The Best Vegetarian Cookbooks (Review) in 2020

First on our list is the Forks Over Knives Cookbook. Del Sroufe, the revolutionary chef behind the Forks over Knives documentary, in collaboration with other amazing chefs, put together this plant-based cookbook to prove that you can have a plant-based meal without compromising on taste and flavor. This recipe book is based on the Forks Over Knives movement that promotes a healthier lifestyle by helping people change the way that they understand nutrition and directing them towards a more wholesome, plant-based diet.

With over 300 vegetarian recipes, this cookbook will help you cut out meat and cut down on dairy and oils, and you get to enjoy the amazing benefits such as weight loss and reduced cholesterol levels. Containing simple to follow recipes for everyday meals including breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and even desserts, this cookbook is a great way to eat healthy and delicious meals without breaking the bank. Plus, you still get to indulge in your guilty pleasure meals such as pizzas and cobblers because this book provides you with a tasty and filling plant-based alternative.

Renowned vegetarian food blogger, Kathryne Taylor is the author behind this amazing cookbook; Love Real Food. This vegetarian recipe book contains over 100 meat-free recipes that even your meat-loving friends and family are going to absolutely love. Not only does this book contain meals that can be enjoyed by vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters alike, but the recipes also come with substitutions to accommodate special diets that are gluten-free, dairy-free or egg-free.

With specially curated dishes that are great for both beginners and advanced chefs, plus helpful cooking tips to help you master each recipe, this vegetarian cookbook is perfect for cooks of different skill levels. Containing exciting meals full of flavor and creative taste combinations along with heartwarming cameos of Kathryne’s sous chef dog that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face, with this cookbook, you can expect recipes that would have you and your loved ones coming back for second helpings.

Our next vegetarian cookbook comes from London’s very own Yotan Ottolenghi. This famous chef has put his love for all things vegetables into this beautiful vegetable recipe book called Plenty. This cookbook coms with 120 of Ottolenghi’s favorite vegetarian recipes, with the recipes for these flavorful dishes inspired by the diverse cultural backgrounds present in London. Containing recipes that even meat-eaters will fall in love with, the dishes in the cookbook with hints of eastern Mediterranean flavors coming from the chef’s own background is guaranteed to make you look at veggies in a whole new light, and transform your basic everyday vegetables into an impressive, ovation worthy dish.

This recipe book contains dishes with an explosion of vibrant colors and remarkable flavors and tastes that would be the VIP at any dinner party and is sure to impress you and your guests. Its recipes are organized by ingredients, from roots to fruits, so that you can sense its order. Plus, the beautifully photographed food in this recipe book is a sure-fire way to inspire the inner creative in you.

This cookbook brought to you by America’s Test Kitchen is the perfect way to put vegetables up front and center in your daily diet. The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook contains 700 amazing plant-based recipes that are simple for any cook to perfect and make use of uncomplicated techniques while delivering bold and delicious flavors. This book contains a wide variety of dishes from quick appetizers to tasty soups, hearty stews, and chillis to beautiful main dishes, pasta, and tasty sides. And speaking of main dishes, this cookbook has a whole chapter dedicated to inspired main dishes that present them as more than just an afterthought and are guaranteed to fill you up the way a main should while still being yummy and flavorful.

This book is great because whether you’re a vegetarian or just trying to incorporate more veggies in your diet, it contains foolproof recipes that are suited to your needs. Some of the recipes in this book are also tagged as vegan, gluten-free and fast recipes and contain vegan and gluten-free substitutes so that you can easily reference them, and with core pages that include essential recipes such as rice and pesto, this cookbook encompasses everything vegetarian.

This cookbook is a thorough guide you need to approach vegetarian cooking. Self-taught Chef, Mark Bittman has taken his simple yet effective teaching style and amplified it in his How To Cook Everything: Vegetarian edition. It contains 2000 different and unique vegetarian food recipes ranging from salads to pizzas, soups, pasta, and even curries, with each recipe being straightforward and easy to understand, making this recipe book perfect for any cook. Written for both vegetarians and meat-eaters striving for a healthier diet, this book makes use of simple techniques and basic kitchen equipment to produce healthier veggie meals.

