A Mexican kitchen in Houston has plenty of respect for New Orleans cooking. Both start with a long-cooked base, whether that’s a mole or a roux, and both have been changed by every group of people who passed through. New Orleans just has more famous dining rooms to show for it.
Here are seven books from named authors and established publishers, kept separate from our Cajun page. Each entry says what stands behind it, including the historic books we can only partly vouch for.
Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a restaurant kitchen looks for in a cookbook, the Amazon listing, publisher and author information and published reviews, which we name where we use them.
Quick verdict: the best New Orleans cookbook to start with
For most serious home cooks, buy Justin Devillier’s The New Orleans Kitchen, which Publishers Weekly calls outstanding. For a special dinner, choose Commander’s Kitchen. For a first try at gumbo, choose Ryan Boudreaux’s The Best of New Orleans Cookbook.
The other four cover Brennan’s brunch, Lena Richard’s pioneering recipes, an old newspaper’s reference and a small gift.
Five New Orleans cookbooks side by side
Five of the seven, one for each kind of cook. All seven are described in full below.
| Cookbook | Best for | Recipes | Length | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning the canon properly | 120 | 384 pages, hardcover | View on Amazon | |
Commander’s Kitchen, Ti Adelaide Martin and Jamie ShannonBest restaurant book
|
Special-occasion Creole cooking | 150 | 364 pages, hardcover | View on Amazon |
Brennan’s New Orleans Cookbook, Hermann B. DeutschBest for brunch
|
Classic Creole brunch dishes | 150 | 264 pages, paperback | View on Amazon |
New Orleans Cookbook, Lena RichardBest historic voice
|
An important Black Creole cook | Not stated for this edition | 160 pages, paperback | View on Amazon |
The Best of New Orleans Cookbook, Ryan BoudreauxBest for beginners
|
A short, simple introduction | 50 | 130 pages, paperback | View on Amazon |
Cover images from Amazon. Page counts and formats are from the Amazon listings for the editions linked. Recipe counts are from publisher copy or the title.
Our picks for the best New Orleans cookbook, book by book
All seven were in stock, new and sold by Amazon when we checked. We have not cooked from these books; where we describe a strength, we say whose view it is.
1. The New Orleans Kitchen, Justin Devillier and Jamie Feldmar – The Modern Teaching Book
![The New Orleans Kitchen: Classic Recipes and Modern Techniques for an Unrivaled Cuisine [A Cookbook]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51J-3oM7TVL._SL500_.jpg)
Publishers Weekly ended its review with a line that’s hard to argue with: “Devillier’s outstanding volume takes New Orleans cooking to a new level.” It’s the strongest review we read for any book on this page, and it calls this a bold debut from a James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur.
Justin Devillier is chef-owner of restaurants including La Petite Grocery and Justine, and won the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: South award in 2016, according to his bio. The publisher describes 120 recipes with step-by-step photos, from roux basics to duck and andouille gumbo and short ribs braised in Abita root beer.
Publisher copy quotes Sean Brock: “Comprehensive and inventive cookbooks like this one don’t come along very often.” We read that through the publisher. This is a serious teaching book, and some of its restaurant touches may be a stretch for a weeknight, though the step-by-step photos should help.
Why we like it
- Outstanding, per Publishers Weekly
- 120 recipes, per the publisher
- Step-by-step photographs
- James Beard Award-winning chef
Key specifications
| Author | Justin Devillier with Jamie Feldmar |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Lorena Jones Books (Ten Speed) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Pages | 384 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Recipes | 120 |
| Focus | Classic New Orleans technique |
| Best for | Cooks who want to learn |
Why we recommend it
If you want one book that teaches you roux and the classics, and you’ll take your time over it, this is the one to buy.
