Whether you’ve got a tough crowd or a kid(s) who’ll eat anything you put in front of them, including them in the kitchen is an excellent way for them to open their minds to new foods. Building a positive connection with a broad range of foods (did someone say veggies?) starts in the kitchen.
Table of Comparison
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Product FAQs
1. Why should I get my child a cookbook?
Exposing kids to positive experiences with new and fresh foods is a foolproof way to build a foundation for great nutrition. Children learn by using their senses—listening, smelling, tasting, and feeling. Activities in the kitchen give them hands-on time to be a part of food choices that no longer make eating what’s on the table forced but a fun and exciting opportunity.
2. Are the recipes suitable for kids?
If you’re not sure how to make your favorite recipes kid-friendly, you’re not alone. Building these connections with your child can be fun and easy with the right cookbook on hand. There are some great cookbooks out there designed just for little ones with little experience and short attention spans in mind!
3. What if I don’t cook?
Kids have been learning how to cook at their parents’ sides for hundreds of years, so it’s nothing new that can’t be learned in your household. Whether you’re not much of a cook yourself or you’re just not sure on how to include your little ones in the cooking action after spending years shooing them away from the hot stove while you cook, we’ve got a book to get you started.
We’re going to include some of the tried and true classics that have been around for years. We’ll throw in some new, great cookbooks that are livening up the kids’ cookbook scene too!
How We Picked the Best
We tried to focus on growing minds and inexperience in the kitchen. Recipes that were easy to follow, even for young children, with and without parental help, were given preference. For those with great ideas in theory, but that didn’t fare well with a broad group of kids, we left them off or noted the lack of interest for specific age groups.
What’s the Investment?
Cookbooks are relatively inexpensive and can even be close to free if you know where to look. You may not have thought about checking your local thrift store, asking moms of older kids if they have retired any of theirs, or even checking your local FaceBook marketplace. On the other hand, if you prefer brand new or can’t find what you’re looking for used, you can expect to pay about $12 to $30.
Top 10 Best Cookbooks for Kids
If you’re ready to get cooking with your kids by your side, skim through our reviews and pick out your favorites. You’ll be having fun and success in no time!
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MasterChef Junior is one of the most inspiring shows for young learning chefs and their parents. If there’s a cookbook that can inspire creativity in the kitchen while delivering some exciting recipes for kids, it’s this one.
About this Book
There are 100 utterly inspiring recipes collected in this gem. Dishes collected from the first five seasons of the show were picked out and paired with great advice, tips, and techniques your child will love exploring, but it’s geared towards the slightly more experienced teenage cook.
Recipes You’ll Love
Some favorites from this collection were the Gnocchi with Brown Butter-Sage Sauce and Tomatoes, Fish Tacos with Guacamole, Lobster, and Beef Tenderloin! This collection of dishes is a little more complicated than your typical macaroni and cheese or spaghetti recipes you’ll find in many children’s cookbooks.
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We’re not sure about your kids but our love pretty much any combination of noodles and sauce known to man. If yours are the same and you want to try some new recipes, along with learning a little about Italian cuisine, this is a great book to get you started!
About this Book
This is an excellent collection of over 40 beautifully hand-illustrated, step by step recipes easy for children over the age of 8 to follow. Instructions are easy to follow, photographs of the finished dish are beautiful and inspiring, and there are tons of tips and tricks for kids to follow.
Recipes You’ll Love
This book is filled with the classics in a few broken-up categories like lunches & snacks, pasta & pizzas, main dishes, as well as desserts. Enjoy making everything from Pizza Margherita, Tuscan Minestrone Soup, to Tomato Bruschetta and Rigatoni with Meatballs.
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If you’re looking for an all-inclusive, well-rounded one-stop shop, this is the cookbook for you. With themed sections, you’ll be able to find an easy recipe for any occasion that younger children will love. More youthful kids aged 10 to 12 can work on their own and younger with supervision will benefit from the focus on safety and kitchen basics.
About this Book
The great thing about these recipes are the beautifully photographed, step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. There are nine themed sections from Light Bites to Soups & Salads and more; the 150 included recipes are enough to inspire a love of cooking.
Recipes You’ll Love
Follow along for easy from-scratch tomato soup, different types of kebobs, French Toast, and even freshly baked bread. There are too many recipes to go over, but you’ll have plenty to choose from whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a dessert.
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Natural curiosity will be peaked with this great cookbook. Eager minds will love stepping up to the counter to try out some of these wholesome, healthy, and kid-approved dishes. As a mom of two, author Anjali Shah explains the basics to kids about everything from whisking to chopping, teaching them some of the essential skills.
About this Book
This cookbook was put together in an easy to use, progressive format. You’ll find easy, medium, and hard recipes for kids to use as they develop their skills in the kitchen. It employs age-appropriate guidance throughout and 25 fun, creative recipes.
Recipes You’ll Love
With recipes like Cookie Monster Bites, Apple-Cinnamon French Toast Bake, and even Pizza Party favorites, your child will have a great assortment of recipes to choose from.
