13 of the best cookbooks for students

On our reviews hub, you’ll find gift guides, spirit reviews and over 400 buyer’s guides offering unbiased, expert advice on which products are worth investing in. Looking for the perfect student gift? Create an easily customisable My BBC Good Food cookbook filled with your pick of essential uni recipes. It's sure to be a lifesaver for first-time cooks or budding chefs.

Best student cookbooks at a glance

• Best one pan cookbook: Roasting Pan Suppers by Rosie Sykes, £11.99
• Best for takeaway fans: Chinese Takeaway in 5 by Kwoklyn Wan, £7.70
• Best vegan cookbook: Broke Vegan by Saskia Sidey, £10.99
• Best for quick recipes: The Quick Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer, £10
• Best for budget recipes: Vegan One Pound Meals by Miguel Barclay, £9.88
• Best for imaginative recipes: Take One Tin by Lola Milne, £5.49
• Best for keen learners: Delia’s Complete Cookery Course by Delia Smith, £15.99
• Best for vegetarian recipes: East by Meera Sodha, £15.99
• Best for beginners: How to Dice an Onion by Anne Sheasby, £6.99
• Best for comfort food: Mob Kitchen by Ben Lebus, £8.98
• Best for foodies: Original Flava by Craig and Shaun McAnuff, £17
• Best for keen bakers: Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache by Harry Eastwood, £20
• Best for straightforward dishes: Solo by Signe Johansen, £7.68

Best student cookbooks to buy 2023

Roasting Pan Suppers by Rosie Sykes

Best one pan cookbook

Rosie Sykes, a chef and food writer, has written a book to answer every home cook’s prayers. Not only is it packed full of enticing recipes we can’t wait to make, they’re all made in just one roasting tin or pot, meaning less hassle and minimal washing-up – perfect for small student kitchens. The book contains one-pan meat, fish and veg-based dishes, as well as sides and desserts, helpfully categorised at the beginning by recipe length (under 30 minutes, an hour, over an hour etc), and grouped into menus, so you can plan feasts for friends.

Must-try recipe: Satay chicken wings & rice noodle salad

• Available from Foyles (£14.99)

Chinese Takeaway in 5 by Kwoklyn Wan

Best for takeaway fans

After growing up working in the kitchen of his family’s Cantonese restaurant, Kwoklyn Wan became a chef and author. His latest cookbook contains 80 recipes for takeaway favourites, which can be recreated at home using just five ingredients. Master classic starters including pancake rolls, crispy wontons and prawn toasts, as well as popular mains such as Singapore king prawn fried rice and chicken chow mein.

Must-try recipe: Chinese-style buffalo wings

• Available from Waterstones (£15)

Broke Vegan by Saskia Sidey

Best vegan cookbook

Food stylist and recipe developer Saskia Sidey’s cookbook breathes fresh new life into budget-friendly vegan cooking for environmentally conscious students. It contains more than 100 plant-based recipes that won’t break the bank, including breakfast and brunch ideas, speedy meals, batch-cooking recipes, crowd-pleasers and sweet treats. Expect clever ways with supermarket staples and plenty of veg, plus tips and tricks to make food go further, perfect for maximising a student loan budget.

Must-try recipe: Peanut butter millionaire’s shortbread

The Quick Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer

Best for quick recipes

Want quick, easy recipes that are ready in no time and don’t use every pan and utensil you own? This is the book for you! All the recipes are cooked in a roasting tin (you might need an extra bowl or pan for some of the prep), keeping washing up to a minimum, and they’re ready in just 40 minutes max from start to finish. There are healthy work-night dinners using storecupboard ingredients, family favourites including baked gnocchi and summer sausage traybake, make-ahead lunches, date-night dinners, lazy weekend feasts and indulgent desserts. A clever book solving your weeknight cooking dilemmas.

Must-try recipe: Baked feta with figs, pine nuts & basil

• Available from Amazon (£10)

Vegan One Pound Meals by Miguel Barclay

Best for budget recipes

The latest in the One Pound Meals book series, every recipe costs £1 or less per head, and this time it’s all about easy plant-based meals using supermarket ingredients. From creamy cauliflower tagliatelle to sticky peanut butter tofu and polenta kebabs, these clever vegan recipes are ideal for everyday budget family cooking.

