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Food always tells a story, and in these 2025 cookbooks by BIPOC authors, we can taste the journeys these authors have made. We’re taken through Ethiopia to Sudan, from Canada to India (on a drag tour, no less!), and even from Korea to the US Midwest as an adoptee.
Recipes are passed down, new ingredients picked up, and traditions change. What results in each of the books below is a story of where the chefs have come from and where they’ve been.
Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love: A Cookbook by Samin Nosrat
From the moment I first flipped through its pages, I fell in love with Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. For a while, I gave copies of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat for every birthday. I’ve given away so many copies that I used to buy them in batches because I knew I’d go through them that quickly. So the moment I saw the announcement for Samin Nosrat’s new cookbook, I gasped and pre-ordered my copy so fast. Good Things focuses on joy and the pleasure of sharing food with the ones you love. —Kendra Winchester
Gursha: Timeless Recipes for Modern Kitchens, from Ethiopia, Israel, Harlem, and Beyond by Beejhy Barhany with Elisa Ung
I love love love Ethiopian food, here, Barhany uses it and other cuisines to show the journey she made through life. Born in Ethiopia, she fled with her family to Sudan when she was just four, then she lived in Israel, and eventually, in Harlem. We follow along with her as we learn how to make traditional Ethiopian doro wat, Sudanese doughnuts, and even fusion dishes like injera fish tacos, in one of the New York Times’ Best Cookbooks of 2025.
Tomorrow’s Kitchen: A Graphic Novel Cookbook illustrated by Shuangshuang Hao
This Gourmand Award-winning graphic cookbook beautifully illustrates recipes from a variety of immigrant creators, coordinated by Küche, a food-led organization in Glasgow that helps cooks who are navigating the UK immigration system. Even better, the recipes come with personal stories and reflections on heritage and culture from their creators, who are professional chefs, food writers, activists, and more. Illustrated by BAFTA nominee Shuangshuang Hao, it’s a powerful cookbook that will make you want to try something new. —Susie Dumond
All access members continue below for more of the best BIPOC cookbooks and food wriiting of 2025
Kwéyòl / Creole: Recipes, Stories, and Tings from a St. Lucian Chef’s Journey by Nina Compton with Osayi Endolyn
Here is another chef—a James Beard Award-winning chef, that is—who documents her journey very directly through her recipes. The Creole in Compton’s title doesn’t refer to French influence, but rather the varied African influences that dishes like curried goat, coconut-braised collard greens, and steamed snapper with a peppery ginger sauce have.
Accidentally on Purpose by Kristen Kish
Ever since her breakout moment on Top Chef, Kristen Kish has graced television screens around the world. Now, she’s an Emmy-nominated host of the same television series. In her new memoir, Kish shares her story of her childhood as a Korean American adoptee growing up in the Midwest. Readers follow her journey working in the restaurant business, making a name for herself, and working towards becoming a well-known TV personality and queer icon. — Kendra Winchester
Cook Like Your Ancestors: An Illustrated Guide to Intuitive Cooking with Recipes from Around the World by Mariah-Rose Marie
Have you ever gotten annoyed at relatives trying to teach you to cook a dish by saying things like “a pinch of this, a dollop of that”? In this gorgeous cookbook combining comics and illustrations, you’ll find a thoughtfully curated guide to “intuitive cooking,” meaning less measuring and precision and more following your senses. Artist Mariah-Rose Marie shares guidance for finding the right kitchen tools, using the ingredients you have on hand, caring for cast iron, and so much more. Even better, the book includes twenty vegetarian recipes for classic dishes from around the globe. Whether you’re a seasoned chef or new in the kitchen, this cookbook will give you new skills and flavors to explore. —Susie Dumond
Kim Chi Eats the World: 75 Recipes Fit for a (Drag) Queen by Kim Chi
Kim Chi is a girl after my own heart. In this gorgeous cookbook, she travels the world through delicious recipes from countries she’s traveled to while touring. There’s everything from Canadian poutine to Birria tortas to dal tadka. When I say that this is me in cookbook form. Whew.
Recipes from the American South by Michael W. Twitty
I adored The Cooking Gene and Kosher Soul, so as soon as I heard about Michael W. Twitty’s new southern cookbook, it jumped to the top of my wishlist. Twitty’s Recipes from the American South delves into Southern cooking fundamentals, emphasizing the history of the region’s iconic cuisine. —Kendra Winchester
In Edith’s Kitchen: Recipes from My Mostly Mexican-American Home to Yours by Edith Galvez
Social media darling Edith Galvez takes her abuela’s cooking, her mother’s kitchen skills, and her summers spent on her family’s ranch in Mexico and distills them into this collection of mouthwatering Mexican American recipes.
Pakistan: Recipes and Stories from Home Kitchens, Restaurants, and Roadside Stands by Maryam Jillani
Pakistani food is as varied as the cultures that make up its people. With over 100 recipes, Pakistan features incredible curries, chutneys, sauces, and spiced vegetables. The book itself is gorgeous, with stunning photography and the perfect cover.
Jillani, who grew up in Islamabad, introduces each section with short essays about her personal connection to the recipes she presents. Her writing is full of stories of her family and how the food she makes reminds her of home. —Kendra Winchester
For more of the best cookbooks and food writing, check out this list by Riot writer Kendra Winchester.
