Readers Respond: Best Vegetarian Cookbooks

Responses: 72

By Jolinda Hackett, About.com Guide

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Rose Elliot (British) - Simply Delicious, Not Just a Load of Old Lentils, The Bean Book, Complete Vegetarian Cookbook, Vegetarian Christmas - great classics for every generation. I'm still using them after buying my first 30 years ago and they always work. USA: Moosewood Cookbook & Sundays at Moosewood. New Zealand: Alison Holst & her son Simon Holst have written a couple of great ones, eg., Very Easy Vegetarian Cookbook (and it is). Also Sophie Gray (the Destitute Gourmet), Stunning Food from Small Change & More Stunning Food from Small Change. Australia: Kuma Dasa - 2 TV shows & 2 Cookbooks later, fantastic Vegetarian food in a country not at all Vegetarian! All Indian Recipe books have great Vegetarian dishes and all good cookbook writers have some great vegetarian recipes, eg., Delia Smith & Nigella Lawson (both British). Bon Appetit!!
—Guest jackie55mc

I love Veganomicon & Vegan with a Vengeance, but my first loves are any of Nava Atlas's cookbooks. Great recipes for great food and no hard to find ingredients. Nava's books are my "go to" cookbooks. The books themselves are now a bit worn & rumpled looking, but any page that is worn or a bit stained reminds me of a great meal I shared with loved ones. Nava's cooking has become a huge part of my life. Her recipes are the ones most requested by my family & friends, even the "omnis".
—cowgirrlup

Makes eating fun, Great big book with lots of useful recipes and witty commentary
—Guest Kathy B

My first choice would be One of the SouthernCooking books. After that I would go with Julia Child.
—Guest Luanne Moore

Mediterranean Harvest: Vegetarian Recipes from the World's Healthiest Cuisine by Martha Rose Shulman is my all time favorite vegetarian cookbook. All the recipes are based on the world's healthiest cuisine and are all easy to make. There is at least 500 recipes in this book. If I could only have one cookbook...this would be it.
—Guest milaya

The Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon. Fun to read, easy to follow, yummy recipes. Love her enthusiasm and originality.
—Guest susanna kaiser

Great Vegan cookbook! Recipes cover everything from appetizers-I LOVE the vegan version of tzatziki-to desserts.
—Guest Mary Zubricky

Jeanne Lemlin's 1992 "Quick Vegetarian Pleasures" is my most-used and best-loved cookbook. The recipes are fast, delicious, and [mainly] healthy!
—Guest New Dawn

EVERYTHING by Robin Robertson, EVERYTHING by Moskowitz & Romero, and "Surviving Among Meateaters" by Carol J. Adams (contains recipes AND has has content about various aspects of, as the title says, how to survive among meateaters -- and maybe even "win some over").
—Guest Shaynie

When we started cooking vegan, I purchased Vegan Planet, by Robin Robertson and The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas. Both helped me plan meals for my family. I have tried lots of recipes from Whole Foods Market, Epicurious and this website. The Candle Cafe Cookbook is good, but more complicated. I am not so picky so these recipes satisfy my need to eat, it is more challenging to serve people who would prefer to eat meat. I am always looking for new ideas, thinking that I really believe this is the best way to eat, I just wish it was more they way things are, than the way things should be.
—Guest hopkintonrunner

Christina Pirellos cookbooks are great and are vegan ...no nonsense vegan cooking
—Guest normando

This is the best cookbook in the whole wide world. It is an encyclopedia of delicious Indian vegetarian recipes. Along with the recipe are suggestion of what other preparations to serve with the meal. The result is a beautiful and artfully delicious feast, which is fit to offer the Lord Himself
—Guest malati

Jolinda Hackett
Vegetarian Food Guide

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