Best vegan cookbooks for beginners
I've been vegetarian for many decades - in fact I've never cooked a non-vegetarian meal - and I'm cooking more vegan meals so I thought it would be useful to share some vegan cookbooks suitable for beginners - whether you're new to cooking or new to vegan lifestyle.
So which cookery books do I use and which ones do I think might be helpful to vegan newbies?
Read on to find out!
Isa Does It Appetite for Reduction I Can Cook Vegan
by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
My very first vegan cookbook was Isa Does It and I loved that it was different to any other cookbook that I owned at the time.
It's punky, punchy American style was such a change to my usual UK cookbooks but I soaked it up. Some of the ingredients and terminology were new to me but I got stuck in and a whole new world of cooking and tastes were opened up to me.
There's some instructions for newbies in here such as how to cut tofu and tempeh and how to make seitan - I'd never even heard of tempeh or seitan when I bought this book!
As well as using the conversion chart from imperial/cups to metric, I invested in a set of cup measures and I'm glad I did - they get so much use.
Although the instructions are clear and easy to follow, I think this might be more suited to a confident cook rather than an inexperienced cook but if you're adventurous then go for it!
There's over 150 recipes and I use this book every week - I love it.. this is definitely the book to prove that vegan food isn't boring!
My next vegan cookbook was Appetite for Reduction with 125 fast and filling low fat recipes.
I tend to use this book more in Summer when we feel like lighter meals but there's a great variety of meals here and as they're low fat, you can increase the portions if you feel you need a little more..
I love the section on sandwiches (as this is something I usually struggle with) and an appendix of recipes by type - gluten free, soy-free, recipes under 30 minutes, recipes with downtime etc
Although there aren't many photographs, the instructions are clear and there's lots of extra hints and tips so I think this book might be suited to a confident cook due to some long ingredients lists.
The next Isa book that I bought was I Can Cook Vegan and I think this one is definitely suitable for newbie cooks and new/tentative vegans.
Inside there's more than 125 recipes, a photograph for every one and the recipes have measurements in cups and metric (yeah). Some of the ingredients might be unusual for UK but the majority are readily available.
The Happy Pear The World of the Happy Pear The Happy Pear: Recipes for Happiness The Happy Pear: Vegan Cooking for Everyone
by David and Stephen Flynn
I was unsure whether to include The Happy Pear books as suitable for beginners because some of the recipes have a large ingredients list, some recipes take quite some time and not all recipes are vegan in three of the books (vegan substitutes can be made).
However the focus of the books is very much on healthy eating (such as low-fat) and plant-based diet and there's lots of advice for newbies around ingredients and techniques.
With that said, lets dive in to these books from the Flynn twins from Ireland!
The Happy Pear was the first book I owned from the Flynn twins and I found it interesting enough to own more of their books.
Not all of recipes in here are vegan (some have dairy in but are easily substituted) but the vast majority are dairy- gluten- and sugar-free.
There's interesting sections on their background, some basic recipes as well as more complex ones - the focus is definitely on the health food side and there's plenty of curry based ideas in the Mains section.
This book might be suited to an adventurous beginner who's interested in the healthy eating side of vegetarian/vegan lifestyle.
The World of the Happy Pear was the next Flynn twins book that I owned and it's the same idea as the first book - the focus is on healthy eating, most recipes are vegan or easily veganised and most recipes have photos.
Again this book might be suited to an adventurous beginner who's interested in the healthy eating side of vegetarian/vegan lifestyle.
The Happy Pear: Recipes for Happiness was the next Flynn twins book that I owned and guess what... it the same ideas as the first books - the focus is on healthy eating, most recipes are vegan or easily veganised.
You'll find a section on creating vegan alternatives such as mayonnaise, feta, mozzarella and a section on pickling and fermenting and there's still plenty of curry and chilli recipes, some great bread recipes, quick mains, lunch ideas for children and healthy eating advice.
I think this is a well-rounded book as there's something for everyone and I keep discovering more (there's over 100 recipes) - I'm going to try the Jumbo Jaffa Cake recipe next.
