These cookbooks by chefs all over the world cover everything from ceviche and lomito to sourdough and sofrito.
Even in the age of cooking apps and aspirational Pinterest boards, there’s still nothing quite like flipping through a cookbook earmarked with favorite recipes and annotated with handwritten notes. While many recipes are often passed down by word of mouth in Latinx families, chefs from across the diaspora are prioritizing the preservation of culturally significant dishes and equipping the next generation with the tools to ensure the roots of our food aren’t lost. If you’re searching for the perfect holiday gifts to give your favorite foodie, one of these beautiful cookbooks is sure to be a hit.
Whether you’re an experimental chef eager to recreate the comforting snacks of your Dominican childhood but only have access to your bodega, a food historian seeking a deep dive into the culinary legacies of Latin America more broadly, or a veggie-lover embracing plant-based spins on nostalgic dishes, this curated list highlights authors who offer passports to your next food adventures without having to leave home. Here are 15 of the best cookbooks to gift or add to your own wishlist from James Beard Award-winning chefs to viral Instagram bakers that serve as guides for the sizzling barbecues of Argentina to the soulful stews of El Salvador, and celebrate the diversity and evolution of Latin and Caribbean cuisines.
For the Wanderluster
1. Nopalito: A Mexican Kitchen, Gonzalo Guzmán with Stacy Adimando ($30, Bookshop and Amazon)
Inspired by Napolito, Gonzalo Guzmán’s popular San Francisco restaurant, the chef (along with culinary author Stacy Adimando) shares simple yet impressive recipes that spotlight the range of Mexico’s regional culinary differences from Puebla to Yucatán. Featuring dishes like crispy red quesadillas with braised pork, tamales with red spiced sunflower seed mole, and toasted corn with crema and queso fresco, this approachable cookbook combines essential Mexican techniques with thoughtful cultural insights.
2. The Simple Art of Rice, JJ Johnson ($35, Bookshop and Amazon)
The acclaimed James Beard Foundation Book Award winner’s second publication is an ode to rice across cultures and cuisines featuring a foolproof guide to cooking the versatile grain. JJ Johnson’s recipes influenced by diverse traditions from across the globe push you to think outside of the white rice box and include dishes (like Liberian jollof and Filipino champorado) while taking the reader on an educational journey through the culinary staple’s deep history and significance.
3. Colombiana: A Rediscovery of Recipes and Rituals from the Soul of Colombia, Mariana Velásquez ($35, Bookshop and Amazon)
This visually stunning and heartfelt tribute to Colombian cuisine from Mariana Velásquez, a Michelle-Obama-approved recipe developer, blends traditional dishes with modern cuisine. Featuring recipes from classics like arepas and empanadas to inventive creations like tamarind pork tenderloin with mint and spicy papaya gazpacho, this cookbook captures Colombia’s hospitality and array of flavors and customs.
4. Diala’s Kitchen: Plant-Forward and Pescatarian Recipes Inspired by Home and Travel, Diala Canelo ($30, Barnes & Noble and Amazon)
Inspired by her culinary explorations of cities like Barcelona, Santo Domingo, and Florence, chef Dialo Canelo (known as @dialaskitchen on Instagram) shares vibrant, vegetable-forward, and pescatarian-friendly recipes. Rooted in fresh, local ingredients, and a love for bold touches, her star dishes range from salmon tacos with chipotle crema to coconut flan.
5. The Cuban Table: A Celebration of Food, Flavors, and History, Ana Sofía Peláez & Ellen Silverman ($35, Rizzoli and Amazon)
Food writer Ana Sofía Peláez and photographer Ellen Silverman uncover the lore and family secrets behind authentic Cuban cooking. With timeless recipes and beautiful presentation, this contemporary explores the country’s rich cuisine and culture through the insights of home cooks, chefs, and food writers from Cuba, Miami, and New York.
6. Ceviche, Martin Morales ($31, Amazon)
This introduction to Peru’s vibrant culinary scene from Martin Morales, owner of the London’s acclaimed SoHo restaurant Ceviche, offers a look into the fusion of native Peruvian ingredients like quinoa and lucuma with Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese influences. Plus, find refreshing takes on ceviche, superfood salads, and eclectic desserts.
For the Nostalgia Lovers
7. Cocina Criolla, Carmen Valldejuli ($26, Barnes & Noble and Amazon)
Currently only available for sale in Spanish, Cocina Criolla by Carmen Valldejuli has been a staple in Caribbean kitchens since it was published in 1983. This old-school classic is filled with charming illustrations and hundreds of authentic recipes—it offers instructions for making everything from moro de guandules to sofrito—while providing practical cooking tips and advice (even for beginner cooks!) on how to read recipes and stock your kitchen with essential equipment.
