If you’re planning to spend the summer cooking and enjoying delicious, nutritious plant-based meals, investing in a few new cookbooks is always a good idea. Sure, you can pull up a recipe on Google or TikTok, but sometimes it feels good to put the phone away and let the pages guide you through the process of creating something delicious.
Whether you’re looking for light, refreshing dishes to beat the heat or bold, satisfying meals to serve at summer gatherings, these cookbooks are packed with enough inspiration to see you through until fall.
1 VBQ
Of course, we’re kicking off our summer cookbook list with a vegan barbecue cookbook. VBQ by Nadine Horn and Jörg Mayer has everything you need to impress guests at every summer cookout. From vegan coleslaw and potato salad to eggplant hot dogs and tandoori tofu skewers, it’s packed with more than 80 flavor-forward, crowd-pleasing recipes.
Shop Amazon
2 Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen
If a flight to Italy is a little out of reach right now, you can still bring the flavors of a traditional ristorante into your own kitchen with Chloe Coscarelli’s delicious vegan recipes. This cookbook has it all, from hearty plant-based pizzas topped with housemade mozzarella to creamy pasta dishes and even mint chip gelato sandwiches.
Shop Amazon
3Life-Changing Salads
Salads are great all year round, but they hit differently in the summer. Light, refreshing, nourishing, and delicious, they’re the perfect companion to a glass of iced tea or a chilled Sauvignon on a warm day. With 100 recipes to choose from, Danielle Brown’s cookbook will ensure you never run out of salad inspiration. Phew.
4 The 29-Minute Vegan
While we’d all love to spend the entire summer relaxing and experimenting with new recipes, life doesn’t stop when the weather warms up. When things get hectic, keep a copy of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s The 30-Minute Vegan close at hand. Packed with quick and satisfying recipes, it’ll help you whip up everything from a flavor-packed midweek curry to a hearty lunchtime sandwich in no time.
Shop Amazon
5 The Korean Vegan Cookbook
Korean cuisine is always a good idea, summer or not. In this James Beard Award-winning cookbook, Joanne Lee Molinaro weaves together heartfelt stories about her life, family, and the immigrant experience while guiding readers through recipes for everything from gochujang and jjajangmyeon to chocolate sweet potato cake. It’s a must-have for every passionate home cook.
Shop Amazon
6 Vegan Asian Street Food
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to wander through the bustling street food markets of China, Japan, Vietnam, and beyond, Yang Liu’s cookbook offers a taste of the experience from your own kitchen. Learn how to make everything from authentic Vietnamese bánh mì and Thai curry noodles to Indonesian nasi goreng and more.
Shop Amazon
7More Plants
Ian Theasby and Henry Firth, the duo behind BOSH!, rarely miss. They’ve released eight cookbooks so far, including 2026’s More Plants, which is set to become a staple in your vegan kitchen alongside the rest of their repertoire. The recipes are quick and simple, but they’re also packed with fiber and protein. Many are perfectly suited to summer, too. We’re particularly drawn to the Rocket, Pea & Pistachio Pesto Linguine and the Creamy Peanut Miso Ramen.
Shop Amazon
8 Plantas
Alexa Soto is passionate about reimagining traditional Mexican classics with plant-based ingredients, and this cookbook is packed with vibrant photography and creative recipes. Jackfruit Mushroom Carnitas Tacos, Tres Leches Cake, and Hearts of Palm Ceviche Tostadas are just a few examples of the dishes you’ll be cooking all summer long with this book on your shelf.
Shop Amazon
9 Vegan Mob
Barbecue may have a meaty reputation, but it’s entirely possible to recreate the same bold flavors and satisfying textures with plants. For proof, pick up a copy of Toriano Gordon’s Vegan Mob. From barbecue staples to soul food favorites, you’ll be whipping up dishes inspired by brisket, mac and cheese, and fried chicken with vegan ingredients in no time.
Shop Amazon
10 Oh She Glows Salads
It’s a summer cookbook roundup, so of course, we had to include more than one salad cookbook. From Oh She Glows founder Angela Liddon, Oh She Glows Salads is packed with fresh inspiration to keep your salad rotation exciting all season long. Alongside a wide range of creative recipes, Liddon also shares tips for mastering dressings, vinaigrettes, and even dairy-free cheese.
