Gluten-free cookbooks are an excellent tool to find inspiration when you’re following a gluten-free diet. There is a wide range of excellent options on the shelves for all your gluten-free needs—whether you’re baking, cooking on a budget, and preparing meals for the whole family. The best gluten-free cookbooks contain common, whole-food ingredients, educational content, and will line up with any other dietary allergies you may have.

Which gluten-free cookbook you choose will largely depend on your taste preferences and cooking level. However, other important features to look for include the author’s credibility and the equipment needed to make the recipes. We researched a variety of cookbooks with these features in mind.

Reviewed & Approved

“How to Make Anything Gluten-Free” is our top pick because it will teach you how to transform any meal to be gluten-free. We also love “Gluten-Free on a Shoestring: 125 Easy Recipes for Eating Well on the Cheap” because it provides budget-friendly breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes.

Check out our dietitian’s picks for the best gluten-free cookbooks below.

This book will teach you how to make anything gluten-free, and that’s precisely why it’s our top pick. It’s written by Becky Excell, an experienced gluten-free recipe developer, and focuses on converting foods that many gluten-free eaters are told they can’t have. It’s a great pick for beginners and experts alike since it can diversify your meals and prevent you from getting bored and stagnant in your diet. It contains over 100 recipes, including fresh bread, stir fries, pizza, calzones, chocolate eclairs, vanilla birthday cake, and more.

Best Overall

How to Make Anything Gluten Free

The beginning of the book contains a guide on all of the common ingredients that are used in the recipes and the equipment needed to make them. Reviewers note that the book uses simple ingredients that can easily be found locally no matter where you live, making it easy to shop and cook the recipes. If you have other dietary restrictions, there are plenty of vegan, vegetarian, and low FODMAP diet recipes within the book as well.

Cooking for yourself or your family can be expensive, especially if you’re buying specialty gluten-free products and foods. If you’re trying to stick to a budget on a gluten-free diet, pick up a copy of Nicole Hunn’s second edition Gluten-Free on a Shoestring cookbook.

Best Budget

Gluten-Free on a Shoestring: 125 Easy Recipes for Eating Well on the Cheap

Nicole’s cookbook has 125 easy and affordable gluten-free recipes ranging from breakfast to dessert and everything in between. You’ll learn how to make family favorites gluten-free, like cinnamon rolls and eggplant parmesan.

Her book also includes tips for stocking your gluten-free pantry and how to to make the best gluten-free flour blends.

If your child needs to follow a gluten-free diet, make it fun for them with their very own gluten-free cookbook! The Gluten-Free for Kids cookbook offers 85 kid-friendly, gluten-free recipes as well as education and tips for parents navigating child gluten allergies and intolerances. The book has six recipe sections—Breakfast, Kids’ Lunch, Family Dinners, Party Fare, Smart Snacking, and Sweets and Treats.

Best for Kids

Gluten-Free Recipes for Kids: Fun Eats from Breakfast to Treats

Some recipe favorites in this cookbook are the chocolate chip scones, tropical chicken wings, graham crackers, and banana freezer pops. The book includes gluten-free and dairy free recipes for kids who also need to avoid dairy products.

New to gluten-free cooking? Check out Carol Fenster’s Gluten-Free 101 cookbook. The book serves as a resource for easily transitioning to a gluten-free diet. It’s filled with plenty of gluten-free basics, including cooking techniques and how to work with gluten-free foods in the kitchen.

Best for Beginners

Gluten-Free 101: The Essential Beginner’s Guide to Easy Gluten-Free Cooking

In addition to comprehensive information about how to cook gluten-free and follow a gluten-free diet, you will find 175 recipes in this cookbook. You’ll be cooking gluten-free pancakes, pizza, bread, and cupcakes in no time!

If you avoid gluten and dairy in your diet, try Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain: Meals Made Simple. This is technically a paleo cookbook, but by default that means all the recipes are gluten and dairy-free. In addition to diary and gluten, the paleo diet also eliminates all grains, legumes, white potatoes, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, processed foods and some refined vegetable oils, so you will not find any of those ingredients in this cookbook. Whether you choose to follow a paleo diet or not, this book contains inspired gluten-free and diary-free recipes.

Best Gluten- and Dairy-Free

Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain: Meals Made Simple

Danielle has cooked up countless recipes for her popular blog Against All Grain and her several cookbooks. Her Meals Made Simple book takes the guesswork out of meal planning, and includes eight weeks of dinner recipes with corresponding shopping lists.

It’s perfect for busy people and families eating a gluten-free and dairy-free diet.

Known for its versatility and minimizing your work in the kitchen, the Instant Pot is one of the most loved kitchen appliances as of late. You’ll find 100 creative and entirely gluten-free recipes made for the Instant Pot and pressure cookers in this cookbook by Jane Bonacci and Sara De Leeuw.

Best Instant Pot

The Gluten-Free Instant Pot Cookbook Revised and Expanded Edition

The book focuses on recipes and courses that are sometimes challenging to make gluten-free, like dinner entrees and breakfast. Find recipes like Gluten-Free lasagna and New York style cheesecake (yes, you can make cheesecake in a pressure cooker)!

Get excited about gluten-free baking with Jeffrey Larsen’s cookbook Gluten-Free Baking at Home. A James Beard Award winner, Jeffrey fills his pages with tried and true gluten-free baked goods from cookies to cakes to pies.

