Well done you have probably already in my opinion done the hardest part. You have opened yourself to the possibility of a vegan lifestyle, whether this is for a short time, every now and again or just as a resolution or change.
It means you are quite possibly intrigued by this vegan life, why are people doing it and how?
In this article you will find out which Vegan cook books are our all time favourites. These cook books are for me the ones that have stood the test of time and have definitely helped me succeed on my Vegan journey. Keep reading to find out in our opinion the very best vegan cook books.
Worse case if its not for you you’ll have a couple of great cook books, with delicious recipes that you can dip into every now and again, or maybe just maybe they will be the thing like it was for me that make you fall in love with vegan food.
When I first went vegan, I did not have a clue where to start, I was bombarded by a lot of choices for cook books, but nothing seemed to really jump out at me.
I have always found it hard to choose cookbooks, they are personal and need to work for you, I need pictures, and clear instructions, not basic but straightforward, and it’s always great to have some helpful hints and tips.
The first vegan cookbook I purchased was Lucy Watson’s Feed me Vegan cookbook, and it certainly did not disappoint. I have compiled a list of my top vegan cook books (which I will continue to add to) along with some of my favorite and most used recipes, it was tough to narrow it down as they all have so many great recipes, enjoy!
My Top Vegan Cook Books:
01 – Bosh Healthy Vegan
BOSH!: Healthy Vegan
A full-color, plant-based guide to help you slim down and eat and feel better; filled with eighty delicious, vegan recipes and nutritious meal plans from the international phenomenon and bestselling brand BOSH!
This was a great purchase, I use it regularly for inspiration. It has some great easy every day meals Monday to Friday but then also some real treats as well.
If you are already Vegan or trying Veganuary then this is a must buy!
02 – Lucy Watson’s Feed me Vegan
Feed Me Vegan by Lucy Watson
Packed with comforting, easy-to-make and totally delicious recipes, Feed Me Vegan shows you can be vegan and still have your cake (and mac and cheese, and lasagne, and pancakes) and eat it.
Feed me Vegan won best vegan cookbook at the Peta Vegan food awards in 2017 Lucy Watson is exceptionally passionate about being vegan and has created some enticing and comforting meals. Good enough to cook for guests or to enjoy and not share with anyone because it’s too good to think about sharing…
This cookbook is easy to follow, with ingredients that are easy to source. There’s the occasional unusual ingredient, which if I cant get I just leave out, or substitute it for something that is similar. The recipes are great for everyday meals, really delicious home cooked meals that anyone would expect to see on the daily household menu.
Here are a few sneak peaks of my favorite and most eaten recipes from her book.
Peanut tofu Buddha bowl – I am obsessed with this recipe, I was very very dubious at first, being hugely against tofu. Now this is my favorite recipe. I often mix it up and have different variations of it. The satay sauce is amazing, I often make double as it is soo good.
You don’t have to just use the veggies suggested the idea with a Buddha bowl is that it can be any veggies you have in the house. However the different vegetables she uses work exceptionally well together the richness of the satay sauce with sweet potatoes and then the fresh crispness of the spinach and cucumber.
Pizza – I have made this dough recipe countless times and i love her antipasti esque toppings. Now vegan cheese, I feel like it’s a little bit like a love hate relationship especially if you’re a vegetarian or an absolute cheese fanatic.
Now everyone who knew me pre vegan, would hear my name and think cheese, I mean probably a few other things but I loved loved cheese. I still have fond memories of camemberts and brie at Christmas however I am really beginning to love the vegan cheese.
The texture initially is a little strange however a little cheese goes along way and when it is melted over pizza yum yum yummy. So yes this is an absolute favorite in our house.
Vegan shepherd’s pie – In Lucy Watson’s vegan shepherd’s pie, she uses lentils as a meat substitute. Her recipe is for a huge number 6 – 8 people I followed the recipe so as I could freeze what I didn’t eat. It freezes really well and is great served with veggies or my particular favorite baked beans, just adds to the warm comforting feel.
The recipe is herby and full of veg which makes it really nutritious as well as delicious. She uses a potato and swede mix but you could use sweet potatoes and or parsnips as an alternative. She uses nutritional yeast and all the vegan alternatives that you would expect in a non vegan mashed potato.
Spaghetti Bolognese – now this is a complete game changer. This according to my other half is better than any spaghetti Bolognese he has ever ever had! This meals meat substitute is dried soya but the stand out ingredients that make it wholesome and rich and extremely delicious is the dried mushrooms and red wine this is my go to on a cold winter’s day.
However I also enjoy it during the summer when I am craving something with some real oomph!
