A gluten-free diet is often misunderstood as one of those diet programs designed to make you lose weight. The truth is, it isn’t a diet but a way of eating for those who can’t digest gluten. Gluten-free cookbooks are a way to make this eating approach much less confusing. So, why follow a gluten-free diet?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. When bakers knead flour, the gluten strands are warmed and stretched so that a springy and elastic dough is created. Unfortunately, about 6% of the population cannot digest this protein. Their bodies create an immune response that damages the intestinal lining that prevents nutrient absorption.
That’s why a gluten-free diet is recommended for people who are allergic to gluten or suffer from celiac disease. This diet can also promote various benefits like reducing chronic inflammation and easing digestion so that even weight loss groups have embraced it as a valid strategy for weight loss.
But keeping track of what you can and cannot eat can be tricky especially when making meals. That’s why gluten-free cookbooks are very useful. They are a resource for finding the right gluten-free substitutes while also providing a diverse selection of recipes to provide variety for your daily meals.
The best ones combine great photography and easy-to-do dishes. These cookbooks will also appeal to regular eaters who are looking for more options for healthy dishes to add to their meals.
Some GF cookbooks will include comprehensive information on celiac disease which will benefit anyone who just been diagnosed with the disorder and now has to overhaul their diet. The information could also help you to convert recipes from other cookbooks into gluten-free versions. This would allow you to focus on other types of cookbooks too, like Mediterranean cookbooks and keto cookbooks.
Changing your eating lifestyle because of an autoimmune disorder can be stressful. But a great cookbook will show you how to transition easily and, more importantly, help you maintain this new eating pattern for the rest of your life.
Here are my top 10 picks on the best gluten-free cookbooks on Amazon.
Table of Contents
Best Gluten-Free Cookbooks
- Gluten-Free for Good: Simple, Wholesome Recipes Made from Scratch: A Cookbook Paperback
- How Can It Be Gluten-Free Cookbook Collection: 350+ Groundbreaking Recipes for All Your Favorites Hardcover
- Small Plates and Sweet Treats: My Family's Journey to Gluten-Free Cooking Hardcover
- Gluten-Free on a Shoestring: 125 Easy Recipes for Eating Well on the Cheap Paperback
- Gluten-Free Baking Classics Paperback – Illustrated
- The Easy Gluten-Free Cookbook: Fast and Fuss-Free Recipes for Busy People on a Gluten-Free Diet Paperback
- The Defined Dish: Whole30 Endorsed, Healthy, and Wholesome Weeknight Recipes Hardcover – Illustrated
- Bakerita: 100+ No-Fuss Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Refined Sugar-Free Recipes for the Modern Baker Hardcover – Illustrated
- Whole Bowls: Complete Gluten-Free and Vegetarian Meals to Power Your Day Hardcover
- The Gluten-Free Bible Flexibound
- Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Cookbook: 100 Satisfying, Family-Friendly Recipes Paperback
1. Gluten-Free for Good: Simple, Wholesome Recipes Made from Scratch: A Cookbook Paperback
This cookbook presents 100 gluten-free recipes that are easy to do and do not require expensive packaged gluten-free ingredients. Samples of the recipes include Roast Chicken with Whole-Grain Sausage Stuffing, Leek and Carrot Brown Rice Risotto, White Pizza with Blistered Tomatoes, Spanish Tortilla, Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting and Blondie Bars.
The cookbook also includes a simple pantry primer so you that you’ll know what to stock up on for easy and quick gluten-free meals. It also has a list of alternative flours as well as an recipe index for easy reference.
The recipes are explained well enough and are easy to make, with only 3-4 steps each. They all use flour blends, starches from arrowroot, potato, and tapioca, and ingredients like whole milk, whole milk yogurt, psyllium husk powder, milk powder, and butter. Measurements are in U.S. volume and grams with a color photo of the dish for nearly all of the recipes.
Readers liked the variety and creativity of the recipes. Another loved the book’s food photography. The cookbook is recommended for beginner home cooks or skilled ones looking to expand their recipe skills.
2. How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook Collection: 350+ Groundbreaking Recipes for All Your Favorites Hardcover
This is an America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) compilation of fool-proof gluten-free recipes for cooking and baking. It includes 75 dairy-free variations as well as updated chart for troubleshooting common mistakes in gluten-free baking. There are also over 600 full-color photos here, from “how-to” photos to pictures of the dish.
