10 Best Japanese Cookbooks in 2022 (Chef-Reviewed)
Are you interested in Japanese cooking but find it too daunting to try? With these Japanese cookbooks, you needn't fear any Japanese recipe! Whether you're looking to make ramen, tempura, or a beautiful bento box, these cookbooks will explain everything and help you create delicious dishes.
We chose Japanese Cooking Made Simple by Salinas Press as our favorite Japanese cookbook. The recipes in this book are easy to follow and the method is described in great detail. We’ve also put together a 10 best list for you to consider and created a handy buying guide reviewed by a professional chef to help you make your choice!
Quick List - Top Japanese Cookbooks
Jim Quast (JQ) is a lifelong professional restaurant and corporate R&D chef who loves everything food-related and the tools, both big and small, to make those great food memories. He's a super huge BBQ, grill, and kitchen gadget fanatic. JQ has spent the last 30+ years trying to figure out what works to make your kitchen life easier and fun. If you can use it to slice it, dice it, cook it, smoke it, or store it, he's been there checking it out. Food = Life!
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How to Choose Japanese Cookbooks
Before buying a Japanese cookbook, take into consideration your experience level and the type of Japanese recipes you want to cook. To help you with this, we’ve put together this handy buying guide!
Pick a Japanese Cookbook That Matches Your Experience Level
Japanese food can be straightforward and simple, or it can be very complicated and detail orientated. The cookbooks available for Japanese food can also be either straightforward or complicated so if you want to get the most from them, you should pick a book that works for you.
Books for Beginners Keep It Simple
If you’re new to Japanese cooking, or to cooking in general, look for cookbooks that are aimed at beginners or class themselves as introductions to Japanese cooking.
These books will have easier recipes, will describe the methods in more detail, and will often have fewer ingredients. They’re also likely to need less specialist equipment such as a tamagoyaki pan, or difficult to obtain ingredients like mirin or kombu.
Books for Intermediate Cooks Will Introduce New Ideas
If you’re more experienced or more confident, you can look at cookbooks that are aimed at cooks who already know the basics. These will bring in slightly more advanced techniques such as the three frying techniques suage, karaage, and koromoage. These may be new to you, but the cookbook will still explain them.
Intermediate cookbooks might introduce the cultural and historical background of washoku (traditional Japanese food) and more traditional ways of preparing it. You may also learn how to make your own sauces and condiments like dashi from scratch instead of relying on store-bought versions.
Authentic Cookbooks Focus on the Real Japanese Experience
If you’re more experienced, you’ll want to choose cookbooks that attempt to replicate authentic Japanese food and methods.
The core ingredients in these recipes will be more traditional flavors such as miso, yuzu, or matcha, and the focus will be on the traditional five principles that make washoku so world-renowned. They will teach you to make a Japanese meal from scratch to its beautiful and tasty end.
Check the Type of Dishes You Want to Cook
Many cookbooks will have recipes that cover a wide variety of Japanese dishes. However, other cookbooks focus on just one specific type. If ramen is your favorite, then why not buy a cookbook that focuses purely on different ramen recipes? You can also get cookbooks for dishes such as sushi, desserts, or hot pots.
You can also get cookbooks that follow a theme instead of a particular type of cuisine. If you’re looking to improve your lunch boxes, then a cookbook dedicated to bento will give you many different ideas.
For vegetarians or vegans looking to get into Japanese cooking, buy a cookbook that is specifically for you. Meat, and especially fish, is a staple of Japanese cooking so general cookbooks will not feature many vegetarian recipes.
Choose a Format That Works for You
The vast majority of cookbooks are now also available as eBooks as well as paperback and hardcover. Depending on your style and the book itself, choosing a different format may be of more benefit to you. All of these have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Hardcover books are glossy and have high-quality photos that can help you make sure you’re on the right track. They don’t always stay open on their own, however, and are often large. If you don’t have the counter space or a cookbook stand they might not be very convenient.
