For any lover of French cooking -beginner or connoisseur- building a French cookbook library is the key to increasing skill and having a reliable source of cooking inspiration and knowledge on hand– even in the era of Pinterest and food blogs.
With most chefs and authors working hard to craft their recipes and extra care given to create aesthetically beautiful layout and imagery, I have always been a big believer in the value of a good cookbook. There is of course no doubt how remarkably important online resources can be, but a thoughtfully curated physical cookbook will hold a special place in your heart that the internet just cannot replicate. For most, a favorite cookbook will be a treasured item you’ll keep on your shelf and one you’ll likely go back to countless times.
As far as learning French cooking goes, it is all but impossible to start without mentioning a few timeless cookbooks such as Mastering The Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Le Guide Culinaire of Escoffier, The Larousse Gastronomic and Paul Bocuse: The Complete Recipes. For Americans, these cookbooks are great to learn the basics of Classic French cooking. But it should be noted that French cooking has evolved a lot since Escoffier or Julia Child’s era. Dishes today tend to be lighter, desserts are less sweet and regional cooking better embraced.
This is why I wanted to curate for you a list of some of my favorite newer French cookbooks (in English), that perhaps better reflect the ways in which French people cook and eat today. When laying out this cookbook list, I favored accessible recipes, beautiful photography and easy-to-find ingredients for people living outside of France. I own most of these cookbooks on my shelves, and regularly turn to them to try out something new, perfect a recipe or just for inspiration.
I hope you’ll enjoy this list of cookbooks for French cooking lovers! If you have any favorites that aren’t listed here, feel free to add a comment.
Favorite French Recipe Collections
A Kitchen in France, by Mimi Thorisson
With beguiling recipes and sumptuous photography, A Kitchen in France transports you to the French countryside (in Médoc, where Mimi Thorisson and her family lives) and marks the debut of a captivating new voice in cooking.
French Country Cooking, by Mimi Thorisson
In this lavishly photographed, stunning cookbook, Mimi Thorisson–inspired by her family’s move to a new home, a massive old stone building that once housed a restaurant and inn–takes readers on a captivating trip to off-the-beaten-path French wine country with 100 simple yet exquisite recipes inspired by the characters who inhabit their quaint village.
My Little French Kitchen, by Rachel Khoo
The world fell in love with Rachel Khoo through her cookbook and television show The Little Paris Kitchen, and immediately began to covet her Parisian lifestyle, fashion sense, and delicious recipes. In My Little French Kitchen, Rachel leaves Paris and travels to the mountains, villages, and shores of France, sampling regional specialties and translating them into more than 100 recipes.
France The Cookbook, by Ginette Mathiot & Clotilde Dusoulier
The bible of traditional and authentic French home cooking, with over 6 million copies sold since its first publication. With more than 1,400 recipes (updated by Clothilde Dusoulier), Mathiot guides the reader through all the classic recipes and techniques of French cooking (which provide the building blocks for so many other cuisines) with a clear and authoritative voice.
Around My French Table, by Dorie Greenspan
When Julia Child told Dorie Greenspan, “You write recipes just the way I do,” she paid her the ultimate compliment. (…) Packed with lively stories, memories, and insider tips on French culinary customs, Around My French Table will make cooks fall in love with France all over again, or for the first time.
French Market Cookbook, by Clotilde Dusoulier
Beloved ChocolateAndZucchini.com food blogger Clotilde Dusoulier is not a vegetarian. But she has, like many of us, chosen to eat less meat and fish, and is always looking for new ways to cook what looks best at the market. In The French Market Cookbook, she takes us through the seasons in 82 recipes—and explores the love story between French cuisine and vegetables.
In the French Kitchen with kids, by Mardi Michels
Shortlisted for the 2019 Taste Canada Awards! From the writer and recipe developer behind eat. live. travel. write comes a new cookbook for parents, children and Francophiles of all ages. Forget the fuss and bring simple, delicious French dishes to your home kitchen with Mardi Michels as your guide.
Just a French Guy Cooking, by Alexis Gabriel Ainouz
French Guy Cooking is a YouTube sensation. A Frenchman living in Paris, Alexis loves to demystify cooking by experimenting with food and cooking methods to take the fear factor out of cooking, make it fun and accessible, and charm everyone with his geeky approach to food. In this, his debut cookbook, he shares 100 of his absolute favorite recipes – from amazingly tasty toast ideas all the way to some classic but super-simple French dishes.
Let’s Eat France!, by François-Régis Gaudry
Named a Best Food Book of the Year / Best Book to Gift by the New York Times Book Review, National Geographic, Houston Chronicle, The Guardian, Real Simple, and more. There’s never been a book about food like Let’s Eat France! A book that feels literally larger than life, it is a feast for food lovers and Francophiles, combining the completist virtues of an encyclopedia and the obsessive visual pleasures of infographics with an enthusiast’s unbridled joy.
The Cook’s Atelier, by Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini
The debut cookbook from The Cook’s Atelier—the international culinary destination and cooking school in Burgundy—is a beautifully photographed resource on classic French cuisine and an atmospheric chronicle of a family’s life in a charming French village.
Plat du Jour, by Susan Herrmann Loomis
Discover the pleasures of cooking—and eating—with this French approach to everyday meals. Featured on bistro menus and dinner tables throughout France, the plat du jour is the centerpiece of a two-course meal, a formula that Susan Loomis cleverly presents here.