Recipes clearly explain what each ingredient does in the dish and includes its nutritional information. In the baking section, there’s a selection of whole-grain recipes that use the ATK’s Gluten-Free Flour Blend but the book also includes a list of flour substitutes like Bobs Redmill Mix and King Arthur Flour Mix.
As is typical of an ATK cookbook, it also has the latest information on the best supermarket gluten-free breads and pasta, including new information on legume pastas.
Readers like the comprehensive info and the reliability of the recipes. One said that this book has a bit of everything. The cookbook is recommended for anyone looking for a good starter cookbook for basic gluten-free recipes.
3. Small Plates and Sweet Treats: My Family's Journey to Gluten-Free Cooking, Hardcover
This cookbook documents the author’s conversion to gluten-free cooking and features 120 naturally gluten-free recipes. There is also an overview of core techniques like learning how to roll out a tart dough and learning what the essential ingredients that one must have in the pantry.
The book is divided into seasons, with each season featuring a small plate section that includes savory dishes and a sweet one. There are 15 recipes per section. The baking recipes use different kinds of flour except soy and bean, lots of refined and unrefined sugars, butter yogurt, eggs, and coconut milk. It also has substitution tips for dairy.
The recipes are easy to follow and range from quick and nourishing dishes to advanced, uniquely flavored ones. Measurements are in in U.S. volume and metric (grams and mL). It also features color photos of every dish for easy reference.
Readers liked that the book is easy-going and practical. Those who have tried the recipes said that they’re easy to reproduce or adapt as needed. Recommended for those interested in gluten-free dishes with the flavor of Spain.
4. Gluten-Free on a Shoestring: 125 Easy Recipes for Eating Well on the Cheap Paperback
This is an updated edition that includes new and revised recipes and more tips on how to choose the best gluten-free (GF) flour blends and stocking your pantry. Featured dishes include Apple-Cinnamon Toaster Pastries, Focaccia ,Chicken Pot Pie, and the Perfect Chocolate Birthday Cake.
Recipes are generally easy to make but not all have photos. The bread/pastry ones rely on Better Batter flour or an all-purpose GF flour mix. The recipes also rely on dairy products but the book includes a lot of suggestions for adapting the recipes to be low-dairy or dairy-free. One noteworthy feature is that the recipes come with a cost comparison of what the commercially made product would cost versus the cost of a homemade product.
Readers like that this book has a lot of good tips and tricks for keeping costs of GF cooking down. Another found the meal-planning strategies helpful. Recommended for anyone looking for affordable and delicious basic recipes for GF dishes.
5. Gluten-Free Baking Classics Paperback – Illustrated
This is a revised edition of a popular classic GF baking cookbook that uses precise mixes of non-wheat-based, gluten-free flours. There are 125 recipes here ranging from breads and muffins, pies and pastries to cakes and cupcakes.
This book was written for those new to baking and gluten-free baking. Readers will be thoroughly taught classic baking techniques and coached on how to buy, mix and measure GF-free flours.
Recipes are specific and easy to follow. According to a reader, if they’re followed exactly, they’ll work excellently. Most of them, however, are not vegan but these can be easily adapted with vegan substitutes. Many loved the book’s recommended brown rice-based flour mix since it made their baking goods much tastier than those in commercial stores.
Recommended for entry-level GF bakers who are not lactose-intolerant.
6. The Easy Gluten-Free Cookbook: Fast and Fuss-Free Recipes for Busy People on a Gluten-Free Diet Paperback
This cookbook features over 100 recipes that can be easily made with just a few ingredients or just one pan. Samples of the dishes include familiar favorites like Breakfast Tacos, Perfectly Fluffy Pancakes, Vegan Sloppy Joes, Tuna-Stuffed Avocado Melts, Quesadilla Casserole, Cheesy Pizza Pasta Casserole, and The Best Peanut Butter Cookies.
Recipes are simple and the steps are conveniently numbered. Most have around 5 short steps and will require 5 main ingredients, a single pot or pan, and at least 30 minutes of prepping and cooking. They’re also easily adaptable for a variety of dietary requirements. The cookbook includes lots of substitution lists for making the dish paleo, dairy-free, nut-free, or vegan. Some of them even include Instant Pot instructions.
