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Listing the best cookbooks of 2024 isn’t a straightforward task. Thousands of brilliant titles get released every year and determining the standouts is inherently subjective. Plus, the task each cookbook sets out to accomplish is unique. Restaurant cookbooks may be filled with innovative techniques and atmospheric photography, but they won’t help someone make a 20-minute meal on a Tuesday night. Likewise, a sheet-pan dinner cookbook might not appeal to the aspiring star baker who wants to tackle more multistep projects in the new year. So to highlight 2024’s standout cookbooks properly, we tapped a wide panel of experts: Bon Appétit and Epicurious staffers, as well as chefs, authors, and creators we admire. The result? A list of fantastic cookbooks that will surely include a book you want to grab for yourself or gift to a friend.
Sheet-pan fans will swoon for Hot Sheet, where authors Olga Massov and Sanaë Lemoine use baking sheets for far more than dinner (frittatas, giant mille-feuilles). Betty Liu, author of The Chinese Way, encourages readers to learn traditional culinary techniques, but she also gives us permission to go off script by treating hot oil noodles like pasta salad. In Make More With Less, author Kitty Coles aims to boost confidence in the kitchen and cut back on waste by providing a set of core recipes that become the base for your next few meals. Amrikan author Khushbu Shah let us in on the secret to making gulab jamun in the US—it’s Bisquick. And cooks with a sweet tooth should immediately explore Bodega Bakes, where author Paola Velez combines her classical French pastry training and Afro-Latin background to deliver corner-store-inspired treats.
Read on for the 19 books that caught our eyes in 2024, ordered alphabetically by title. Which one will you cook from first?
AfriCali by Kiano Moju
Kiano Moju is an incredible talent in the culinary industry. She got her start working at Buzzfeed’s Tasty on the video production team and styling shoots for publications like Vogue. Kiano also previously owned culinary studio Jikoni Studios. Recently, she started Jikoni Recipe Archive, a nonprofit that aims to chronicle African culinary content.
Her first cookbook, AfriCali, offers a beautiful celebration of Nigerian and Kenyan cuisine and shows appreciation for the author’s California upbringing. I was so impressed by the book’s attention to detail in its recipe development. These recipes feel deeply personal; Moju even worked with her grandmother, Koko, on a special family recipe, Koko’s Cabbage. Recipes incorporate eastern and western African flavors, and Moju presents techniques in a way that’s easy for even beginner home cooks to follow. There are few books published by first-generation African authors, and it’s thrilling to see Moju add hers to the lineup. This book is a love letter to the cooking culture of Africa and a service-driven guide to making these recipes in a modern kitchen. Some of my favorite recipes are the Red Pepper Vodka Chicken, the Yassa Poisson, and of course the Jollof Rice. —Abena Anim-Somuah, James Beard Award–winning podcaster of Cherry Bombe's The Future of Food is You, writer, and entrepreneur
Cook from AfriCali: Chickpeas in Coconut Sauce
Amrikan by Khushbu Shah
In Amrikan, acclaimed food writer Khushbu Shah ushers readers into a special and unique world of Indian-American cooking. She debunks myths around Indian cuisine and offers historical insight about the way American staples like ketchup, Rice Krispies cereal, peanut butter, and Bisquick found their way into Indian American pantries of families like Shah's.
Amrikan stands out in the landscape of 2024 cookbooks because it expanded my view of what American eating truly is. Not only does this book offer the kind of historical context you might get in a food studies course, but the recipes are legit delicious and fun! The Maggi Omelet and Jaggery and Fennel Rice Krispie Treats are among my favorites. I've been a fan of Shah's work since I read her piece “The Vegan Race Wars: How the Mainstream Ignores Vegans of Color” in the 2019 edition of Best American Food Writing. Her annual Best New Chefs in America Lists as Food & Wine Magazine’s former restaurant editor were gospel to me. Khushbu Shah is one of the best of our field—Amrikan makes that even more apparent. —Kia Damon, chef and recipe developer
Cook from Amrikan: Tadka Focaccia
Bodega Bakes by Paola Velez
Bodega Bakes, a dazzling debut from quirky acclaimed Afro-Dominican pastry chef Paola Velez, exudes kitchen expertise and generosity of spirit. As a US culinary diplomat and cofounder of Bakers Against Racism, Paola has written a cookbook that manages to break down intimidating concepts like tempering chocolate and making puff pastry from scratch into digestible methodologies that every home baker will use in their arsenal. Her recipes encapsulate so much of the tropical splendor of the Caribbean’s warm, bright flavors. You’ll see no shortage of tamarind, soursop, and pineapple here, but I also love that she draws inspiration from treats from her local bodega growing up in the Bronx.