Paperbacks are generally smaller than hardcover books but are often of lesser quality and have even more difficulty staying open on the right page. Some cookbooks also have a spiral-bound option. This type of binding allows the book to lie flat and open and can be as large and high-quality as hardcover books. Unfortunately, they aren’t as common as the other formats.
Staying open on the right page is not a concern with eBooks. They will remain open at the point you want but be careful not to get liquid on your tablet or eReader. Even if it's waterproof, it might get sticky!
10 Best Japanese Cookbooks Ranking
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Salinas Press Japanese Cooking Made Simple | | Detailed Instructions and Varied Recipes | |
2 | Azusa Oda Japanese Cookbook for Beginners | | A Japanese Cookbook for Beginners | |
3 | Masaharu Morimoto Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking | | Simple Recipes That are Easy to Make | |
4 | Diana Ault Cook Anime | | Make the Dishes You See in Your Favorite Anime | |
5 | Tadashi Ono, Harris Salat Japanese Soul Cooking | | Japanese Comfort Food Recipes | |
6 | Makiko Itoh The Just Bento Cookbook | | Make Stunning Bento Boxes With These Recipes | |
7 | Tadashi Ono, Harris Salat Japanese Hot Pots | | An Introduction to Japanese Hot Pots | |
8 | Tim Anderson Vegan JapanEasy | | Japanese Cooking for Vegans | |
9 | Elizabeth Andoh Washoku | | Introduces Washoku Ingredients and Techniques | |
10 | Sonoko Sakai Japanese Home Cooking | | Recipes, Stories and Insights into Japanese Culture |
Detailed Instructions and Varied Recipes
There's a wide variety of recipes in this cookbook from bento boxes to ice cream. With more than 100 recipes using ingredients you'll find at your local supermarket, it makes Japanese cooking simple.
Reviewers were disappointed with the lack of photos, saying that the book doesn't have as many as they wanted.
Many reviewers praise this book for how detailed it is when it describes techniques. They like how precise it is and say that the recipes are very tasty. They also love the variety of dishes in the cookbook.
A Japanese Cookbook for Beginners
Aimed at beginners, this cookbook introduces Japanese cooking from its very basics. It will teach you how to stock your kitchen, introduces common techniques, and has over 70 recipes.
As this book is aimed at beginners, some reviewers feel that it should have many more photos than it does. But many say that the recipes are easy to follow and less time-consuming than some other Japanese cookbooks. They praise it for offering many substitutes for ingredients, depending on personal tastes and dietary requirements.
Masaharu MorimotoMastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking
Simple Recipes That are Easy to Make
This book focuses on home cooking. The recipes are based around a selection of half a dozen ingredients and teaches you to use these to make hundreds of different recipes.
Reviewers say that this book is aimed at beginners to Japanese cooking and relies on standard and typical recipes. They praise the accessibility of this book and say the recipes are easy to make. Many single out the first recipe for dashi as being the perfect place to start. They also like that the recipes are quick to make and don't need many ingredients.
Make the Dishes You See in Your Favorite Anime
If your main exposure to Japanese cooking has been through your favorite anime, then this cookbook might be for you! It features recipes for dishes that have appeared in popular anime and also introduces the history and culture behind each one.
Reviewers say that the recipes only serve one to two people and need to be scaled up for larger families.
For lovers of anime, this cookbook is a big hit. They like that it introduces the recipes and relates them back to the anime they appeared in. They say that the recipes are easy to follow and make tasty dishes.
Japanese Comfort Food Recipes
The focus of this cookbook is Japanese soul food, the dishes you will find in Japanese homes and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. It covers well-known Japanese dishes such as ramen and tempura as well as lesser-known recipes.
Some reviewers say that the recipes are more complicated and time-consuming than they wanted. They also say that many recipes are more hybrid than traditional.
Reviewers like that the book breaks down the recipes into easy-to-follow instructions. They say that this approach makes it easy to make some components ahead of time. They enjoy the recipes and say they are very tasty!
