Whatever your reason is for eating and cooking kosher food, it can be difficult to come across cookbooks that exclusively feature recipes that are kosher.
While it can be easy to make adjustments to regular recipes to make them kosher, it can be inconvenient and time-consuming trying to make sure you have alternatives for certain ingredients.
Thankfully, there are many kosher cookbooks available on the market if you look in the right places.
Many of the best kosher cookbooks that have been published have been written by female chefs.
This can be a great way to get a book full of kosher recipes inspired by traditional home cooking recipes.
The first book on this list is the amazing Something Sweet by Miriam Pascal. Pascal is a well-known name in the world of kosher cuisine.
She has published many kosher cookbooks that are packed with amazing and innovative recipes.
This book is no different. One of the most interesting things about this book is that it is completely made up of desserts and sweet treats.
Many kosher cookbooks focus on savory recipes and meals that you can make for your family or friends.
This cookbook refreshingly hones in on a specific niche. As is Pascal’s style, the recipes all use ingredients that are easy to come by in grocery stores.
Each recipe in this cookbook is accompanied by a photograph of the completed recipe to give you a guide to work with.
Pros:
A specific food niche that can be useful
Photographs accompany each recipe to let you know what the dish should look like
Another entry from Miriam Pascal is Real Life Kosher. This is a more general kosher cookbook than the one mentioned above.
It focuses on traditional family-friendly kosher recipes that are perfect for everyday meals and special occasions.
If you are looking for an all-rounder cookbook that you can come back to time and time again, this is the cookbook for you.
This cookbook is filled with simple but delicious recipes that use ingredients that are easy to find in grocery stores. =
They also use very basic kitchen equipment that you are likely to have in your kitchen already. =
The book is filled with over 160 recipes that you can make again and again. There are also plenty of helpful tips and tricks to make the most of your food at home.
Pros:
Focuses on traditional, family-friendly kosher recipes
Uses simple and affordable ingredients
Plenty of tips and tricks to help you make the most of your cooking
Cons:
Some people feel that the side dishes chapter is lacking content
If you like to keep kosher, you are likely already familiar with how to make everyday meals that adhere to kosher standards.
However, you might want to be able to make traditional and cultural meals for special occasions that are also kosher.
This can be a bit more difficult when finding alternative ingredients and specific recipes. Thankfully, Perfect for Pesach by Naomi Nachman perfectly fills this niche.
This debut cookbook is filled with delicious and amazing recipes from Nachman’s two decades of experience cooking and catering for Passover.
This book stands out thanks to the innovative flavor combinations that will enhance your celebrations.
There are over 125 Pesach recipes in this book. Nachman has also included helpful hints and tips to make hosting as stress-free as possible.
Pros:
Recipes designed specifically for Pesach
Helpful hints and tips to help you host a brilliant Passover
The recipes are backed by decades of experience with Passover celebrations and traditions
Cons:
If you are new to hosting Pesach you might want more guidance than this book offers
Encouraging your children to get involved in the preparation of food that is significant to their culture and religion is a great way to help them to connect to their roots while forming a healthy relationship with food.
Kosher by Design, Kids in the Kitchen by Susie Fishbein is the perfect cookbook to help you achieve this.
This cookbook is filled with recipes that your children are sure to enjoy making and eating with you.
However, the best thing about this cookbook, by far, is the fact that it has been written in such a way that your children can read and comprehend the instructions easily.
This can help to give your kids the confidence they need to thrive in the kitchen. It helps that the recipes are really delicious too.
Pros:
Filled with kosher recipes that children and adults will love
Written so that children can easily understand the instructions
Helpful ingredient and equipment lists with each recipe
Cons:
If you are going to be doing most of the cooking, this book might be too simple
Chanie Apfelbaum is a world-renowned kosher food blogger. She has taken all her knowledge and experience from her popular blog and created this incredible debut cookbook, Millennial Kosher.
What makes this cookbook so special is that it takes traditional kosher recipes and adds a modern, bold twist that maintains cultural significance.
This is a great cookbook for young home cooks who want to keep a kosher home. There are over 150 recipes that cover everyday meals and celebratory dishes.
There are sections for meat-free meals, dairy-free meals, and vegan recipes.
Apfelbaum has also included a detailed tools and ingredients list to help you make sure that you have everything you need to begin making incredible meals.
Pros:
A fun, fresh twist on some classic recipes
An emphasis on fresh and seasonal ingredients
Comprehensive tools and ingredients lists
Cons:
Some of the recipes are very sweet which may not appeal to some people
If you are trying to maintain a kosher household but find it difficult to make the time to cook meals from scratch every day, this could be the cookbook for you.
Shabbos Under Pressure by Sharon Matten is a kosher cookbook that is filled with amazing, delicious, kosher recipes that can be made in a pressure cooker.
The 70+ recipes in this cookbook bring together the traditional and the not-so-traditional to help you create mouth-watering meals that your family and friends will adore.
All of the recipes are written in a way that is easy to follow and understand.
The best thing about this cookbook is that all the recipes have been designed to work with all brands of pressure cookers.
Pros:
A wide range of delicious recipes
Clear and simple instructions for even the most inexperienced cooks
Full of helpful tips and tricks as well as gluten-free alternatives for most recipes
Cons:
As with many pressure cooker recipes, the dishes can be quite sauce-heavy
Danielle Renov is another food blogger that has turned her popular blog posts into a stunningly well-curated debut recipe book.
Peas, Love, and Carrots is an extension of Renov’s blog and Instagram, filled with over 250 recipes that are simple and realistic to make every day.
Alongside the amazing kosher recipes that draw on inspiration from Renov’s Moroccan, Ashkenaz, and Israeli links, there are tons of helpful tips and tricks to help you get the most out of these flavorful recipes.
There are also some entertaining insights and anecdotes that bring the book to life and make you feel connected to the culture and food.
Pros:
Simple and realistic recipes that anyone can follow
Helpful tips and tricks to help improve your cooking techniques
Written with an overall approachable and friendly tone
Cons:
A lot of the recipes are designed to feed large groups of people which can be difficult to convert to smaller volumes.
Final Thoughts
There are plenty of incredible kosher cookbooks available on the market.
However, the books mentioned above are some of the best kosher cookbooks that are written by women who are connected to the culture and religion that inspires the recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Makes A Good Kosher Cookbook?
As with any type of cookbook, the best kind of kosher cookbook is filled with a variety of recipes that are suitable for different meals and different occasions.
Alternatively, if you are looking for a cookbook for a specific type of cooking, such as desserts, a more specialized cookbook can be a better option to get the variety you want.
I'm Barbara Hunt, the founder of WomenChefs.org. Being a mom of two, I understand the challenges of meal planning and the monotony it can bring.
That's why I created WomenChefs.org, a platform dedicated to showcasing the skills and delicious dishes crafted by amazing women. My goal is to provide a space where women can find delectable recipes that tantalize their taste buds and ignite their senses.
I hope you'll join me in exploring WomenChefs.org and discovering your next favorite recipe. Let's embrace culinary diversity and try something new together!
