Top 11 Best Cookbooks for College Students: Easy Recipes & Meals
Find the best cookbooks for students in college! Easy recipes, budget meals, and fun cookery tips for dorms, apartments, and busy 20-somethings.
Finding the best cookbooks for students can make cooking fun and easy. College life often means living in a dorm or apartment with limited kitchen space.
Young adults, like 20-somethings and bachelors, need simple recipes that fit their busy schedules.
A great cookbook should include healthy meals that are quick to prepare. Think microwave dishes, air fryer recipes, and easy baking ideas.
Whether you want to whip up a delicious curry, a classic hamburger, or a quick vegetarian snack, there’s a cookbook for you.
Look for books with tips on shopping for ingredients on a budget. Many cookbooks also offer fun photos and meal prep strategies.
This way, cooking becomes an essential life skill during your college years.
Best Cookbooks for Students: Easy Recipes for College Life
They are excellent "reference" cookbooks for college students that cover the bus for just about anything you would like to cook now or in the future!
I have a huge collection of college cookbooks, but these are the ones I remember over and over again.
These college cookbooks contain everything from cooking basics to fancy meals for special occasions and everything in between.
I'll have a curated list of these cookbooks for students and a few more for you to check out below.
Here are some of the student's cookbooks—or anyone in need of Kitchen skills:
1. Prep: The Essential College Cookbook by Katie Sullivan Morford
A simple guide to one of life’s most essential skills: cooking.
New to the kitchen? Living on your own for the first time? Don’t be intimidated! This useful guide has everything you need to cook yourself real meals with real food. Centered around 10 basic lessons to get you comfortable in the kitchen,
This book will get you whipping nutritious meals, satisfying snacks, and simple desserts for you and your friends in no time. Also included are notes on knife skills, essential (and nonessential) cooking tools, and stocking your pantry. This is your go-to guide for cooking basics.
2. College Cooking by Megan Carle
You have a midterm tomorrow and a fierce growl in your stomach. Your roommate just nabbed your last cup of ramen. Do you:
- (A) Ignore your stomach and brew another pot of coffee?
- (B) Break out the PB&J?
- (C) Order pizza—again?
- (D) Make a quick trip to the grocery store?
The answer is D and College Cooking is your only study guide.
Sisters Megan and Jill Carle know all about leaving a well-stocked kitchen to face an empty apartment fridge with little time to cook and very little money. They practically grew up in their parent's kitchen, but even that didn't prepare them for braving the supermarket aisles on their own.
That's why they wrote COLLEGE COOKING—to share the tips and tricks they've learned while feeding themselves between late-night studying, papers, parties, and other distractions.
Starting with kitchen basics, Megan and Jill first cover ingredients, equipment, and other prereqs for cooking a decent meal. They then provide more than ninety simple yet taste-worthy recipes—hearty home-style dishes, study-break snacks, healthy salads, sweet treats, and more (along with low-cal and veggie options). You'll find easy and cheap-to-make dishes, like:
- Tortilla Soup
- Chili with Green Chile Cornbread
- Chicken Salad Pita Sandwiches
- Baked Penne Pasta with Italian Sausage
- What's-in-the-Fridge Frittata
- Peanut Butter Cup Bars
- Brownie Bites
You'll also find recipes for feeding a household of roommates, maximizing leftovers, cooking for a dinner date, and hosting parties with minimal prep and cost. Just consider COLLEGE COOKING your crash course in kitchen survival—and required reading for off-campus living.
3. The Everything College Cookbook by Rhonda Lauret Parkinson
Even college students need to eat. How else do you expect to stay energized for early-morning classes and late-night study sessions? With The Everything College Cookbook as your guide, you can jumpstart your meal plan in minutes.
Whether you're cooking for one or multitudes with a hot plate, studio stove, or microwave, you'll find everything you need to create fantastic meals that won't take tons of your time.
Packed with ideas for tasty snacks, easy-to-make lunches, dinners, and delicious desserts, The Everything College Cookbook will help you eat smart, from the proverbial good breakfast to midnight munchies-but that's not nearly all.
You'll also learn how to prepare: Microwaveable meals, such as Easy Onion Soup au Gratin for One, and Baked Potatoes Stress-free dinners,
- such as Simple Beef Stir-Fry and Gourmet Chili Easy-to-pack treats,
- such as Homemade Trail Mix and Low-Cal Blueberry Smoothies Luggable lunches,
- such as Greek Salad Pita Pockets and Asian Lettuce Wrap Sandwiches Vegetarian alternatives,
- such as Roasted Pepper Medley and Steamed Jasmine Rice Delectable desserts,
- such as Lemon Cranberry Sorbet and Easy Apple Crisp With tons of convenient recipes to suit your every need and mood,
The Everything College Cookbook is the one book you'll want to crack open every day of the week!
