10 Yummy Cookbooks For Kids, Young Chefs, and Parents

The Children’s Book Review

Making meals with kids and teaching young chefs to cook independently has so many benefits! That’s why we put together this list of yummy cookbooks for kids, young chefs, and their parents. The idea of encouraging life-skills and healthy eating habits through sharing kid-friendly recipes makes us so happy. It also makes our tummies rumble. You’ll also find our favorite kids’ baking and cooking tools to pair with the cookbooks for the ultimate gift!

Publisher’s Synopsis: This engaging collection of more than 70 kid-friendly recipes for breakfast, soups, salads, main courses, snacks and dessert will have kids cooking up surprisingly healthy favorites without sacrificing any of the flavors and ingredients they love.

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be a bummer for the school-age crowd. With this collection of 70+ tasty and nourishing recipes—kid-proven favorites plus fun ideas for serving them—young chefs will learn to cook enticing dishes that are also surprisingly nutritious. With recipes such as healthyish banana bread, fruit-and-nut granola bars, inside-out veggie sushi rolls, and chicken-pineapple kebabs, aspiring cooks will be whipping up healthy dishes, featuring flavors they love, for all times of the day. Helpful step-by-step instructions, lavish photographs of finished dishes, colorful illustrations, and expert tips and tricks will inspire kids to eat well with yummy dishes they make themselves. This fifth volume in the Junior Chef series continues to inspire and engage kids in the kitchen with easy-to-follow recipes, fun serving ideas, and straightforward cooking techniques.

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Publisher’s Synopsis: From the creators of NYT Bestseller The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs, America’s Test Kitchen and an army of kid recipe testers, this awesome new cooking collection will get 5 to 8 year olds (and their grown-ups!) into the kitchen doing fun food projects together!

My First Cookbook will inspire the youngest chefs to enter the kitchen, empower them to cook, and engage their creativity–plus they’ll have fun doing it. From simple after-school snacks, family meals, and holiday celebration recipes, each beginner recipe is developed by America’s Test Kitchen Kids before being kid-tested and kid-approved.

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Publisher’s Synopsis: From the creators of the #1 New York Times bestselling cookbook for kids comes the ultimate baking book. America’s Test Kitchen once again brings their scientific know-how, rigorous testing, and hands-on learning to KIDS!

BAKING ISN’T JUST FOR CUPCAKES

Want to make your own soft pretzels? Or wow your friends with homemade empanadas? What about creating a showstopping pie? Maybe some chewy brownies after school? From breakfast to breads, from cookies to cakes (yes, even cupcakes!), learn to bake it all here. You can do this, and it’s fun!

• Recipes were thoroughly tested by more than 5,000 kids to get them just right for cooks of all skill levels―including recipes for breakfast, breads, pizzas, cookies, cupcakes, and more
• Step-by-step photos of tips and techniques will help young chefs feel like pros in their own kitchen
• Testimonials (and even some product reviews!) from kid test cooks who worked alongside America’s Test Kitchen test cooks will encourage young chefs that they truly are learning the best recipes from the best cooks.

By empowering young chefs to make their own choices in the kitchen, America’s Test Kitchen is building a new generation of confident cooks, engaged eaters, and curious experimenters.

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Publisher’s Synopsis: The Big, Fun Kids Cookbook from Food Network Magazine gives young food lovers everything they need to succeed in the kitchen. Each recipe is totally foolproof and easy to follow, with color photos and tips to help beginners get excited about cooking. The book includes recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and dessert—all from the trusted chefs in Food Network’s test kitchen.
 
Inside you’ll find:
 
• 150+ easy recipes
• Cooking tips from the pros
• Color photos with every recipe
• Special fake-out cakes (one looks like a bowl of mac and cheese!)
• Choose-your-own-adventure recipes (like design-your-own Stuffed French Toast)
• Kid crowd-pleasers like Peanut Butter & Jelly Muffins, Ham & Cheese Waffle Sandwiches, Pepperoni Chicken Fingers, Raspberry Applesauce and more!
• Fun food games and quizzes (like “What’s Your Hot Dog IQ?”)
• Bonus coloring book pages
 
Fun fact: The book jacket is a removable cooking cheat sheet full of great tips, tricks and substitutions!

