I think cookbooks are wonderful gift to give over the holidays. A beautiful cookbook is a work of art. They are inspiring – encouraging you to try new ingredients and different cooking techniques. So I’ve put together a 2015 cookbook gift guide featuring all my favorite cookbooks from this year. These cookbooks have delicious recipes, beautiful photos and show you creative ways to use new and familiar ingredients. One of these will be the perfect present for the food lover on your gift list this year.
Vegetarian or Vegan Cookbooks:
- American’s Test Kitchen – The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook: I love this cookbook. It is a comprehensive vegetarian cookbook with hundreds of vegetarian and vegan recipes. America’s Test Kitchen excels at providing foolproof recipes. The recipes have very clear directions and step by step photos are provided for some of the more trickier techniques. I use this cookbook all the time.
- At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: This is my favorite cookbook that I’ve bought this year. Amy Chaplin creates delicious recipes using healthy and whole foods. This is an inspirational cookbook – it’s extremely well written and includes lots of gorgeous photos.
- The Forest Feast: This cookbook came out last year, but it’s such a charming vegetarian cookbook that I wanted to include it. Erin Gleeson uses a combination of illustrations and lovely photographs to showcase her recipes.
- Food52 Vegan: Are you trying to include more plant-based meals in your diet this year – then this cookbook is for you. It features 60 easy, approachable vegan recipes.
General Cookbooks:
- Giada De Laurentiis – Happy Cooking: I’m a big fan of Giada De Laurentiis’ approach to cooking – easy, fresh, tasty meals with Italian flare. This book is a year-round guide to living a healthy and happy lifestyle.
- The Sprouted Kitchen – Bowl + Spoon: I bought The Sprouted Kitchen’s first cookbook and loved it. This time, Sara Forte is serving up simple, healthy meals using whole foods – the meals are served in bowl and all beautifully photographed by Sara’s husband Hugh.
- Clean Green Eats: Candice Kumai’s cookbook features clean eating – simple and delicious recipes to help you feel healthier. Filled with over 100 recipes and lots of mouth watering photos.
Speciality Cookbooks:
- Food52 Baking: Another Food52 recommendation, because they just get it right. Their tag line says it all – 60 sensational treats you can pull off in a snap!
- Cookie Love: A cookbook all about cookies – what’s not to love? With 60 recipes, they cover just about every type of cookie – with lots of delicious photographs. A must have for all cookie lovers.
- Wine Folly: I love to drink wine but don’t know very much about it (other than it tastes great). This small book is the essential wine guide. It features tons of clever infographics and lots of advice and tips to teach you everything you need to know about wine.
- Simple Green Smoothies: Do you know a green smoothie lover – then they’ll love this book. It includes over 100 delicious green smoothie recipes and lots of great photos. Green smoothies are an easy way to add more leafy greens and fruit into your diet. I ordered this book as an early Christmas gift for myself.
- The Violet Bakery Cookbook: Clair Ptak’s cookbook features sweet and savory baked goods from her popular London bakery. She uses lots of simple ingredients that includes whole grain flours and seasonal fruit to create wonderful homemade pastries, scones, muffins, cakes and much more.
I think I’d be very happy if all I received for Christmas were cookbooks. I feel inspired to try new recipes and cooking techniques when I browse through a beautiful cookbook. Which cookbooks are you looking forward to receiving as a gift this year?
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Please note that this post contains affiliated links. I am only recommending cookbooks that I love or would love to buy. If you click on one of the links and make a purchase, I receive a very small percentage of the sale (at no added cost to you). Thank you for supporting Green Valley Kitchen.
Liora (Allthingsloveli)
I love cookbooks! Seriously, can spend hours in a bookstore just flipping through them. It’s so funny my sister called me the other day and said, “Ok, I’m officially a foodie too… I Just spend an hour at barnes and noble reading recipes.” I went to a book talk for Giada’s book tour for her new book and I was so impressed! The book has so many gluten free/vegan options – I have bookmarked quite a few to make in the new year 🙂
Geraldine
I’m with you, Loira – just love cook books. My local library has a great selection – so I usually check out a lot of different cookbooks and then buy them if they have a lot of great vegetarian recipes.
Julia | Orchard Street Kitchen
What a great roundup, Geraldine! I am especially eyeing Amy Chaplin’s book, because I’ve heard great things from others too.And re: our Twitter conversation, I think you’d really like Nigella’s new book! She actually has a good number of vegetarian recipes in it. Hope you’re having a great holiday season!
Geraldine
Hey Julia: Definitely get the Amy Chaplin book if you can – I love it. I’ll check out Nigella’s new book based on your recommendation! Hope you have a wonderful holiday this year – be safe and well!
Sheila
How to de stress the holiday season…give cookbooks. I’ve chosen Wine Folly and Cookie Love. Thanks Geraldine!
Geraldine
Excellent choices, Mom!
Cathy
love this post! think i’ll be printing out a copy to “accidentally” leave in my husband’s office for christmas gift inspiration. even though i’m running out of shelves to store my collection, i need those food52 books!
Geraldine
Thanks, Cathy – I think “accidentally” leaving it out is a great idea. Hope you get those food52 books!
Kathryn @ The Scratch Artist
Great selection of cookbooks and I was happy to see several that I have never seen. The Forest Feast intrigues me. I love your sentiment about giving cookbooks as well. Giving them as gifts is like giving someone you love an adventure – a way to explore new tastes, smells, techniques, and visuals. I think I will be giving cookbooks this year 🙂
Geraldine
Definitely get the Forest Feast, Kathryn. It’s a charming cookbook – her blog is lovely too.
Meghan | Fox and Briar
What a great list! I LOVE cookbooks, and that wine folly book is calling my name 🙂
Geraldine
Thanks, Meghan – I’ve got my eye on wine folly too!
Lauren Gaskill | Making Life Sweet
What an awesome cookbook gift guide!! Thank you for putting this together! I have so much reading and cookbook gifting to do now. 😉
Geraldine
Thanks, Lauren. Hopefully they’ll be a couple on there that would make the perfect gift for your friends or yourself!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
This is such a great post, Geraldine!! I am a cookbook hoarder, so I have to send this link to all of my family members to help them out with picking out a gift for me! 😉 I have had my eye on CookieLove for a hot minute. Thanks for sharing this list! Cheers, my dear! <3
Geraldine
Thanks, Cheyanne – I’m a cookbook hoarder too. Can’t get enough! CookieLove is a great choice – so many yummy cookies!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
What a great idea for a post Geraldine! I am going to show this list to my husband Tom! He never knows what to get me! I love Cookie Love and have really wanted Food52 Baking. You have made my husband’s Christmas shopping easy this year!!Thanks!
Geraldine
Glad I could be of service, Mary Ann! Hope you get a whole bunch of great cookbooks for Christmas!
sippitysup
If you’re making a list and checking twice put me down for the Amy Chaplin book. GREG
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Greg. The Amy Chaplin book is a stunner!