Must-try recipe: Artichoke paella

Available from: Waterstones (£16.99), WHSmith (£15.63), Amazon (£9.88)

Take One Tin by Lola Milne

Best for imaginative recipes

Tinned ingredients are the ultimate in convenience, with long shelf lives and affordable price tags. They don’t take up room in the fridge, either, and are happy to hang out in kitchen cupboards until their services are called upon. It’s no wonder they’re popular with students. This book, by cookery writer Lola Milne, will show you how to transform these humble storecupboard ingredients into imaginative breakfasts, lunches, dinners and desserts. Among its 80 recipes is everything from classic tomato soup to coconut and lime upside-down cake.

Must-try recipe: Vietnamese crab cakes

• Available from Foyles (£14.99)

Delia’s Complete Cookery Course by Delia Smith

Best for keen learners

With clear, easy-to-follow instructions and recipes for comforting classics that we often miss from home – think fish pie, roast potatoes and bread & butter pudding – this book is as relevant and well-loved now as when it was first published more than 30 years ago. Covering all the basics for new home cooks, it’s a reference guide to return to again and again, long after those student years are over.

Must-try recipe: Traditional roast chicken with stuffing

Available from Amazon (£15.99), Blackwell's (£15.99)

East by Meera Sodha

Best for vegetarian recipes

Packed full of colourful vegetarian and vegan dishes inspired by regions throughout Asia, this eye-opening book will inject some meat-free fun into any student kitchen. From impressive-looking aubergine katsu curry, to fast and frugal spring onion and ginger noodles, the spectrum of dishes is huge, and makes cutting down on meat – and therefore shopping budgets – exciting.

Must-try recipe: Black dhal

How to Dice an Onion by Anne Sheasby

Best for beginners

Less of a recipe collection and more of a kitchen handbook, this is a great cookery companion for beginners, but even those already au fait with kitchen techniques will learn a thing or two. From lessons on how to prepare veg and make stock to advice on storing ingredients and organising kitchen cupboards, there’s a wealth of knowledge in this book to get that student kitchen set up.

• Available from Waterstones (£7.99), Foyles (£7.99)

Mob Kitchen by Ben Lebus

Best for comfort foods

The first book from online recipe platform Mob Kitchen is all about easy, budget-friendly recipes that really deliver when it comes to flavour, making it a great pick for food-loving students. All the recipes included feed four people for under a tenner, meaning there’s plenty to share with housemates or keep for lunch the next day.

Must try recipe: Squidgy carbonara crumpets

• Available from Amazon (£8.98)

Original Flava by Craig and Shaun McAnuff

Best for foodies

Comforting Caribbean food is the name of the game here, with young authors Craig and Shaun making sure the recipes stay true to their values of ease, accessibility and tastiness. The likes of honey roasted jerk-spiced salmon and banana fritter cheesecake will gently nudge young cooks out of their comfort zones to experience new flavours. This is food to make friends over.

Must-try recipe: Plantain bean burgers

Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache by Harry Eastwood

• Available from Amazon (£20)

Best for keen bakers

Baking is a sure-fire way to turn new housemates into best friends, and this book ensures everyone can enjoy a slice, with its focus on natural ingredients. Harry has created thoughtful, indulgent new incarnations of beloved bakes – think Victoria sponge and chocolate brownies – and come up with some novel treats, too. The common thread comes in her ingenious uses of vegetables, which result in natural, irresistible bakes that are full of the good stuff. First published in 2009, this is a bargain to pick up now!

Must-try recipe: Banana and toffee sticky cake

Available from Amazon (£20)

Solo by Signe Johansen

Best for straightforward dishes

Motivation can be lacking when it comes to pulling together a whole meal just for one – it’s easy to see why beans on toast is a staple in many student houses. This book, though, injects some serious satisfaction into cooking for yourself, with straightforward and delicious dishes designed to be enjoyed solo. There are also recipes here for batch cooking – a great practice for students to get into.

Must-try recipe: Lemon courgette and ricotta fritters

• Available from Foyles (£14.99)

More cookbook inspiration

Best baking books
Best vegetarian cookbooks
Best vegan cookbooks
Best cookbooks for kids
Best Italian cookbooks
Best budget cookbooks
Best keto cookbooks

What cookbook would you recommend for students? Leave a comment below…