Dinner in French, by Melissa Clark
The beloved author of Dinner in an Instant breaks down the new French classics with 150 recipes that reflect a modern yet distinctly French sensibility.
Rustic French Cooking Made Easy, by Audrey Le Goff
This collection of 60 unbelievably easy, delicious recipes represents the best of essential French home cooking, with an amazing variety of dishes from traditional regional cuisines.
Parisian-focused Recipe Collections
The Little Paris Kitchen, by Rachel Khoo
More than 100 recipes for simple and modern French home cooking, as well as gorgeous photos and evocative text about living the dream in Paris. Rachel Khoo, a 31-year-old Brit with a BB2 show The Little Paris Kitchen, is seduced by patisserie, follows her heart, and lives a romantic and whimsical Parisian life, becoming the chef of the tiniest underground restaurant in the city, La Petite Cuisine a la Paris.
Tasting Paris, by Clotilde Dusoulier
Tasting Paris features new and classic French recipes and cooking techniques that will demystify the art of French cooking and transport your dinner guests to Paris. Whether you have experienced the charm of Paris many times or dream of planning your first trip, here you will find the food that makes this city so beloved.
My Paris Kitchen, David Lebovitz
A collection of stories and 100 sweet and savory French-inspired recipes from popular food blogger David Lebovitz, reflecting the way Parisians eat today and featuring lush photography taken around Paris and in David”s Parisian kitchen.
La Buvette, by Camille Fourmont & Kate Leahy
Inspired by the stylish, intimate, and laid-back vibes of La Buvette—a tiny wine shop that doubles as a bar and café—in Paris’s 11th Arrondissement, this guide to wine, food, and Parisian lifestyle unlocks the secrets to achieving that coveted je ne sais quoi style of entertaining, along with revealing the best of the City of Light.
Lunch in Paris, by Suzy Ashford
Each chapter focuses on one of Paris’s arrondissements (neighborhoods) and is studded with dreamy location photography. With fifty simple and classic examples of French cuisine, this book proves that you need not go to Le Cordon Bleu culinary school to perfect a Pork and Pistachio Terrine.
French Baking Recipe Collections
French Pastry Made Simple, by Molly Wilkinson
Beautiful, authentic French pastry is easier than it looks! Molly Wilkinson, a Texas transplant running sold-out pastry workshops in Versailles, was trained at Le Cordon Bleu, but takes a refreshingly relaxed approach to pastry.
Sweet Paris: Seasonal Recipes from an American Baker in France, by Frank Adrian Barron
A dazzling cookbook featuring 59 seasonal dessert recipes with American and French influences, accompanied by exquisite photographs and tips on serving and hosting with French flair for any occasion, from a casual afternoon teatime to an intimate dinner party to a festive holiday gathering.
Patisserie, by Christophe Felder
For every serious home baker, French pastry represents the ultimate achievement. But to master the techniques, a written recipe can take you only so far—what is equally important is to see a professional in action, to learn the nuances of rolling out dough for croissants or caramelizing apples for a tarte tatin. For each of the 210 recipes here, there are photographs that lead the reader through every step of the instructions.
French Patisserie, by Ferrandier Paris
Ferrandi, the French School of Culinary Arts in Paris—dubbed “the Harvard of gastronomy” by Le Monde newspaper—is the ultimate pastry-making reference. From flaky croissants to paper-thin mille-feuille, and from the chestnut cream–filled Paris-Brest to festive yule logs, this comprehensive book leads aspiring pastry chefs through every step—from basic techniques to Michelin-level desserts.
French Pastry 101, by Betty Hung
Betty Hung-co-owner of Beaucoup Bakery-teaches you how to make amazing French pastry in one hour. French pastry is often thought of as difficult to master, but Betty Hung-founder of the blog Yummy Workshop and co-owner of Beaucoup Bakery-makes the classic art of French baking more approachable than ever. Most of her recipes only take an hour, which makes it much less daunting for beginners.
Gateau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes, by Aleksandra Crapanzano
James Beard Award–winning writer Aleksandra Crapanzano shares the secrets of the cakes Parisians bake at home, from the simplest yogurt cakes to a deceptively easy bûche de Noël, from yuzu madeleines to boozy flourless chocolate confections.
French Drinks Recipe Collections
Drinking French, by David Lebovitz
Bestselling cookbook author, memoirist, and popular blogger David Lebovitz delves into the drinking culture of France in Drinking French. This beautifully photographed collection features 160 recipes for everything from coffee, hot chocolate, and tea to Kir and regional apéritifs, classic and modern cocktails from the hottest Paris bars, and creative infusions using fresh fruit and French liqueurs.
Aperitif, by Rebekah Peppler
For the French, the fleeting interlude between a long workday and the evening meal to come is not meant to be hectic or crazed. Instead, that time is a much needed chance to pause, take a breath, and reset with light drinks and snacks. Whether it’s a quick affair before dashing out the door to your favorite Parisian bistro or a lead-up to a more lavish party, Apéritif is about kicking off the night, rousing the appetite, and doing so with the carefree spirit of connection and conviviality.
Disclosure Notice: This post contains affiliate links. This site is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. If you click on an affiliate link, I may earn advertising or referral fees if you make a purchase through such links, at no extra cost to you. Read the Privacy Policy & Disclosure page for more details. The books’ descriptions aren’t my own, they are excerpts taken from Amazon and/or Indigo. The list has been made in no particular order of preference.
