23 Best Cookbooks On Amazon Perfect For Gifting This Holiday Season

It's not always easy finding the perfect gifts for your loved ones each holiday season — you want to pick out something that they'll use and also something that will take them by surprise. Well, if you need to find a gift for the foodie in your life — especially one who loves trying out new recipes at home — then you can't go wrong with a cookbook.

There are several reasons why cookbooks make for such a great gift. Firstly, sometimes you want to try something new but aren't sure what you're in the mood for — with a cookbook, you can easily browse new and interesting recipes without having to type anything into a search bar. Secondly, a home cook can write on the pages, making notes about recipes or writing down memories associated with the dish. Finally, cookbooks serve an aesthetic purpose as well as a practical one — they look great on a bookcase or a counter.

If and when you need to make that cookbook gift purchase, this gift roundup makes things much easier for you. From a book on one-pan meals to another on dough-based recipes, we've put together the best cookbooks that you can easily buy right from Amazon, but make sure to note that prices are subject to change.

The author of "Cooking in Real Life," Lidey Heuck learned from a pro: None other than Ina Garten (who wrote the foreword for this book). So Heuck knows what she's talking about when it comes to everyday cooking — and wants to help readers find new and interesting recipes that aren't too overly complicated. These recipes include saucy shrimp alla vodka, shortcut chicken schnitzel, and banana cake with dark chocolate frosting.

Buy "Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes for Every Day" on Amazon — the hardcover is $21.49 and the spiral-bound version is $42.99.

"Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" by Marcella Hazan is arguably one of the most beloved cookbooks of all time. Originally published in 1992, the cookbook is full of recipes that home cooks are just as excited to make today, from the sunchoke and spinach salad to the tortellini stuffed with parsley and ricotta. A new edition was released in 2022 to celebrate the book's 30th anniversary — it has a gorgeous new cover and forewards from Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Victor Hazan.

Buy "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition: A Cookbook" on Amazon for $17.33 for the hardcover version or $44.99 for the spiral-bound version.

The popular food blog featuring Chinese cooking, Woks of Life, is run by a family of four: Judy and Bill Leung, as well as their daughters, Sarah and Kailin. In 2022, the Leung family transferred those recipes from their blog to a critically acclaimed cookbook. There's a range of delicious recipes — such as beef and broccoli and homestyle mushroom mei fun — along with tips, information on the most important tools and ingredients, and more.

Purchase "The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family: A Cookbook" on Amazon for $15.34.

We all love a good one-pan meal — not only does it mean that the clean-up will be easy, but it also typically means that the recipe is simple and straightforward. This cookbook by Melissa Cook features a whopping 100 recipes that all only call for one pan or pot. These recipes include seared miso-sesame shrimp and asparagus, saag paneer, and even desserts like easy chocolate fudge torte.

Purchase "Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals: A Cookbook" on Amazon — the hardcover is priced at $16.21, while the spiral-bound is priced at $34.99.

Maybe you know of Matty Matheson as a chef or maybe you know him as Neil Fak on the hit restaurant-set show "The Bear" — either way, you also need to know him as a cookbook author, as his third cookbook will be released on October 22. The new book, as the title suggests, focuses on soups, salads, and sandwiches, giving readers a range of options for when they're in the mood for one of the three. These recipes include the broiled and burst roasted tomato soup, the griddled salami Panzanella salad, and the Cubano sandwich.

Purchase "Matty Matheson: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches: A Cookbook" on Amazon for $24.50.

This cookbook — or, rather, "baking book" — is the perfect gift for anyone you know who loves working with dough. Author Betül Tunç brings together 85 recipes, both sweet and savory, where dough is the star of the show. This book will teach readers how to make the basics, such as pizza dough or bagels, as well as more complicated endeavors, such as croissants and cream puffs.

Buy "Turkuaz Kitchen: Traditional and Modern Dough Recipes for Sweet and Savory Bakes: A Baking Book" on Amazon for $24.50.

