Are you thinking about trying out zero-waste recipes or incorporating some new zero-waste recipes into your daily cooking? If so, then what’s better than a high-quality cookbook?
There are many recipes on YouTube or the internet in general. However, cookbooks include some nifty tips and techniques that you won’t find elsewhere.
Plus, it just feels good to hold a book in your hand.
We’ll review 11 zero-waste cookbooks with plenty of zero-waste recipes and tips written by the pioneers of zero-waste cooking.
And if you’re new here, make sure to check out our tips for zero waste grocery shopping to help you rock the recipes in these books.
1. The Zero-Waste Chef
The Zero-Waste Chef was published in April 2021 by author Anne-Marie Bonneau. She has been posting her zero-waste recipes on Instagram for quite some time. After which, she decided to compile all of those amazing recipes into an amazing book.
This book contains fun and accessible recipes using products that usually get thrown away, like vegetable peels and nut pulp. Furthermore, it has some superb tips and tricks for newbies to navigate their way into zero-waste kitchens.
Reviews:
4.8 stars on Amazon.
2. The Zero Waste Cookbook
The Zero Waste Cookbook is co-written by authors Giovanni Torrico and Amelia Wasiliev, who are driven by their passion for food and sustainability.
This cookbook has over 100 recipes which are the ultimate solution for utilizing leftovers and scraps. Plus, it covers meal planning, reducing unnecessary packaging, and smart food storage. Not only does it have simple zero waste recipes, but the layout and the print are visually appealing as well, making the book a fun read.
Reviews:
4.6 stars on Amazon.
3. Zero Waste Cooking for Dummies
Zero Waste Cooking For Dummies is written by author Rosanne Rust, an internationally recognized nutrition expert. Her goal is to educate people about nutritional values and bust any myths surrounding them.
In this cookbook, you’ll find plenty of recipes to put zero-waste cooking into practice with minimal ingredients and easy preparations. It will also guide you in assessing your lifestyle and kitchen habits and what can be done to improve them.
Reviews:
5-star rating on Amazon.
4. More Plants Less Waste
Max La Manna is the author of More Plants Less Waste, for which he won the award of “Most Sustainable Cookbook” in 2020 by Gourmand.
The recipes in this book are all about creatively creating plant-based and vegan dishes. With this book, you can learn how to cook wholesome dishes by utilizing whole ingredients leaving no waste behind.
Reviews:
4.6 stars from 893 global ratings on Amazon.
5. Cook More, Waste Less
Cook More, Waste Less is written by author Christine Tizzard, an ambassador of the zero-waste living movement “Love Food, Hate Waste” in Canada. Christine’s passion for raising food waste awareness led her to write this book.
This zero-waste cookbook is filled with mouthwatering low waste recipes. Plus, it includes a list of ingredient substitutions, kitchen tools, and strategies. As a result, it will provide you with a wider range of knowledge on zero-waste cooking.
Reviews:
4.5 stars from 15 ratings on Amazon.
6. The Complete Vegetable Cookbook
The Complete Vegetable Cookbook is written by James Strawbridge, a food photographer and writer.
As the name suggests, this cookbook is related to everything vegetables. From proper storage of seasonal vegetables to include more veggies in your diet while keeping waste minimum. In this cookbook, you will find 135 diverse vegetarian recipes and preserving ideas for 60 vegetables by different techniques.
Reviews:
4.6 stars from 30 global ratings.
7. My Zero-Waste Kitchen
Kate Turner is the author of My Zero-Waste Kitchen, who has a degree in health sciences and loves cooking easy energy-packed food.
This zero-waste cooking book provides information on growing your produce, making compost bins, and proper disposal of food wastes. It also has alternate recipes for traditional dishes using misfit ingredients such as banana peels in a smoothie.
This book is easy-to-read and contains attention-grabbing pictures which parents can use to start a conversation with their kids about food and waste.
Reviews:
4.2 stars from 68 ratings on Amazon.
8. Cooking with Scraps
Lindsay-Jean Hard’s “Cooking With Scraps” is a great zero-waste cookbook with recipes from scraps.
The author has a clever twist on scrap recipes with innovative gourmet dishes made with peels, cores, rinds, and what-not! This book is a celebration of the usage of the wastes which would have otherwise gone to the bin. Cooking With Scraps is critically acclaimed for its money-efficient yet fancy recipes.
Reviews:
4.4 stars from 342 ratings on Amazon.
9. The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook
If you love trying out new recipes and experimenting with dishes, this book is for you. Linda Ly’s “The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook” is a fun cookbook with different recipes mainly revolving around vegetables.
You can make creative dishes while utilizing the whole vegetable, including the stalk and leaves, in a single dish. It also includes the step-by-step procedure for vegetable storage, from buying to storing for long periods, which is a great bonus!
Reviews:
4.8 stars from 73 ratings on Amazon.
10. Waste Not
Waste Not is a comprehensive book curated by The James Beard Foundation, an organization for culinary innovation. The book features 100 recipes from chefs such as Rick Bayless, Bryant Terry, Katie Button, and Elizabeth Falkner.
This book is a collection of professional recipes with beautiful graphics from critically acclaimed chefs. Also, the recipes in this book are a step above the beginner level and use quite a few ingredients.
Reviews:
4.5 stars from 69 ratings on Amazon.
11. The 7-Day Basket
The 7-Day Basket by Ian Haste is a set of zero-waste dinner recipes with their shopping lists.
The idea is to make grocery shopping and cooking for an entire week hassle-free and time-efficient. The book provides the reader with multiple healthy and tasty recipes for 10 weeks. It will help save-up time on extensive meal planning and cooking.
Reviews:
4.5 stars from 183 ratings on Amazon.
These cookbooks will help you take the first step towards zero-waste living. With these books, you will get a hold of some exciting recipes that utilize every part of the food. Their main purpose is to make you ultimately attain a zero-waste kitchen by using every edible item in your kitchen.