This spring, there’s a roster of new cookbooks catching our team’s attention. They’re telling us about pantry ingredients we absolutely need, transporting us to places without ever having to step on a plane, and giving no shortage of outright delicious recipes. Us editors have been cooking craveable vegetable mains from the Make It Plant-Based! books, a slew of Korean banchan from Umma, and all the cookies from Fat + Flour. Read on for our standout titles of the season, and don’t forget to add one or two to your cart.
My failure to secure a reservation at Bonnie’s might have something to do with why I was so excited to crack open chef and owner Calvin Eng and fiancé Phoebe Melnick’s Salt Sugar MSG. But it’s not the sole reason for my enthusiasm. Eng’s blend of Cantonese and Hong Kong–style cooking is accented by his New York upbringing. This coalesces into a collection of recipes that threads together Cha Chaan Tengs, American greasy spoon joints, and Cantonese street food. A recipe as simple as Buttery Oyster Sauce Noodles is a wonder of pantry alchemy, and a satisfying meal for picky toddlers and inebriated snackers alike. Savory flavors are dogma here, with MSG and XO sauce deployed in abundance. Then dishes like Stuffed Golden Lava French Toast, which is layered with peanut butter and Ovaltine, fried, and drizzled with condensed milk (or you could stuff it with salted egg custard) also demonstrate a mastery in sweet extravagance. —Wilder Davies, commerce writer
In the summers when I was growing up, my mom made a batch of ice cream most days. (You’d have to open the freezer carefully, lest a pint container fly at your face.) So it’s no surprise that, whenever a new frozen dessert book comes out, it catches my eye. Such was the case with Malai by Pooja Bavishi, the founder and CEO of Malai, a New York–based (and nationally expanding) ice cream company specializing in South Asian ingredients. The first time I flipped through the book, I quickly realized I had a problem. I wanted to make the Ginger Root Ice Cream, but also the Coffee Cardamom Ice Cream, and the Masala Chai Ice Cream, and the Golden Turmeric Ice Cream. Oh, and the Apricot Mace Sherbet. I started with the Spiced Peanut Crunch Ice Cream, a refreshing vegan scoop that reminded me of coconut sorbet. —Emma Laperruque, associate director of cooking
My friend and former colleague Zaynab Issa has written a debut cookbook so pristine, self-assured, and thoughtful, it feels like the work of a veteran author. The recipes encompass her experience and food influences as a first-generation immigrant with East African and South Asian roots growing up in New Jersey. Given my micro obsession with popcorn, I tried my hand at the Maple Za’atar Kettle Corn. It was subtly sweet with an intriguing heat from the Aleppo pepper. Red Curry Orzotto sounds unlikely on paper but once bite in, you’re nodding along, knowing it’s going to be in your weeknight rotation. I’ve also bookmarked the Chocolate Cake With Chai Buttercream for my weekend baking project. This is a stunning, timeless book that I’m proud to have on my shelf. —Shilpa Uskokovic, senior test kitchen editor
Setting A Place For Us is more than a cookbook; it’s a journey through eight countries’ histories and tells the real stories of displaced people. Somali-American chef Hawa Hassan shines light on the cultural bonds in regions that have endured colonization and violence. Each chapter is devoted to a country—including Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, and El Salvador—and shares a personal essay from people preserving their food culture. I made a feast of three dishes from the book: Salatet Summaq, a sumac summer salad; Shorbat Adas, the type of hearty lentil soup I crave year round; and Masoub, an easy dessert composed of leftover pita, bananas, and dates. Next on my list are Arayes, meat-stuffed pitas. —Mallary Santucci, culinary producer
Content creator Hailee Catalano has a dedicated fanbase online. In her short videos on TikTok and Instagram, she shares a plethora of gorgeous recipes, but a cookbook gives her more space to break down techniques and get into the nitty gritty. As a fan, I was excited to learn about her new book By Heart. I’ve seen many of her pizza videos, so I was drawn to make her Mushroom and Dill Bar-Style Pizza. I’m typically more of a red sauce gal, but mushrooms and herbs were enough of a pairing to win me over. Like any good dough recipe, this one requires you to plan ahead; I made it two days before my plans and the process was simple enough—just a few rests and folds. With a thin but pillowy texture, it’s a crust recipe I’ll definitely go back to. I’m also looking forward to trying the Celery Root and Potato Pierogi, Spanish Zucchini Tortilla, and Midwestern Fish Fry. —Olivia Quintana, social media manager