Every recipe is a star, but here are some of my favorites: The Bodega Brownie Whoopie Pie recipe with rainbow candy-coated chocolate chips will heal your inner child. Her Passion Fruit & Guava Mascarpone Tart is a beautifully balanced creamy, acidic dessert. And you need to make the Plantain Sticky Buns! They are iconic! —Abi Balingit, baking blogger at The Dusky Kitchen and James Beard Award–winning author of Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed
The Chinese Way by Betty Liu
The Chinese Way, Betty Liu’s follow-up after a stunning debut cookbook, My Shanghai, begs to be read for its wealth of practical knowledge and lovely writing, though it quickly pulls you to the kitchen with its inventive recipes. Liu shows how “forgiving, flexible, and entirely adaptable” Chinese cooking is. She cleverly divides the book into eight chapters, each one dedicated to a fundamental Chinese cooking technique, such as steaming, frying, and boiling. Some of my favorite writing occurs in the chapter openers, where Liu thoroughly and clearly describes each technique, making important differentiations where it’s necessary, for instance between flash-poaching, blanching, and simmering.
Her recipes range from the foundational (e.g., mapo tofu and steamed whole fish) to the surprising (Harissa-Glazed Torn Tofu; Yóu Pō Orzo with Fried Halloumi). She draws from a pantry that offers so much variety—ingredients like preserved lemons, gochujang, and balsamic vinegar are combined brilliantly. In her one-pot rice dish, jasmine rice, soy sauce, and tinned fish are cleverly cooked together, then finished with lemon, butter, and fresh dill. Early in the book Liu describes the feeling of arriving home when she eats her mother’s dishes. As I made her recipes, I also felt that I had arrived home. —Sanaë Lemoine, novelist and cookbook author
The Contemporary African Kitchen by Alexander Smalls with Nina Oduro
The Contemporary African Kitchen celebrates historic cuisines and chefs from the continent of Africa, and the recipes are adapted for the modern home cook anywhere in the world. You’ll find recipes that may be familiar, such as chicken pilau and puff puff, and you may discover new recipes, like I did in the form of the baobab smoothie and plantain frittata. The 30+ contributing chefs (many culinary global superstars in their own right) craft firsthand accounts of their experiences with the dishes they contributed in illuminating headnotes. You’ll learn about history and lore-invoking traditions along the Nile River or what’s served and eaten for a wedding or birth. This is the latest title from multi-hyphenate Alexander Smalls, a Grammy and Tony award–winning opera singer turned first-rate restaurateur and cookbook author. His coauthor, Nina Oduro, is a first-time author and long-time champion of both chefs and food from the African diaspora. Smalls writes with a lyrical frankness that’s both haunting and grippingly honest about the plight of Black Americans, and how we have fought to keep our culinary traditions alive in spite of whiteness informing much of the American existence. This book reveals our shared culinary legacies, offering both salve and instruction to bridge the gaps in our understanding of our culinary lineage. —Vallery Lomas, creator @FoodieInNewYork and author of Life Is What You Bake It
Dac Biet by Nini Nguyen
“Dac biet” literally means something special and chef Nini Nguyen’s cookbook is nothing short of such. The book is textured with bold, colorful recipes and Nguyen offers tips for upgrades, making each one a little extra. Use finger limes instead of limes, palm sugar instead of white; put fried shallots and garlic on everything. Yes, everything. The book is interlaced with distinctive hybrid-style Vietnamese and New Orleans recipes, attributed to Nguyen’s background. Her family immigrated from Phuoc Lam to the Gulf coast in 1975, and the two places share some similarities: French influence and a dominant fishing industry. As such, the recipes in Dac Biet lean heavily on seafood, and offer a clear point of view. Southeast Asian Jambalaya laced with Creole seasoning and lemongrass (which replaces celery in the holy trinity). A po’boy-style bánh mì where cornmeal-fried shrimp are topped with fish-sauce caramel. Doughy, Vietnamese-Style Beignets that are crusted in nutty sesame seeds. It’s splashy, delicious food that will sway you to go all out. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor of cooking at Bon Appétit and Epicurious