Highly recommended and possibly a bit more suited to beginners than the first two books - there's generally fewer ingredients and more variety but there is a smaller section on ingredients and cupboard essentials.
The last book from the twins that I have is The Happy Pear: Vegan Cooking for Everyone.
As the title says, this book is 100% vegan with over 200 recipes but the layout is different - it's more about techniques rather than following a recipe.
For example, there's one method for making burgers but three different variations on that burger and there's one method for stewed fruit but four variations on fruits to use.
The idea is to teach you how to cook and work with flavours and ingredients - there's sections on tastes, flavours, spices and texture.
This book really does teach you how to take your cooking to the next level and be creative and improvise, so might be suited to an adventurous beginner.
The Vegan 8 evolved as a result of illness in Brandi's family with the focus on health and ease of cooking, with 8 ingredients or fewer in recipes.
Inside there's 100 recipes and all of the recipes are dairy-free and most are oil-free, gluten-free, and nut-free.
Some recipes do say that nuts and beans need to be soaked overnight so you must check the recipes ahead of time. There are quite a few recipes with beans in here but you can use canned beans, which are cheap and readily available.
There's a thorough introduction to tips, tricks, techniques and ingredients and there's a photograph for every recipe.
Although this is an American book, the recipes have cups and metric quantities which is really helpful.
Overall, a great book for new vegans and those new to cooking.
The Original Vegan Cookbook for Beginners really is what is says it is!
You'll find useful information on how to ensure you have the correct nutrition from your new way of living and eating and some veganized versions of favourites such as brownies, mac 'n' cheese and ice cream.
There's breakfasts, main meals and some great desserts - all aimed at the new vegan, ingredients are relatively easy to source and recipes are written step by step so are suitable for the beginner cook.
Highly recommended!
Fast & Easy Vegan Cookbook also is exactly what is says - 100 easy no-fuss fast recipes, some with a few as 5 ingredients and some with no cooking at all!
There's a chart towards the beginning of the book to identify gluten-, nut-, oil- and soy-free recipes.
While there's nothing really groundbreaking in this book, it is a good starting point for new vegans and a bargain if you can find this second hand.
Fuss-Free Vegan is fab and has 101 easy recipes to get you started with vegan cooking.
You'll find a really helpful introduction to ingredients, kitchen basics and things that might be new, such as soaking cashews to make sauces.
There aren't any fancy ingredients or 'fake meats' but there are veganized versions of favourites such as chocolate cake and cheesecake.
This is a lovely chatty happy book with lots of photographs and a good starting point for new vegans.
Next we'll look at books that are aimed at those on a tight budget and first up is Vegan(ish) by Jack Monroe.
As Jack is known for her budget friendly recipes, this is what you get here - 100 budget recipes!
There are some more expensive ingredients in this book (saffron and jackfruit, for example) but a little does go a long way and you can sometime find jackfruit in a budget supermarket.
Jack makes the point that by cutting out the expensive ingredients such as meat and dairy, you can include a few of these more luxury items.
You'll find a useful introduction section on kitchen equipment and ingredients - I haven't seen many other beginner vegan cookbooks talk about aquafaba, which is the liquid that canned pulsed are stored in - don't throw this away.
I like the sandwich section - it can sometimes be a struggle to put together a vegan sandwich for fussy eaters and this has lots of suggestions.
Recommended for the new vegan on a budget!
Vegan One Pound Meals is another 'vegan on a budget' book, with over 85 recipes, each one under £1 per portion.
With some of the recipes you could be left over with some ingredients (such as half an onion) but I batch cook these recipes or use the leftovers in one of the other recipes.
There are photos for every recipe and while there aren't any desserts, there are plenty of tasty meals in here.
Recipes are for 1 serving, so ideal if you're living on your own or just need to cook 1 vegan portion.
Recommended for the new vegan on a budget!