8. The SalviSoul Cookbook: Salvadoran Recipes and the Women Who Preserve Them, Karla Tatiana Vasquez ($35, Rizzoli and Amazon)
After experiencing difficulty finding recipes to recreate dishes from her childhood, Karla Tatiana Vasquez set off to write this book highlighting the El Salvadoran community through recipes and personal stories gathered from women in her family and community. Combining traditional dishes like pupusas and Rellenos de Papa with moving narratives of resilience, Vasquez preserves the voices and histories of Salvadoran women across generations.
For the Aspiring Great British Bake-Off Contestant
9. New World Sourdough: Artisan Techniques for Creative Homemade Fermented Breads, Bryan Ford ($28, Bookshop and Amazon)
Inspired by his Honduran roots and New Orleans upbringing, viral baker Brian Ford (known as @artisanbrian on Instagram) offers a fresh, approachable take on baking sourdough bread and other baked goods at home, featuring recipes for birote, bagels, and beignets, among others. Focusing on practical techniques and flavor development over perfectionism, this cookbook is a must-have for bakers of all levels with tips on how to experiment with pan de coco, challah, tortillas, Cuban muffins, and more.
10. Chicano Bakes, Esteban Castillo ($40, Bookshop and Amazon)
Explore sweet, nostalgic notes of Chicano cuisine with recipes for desserts, tamales, pan dulce, and traditional drinks that sparkle on the cookbook’s pages through dreamy Instagram-feed-worthy photography. Drawn from his Mexican American roots and childhood memories, Esteban Castillo shares beloved recipes like tres leches cake, conchas de vainilla, churro cheesecake, and tamales de elote.
11. Bodega Bakes, Paola Velez ($35, Bookshop and Amazon)
This debut cookbook from the co-founder of the organization Bakers Against Racism is a joyful celebration of Paola Velez’s childhood and Dominican heritage that invites you to bring the magic of bodegas into your kitchen. With more than 100 accessible and playful recipes highlighting the colorful character of corner stores, Velez showcases her blend of expertise and experimentation through recipes like pineapple empanadillas (a Caribbean classic) and her signature Thick’ems cookies.
For the Vegetarian or Vegan (…or Just Plain Veggie Lover)
12. Abuela’s Plant-Based Kitchen: Vegan Cuisine Inspired by Latin & Caribbean Family Recipes, Karla Salinari ($30, Bookshop and Amazon)
Drawing from her Puerto Rican upbringing, health coach Karla Salinari shows readers that they can still indulge in satisfying meals with complex flavors centered around plant-based ingredients. This cookbook shows you how to utilize chickpea water, tempeh, and tofu to carry on multigenerational cooking traditions. Dishes like garbanzo stew with plantain balls, Cuban-style picadillo, and coconut flan prove meat- and dairy-free comfort food doesn’t have to come at the expense of taste, making it an excellent cookbook for anyone with dietary restrictions or food allergies.
For the Grill Master of the Family
13. Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way, Francis Mallmann ($40, Bookshop and Amazon)
A deep dive into mastering cooking with fire, this 2009 James Beard Award-winning cookbook shares primal techniques for sophisticated palettes. With show-stopping recipes like whole boneless ribeye with chimichurri, salt-crusted ctriped bass, and dulce de leche pancakes, renowned Argentine chef Francis Mallmann introduces readers to seven distinct grilling methods for both indoor and outdoor cooking.
For the Encyclopedic Chef
14. The Latin American Cookbook, Virgilio Martinez ($51, Bookshop and Amazon)
This comprehensive Latin American cookbook curated by a renowned Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez features over 600 recipes that praise the region’s rich and complex culinary heritage. With classic dishes like empanadas, tamales, and tacos and lesser-known specialties that are sure to be a hit at any dinner party—Chilean disco fries and Nicaraguan squash stew, anyone?—Martinez exhibits myriad influences from indigenous, European, and Asian flavors.
15. Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America, Maricel E. Presilla ($40, Amazon)
Historian and restaurateur Maricel Presilla’s ultimate guide to Latin American cuisine provides over 500 recipes that span from Mexico to Argentina and the Caribbean. This expansive cookbook has it all: traditional dishes like adobos, ceviches, tamales, and moles, as well as desserts like flan and tres leches cake.