With recipes that include egg and dairy and recipes that exclude them along with vegan recipe tags, this book is suited for different diet needs. Bittman’s personality shines through in this cookbook with his helpful and creative tips for how to enhance the flavor of your food from roasting your veggies to spicing up your sauces, and with 250 how-to illustrations showing you the step by step cooking process for recipes, this cookbook is going to be your kitchen best friend.

If you thought you were impressed by Plenty, then just imagine how much more dazzled you’ll be by Yotan Ottolenghi’s Plenty More. This follows up to Plenty contains recipes that are even bigger and bolder, with an original approach to taste, flavor, and presentation of vegetarian meals. In this recipe book, Ottolenghi further explores the different unique methods to cooking vegetables and includes more than 150 dishes organized by cooking methods such a grilled, roasted, tossed and baked, so that you can easily navigate between recipes. Emphasis on vegetable dishes in this book are placed on seasonality and flavor, with food ranging from salads and taste-filled main dishes to decadent desserts. This cookbook embraces fresh veggies and shows you new, creative ways of cooking with grains and legumes, and the flavor profile in the book’s recipes has evidence of a South-east Asian and American inspiration. Healthy vegetarian recipes coupled with beautifully photographed dishes are going to have you wanting this book, whether you’re a vegetarian or not.

Meatless by the famous chef, Martha Stewart is just the cookbook you’ll want in your kitchen. This veggie-based recipe book contain over 200 recipes that are perfectly fitted for vegetarians and even those that are simply trying out new plant-based dishes. Each meat-free recipe is easy and simple to follow, with the cookbook even containing recipes that are low fat, vegan and gluten-free, making it accommodating to different types of diets. Meatless introduces you to a vegetable-based diet full of delicious main meals for whatever day, with everyday classics and even creative dishes that are guaranteed to be your new favorites.

Apart from easy recipes, this cookbook also comes with essential cooking tips and techniques, as well as vegetarian pantry staples and suggested menus. The recipe book includes amazing vegetarian dinner ideas classified into categories such as small appetizer plates, soups, stews and chillis, casseroles and baked dishes, sandwiches, pizzas and burgers, and noodles and pasta, making it the perfect book for any night depending on your time schedule and budget.

Want to become a vegetarian but not sure how to go about it? Then this is just the book you’ll be needing. Vegetarian Cookbook For Beginners, as the name implies, the best vegetarian cookbook for beginner cooks looking to newly explore vegetarianism. Containing 150 easy to follow veggie-based dishes including recipes for breakfast, snacks, desserts, flavor-packed main dishes and cheeky sides, this book has amazing food ideas that you’re going to quickly love. This beginner cookbook is a lot more than just a book containing recipes though.

It also comes with a 14 day meal plan that will put you in the right direction of eating healthy as a vegetarian, as well as a detailed overview of the benefits that vegetarianism can have on your health such as weight loss and decreased risk of chronic diseases, with helpful tips that will guide you as you make the change to a plant-based diet. It also includes potential challenges you could face when transitioning to a fully plant-based diet and the different ways you could deal with them.

Executive Chef, Joshua McFadden is the author being this fascinating cookbook; Six Seasons: A New Way With Vegetables. This cookbook is one that both beginners and expert level chefs can appreciate. McFadden’s love for and understanding of vegetables, even from its growing stages, is evident in this recipe book. It contains 225 different recipes that highlight the different flavor progressions of vegetables as they grow from infant stage all through maturity.

This book embraces veggies at all stages, divided into six seasons to depict the changes to vegetables on the field as they grow, and contains recipes that celebrate plants at their raw state at the beginning of their season, to gradually progressing to grilling, steaming, sautéing and stewing the vegetables as the season’s pass. This cookbook is entirely engaging and not only comes with amazing recipes but also educates you on how to best utilize vegetables according to its season.

Award-winning cookbook, The New Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone by Deborah Madison, is a timeless classic that has been revised and revamped for your culinary pleasure. This book contains 1600 unique and original vegetarian recipes that are incredibly easy to follow, with more than 200 new recipes that have been added since this cookbook was last published more than 20 years ago.

This revised version also contains updated information on both vegetarian and vegan ingredients to suit different diets. This vegetarian recipe book includes basic cooking techniques that anyone can do, as well as helpful food presentation tips to make your food stand out on any dinner table. Madison takes on a modern approach to cooking in this simple to understand cookbook, making use of beautiful and creative flavor combinations that are sure to excite your taste buds. Specially put together for anyone interested in healthy and creative cooking, this book is your feel good guide to cooking with veggies.

