5 Best Cookbooks for Two (Reviews Updated 2022)

Cooking for several people may require more work, but there are more than enough recipes to pull it off. Cooking for only two people may require less effort because of food volume, but the lack of sufficient recipe ideas represents a stumbling block for many. Cookbooks generally have more than enough recipes, but those recipes are generally for a large number. If you want recipe ideas for just two people, you need the best cookbooks for two.

Cookbooks for two are small-scale recipe books written to provide readers with meal ideas for two people. Making a general meal and dividing it by two is easy; making a meal specially for only two people is the hard part, and this is where cookbooks for two can be of great service to you. Now, we know that there are so many cookbook editions promising readers numerous recipes but what we have found out, and we hope you have found out too, is that many of them don’t have fresh ideas. This review is for you if you want to avoid cookbooks for two with old, recycled ideas. Please read it to know more about some of the best cookbooks for two.

Best Cookbooks for Two

Image	Best Cookbooks for Two	Rating
	1. The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen	99%
	2. 5-Ingredient Cooking for Two by Robin Donovan	96%
	3. Carla Snyder's One Pan, Two Plates	92%
	4. The Heart Healthy Cookbook for Two by Jennifer Koslo	89%
	5. The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Two by Anne Danahy	85%

Want to learn more?

Here are our Cookbooks for Two Reviews.

1. The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen

America’s Test Kitchen is known to publish varieties of cookbooks, and this cookbook for two edition of theirs is one of the best there is. If you often find yourself cooking for two people, you will need an almost limitless source of information. Buying a general cookbook or a cookbook for two with limited recipes will not help your case. America’s Test Kitchen, however, will provide you with more than enough recipe information to last you a whole year.

This cookbook contains 650 recipes, many of which are fresh recipes that you can replicate at home. Published under the popular AKT series by the same publisher, this book features practical recipes put together by some of the most successful chefs in the business. With the Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook, you are no longer limited by choice; now, you have more than enough recipe options at your fingertips

This book comes with a hardcover and is an ideal book for small families and newlyweds. All the recipes contained in it are practical and easy to prepare.

Why do we like it?

• Attractive picture illustrations
• Provides ingredient and equipment information
• Cooking steps are logically ordered
• Contains innovative cooking strategies

2. 5-Ingredient Cooking for Two by Robin Donovan

Tasty meals do not have to be complicated, and meals for two should be easy to prepare at short notice. This is what Robin Donovan teaches in this book. How couples can prepare tasty meals for two with easy to source ingredients. Cooking in small batches saves time and resources, but only if it is done right. Many people make the erroneous assumption of confusing sharing meals into two plates as cooking for two. In this piece of literature, chef Robin disabuses the mind of the reader.

With 100 special recipes, readers can now enjoy practical meals meant for two in the comfort of their homes. This work is one of the best cookbooks for two because it highlights two key things. It teaches you how to cook different recipes for two, and these recipes can be prepared using five different ingredients only. Imagine cooking 100 different dishes using as little as two, but not more than five key ingredients? Without proper guidance, that will be a head-scratcher, wouldn’t it? But Robin Donovan makes it easy.

This 5-ingredient cookbook is specially written for small nuclear families who wish to eat healthy 365 days a year

Why do we like it?

• Contains simple cooking techniques
• Teaches how to reduce cooking times and cost
• Provides helpful pairing and garnishing tips

3. Carla Snyder’s One Pan, Two Plates

Is it possible to prepare countless dishes with just one pan and two plates? Maybe a few dishes, but definitely nowhere near 70 dishes, right? Wrong. Carla Snyder has written one of the best cookbooks for two. In this book, she shows readers how to prepare tasty meals using very few resources. There are over 70 recipes in the cookbook for weeknight dinners, and they are all easy to prepare. The meals in One Pan, Two Plates take very little time to prepare, and the ingredients required to make them are very easy to find.

Some of the tasty meals for two recipes in this book include Caramelized Cauliflower Risotto, Balsamic Braised Chicken, Thyme Salmon, and more. Carla Snyder has strategically picked meals that can be cooked in 60 minutes or less. There are also recipes covering home pasta, sandwiches, grains, chicken, pork, and seafood. She also provides beer and wine options to go along with the recipes.

With over 30 years’ worth of experience as a baker, chef, and teacher, Carla Snyder provides homeowners with fresh ideas and ways to spice up evening meals by doing more with less.

Why do we like it?

• An economic cookbook
• Teaches practical time and resource management
• The book contains rich pictorial illustrations
• People with little or no coking experience and improve using this book

4. The Heart Healthy Cookbook for Two by Jennifer Koslo

The Heart Healthy Cookbook for Two is one of the best cookbooks for two filled with low-fat and sodium recipes for small families looking to eat healthily. With 125 recipes for two people, you will no longer run out of ideas for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Jennifer Koslo is a nutritionist and a Cardiac dietician who knows all there is to know about eating right, and she lays it all in this book.  All the recipes therein may be low on fat and sodium, but they all taste great, and the steps to prepare them are not complicated.

The recipes have also been carefully selected to improve your heart’s health so it can function better. Buying books written by professionals with years of experience offers readers a well of knowledge because these authors provide useful, verified information, not random tips. The Healthy Heart Cookbook for Two will show you how to prepare meals that taste great, and more importantly, healthy meals.

There is a 4-week meal plan arranged just for you. Adhering to the plan will boost your health in so many ways because all the meals in this plan are nutrient-rich for a balanced diet week in week out. The Healthy Heart Cookbook for Two is a book worth buying.

Why do we like it?

• A great edition for those battling with malnutrition-related issues
• Contains step-by-step cooking directions
• More than enough recipes to last months

5. The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Two by Anne Danahy

Have you had difficulty preparing healthy meals for yourself and your spouse, or do you sometimes find yourself throwing away excess food, and you can’t seem to get the measurement right? If these and more are some of the issues you contend with in your daily life, you need a cookbook that will serve as a guide to help you avoid so much wastage.  The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Anne Danahy is exactly what is needed in your home.

We rarely find one of the best cookbooks for two covering strictly Mediterranean dishes, so when we did, we had to include it in our list. Anne’s cookbook contains 100 different recipes. What makes this piece of literature great is because the author takes her time to provide you with perfect ingredient measurements for meals. With this book by your side, you will no longer prepare more than what you need, neither will you continue to stock your fridge with leftovers every day of the week.

The tips in The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Two are easy to follow. With only a few steps, you can prepare sumptuous meals, and your partner will appreciate you for it.

Why do we like it?

• Contains tips for outdoor cooking
• The recipes use natural ingredients all through
• There are special recipes for weight loss enthusiasts