Feeding a family can be challenging at the best of times – especially if you’re observing a vegetarian or plant-based diet.
Whether you’re strictly vegetarian, vegan, flexitarian, or simply looking to incorporate more meat-free recipes into your weekly meal plans, we’ve rounded up the best cookbooks for easy, budget- and family-friendly recipes that will keep everyone happy around the dinner table.
Easy veg-packed recipes everyone can enjoy
Jamie’s clever tips, tricks and twists for meat-free meals
Substantial recipes from one-pan wonders to family feasts
Veg: Easy & Delicious Meals for Everyone
Trust Jamie Oliver, who’s been teaching the nation how to make home cooking uncomplicated and delicious for decades, to show us how to make creative, meat-free meals that are suitable for the whole family. From comforting pasta dishes and stews to crowd-pleasing curries, the fuss-free recipes in this cookbook are packed with veg and flavour.
The Green Cookbook
Fans of Rukmini Iyer’s Roasting Tin series know just what a lifesaver her one-tin recipes are for families in need of simple midweek dinner ideas. Now, with The Green Cookbook, Rukmini has created 75 vegan and vegetarian recipes that are perfect for busy family life. Find chapters covering 15-minute “quick carb” recipes, 30-minute dinners, make-ahead party and sharing plates, and even a dedicated section on batch cooking and menu planning.
EASY
Roxy Pope and Ben Pook, the duo behind the hugely popular SO VEGAN platform, are here to prove that plant-based cooking does not require a laundry list of complicated steps or expensive ingredients. Using easy-to-buy staples (many of which you probably already have in your fridge and cupboards), the recipes in EASY cover everything from 15-minute meals to sweet and indulgent desserts.
Inspiring vegetarian and vegan recipes
Quick and easy ideas for weeknights
Laid-back feasts and batch cooking tips for weekends
Elly Pear’s Green
Cookbook author, columnist and Instagram creator Elly Curshen (AKA Elly Pear) is no stranger to brilliant, practical recipes help you make the most of your vegetables and minimise food waste. Green is packed with inventive yet easy-to-follow recipes that will offer fresh inspiration to even the most seasoned vegetarian – from delicious weekend brunch ideas, to freezer-ready meals, 20-minute dinners, and batch-cooking plans to set you up for the week ahead.
Fast one-dish family favourites
All-in-one creative vegan recipes
Easy one-tin vegetarian dinners
The Green Roasting Tin
In this follow-up to her hugely successful Roasting Tin cookbook, Rukmini Iyer gives the failsafe one-tin formula the vegetarian treatment, with 75 easy recipes (half of them vegan) that will solve the age-old problem of what to make for dinner. From stuffed peppers, to crispy gnocchi, to all-in-one curries, the tasty recipes in this cookbook will have everyone at the table eating their greens.
Delicious meat-free recipes
Simple recipes for popular classics
A perfect introduction to vegetarian curries
Curry Easy Vegetarian
Beloved chef and Indian food connoisseur Madhur Jaffrey shows us how to make simple, delicious veg curries that don’t require a mountain of specialist ingredients. From hearty lentil curries, to gorgeously spiced side dishes like Tamil Nadu-style aubergines, Curry Easy Vegetarian is packed with over 200 inspired recipes worthy of a family feast.
Feel-good food that helps the planet and saves you money
Full of clever tips on seasonal ingredients and sustainable cooking
With flexitarian recipes to suit vegans, veggies, and omnivores
Eat Green
Ideal for flexitarians – or anyone looking to reduce the environmental footprint of the food they eat – this cookbook by Melissa Hemsley contains over 100 recipes that celebrate the best of seasonal, local vegetables. The dishes make for hearty meals on their own, but can also be served with protein like fish and chicken (bonus points if they’re leftovers!).
Little Veggie Eats
If you need to cater for little ones around the dinner table but tire of cooking two (or more) meals at dinner time, look no further than this cookbook by lifelong vegetarian and mother-of-three Rachel Boyett. In addition to indispensable nutritional tips and clever swaps to accommodate for any allergies, Little Veggie Eats contains over 60 recipes that can be enjoyed by weaning babies and hungry adults alike.
