A Cookbook Is the Perfect Going-Away Gift for College Kids (2024)

While textbooks are essential to learning within the college classroom, the best cookbooks are important for everyday life outside the classroom. Cookbooks for college students can help them find tastier, healthier meal alternatives to campus food, save money by avoiding takeout and learn a new skill they'll carry long after graduation. Whether your college-age kid is working in a communal dorm kitchen or their very first apartment, there's a cookbook on this list that'll help them conquer it.

Equipped with any of our editor-recommended picks, college kids can master essential cooking techniques, learn how to make dinner with as few as five ingredients, discover life-changing flavor combos (once you try the red chimichurri from Molly Baz's Cook This Book, you'll know what we mean) and so much more. Budding bakers can churn out sweet treats for all their new friends (Triple Chocolate Olive Oil Blondies, anyone?), busy students can master meal prep and creative cooks can level up their culinary prowess. Cookbooks for college students not only make a great high school graduation gift, but they also make a practical tool that'll come in handy for years. Whoever said college kids live on dried ramen noodles was seriously mistaken — or never read a good cookbook.

Got younger children? Flip through our best cookbooks for kids.

This foundational tome from chef, recipe developer and video producer Sohla El-Waylly is the perfect gift for someone at the start of their cooking journey. Technique-themed chapters introduce the fundamental skills to help anyone become a better cook, from learning how to season and taste your food to assembling sky-high cakes. You'll also find over 200 recipes to put your new skills to the test.

Even if your college kid didn't grow up cooking, they'll be able to follow the clear, easy recipes in this book. There's a great variety of recipes that every college student should have in their arsenal, such as salads, pizza, pasta, and of course, dessert. Each recipe lists the "key equipment" you'll need upfront, so there's no running to the closet down the hall for something mid-recipe. Contributing editor Karen Cicero gifts this to high-school graduates with an Instacart gift card for groceries. Genius!

Getting in a full meal between classes can be a struggle, let alone a balanced, nutritious one. Enter meal prep: the practice of assembling full breakfasts, lunches and dinners ahead of time, or preparing ingredients in advance to make cooking easier and faster. This book, a favorite of Food Producer Tina Martinez, provides recipes and strategies for meal prepping like a pro so your student doesn't have to think about dinner in addition to their coursework. College life just got easier!

Full of bright, bold recipes, this book is a favorite among college students including contributing editor Karen Cicero's daughter. "Two of her favorite recipes are the Cae Sal — a Caesar salad with homemade dressing — and Skirt Steak with Red Chimichurri," says Cicero. "She loves the youthful, conversational writing in the book and everything she’s cooked from it has worked out perfectly." Cook This Book is great for the basics — pick up Molly Baz's other book, More Is More, for young chefs ready to take their cooking to the next level.

If you're sharing a fridge with three roommates (been there!), you won't have a lot of room for ingredients. The solution: One of Associate Food Editor Becca Miller's favorite books full of recipes that keep the ingredient count low and the flavor high. Jamie Oliver is a master at easy, healthy recipes that don't taste like diet food, from salads, pasta, meat and fish to lots of sweet treats.

Whether your kid's a vegetarian or just needs more help learning what to do with vegetables, this educational cookbook will turn them into a plant-loving cook. The book includes step-by-step photos and 700 recipes (including 250 vegan recipes) developed by professional chefs, so they're easy to follow and turn out deliciously. Enjoy hearty vegetarian mains as well as soups, appetizers, snacks and salads.

Gift your college student a book written for a college student. Cal Peternell, the former chef of San Francisco’s legendary Chez Panisse, wrote this book — Recipe Editor Susan Choung's pick — after his oldest son left for school. Throughout many phone calls, Peternell and his son outlined the basics of cooking and how to build on them, including guides to eggs, vinaigrettes, pasta, vegetables, meats and more. The recipes aren't one-and-done meals — they establish a technique that lends itself to countless, delicious variations.

Get over 375 simple, delicious recipes in this book suited for cooks of all levels. "My mom bought me this cookbook when I went to college. I still use it for the base of my chili and then add seasonings to my liking on top of it!" says Editorial Assistant Kate Franke. This updated version of the classic book includes modern technologies such as air fryers, multi-cookers and slow cookers for even easier results.