Skip it if you want quick dinners. Boudreaux’s short book is the easy start.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Strong named review
- Teaches technique
- Restaurant authority
Cons
- Ambitious recipes for a weeknight
- Large book
2. Commander’s Kitchen, Ti Adelaide Martin and Jamie Shannon – A Grand Dining Room at Home
Commander’s Palace is among the city’s best-known restaurants, and this book brings its recipes home. The publisher’s copy describes 150 recipes, including four varieties of gumbo, Shrimp and Tasso Henican with Five-Pepper Jelly and Eggs Louis Armstrong. It says the James Beard Foundation named Commander’s the outstanding restaurant in America.
The copy also quotes the late Paul Prudhomme: “Not many cookbooks have so many winning ingredients as does Commander’s Kitchen.” We read that through a bookseller’s page for this ISBN. The listing shows this as a 2026 hardcover from Susan Schadt Press, while the older Clarkson Potter edition was low in stock.
That copy seems to have been written for the earlier edition, so we can’t say what, if anything, changed in the new one. Publishers Weekly has no review at this ISBN. If you own the older book, compare before buying.
Why we like it
- 150 recipes, per the publisher
- Four varieties of gumbo
- James Beard honor for the restaurant, per the publisher
- Sold by Amazon
Key specifications
| Author | Ti Adelaide Martin and Jamie Shannon |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Susan Schadt Press |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 364 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Recipes | 150 |
| Focus | Commander’s Palace recipes |
| Best for | Ambitious hosts |
Why we recommend it
If you want to make a special dinner the way a grand New Orleans dining room does it, this is the book.
Skip it if you want simple food. Restaurant recipes like these often take more steps, in our view.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Famous restaurant
- Large recipe count
- Named dishes that sound like the real thing
Cons
- Edition changes unconfirmed
- No PW review at this ISBN
- Likely ambitious
3. Brennan’s New Orleans Cookbook, Hermann B. Deutsch – Bananas Foster and the Big Breakfast
The publisher’s copy calls Breakfast at Brennan’s a Creole favorite, and says this book includes 150 of the restaurant’s recipes, with Bananas Foster, Trout Amandine, Pompano en Papillote and Eggs Benedict among them. The recipes first appeared in 1961, and the book mixes them with family and restaurant history.
Hermann B. Deutsch, an author and columnist, tells the story of the Brennan family’s rise from poor Irish immigrants to leading New Orleans restaurateurs, according to the publisher. The page we read quotes no outside praise, and we didn’t read an independent review or open a Publishers Weekly page for it, so this rests on the publisher’s copy and the name of the restaurant.
Keep the date in mind. These are mid-century restaurant recipes in a 2014 paperback, and they may read like it: rich, and written for a different kind of kitchen. For a historic brunch, that’s part of the charm.
Why we like it
- 150 recipes, per the publisher
- Includes Bananas Foster
- Family and restaurant history
- Sold by Amazon
Key specifications
| Author | Hermann B. Deutsch |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Pelican Publishing |
| Year | 2014 |
| Pages | 264 |
| Format | Paperback |
| Recipes | 150 |
| Focus | Brennan’s restaurant recipes and history |
| Best for | Brunch lovers |
Why we recommend it
If you want to recreate a long New Orleans brunch, flaming dessert and all, this is the place to start.
Skip it if you’re looking for modern, lighter recipes. These are from another era.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Signature dishes
- Good recipe count
- Fun history
Cons
- Old recipes
- No named review read
4. New Orleans Cookbook, Lena Richard – A Pioneer’s Creole Recipes
Lena Richard deserves more attention than she gets. Writing in Oxford American, Mayukh Sen describes how she self-published Lena Richard’s Cook Book in 1939, “a compendium of over 300 recipes,” and how Houghton Mifflin republished it in 1940 as New Orleans Cook Book. She also hosted a cooking program on WDSU-TV in New Orleans from around 1949.
This is Pelican’s 160-page paperback under her name and that title, dated 1999 on the listing. We couldn’t read Pelican’s description, so we can’t say how closely it matches the 1940 book, and we don’t have a recipe count for this edition. Publishers Weekly has no review at this ISBN.
Buy it for who wrote it and when. A recipe book from that period may assume more than a modern one does, so expect to use your own judgment on method and timing.