LIV B's Vegan on a Budget ticks a few boxes:
it's suitable for beginner cooks and new vegans
the recipes are mainly straight forward with easy-to-follow instructions
most are reasonably low cost
112 recipes to see you through the day
There's isn't much groundbreaking here (does there always have to be though?), not every recipe has a photograph and you will need some measuring cups.
One Pot Vegan has 80 vegan recipes that can be made in one pot, one pan or one tray.
There's some exciting and tasty recipes in here (including desserts) but all really achievable and clear details are given about which pots/pans/trays are best for each recipe.
Some ingredients might be a little more unusual or not budget friendly (for example sumac, walnuts) but lots of alternatives are given.
Recommended for the new vegan who doesn't like faffing around with lots of pots and pans!
Hamlyn All Colour Cookery is a no-nonsense cookbook with 200 recipes, using every day ingredients, with a photograph of every recipe.
In this little book, there's breakfast, snack, main meal, bread and dessert recipes - it's a good no fuss, no nonsense, every day vegan cookbook at a bargain price.... not much more to say on this one!
I was unsure whether to include The 30-Minute Vegan as it's possibly a little dated - it's from 2009 and there's only a handful of black and white photographs.
If you're looking for a coffee table book.... this isn't it!
However what you will find in here is over 175 healthy vegan recipes for salads, snack, wraps, bowls, light meals, soups, smoothies, main meals and desserts.
The recipes are designed for those transitioning to veganism and there's 'raw' food options in here as well.
There's also variations on the recipes if you have longer than 30 minutes available and some tips and tricks to make your cooking easier.
Measurements are in cups, so measuring cups are handy here.
As I say, not a pretty coffee table book but a good workhorse with healthy fast recipes.
Let's look at some more well-known books and authors next - starting with Dirty Vegan: Proper Banging Vegan Food
This is along the same punky lines as Isa's books and it's a decent beginners guide to vegan cooking.
The focus is on healthy cooking, there's over 80 recipes and it does include some recipes to recreate 'meaty' dishes (which can be positive and negative) and there's a photograph for every recipe.
There's a largish bio section bio section at beginning of the book which I'm not really interested in as I buy cookbooks for recipes but I understand that some people like to know of others 'vegan journey'.
Matt has written another book Dirty Vegan: Another Bite which I don't own but I'll add to my Christmas list - it's more of the same as the first book so I've included them both in this review!
Both of these are a bargain if you can find them at Used price..
I was unsure whether to include Oh She Glows as it isn't a book that I use regularly but I think I'll take it off the shelf more now.
There's a good ingredients section with tips and ideas about how to transition to vegan lifestyle and over 100 recipes to take you through the day.
Although the focus of the book is on healthy food, there are fats and sugars in the recipes, so this is something to bear in mind if you're looking to reduce these.
Recommended for beginners and those new to vegan lifestyle.
This is a bargain if you can find it at Used price..
Angela has also written Oh She Glows Every Day - I don't own this book but it does seem to be similar to the first book although some recipes take longer and as Angela now has a family, there's ideas for making the recipes children friendly.
I have a few of Hugh's books but I've chosen River Cottage Much More Veg as it puts veg firmly centre stage in 175 recipes.
You won't find desserts in here (but you will find fruit in main courses) and there's spices and grains in abundance and there isn't any bread, pasta, noodles or pastry - many of the recipes are gluten-free.
This book is a celebration of vegetables, there's a photo for each recipe and some suggested variations, which is great if you 'grow your own'.
As vegetables are cheaper than meat and dairy, most of these recipes are budget friendly but not necessarily time friendly if you have to roast veg.
I think this would be suited to an adventurous beginner cook or someone wanted to take their veg cooking to the next level - highly recommended for veg lovers, fans of tapas/mezze and those looking for healthy options.
Another of Hugh's vegetable based books is River Cottage Veg Every Day - this isn't vegan as recipes contain eggs and dairy but it is still a great source of vegan recipes.
We hope these short reviews have helped you - we'll add more items as we try them - please let us know what else you'd like to see.
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