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Publisher’s Synopsis: Now is the time for kids to make EVERYTHING from scratch. This is the third book in the NY Times Bestselling Cookbook series for Young Chefs and will inspire kids to make everything from ketchup to crackers… themselves.

Ever wondered how ketchup is made? How do you bake the most-awesome-ever cheese crackers (fish-shaped, of course)? Can you really make homemade butter in 10 minutes? The third title in this bestselling series of complete cookbooks for young chefs goes back to basics to make many of today’s store-bought staples better from scratch. Easy recipes ranging from pancake mix to homemade Sriracha sauce will make kids kitchen heroes, one DIY project at a time.

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Publisher’s Synopsis: Preschoolers learn how to prepare their own food with activities that foster fun in the kitchen and promote healthy eating habits. Colorful photo-driven recipes for making fruit wands, noodle bowls, chocolate smoothies, and more encourage kids to discover and expand their tastes and experience the joy and pride that come from making with their own hands the foods they eat.

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Publisher’s Synopsis: Help your child develop good eating habits by teaching them how to cook. In this brilliant book, beautifully illustrated step-by-step recipes show children how to make delicious and nutritious food. As well as finding out how easy it is to make lots of yummy things to eat, they’ll practice skills like measuring, weighing and counting without even realising it. Packed with ideas for everything from pizzas to pancakes, including breakfasts, snacks, main meals and sweet treats, there’s plenty to keep kids busy in the kitchen.

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Publisher’s Synopsis: Over 85 stellar, totally do-able desserts and other fun-fueled treats for kids (or adults!) to make, from Christina Tosi, founder of Milk Bar and MasterChef Junior judge!

Dedicated to the next generation of young bakers, Milk Bar: Kids Only presents more than eighty-five fun and empowering recipes to inspire imagination in the kitchen, from Apple Pie Waffles to PB&J Cereal Treats to Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes to marshmallowy Choco Crunch Cookies. This is a cookbook that teaches kitchen skills—perfect for kids as well as anyone who’s learning to bake—and reminds newbies and veteran bakers alike that a little personality adds a whole lot to the mix. Whether they’re transforming a donut into a milkshake or creating their own flavored butters for smearing onto biscuits, readers will have plenty of opportunities for mixing and matching within recipes to help their creativity run wild.

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Publisher’s Synopsis: Each time you open Cooking with Mother Goose for either a rhyme or a recipe—or both—you’ll be sharing moments that will last a lifetime. You’ll foster reading and comprehension, planning and action, collaboration and cooperation while learning and practicing essential kitchen skills together. These skills will stay with your children as they grow up into adults and parents themselves someday. 

In the first section, you’ll find helpful information about feeding young children. You’ll also find answers to your burning questions about picky eating and how to support healthy food relationships. The rest of the book is filled with delicious, family-friendly recipes inspired by classic nursery rhymes. The dishes in this book are designed to inspire, excite, and feed your growing family. Recipes range from easy make-ahead breakfasts to fresh, tasty veggies your kids will actually eat and reimagined classics like lasagna and drumsticks. You can skip around the book based on what rhyme you want to read or how hungry your child is. 

Accompanying the recipes, you will find “Nutrition Nibbles” and “Kids Can” call-outs to enhance the food and nutrition discovery experience for both you and your child. At the top of each recipe page, you’ll find helpful information like the recipe yield, time involved and challenge level. Recipes are marked Gluten Free or Dairy Free to make it easier to identify them. If a recipe contains any of the eight common allergens, it will be listed as well. 

Read, make notes, and explore this storybook cookbook with your children! You don’t need to follow everything literally; skip or change ingredients you don’t like or think your children are not yet ready to eat. This book supports the excellent job you are already doing feeding your family. 

Ultimately, you’re getting to spend some quality time with your child. Use this book as a storybook and to support your children in eating a wide variety of foods, to enjoy preparing meals with you, and to join the family in the kitchen and at the table.

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Publisher’s Synopsis: The pancakes are hot, fresh off the griddle—can you guess the delicious topping on each one?

This beautifully designed board book is stacked with treats for hungry young readers.

