If you need cookbook gift ideas for the home cook or food lover in your life, we’ve gathered some of our favorites for this holiday season!
If you know somebody who loves to cook, giving them the gift of a new cookbook will almost always be a welcome treat — at least if you know a little something about their interests!
For example, if you know they can’t stop watching Great British Bake Off, a cookbook from the series would probably delight them. Is your son-in-law trying to get your granddaughter to be a less picky eater? Maybe this kids’ cookbook could inspire her.
We’ve featured recipes from a wide range of different cookbooks recently that offer home cooks an incredible breadth of food and drink ideas, from Salvadoran classics to pop artist-inspired cocktails. And for good measure, we’re also rounding up some other popular and distinct recent publications that will make your holiday shopping even easier.
So whether you’re assembling a wishlist for yourself or shopping for a loved one, these cookbook gift ideas are bound to have something you’re looking for this Christmas, Hanukkah, and beyond!
Thoughtful Cooking: Recipes Rooted in the New South by William Stark Dissen
Chef Dissen was kind enough to share two recipes from this book with us — his grilled plums with spiced mascarpone and summer squash with homemade garlic chili crisp. They’re a good window into what you’ll find within the pages of his cookbook and at his North Carolina restaurants.
Modern Asian Kitchen by Kat Lieu
Similarly, popular cookbook author Kat Lieu shared two recipes with us this year — Chinese peanut butter cookies (AKA hua sheng bing) and her Auspicious Longevity Noodles. Both are popular for special occasions including Lunar New Year (which is right around the corner), just one of the reasons this cookbook would make a great gift.
Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! Over 75 Fresh Ideas for Every Pizza Night by Sara Haas
I can’t stop thinking about the BBQ kale and matchstick apple pizza recipe in this new pizza-obsessed book. And I’m sure there’s someone in your life who is equally obsessed with pizza and who won’t be able to put this down!
Latin-ish: More Than 100 Recipes Celebrating American Latino Cuisines by Marisa Salazar
Whether you want Cuban-inspired guava thumbprint cookies this holiday season or New Mexico-style breakfast burritos every Saturday, this new cookbook has something for you. Drawing from food traditions across a continent (and then some) and innovations and experiments here in the United States, this cookbook is an incredible portrait of one of the most significant and diverse culinary forces in our nation.
Nosh: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine by Micah Siva
You don’t have to be a member of the tribe to appreciate this cookbook, but it certainly does make an excellent Hanukkah gift! Siva let us feature two Passover recipes from the book — her potato kugel and herby Passover salad — but the book is brimming with recipes that make sense year-round. As the name suggests, this is also a great gift for anyone who’s trying to insert more veggies into their diet.
Sip Me, Baby, One More Time: Cocktails Inspired by Pop Music’s Iconic Women by Ashley Gibson
The title really says it all here — if you know any cocktail fans who love Lana Del Ray, Beyoncé, or Lady Gaga — this gift is a slam dunk. It’s not just a safe bet for the millennial women in your life, but anyone who appreciates a little whimsy, flair, and lyricism. Gibson let us run one of the Taylor Swift cocktail recipes in the book, one of the artists who shows up the most in its pages.
The Contemporary African Kitchen: Home Cooking Recipes from the Leading Chefs of Africa by Alexander Smalls
A truly unique offering, this new cookbook chronicles some of the sprawling array of recipes emerging from across the African continent today, from Scallops with Hibiscus Sauce in West Africa to a deviled eggs recipe from Ethiopia. Catch our Q&A with the book’s co-author.
Hot Sheet: Sweet and Savory Sheet Pan Recipes for Every Day and Celebrations by Olga Massov & Sanaë Lemoine
Who doesn’t appreciate a good sheet pan recipe? This book is dedicated to the straightforward and practical while prioritizing deliciousness. And really, what more can we ask for? You may want to grab this early so you can crack it open and cook the crispy mac & cheese for the holidays before gifting the book to the exhausted parent in your life!
SalviSoul Cookbook: Salvadoran Recipes & The Women That Preserve Them by Karla Tatiana Vasquez
As Central America’s smallest country, El Salvador is often overlooked. But with millions of people of Salvadoran descent living in the United States, it’s about time a major publishing house put out an English-language cookbook highlighting recipes like the pastelitos de hongos (mushrooms) you’ll find in here.
As the name suggests, the book captures the soul of Salvadoran food across two nations, as well as the women behind the recipes and their stories.
Braids: Recipes From My Pacific Northwest Jewish Kitchen by Sonya Michelle Sanford
Hanukkah might be all about fried foods like sufganiyot (doughnuts) and more famously, latkes. But that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped thinking about these Passover brownies with tahini ever since Sanford shared the recipe with us! It’s another great cookbook gift for Hanukkah — or anyone with ties to the Pacific Northwest!
More Cookbook Gift Ideas
If money were no object, I’d order all these cookbooks for myself. Here are some of the most compelling recently released cookbooks that I haven’t had a chance to dive into for Food Fanatic yet but that I hope will appear here in some capacity soon.
- Madame Vo: Vietnamese Home Cooking from the New York Restaurant by Jimmy Ly and Yen Vo
- Belly Full: Exploring Caribbean Cuisine through 11 Fundamental Ingredients and over 100 Recipes by Lesley Enston
- Dinner at Our Place: Recipes for Gathering by Shiza Shahid & Friends of Our Place
- Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking: Vegan Recipes, Tips, and Techniques by Joe Yonan
- Zaytinya: Delicious Mediterranean Dishes from Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon by José Andrés
- The Bartender’s Pantry: A Beverage Handbook for the Universal Bar by Jimmy Meehan and Bart Sasso
- Our South: Black Food Through My Lens by Ashleigh Shanti
- You Gotta Eat: Real-Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself When Cooking Feels Impossible by Margaret Eby
- Di An: The Salty, Sour, Sweet, and Spicy Flavors of Vietnamese Cooking with TwayDaBae by Tue Nguyen
- When Southern Women Cook: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes with Contributions from 70 Women Writers by America’s Test Kitchen
Don’t miss our edible food gift ideas, too!