2025 James Beard Award Winning Cookbooks
Each year, a new group of standout cookbooks and food writers are honored at the James Beard Media Awards. This is considered one of the most prestigious recognitions in the culinary world.
These awards spotlight the best cookbooks, and nonfiction food and beverage books published in the U.S. during the previous year, celebrating excellence in writing, storytelling, and culinary insight. I do not envy the judges as with all the great food writing every year it is a huge task to choose just one.
Below you will find the list of the 2025 James Beard Media Awards winners and links to their winning cookbooks and books.
About The James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation was established in 1986. Today it is leading the culinary industry towards a new standard of excellence. Their mission is brought to life through the annual James Beard Awards, programs and initiatives in the industry and community, as well as advocacy, partnerships and events across the country.
James Beard Award Winners
Baking and Desserts
Sift: The Elements of Great Baking
by Nicola Lamb
Beverage with Recipes
The Bartender’s Pantry: A Beverage Handbook for the Universal Bar
by Jim Meehan, Bart Sasso, Emma Janzen
Beverage without Recipes
Sake: The Art and Craft of Japan’s National Drink
by Yoshiko Ueno-Müller
Bread
Richard Hart Bread: Intuitive Sourdough Baking
by Richard Hart, Laurie Woolever, Henrietta Lovell
Emerging Voice
Paola Velez
Author of: Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store – A Baking Cookbook
Food Issues and Advocacy
Ruin Their Crops on the Ground: The Politics of Food in the United States, from the Trail of Tears to School Lunch
by Andrea Freeman
General
Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes: A Cookbook
by Carolina Gelen
International
The Balkan Kitchen: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of the Balkans
by Irina Janakievska
Literary Writing
Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves
by Nicola Twilley
Professional and Restaurant
Convivir: Modern Mexican Cuisine in California’s Wine Country
by Rogelio Garcia, Andréa Lawson Gray
Reference, History, and Scholarship
McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches
by Gary He
Single Subject
Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking (More than 60 Recipes Featuring Gochujang, Doenjang, and Ganjang)
by Mingoo Kang, Joshua David Stein, Nadia Cho
U.S. Foodways
Our South: Black Food Through My Lens – A Cookbook
by Ashleigh Shanti
Vegetable-Focused Cooking
Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking: Vegan Recipes, Tips, and Techniques [A Cookbook]
by Joe Yonan
Visuals
McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches
by Gary He
Cookbook Hall of Fame
Rose Levy Beranbaum
Congratulations to the 2025 James Beard Award Winners. I know I will be adding these cookbooks to my collection soon! How many do you currently own?
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