2020’s New Vegan Cookbooks Will Tempt Your Taste Buds All Year Long
When I went vegan in 1988, there were, as far as I could tell, only two vegan cookbooks in existence. I probably made every recipe in them at least a few dozen times. Thankfully, things are very different today. It’s nearly impossible to keep up with the hundreds and hundreds of vegan cookbooks that have been released over the last decade or so. To help you narrow down which you should buy, here’s a list of 2020 vegan cookbooks that we’re most looking forward to. Whether you’re looking to stop supporting the horrific treatment of sensitive and intelligent animals in animal agriculture, start helping to preserve what remains of our natural environment, or improve your own health (or hey, why not all three?), these cookbooks will help make it simple—and delicious—to do so.
Vegan Christmas Cookies & Cocoa
Perfect for the holiday season, this vegan cookbook by Audrey Dunham has recipes for all your favorite Christmas treats, including classic cookies, winter lattes, and even homemade marshmallows. There are also tips for making each recipe gluten-free. Don’t miss these festive goodies.
Hemp Can Change the World
This cookbook by chef Shadi Ramey is eco-friendly and full of healthy vegan and gluten-free recipes like hemp heart tabbouleh, hemp-mushroom chili, and hemp-crusted mushroom tacos.
Tofu n’ Tequila
This vegan cookbook from TikTok star Chase Overholt is a colorful and fun dive into vegan cooking. Chase adds a fun twist by including cocktail recipes that are perfectly paired with the dishes. Our personal favorite? Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread—with a cup of Irish coffee, of course!
Living Lively: 80 Plant-Based Recipes to Activate Your Power and Feed Your Potential
Vegan teen influencer Haile Thomas launched this unique cookbook that also features tips for leading an authentic and meaningful life. She sprinkles wellness tips and gratitude journaling prompts among the healthful vegan recipes to encourage readers to make positive changes in all aspects of their lives.
Vegan Hippie Sol: Delicious Recipes for the Plant-Based Soul!
Vegan Hippie Sol features 20 vegan soul food recipes from chef Dominique Williamson of Vegan Hippie Café. She grew up eating biscuits and gravy, creamed corn, and other Southern classics, so she gave them a vegan spin in this cookbook. Smokin’ sausage biscuits and gravy, BBQ pulled “pork” sandwiches, and Philly cheez steaks are just a few dishes you can look forward to.
The Friendly Vegan Cookbook
Toni Okamoto and Michelle Cehn teamed up for a cookbook that’s all about entertaining a crowd with show-stopping vegan dishes. This book features easy-to-prepare, flavor-packed dishes such as fettuccine Alfredo, shepherd’s pie, and lasagna that are sure to impress all your guests.
Modern Love Community Cookzine
This unique cookbook brings together recipes and stories about vegan cooking during the pandemic from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and other New York City chefs. It even features the recipe for the beloved Mac & Shews from Brooklyn-based restaurant Modern Love. The digital version of the cookbook is free to download, and physical copies can be ordered on the Modern Love website.
The Vegenaise Cookbook
Follow Your Heart, creators of the much-loved Vegenaise, have put together a cookbook full of inventive ways to use this delicious egg-free mayonnaise spread. The Vegenaise Cookbook features more than 80 nutritious, indulgent, and family-friendly vegan recipes, from Crispy Mushroom Po’ Boy Sandwiches to the decadent Blender Blackout Double Chocolate Cake. You can pick up your copy in stores and online starting on July 7.
BOSH!: Healthy Vegan
BOSH! is the biggest and fastest-growing plant-based food channel on the web, reaching more than 25 million people—and in this case, 25 million people definitely aren’t wrong. Henry Firth and Ian Theasby reliably come up with crave-worthy, imaginative recipes that are easy and fun to follow. This is their third cookbook, which will be focused on healthier fare, and it hits stores on January 28.
Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes
A new cookbook from James Beard Award–winning chef and food justice activist Bryant Terry is always excellent news, and when it’s his first in nearly six years, it’s a save-the-date occasion (February 11, for the record). Terry’s recipes are healthy, innovative, and intensely flavorful. A few I’m looking forward to are Barbecued Carrots with Slow-Cooked White Beans, Citrus & Garlic-Herb-Braised Fennel, and Caramelized Leek & Seared Mushroom Toast.
Eat for the Planet Cookbook
This follow-up to the eye-opening 2018 book Eat for the Planet contains animal- and planet-friendly recipes from a host of top vegan chefs, restaurants, and companies—even a few from our PETA coworkers! If you’re not familiar with the devastating effect of animal agriculture on our planet, this book will bring you up to speed and show you how to counter it without sacrificing flavor.
The Vegan Ketogenic Diet Cookbook
The ketogenic diet, also known as “keto,” is a high-fat, low-carb way of eating, and while PETA doesn’t advocate any diet in particular (except vegan eating!), if you’re going to follow it, do it compassionately with plant-based foods. This book tells you everything you need to know to get started with vegan keto. Its 75 recipes include versions of familiar favorites like tacos, pho, shepherd’s pie, and a selection of desserts.
So Vegan in 5 Ingredients
A number of books have focused on vegan recipes with five or fewer ingredients, but this one by Roxy Pope and Ben Pook caught my attention when I saw a recipe for five-ingredient, from-scratch ravioli. I know, right? Other intriguing options include Rich Ragu, Super Squash Sheet Pan Bake, and Grilled Cinnamon Plums.
The Peruvian Vegan Cookbook
The cuisine of Peru is distinctive and delicious. In this new cookbook, Enid Soto-Lopez and Elias Lopez give us 50 intriguing vegan Peruvian recipes that you can make with ingredients that are readily available in grocery stores. If you’re a spice wimp like me, you’ll be pleased to hear that these recipes aren’t spicy—but they do include tips on adding heat if you’d like to. Pan-Fried Mushrooms with Olive Cream, Green Corn Purée with Crunchy Tofu, and even a take on Ceviche made with mushrooms are just a few of the recipes that you’ll find in this cookbook.
Vegan for Everyone: 160 Family Friendly Recipes With a Delicious, Modern Twist
Maybe you don’t aspire to accumulate dozens of vegan cookbooks. Maybe you’re looking for one book that can do it all. The latest release from Laura Theodore (aka PBS’ “Jazzy Vegetarian“) looks like a great candidate: Its 160 vegan recipes are kid-friendly, are simple, use easy-to-find ingredients, and are beautifully photographed—and 135 of them are even gluten-free! There’s also a comprehensive, up-to-date chapter on plant-based nutrition as well as a guide to stocking your kitchen with vegan essentials. Here are just some of her tempting recipes: Crazy-Easy BBQ Portobello Burgers, Cauliflower Steaks with Sweet Pepper Sauce, and Mad Mocha Marbled Mousse Pie.
Vegan Foodporn: 100 Easy and Delicious Recipes
Author Bianca Zapatka’s impressive Instagram has more than half a million followers, so it’s no surprise that when this book was released in Germany last September, it quickly became that country’s bestselling vegan cookbook that year. And lucky for us, the English-language version becomes available this year. The recipes include step-by-step photos, and a few dishes that look promising include the Vanilla Pancakes with Blueberry Cream and White Chocolate, Burrito Samosas with Guacamole, and Tortellini with Almond Ricotta.
Southern Vegan: Delicious Down-Home Recipes for Your Plant-Based Diet
A totally objective fact: Vegan comfort food based on traditions of the American South is the best thing in the world. Thanks to Lauren Hartmann—the creator of the Rabbit and Wolves website—even if you’re not lucky enough to live near a restaurant specializing in this cuisine, you can now make beignets, chicken biscuits, pot pies, jalapeño hushpuppies, and Mississippi mud cheesecake without harming any animals.
Love Is Served: Inspired Plant-Based Recipes From Southern California
Although it started out in San Francisco, Café Gratitude is probably the most Southern California restaurant in Southern California: All of its dish names are positive self-affirmations. It’s a cute gimmick that’s backed up with seriously legit food. Now you can serve its most beloved recipes—including “I Am Warm-Hearted” (grilled polenta with mushroom ragout), “I Am Gracious” (sundried tomato pesto grain salad), and “I Am Passionate” (black lava cake)—in your own home. Whether you require your family to say, “Could you please pass the ‘I Am Fearless’?” is totally up to you
Gluten-Free, Vegan Cooking in Your Instant Pot: 65 Delicious Whole Food Recipes for a Plant-Based Diet
Kathy Hester is the author of a number of specialized vegan cookbooks. Her books on recipes for air fryers and slow cookers are well-worn favorites at my house, and if you’re one of the many people who have simplified their cooking routines with an Instant Pot, I’m sure this book will be similarly indispensable for you. The vegan, gluten-free recipes range from Chickpeas and Dumplings and Veggie Hunter’s Lentil Quinoa Stew to from-scratch yogurt and sliceable cheese and Almond Berry Cake.
Wait, That’s Vegan?!: Plant-Based Meatballs, Burgers, Steaks and Other Dishes You Thought You’d Never Eat Again!
Full disclosure: I was drawn to this book because the first part of the title is something people say to me all the time. This cookbook from first-time author and plant-based nutritionist Lisa Dawn Angerame focuses on delicious vegan versions of familiar dishes such as meatballs, burgers, pasta with Bolognese sauce, and egg salad. It’s a great option for new and aspiring vegans who are worried that they’ll have to eat strange new food—or for experienced vegans who still sometimes crave the flavors of their childhood.
Vegan Yack Attack’s Plant-Based Meal Prep: Weekly Meal Plans and Recipes to Streamline Your Vegan Lifestyle
Cookbooks often say that they’re designed for busy people, but I’ve never been more confident that’s actually true than when I read that Jackie Sobon‘s upcoming one includes the category “Car Breakfasts.” In addition to recipes, the book contains shopping lists, checklists, and a step-by-step guide for making prep day as efficient as possible. In short, I really need this book. Maybe you do, too.
*****
Looking for even more options? Check out this list of some of our all-time favorite cookbooks!
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