03 – Keep it Vegan by Aine Carlin
Keep It Vegan by Áine Carlin
Think you know vegan cooking? Lengthy, complicated recipe lists, expensive, hard-to-find ingredients, flavourless food? Think again! Let Aine Carlin, creator of popular vegan lifestyle blog Pea Soup Eats, enlighten you with her delicious recipes and straightforward tips.
This cookbook is easy to follow with tasty and food that is full of flavor. Being vegan doesn’t mean bland and boring. All of her ingredients are easy to source and find in any of your local supermarkets.
There is a variety of recipes from simple to something special, snacks, breakfast and lunches. Aine likes to keep her recipes lively and creative, bursting with flavor. With clear ingredient lists with pictures.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes from the book:
Santorini Spaghetti – Now this was a revelation, especially as we had recently been to Santorini just before we decided to try being vegan. We loved the food whilst we were away and one of our favorites was something called fava, which ironically is actually vegan little did we know what was around the corner.
The main flavors found in Santorini cooking were tomatoes and capers, and this is what is found in this pasta dish, scrumptious!
Split pea dahl – When we first went vegan this was pretty much our only curry we cooked. We would cook a huge batch and freeze it. It was so good it was the first vegan meal that I cooked my family.
Which of course they thoroughly enjoyed. It’s a really really easy recipe to follow and cook, it just takes a little bit of preparation and planning.
Black bean chilli – I absolutely love Mexican food, guacamole, salsa and tortilla chips so whenever I make this I have to make it with all the extras! This is such a tasty dish, I use a lot of spices and more than she suggests of these and the dark chocolate, as that is what makes it really really rich and tasty.
04 – Bosh
BOSH! by Ian Theasby & Henry David Firth
Want to cook ridiculously good plant-based food from scratch but have no idea where to start? With over 100 incredibly easy and outrageously tasty all-plants meals, BOSH! will be your guide. Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, creators of the world’s biggest and fastest-growing plant-based platform, BOSH!, are the new faces of the food revolution.
Now this cook book my other half got me about a year and a bit into our vegan journey. So we already knew the basics and we were feeling pretty confident with some great recipes that we were using regularly but we were ready for a change, boy did this book come with some changes.
This book really excels at making simple but tasty delicious food, no one will realize that this is vegan food, the flavors and the variety of recipes is great all easily laid and simple to understand, some are long but don’t be put off by this, as these tend to be the ones that are completely worth it.
Henry and Ian are becoming the fastest growing plant based platform and in 2019 they won the lifestyle non fiction book award at the British Book awards.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes from the book:
Petigrew’s Paella – Before going vegan paella was an absolute favorite, I wasn’t sure how you would be able to make a flavorsome paella without the strong distinctive chorizo flavor. However this paella does the job, veggies and lots of smoked paprika and saffron can replace that chorizo flavor.
Pasta Caponata – This is real hearty flavorsome dish, which we always cook an abundance of so as we can have for lunch the next door or even turn it into a pasta bake the following day. Its main ingredient is aborigine but it is cooked for so long that you don’t really realize it just adds to the great flavor.
05 – Deliciously Ella
Deliciously Ella The Plant-Based Cookbook
This book features the most popular, tried-and-tested recipes from her supper clubs, pop-ups, and deli to show how delicious and abundant plant-based cooking can be. These simple vegan recipes cover everything from colorful salads to veggie burgers, falafel, creamy dips and sides, hearty one-pot curries and stews, speedy breakfasts, weekend brunches, muffins, cakes, and brownies.
During the first few months of transitioning to be vegan, I would constantly refer back to Deliciously Ella’s website, using her recipes and getting inspiration from them. So I was desperate to get her new book when it came out.
Top recipe from Deliciously Ella with a twist:
Olive and sun-dried tomato quinoa – very tasty and super simple, a very easy week night meal I often add extra veggies and some avocado to this.
06 – Bish Bash Bosh
Bish Bash Bosh! by Ian Theasby & Henry David Firth
BOSH! became widely successful as the biggest and fastest-growing plant-based food channel on the web, reaching over 25 million people a month. Their mission to eat more plant-based foods went mainstream with the publication of their first book, BOSH!, which introduced readers to their fun, crowd-pleasing vegan recipes. Now, the guys from BOSH! are at it again with even more unbelievable vegan recipes.
As we loved Henry and Ian’s Bosh book when there next one came out we had to get this one to. It certainly hasn’t disappointed, more great tasty flavorsome recipes.
With a mixture of easy simple recipes to more complex but phenomenal meals.
Top recipe from Henry and Ian:
Ian’s delightful Daal and Roti – This is absolutely delicious, its really simple to make even the roti and trust me I have cooked these for guests and they are always super impressed.
What are you waiting for – go buy your first vegan cook book!
There are hundreds of veggie or vegan cook books to choose from. I hope you enjoy my recommendations and please let me know what you think of them.