4. The College Vegan Cookbook by Heather Nicholds
Vegan Goes to College
Cooking space, prep time, ingredient stocking, cost… it can be hard being a vegan in college. The College Vegan Cookbook makes it easy for you to ace your diet—even in the dorms—with simple, healthy, and fresh vegan dishes.
Forget about fake meat. This vegan cookbook features 145 modern, whole-food recipes designed with college life in mind. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got a full kitchen or you’re stuck with a hot plate on your dresser, The College Vegan Cookbook will have you preparing affordable vegan meals you’ll love.
The College Vegan Cookbook includes:
- WHOLE FOODS, GREAT TASTES—Create delicious vegan plates using real ingredients—not processed substitutes.
- 145 FAST AND EASY MEALS—Choose from simple and tasty recipes, including Blueberry Oat Muffins, Ramen Noodle Bowls, Barbecue Cauliflower Wings, and Microwave Brownie Mug Cakes.
- VEGAN ON A BUDGET—This vegan cookbook makes your money go further with serving costs for every recipe, plus tips like supplementing your pantry from the cafeteria.
When it comes to great ideas for plant-based meals, The College Vegan Cookbook makes the grade.
5. College Cookbook by Tiffany Shelton
Gain Energy, Save Your Time, and Feel Great with this Ultimate College Cookbook!
Students don’t usually spend much time in the kitchen. But we’ve got your back. This book will give you an abundance of ideas for meals to eat that are delicious, easy to make, and give you the energy you need.
Inside this easy cookbook for girls and guys you'll find:
- simplest principles of cooking, main techniques, storage rules, and tips on how to make the cooking process enjoyable
- Quick and easy recipes that can be made in the toaster oven, microwave, or slow cooker
- List of basic ingredients and equipment to get you started
- recipes for snacks to feed a study group, sandwiches for lunch on the run, and quick soup for a cold day
- For dinner, you can use a microwave to whip up delicious dishes from your dorm room, tackle quick pasta recipes and hearty meals, and create special-occasion feasts for friends and family
- And, of course, what cookbook would be complete without a touch of dessert?
Select a few recipes, and relish the delicious creativity that comes from combining their ingredients to make a lot of fun and, of course, a “yummy” dinner.
Use these healthy and easy recipes and start cooking today!
6. Recipes Every College Student Should Know by Christine Nelson
A perfect gift for hungry dorm-dwellers, this must-have pocket guide will help students make and eat healthy snacks, meals, and other tasty bites.
Discover quick breakfasts to help you make it to class on time, backpack-friendly lunches, dormmate dinners for a crowd, study break snacks, and of course an infallible recipe for microwave mug cake—plus basic tools, terms, nutrition, budgeting guides, and safety tips for novice cooks.
No matter if you’ve got a microwave and an electric kettle or a full-sized kitchen, this book will have you well-fed and back to studying (or video games) in no time.
Recipes include:
• Breakfast Burritos
• Hummus and Veggie Wraps
• Healthy Avocado and Sunflower Seed Sandwich
• Bacon: Microwaved or Panfried
• Chocolate-Covered Popcorn
• And more!
7. Tasty Ultimate by Tasty
150 recipes to help you master the cooking basics, hack the pantry, and make everything from vegetarian go-to's to crowd-pleasing snacks to irresistible desserts.
Tasty Ultimate is THE must-have companion for home cooks of all skill levels—whether you’re a sometimes cook or a master meal prepper. With 150 recipes, clever hacks, and must-know techniques, this cookbook will teach you how to kill it in the kitchen.
In no time at all, you’ll be poaching like a pro, searing perfectly tender steaks, chopping veggies at warp speed, and frosting cakes better than Betty Crocker. You’ll tackle brand-new recipes as well as all your Tasty faves; think Fried Egg Pizza, Salmon Poke Bowl, Mozzarella Stick Onion Rings, and Molten Lava Brownies.
Beyond knockout cheese pulls, slow-cooked stunners, vegetarian go-tos, meals for meat-lovers, and insanely good sweets, discover large-scale showstoppers perfect for hosting Friendsgiving or Super Bowl Sunday.
With Tasty Ultimate in your kitchen, there is no meal—big or small—you can’t conquer.
8. How to Feed Yourself by Spoon University
There’s a time in life when you wake up and realize you’re on your own: if you don’t feed yourself, it’s buttered noodles for the rest of your days.
HOW TO FEED YOURSELF gives you exactly what you need to take control of your tiny kitchen and feed yourself depending on what's in your fridge, what you're craving, and what's happening in your life.