If you have a Disney lover in your life who is also a foodie, look no further. This cookbook, written by Pam Brandon, contains 101 recipes that have come straight from Disney parks, resorts, and cruise ships — many of which are appropriately Disney-themed. There are Mickey Mouse beignets and chef Mickey's breakfast pizza, but there are also some classic dishes such as the Monte Cristo or the Asian noodle salad.

The hardcover version of "The Official Disney Parks Cookbook: 101 Magical Recipes from the Delicious Disney Vault" is priced at $11.54 on Amazon, while the spiral-bound version is priced at $21.09.

"Mooncakes and Milk Bread" by Kristina Cho is a love letter to Chinese bakeries — and it's the perfect gift for bakery lovers everywhere, especially ones who want to learn how to make both sweet and savory dishes. Along with the many delicious recipes — which include matcha and black sesame marbled milk bread and crispy Chinese sausage and cilantro pancakes — this book also features instructions on some of the basics that you need to know to make bakery dishes like a pro.

Buy "Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries" on Amazon for $12.99.

You may be familiar with Pasta Grannies, a popular Youtube channel run by Vicky Bennison that highlights the cooking of Italian grandmas — and now all of the wisdom from the pasta grannies has been brought together into one convenient cookbook. This book contains all of the information you need to get started with Italian cooking, as well as, of course, a wide variety of recipes — from Rosetta's trofie with basil sauce to Monica's pasta baskets with ricotta and lemon and more.

Purchase "Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook: The Secrets of Italy's Best Home Cooks" on Amazon for $21.48.

There are plenty of home cooks out there who are also big fans of Dolly Parton — and this is the cookbook that those people need. This book was written by Parton and her sister, Rachel Parton George, and features 80 recipes along with hosting tips and even multi-course menus for some of the biggest holidays of the year. These recipes include dishes such as barbecue spare ribs and strawberry shortcake.

Purchase "Good Lookin' Cookin': A Year of Meals – A Lifetime of Family, Friends, and Food" on Amazon for $24.50 for the hardcover or $49.99 for the spiral-bound.

"Black Food," which was edited by Bryant Terry, celebrates Black culture through the lens of food. This book features a range of recipes, as well as essays and original poetry, from over 100 Black chefs and writers. On the food side of things, there's Jamaican-style ackee and callaloo patties, green plantain chips, corn & goat's milk pudding — and many more.

Buy"Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora" on Amazon — the hardcover version is $29.74 and the spiral-bound version is $43.62.

Anthony Bourdain was full of wisdom to give to fellow food lovers — and a lot of that wisdom went into this book, "Appetites," which was Bourdain's second and final cookbook, published in 2016, two years before his death in 2018. This book makes for a wonderful gift for Bourdain's biggest fans thanks to the book's tips on entertaining and, of course, the delicious recipes. Those recipes include eggs benedict, New England clam chowder, and tempura shrimp.

Buy "Appetites: A Cookbook" (which was co-written by Laurie Woolever) on Amazon for $24.99 for the hardcover or $39.75 for the spiral-bound.

If you know someone who loves making canned recipes, but doesn't have the space for how much these recipes typically yield, then "Preserving by the Pint" by Marisa McClellan is the perfect gift for them. McClellan takes a plethora of fun recipes that involve canning — jams, kimchis, pestos, and many more — and adapts them into smaller batches to make them more accessible to more people.

Purchase "Preserving by the Pint: Quick Seasonal Canning for Small Spaces" on Amazon for $15.39

If you have an ice cream lover in your life, buy them this book. Written by Salt & Straw co-founder Tyler Malek, along with JJ Goode, this book features all of the best Salt & Straw ice cream flavors with instructions on how to make ice cream from scratch right in your own home. With the help of this book, readers can make flavors such as roasted strawberry and toasted white chocolate and wildflower honey with ricotta walnut lace cookies.

Buy the "Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook" on Amazon for $14.49.

This cookbook, written by Pati Jinich, explores the world of Mexican cooking — from the familiar favorites to the hidden gems. Some of the recipes you'll find in this expansive book include Sonoran shrimp and scallop tostadas, three-cheese chicken enchiladas, and chipotle oyster soup. There's even a recipe for making traditional flour tortillas from scratch.

