiana, Bazaar is another magnificent cookbook that is making us yearn for the summer. Perfect for hosting large gatherings, we would suggest not telling anyone the dishes are vegetarian and seeing if any of your guests even realise! A huge range of salads, sides, main courses, and desserts that rely on a large collection of middle eastern spices that will elevate the simplest of recipes. Adventurous, inventive, and nutritious, schedule some time to luxuriate through the pages.
Best vegetarian cookbook for serious foodies
Love Real Food by Kathryne Taylor 2017
From the online personality Taylor from the hugely popular blog Cookie and Kate, every recipe is Instagram worthy and will look magnificent and get everyone asking you for your secrets. Love Real Food deconstructs the normal nutritional information given and looks honestly at the ingredients regularly used as substitutes in vegetarian dishes. Her whole food philosophy is a running theme throughout this cookbook and focuses on how food makes you feel. You do get the sense that the author is chatting along with you throughout and it is the intimate prose that gives this such a personal touch.
Best low-carb vegetarian cookbook
The Vegetarian Reset by Vasadhu Viswanath
Out next week, this minimalist, whimsical and divine cookbook is going to fly off the shelves. For most of us when we think Vegetarian, we see an abundance of bland, wilted salads. Collating recipes from around the world and staying true to seasonal, nourishing produce that are used in a variety of unusual recipes that will delight every serious foodie. This is a debut cookbook that feels very assured and personal, with some gorgeous photography and great step by step instructions. Finding low-carb, healthy meals that will leave you completely satiated has never been easier. Run to pre-order this one.
Best Mexican vegetarian cookbook
Meat Free Mexican by Thomasina Miers
Meat-free Mexican is the latest offering from beloved British chef, presenter and food writer Thomasina Miers, who founded Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca. Now she turns her attention to bringing Mexican flavours into the vegetarian world whilst staying true to her passion for fresh, seasonal products. Miers is on a mission to bring the vibrancy of Mexico to every kitchen and every beautiful page demonstrates the colour and beauty of this cuisine. We love that she includes breakfasts and drinks in this cookbook which sets this apart. Though the recipes look complex they are brilliantly simple and easy to replicate at home.
Best Eastern vegetarian cookbook
The greatest compliment we can give East is that you will literally forget this is a Vegetarian or Vegan cookbook, this is a must have in every kitchen. Sodha takes us on a culinary journey across the East, with recipes inspired by dishes from Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. With such a variety of options, fans cannot get over the outstanding results, producing restaurant quality food in a home setting. For anyone looking to expand their vegetarian horizons, this is the cookbook for you. It would excite the most seasoned of chefs, this is highly recommended by us at @thebibliofilles.
Best Indian vegetarian cookbook
Another TV star chef turning their attentions and skills to elevating vegetarian food is always good neds and Nisha Katona brings her extensive knowledge about all things on authentic Indian cuisine that sticks to the history and cultural significance with integrity and respect. Recipes are organised according to normal ingredients that most of us already have to hand and this is written in such an informative and accessible way. Known as a judge from the Great British Menu series, her latest book has delighted vegetarian foodies everywhere and the dishes will become regular features in your culinary repertoire. Beautiful photos and general guidance make this a great purchase for any kitchen.
Best Caribbean vegetarian cookbook
Natural Flava: Quick & Easy Plant-Based Caribbean Recipes by Shaun McAnuff
Buy. This. Book. You will not regret it and you will never see vegetarian and vegan food in the same way again. This brilliant duo of chefs draw from a wellspring of Caribbean knowledge to create recipes that are vegetarian and vegan friendly. Jamaican and Caribbean food requires produce that is fresh and for anyone who loves spice, and the taste of the sun will completely adore this cookbook. Complete with accessible guidance and beautiful imagery that will make you want to spend hours in the kitchen.
Best sustainable vegetarian cookbook
Your Daily Veg by Joe Woodhouse
With chapters focused on a single common vegetable, Woodhouse flexes his creative muscles in showcasing the many different and exciting things you can do with the humblest of ingredients. He doesn’t shy away from advocating for plant-based meals that can make a big cumulative difference to greenhouse gas emissions and recipes are seasonal, responsible, and clearly carefully considered. Considered a hugely inventive collection from one of the best vegetarian chefs in the business, and adored by stars such as Nigella Lawson, this is a simply beautiful cookbook that is a celebration od sustainability.
Best new vegetarian cookbook
This book is going be a high priority read for us @thebibliofilles when it is published in May 2023. The author is the founder of popular superfood brand Your Super and his journey to plant-based recipes has resonated with so many people internationally. Keuch was diagnosed with cancer at 24 years old and immediately changed his entire life. Diet became a focus for him, and Keuch is now a passionate advocate who ardently believes in the relationship between good food and good health. Your Super Life is focused on recipes that promote immunity, strength and nourishment and benefits include renewed energy, reduced inflammation, and improved sleep. Sign us up.
