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The best vegetarian cookbooks

By Emily Lambe – Digital assistant, bbcgoodfood.com

Looking for some veggie meal inspiration? We've rounded up the best vegetarian cookbooks, with easy recipes for curries, pasta, burgers and more.

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More and more of us are cutting down on meat and getting creative with vegetarian meals.

Chosen by the BBC Good Food team, our top vegetarian cookbooks list is a collection packed with colourful, innovative recipes that put vegetables centre-stage, fuse flavours from around the world and will help you create delicious veggie meals at home.

Whether you’re a veggie beginner, flexitarian, an athlete looking for plant-power to fuel your workouts or simply want healthy, everyday meals for your family, there’s something for everyone. This is food to get excited about.

For more inspiration, see the best cookbooks for students, the best cookbooks for kids or the best cookbooks of 2021.

Best vegetarian cookbooks to buy

The Curry Guy Veggie by Dan Toombs

The third book from food writer Dan Toombs is a truly expert guide to navigating meat-free Indian dishes, packed with recipes showcasing just how colourful, creative and delicious vegetarian Indian food can be. Plus, every recipe comes with instructions on how to make them vegan too.

Little Green Kitchen by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl

Luise and David, the husband-and-wife team behind acclaimed vegetarian blog Green Kitchen Stories, are here to help you perfect the art of quick and easy vegetarian and vegan meals for all the family. Tried and tested by their three small children, their simple recipes include creamy broccoli pasta, tofu cashew masala, plus party food options and lunchbox favourites.

Available from:
WH Smith (£16)
Amazon (£16)
Waterstones (£20)

Veg by Jamie Oliver

In Veg, Jamie makes vegetarian cooking easy, sharing over 100 fun-to-make recipes full of flavour and all family-friendly. You’ve got stews, pastas, curries, pies and traybakes, each designed to make vegetarian cooking accessible and most importantly, delicious.

East by Meera Sodha

Meera’s experience as a successful food writer really shines through in her latest book. Full of innovative flavours, East brings a new lease of life to Indian, Asian and Southeast Asian cooking, melding classic recipes with innovative flavours to create authentic and vibrant plant-based recipes.

Available from:
Amazon (£14.45)
WH Smith (£16)

Plant Power by Annie Bell

Distinguished food writer Annie Bell’s book Plant Power features 100 protein-rich recipes for vegans and vegetarians, in which she shares how to source plant proteins from high-quality unrefined whole foods. With stunning images, this book is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.

Available from:
Amazon (£11.99)
Waterstones (£17.99)

The Vegetarian Cookbook: More than 50 recipes for young cooks

If you’re looking to eat less meat as a family, this vegetarian children’s cookbook is packed with more than 50 nutritious recipes full of colour to help your young cook learn about the importance of a balanced diet. Food fact files are an added bonus, offering insights into vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbs.

Available from WH Smith (£10.65)

Flavour by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage

For his latest book, Yotam Ottolenghi has teamed up with chef and core member of the Ottolenghi test kitchen Ixta Belfrage, to create something beautiful, informative and truly inspiring. It features over 100 impressively innovative, exciting dishes which bring a new lease of life to everyday veg. Think romano pepper schnitzels, cabbage tacos with celeriac and date barbecue sauce, hasselback beetroot and kimchi rice fritters. The duo also explain how to get maximum flavour from food, looking at how different methods, flavour pairings and produce can elevate your cooking.

Available from:
Wordery (£16.87)
Blackwell’s (£17.78)
Waterstones (£24.99)

The Vegetarian Kitchen by Prue & Peta Leith

Veggie fans of The Great British Bake Off will love this extensive cookbook from judge Prue Leith and her niece, a former chef at The Ivy, Peta. Discover 100 recipes sure to please the whole family, like black bean chilli with lime salsa. If you prefer something sweet, try their recipes for lemon pavlova or cherry and almond cake. About half of the recipes can be made vegan if you prefer.

Available from Amazon (£15.43)

Chetna’s Healthy Indian by Chetna Makan

Another must-have for Bake Off fans, Chetna Makan – one of 2014’s semi-finalists – is back with a collection of healthy recipes. This cookbook contains over 80 recipes such as garlic and tamarind soup, courgette kofta curry, beetroot and sweet potato korma and masala paneer. Her vibrant dishes are nutritious and packed full of flavour.

Available from Amazon (£14.59)

Charred by Genevieve Taylor

Summer barbecues don’t have to be limited to burgers and sausages. Genevieve Taylor shows us how to make the most of seasonal veg and grill up a meat-free feast. Serve up whole roast cauliflower drenched in spiced garlic butter, griddled radicchio with burrata and figs, or corn on the cob with Cambodian coconut, lime and chilli. These inventive dishes are perfect for creative chefs.

Available from:
Amazon (£12.25)
Waterstones (£16.99)

India: The World Vegetarian by Roopa Gulati

Chef, broadcaster and food writer Roopa Gulati introduces readers to the key techniques and ingredients in Indian cooking with this veggie cookbook. Her flavourful dishes include twice-cooked cauliflower, saffron and almond masala; paneer and apricot koftas and traditional channa dal. With over 70 recipes to choose from, there’s something here for every Indian food lover.

Available from:
Amazon (£12.99)
WH Smith (£16)

The Green Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer

Rukmini Iyer brings us a collection of easy traybakes, the perfect solution for busy weeknight evenings. Simply chuck all your ingredients into a roasting tin and let your oven do the work. See her delicious recipes including beetroot, chickpea and coconut curry, roasted tomato and bay orzo, leek and Puy lentil gratin and stuffed mini pumpkins with sage and goat’s cheese.

Available from:
Amazon (£9.99)
Waterstones (£17.99)

Plants Taste Better by Richard Buckley

Let veggies take the centre stage with this collection of seasonal recipes from award-winning chef Richard Buckley, proprietor of the critically acclaimed vegetarian Acorn Restaurant in Bath. Make the most of unique ingredients you’ve never thought to try. Make almond & paprika fritters, cavolo nero crisps, rosemary polenta chips and white onion & olive oil soup.

Available from:
Amazon (£17.79)
Waterstones (£25)

Greenfeast: Autumn, Winter by Nigel Slater

Best-selling author and presenter, Nigel Slater has compiled a selection of comforting recipes perfect for the colder months. Warm up with a bowl of fiery udon noodles or polenta with garlic and mushrooms. Tuck into a cosy dessert like creamy pudding rice with rosewater and apricots, or ginger cake with cardamom and maple syrup. For the warmer months, see the Spring, Summer version to accompany.

Available from:
Amazon (£10)
Waterstones (£22)

River Cottage Veg Every Day by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

With over 200 recipes, this vegetarian cookbook is an encyclopedia of knowledge. Vegetables are the star of the show in recipes such as linguine with mint and almond pesto, baby carrot risotto, new potato gnocchi and a a spring onion gallette. Try some inventive snacks and sides such as spinach pasties, beetroot hummus or roast squash wedges.

Available from:
Amazon (£8.42)

More vegetarian recipe inspiration

For more vegan and vegetarian meal inspiration, check out our recipe collections online, plus check out our BBC Good Food: Vegan Meals Cookbook to find 101 easy and delicious recipes that prove plant-based cooking doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. All recipes in the book are triple-tested by the BBC Good Food team so you know they’ll work every time.

This review was last updated in November 2020. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.

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