Cook from Dac Biet: Cà Ri Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Curry), Bánh Mì Khong (Bánh Mì Bread)
Desi Bakes by Hetal Vasavada
What a joy to bake from a book as beautiful as the recipes it contains. Hetal Vasavada is the rare cookbook author who manages to make eye-catching dessert decorations feel inviting instead of intimidating. Her precisely written recipes showcase a technical prowess that enables her to truly teach through the methods she shares. Her detailed notes hold your hand through techniques and visual cues, so you don’t need a culinary school education to bake a beautiful cookie. She also offers uncompromising ways to “Switch It Up” and “Make It Simple” with alternatives for ingredients, decorations, and flavor profiles. Want to make her Strawberry Lemon Earl Grey Tea Financiers (you do), but aren’t quite up to piping whipped cream atop each little cake? Dip them in chocolate instead. Maybe you have cardamom and pistachio flour on hand instead of Early Grey and almond flour? No problem. Oh and you can also freeze the batter for up to three months and bake a fresh batch right before a dinner party. All of this guidance and more is attached to the recipe. Desi Bakes is an exciting follow-up to Vasavada’s first cookbook, Milk & Cardamom, offering even more of her Indian-and-American-inspired sweets. I can’t wait to keep baking, and learning, from her. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior service editor at Bon Appétit and Epicurious
Cook from Desi Bakes: Dirty Chai Cheesecake Brownies, Saffron Madeleines, Block Print Flower Cookies
Hot Sheet by Olga Massov and Sanaë Lemoine
Until recently, I’ve never given much thought to sheet-pan meals. While I appreciate the utility of a sheet pan, I’ve never bothered to think creatively about how to expand my repertoire outside the occasional protein-and-vegetable weeknight dinner. Reading Olga Massov and Sanaë Lemoine’s cookbook Hot Sheet changed that. The veteran writers and recipe developers created over 100 sophisticated yet totally achievable recipes, which had me marking up my book with Post-it notes of dishes to make: Oven Ratatouille, Sheet Pan “Fried” Rice, Halloumi Kebabs With Grapes and Chile-Mint Sauce, and a showstopping Giant Mille-Feuilles With Walnuts, Pistachios, and Cream. The first recipe I tried was the aptly named All-the-Crispy-Bits Mac and Cheese, which delivered exactly that in every bite–cheesy noodles coated with panko on all sides. —Alexis deBoschnek, author of To the Last Bite
Islas by Von Diaz
Von Diaz’s anthropological approach to food writing makes her latest effort Islas as wonderful to read as it is to cook. The 125 recipes take home cooks on a journey to locations that were often the centers of culture and commerce for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Diaz’s recipes are cultural explorations that remind readers of the history and the significance of ingredients like sofrito and callaloo. The book also centers cooking techniques that are important island foodways, including smoking, frying and steaming. Diaz takes us to familiar islands in the Caribbean, and includes iconic recipes for Black Cake, a staple of Jamaica and Trinidad. She also takes us to other hemispheres, such as Seychelles for smoky red snapper with a bright tomato marinade, and to the Philippines for Sinigang, a sour seafood stew. Whether it’s for an eggplant from Fiji or rice from Puerto Rico, Diaz’s headnotes show how island dishes are connected. —Jamila Robinson, editor in chief of Bon Appétit and Epicurious
Kalaya’s Southern Thai Kitchen by Nok Suntaranon with Natalie Jesionka
