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Looking for fresh inspiration in the vegetarian kitchen? You’ve come to the right place. Here are five genuinely excellent vegetarian cookbooks, packed with recipes worth making again and again.
By Barbara Hämmerl
Vegetarian and vegan eating keeps growing in popularity, and it’s easy to see why — there are plenty of wildly delicious recipes that never touch meat. Skipping fish and meat a few times a week is good for your health and good for the planet too. A win-win, really. Below, five cookbooks full of vegetarian inspiration, and where to find even more.
Veggie for Future (EMF Verlag)
Even the title nods to the Fridays for Future movement, and the content follows through, focused on environmental protection, seasonality, and making the most of every ingredient. Tips and explanations walk you through what your body actually needs, where it comes from, and how to get it onto the table in the most climate-friendly way possible. The recipes themselves are wonderfully creative and simply explained — many come with a short note on why a particular ingredient was chosen, and the results are genuinely delicious.
Dutch Baby (Oven Pancake) with Spinach
Ingredients
125g whole spelt flour ½ tsp salt ½ tsp black pepper ¼ tsp baking powder 6 eggs (medium) 175ml milk 75g grated vegetarian Parmesan alternative (e.g. Montello) 2 tbsp chopped chives 3 tbsp vegetable oil 2 spring onions 300g baby spinach leaves ½ organic lemon freshly grated nutmeg
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 225°C conventional (200°C fan), placing an ovenproof pan — ideally cast iron — inside to heat up with it.
2 Whisk the flour with salt, pepper, and baking powder in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Stir in 50g of the cheese and the chives, then fold in the flour mixture briefly.
3 Remove the hot pan from the oven, add 2 tbsp of oil, then pour in the batter. Return the pan to the middle of the hot oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the pancake has puffed up and turned golden brown.
4 Meanwhile, trim, wash, and thinly slice the spring onions. Rinse and drain the spinach. Wash the lemon in hot water, pat dry, then zest and juice it. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non-stick pan and sauté the white parts of the spring onions. Add the spinach and cook, tossing, for 2–3 minutes until wilted. Season with salt, pepper, a little nutmeg, lemon juice, and zest, then keep warm.
5 Remove the pancake from the oven, pile the spinach into the center, scatter with the green spring onion tops and remaining cheese, and serve immediately.
Deutschland vegetarisch (Brandstätter Verlag)
Who thinks of German cuisine as vegetarian territory? It might sound like a stretch at first, but flipping through this cookbook will have your stomach rumbling before long. It’s filled with classic German dishes — Käsespätzle, for instance, which is already meat-free — alongside others made vegetarian with a few clever tweaks.
The book is organized by the four seasons, which makes cooking seasonally refreshingly simple. There’s also an “anytime” section for easy recipes built on ingredients you can find whatever the time of year.
The same publisher also released “Italienisch vegetarisch” — another meat-free tour through a beloved national cuisine.
Vegetarisch kochen mit 5 Zutaten (GU)
Meat-free cooking has a reputation, sometimes, for calling on obscure ingredients you can never actually find. Tofu, at least, has made it into most supermarkets by now — but this book takes simplicity even further. “Vegetarisch kochen mit 5 Zutaten” does exactly what it says: no recipe calls for more than five ingredients. And you won’t be sacrificing flavor for the sake of a short shopping list.
Two great recipes to try are here.
The Green Garden – Das Kochbuch (DK Verlag)
“The Green Garden – Das Kochbuch” is built around gorgeous food photography and vegan and vegetarian recipes striking enough to serve at a proper dinner party.
Its two authors make one thing very clear: meat-free food doesn’t have to be boring, and it certainly doesn’t have to live on the side of the plate. A handful of basics open the book, followed by recipe after recipe you’ll want to try immediately. Curious? Two recipes from the book are up here to test for yourself.
Buddha Bowls – super easy! Vegetarisch (EMF Verlag)
Buddha bowls are having a moment, and they always look impressive — but few people actually attempt to make them at home, since the photos can make them seem fiddly. In reality, they can be simple and fast, and this cookbook gives every recipe an estimated prep time so you can gauge the effort involved before you start. When you’re pressed for time, several recipes come together in just 10 to 15 minutes.
Alongside the tasty recipes, the book also covers the basics — including, handily, how to actually cook quinoa or couscous.
