The Mediterranean diet gets its inspiration from the agriculture, lifestyles, and culinary traditions found in cultures abutting the Meiterranean Sea. These traditional diets are high in vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, olive oil, fruit, and some other carbohydrates; whole grains, potatoes, and bread are all considered alright in this lifestyle. There is less of a focus on red meat and more seafood. Chicken, eggs, cheese, and other dairy should be eaten in moderation.

Mediterranean diet cookbooks will typically strive to give a background on the diet, give tips for how to practice it, and provide a bevy of recipes for home chefs to try out. However, these books can be written from different perspectives and may accommodate readers’ goals very differently. Because these cookbooks have such a diversity in types of recipes and approaches, it can be hard to decide which one is the best one to purchase. Here is what we found out after taking a look at some of the more popular texts:

Editor’s Choice

The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook: 500 Vibrant, Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Living and Eating Well Every Day

Pros:

Over 500 recipes. This cookbook has a comprehensive collection of over 500 recipes, with each chapter focused on a food group. There are sections on pastas, grains, fruit, beans, seafood, among several other food groups.

Nutrition information chart. In the latter part of this book is an alphabetical index of nutritional information, divided by food items. This has thorough information about the different food items and the dishes they are a part of.

Instructional photographs. This text not only includes colored photos, but there are photographs of various steps that may be confusing or problematic. With some step-by-step photographic instructions littered throughout the book, it is easy to follow along most recipes.

Cons:

Cost. This book has over 500 recipes, and the customer may end up paying a premium for that amount of information. This book is typically found at a price no less than a couple dozen dollars.

Fancy recipes. This book may be too advanced for some readers. Many of the dishes call for exotic ingredients or involve processes that may be too complicated for average or inexperienced cooks.

The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook: 500 Vibrant, Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Living and Eating Well Every Day The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook: 500 Vibrant, Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Living and Eating Well Every Day This book is a thorough collection of recipes covering all sorts of different styles of dishes and food groups. With loads of valuable nutritional information and several instances of step-by-step photographic instructions, this book has enough to really dive into for a long period of time. Shop Amazon

The Contender

The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: The 28-Day Kickstart Plan for Lasting Weight Loss

Pros:

Exercise guide. Not only does this text give over 100 healthy recipes to help in aiding weight loss, but they provide a brief but effective work-out plan. The author provides a helpful cadence for working out, resting, and eating healthy.

28 day meal plan.This book has four week-long meal plans for readers to use to help usher in a Mediterranean lifestyle. Each week has its own shopping list for added convenience.

Leftover advice. An aspect of cooking that is often overlooked by cookbooks (and home chefs alike) are leftovers. This book provides suggestions on what leftovers can be used for, either in a new dish or how to reheat or prepare to be eaten on their own.

Cons:

Inconsistent portions. When cooking various dishes in this book, some will serve six servings, others four, etc. For people cooking for just themselves or they and their partners, there are sometimes a lot of leftovers. If cooking for a family, there is sometimes not enough food per dish.

Expensive ingredients. Those who go strictly off of the weekly shopping list may be surprised at how much their bill will be. Following each day’s recipes may cost over $200 a week in groceries.

The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: The 28-Day Kickstart Plan for Lasting Weight Loss The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: The 28-Day Kickstart Plan for Lasting Weight Loss This text by Julene Stassou provides a concrete plan for losing weight while enjoying the tastes of the Mediterranean. With a 28 day plan and exercise suggestions, this book is meant to help people make and follow a plan to achieve their fitness goals. Shop Amazon

Best Bargain

The Mediterranean Diet for Beginners: The Complete Guide

Pros:

Easy to find ingredients – An element of this book that is quite easy to appreciate is the abundance of ingredients that most chefs will already have in their pantries. While many cookbooks try to spice up their recipes with exotic ingredients, this author strives to make delicious dishes using commonly found ingredients.

Classic dishes. While the Mediterranean diet may be new to some readers, most of the dishes will seem quite familiar. Some cookbooks try to lean on interesting or newly created dishes, but this one focuses on helping readers master the classics.

Cost. This book provides a great platform from which to vault into a habit of cooking in the Mediterranean lifestyle. For the cost of a comic book, readers can start a new healthy direction.

Cons:

Only 40 recipes. While the recipes in this cookbook are rather easy to complete and taste nice, it is disappointing that there are only 40 of them. Most cookbooks, regardless of dietary style, will have more.

Could have more background. Again, this book has great information on how to start a Mediterranean diet and what some of the benefits are. However, it doesn’t have a comprehensive explainer and may disappoint those hoping to really study up on the lifestyle.

The Mediterranean Diet for Beginners: The Complete Guide The Mediterranean Diet for Beginners: The Complete Guide This cookbook helps those who are interested in the Mediterranean diet learn how to cook classic dishes using simple and easy to find ingredients. This book provides an affordable pathway into a new dietary habit for those looking for it. Shop Amazon

Best for Quick Recipes

The 30-Minute Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: 101 Easy, Flavorful Recipes for Lifelong Health

Pros:

Half hour or less. The author has made a point to make sure each recipe in this book can be completed in 30 minutes or less. This is perfect for those who are trying to fit a new lifestyle into an already busy schedule.