Purchase "Treasures of the Mexican Table: Classic Recipes, Local Secrets" from Amazon for $20.49.

Beloved art instructor Bob Ross may not be a chef, but there is a cookbook full of recipes that were inspired by his art. This book, "The Bob Ross Cookbook," was written by Robb Pearlman and features illustrations by Ross himself, as well as Nicholas Hankins. The recipes — all of which are described as comfort food — include happy little roasted chicken, upstream salmon croquettes, and nothing-to-it pot roast.

Buy "The Bob Ross Cookbook: Happy Little Recipes for Family and Friends" on Amazon for $10.97.

Sometimes all we need is a collection of recipes that are easy enough to make on a weeknight but exciting enough to serve at a weekend dinner party — this book, "That Sounds so Good" by Carla Lalli Music, features recipes that fit that description exactly. These recipes include spaghetti with melted cauliflower sauce, flash-in-the-pan chicken with burst tomato sauce, and pink party cookies.

Buy "That Sounds So Good: 100 Real-Life Recipes for Every Day of the Week: A Cookbook" on Amazon — the hardcover is priced at $20.49, while the spiral-bound is priced at $39.75.

Irina Georgescu's "Tava," which means "tray" in Romanian, is an introduction to the world of Romanian and Eastern European baking. The vast array of baked goods and desserts includes fennel and aniseed shortbreads, Romanian festive bread with walnuts and raisins, and Armenian pakhlava with pomegranate syrup. Then, there's fritters, donuts, custards, and mousses — and just about any other baked good that you can think of.

Buy "Tava: Eastern European Baking and Desserts From Romania & Beyond" on Amazon for $24.99.

With "Doma," author Spasia Pandora Dinkovski hopes to bring people's attention to the food and culture of North Macedonia. The book contains 80 recipes, all of which blend tradition with modernism and represent the Balkan diaspora. These dishes include the croissant-like pastry kifli and a savory pie called burek, as well as many more.

Purchase "Doma: Traditional Flavors and Modern Recipes from the Balkan Diaspora" on Amazon for $23.49.

Rintaro is a Japanese restaurant in San Francisco — and now their recipes are available to purchase in the form of a cookbook, which will make the perfect gift for any foodies in your life who love Japanese cuisine. Written by Sylvan Mishima Brackett, the book contains 70 recipes, including chicken and cheese katsu and udon noodles.

Purchase "Rintaro: Japanese Food from an Izakaya in California" on Amazon for $27.58.

Molly Baz's "Cook This Book" is perfect for anyone who wants to learn some of the basics of cooking, as well as anyone who is just looking for some delicious recipes that they'll want to make more than once. These recipes include the pasta salad with morty-d, mozz & pistachios and chorizo and chickpea carbonara. There's also the one-pot chicken & schmaltzy rice with lemony yog, as well as the peach & tomato salad with sizzled halloumi.

Buy "Cook This Book: Techniques That Teach and Recipes to Repeat: A Cookbook" on Amazon — the hardcover is $22.69, while the spiral-bound is $39.23.

Yotam Ottolenghi, who spotlights Middle Eastern cooking, is a best-selling cookbook author — and now you can buy both of her books, "Plenty More" and "Ottolenghi Simple," in one box set. Between the two books, there are 280 recipes to choose from, such as the fava bean spread with roasted garlic ricotta, baked orzo with mozzarella and oregano, and cauliflower cake.

Buy "Essential Ottolenghi: Plenty More and Ottolenghi Simple" from Amazon for $29.49.

Another restaurant-to-cookbook pick, "The Lula Cafe Cookbook," written by the restaurant's executive chef and owner Jason Hammel, features stories from decades of serving customers, as well as plenty of delicious recipes straight from The Lula Cafe in Chicago. These delicious and often decadent dishes include Gemelli with short rib ragu and matcha pistachio financier.

Purchase "The Lula Cafe Cookbook: Collected Recipes and Stories" on Amazon for $36.49.