Best for Baking

Gluten-Free Baking At Home: 102 Foolproof Recipes for Delicious Breads, Cakes, Cookies, and More

The book features information on baking techniques, as well as how to use customized flour blends for optimal gluten-free baking. In addition to being gluten-free, the recipes are designed to be free of dairy, soy, nuts, and eggs offering many substitution options, making them perfect for those with multiple food allergies.

If you choose to follow a vegan diet and avoid gluten, order a copy of this brand new gluten-free and vegan cookbook by Justin Weber. The Complete Gluten-Free Vegan Cookbook’s pages are filled with recipes for every occasion, from breakfast to snacks to sweets.

Best Vegan

The Complete Gluten-Free Vegan Cookbook

In addition to 125 recipes, the book includes general information about gluten-free and vegan cooking, essential ingredients, how to stock your pantry, and cooking techniques. The recipes are further categorized by other dietary restrictions like soy-free and nut-free.

What to Look for in Gluten-Free Cookbooks

Common Ingredients 

Gluten-free recipes may not be especially healthy if they rely on highly processed ingredients like refined and artificial sugars, refined flours, and high sodium foods. Flip through cookbooks before buying to get a sense of the common ingredients the author uses in their recipes.

Final Verdict

If you’re just starting out and want to learn how to make all of your favorite recipes gluten-free, try How to Make Anything Gluten Free. If you are focused on gluten-free baking, go for James Beard Award Winner, Jeffrey Larsen’s Gluten-Free Baking at Home.

Choose a cookbook that features simple, whole food ingredients in most of the recipes for optimal health benefits. In general, look to incorporate a variety of recipes to achieve a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and healthy fats.

Additionally, you may find cookbooks that feature niche, obscure, or hard-to-find ingredients, which may not be best for beginner gluten-free cooks.

Educational Content

Many gluten-free ingredients act and cook differently than traditional flours you’re used to working with in the kitchen. If you are new to using gluten-free ingredients, it is helpful if your cookbook has additional content about how to successfully work with these ingredients. 

Additional Dietary/Allergen Information: 

If you need to avoid other foods in addition to gluten, check to see if your gluten-free cookbook is compliant with those needs. For example, almond flour is a common gluten-free alternative used, which would not be safe for someone with a tree nut allergy.

Many cookbooks may not be explicitly designed for specific dietary requirements, but take a deeper look at the ingredient lists to find recipes that fit your needs or offer compliant, alternative ingredients.

What Experts Say

“New cookbooks can be such a good source of inspiration if you’re in a cooking rut, especially if you need to follow a modified diet like gluten-free. And these days, plenty of cookbooks are a wealth of information beyond just recipes, which can be immensely helpful if you’re just starting out on a gluten-free diet.” —Nicole Bodin, MS, RD

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What popular foods are gluten-free?
  • Foods that DO contain gluten are made with wheat (all types including einkorn, emmer, spelt, and kamut), barley, rye, triticale, malt and their derivatives. Be sure to check ingredient lists on nutrition labels closely for any of these ingredients. While oats are naturally gluten-free, they are at high-risk for gluten cross-contamination in production, so look for oats that are certified gluten-free. Those with Celiac Disease should always practice cross-contamination safety precautions.Many whole foods are naturally gluten-free, including fruits, vegetables (including potatoes and corn), animal proteins, nuts, seeds, and legumes. There are plenty of gluten-free grains, including quinoa, rice, millet, buckwheat, and amaranth. Legumes are also gluten-free, like chickpeas, lentils, beans, and peas. There are many packaged gluten-free products on the market to choose from as well, like pastas, breads, crackers, and pizza dough made out of alternatives like legumes and gluten-free grains or cauliflower.And remember, all fruits and vegetables are naturally gluten-free. Even more of a reason to fill up your plate with fresh produce!
  • Is eating a gluten-free diet healthier than a gluten-containing diet?
  • If you have Celiac Disease or a gluten intolerance, it is healthier and necessary to eat a gluten-free diet because gluten can cause damage to your gastrointestinal system, opening up the opportunity for reduced immunity, nutrient malabsorption, inflammation, and other complications.If you do not have a medically diagnosed reason to eliminate gluten from your diet, then there are no health benefits for doing so. Gluten is harmless to most people and is found in many nutritious foods. Many gluten-containing foods are whole grain products, which are good sources of dietary fiber and protein.Gluten-containing products are sometimes more nutritious and less processed than their gluten-free counterparts, so make sure you read the food label and ingredients lists when choosing between gluten-free and gluten-containing products.

Foods that DO contain gluten are made with wheat (all types including einkorn, emmer, spelt, and kamut), barley, rye, triticale, malt and their derivatives. Be sure to check ingredient lists on nutrition labels closely for any of these ingredients. While oats are naturally gluten-free, they are at high-risk for gluten cross-contamination in production, so look for oats that are certified gluten-free. Those with Celiac Disease should always practice cross-contamination safety precautions.

If you have Celiac Disease or a gluten intolerance, it is healthier and necessary to eat a gluten-free diet because gluten can cause damage to your gastrointestinal system, opening up the opportunity for reduced immunity, nutrient malabsorption, inflammation, and other complications.

Why Trust Verywell Fit

Alex Aldeborgh is a Registered Dietitian with years of experience counseling clients with all sorts of dietary restrictions and creating healthy (oftentimes gluten free) recipes for her blog. She would happily purchase any of these cookbooks herself and is confident that the information provided in them is sound and evidence-based.