Allergy labels. This book has labels on recipes that may trigger allergic reactions to some of the ingredients. Many of the recipes in the book cater to allergy restrictions, so it casts a wide net for potential readership.

Alternatives. Each recipe in this cookbook has a tip – either some extra guidance for how to prepare the recipe, or suggestions on how to shop for food items in the recipe. Often there are tips for food alternatives in case an item may cause allergies or is hard to find.

Cons:

No pictures of finished recipes. The format of the book is simple and easy to follow, but it would have been nice to have seen some pictures of finished dishes. This helps some chefs make sure they have followed the steps properly.

Some recipes are very carbohydrate heavy. Those on a mission to avoid carbohydrates may have to use some discernment when deciding which recipes to make. Some of the recipes and even whole sections – like the pizza section – have lots of carbohydrates.

The 30-Minute Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: 101 Easy, Flavorful Recipes for Lifelong Health The 30-Minute Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: 101 Easy, Flavorful Recipes for Lifelong Health The cookbook by Serena Rall is a dietician’s take on the healthy lifestyle that can be derived from Mediterranean foods and recipes. She includes lots of information throughout, such alternatives for certain food items that are hard to find or allergy labels to help people properly prepare and accommodate for food allergies. Shop Amazon

Widest Range of Recipes

The Mediterranean Table: Simple Recipes for Healthy Living on the Mediterranean Diet

Pros:

Explores cultures. This cookbook does a great job of not only exploring foods from around the Mediterranean Sea, but also to put a spotlight on the cultures as well. Through photos and written explanations, readers will learn about the culinary histories of many Mediterranean-adjacent countries. Each dish will be labeled with its origin.

North African cuisine. While many Mediterranean cookbooks will focus on Greek and Italian food, this text features delicious recipes from Spain and North Africa as well.

Alphabetical index. A feature that is commonly missing in cookbooks, the index in this one is thorough and very helpful in trying to find specific recipes. Because the book is divided into food categories, it is sometimes useful to scour the index for a specific dish.

Cons:

Spices. The author often calls for different spices to be used in recipes, but these spices are not always easy to find or affordable. Not only can it be a hassle to locate these items, but users may end up with a surplus of odd spices that they may use infrequently.

Lighter fare. This book has lots of great soups, sandwiches, appetizers, and snacks, but the entrees are rather lacking. The recipes may be staying in line with Mediterranean cuisine, but users may need to be creative when trying to construct a satisfying routine for themselves.

The Mediterranean Table: Simple Recipes for Healthy Living on the Mediterranean Diet The Mediterranean Table: Simple Recipes for Healthy Living on the Mediterranean Diet This cookbook is an informative exploration of the Mediterranean diet. The book features cuisines from all over the region and even explains the differences in diet between the various countries. The diversity in cuisine is top notch in this cookbook. Shop Amazon

How We Picked

Mediterranean cookbooks can be of great help to people hoping to change their lifestyles into a healthier and perhaps even more affordable version. These texts can encourage healthier decisions in the kitchen and possibly inspire readers to eat out less. Though most cookbooks have some commonalities, they usually have some stark differences as well that may fulfill the needs of certain readers variably than others. When we examined the cookbooks, here is what we looked at to help distinguish between them:

Additional information

Though some customers may simply be looking for a collection of recipes that follow the Mediterranean diet, others may be looking for a more thorough explanation of the diet. Several cookbooks have informational addendums and long introductions that provide background on the Mediterranean diet. Depending on the perspective of the author, these can range from scientific, cultural, or inspirational.

Of great help in some cookbooks are the tables and charts that have conversion information and nutritional information. These tables and charts, typically at the end of the book, house information that may otherwise clutter the pages of the recipes. These informational tables can be helpful beyond the specific recipes mentioned in the cookbooks and can be used as a handy reference in the kitchen.

Number of recipes

A big difference in many cookbooks is the sheer amount of recipes they feature. Cookbooks can have as many as hundreds of recipes; these books can keep a home chef busy for years. When there are that many recipes in a cookbook, especially one dedicated to a certain diet or lifestyle, it is important to make sure the foods being cooked all complement each other and the lifestyle being followed. For example, just because pizzas are in a cookbook doesn’t mean they should be for dinner every night.

Cookbooks without many recipes can sometimes help readers in a different way; short but concise and manageable meal plans can be the very thing someone needs to launch them into a new lifestyle. A cookbook with hundreds of recipes may just simply overwhelm a cook without much experience. The more recipes there are, often times the more complicated and complex they can get. Readers should find a healthy balance between finding a cookbook that has recipes that interest them and recipes they can confidently accomplish.

Alternatives

One of the most useful practices when cooking is knowing what food items can be subbed out for another. Some people have food allergies while others just don’t like certain foods. With a Mediterranean diet, it is common for some of the foods suggested in a recipe to be hard to come by; they might only be found at specialty food stores and even then cost a dear amount.

Several of the cookbooks did a great job of providing alternatives to certain foods. Sometimes these appeared on the page of the recipes themselves, other times in an informative chart elsewhere in the book. This is especially important when considering food allergies; if someone is allergic to nuts, it may be a cumbersome process trying to figure out an alternative every time. It is much easier if this information is laid out in plain language already.

Tips

Not sure which Mediterranean diet cookbook is right for you? To help inform your decision, here are some tips and suggestions: