20 Great Cookbooks to Give as Gifts This Year

Ina Garten’s latest book Modern Comfort Food is an absolute pleasure (as expected) and the perfect companion for the chilly months to come. Learn how to make plenty of delicious, simple meals and treats with recipes you’ll be bookmarking for many more references. $21 at amazon.com

We’ll take the carnitas poutine and guava cheesecake bars from Esteban Castillo in Chicano Eats in a heartbeat. Dive in for great traditional Mexican recipes as well as delicious mashups from his beloved blog of the same name. $16 at amazon.com

Allow pastry whiz and food stylist extraordinaire Erin Jeanne McDowell to be your pie professor with this full breakdown of the art (and delights) of pie. The Book on Pie offers not only a book full of recipes (all with photographs) but the tools to make your own creations from the crust to whipped toppings. Did someone say gingerbread pie crust? $25 at amazon.com

Bryant Terry shows us all the vibrant depth of vegan cooking and the value of plant-based meals. Organized by ingredient, this cookbook full of vegetarian recipes is the ultimate tool for making delicious, filling meals that will convert even the most stubborn carnivores. $27 at amazon.com

Sweets geeks of the world have been hoarding copies of this out-of-print cult classic since it was originally published in 2001. With the latest reissue of Claudia Fleming's masterwork, the rest of us can have a chance to recreate some of that Gramercy Tavern magic at home. The James Beard Award winner has influenced and mentored a generation of pastry chefs, inspiring bakers to incorporate savory elements into their desserts, showcase the flavors of individual ingredients, and celebrate seasonality (happy summer to you, fresh corn ice cream). This book will empower home cooks at every level to nail the basics, and trust their own palate enough to get playful. $25 at amazon.com

No more waiting in long lunch-time lines for those hand-pulled Biang Biang noodles. Fans of New York City’s most popular noodle shop will be delighted with the restaurant’s namesake cookbook, which lets you make all their most popular dishes at home. $31 at amazon.com

There is something so perfectly portable about cookies, and everyone should have a cookbook dedicated to them. Sarah Kieffer’s tri-color Neopolitan cookies, bite-sized brownies, bars, and cream pies will satisfy every type of dessert lover. $25 at amazon.com

James Beard Award-winning chef Maneet Chauhan shares recipes for India’s most iconic dishes, across every corner of the country. From Chicken Momo Dumplings from Guwahati in Assam to Warm-Spiced Carrot and Semolina Pudding from Amritsar, these delicious dishes deserve a spot in every household’s weeknight rotation. $28 at amazon.com

Dominique Ansel’s pastry creations speak for themselves (the Cronut is still a resident sensation to this day), but in this cookbook, he breaks down the fundamentals of delicious desserts everyone can try. Learn the basics of shortbread, custards, and of course the perfect chocolate cake. $16 at amazon.com

Somali chef Hawa Hassan and food writer Julia Turshen compiled 75 recipes from Eastern and Southern Africa: Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea, and South Africa. The result is a powerful patchwork of cuisines and histories across the continent, all painted with delicious foods and traditions that readers and cooks will love to share. $22 at amazon.com

Martha Stewart would never leave us high and dry in 2020, and this collection of cake recipes is proof of that. Whether you’re a frosting obsessive or torte lover, these whipped, baked, and layered beauties are as great for birthdays as they are for bad days at work. Seek and delight yourself and your loved ones. $16 at amazon.com

We can’t say enough about Nik Sharma’s latest cookbook, and we’re not at all surprised that it’s already selling out in hardcover. Grab it on Kindle now to enjoy the most informative and thoughtful approach to cooking in 2020, or order it for delivery in February for a pick-me-up hardcover. $10 at amazon.com

A favorite winner of The Great British Baking Show now has a cookbook inspired by her own show of the same name. Time to Eat is the ultimate busy home cook’s guide to prepping and workarounds for delicious meals while cutting out unnecessary prep work. Repurpose leftovers and save both time and resources while feeding the family excellent meals. $22 at amazon.com

We should all have a snacking cake after this year, as a treat. Yossy Arefi’s collection of tasty treats for breakfast or dessert are deserving of a weekly rotation. Nectarine and cornmeal upside-down cake? Don’t mind if we do. $22 at amazon.com

Delightful for the whole family, we’ll be doing Christmas in July too with Kim-Joy’s treats. The former GBBO contestant creates chocolate igloos with marshmallow seals and penguin bao buns—some of the cutest treats you’ll ever see. Her latest book will show you how to make them yourself. $18 at amazon.com

Lara Lee’s Indonesian kitchen earns a place on our bookshelves with this collection of delicious ideas. Though we might not be traveling far again just yet, her recipes will transport us just as well. Learn to make the spicy relishes, or sambals, that bring the traditional dishes together, and feast on chilli prawn satay and pandan cake. $35 at amazon.com

Any Fixer Upper lover or home cook with a large family will be glad to have Joanna Gaines’s second cookbook. Homestyle meals will suit even the pickiest eaters, and easily multiply for larger gatherings (when it’s safe to host those again). $20 at amazon.com

Southern cooks have lauded this new edition from Kelly Fields and Kate Heddings, and these core recipes for cornbread, quickbreads, muffins, and more will round out meals every season of the year. Everyone deserves to have quality fried chicken at least once a month. $31 at amazon.com

Ayesha Curry’s first cookbook contains 100 recipes for busy families, from sheet pan dinners to takeout favorites. Try the crab bucatini, mushroom tacos, or honey hot chicken sandwiches, all great for kids and adults. $17 at amazon.com

We’ll never go through another winter without these diner classics to serve on the weekends. Comfort food is the name of the game, after all, and lamb tostadas and potato skillets are what will get us through the long, cold months ahead. $30 at amazon.com