2025's hottest cookbooks: find out which titles are taking the culinary world by storm

Put on your apron and prepare your kitchen because it is time to get busy.

Each year, publishers release numerous new cookbooks, making it difficult to decide which one deserves a place on your shelf.

To guide you through the latest offerings, here is a selection of some of the most notable new titles of 2025.

These books bring South African voices to the front, explore heritage with curiosity and invite both new and experienced cooks to try something fresh.

“Damn Good Food” by Fehmz

“Damn Good Food” marks the debut of Fehmida Jordaan, known widely as Fehmz, a South African food creator who built her reputation through social media.

The cookbook became the top-selling cookbook in South Africa soon after its release, which reflects how strongly her audience connects with her style of cooking. Fehmz has always presented food with confidence and enthusiasm, and the book brings that same spirit to print.

Inside, readers find more than 80 recipes that are easy to follow and grounded in the meals many families know well. Fehmz includes dishes that represent her heritage, such as mutton akhni, mince curry and other meals that have been passed down in her family.

Alongside these familiar recipes, she introduces playful ideas such as chilli bite waffles, sticky jam chops and peri peri prawns. She also includes dishes inspired by restaurant favourites but designed for the home cook who wants a reliable and satisfying result without ordering out.

A chapter is dedicated to what she calls her flavour boosting essentials. These include her well-known magic masala, her red dynamite sauce and a fruit sprinkle that many of her followers have requested for years.

The chapter is written with clarity and gives readers the building blocks to create flavour in their own kitchens. The pages reflect her lively approach to cooking and encourage readers to enjoy the process as much as the meal.

“Food Trail South Africa” by Warren Mendes

“Food Trail South Africa” brings together recipes, travel stories and personal reflections from Warren Mendes, a South African-born chef who trained at Le Cordon Bleu.

The book grew out of a culinary journey he took across the country, which also resulted in a television series with the same title. Mendes uses the book to share the dishes he encountered and the people who shaped his understanding of South African food.

The cookbook offers both traditional recipes and new creations inspired by places he visited. Readers will find well-known South African meals such as the bunny chow and bobotie, presented with clear guidance.

Mendes also adds dishes that draw from his travel experiences, from market stalls to home kitchens that opened their doors to him during his journey. The book aims to give readers a sense of movement through space and culture, making it as much a travel companion as a kitchen guide.

It was also recognised at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, where it was named a finalist. Mendes writes with affection for the country and its people, and that sense of connection forms the backbone of the book.

“Upwards” by Karen Dudley

In “Upwards”, Karen Dudley returns with a collection that follows her previous book “Onwards”. She invites readers to engage with cooking as a mindful act and a daily practice that can bring calm and clarity.

Dudley encourages readers to look towards what is essential and to use food as a way to find balance in the midst of daily life.

The book shares recipes that come from a wide range of influences and flavours. Dudley has long been known for her ability to make vegetables and simple ingredients feel full of possibility, and she continues this focus here. 

She writes about cooking as a process that encourages attention rather than stress, guiding readers to find satisfaction in the act itself.

Her recipes encourage experimentation. Some dishes aim to teach new skills, while others remind cooks that simple preparation can lead to memorable meals. Dudley’s message is that cooking can lift the spirit when approached with care.

“Upwards” is therefore both a cookbook and an invitation to slow down and look at food with renewed interest. She encourages readers to step into the kitchen ready to explore new flavours, learn new methods and welcome new experiences.

“All Dahl’d Up” by Kamini Pather

Kamini Pather describes “All Dahl’d Up” as a collection of recipes rooted in her ancestry but updated through modern techniques and ingredients.

She writes that the old world has been given some fancy, which captures the central idea of the book. Pather brings together Indian influences with the various food cultures that have shaped her tastes.

Readers will find traditional meals such as potato curry with nigella seeds, hot water roti, rasam and the Sunday meal of chicken curry.

Alongside these dishes, she introduces meals that reflect the way she cooks today, such as cauliflower rice, lamb biryani, panko crumbed patha wraps, bacon dhal, pudhina hummus and rosewater ice cream sandwiches with pistachio cookies. The variety reflects both her heritage and her personal evolution as a cook.

Pather writes with awareness of modern lifestyles. She aims to keep her recipes simple to follow and considerate of health and sustainability without becoming restrictive. The book invites readers to explore food that can lift their mood, honour tradition and remain flexible for everyday living.

“Sifo The Cooking Husband Vol. 2” by Sinoyolo Sifo

Sinoyolo Sifo builds on the success of his first cookbook with “Sifo The Cooking Husband Vol. 2”.

His goal remains clear: to encourage more men to feel comfortable and confident in the kitchen. He writes with a friendly voice and presents more than 80 recipes that draw from his upbringing on a farm, his family life and his travel experiences. 

The book continues the work he began in his first volume, which aimed to challenge assumptions about who belongs in the kitchen. The recipes range from comforting home meals to dishes inspired by people he met while travelling.

The book was named Best in the World in the Influencers and Bloggers category at the Gourmand Awards, which speaks to the impact of his approach.