Know someone heading off to university this September? Skip the tins of beans and equip them with a stack of these student-friendly cookbooks instead. From an indispensable guide to corner shop cooking to a collection of accessible vegan recipes, these books will help see students through to the end of term. So, scroll on to check out our top cookbooks for students.
The perfect companion for any student learning to cook
Quick meals for dining solo or sharing with friends
Genius tips for cooking on a budget
Student Eats
Straight from the pen (and kitchen) of food writer and self-taught cook, Rachel Phipps, this is the ultimate guide to quick and easy meals that also happen to be healthy and good for the brain. They respect a student budget too – Rachel herself recently graduated from the University of London, so she understands the importance of thrift.
75 fast and simple one dish recipes to revolutionise the way you cook
Leave the hard work to the oven with minimal prep and less washing up
From fast dinners to simple desserts
The Quick Roasting Tin
We could have recommended any of the books from Rukmini Iyer’s Roasting Tin series; their focus on flavour and their chuck-it-all-in approach make them ideal for students and novice cooks. But, with its focus on speed, The Quick Roasting Tin is our top pick.
A Girl Called Jack
A Girl Called Jack is all about shopping smart, reducing food waste, and creating nourishing and exciting food on a very tight budget. Expect the likes of vegetable masala for 30p per portion and nostalgic jam sponge for 23p per portion.
A Good Egg
Cheap, protein-packed and suitable for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the humble egg is a staple ingredient for any university student. Armed with this creative book, they’ll be inspired to branch out from routine scrambled eggs on toast.
Tasty recipes to cook using store cupboard staples and cornershop bits.
With quick midweek meals, effortless dishes for entertaining friends, and inventive desserts.
The perfect book for time-pressed cooks and thrifty food lovers.
The Cornershop Cookbook
If the location of halls is painfully far from the nearest supermarket, this cookbook will be a saviour. It’s crammed with quick, flavoursome dinners and snacks, all made using ingredients that can be picked up at most corner shops. It will also come in handy for those bed-ridden with the dreaded fresher’s flu.
It only takes 5 ingredients and less than 30 minutes
All the recipes from the TV series
Simple, step-by-step recipes
5 Ingredients Quick & Easy Food
Jamie Oliver’s clever and practical cookbook, 5 Ingredients – Quick & Easy Food, suits the student lifestyle and budget perfectly. Each using only five ingredients, these recipes will not only save you from having to head to the supermarket with a lengthy (and costly) shopping list, but they also happen to be accessible and easy to follow for new cooks. With many of them taking less than 15 minutes to make, 5 Ingredients will save you time too, which you can of course spend studying instead . . . Alright, partying then.
Good Food: Easy Student Dinners: Triple-tested Recipes
A must-have for any new student. This Good Food guide covers everything from Brainy Breakfasts to Express Dinners, and whilst it’s loaded with dishes for one, it also features a chapter of hearty Food for Friends that won’t break the bank.
80 delicious recipes for cooking on a budget
All the recipes from the TV series
Easy recipes for classic family favourites
Eat Well For Less
Masterchef’s Gregg Wallace and his fellow greengrocer, Chris Bavin, are here with the original book of the hit BBC One series. Although primarily aimed at families, this is a perfect book for students as it’s all about keeping nutrition front of mind, whilst learning how to plan for weekly cooking and spend less during the weekly shop.
The Grilled Cheese Sandwich
What student doesn’t love a grilled cheese sandwich? Quick and cheap to make, filling and nutritious, they make perfect food for young people on the go. And with no specialist kit required to make them, they can be whipped up easily in a shared kitchen.
Delicious recipes for budget-friendly cooking
Classic family favourite recipes
Easy and nutritious weeknight dinners
The Savvy Shopper’s Cookbook
This cookbook is all about shopping smart and eating well, two things we heartily approve of. It’s a useful guide for anyone looking to spend less money on food while still eating flavour-packed, nutritious meals, and it’s particularly handy for students living on a shoestring budget.
Delicious, easy and fun vegetarian cooking
Family favourites with a superfood twist
Irresistible vegan desserts
The World of The Happy Pear
If you’re looking for a staple vegetarian cookbook to take you through university and beyond, The World of The Happy Pear is for you. Authors David and Stephen Flynn make vegetarian cooking seem easy, with their meat-free versions of comfort food classics and their indulgent vegan desserts.