If you’ve dined out at the celebrated Thai restaurant Kalaya in Philadelphia’s Fishtown, chances are you either met or saw chef-owner Nok Suntaranon floating around the dining room. Suntaranon has made it her life mission to connect diners to the food of Southern Thailand and, in her cookbook Kalaya’s Southern Thai Kitchen, she’s widening her audience to home cooks. The book, like her restaurant, is an ode to her mother with recipe titles like My Mother’s Colorful Stir-Fried Eggplant and Mom’s Chili Jam. Suntaranon doesn’t want readers to water down flavors or take shortcuts—yet she makes Thai cooking as approachable as it can be. There’s a whole chapter on the building blocks of sauces, curry pastes, and spice blends, as well as one on the meal makers of rice, eggs, gravies, and relishes. Recipes like Kanom Jeen (Rice Noodles with Coconut Fish Curry) and Gaeng Gai Khao Mun (Southern-Style Chicken Curry) refer back to these chapters and offer product suggestions for lesser-known ingredients. With portraits of Suntaranon and her mother and snapshots of the markets in Trang, the photos make reading the book feel as immersive as eating in the restaurant. I can't wait to return to Kalaya on my next trip to Philly, but now I can enjoy the khao pad pu (egg and crab fried rice) on my own in the meantime. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager at Bon Appétit and Epicurious
Make More With Less by Kitty Coles
There is a true art to transforming simple, affordable ingredients into elegant, quick-to-prepare dishes, and Kitty Coles is a most capable artist. Make More With Less aims to help readers avoid waste and be confident in the kitchen by relying on basic techniques and supermarket-shopped food (you won’t see speciality condiments or hard-to-source produce or proteins). At the end of a long day, I share in Coles’s desire to put together a delicious, pared-down meal made of fewer than 10 ingredients, shopped for at just one store.
Instead of formulating the book with dish after dish, chapters begin with a core recipe to provide a jumping off point for a few days of meals. In the “Vegetables and Herbs” chapter, Green Sauce forms the base of Green Soup, Green Goddess Dressing, and All Greens Galette. And in the “Potatoes and Onions” chapter, you can put leftover cooked potatoes toward a Cheat’s Spanish Tortilla, Potato Gnocchi, or Mum’s Ham Cakes. —Rebecca Firkser, writer and recipe developer
Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking by Joe Yonan
Plant-based eating is nothing new, and yet over the past few years, it has taken center stage in the conversations I’ve had with friends, family, and of course, my colleagues. The phrase “plant-based eating” is widely attributed to biochemist and author Dr. T. Colin Campbell, back in the ’80s—but the diets we label “vegetarian” or “vegan” go back millennia. This style of eating shouldn’t be novel, or simply a “lifestyle choice,” argues Joe Yonan, James Beard Award–winning food and dining editor of The Washington Post. Plant-based cooking is an entire cuisine of its own. In his new tome, Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking, Yonan channels the omnibus nature of Julia Child’s seminal Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Clocking in at almost 500 pages with over 400 vegan recipes, plus essays from contributors, it’s a book that celebrates abundance. “You won’t miss the meat” is a trope bandied about by many food writers (my past self included), trying to convince harried home cooks to try this vegetable or that, to encourage them to explore the produce aisle or farmers market and skip at least one meal with an animal protein. Yonan does no such thing. The vegetables are the point, and his approach is as inclusive as it is creative. Taking cues from the global palate, his recipes span everything from a deeply savory ramen (using sunflower seeds to power the broth) to jackfruit biryani to vegan baked goods like baklava and more. This is a book I’ll be turning to again and again, not because of any moral or health imperative, but because these recipes are versatile, exciting, and most of all, delicious. —Joseph Hernandez, associate director of drinks at Bon Appétit and Epicurious
Cook from Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking: Vegan Stuffed Shells
Nature’s Candy by Camilla Wynne
Nature’s Candy is the third book by the Toronto chef, author, and cooking teacher Camilla Wynne (Preservation Society and Jam Bake would be first two, and they’re both essential companion pieces for the full Camilla experience), who specializes in all manners of fruit preservation: jam-making, pickling, dehydrating, and now candying.
