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There’s no need to drown your pizza, pasta, or the millions of other Italian dishes in cheese and meat; vegan Italian bursts with flavor in its own right.
I promise you, this isn’t a cruel joke. Much of Italian food is traditionally plant-based, and it’s much easier to create than you think.
You don’t have to be a professional chef to get professional tasting (and looking) results. Some recipes in these books are as easy as boiling water!
I’ve poured over volume after volume, to find the best of the best in vegan Italian cookbooks.
It’s been a gruelling process (eased by Italian desserts) but the results are in!
These Vegan Italian Cookbooks Will up Your Cooking Game
‘Nonna’s Italian Kitchen’ by Bryanna Clark Grogan
Bryanna Clark Grogan is the author of 8 vegan cookbooks, including Vegan Feast. She’s also a food blogger at Vegan Feast Kitchen and has a lifetime of experience with plant-based food, specializing in ethnic cooking.
This best-selling book, published in 1998, was the first Italian vegan cookbook on the market. In it, Bryanna shares the wizardry behind making authentic vegan Italian meals.
These are tried-and-true recipes, exemplifying the regions from which they came.
This hefty volume is a testament to a myriad of cuisines across the entire country. If you think Italian food is only spaghetti and pasta e fagioli, you’re in for a huge surprise! Bryanna even walks you through making specialty mock-meats.
Once you’ve created some of these recipes, you’ll never want to eat out again:
- Truffle-Style Mushrooms
- Classic Yellow Risotto
- Lasagna al forno Bolognese
- Egg-free Fresh Pasta
If you’re looking for true Italian food, and aren’t fooled by The Olive Garden or the like, Nonna’s Italian Kitchen is for you. You’ll be cranking out homemade pastas and sauces in no time.
‘Vegan Italiano: Meat-free, Egg-free, Dairy-free Dishes from Sun-Drenched Italy’ by Donna Klein
Donna Klein is the author of three vegan cookbooks, and a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She has contributed her expertise to many publications, including Veggie Life and Vegetarian Gourmet.
This book focuses on regional dishes that are “naturally vegan. You won’t find any mock-meat or plant-based cheese recipes here.
Donna proves you don’t need any substitutions to achieve authentic, sumptuous, Italian meals.
These tantalizing dishes pay homage to plant-based roots in the varied regions of Italy. They’ll fill your belly without a need for hard-to-find or expensive (or questionable) ingredients:
- Eggplant and Black Olive Crostini
- Linguini with Artichoke-Marinara Sauce
- Farfalle with Fennel and Lima Beans
- Tuscan-style Pizza Pockets with Beans and Basil
Donna has an easy, conversational voice that shines throughout this volume. You’ll learn a little about the history and cultures of the many regions in Italy, all while tasting the best foods they offer.
It’s like taking a foodie tour of the Italian countryside, without ever leaving your kitchen!
‘Cookbook: 101 Gluten Free Vegan Italian Recipes’ by Jonathan Vine
Jonathan Vine has penned several books about vegan cooking and healthy living. His enthusiasm for plant-based cooking shines in his books.
He confesses that his transition was a gradual one which resonates with me. It isn’t easy to change your way of life, but with cookbooks like these, it sure makes the process more appetizing!
This best-selling book focuses on gluten-free Italian food. It’s perfect for anyone following The Wheat Belly diet, or for anyone wishing to reduce their gluten intake.
While Italian and gluten-free may seem like a fantasy, Jonathan shows you just how easy and delicious it can be.
Those comfort dishes you remember as a child, pizza, lasagna, pasta, pastries, can all make a comeback into your menu.
Jonathan’s versions are more creative, healthier, and more flavorful! Mangia
Some exciting recipes you’ll find include:
- Tofu and Cream Cheese Pizza
- Bok Choy and Black Sesame Pasta
- Oregano Flavored Bread
- Apple Pie Crostata
Even if you don’t have gluten issues, the recipes in this book are fantastic; you’ll find yourself sampling from each section often.
There are so many recipes you can cook for months without repeating!
