11 Best Vegetarian Cookbooks of 2023

Need some cooking inspo? Check out these best vegetarian cookbooks! They are packed with delicious plant-based recipes that everyone will love.

With my latest cookbook Love & Lemons Simple Feel Good Food coming out on April 25th (available to pre-order now!), I thought it would be fun to round up some of the best vegetarian cookbooks that have inspired me in my own cooking. As a three-time cookbook author, I appreciate the time and effort that goes into creating a book – recipe testing, writing, photography, and more. I have a lot of respect for other authors who combine these elements into exciting and accessible vegetarian cookbooks.

When I write a book, my goal is to provide ideas and inspiration that will make your mealtimes easier, fresher, and more delicious. Below, I’ve collected some vegetarian cookbooks that have similarly inspired me. Featuring plant-based recipes from a wide variety of foods, they’re packed with cooking tips and tasty treats that everyone (even vegetarians!) will love.

So, whether you want to try plant-based eating or change up your recipe rotation, I can’t recommend these books enough. When I’m not sure what to make for dinner, I always reach for one of them. I hope these best vegetarian cookbooks become essential resources for you too!

My top picks:

1. My New Cookbook: Love and Lemons Simple Feel Good Food – Pre-order at: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound | Book store Amazon.ca | Chapter Indigo | Local shop
2. My Everyday Cookbook: Everyday Love and Lemons – $21.49 on Amazon
3. My First Cookbook: The Love and Lemons Cookbook – $28.49 on Amazon
4. Best Elevated Vegetarians: Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi – $17.89 on Amazon
5. Best Whole Foods Cookbooks: Home in the Whole Food Kitchen by Amy Chaplin – $23.70 on Amazon
6. Best for weeknights: East by Meera Sodha – $20.99 at Amazon.com
7. Best for beginners: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison – $37.34 on Amazon
8. Best for your CSA shares: Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden – $24.99 on Amazon
9. Best for inspiration: A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones – $35 on Amazon
10. Best for New Vegans: Power Plate by Gena Hamshaw – $18.99 on Amazon
11. Best for flexitarians: Weekday Vegetarians by Jenny Rosenstrach – $20.99 on Amazon

Reviews of the best vegetarian cookbooks

My latest book is out this spring, but it’s available for pre-order now! This book is for two types of cooks: those who like easy recipes they can make right away, and those who like to plan ahead. Designed to make it easy for you to eat fresh, delicious vegetarian meals, it’s filled with recipes that are easy to make with ingredients on hand (like one-pot soups and sheet pan dinners) and others that are great for making ahead (like robust, packable salad and veggie lasagna).

But the recipe is just the beginning! This cookbook features eight 3-day meal plans with step-by-step prep instructions and gorgeous charts (like a guide to grain bowls, mix and match veggie tacos, and more!) to help you get creative with your cooking.

This big, beautiful book is packed with plant-based meals for every occasion, from quick weeknight dinners to holiday meals. It has handy cooking charts (ie, how to roast a vegetable, a huge grid of 5-ingredient salad dressings) and resources (like a list of what kitchen tools you really need) that will make you a more confident and resourceful home cook. .

This is the first cookbook I published, and it’s still a great book to have on hand – especially if you have a specific fresh ingredient you want to use. Organized by vegetables from A to Z, it’s designed to help you find your farmer’s market. The recipes are super-easy and use minimal ingredients so you can showcase seasonal produce at its best!

If you’re a vegetarian, Ottolenghi is a name you need to know. She draws on Middle Eastern influences to create exciting vegetable recipes that bring restaurant-quality flavors to your home kitchen. This cookbook is completely vegetarian, but some of the recipes are a bit complicated. If you’re looking for quick and easy options, I recommend starting with another Ottolenghi book, Ottolenghi Simple. It’s not completely vegetarian, but it has tons of (and, well, easy!) veggie recipes.

I fell in love with vegetarian food at Amy Chaplin’s former restaurant, Angelica Kitchen in NYC. This, her first cookbook, had a huge impact on my cooking. The recipes all use whole food ingredients to create flavorful, nutritious meat-free meals. Several of the book’s recipes are fairly involved, but it also includes a large section of pantry recipes, which are great foundations for plant-based cooking.

Do you find yourself making the same weeknight dinner recipe over and over again? This cookbook is bursting with easy vegetarian and vegan dishes you’ll want to add to your rotation. All the recipes are inspired by different Asian cuisines, and they include many creative ways to use vegetables.

This book is a great comprehensive guide if you’re new to vegetarian cooking. It may be one of the oldest cookbooks on this list, but Deborah Madison’s tried-and-true recipes never go out of style. It includes more than 1,400 of them—you’re sure to find a few favorites!

Disclaimer: This book is not completely vegetarian. But if you love vegetables, you need this in your collection. It’s a great resource for cooking and eating seasonally. Organized by chapter by season and then by vegetable, it will teach you how to prepare, preserve, and select the best produce any time of year. The recipes cater to a variety of skill levels, from simple to upscale mains, but they deliver plenty of flavor with just a few well-chosen ingredients.

When I look for inspiration in the kitchen, I always turn to Anna Jones. A Modern Way to Eat is her first cookbook, and it has a permanent place on my countertop. Beautifully photographed and designed, it is packed with innovative vegetarian recipes. It also includes features like graphic flow charts and lists that provide quick, creative ideas for transforming vegetables and other plant-based ingredients into delicious meals.

If you’re interested in becoming a vegetarian (or adding more vegetarian foods to your diet), this cookbook is a great place to start. The recipes use accessible ingredients to create delicious, nutritious plant-based meals. You also can’t go wrong with Jenna’s new cookbook, The Vegan Week, which focuses on meal prep.

If you’re interested in eating less meat but don’t know where to start, The Weekday Vegetarians is the cookbook for you! It makes a plan for eating more veggie that’s accessible and fun, and it’s packed with temptation-worthy recipes that will win over any meat eater.

I’m so grateful for your support of Love & Lemons and all of my cookbooks, and you can still pre-order Simple Feel Good Food before it arrives this spring. It’s filled with so many satisfying veggie mains (seriously so many dinners!), vibrant salads, comforting comfort foods, seasonal desserts, and everything in between! Some of my favorite recipes include Savory Tahini Yogurt Bowls, Creamy Cauliflower Enchiladas, Veggie Sushi Burritos, and Freezer Carrot Cake Bars. I can’t wait to hear what your favorites are!

Want more information about the book? Find a sneak peek here!

Prices were correct at time of publication.