With every turn of these satisfyingly thick pages, a new, delicious topping is revealed, leaving readers with a picturesque plate to start their day.

• Shaped to look like a stack of real pancakes
• Flip the page and flip the pancake to find out what toppings await
• Breakfast toppings include butter, syrup, blueberries, whipped cream, strawberries, almonds, and banana slices

Fruity and sweet, crunchy and fluffy, each pancake is artfully drizzled in Lea Redmond’s fun-loving guessing game and topped with mouthwatering illustrations from Flora Waycott.

Celebrate a classic family tradition, and discuss a first cooking experience, with this appetizing board book.

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Kid-Tested Kitchen Tools

Here are our kid-tested kitchen tool picks that will set your young chef up for success. Pair any of these tools with one of the cookbooks for kids listed above—you’ll have a truly awesome gift to give.

Product Description: Ideal gift for teaching children how to cook safely. Knife has a stainless steel blades, requiring no maintenance. Imported from France. Blade lenght 4″ / Total lenght 8.3/16 Set includes a finger guard and a kitchen knife with a rounded tip & educational ring to help position the fingers and prevent the hand from slipping onto the blade.

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Product Description: SAFE FOR LITTLE HANDS Being parents ourselves, we know that your kid’s safety is your #1 priority. That is why we have made sure that our children’s cooking utensils and accessories are made from safe, nontoxic, food-grade materials that will cause no harm to your little chef.

CUTE GENDER-NEUTRAL COLORS Our all-inclusive cooking utensils for children come in discreet, light blue and white colors, which makes them ideal for both boys and girls. Plus, the unisex apron will help both boys and girls unleash their culinary talents without making a huge mess in the kitchen.

YUMMY RECIPE CARDS INCLUDED Looking for easy recipes that you can cook with your little Master Chef? No need to spend hours online! Our set comes with 4 parent-approved, delicious recipes for you and your little chefs! Just follow the simple instructions and start cooking.

YOUR ULTIMATE COOKING SET FOR KIDS This kids baking set includes a portable reusable tool box For storage, 4 recipe cards for kids, stylish unisex apron, measuring cups & measuring spoons, kitchen timer, pair of tongs, rolling pin, 3 nylon knives, spoon, spatula, wisk, 3 cookie cutters and a cutting board.

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Product Description: INNOVATIVE PATENTED DESIGN: New product launch from Food Huggers, a women-owned small business born on Kickstarter! Glass and silicone lids stretch to fit on top of bowls, cups, and ramekins of all sizes. With only one set you can make stackable containers small and large. These covers are a superior replacement for plastic food storage containers, simple silicone stretch lids and plastic wrap.

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Product Description:

Non-stick surface makes rolling dough and clean up easy Secure and sturdy handles ensure you’ll be able to apply maximum pressure High quality silicone safe for food processing Smooth surface- stain and odor resistant Easy to clean by hand or dishwashers top rack

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Product Description:

• ✔ LITTLE PARTNERS LEARNING TOWER — Designed by a Montessori school educator, the Learning Tower lifts your baby to kitchen counter height to encourage interaction and togetherness between children and parents.
• ✔ DURABLE BUILD — Stable design safely brings your toddler to counter height to participate in cooking, cleaning, crafts or other hands-on activities. Made with the fine wood, the Learning Tower delivers safety, durability and style.
• ✔ ENCOURAGE YOUR KIDS — Young children love to help and explore, and now they can do so safely. Four-sided open frame with 2 steps for easy climbing helps toddlers to climb in and out by themselves, building confidence and independence.
• ✔ SAFE SUPPORT — The step stool supports up to 250 lbs. and adjusts to four different heights to grow with your child, encouraging independence throughout their childhood. Safety rails, handholds and rounded edges offer additional security.
• ✔ PERFECT ADD-ONS — Little Partners Silicone Play Mat provides a non-slip platform to help prevent falls. Enhance the fun with the Little Partners Art and Education board attachment. Both are available as additional accessories.

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The book list 10 Yummy Cookbooks For Kids, Young Chefs, and Parents was curated by Bianca Schulze. Follow along with our articles and reviews tagged with cookbooks, to discover more great titles just like these ones.