‘Vegano Italiano’ by Rosalba Gioffré
Rosalba Gioffré was born in Calabria, Italy and grew up in Tuscany. It’s no wonder that she has a fondness and flair for Italian cooking.
While relatively new to the vegan lifestyle, Rosalba’s passion for cruelty-free food shines.
“You can be both vegan and a foodie.” She states matter-of-factly. And she’s right. There is so much food out there that is already vegan or easy to make vegan. There is no need for deprivation, at all.
Paired with over 40 full-color photographs, Rosalba’s recipes jump out at you. Bursting with flavor, and steeped with tradition, these dishes will please even the most skeptical of palates:
- Mini Escarole Calzones
- Onion and Olive Frittata
- Spicy Vegetable Fritters
- Tortelli Pasta with Wild Greens and Potatoes
Rosalba’s book may challenge your preconceptions about Italian cooking. You may change your mind quickly about what Italian food really is.
It’s not all tomatoes and pasta, and that, my friends, is a mouth-watering reality.
‘The Plantpower Way: Italia’ by Rich Roll & Julie Piatt
In their second collaboration, husband and wife team Rich Roll & Julie Piatt take on Italian food, and la bella vita. Julie’s solo book, ‘This Cheese is Nuts!’ was featured in our vegan cheese cookbook roundup.
The Plantpower Way is part cookbook, part lifestyle guide, and in this edition, it’s all about Italy. This encyclopedia sized volume is teeming with elegant and everyday recipes, expert advice, and gorgeous pictures.
It’s a compendium of all things plant-based Italian, proving that vegan is a celebration, not a deprivation.
You don’t have to give up rich and luscious Italian food. You just need this book to help you make vegan-friendly versions.
Prepare to blow your mind, and your taste buds, into plant-based space with recipes like:
- Morning Polenta Porridge
- Balsamic Blackberry Kale Salad
- Potato Fennel Tarte Au-gratin
- Lobster Mushroom Risotto
This is a gorgeous book. It would be at home on your coffee table, for afternoon perusing, and for offering to guests.
“Oh, have a look at that book there, and tell me what you’d like for dinner.” This is a feast for the eyes, and the belly!
‘Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen’ by Chloe Coscarelli
I’m convinced that Chloe Coscarelli enchants everything she touches. This collection emphasizes Chloe’s Italian roots, bringing her fresh approach to traditional dishes.
Chef Chloe’s delightful personality radiates from the pages. You can feel her heart and soul in every recipe, and her passion for food is evident in every photograph.
Every recipe is super easy. What other Italian cookbook can promise you that? Chloe’s food isn’t complicated but tastes like it is.
You’ll win the hearts of all you cook for (like you haven’t already).
Italian food has an almost magical effect on people. Even the pickiest of the picky will devour these dishes:
- Baked Italian Onion Rings
- Hummus Pomodoro with Warm Pizza Crust
- Grilled Portobello Steak in Lemon Parsley Pesto
- Butternut Ravioli with Brown Sugar and Crispy Sage
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a recipe in Chloe’s book that you don’t like.
She’ll take you on an incomparable tour of Italy that you’ll never want to end! And with over 150 recipes, you won’t soon have to.
Wrapping Up
Italian cuisine isn’t a minuscule selection of tomato and cheese drenched pastas. It’s a vast array of flavorful dishes, bursting with vegetables.
There’s no need to feel as though you can’t indulge in the delights of Italian cooking on a plant-based diet. That myth is super busted, starting today. No more sticks and twigs for you, my friend!
If you’re like me, making vegan dishes that appeal to non-vegan friends and family makes me extraordinarily happy. I also relish the “Are you sure there’s no meat, cheese, etc. in this?” when serving any dish. It’s the best way to show people how amazing plant-based food really is.
It’s always a pleasure when I can assure people that I’m not dying from starvation by serving them a heaping plateful of sumptuous vegan grub. It helps when it’s an ooey, gooey Italian pasta dish!
Your omni friends won’t even know what they’re missing, and probably won’t believe you when you tell them it’s vegan. I know mine didn’t.
If anything, Italian food could truly be considered the gateway food to veganism! It’s certainly the way to la bella vita!
