Best Filipino Cookbooks

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Filipino food is a hard-to-define fusion of different cultures, including Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, American, and more, creating a blend of rich and ultra-unique flavors. At the same time, the cuisine features easy-to-find ingredients and straightforward techniques. 

We strongly urge you to go and stock your culinary library with some of the best Filipino cookbooks to enrich your dinners time and again.

The Best Filipino Cookbooks

Skip the exorbitant flights and restaurant pay slips and allow us to bring the vibrant Philippine cuisine to your home in the form of a favorite cookbook. 

Our guide will walk you through the subtleties and history of traditional Filipino dishes like adobo, Lechon, Kare-Kare, and singang. However, some recipes feature modern-day dishes with unique twists to lure your family and guests back for seconds. 

Here are the best Filipino cookbooks with flavors as rich as the country’s history.

Filipino Pork Recipes

  • Total Recipes: 30
  • Total Pages: 76
  • Recipes Preview: Sauteed Pork Tenderloin; Filipino Picadillo Pork in Shrimp Paste; Pork Hock in Peanut Sauce (Kare-Kare)
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Pork Hock in Peanut Sauce

Pork is an integral part of Philippine cuisine. As a result, Molly Mills, the author of Filipino Pork Recipes, whipped up a cookbook featuring the best Filipino-inspired pork recipes.

Molly has created mouth-watering recipes using all parts of the pig, featuring simplistic home dishes to special event roasts. Have fun discovering 30 delicious ways to use pork.

Ay Sus: Whole Food Plant-Based Global Filipino Cuisine

  • Total Recipes: 30
  • Total Pages: 120
  • Recipes Preview: Lumpia; Pancit; Bell Pepper Relleno; Bagoong Fried Rice; Tofu Inasal
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Bagoong Fried Rice

Cleodia Martinez is a first-generation Filipina American and a Whole Food Plant-Based Nutritionist. She loves helping others achieve holistic health by introducing sustainable and gob-smacking plant-based eating habits. 

Cleodia’s Ay Sus cookbook chats about the health benefits of whole foods and plant-based eating while including simplistic, beginner-friendly plant-based Filipino recipes. The book is the perfect bridge between delicious Filipino flavors and healthy cooking.

The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook

  • Total Recipes: 78
  • Total Pages: 174
  • Recipes Preview: Pinoy Chicken Curry; Bulalo; Lechon Kawali; Leche Flan
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Bulalo

The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook is written by Tisha Gonda Domingo, Jeannie E Celestial, and Romeo Roque-Nido, who love exploring Filipino heritage and traditional recipes.

The cookbook results in a collection of heartfelt and modern recipes that home cooks can prepare in an electric pressure cooker.

The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook can help novice and expert home cooks alike to create Filipino classics and sweet treats. Enjoy the captivating cuisine and puckering flavors of these bold Filipino dishes. 

Filipino Cookbook: Plunge into The Diversified Cuisine of Philippine

  • Total Recipes: 30
  • Total Pages: 78
  • Recipes Preview: Adobong Sitaw; Pesang Manok; Ensaymadas; Filipino Seafood Paella; Pinakbet
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Filipino Seafood Paella

Stephanie Sharp has written more than 400 terrific e-books regarding the art of cooking. Her cookbook dives into the art of Filipino cooking, including 30 delicious and vibrant recipes. 

Bring a piece of Asia into your kitchen with the infusion of the sweet, sour, and salty Philippine cuisine flavors. Enjoy sharing the bright and vibrant essence of the Chinese, Middle Eastern, Spanish, and Mexican heritage with your friends and family.

Filipinx: Heritage Recipes From The Diaspora

  • Total Recipes: 100
  • Total Pages: 288
  • Recipes Preview: Bistek; Filipino Spaghetti; Tinola; Filipino Pork BBQ; and Chicken Relleno
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Bistek (Seared Rib-Eye with Lemons and Onions)

Angela Dimayuga, a creative chef, and Ligaya Mishan, a writer for New York Times, collaborated to write a book on what it truly means to be Filipinx through food. Together, they produced an exciting cookbook for home cooks filled with wholesome Filipino recipes.

Filipinx offers 100 storytelling and personal recipes of classic Filipino recipes with a fun and fresh twist. Enjoy reading how Angela reverts to her Filipinx roots while your pork chops broil away.

Quintessential Filipino Cooking: 75 Authentic and Classic Recipes of the Philippines

  • Total Recipes: 75
  • Total Pages: 192
  • Recipes Preview: Pork Rib Adobo; Squid Sisig; Champorado; Kare-Kare; Lechi Fan
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Pork Rib Adobo

Liza Agbanlog, the author of Quintessential Filipino Cooking, is originally from the Philippines. However, she now lives in Canada and is the founder of Salu Solo Recipes – her must-read blog.

Liza allows you to experience the authenticity of the Philippines with her classic yet authentic Filipino recipes. Her recipes highlight the quintessential flavors and traditions of Filipino favorites. However, the unique personal touch featured in her recipes inspires readers to create never-tried, modern Filipino dishes.

The Adobo Road Cookbook

  • Total Recipes: 90
  • Total Pages: 144
  • Recipes Preview: Banana-Nut Spring Rolls; Spicy Sizzling Pork; Chicken Adobo Pot Pies; Adobo Roast Pork Tenderloin; Red Wine and Short Ribs Adobo
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Red Wine and Short Ribs Adobo

Marvin Gapultos is a gourmet Filipino food trucker passionate about the Philippines and its vibrant cuisine. However, Marvin enjoys adding a contemporary and highly personalized touch to standard Filipino cooking.

The Adobo Road Cookbook features close to 100 easy-to-follow recipes with tantalizing Filipino flavors. The cookbook touches on street food, appetizers, drinks, and an entire section focused on adobo recipes.

