The Best Cookbooks Of 2023

There is no better gift than a cookbook. Hear us out: Your recipient can savour all the delicious recipes in that delectably slow “what day is it again?” week between Christmas and New Year’s, plotting future dinner parties. (You might even land an invite.)

Just in time for the holidays, we asked some of our Cross-Canada Test Kitchen contributors to share their picks for the best cookbooks of 2023.

The Best Cookbooks of the Year, According to our Test Kitchen

Together at SoBo by Lisa Ahier with Susan Musgrave, $38

There have been a lot of fantastic cookbooks released this year, but one that hit close to my heart is iconic West Coast chef Lisa Ahier’s latest collection of recipes, which she calls a love letter to Tofino. I’ve been going to SoBo, her beloved restaurant, since it was a food truck back in 2003, and I am so heartbroken that it closed this fall.

The cookbook is full of recipes for some of my favourite things, including the amazing pies and cookies created by long-time SoBo baker Jennifer Scott. —Julie Van Rosendaal

Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things by Noor Murad and Yotam Ottolenghi, $25

Technically this cookbook came out in 2022, but I still turn to it weekly. I love the lunches, salads and sides that leave me craving more. (The Sunshine Salad and Confit Leeks with Puy Lentils—yum!—are must-trys.) The second installment in the OTK series takes us back into the kitchen with the award-winning cookbook author and restaurateur’s culinary team to learn more of their secrets. —Suzanne Barr

More Than Cake by Natasha Pickowicz, $43

My brilliant friend Natasha Pickowicz’s debut book is an ode to the power of dessert in bringing people together, be it for a joyful celebration or a fundraising bake sale for abortion access. Her gorgeous prose makes it a joy to read, but most importantly, the recipes—like the incredible Mocha Latte Puffs—are delicious, as well as detailed enough to help you achieve pastry perfection. —Camilla Wynne

Veg-table by Nik Sharma, $53

I first became a fan of Nik Sharma’s cooking with The Flavor Equation, his 2020 cookbook, which blends his background in molecular biology with his love of cooking. The end result: science-​backed recipes that work. (His dal makhani remains my gold-standard recipe for lentils.)

In his newly released Veg-table, Sharma uses the same approach to explain how different types of plants react to different cooking methods and how to make those interactions work to create more delicious, more colourful and more satisfying plant-based dishes. There’s also an entire chapter dedicated to beans—which makes it a cookbook after this legume lover’s heart. — Chantal Braganza

Tenderheart by Hetty Lui McKinnon, $40

Hetty Lui McKinnon’s latest cookbook hasn’t been far from my kitchen since it came out. The prolific cookbook author and New York Times contributor, who has a famously deft hand with all things veg, offers creative, flavourful crowd-pleasers like Ginger Jook with Frizzled Crispy Ginger and Garlic Grilled Eggplant.

The recipes, which reflect the way so many of us are eating, are interwoven with poignant memoir. —Tara O'Brady

South of Somewhere by Dale Gray, $36

This book includes recipes from South Africa, South Korea and the American South. These are all places that Gray, a home cook and recipe developer, has lived. I love it for its stunning photos as well as Gray’s charming, captivating writing.

As for particular recipes I’m excited about? The Kimchi-Braised Lamb Shanks and Bulgogi Cheesesteak Skillet Pizza are calling my name, as are some of the traditional dishes from the American South, like Mom’s Red Beans with Smoked Turkey. —Jennifer Pallian