Husband and wife bloggers Alex and Sonja Overhiser come together to create this culinary masterpiece; A Couple Cooks – Pretty Simple Cooking. Named best healthy cookbook of 2018 by Mind Body Green, this vegetarian cookbook contains 100 simple yet thoughtful and unique, delicious veggie recipes that focus on dishes made with whole foods, with many of the recipes having hints of Mediterranean inspiration.

This recipe book was created with different dietary needs in mind, with 90 out of the 100 recipes being gluten-free, and 75 being vegan. This beautiful and inspirational book encourages cooking with loved ones, portraying it as an activity that was made to be shared. It includes 10 amazing and elegantly illustrated life lessons about life, love and of course food, addressing how to sustainably eat healthily. This cookbook perfectly bridges the gap between love and food and is going to be a staple in your kitchen.

This cookbook, inspired by and named after Chef Amanda Cohen’s Michelin recommended vegetable-based restaurant, Dirt Candy, takes on a sophisticated and daring approach to a recipe book. Dirt Candy: A Cookbook is shared in the form of a creatively illustrated novel, doubling as a detailed vegetarian cookbook and a great read. This book contains 100 plant-based recipes, from sweet desserts to hearty dinner dishes, with food so tasty, it is going to be loved by both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

This audacious recipe book takes overlooked veggies that are often restricted to only side dishes, and makes them the stars of the show, embracing their natural flavors while enhancing their taste and texture profiles. Still In the Dirt Candy cookbook, Cohen shares motivating stories of how she built her very popular and highly rated restaurant from scratch. She includes the nitty gritty realities of opening your own business, along with funny and practical food and business advice that you will love and can apply.

Vegetarian nutritionist and food blogger, Allison Day is the brilliant mind behind this tantalizing cookbook; Whole Bowls. This book contains over 50 incredible full meals, including vegetarian, vegan and even gluten-free recipes that are not only delicious but also healthy. Each recipe contains a traditionally tasty dish that has been transformed into a one bowl meal, leaving you happily filled and left with the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with consuming a bowl of good comfort food. These recipes are very simple to execute and can be perfected by home cooks with varying skill sets.

Including one bowl dishes for even breakfast, these recipes make use of seasonal vegetables to help you produce delicious, feel good food. With dozens of mini recipes hidden within the 50 recipes, Day makes sure that you always have an easy to make and quick whole bowl dish for your everyday lunch or dinner. With simple and clear instructions alongside and beautifully vibrant recipe photos, this cookbook will make you want to rush into the kitchen.

Written by the founder of food blog Veggie and the beast, Katie Parker put together this inspired cookbook, The High Protein Vegetarian Cookbook that poses as an answer to the constantly asked question, “Where do vegetarians get their protein from?” This book focuses on plant-based sources of protein such as beans, nuts, quinoa, and even dairy, and fully optimizes them to create whole and nutritious meatless meals.

These healthy vegetarian recipes are full of delicious and outgoing flavors that were specially developed for even meat eaters so that they don’t miss the meat when eating these satisfying, high protein meals. This book contains various recipes with dishes that can be eaten at any time of the day or night so that you always have an option. With 75 different and tasty looking photographs showing the end result of each recipe, this cookbook is going to inspire the chef in you, and get you into the kitchen more.

The Vegetarian Instant Pot Cookbook contains easy vegetarian recipes that are extremely comprehensive and is a great recipe book for old and new vegetarians alike with different levels of culinary skills. This book isn’t trying to mirror meat based dishes, so don’t be mistaken. Its recipes instead are tailored around whole foods and plant-based staples such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains to create tasty dishes that are for both strict vegetarians and people that are just looking to eat less meat.

This cookbook includes new culinary ideas for you to incorporate in your everyday cooking, along with techniques that will help you elevate the flavor profile of any dish. With 101 recipes for all types of meals including soups and salads, egg dishes, grain and legume combinations and indulging desserts for a satisfying finish, you are sure to find every kind of food that you could want. Recipes from many different cultures, numerous cooking tips hidden all over the book, basic comfort dishes, and bold and exotic meals are just some of the benefits that you’ll get from this cookbook, and all you need to start is an instant pot.