I didn’t grow up eating much sesame of any kind so when I learned of Seed and Mill cofounder Rachel Simons’ cookbook all about sesame, I was eager to explore the recipes and learn something new. The book focuses on sesame seeds, sesame oil, and tahini in savory and sweet applications. I made Salted Honey & Tahini Snacking Cake: a buttery, nutty loaf with savory notes. It got topped with a tahini cream cheese frosting, and in an effort to get a gorgeous shot, I drizzled the slice with honey and sesame seeds. Next, I’ll try her recipe for frying eggs in sesame seeds and the tahini caramel. —Kelly Janke, contributor
The category of food known as jibbap is central to the soul of Korean home cooking. Literally translating to “home food,” jibbap is the food your mother, grandmother, or any beloved elders make day in and day out. In Umma, Sarah Ahn of America’s Test Kitchen and her mother, Nam Soon Ahn, share their family’s culinary perspective through the lens of a Korean American home by way of Southern California, South Korea, and North Korea. The book is a treasure for its endless kitchen wisdom, heart-filled recipes, and deep-rooted respect for all the generations that came before. It showcases home cooking at its best, ranging from sauces, banchan (side dishes), and a slew of kimchi, to gurgling stews, tantalizing meats, and not-too-sweet fare. I have been cooking my way through the banchan chapter: Eomuk Bokkeum (Stir-Fried Fish Cakes), Algamja Jorim (Braised Baby Potatoes), and Jangjorim (Soy-Braised Beef), which are lunchbox stalwarts given their overdue recognition. —Hana Asbrink, deputy food editor
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Pakistani-born food writer Maryam Jillani has captured the varied bounty of the country that borders Afghanistan, China, India and Iran, home to more than 250 million people. Pakistan doubles as a travelogue using recipes from friends, family, and folks Jillani met to guide readers to places like Punjab, the mountains of Hunza, coastal Sindh, and more. With so many wonderful recipes, it was not easy picking what to showcase at a recent Ramadan party. The Dum Keema, a slow-cooked ground beef dish that’s a staple in Pakistani homes, was an instant hit. We served it with crusty rounds of baguette, but it would do well paired with rice, tossed with pasta, or loaded onto a baked potato. I also made Pata Gobi, a velvety stir-fry of shredded cabbage that is deftly spiced and going to be a mainstay in our growing arsenal of cabbage dishes. —Pervaiz Shallwani, senior staff writer and editor
When I bake, I try to minimize steps wherever I can. Is sifting always necessary? Can I microwave instead of double boil? That’s why pastry chef Nicole Rucker’s Fat + Flour is so appealing to me—she ponders the simplest path to a desired outcome. Rucker developed the Cold Butter Method (CBM)—a streamlined process of mixing fat with flour to bypass creaming and any overmixing that comes with it. Think reverse creaming but for cookies. I employed the CBM with her Vegan Lemon Lavender Cookies and, after trying them (as a non vegan), was truly stumped how there was no dairy present. The gently floral cookie still had a delightful chew. I also made Rucker’s London Fog Brownies, a dreamy white-chocolate-based bar speckled with tea, and next on my list is her Boozy Banana Snickerdoodles. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
In Coastal, Dad’s Luncheonette owner and chef Scott Clark delivers on his promise to make dishes that are both rustic and comforting. Clark uses techniques from his past working in Michelin-starred restaurants to introduce a California overhaul to family-style mains and road trip snacks alike. This leads to recipes like Asparagus Grain Bowl Benedict, Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Puffed Rice Topping, and Sage-Grilled Yardbird with Miso-Maple Grits. To make the Chile Jam, I oven-dried tomatoes to a chewy leather, fire-roasted peppers over gas burners, and blended everything up before simmering it down into a sticky sauce. The taste—a smoky, tannic umami, like a tamarind candy wrapped in jalapeño—proved to be well worth the wait (and a welcome addition to pretty much everything else I ate that week). —Andrea Farr, post production supervisor
