Veganuary: The Best Vegan Cookbooks

2 years ago

Cook up a vegan feast with these plant-based recipe books

This post may contain affiliate links. Learn more

Brooke Lark on Unsplash

The recent emergence of innovative and exciting vegan cookbooks has turned the concept of plant-based eating on its head, with tofu and lentils (unless seriously jazzed up) ditched for indulgent jackfruit curries and delicious seitan Sunday roasts. Vegan cookbooks are no longer an oddity, but inviting and essential guides to be devoured whatever the occasion. In fact, according to The Vegan Society, ‘Waterstones have over 10,000 book titles with the word ‘vegan’ in them available for sale (as of November 2020) compared to 944 in August 2018′. With this in mind, we highlight some of our favourites.

The Best Vegan Cookbooks

Celebrate: Plant Based Recipes for Every Occasion

Vegan in 7: Delicious plant-based recipes in 7 ingredients or fewer

You won’t find any complicated recipes in this cookbook; every dish uses just seven ingredients or less, without compromising on taste. Homing in on natural and organic produce, author Rita Sorano’s approach to a plant-based diet is undemanding and overall, nutritious, which is exactly what you can expect from her debut cookbook. Kyle Books, £5.25, amazon.co.uk

How to be Vegan and Keep Your Friends

For anyone who has ever fretted that taking up a plant-based diet might afford them friends or make social dining difficult, this book is for you. Not only does this innovative cookbook contain over 50 plant-based recipes, it’s also filled with helpful hacks for making a vegan diet as plain sailing as possible. Quadrille Publishing Ltd, £9.70, amazon.co.uk

Eat Smart: What to Eat in a Day

With over one million followers on both YouTube and Instagram, Niomi Smart’s ever-growing influence has branded her a leading inspiration when it comes to conscious living. Her debut cookbook, launched back in 2016, is packed with easy-to-follow and healthy plant-based recipes, from smoothie bowls to beetroot burgers to homemade oat cakes with almond butter. HarperCollins, £9.44, amazon.co.uk

One Pot Vegan

From the founders of vegan food platform SO VEGAN comes this innovative plant-based cookbook. Comprising 80 inspired recipes, each only necessitating one pan, tray or pot (hallelujah to less washing up), you’ll find recipes ranging from the likes of rainbow noodles and loaded potato wedges to hearty dinners and indulgent desserts. Michael Joseph, £15, amazon.co.uk

Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a F**k

Rebuking the concept of veganism as boring, Thug Kitchen are on a mission to prove that you can still be vegan and, as they put it, ‘a total badass in the kitchen’. From spicing up tofu with a smoky maple marinade to serving up roasted beer and lime cauliflower tacos, you won’t find an unimaginative recipe in this book – but you will find plenty use of the F word. Sphere, £15.16, amazon.co.uk

Leon Fast Vegan

From the vegan fast food pioneers that revolutionsed plant-based eating on-the-go (rivalling the likes of Burger King and McDonald’s) comes this 200 recipe-full cookbook crammed with plant-inspired dishes fit for every occasion, from brunch to quick suppers to wholesome cakes and bakes. If you love Leon’s ‘naturally fast food’, this book is a must-have. Conran, £24.45, amazon.co.uk

Homemade Vegan Pantry

This one’s for the plant-based baker who prefers to make things from scratch. American chef Miyoko Schinner’s Homemade Vegan Pantry will be your essential guide to creating your very own vegan pantry-filling staples, from butter and mayonnaise to pancake mix and pasta sauce. Ten Speed Press, £15.95, amazon.co.uk

Feed Me Vegan For All Occasions

Formerly part of the Made in Chelsea cast, devoted vegan advocate Lucy Watson has since turned her hand to promoting the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle, starting with her debut cookbook Feed Me Vegan. Her follow-up title, Feed Me Vegan: For All Occasions offers vegan recipe ideas for, as the title suggests, all occasions, from entertaining guests to evenings that call for speedy meals – think vegan sausage rolls, mushroom pie, a Sunday roast starring seitan and more. Little, Brown Book Group, £18.99, littlebrown.co.uk

Zaika: Vegan Recipes from India

Plant-based eating meets Indian cuisine in this vibrant cookbook from chef and food writer Romy Gill MBE. Featuring more than 100 flavourful vegan recipes, from gram flour turmeric pancakes to jackfruit sabzi, Zaika is sure to spice up any plant-based diet. Seven Dials, £15, amazon.co.uk

Deliciously Ella: Quick & Easy

The fifth release from plant-based food expert and entrepreneur Ella Mills, Deliciously Ella: Quick & Easy does what it says on the tin. A compilation of speedy vegan dishes ideal for those looking to adapt a plant-based lifestyle with as much ease as possible, recipes range from the likes of garlicky broccoli and beans to a hearty jackfruit curry, plus approximate cooking times so you’ll know exactly how long to set aside for cooking and prep. Yellow Kite, £19.45, amazon.co.uk

The Contented Vegan

The ultimate guide to becoming a ‘contended vegan’, this heartening cookbook from food writer Peggy Brusseau – who has enjoyed a vegan diet herself for the past 30 years – contains everything you need to know about adopting a plant-based lifestyle, from practical pointers to over 100 tasty recipes catering for every occasion. Head of Zeus, £25, waterstones.com

Recipe: The Contented Vegan’s Sweet Sunday Rolls

Celebrate: Plant Based Recipes for Every Occasion

Bettina Campolucci Bordi‘s newest cookbook, Celebrate, aims to cut the stress from cooking – whatever the event. Packed with plant-based recipes spanning Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, birthdays, picnics, summer BBQs and formal dinner parties, this is a vegan cookbook you’ll want in your arsenal. A bonus? Gluten-free, free-from and seasonal alternatives are provided for each recipe, so nobody will feel excluded. Hardie Grant Books, £15.69, amazon.co.uk

Recipe: Creamy Sweet Potato and Leek Bake

Featured image: Brooke Lark on Unsplash