Nature’s Candy is proof that even a cookbook can move you to tears, as it did to me as I began flipping through the pages and taking in her calm prose, fresh ideas, and inviting photographs. Here is a book that truly does not resemble anything else on the shelves today; that addresses the fascinating culinary history of candying with warmth and inclusivity and wit; that contains photo after photo of show-stopping invention and glamor.
The book begins by outlining the various methodology around candying, with helpful charts and tips that lean more intuitive than overly technical. Then, the book dives into just what to do with all those candied treasures—and for that, Camilla has you well covered. Don’t miss the many whimsical hybridic pastries—think Stollen Pound Cake, Fruitcake Cookies, and Mendiant Shortbread—that are as glorious to admire as they are to eat. —Natasha Pickowicz, author of More Than Cake: 100 Baking Recipes Built for Pleasure and Community
Our South by Ashleigh Shanti
Our South is about the breadth, beauty, and regional nuance of Southern cuisine and the traditions and people that shaped it. It is about family and place and how they inform and influence our perspective on food no matter how far away from them we travel. Author Ashleigh Shanti is the former chef de cuisine of Benne on Eagle and is currently chef-owner of Good Hot Fish in Asheville, NC. What makes this book stand out, besides Ashleigh’s thoughtful and delicious takes on regional cuisine, are the stunning photography and layouts. The book is organized by region (e.g., Backcountry, Lowcountry, Midlands, Lowlands, Homeland) rather than dish type, which highlights the ingredients and spirit of those places filtered through Ashleigh’s perspective and experience. Standout recipes are Benne Seed Crab Toast with Spicy Sorghum-Miso Mustard, Sour Corn Chow Chow, and Collard and Sweet Potato Chowder. —Adrienne Cheatham, chef and author of Sunday Best
Pan y Dulce by Bryan Ford
Bryan Ford proved his mastery of sourdough in his first book, New World Sourdough. Here he expands his repertoire with an audacious guide to Latin American baking that includes artisanal loaves, pastries, desserts, and savory baked goods. In this stunning second title, Pan y Dulce, Ford seamlessly guides home bakers to crusty loaves, creamy Flan De Coco, vibrantly swirled Pan Payaso, and so much more. While exploring his Afro-Honduran heritage, he takes culinary inspiration from the 33 countries that comprise Latin America; you’ll find classic and innovative recipes with lots of flair.
The photography is as vibrant as the recipes, and the on-location images offer a glimpse into Ford’s heritage. The author also shares his account of the complicated history of baking fundamentals like sugar, flour, and vanilla. He writes with refreshing candor as he delves into the impact of colonization on Latin American baking. But there is no shortage of practical baking lessons here—this book guides the home baker with scientific precision. You’ll learn history and discover traditions that accompany some of your soon-to-be-favorite recipes in this rare gem of a cookbook. —Vallery Lomas, creator @FoodieInNewYork and author of Life is What You Bake It
Roots, Heart, Soul by Todd Richards With Amy Paige Condon
Todd Richards’s first cookbook, Soul, sermonized soul food with global interpretations of his family’s recipes. His second, Roots, Heart, Soul: The Story, Celebration, and Recipes of Afro Cuisine in America, centers African Diasporic cuisine, tracing his ancestors’ journey to North America from the Middle Passage through the Caribbean to Chicago. Standout recipes include a West African fish stew that incorporates Maggi seasoning (and a note defending it); a saucy bistec encebollado, whose tender flat iron steaks are seared before braising for caramelization; chicken in a variety of preparations (stewed, roasted, jerked, etc.); and several beverages, including a sweet hibiscus tea with quick watermelon pickles. These blend with historical essays, travel journaling, and brief profiles of people Richards met traveling. Accentuated by Clay Williams’s vibrant photography, it’s an homage to Black foodways and an enlightened, enriching voyage to self-discovery through cooking. —Mike Jordan, senior editor at UATL, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Black culture division
Sugarcane by Arlyn Osborne
When I cross-tested Arlyn Osborne’s Ube Pie for Epicurious in 2021, I knew she was headed for big things. Even so, this book—based on Osborne’s Filipino American upbringing in the Southern US—floored me. I immediately flagged 17 recipes I wanted to make. Then, when thumbing through a second time to decide which to bake first, I flagged five more.