Before there was the term “girl dinner,” I made grazing plates: a collection of fridge and pantry foods I could plop onto a dish and call a meal. These were dinners I made when I didn’t have the time, energy, or ingredients to cook. So it’s only right that a cookbook titled Snacking Dinners, by Georgia Freedman, would find a place on my shelf. This tidy book is filled to the brim with recipe ideas like Okonomiyaki Tater Tots, Sweet Potato Chip “Salad,” and a vibrant antipasti board. They prove that minimal can still mean thoughtful, delicious, and beautiful—a stark improvement from my thrown-together plate of cheese knobs and carrot sticks. —Carly Westerfield, associate manager of audience strategy
In Tahini Baby, the second cookbook from Top Chef Canada host Eden Grinshpan, vegetables are the star. The chapters have cheeky names: Wow Salads, Hot New Side Piece, and Boss Veg (the section I’ve been obsessed with). I’ve made hawaij-seasoned sweet potatoes with a roasted lemon relish I’d like to top every vegetable with. Whether it’s throwing together sugar snaps, almonds, and herbs for a quick lunch or simmering leeks with sumac, parm, and pine nuts for a dinner party side, there are versatile recipes to complete any occasion. My next feat is to conquer the dessert chapter, which is filled with delights like Honey-Sesame Candied Matzo, just in time for Passover. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager
Plant-based cookbooks aren’t just for vegans or vegetarians. The way I see it, they’re for people who love vegetables. There have been more and more great additions to this category in recent years, and Make It Plant-Based! is not just another excellent one—it’s four. Each book highlights a different cuisine: Southern by Mehreen Karim; Mexican by Andrea Aliseda; Indian by Srishti Jain; and Filipino by Ria Elciario-McKeown. Whether you start with one book or go all out on the collection (talk about a fun birthday gift), a satisfying meal is in store. So far I’ve made Elciario-McKeown’s Sizzling Mushroom and Tofu Sisig, a dream to pile over rice. Also: Aliseda’s Mole Rapido, a sauce whose sultry complexity belies its short ingredients list (not unlike her family’s Salsa Guille, a go-to in my household for years). Next on my list is Jain’s Tofu Scramble and, come summer, Karim’s BBQ Eggplant and Slaw Sandwiches. —E.L.
More spring books we’re excited to cook from:
- A Grain, a Green, a Bean by Gena Hamshaw: Registered dietitian Gena Hamshaw shares one simple meal planning formula—a grain, green, and a bean—for endless dinner possibilities.
- Cook Once, Eat Twice by Nadiya Hussain: Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain’s new cookbook is all about delicious convenience—creative timesavers, trusty batch-cooking, and inventive leftovers.
- Dal Chawal by Sapna Punjabi: This beautiful book from wellness specialist Sapna Punjabi is an ode to rice and dal, the foundation of vegetarian Indian cuisine.
- Dinner by Meera Sodha: Best-selling author Sodha’s latest book is all about easy-to-make vegetarian and vegan meals like Baked Butter Paneer and Kimchi and Tomato Spaghetti.
- Family Style by Peter Som: Award-winning fashion designer Peter Som pays homage to his family, identity, and heritage with unfussy, everyday recipes like Cacio e Pepe Sticky Rice with Egg and Lychee Lime Pavlova.
- Firepit Feast by Diana Yen: The A Simple Feast author teaches you all there is to know about open fire cooking, from backyard stoves to campside fire pits.
- Ghana to the World by Eric Adjepong: In his debut cookbook, Elmina DC’s chef Eric Adjepong showcases the depth of West African food with dishes like Jollof Rice and Coconut Curry Chickpeas With Mustard Greens.
- How to Eat Weed and Have a Good Time by Vanessa Lavorato: Edibles expert Vanessa Lavorato shares a collection of cannabis recipes to delight seasoned stoners and newcomers alike.
- Kwéyòl / Creole by Nina Compton: In James Beard Award–winning chef Nina Compton’s new cookbook, readers go on a culinary journey from St. Lucia to Jamaica, Miami, and New Orleans to celebrate diverse African heritage.
- Salsa Daddy by Rick Martinez: Following up his award-winning Mi Cocina, Martinez shares a whole book dedicated to salsas, plus his favorite ways to use them.
- Sweet Farm! by Molly Yeh: The third book from Food Network star Molly Yeh is all about desserts, from 5-minute treats like cheese fudge to weekend showstoppers like Black Sesame Babka.
- What Can I Bring? by Casey Elsass: Food writer Casey Elsass gives you direction for how to win the title of Most Valuable Party Goer—say, with a tray of Jell-O cocktail shots or a Bagel Panzanella.
