From Grits to Greens: The Best Southern Cookbook for Your Kitchen

Southern food looks simple on the plate and turns out to be many cuisines at once. Lowcountry rice, Appalachian beans, Cajun gravy, Virginia ham, soul food and Texas barbecue all fall under one word. So a Southern cookbook that suits one cook can leave another wondering where the recipe they wanted went.

We run a Mexican restaurant in Houston, so we have a fond regard for any cuisine built on corn, chiles, slow pots and family. This guide picks nine books from named authors at established publishers, and for each sets out what the publisher, the listing and any named reviewer say, and which cook it suits.

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 southern cookbook to start with

The other six cover North Carolina by ingredient, a survey of the whole region, a seasonal classic, everyday soul food, a Gullah Geechee book and a vegan remix.

Five Southern books side by side

Five of the nine, one for each kind of cook, with what each listing or publisher gives. All nine are described in full below.

Cover images from Amazon. Page counts and formats are from the Amazon listings for the editions linked; other editions differ.

Our picks for the best southern cookbook, book by book

All nine were in stock in print and new when we checked. Eight were sold by Amazon. The Taste of Country Cooking had a third-party seller on its lead offer, as its entry explains. We have not cooked from these books; where we describe a strength, we say whose view it is.

How to choose a Southern book

Start with the kind of cooking you want to do, because the word Southern covers more ground than any single book can.

• Teaching or reference. Brock’s South teaches. ATK and Twitty give you hundreds of recipes to browse.
• One place or the whole South. Howard, Lewis and Meggett each write from one corner. Twitty and ATK try to take in all of it.
• Soul food or Southern. The two overlap, and neither word means the same to everyone. Jubilee and Carla Hall’s book are the two to read if soul food is what you are after.
• Your pans. Much of this food comes from a skillet or a heavy pot. Our guides to cast iron skillets and cast iron cookbooks pair well with any book here.

How we chose these books

We searched Amazon’s book listings and kept only print editions from named authors or test kitchens at established publishers, in stock and new when we checked. We avoided every title already on our other book pages, which is why Anne Byrn’s Baking in the American South is on our baking cookbook guide and not here. Author, year, format and page count come from the Amazon listing. Recipe counts and descriptions come from the publisher’s copy, in some cases as carried by booksellers, unless we credit Publishers Weekly.

Here is which evidence stands behind which pick. South, Jubilee and Deep Run Roots have a Publishers Weekly review that we read ourselves. When Southern Women Cook, Recipes from the American South, The Taste of Country Cooking, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking and Afro-Vegan have praise that we read only as quoted by the publisher, so we name the outlet but cannot vouch for the full review. Carla Hall’s Soul Food rests on the publisher’s and author’s details and one author’s blurb.

Several well-known books dropped out on stock alone. Brock’s Heritage was in short supply, Tipton-Martin’s The Jemima Code and Lewis and Scott Peacock’s The Gift of Southern Cooking were not available for immediate shipping, and Nathalie Dupree’s Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking showed a long lead time. Ronni Lundy’s Victuals, on Appalachian food, was a close call: it is in stock with a warm Publishers Weekly review, and it is worth a look if the mountains interest you more than the coast.

Southern cookbook questions, answered

What is the best soul food cookbook?

Jubilee if you want the history as well as the recipes, and Carla Hall’s Soul Food if you want a book aimed at regular cooking. For the plant-based side, Bryant Terry’s Afro-Vegan reworks many of the same roots.

Which Southern cookbook is best for beginners?

Carla Hall’s book looks like the gentlest start, and ATK’s When Southern Women Cook suits anyone who likes the test-kitchen style. Brock’s South teaches a lot, but it is a chef’s book.

What is the difference between Southern food and soul food?

Southern food is the broad regional cooking of the American South. Soul food usually means the African American cooking within it. Jubilee and Carla Hall’s book both show that the story is bigger than most people assume, and Hall’s publisher traces it from Africa and the Caribbean.

Is Gullah Geechee food covered here?

Yes. Emily Meggett’s Gullah Geechee Home Cooking is the first-hand record from Edisto Island.

Do these books cover Tex-Mex?

Not in any depth, although ATK’s book takes in Mexican American bakers. For that, see our guides to the best Tex-Mex cookbook and the best Mexican cookbooks.

Which Southern book should you buy first?

Buy South if you want to learn the cuisine, Jubilee if you want to understand it and When Southern Women Cook if you want one big book to browse. Choose Deep Run Roots for the storytelling, Twitty for the survey and Edna Lewis for the classic, and add Meggett, Hall or Terry for the angle that matters to you.

Related guide: Best cajun cookbook.

Related guide: Best african cookbook.

Related guide: Best soul food cookbook.

Related guide: Best appalachian cookbook.

And if you would rather someone else cooked tonight, see the menu or call to order.