The goal isn’t to be perfect but to finally cook like a real adult. No special equipment skills ingredients or magic is required.
These recipes are based on the foods you probably have lying around—eggs, chicken, pasta, fish, potatoes, toast, grains, greens, and bananas. Once you’ve got those basics down, you’ll learn how to make anything but basic with dishes like Really Legit Breakfast Tacos, Leftover Vodka Pasta Sauce, and Empty Peanut Butter Jar Noodles.
Next, you’ll discover new flavor variations, including cinnamon toast's three ways, how to make chicken not bland, and a complete theory of the seven best ways to stir fry.
The real world of feeding yourself is actually pretty great. Welcome. Go forth and cook like a real person.
9. Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot® Cookbook by Carrie Forrest MBA MPH
Healthy, ready-to-go meals—Instant Pot® fast
Healthy eating is suddenly fast and simple with The Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook. Combining the speed and ease of Instant Pot® cooking with meal prep hacks, this Instant Pot cookbook will have you fixing great food that’s good for you in no time. You’ll also have plenty left for ready-to-go meals so you eat well all week long.
Never used an Instant Pot®? Don’t know much about meal prep? The Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook teaches you everything you need to know. From proper food storage to multitasking with your multicooker, discover how perfectly healthy meal prep and the Instant Pot® go together.
The Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook includes:
- BECOME AN INSTANT POT® PRO—Become an electric pressure cooker expert with handy guides and tips—plus recipes developed specifically for the Instant Pot®.
- MASTER MEAL PREP—Learn the secrets of advanced preparation, planning, and storage that make meal prepping a snap inside this Instant Pot cookbook.
- 75 RECIPES—From Spicy Sausage and Potato Hash to Lemon-Garlic Shrimp Scampi, enjoy delicious food that tastes just as great when you bring it back out of your fridge or freezer for grab-and-go meals.
Make healthy meal prep easier than ever with the Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook.
10. The Healthy College Cookbook by Alexandra Nimetz
If the pizza-delivery guy is in your apartment more often than your roommate, The Healthy College Cookbook is exactly what you need.
Whether you’re a meat lover, vegetarian, or vegan, you’ll find simple and adaptable recipes for quick breakfasts, portable snacks, fresh lunches, and satisfying dinners. Busy students will love these tasty, nutritious recipes.
11. Cook This Book by Molly Baz
If you seek out, celebrate, and obsess over good food but lack the skills and confidence necessary to make it at home, you’ve just won a ticket to a life filled with supreme deliciousness.
Cook This Book is a new kind of foundational cookbook from Molly Baz, who’s here to teach you absolutely everything she knows and equip you with the tools to become a better, more efficient cook.
Molly breaks the essentials of cooking down to clear and uncomplicated recipes that deliver big flavor with little effort and a side of education, including dishes like Pastrami Roast Chicken with Schmaltzy Onions and Dill, Chorizo and Chickpea Carbonara, and of course, her signature Cae Sal. But this is not your average cookbook.
More than a collection of recipes, Cook This Book teaches you the invaluable superpower of improvisation through visually compelling lessons on such topics as the importance of salt and how to balance flavor, giving you all the tools necessary to make food taste great every time.
Throughout, you’ll encounter dozens of QR codes, accessed through the camera app on your smartphone, that link to short technique-driven videos hosted by Molly to help illuminate some of the trickier skills.
As Molly says, “Cooking is really fun, I swear. You simply need to set yourself up for success to truly enjoy it.” Cook This Book will help you do just that, inspiring a new generation to find joy in the kitchen and take pride in putting a home-cooked meal on the table, all with the unbridled fun and spirit that only Molly could inspire.
You May Like Also: Best Cookbooks For College Students
- The Easy College Cookbook by Candace Braun Davison
- Easy College Cookbook for Guys by Noah Stern
- Healthy, Quick & Easy College Cookbook by Dana Angelo White MS RD AT
- Quick & Simple Instant Noodle Cookbook by Grace Berry
- The Unofficial ALDI Cookbook by Jeanette Hurt
- Meal In A Mug by Denise Smart
- The Instant Pot College Cookbook by Julee Morrison
- The All-American Rotisserie Chicken Dinner by Hope Comerford
- The One-Pan College Cookbook by MJ Hong
- The 5 Ingredient College Cookbook by Pamela Ellgen
- The Everything Gluten by Carrie S. Forbes
- 5 Ingredient Crock Pot Cookbook for Beginners
- 5-Ingredient Cooking for Two
- Broke Vegan: Speedy
- Feel Good Smoothies
- A Man, A Can, A Plan
- FitWaffle's Baking It Easy
- College Cookbooks - Amazon.com
- The College Man's Cookbook
