The 50 best cookbooks and food books
The best cookbooks ranked: everyday cooking, baking, Indian and global recipes, plus food writing. A top 50 with short reviews and where to buy.
A good cookbook teaches you how to cook, not only what to cook. This list includes foundational books like Salt Fat Acid Heat and The Joy of Cooking, baking guides, Indian and Middle Eastern cooking and a few works of food writing worth reading for fun.
These are editorial picks, ranked for readability and lasting appeal, and nobody pays to be on the list. Not sure where to start? Try the book finder and get three picks for your mood.
Top 50 cookbooks, ranked
-
Salt Fat Acid Heat
Mastering the elements of good cooking.
- Cozy
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
The Joy of Cooking
The all-purpose American cookbook.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Mastering the Art of French Cooking
The classic that introduced French cooking to America.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
The Food Lab
Better home cooking through science.
- Thoughtful
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
The definitive Italian cookbook.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
How to Cook Everything
Simple recipes for great food.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Plenty
Vibrant vegetable recipes from London's Ottolenghi.
- Cozy
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
Ottolenghi Flavor
A cookbook focused on bold vegetable dishes.
- Cozy
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
Kitchen Confidential
Adventures in the culinary underbelly.
- Funny
- Gripping
Where to read
-
Medium Raw
A bloody valentine to the world of food.
- Funny
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
Heat
An amateur's adventures as kitchen slave, line cook and apprentice.
- Funny
- Gripping
Where to read
-
Blood, Bones & Butter
The inadvertent education of a reluctant chef.
- Thoughtful
- Moving
Where to read
-
Cooked
A natural history of transformation.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Easy recipes from the famed host.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Barefoot in Paris
Easy French food you can make at home.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Tartine Bread
A guide to sourdough baking.
- Cozy
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
Flour Water Salt Yeast
The fundamentals of artisan bread and pizza.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Bread Baking for Beginners
A simple guide to baking.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Dessert Person
Recipes and techniques for baking.
- Cozy
- Funny
Where to read
-
Baking with Dorie
Sweet, salty and simple.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Rose's Heavenly Cakes
Cake baking made easy.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
The Pie and Pastry Bible
Everything about pies and pastries.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook
650 recipes for two.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
The Best Recipe
Tested recipes that work every time.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Nigella Bites
Comfort food and everyday recipes.
- Cozy
- Funny
Where to read
-
How to Eat
The pleasures and principles of good food.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
The Kitchen Counter Cooking School
How a few simple lessons transformed nine culinary novices.
- Cozy
- Inspiring
Where to read
-
An Everlasting Meal
Cooking with economy and grace.
- Cozy
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
Hot Sour Salty Sweet
A culinary journey through Southeast Asia.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Mastering the Art of Indian Cooking
The definitive guide to Indian cuisine.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
An Invitation to Indian Cooking
The classic introduction to Indian food.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Instantly Indian Cookbook
Indian recipes for the Instant Pot.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Cravings
Recipes for all the food you want to eat.
- Funny
- Cozy
Where to read
-
The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Recipes from an accidental country girl.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
The Minimalist Baker's Everyday Cooking
101 entirely plant-based recipes.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Half Baked Harvest Cookbook
Recipes from the barn.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
The Food of Sichuan
A definitive guide to Sichuan cuisine.
- Cozy
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
Vegetarian India
A journey through the best of regional Indian cooking.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Ratio
The simple codes behind the craft of everyday cooking.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
On Food and Cooking
The science and lore of the kitchen.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
Cook's Illustrated Cookbook
2,000 recipes from 25 years of the magazine.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Falastin
A cookbook of Palestinian recipes.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Mexico: The Cookbook
Over 600 traditional Mexican recipes.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
The Noma Guide to Fermentation
Foundations of flavor.
- Thoughtful
Where to read
-
Japanese Home Cooking
Simple meals, authentic flavors.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
The Splendid Table
Recipes from Emilia-Romagna.
- Cozy
Where to read
-
Moosewood Cookbook
Recipes from the famous vegetarian restaurant.
- Cozy
Where to read
Each link opens that store’s search for the book. Availability and prices vary by store and country. We may earn a commission from some stores, which never changes the ranking.
Types of cooking & food books
Looking for something more specific? These are the main kinds of cooking & food, with the sort of story or subject each one covers.
Everyday cooking
Reliable recipes for weeknights.
Baking and bread
Sourdough, cakes and pastry.
Indian cooking
Regional dishes and home cooking.
Middle Eastern and Mediterranean
Vibrant vegetables and spice.
Food science
Why recipes work.
Food writing and chef memoirs
Stories from the kitchen.
Want to write and publish your own cooking & food book?
Many readers of this page are also writers. The stores in the lists above are where readers find books, while Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, IngramSpark, Lulu and Draft2Digital are the tools authors use to publish and distribute a book to those stores. You can also publish to Barnes & Noble Press and Google Play Books directly.
Our free KDP calculators help with print cost, royalties and cover size, and our publishing services can take care of setup for you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best cookbook for beginners?
Salt Fat Acid Heat, How to Cook Everything and The Joy of Cooking are the standard first buys.
Are there vegetarian cookbooks on the list?
Yes. Plenty, Six Seasons and the Moosewood Cookbook are among them.
Where can I read or buy the best cookbooks?
Each of the 50 books has links to Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble and Google Play Books. Authors who want to publish their own cooking & food book can start with our free guides to Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu and Draft2Digital.
Not sure what to read next?
Pick a genre and a mood and the book finder will suggest three books to try.