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If you’re looking for a collection of creative recipes that will give your child’s young mind a leg up on cooking, this is a great choice. Coming from the creators of America’s Test Kitchen, this is a perfectly curated collection of recipes that cultivate hands-on learning. Your kids will not only build confidence but impress you and others alike with some of these delicious dishes.
About this Book
The creators of this book took it one step further and tested these recipes with 750 kids, making sure to include methods that encompass a reasonable span of skill and age levels. There are over 100 creative recipes included categorized by breakfast, snacks and beverages, dinners, desserts, and more.
Recipes You’ll Love
Your child will love trying out meals like Avocado Toast with Fried Eggs, yogurt parfaits, cookies, grilled cheese, and more.
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We loved this fun collection of recipes that took into consideration the taste and skill level of a range of children. Author Deanna F. Cook put some heavy thought into curating easy-to-follow recipes and creative names to bring healthy choices to kids.
About this Book
Kids aged from 6 years to 12 years will love the taste, flavors, and kid-friendly language used to help guide them through creating each dish. There are over 50 recipes to jump-start your child’s love of the kitchen included.
Recipes You’ll Love
These recipes are some of the “home-cook” favorites – from applesauce and popcorn chicken to French toast, pizza, mashed potato clouds, and fruit flowers, there’s a recipe for everyone.
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This cookbook is a fun collection of real restaurant stories along with recipes to follow. A restaurant in Berkeley, California, Chez Panisse is run by Alive Waters and her friends. Her daughter is Fanny, who has fun stories of real restaurant life.
About this Book
Author Alice Waters delivers a cookbook that showcases how easy it can be to create great food with inexpensive ingredients. She wants to bring the magic of cooking to even the youngest of cooks. Fanny, seven year-old-daughter of Alice, teaches kids about where food comes from and helps them understand the path from the farm to the table, bringing an added perspective to kid’s cookbooks.
Recipes You’ll Love
This book is full of kids favorites like spaghetti and meatballs, cherry tomato pasta, green apple sherbet, banana milkshakes and even black beans and sour cream. Kids will love learning to create their favorites like French fries and pizza.
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If you’ve ever read The Moosewood Cookbook, you’ll appreciate that author Mollie Katzen teamed up with an educator, Ann Henderson, to create a children’s version of the renowned cookbook. They wanted to bring real cooking down to the preschool level to help parents include their little ones in the kitchen and inspire a love of food and creativity.
About this Book
Children as young as three years old and as old as eight will be delighted to take part in learning kitchen essentials. These recipes were tested both in the classroom and at home in hopes of inspiring appreciation for tasty meals that are also healthy.
Recipes You’ll Love
Kids and adults will enjoy making everything from pancakes to pizza, noodle pudding, and easy quesadillas. Don’t worry; you’ll find all of the classics like spaghetti as well.
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Mollie Katzen is at it again, bringing us another beautiful collection of recipes to keep children inspired to be in the kitchen and develop a love of trying new foods and broadening their horizons. Kids will gain confidence and a sense of accomplishment.
About this Book
Children aged eight and up will be prepared and skilled enough to make use of this fun, creative cookbook. They’ll have 65 tried and authentic recipes to choose from.
Recipes You’ll Love
Kids will impress you and their friends following recipes like Cinnamon Swirl Sticky Buns, Pita Spirals, Spaghetti Pie, Honest Pretzels and Maple Yogurt Fruit Dip. Don’t forget to bookmark the Best Hot Chocolate recipe for a cold, stormy, day.
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We all know Good Housekeeping publishes some awesome recipes that have saved a holiday or two last-minute. That’s why we had to check out their collection of easy kids’ recipes! We surely weren’t disappointed with this one; in fact, we may have been saving the best for last on this list.
About this Book
This book was designed with kids of all ages and skill level in mind. With a little guidance your child should be able to create plenty of these recipes, and in time, all of them. There are over 100 delicious recipes to whip up with your kids.
Recipes You’ll Love
All the classics have been included here with a twist including mac ‘n’ cheese, burgers, salads, lasagna, and even desserts.
The Verdict
Depending on your child’s or children’s ages and skill level, there’s a perfect cookbook out there for you. For younger kids, choose one of the books that focus on explaining kitchen basics like whisking, stirring, and pointing out which tools are the best for each meal.
For those with older children or children who have a bit of kitchen experience, try out one of the books geared towards older kids. The recipes may be a little more complex or use more expensive ingredients, but most still include methods that are easy to understand and follow.
“The Silver Spoon for Children: Favorite Italian Recipes,” written by Amanda Grant and illustrated by Harriet Russell (Phaidon, 2009 ). It features more than 40 traditional recipes like risotto and minestrone, all adapted from “The Silver Spoon,” a cookbook that appears in many Italian home kitchens. The book is written for children ages 9 and up, but my 6-year-old loved it, filled as it is with “grown-up food” that she can cook (mostly) by herself. When I handed it to her, she almost immediately started flagging recipes with Post-it notes.