Why we like it
- Important figure in Creole food history
- Oxford American profile, read by us
- Short paperback
- Sold by Amazon
Key specifications
| Author | Lena Richard |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Pelican Publishing |
| Year | 1999 |
| Pages | 160 |
| Format | Paperback |
| Recipes | Not stated for this edition |
| Focus | Creole home and restaurant cooking |
| Best for | Readers of food history |
Why we recommend it
If you care about who shaped this food and you enjoy cooking from older sources, this deserves a place on the shelf.
Skip it if you want step-by-step teaching. Devillier’s book is the one for that.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Historic importance
- Named source for the author’s story
- Short paperback
Cons
- Publisher copy not read
- Edition not confirmed against 1940
- Older recipe style
5. The Picayune’s Creole Cook Book – The Old Newspaper’s Reference
Dover’s reprint describes a book assembled at the turn of the twentieth century by a New Orleans newspaper, The Picayune, and calls its contents “Hundreds of enticing recipes” across soups, seafood, meats, rice dishes, cakes and more. The copy explains Creole cookery as a blend of Spanish, African, Choctaw and especially French influences.
That copy also calls it “the bible of many a Louisiana cook,” which is the publisher’s own wording and not a review. Dover specializes in reprints, and this one is in its American Antiquarian Cookbook Collection, so treat it as a historical document that you can cook from.
An old cookbook reflects its period and its assumptions, including ones a modern reader may not like. Measurements, equipment and food safety advice also date from another century, so check against a current source before relying on them.
Why we like it
- Hundreds of recipes, per the publisher
- Long historical reach
- Part of Dover’s antiquarian series
- Sold by Amazon
Key specifications
| Author | The Picayune |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Dover Publications |
| Year | 2002 |
| Pages | 456 |
| Format | Paperback |
| Recipes | Hundreds |
| Focus | Turn-of-the-century Creole cooking |
| Best for | Collectors and history fans |
Why we recommend it
If you collect old cookbooks or you like tracing a dish back to its source, this is well worth having.
Skip it if you want a reliable modern kitchen book. It’s more than a century old in spirit.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Huge historical range
- Large paperback
- Primary source
Cons
- Dated methods
- Not written for modern kitchens
- Attitudes of its time
6. The Best of New Orleans Cookbook, Ryan Boudreaux – An Easy First Gumbo
This is the simple one. Ryan Boudreaux was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and has worked in cooking in and around New Orleans for over 37 years, according to his bio, and the publisher’s copy promises step-by-step guidance on essential recipes such as gumbo, beignets, king cake and Sazeracs, plus tips it calls Lagniappe.
It’s a short paperback at 130 pages, from Callisto, which we’d describe as a straightforward publisher of practical cookbooks. The only praise on the page we read came from Amazon customers, so we don’t quote it. We read no independent review, and we didn’t open a Publishers Weekly page for this one.
It mixes Cajun with Creole, so it’s broader than the city’s own food in the strict sense. If you want deeper Cajun cooking, our page on that is the better guide. For a first attempt at a roux, a short book can be less daunting.
Why we like it
- 50 recipes, per the title
- Step-by-step guidance, per the publisher
- Author with long local experience
- Sold by Amazon
Key specifications
| Author | Ryan Boudreaux |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Callisto |
| Year | 2020 |
| Pages | 130 |
| Format | Paperback |
| Recipes | 50 |
| Focus | Classic Cajun and Creole dishes |
| Best for | First-time cooks |
Why we recommend it
If you’ve never made gumbo and don’t want a 400-page book yet, this is the gentle way in.
Skip it if you already cook this food. It covers only the basics.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Approachable length
- Local author
- Essential dishes
Cons
- Only 50 recipes
- No independent review read
7. The Little New Orleans Cookbook, Gwen McKee – A Small Keepsake
Quail Ridge Press’s copy describes 57 classic New Orleans dishes, “with entertaining notes and stories woven throughout.” At 80 pages in hardcover, the listing suggests a small book, and we’d think of it as a gift or a souvenir more than as a kitchen workhorse.