There are minimal photos in this cookbook but many readers still liked it because its a good reference for anyone struggling with a GF diet. Those who tried the recipes found that they work well. Recommended for anyone looking for quick and easy GF recipes.
7. The Defined Dish: Whole30 Endorsed, Healthy and Wholesome Weeknight Recipes Hardcover – Illustrated
This is cookbook for people who’ve finished a Whole30 diet program and are looking for new recipes that are Whole30 compliant, paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, or more. Featured recipes include Chipotle Chicken Tostadas with Pineapple Salsa, Black Pepper Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, Curried Pot Roast, and Sheet Pan Sausage with Squash.
Recipes are approachable and can be easily adapted. Most of them lean to Italian-based cuisine but there’s a mix of regional southern cuisine recipes included too. The directions are clearly written and detailed. Color photos of the dishes accompany the recipes.
Readers liked that the book offers a lot of recipes and ideas for sustaining the gains accomplished by anyone who just finished the Whole30 diet. One found it a useful reference for quick weeknight meals. Recommended for anyone who’s finished a diet program and looking for healthy meals.
8. Whole Bowls: Complete Gluten-Free and Vegetarian Meals to Power Your Day Hardcover
This cookbook’s main feature is an easy-to-follow “Whole Bowls Formula” that allows anyone to quickly build healthy meal bowls that are good for everyday lunch and dinners. There are also more than fifty full-meal, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free recipes that can be made ahead of time.
Each recipe is designed as a complete meal. The instructions are clear, easy to follow, and also include a Make Ahead section. Each one can easily be adapted for a vegan diet. Almost every recipe is accompanied by a color photo of the dish.
Readers liked its heavy emphasis on vegetables and legumes. One liked that the author's formula and recipes teach flexibility so that one can easily create a healthy dish according to your needs. Recommended for vegetarians and anyone looking for meal prep or meatless Monday-type ideas.
9. The Gluten-Free Bible Flexibound
This cookbook is a bible for over 100 GF recipes, that include every meal type, from main course to dessert. It also includes an introduction to gluten-free cooking and teaches newbies how to read food labels, how to make gluten-free flour mixes, and convert a traditional wheat-based recipe into a gluten-free one.
Recipes are a mix of easy and complex but there are instructive “how-to” photos to assist the careful reader as well as color photos of the dishes for easy reference. Most of the recipes are dairy-free and use corn and soy. There is also a kid-friendly recipe section. Samples of the selection include Apple Crepes, Cheese Souffle, Southwestern Meatloaf, Cajun Chicken & Rice, and Strawberry Shortcake.
Recommended for anyone looking for a reference book on gluten-free cooking.
10. Gluten Free Dairy Free Cookbook: 100 Satisfying, Family-Friendly Recipes Paperback
This cookbook features tasty recipes that don’t use gluten or dairy products, but features a lot of grain-based ingredients. It includes a chart that shows how to mix and measure different alternatives like almond milk or chia seeds and how to make gluten-free flour. There’s even direction for making cashew milk.
Recipes are user-friendly and use whole-food ingredients that are easy to find. Most take less than an hour for prepping and cooking. Each recipe comes with nutritional info and is labeled if they are nut, soy, egg, peanut–free, vegan, and vegetarian. The recipes also have substitution tips.
Readers found this book good enough for anyone who follows a Standard American Diet but can't eat gluten and dairy. One found this a good starter cookbook for anyone transitioning from a processed food diet to a healthy one.
Recommended for GF-DF eaters and anyone looking for a useful companion cookbook on healthy eating.
Top Pick
GLUTEN-FREE FOR GOOD: SIMPLE, WHOLESOME RECIPES MADE FROM SCRATCH: A COOKBOOK PAPERBACK by Samantha Seneviratne
This book goes easy on gluten-free (GF) cuisine proselytizing and instead focuses on presenting GF recipes that are easy to make from scratch. The recipes are also not sugar-heavy and do not rely heavily on meat and vegetables.
For gluten-free eaters, this cookbook is a showcase for GF recipes that are delicious. One reviewer said that the cake recipes in this book turned out to be a success, more so than any other GF cookbook that she read. Another said she used this book to cook for her friends who are dealing with celiac and other gluten issues and they loved everything she prepared.
Recommended for casual cooks and those looking for more tasty GF recipes to add to their cooking repertoire.
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