I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook

  • Total Recipes: Over 150
  • Total Pages: 304
  • Recipes Preview: Bagoong Bagna Cauda; Burong Mangga; Lumpiang Prito; Piaparan Manok; Chorizo Burgers
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Chorizo Burgers

Nicole Ponseca is the brilliant author of I Am a Filipino – a 2019 Best Cookbook of the Year. She came about this piece of artwork after moving to New York from Ponseca and discovering the lack of authentic Filipino food.

I Am a Filipino is a rich guide on Philippine cuisine, culture, and history. The book can transform Filipino food from unknown to a new passion with its amazing storytelling, recipes, and gorgeous photography.

The New Filipino Kitchen

  • Total Recipes: 30
  • Total Pages: 248
  • Recipes Preview: Kinilaw; Escabesha-inspired Snapper; Pansit Palabok; Ginataang Bilo-Bilo; Coffee Sans Rival
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Escabesha-inspired Snapper

With strong Philippine roots, Jaqueline Chio-Lauri was inspired to collect 30 different Filipino recipes and stories from various ex-pat Filipinos. She combined their unique stories and tweaked recipes to create a multilayered cookbook with delicious Filipino food.

The dishes meld traditional Filipino dishes with cultural tweaks from the ex-pats adapting to their new environment. The New Filipino Kitchen is not just a cookbook filled with recipes but a painted picture of the story of Filipino culture and heritage. 

The Philippine Cookbook

  • Total Recipes: Over 100
  • Total Pages: 256
  • Recipes Preview: Adobong Manok; Bangus; Halo-halo Supreme; Kare-Kare; Lechon Kawali
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Halo-halo Supreme

The Philippine Cookbook is a great presentation of simplistic yet extraordinary Filipino cuisine. Reynaldo Alejandro, the author of The Philippine Cookbook, ensures that each recipe is well-adapted to the requirements of the American kitchens.

Despite the American twists, the cookbook remains an accurate demonstration of the delicious recipes that define the vibrant Filipino cuisine. 

7000 Islands: Cherished Recipes and Stories from the Philippines

  • Total Recipes: 13 Chapters
  • Total Pages: 336
  • Recipes Preview: Beef Tapa; Lechon Liempo; Pancit Canton; Leche Flan  
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Lechon Liempo

Yasmin Newman is a foodie and travel writer of Filipino heritage. Her first book, 7000 Islands, takes you on a beautiful journey through the exotic Philippines and its pleasurable cuisine. 

7000 Islands is strategically divided into 13 chapters, blissfully illustrating a range of dishes from Everyday foods to Party snacks and Drinks to Dessert. The book also walks readers through the rich Philippine culture and history.

The Best Collection of Filipino Recipes

  • Total Recipes: 35
  • Total Pages: 109
  • Recipes Preview: Crispy Pata; Palitaw; Empanada; Filipino Style Barbeque; Chicken Galantina  
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Filipino Style Barbeque

After becoming the head chef at a 5-star establishment, Valeria started a secondary career authoring cookbooks. This brings us to her famous Philippine-inspired cookbook, “The Best Collection of Filipino Recipes.”

Readers will enjoy stumbling onto recipes filled with colorful anecdotes about authentic Filipino foods. Giving some of her recipes a go will allow you to truly appreciate the fusion of spices, flavors, and colors from which these meals are birthed. 

The Filipino-American Kitchen

  • Total Recipes: Over 100
  • Total Pages: 176
  • Recipes Preview: Duck Adobo; Lamb Casoy; Hearty Paella; Crispy Lumpia Egg Rolls; Pancit Noodles
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Crispy Lumpia Egg Rolls

Jennifer Aranas is an accomplished chef and food writer that spent time rediscovering her Filipino roots with inherited family recipes. She takes Filipino dishes and transforms them into easy-to-make meals.

The Filipino-American Kitchen has over 100 recipes for readers to discover, ranging from sweet, tangy, spicy, and smoky flavors. Enjoy sharing Filipino dishes packed with vibrancy and flavor with your friends and family. 

Also Filipino: 75 Regional Dishes I Never Had Growing Up

  • Total Recipes: 75
  • Total Pages: 194
  • Recipes Preview: Pochero; Morcon; Miki Malabeb; Bicol Express; Chicken Piaparan
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Pochero

Angelo Comsti is the author of four bestselling cookbooks. Many Filipino cookbooks feature traditional dishes like the halo-halo, lechons, and Kare-Kare. However, Angelo focuses on introducing foreigners and locals alike to the other unique Filipino dishes.

Angelo has traveled to different provinces and has gone as far as to knock on locals’ doors to get his hands on the traditional yet unfamiliar recipes. This impressive compilation is a true indication of the Philippines’ diversity and cultural complexity.

Pulutan! Filipino Bar Bites, Appetizers, and Street Eats

  • Total Recipes: Over 60
  • Total Pages: 120
  • Recipes Preview: Spicy Sizzling Squid; Grilled Garlic Lamb Chops; Fried Green Mangoes; Corn-Dogged Quail Eggs
  • The Best Recipe We Want To Try: Fried Green Mangoes

In the Philippines, ‘pulutan’ refers to finger foods, street foods, bar snacks, or appetizers best enjoyed with an alcoholic drink. 

Marvin Gapultos has recreated some of the best Filipino pulutan dishes to share among hungry and thirsty friends. Marvin’s recipes include refreshing seafood appetizers, tapas, chicken skewers, tender pork meatballs, dumplings, and many more mouth-watering sides to pair with a cocktail or ice-cold beer.

Invite some friends over, serve a couple of drinks, and give Marvin’s take on unforgettable Filipino pulutan a go. 


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