We read no review, the page we read names Gwen McKee with no biography, and there’s no outside praise. So this pick rests on the publisher’s short description. That’s enough for what it is: a light way to bring a few dishes home.
It can’t compete with the larger books for depth. Fifty-seven recipes in 80 pages won’t explain much technique, so pair it with Devillier if the subject grabs you.
Why we like it
- 57 recipes, per the publisher
- Notes and stories included
- Small hardcover
- Sold by Amazon
Key specifications
| Author | Gwen McKee |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Quail Ridge Press |
| Year | 1991 |
| Pages | 80 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Recipes | 57 |
| Focus | Classic New Orleans dishes |
| Best for | Gifts and souvenirs |
Why we recommend it
If you’re buying a small present for someone who loves the city, or a souvenir after a visit, this fits the job.
Skip it if you want a serious cookbook. It’s a small keepsake.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Small and giftable
- Named classics
- Hardcover
Cons
- Very short
- No named review read
How to choose a creole recipes book
New Orleans food has a long history and many grand restaurants, so the first question is what you want from the book.
- Learning or reliving? Devillier teaches you to cook. The restaurant books, Commander’s Kitchen and Brennan’s, let you recreate a place you love.
- Old or new? The Picayune’s and Lena Richard’s book are historic. They’re important, but they weren’t written for a modern kitchen.
- How much time do you have? A long book is a commitment. Boudreaux and McKee are the short ones.
- What pots do you own? Gumbo and roux are easier in something heavy, such as a Dutch oven or a cast iron skillet. We haven’t cooked from these books, so check each recipe.
How we picked these New Orleans cookbooks
We searched Amazon’s book listings first and kept print editions from named authors at established publishers, plain in stock with a new lead offer. Author, year, format and page count come from the listing. Recipe counts and descriptions come from publisher copy, as carried by a bookseller.
Here’s what stands behind each pick. The New Orleans Kitchen has a Publishers Weekly review we read ourselves. Commander’s Kitchen has outside praise that we read only through publisher copy, and that copy may predate this edition. Lena Richard’s story comes from Oxford American, read by us, but it isn’t a review of this paperback. Brennan’s, The Picayune’s, The Best of New Orleans and The Little New Orleans Cookbook rest on publisher details. No Publishers Weekly review at an ISBN doesn’t mean no review exists.
We left out books already on our best Cajun cookbook page, including The Dooky Chase Cookbook, Modern Creole and Mosquito Supper Club. Several famous titles weren’t plain in stock when we checked, among them the Knopf New Orleans Cookbook, Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen, John Besh’s books, Emeril’s New New Orleans Cooking, Galatoire’s Cookbook, Tujague’s Cookbook and Turkey and the Wolf. We also left out City Eats: New Orleans, because we could read nothing about it beyond its title.
New Orleans cookbook questions, answered
What is the best creole recipes book for a serious cook?
The New Orleans Kitchen. Publishers Weekly calls it outstanding, and it teaches classic technique with step-by-step photos, per the publisher.
What’s the difference between this page and your Cajun page?
This one keeps to the city’s restaurants and its Creole tradition. Our Cajun page covers wider Louisiana cooking. Boudreaux’s book is the one here that mixes the two.
Which book has the most recipes?
Dover’s The Picayune’s, with what it calls hundreds. Among modern books, Commander’s Kitchen and Brennan’s each have 150, per the publishers.
Who was Lena Richard?
A New Orleans cook, author and television host. Oxford American describes her 1939 cookbook, its 1940 reissue and her WDSU-TV program from around 1949.
Are old cookbooks safe to follow?
Treat them as history. Methods and food safety advice have changed, so check anything on canning, storage or doneness against a current source.
Our final pick for a New Orleans shelf
Buy The New Orleans Kitchen to learn the cooking. Add Commander’s Kitchen for a big occasion, Brennan’s for brunch and Lena Richard’s book for the history. For the country cousin, see our best Cajun cookbook guide, or go to our best Southern cookbook page for the wider region.
And if you would rather let someone else cook tonight, see the menu or call to order.