Make Stunning Bento Boxes With These Recipes
Japanese box lunches, known as bento, have become famous for being artistic as well as tasty. This book contains 150 recipes that cover a range of both Japanese and non-Japanese foods.
Some reviewers were disappointed that the book didn't have more color photos. Others praise the clear instructions and say that although some recipes can be tricky, the book explains them well. They also like the organization of the recipes and say the time guide helps them plan.
An Introduction to Japanese Hot Pots
Japanese hot pot is comfort food that is both warm and filling. This book is not only full of different hot pot recipes but also explains the culture behind them and their place in the Japanese home.
Reviewers say that these recipes are difficult to make without access to Japanese ingredients. Although the book says they can be substituted, reviewers say it doesn't give enough detail on what they can be substituted with.
Reviewers praise the photos in the book and say these help make the recipes clearer. They also love the sections that deal with the background and history of hot pots and say the recipes are delicious.
Japanese Cooking for Vegans
The cookbook focuses on Japanese recipes that are already vegan and those that only need slight alterations to become vegan. It promises not to be a book of meat and fish substitutions, and even teaches you how to make vegan dashi.
Some reviewers didn't like the style and tone of the author's writing, but others appreciated the humor and puns. They say the recipes are easy to follow and all very tasty. Other like the organization and the fact it has difficulty levels and times, and say the book itself is just beautiful.
Introduces Washoku Ingredients and Techniques
This book goes into great detail about the culture and meaning behind washoku. It introduces the Japanese pantry and its contents before detailing many different recipes.
Reviewers say that this book doesn't have enough photos and wish that it had more. Reviewers praise this book as an introduction to washoku and like that the book begins by talking about ingredients and techniques. They say that the author describes everything clearly and they find the instructions easy to follow.
Recipes, Stories and Insights into Japanese Culture
This book begins with the basics of Japanese cooking, such as making your own noodles and how to properly cook rice. Once these basics are mastered, you can use them to make a variety of recipes.
Reviewers say that the recipes in this book are not complicated, but it's not going to give you ideas for dishes you can whip up quickly, either.
Reviewers like that the book has more than just recipes. They say that the author's stories and insight into Japanese culture are interesting to read. They love the photos and say the recipes are tasty.
Washoku and the Five Principles
Washoku means traditional Japanese cooking. It is based on rice and miso soup and makes use of seasonal ingredients and regional recipes. In 2013, it was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List as a sign of its cultural importance.
Washoku is based on five principles. There are five because it is an important number to Japanese Buddhism due to there being five natural elements: earth, water, fire, wind, and energy.
The five principles state that each meal should have five colors (white, black, red, green, and yellow), and five flavors (salty, bitter, sweet, sour, and umami, or savory). Meals should make use of five cooking methods (raw food, simmered, steamed, grilled, and fried), and appeal to all five human senses (taste, smell, sight, touch, and sound.)
The fifth principle in washoku is reflection. This states that we should be thankful for our food, be worthy of the food on our tables, be at peace while we eat, have food that nourishes our souls as well as our stomachs, and try to achieve enlightenment after we eat.
There are also cookbooks out there dedicated specifically to the principal ingredients and philosophies surrounding the traditional Japanese cooking.
More World Cuisine Cookbooks to Inspire You
If you're looking for some more recipes to add to your favorites, we have some more cookbook recommendations for you!
Buying Guide Reviewed by Executive R&D Chef Jim Quast
This expert reviewed the contents of the buying guide for accuracy and provided factual corrections when necessary, as well as extra tips and advice. They did not participate in the product selection process, nor are they affiliated with any of our choices unless explicitly stated so.
Top 5 Japanese Cookbooks
No. 1: Salinas Press｜Japanese Cooking Made Simple
No. 2: Azusa Oda｜Japanese Cookbook for Beginners
No. 3: Masaharu Morimoto｜Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking
No. 4: Diana Ault｜Cook Anime
No. 5: Tadashi Ono, Harris Salat｜Japanese Soul Cooking
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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