Gluten is the protein in wheat, rye, and barley that creates that wonderful pillow-y softness and elasticity in your (formerly) favorite loaf of bread. The wheat plant is quite perfect unless it makes you bloated and sick. Gluten is now known to be an inflammatory food which is why people with autoimmune conditions and food allergies avoid it. Giving up glutinous grains doesn’t have to mean a life of deprivation anymore though. You can still have pasta, pizza, cupcakes and cookies with the right flours and recipes for how to use them. Keep reading for me list of the Best Gluten Free Cookbooks.
There is hope for us!
If you have a gluten allergy, there are so many great cookbooks and recipe blogs out there today to help you learn how to cook again. I put this list together of all of the cookbooks I found useful when I first learned of my gluten allergy and the ones that I still use today when making a new dish or baked good.
When searching online for recipes that are allergy safe, start with searching for “gluten free” and then the items you want to make. You can also lean on resources from healing diets like Paleo, AIP, Wahls and Whole 30. They all naturally avoid gluten and wheat and really, some of my favorite recipe bloggers come from these categories.
The Best Gluten Free Cookbooks (I use all the time)
These are all books I USE. They are well loved and constantly flipped through. They have easy to follow instructions and most of them have lots of pictures.
Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans by Michelle Tam
This is a powerful cookbook to add to your kitchen. Michelle has a way of creating flavorful dishes with a very short list of ingredients. This is not specifically a “gluten free” cookbook, but all of the recipes are Paleo, which is naturally a gluten and dairy free diet. Check out the recipe for Smashed Steak Skewers on page 223 and then Vietnamese Lettuce Cups on page 239
Order Nom Nom Paleo book on Amazon
The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom by Melissa Urban
Have you heard of doing a “Whole 30”? If you want some guidance on how to clean up your diet, this is a great resource and all the recipes are gluten free. This program is especially popular every January as a way to start off the year with cleaner eating habits. “The Whole30 is designed to help break unhealthy patterns of behavior, stop stress-related comfort eating, and reduce cravings, particularly for sugar and carbohydrates. Many Whole30 participants have described achieving “food freedom”—in just thirty days.”
Check out the Roasted Pork Shoulder with Butternut Squash on page 344 and the Roasted Red Pepper sauce on page 317.
Get the Whole 30 book on Amazon
Gluten-Free Italian: Over 150 Irresistible Recipes without Wheat, by Jacqueline Mallorca
One of the very first books I purchased when I went gluten free. I learned how to make a gluten free Bechamel sauce from this book which allows you to make Macaroni and Cheese! This is a great resource for anyone wanting to incorporate gluten free techniques into all of their cooking, not just baking.
Order the Gluten Free Italian book here!
The How Can it be Gluten Free Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen
I took a class from the author of this book at the CIA in upstate New York. He painstakingly recipe tested every baked good you can imagine to create a gluten free version. And if the recipe didn’t make it into this book, it can be found in volume 2. These recipes do contain dairy, so you may have to do some adjustments if you are dairy free. Powdered coconut milk works instead.
Get The How Can it be Gluten Free Cookbook
Gluten Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts
When this book came out in 2008, I finally felt like someone had figured out gluten free baking. This book is a great place to start if you have never tried baking gluten free before. She has a great basic vanilla cake on pg 47, and lots of savory breads too. The author shows you how to make a gluten-free flour mix of your own to use in many of the recipes in the book, which makes gluten-free baking less daunting to someone new.
Order Gluten-Free Baking Classics
The Healing Kitchen by Alaena Haber and Sarah Ballantyne
This cookbook focuses on nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory whole foods that promote health, rather than undermine it. I love using this book for recipes I can use with my food allergies as well as other healing diets I cook for my clients.
Check out the Garlicky Greek Lamb Skillet on pg 142 and the Chicken Hash brown Patties on pg 128. Two recipes I use a lot.
Cooking for Autoimmune Diseases and MS:
The Wahls Protocol is another healing diet focusing on clean proteins, foods that support your digestion and detoxification and LOTS of veggies. All her recipes are naturally gluten free and anti-inflammatory. This is a delicious way to create your meals at home and is full of easy to understand and simple recipes using all the colors of the rainbow.
Get the Cooking For Life Cookbook
If you want to dive into using almond and coconut flours in your gluten free baking try these:
Against All Grain by Danielle Walker
Danielle Walker has put together some of the best anti-inflammatory, paleo cookbooks out there. She has a robust index of recipes on her website, but some of the best dishes live in these cookbooks.
Get the Against All Grain Cookbook
This book by Elana of Elana’s Pantry uses only almond flour to create low glycemic recipes that are also high in nutrients and fiber. I first learned how to use almond flour from Elana’s blog where she shared all of her delicious recipes. Check out her blueberry muffin that uses coconut flour here. This cookbook will show you how to use almond flour to create your favorite gluten free recipes.
Get The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam
Here is another book by Danielle Walker, “150+ quick and easy recipes to get healthy gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free food on the table fast—from no-cook lunches to one-pot dinners and simple desserts.” I suggest this book all the time to busy moms that was easy recipes to feed the family with.
Get the book Healthy In a Hurry by Danielle Walker
More Gluten Free Recipes Here on My Blog
I have tons of recipes here on my blog too, check these out and add them to your menu planning this week:
Apricot & Plum Coconut Shortbread Bars– when you want a little snack that isnt too sweet
Chicken & Zucchini Fritters – my favorite little bite full of protein and hidden veggies
The best ever Gluten Free Carrot Cake Recipe
Salmon Cakes – your crab cakes and salmon cakes do not have to have breadcrumbs to keep them together. Substitute potato flakes and enjoy making fish cakes again.
**Please note, some of the links on this site are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I can earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. All of the products on my site are actually used by me. I do not recommend anything that is not in my own kitchen and used in these recipes. I am showing you what I use and providing easy links to those products so that you may get the same great results in your own kitchen.