Shop Amazon
11 N’ice Cream
Ice cream is a non-negotiable summer essential. But instead of reaching for a store-bought tub, why not make your own? With a copy of N’ice Cream on hand, you’ll have everything you need to create delicious frozen treats from scratch. Best of all, you don’t need an ice cream maker to whip up any of the book’s 80-plus recipes.
Shop Amazon
12Vegan Vibes
Sweet Potato Soul founder Jenné Claiborne delivers 100 vibrant, globally inspired, seriously flavorful plant-based recipes in Vegan Vibes. Drawing from her Atlanta roots, Claiborne reimagines comfort classics—think jerk-spiced air fryer sweet potatoes—with a multicultural twist.
Shop Amazon
13 Island Vegan
Nothing captures the spirit of summer quite like Caribbean cuisine. In Island Vegan, Lloyd Rose shares 75 vibrant recipes inspired by the flavors of the Caribbean islands, from pulled jerk barbecue sliders to vegan salt fish and piña colada ice cream.
Shop Amazon
14 Vegan Wholesome
Popular blogger Carleigh Bodrug has high praise for Vegan Wholesome, written by Brandi Doming. “Doming serves up nourishing, delicious protein-rich recipes in this flavor-packed book that will become a mainstay on your kitchen counter,” says the PlantYou blogger. And she’s not wrong. Craving Greek salad? Check. Cornbread waffles? Check. Hearty plant-based chili? Absolutely—check.
Shop Amazon
15 Elly’s Plate
Elly Smart once made a career out of developing plant-based burgers, but now she’s bringing her culinary creativity to a wide range of dishes—from cozy lasagna to zesty lemon drizzle cookies. Don’t worry, there are still a few juicy, crave-worthy burger recipes in the mix.
Shop Amazon
16 Soph’s Plant Kitchen
Looking to boost your protein intake? This is the cookbook for you. Personal trainer and recipe developer Sophie Waplington has crafted each recipe to be rich in plant-based protein and fiber—complete with detailed nutritional breakdowns. And yes, they’re loaded with flavor, too. We’ve got our eye on the satay chickpea and quinoa dish.
Shop Amazon
17 Big Veg Energy
Vegetables deserve the spotlight—and Christina Soteriou makes sure they get it in Big Veg Energy. Inspired by the author’s Greek Cypriot roots, the 100 recipes in this vibrant cookbook are packed with bold, punchy flavor. Think spicy mushroom skewers with peanut lime sauce, sweet potatoes topped with tahini butter chickpeas, and pulled leeks served with pistachio cream. Soteriou proves that plants aren’t just a side dish, they’re the main event.
Shop Amazon
18 Proper Healthy
In Proper Healthy, Calum Harris proves that eating well doesn’t mean giving up the food you love. This no-fuss, flavor-packed cookbook, which features recipes for everything from tempeh taco bowls to raspberry miso blondies, offers easy, dietitian-approved plant-based recipes tailored to support your health goals—whether you’re boosting energy, upping your protein, looking for lighter meals, or supporting gut health.
Shop Amazon
19 Call Me Vegan
Viral TikTok star Halle Burns brings her signature creativity and chill vibes to Call Me Vegan, a collection of easy, budget-friendly plant-based recipes. Born from college-life constraints (think: limited tools, tight budget, major cravings), Halle’s dishes are fast, fun, and totally foolproof.
Shop Amazon
20 A Grain, a Green, a Bean
In this practical and approachable cookbook, Gena Hamshaw shares a simple, memorable formula for building balanced plant-based meals: a grain, a green, and a bean. But simple doesn’t mean boring. With this guiding philosophy, she serves up creative, flavorful dishes like gochujang pasta, spinach lasagna rolls, and even olive oil cake.
Shop Amazon
For more plant-based stories like this, read:
JUMP TO ... Latest News | Recipes | Guides | Health | Subscribe
Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
Here at VegNews, we live and breathe the plant-based lifestyle, and only recommend products we feel make our lives amazing. Occasionally, articles may include links where we might earn a small commission, but in no way does this effect the editorial integrity of VegNews.
