Best Cookbooks for Families

Even with recipes available online in abundance, everyone needs some cookbooks in their kitchen to love.

There’s nothing like a sticky fingerprint or tomato sauce splatter on the pages of a favorite cookbook — it makes us feel like we belong in the kitchen, we have a history there.

I have some favorite cookbooks that I use ALL the time, most of which I’ve written, but some by friends and other cooks who are much more talented than me! 😉

Chef Junior: 100+ Super Delicious Recipes by KIDS for KIDS!

My oldest son is one of the co-authors of this book — all written by kids ages 12-15!

Our community raves about it and loves cooking these healthy, real food recipes.

Super allergy-friendly, gorgeous photos, and multiple skill levels so there’s something for everyone inside.

Your kids will love recipes for homemade pizza, pesto pasta, mac and cheese, and burgers, along with Texas Style Breakfast Tacos, Avocado Chicken Salad, Pizza Cauliflower Soup, Pineapple Lemon Ice Pops, and even some healthy-ish desserts.

It’s our family’s most-used cookbook by far, and I know your family will be blessed by it as well!

Learn more about the authors and grab fabulous digital bonuses with the book right here.

Cookbooks I’ve Written

I’ve written 7 healthy food cookbooks over the years with all my family’s favorite recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and even camping. I seriously cook from these books in my own kitchen on a regular basis.

If you enjoy simple, budget-friendly recipes without weird expensive ingredients, these books are for you!

The Family Camping Handbook: This combination cookbook and how-to guide will show you how to survive and even thrive out in the woods with young children.
Healthy Snacks to Go: Complete with time-saving tips, frugal options and allergy notes, Healthy Snacks To Go will become your “go-to” cookbook to keep your cupboards filled with nourishing yet quick choices.
The Everything Beans Book: Have you always wanted to use dry beans, but you’re afraid of the complexity of cooking them or just don’t have any good recipes? This cookbook is incredibly comprehensive resource explaining everything you want to know about beans and legumes.
Smart Sweets: In this better-for-you desserts cookbook you’ll find less sugar, healthier sweeteners, whole grains, soaked and sprouted grains, no grains, probiotics and even some vegetables in these desserts recipes.
The Healthy Breakfast Book: Packed with over 50 family-friendly, very doable real food recipes, this cookbook is your solution to processed food mornings and that 10 a.m. energy crash.
The Healthy Lunch Box: This cookbook is loaded with sandwich-free strategies to streamline your packing process, stock your pantry with emergency backups for your backups, and send healthy, delicious food in the lunch box, no matter how old your eater is.

Better Than a Box: More than just a recipe book – it’s a tutorial in real food cooking, reverse engineering processed foods, and creative recipe development.

More Cookbooks I Love

Simple Green Meals

This has been helping us get more vegetables in our diet, and these recipes are so unique and flavorful, plus gorgeous photos make us want to eat every one!

The Wellness Mama Cookbook

As a mom of 6, my friend Katie (the author) includes a ton of kid-friendly recipes, all real food stuff, and plenty of things I know that her own kids make. We’ve been cooking from it regularly and have yet to find a recipe we didn’t love!

Ladled: Nourishing Soups for All Seasons

I am the type of cook who makes soup even in the summer, and we have SO many family favs from this book! Hearty, healthy, simple, delicious!

100 Days of Real Food on a Budget: This one is a favorite, especially because Lisa’s girls have recipes in the book! She’s a big proponent of kids cooking and yours will be inspired by these photos and simple recipes (and you’ll be happy to save a few bucks per meal!).

Kids Cookbooks and Recipe Books

When it comes to teaching kids to cook, they need cookbooks to call their own as well. I thought I’d share a list of my own favorite cookbooks for families along with a big handful recommended by my members over at Kids Cook Real Food.

New Favorites for New Cooks

This cookbook is written by a chef who is the founder of Charlie Carts, an amazing real food cooking program for kids. I love that there are 50 recipes, all real food, and every one we have tried has been incredibly delicious!!

Anise Loves GREEN Food

A kid’s picture book about a little boy who loves to draw and his sister who loves to cook, so perfect for Kids Cook Real Food! Leah has made almost every recipe in the book, we love it so much!

The International Cookbook for Kids

Stepping up to some harder recipes for ages 8+, and all made from scratch. It gets incredible reviews on Amazon and looks like a great resource for kids to not only cook, but learn something about other cultures at the same time. Our homeschoolers love connecting cooking with geography and social studies!

Fix it and Forget it: Cooking with Kids: This was a recommendation from a reader: a slow cooker cookbook that is probably not 100% real food but looks like it has some good options.
My First Kitchen Binder for Kids: Perfect for helping little cooks-in-training get started in the kitchen. Your child will not only have a helpful tool but a treasured keepsake to enjoy for years to come.
4 Ways to Yummy: Children’s Vegetable Cookbook: Written by a member of our very own community, this is a great option for food exploration and picky eaters. It focuses on most people’s last favorite (but best for them!) food group.

Books and Cooking Classes for Big Kids or Adults

Real Food Nutrition & Health Curriculum: A textbook that is written at a high school level that teaches nutrition and health based on WAPF (Weston A Price) principles.
Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking: For the more advanced students. When you know a culinary ratio, it’s not like knowing a single recipe, it’s instantly knowing a thousand.
The Holistic Rx: Your Guide to Healing Chronic Inflammation and Disease – in children!: Dr. Madiha Saeed spent years compiling this incredible resource using FOOD (and lifestyle) to truly heal over 70 diseases that haunt children and families. I’ve met Dr. Saeed, and she is one of the most genuine, helpful, and positive people you can imagine. I highly recommend her book.
How to Cook Everything The Basics: All You Need to Make Great Food — With 1,000 Photos by Mark Bittman
Mark Bittman Recipes Free for Kindle Fire Tablet/ Phone HDX HD
Free Cooking Mini-Series Classes by Craftsy

Cookbooks Kids Cook Real Food Members Love:

Unless otherwise credited, photos are owned by the author or used with a license from Canva or Deposit Photos.