1. "Use It All: The Cornersmith Guide to a More Sustainable Kitchen" by Alex Elliott
This book offers seasonal recipes and kitchen skills aimed at using every part of your ingredients, from root to stem, to create flavorful dishes while minimizing environmental impact. Think of this as the MacGyver guide to your fridge. It’s about honoring the whole carrot (tops and all), and learning to pickle like it’s 1975.
2. "The Less Waste No Fuss Kitchen" by Lindsay Miles
This book feels like that effortlessly organized friend who somehow never forgets their reusable tote. Lindsay Miles keeps things simple, approachable and calm. Just practical advice on reducing food waste, avoiding single-use packaging and making the most out of pantry staples. It's the Marie Kondo of cookbooks, except instead of asking if things spark joy, you'll be asking, "Can I eat this part too?"
Get it here!
Get it here!
3. "Waste Not" by the James Beard Foundation
Looking to push your culinary boundaries, and possible gag reflex, in the name of reducing waste? Then this compilation from top chefs, organized into sections like “Meat, Bones, Skin & Scales”, is your jam… that’s probably made from fruit skins, stems or whatever else you’d normally toss. It's like the extreme sports of cookbooks, totally radical and slightly intimidating, but you'll feel proudly accomplished afterward.
4. "Zero Waste Cooking for Dummies" by Rosanne Rust
This one’s for the rest of us. Equal parts fun and functional, this book isn’t afraid to pun its way through with chapters like, “Oh, the Pasta-bilities!”. The “For Dummies” format is reader-friendly (hello, bullet points) and the recipes are like the characters in your favorite fictional small town…quirky but delightful.
5. "Scraps, Wilt & Weeds" by Mads Refslund and Tama Matsuoka Wong
Ever looked at dandelions and thought, “mmm….dinner”? No? Well, this book might change that. Inspired by the innovative zero-waste philosophy of Noma, this book is for the culinary adventurer, teaching us how to use kitchen scraps and foraged ingredients creatively. It encourages experimentation with wild and overlooked foods, challenging conventional cooking methods.
6. "Cooking with Scraps" by Lindsay-Jean Hard
This book is like the Macarena of cookbooks. You didn’t know you needed it in your life until you tried it. Peels, cores and rinds become the main event in surprisingly gourmet ways. It offers creative and money-saving ideas, making it a fun way to rethink what’s edible. Your grandma who lived through rationing would be so proud, though she might wonder why you're making watermelon rind gazpacho instead of just eating the watermelon.
7. "Perfectly Good Food: A Totally Achievable Zero Waste Approach to Home Cooking" by Margaret Li & Irene Li
Full of flexible recipes, quick tips, and the kind of kitchen hacks you wish you learned in college instead of earning your “microwave ramen” degree. The Li sisters guide you through a kitchen revolution where nothing goes to waste and everything has potential.
8. "Plant You: Scrappy Cooking: 140+ Plant-Based Zero-Waste Recipes" by Carleigh Bodrug
This one’s for the plant-lovers and the budget-conscious looking to transform their leftovers and scraps into delicious meals. With creative uses for ingredients like broccoli stems and citrus peels, it's the cookbook equivalent of a movie makeover montage where the "ugly duckling" takes off their glasses and everyone gasps because they’re suddenly stunning!
9. "The Zero-Waste Chef" by Anne-Marie Bonneau
Part recipe book, part sustainability manifesto, this one’s got homemade everything — broth, sourdough, kombucha, you name it. The tone is warm and encouraging, like a friend gently nudging you to compost your coffee grounds. The book encourages reducing food and plastic waste, offering simple fixes and recipes to create a sustainable kitchen. Reading it feels like joining a cool club where everyone wears hand-knit sweaters and knows how to make vinegar from apple cores.
10. "Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook" by Dana Gunders
This cookbook is about to become your kitchen’s new life coach. Full of checklists, storage hacks and meal planning gold, it’s perfect for anyone who wants to stop tossing wilted greens and start adulting like a pro. Dana Gunders provides practical solutions to minimize food waste in the kitchen, helping readers save money and reduce their environmental impact.