The Best Cookbooks to Savor Summer

I asked, and you answered. Here are the books we cook out of year after year.

Here in New York City, there are three starts to the summer. The first (fake) beginning is Memorial Day weekend, when it’s usually cold and rainy. The second, the solstice, is obviously official. And then there’s the Fourth of July, when the season gets real. The trash starts smelling on the sidewalks, the kids are finally out of school, the Greenmarkets are officially overflowing, and the city empties out on the weekends.

To me, summer is by far the best season for cooking and eating. To celebrate, this week I’ve curated our collective summer cookbook shelf, highlighting the books that we return to year after year. Thank you everyone for sharing your faves in the comments of the last two newsletters.

A galette I winged with advice from Rebecca Firkser, author of Galette!

So what makes a cookbook summery? First, it’s mostly about using my farmer’s market haul; I am a perennial over-buyer. Second, it should keep things cool, literally. While I do turn my oven to bake in the summer, who wants to crank up the heat if there isn’t a crumble or galette waiting on the other side? Third, some books have an easy breezy-quality that I aspire to in the summer. And, finally, there are four titles here that literally include “Summer” in the title. They’re ONLY for summer, okay?

The first few books on the list are my seasonal go-to’s; the rest come from readers. Happy summer cooking, and we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next week!

Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden

(Bookshop/Amazon)

I thought this would be the book everyone said, and this episode of Cookbookery Collective would just be an ode to Six Seasons. Thankfully you all have broader tastes! (Polina Chesnakova and Sophia Wronsky did enthusiastically mention it.) I start paging through this book every spring, and I even dip in for winter dishes. But come summer it’s like I’m gorging myself on these mostly Italian-inspired recipes. Ironically, I want to give a special shout-out to the seasonless Go-To Recipes section with its whipped cheeses, dressings, and flavored butters. They go with virtually any veggie if I want to keep it simple.

Veg Forward by Susan Spungen

(Bookshop/Amazon)

Also divided seasonally, this book is as beautiful and appealing as you would expect from food stylist and recipe developer extraordinaire Susan Spungen. Summer recipes I’ve gone back to again and again include the Farro and Sweet Red Pepper Bake, Arborio-Stuffed Tomatoes with Olives and Herbs, and End of Summer Vegetable Soup. I also love that Susan shot the book on her iPhone—so impressive!

Pulp by Abra Berens

(Bookshop/Amazon)

I live for summer fruit, and if you do too, Pulp is a must-have. Chapters focus on a specific fruit and proceed in alphabetical order from Apples to Strawberries. Each section has sweet and savory recipes, shopping and storing information, and preservation ideas. It’s also just dreamy, with lots of lived-in looking recipe photos and shots of fruit on the vine or at the farmers market. Berens cooks and writes out of Michigan (apparently fruit nirvana) and features numerous local farmers in the book.

Galette! by Rebecca Firkser

(Bookshop/Amazon)

This is a new book, so while I haven’t baked out it summer after summer, I’m betting I will. As someone who’s still nervous about pie (sigh), galettes are my happy place, the dessert that gets me buttery pie crust with a rich sweet or savory filling. While the fruit desserts look spectacular (and you know how I feel about fruit, see above), the savory galettes like Spicy Eggplant Parm and Spice-Dusted Heirloom Tomato are going to get a lot of play in my kitchen this summer. (Rebecca shared her galette tips with me here.)

Rustic Fruit Desserts by Corey Schreiber and Julie Richardson

(Bookshop/Amazon)

I remember when Gourmet magazine excerpted recipes from this book, so yes, it’s vintage at this point. But Rustic Fruit Desserts holds up beautifully; it’s small and focused, and everything I’ve made from it has been a standout.

Eat Cool by Vanessa Seder

(Bookshop/Amazon)

If one part of summer cooking is using seasonal produce, another is chilling out while you do it. Tara Wirth says: “Eat Cool is my favorite hot weather cookbook. A lot of interesting, eclectic recipes all optimized for hot weather appetites (and kitchen survival).”

Health Nut by Jess Damuck

(Bookshop/Amazon)

Nominated by Bryan Rucker, who writes that the zucchini and corn fritters were a hit when he made them last summer, and there’s a tomato and melon gazpacho he has his eye on for this year. Oddly enough, I have mostly cooked from Health Nut in the winter, but since it’s so produce-forward summer seems like the time it will truly shine. Rachel Riggs mentioned Damuck’s first book Salad Freak.

Sweeter Off the Vine by Yossy Arefi

(Bookshop/Amazon)

Desta Lissanu says: “I love reaching for Yossy Arefi’s first book Sweeter Off the Vine in the summer. It’s organized by season, which makes it so easy to use with all the farmer’s market abundance and whatever I bring home from pick-your-own fields (especially strawberries, stone fruit, and apples).”

And Then There Are the “Summer” Books

Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson, recommended by Heddi Nieuwsma and Ryan. I love Nigella, but this cover cracks me up.

Homemade: Summer by Yvette von Boven, recommended by Kat.

Summer on a Plate by Anna Pump, recommended by Stephanie Hansen and Abby. Anna Pump is a legend, and this title is perfection.

Endless Summer by Katie Lee Biegel, also recommended by Abby. Another beautiful brunette holding tomatoes!

A Mostly Complete List with Your Other Suggestions

• Dining In by Alison Roman

• The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook by Lisa Steele

• Kismet by Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson

• Jam Bake by Camilla Wynne

• Justine Cooks by Justine Doiron

• Le Sud by Rebekah Peppler

• The Love & Lemons Cookbook by Jeanine Donofrio

• New England Open-House Cookbook by Sarah Lee Chase

• The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

• Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi

• Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison

• What’s Gaby Cooking by Gaby Dalkin

I hope this list inspires you to check out a new book, as it has for me. This out-of-the-ordinary post has been a present to myself (as is this whole newsletter actually); the Fourth is my birthday! Thanks for being here. The cookbook community is a gift.

If you enjoyed this post please tap the heart button, restack, or share with another cookbook fan. And, if you haven’t already, check out my list of the best cookbooks of 2025 (so far) at Real Simple. Happy summer cooking and eating!

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