Perhaps I’m biased: I was raised in the South, and my partner is a first-generation Filipino American from Iowa. Still, I’d wager the flavors in this book will feel exciting for anyone. I started with Osborne’s double-crusted pineapple pie, which gets a waft of aroma from orange zest and lasting crunch from a dusting of turbinado sugar. Her Ube Milk Crinkles, inspired by a popular cookie from chain bakery Goldilocks, deploy a white chocolate glaze that fractures as they bake, creating their crackly pattern. When a batch accompanied my partner to work, his office reverberated with praise: “Why are these so good?” and “What’s he baking for us next?”
A former employee of the Food Network and Food & Wine, Osborne includes a glossary of the Filipino ingredients she uses in Sugarcane. But the book branches beyond Filipino classics too. Her Island Sunset Sugar Cookies are a tie-dye of guava-, passionfruit-, and mango-powder cookie doughs. Her chocolate cake is flavored with sesame oil and cloaked in a tahini ganache. Her morning buns use freeze-dried mango in cinnamon’s stead. But just in case you’ve been looking for a great recipe for puto—traditional steamed rice cakes (hers are flavored with sour cherries and sliced almonds)—she’s got that too. I’m making it again this weekend. —Joe Sevier, senior editor of cooking and SEO at Bon Appétit and Epicurious
Cook from Sugarcane: Pineapple Pie, Ube Milk Crinkle Cookies
Wafu Cooking by Sonoko Sakai
To teacher and author Sonoko Sakai, wafu dishes—“wa” means Japanese, “fu” means style—embody one of the most joyful parts of cooking: “tasting foods from around the world and, when the opportunity arises, combining them in harmony.” Such is the backbone of her newest book, Wafu Cooking. Each recipe is a thoughtful conversation between Japanese ingredients or techniques and those from the rest of the world, be it Mexico (where Sakai lived, inspiring her Posole Japonesa) or Italy (her great-great-grandfather was born in Bergamo—thus the Japanese Italian Wedding Soup). After spending a couple of lucky weeks in Japan this year, I was pulled toward recipes that reminded me of my trip: tamagoyaki (a layered, square-shaped omelet) sweetened with maple syrup; blanched greens (Sakai opts for bok choy and I did too) soaked in dashi and soy sauce; stir-fried radishes with mirin and lots of ginger. But like any cookbook that will spend more time off my bookshelf than on it, there are countless others that I want to try: creamy udon with yuzu kosho and bonito shavings; eggplant katsu swimming in curry; pumpkin pie with a hidden layer of adzuki bean paste. Soon. —Emma Laperruque, associate director of cooking at Bon Appétit and Epicurious
Cook from Wafu Cooking: Mentaiko Spaghetti, Maple Tamagoyaki
What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking by Caroline Chambers
The title alone is so clever—it gives voice to what many of us are already thinking, myself included. Caroline is a content creator and mother of three young boys, with a devoted following of over 250,000 on Substack. With this book she has crafted a collection of recipes for busy people who still crave delicious food.
What really stood out to me were the indexes. I haven’t seen this approach in many cookbooks. Caroline categorized the recipes not only by preparation time and protein, but also by situations, like what to make when “you need to drop off a meal for a friend” or “you’re craving pasta.” There are nine unique categories, and every single one applies to my life.
Caroline shows how to riff on recipes, bulk them up, make ingredient swaps, find shortcuts, and even how to turn to your slow cooker for help. Plus, the ingredients are bolded in the preparation steps—a lifesaver for when you lose your place and forget an ingredient. The first recipe I tried was the Sheet Pan Cheddar Turkey Burgers, and the trick of adding mayo to the turkey mix blew me away. Another favorite is the Lamb & Hummus Bowls—a fast, flavorful dish that’s easy to adapt. And I have to mention the Salted Brown Butter Toffee Skillet Cookie. All in all, this cookbook speaks to me. I cook all day at “the office,” and sometimes I’m perfectly fine with not wanting to cook at home. —Carla Hall, chef, television personality, and author
Rebecca Firkser contributed writing and reporting.
