12 Best Cookbooks To Gift In 2024, Based On Zodiac Signs

Cookbooks are right up there with jelly of the month clubs and sourdough starters — they're a gift that just keeps on giving. Only, if the person you gift one to doesn't like it, the only person they have to blame is themselves. Meaning, the recipes are in there, written out nicely and clearly for them to follow — most of them even have pictures! All jokes aside, it can be hard to gift things to other people, especially books. But given that most people enjoy food (with some preferring to eat it than prepare it), you can't really go wrong with a cookbook.

Be it for your partner, whom you've been subtly hinting at to cook you dinner, your helpless younger cousin who just shipped off to college, or your overachieving older sister who is good at everything, everybody could use a good cookbook in their life. The best one for them could depend on a multitude of factors — maybe they've never cooked a day in their life, or they're really obsessed with street food, or they mentioned how they wanted to go vegetarian a couple of days a week. A good gift requires paying close attention — or a basic knowledge of astrology.

Look, we could all probably be better listeners; and it's not your fault if someone's hints are more elusive than direct. However, not only can you not go wrong gifting someone a cookbook — you can actually get it right by getting them the best cookbook for their zodiac sign. Heck, why not get yourself one while you're at it?

Starting the zodiac calendar off on a spicy note is the Aries. Bold, hot-headed, and notoriously competitive — these rams take life by the horns, and they often leap without thinking. In "The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp," Fly By Jing founder and CEO Jing Gao shows how any dish can be taken to the next Scoville level with chili crisp. Additionally, it tells Gao's personal story, which is full of bold moves and life lessons, all eventually leading to her showing the world what she (and Sichuan cuisine) are made of. It's the perfect cookbook for these fiery signs who live for one-upping people, even if it does lead them to some hard-learned lessons.

Purchase "The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp" by Jing Gao for $35.00

Most people know Tauruses for being stubborn. While there's certainly no denying that, what a lot of people forget to consider is how grounded and dependable it also makes them. "Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook" by Sohla El-Waylly is a cookbook that emphasizes the fundamentals — building on all of the foundational elements of cooking to make anything you prepare that much better. Think of it as a guide to becoming a more dependable home cook with a mastery of all of the necessary techniques to conquer anything in your kitchen.

Purchase "Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook" by Sohla El-Waylly for $45.00

Represented by twins (a sentiment that is only indicative of their incredibly social and curious nature and NOT any two-faced behavior) the only way the Gemini could have the time to do everything they wanted to is with a clone. But when it comes to food, what's a better way to dip into a little bit of everything than with a delicious sauce? From pizza to nuggets and from dumplings to fries, a good sauce recipe boosts the flavor of just about anything. "Saucy: 50 Recipes for Drizzly, Dunk-able, Go-To Sauces to Elevate Everyday Meals" by Ashley Boyd is the Gemini's ticket to doing just that.

Purchase "Saucy: 50 Recipes for Drizzly, Dunk-able, Go-To Sauces to Elevate Everyday Meals" by Ashley Boyd for $13.99

Like the crustaceans that represent them, Cancers feel most at home inside of their shells. They're true homebodies — and nobody appreciates comfort food as much as they do. "Ottolenghi Comfort" is the latest cookbook from beloved chef Yotam Ottolenghi, and it's full of recipes that explore the sentiment behind comfort food and what it means to different people. From childhood memories to distant travels, and from celebratory dishes to intergenerational recipes, the "comfort" in comfort food means something different to everyone — but you'll find it here.

Purchase "Ottolenghi Comfort: A Cookbook" by Yotam Ottolenghi for $37.99

As hard as you may try, Leos are hard people to ignore. These signs have big, sunny personalities and love having all eyes on them. But what really makes these signs so lovable is their lust for life. They truly believe in living it to the fullest, and they'll take any excuse to celebrate, be it your success or their own. In "Big Night: Dinners, Parties, and Dinner Parties" Katherine Lewin, the CEO and founder of Big Night Shop in NYC, offers all of her dinner party expertise in cookbook form. With it, any night can be a big night, even though that was always going to be inevitable with these signs in attendance.

Purchase "Big Night: Dinners, Parties, and Dinner Parties" by Katherine Lewin for $35

Virgos are admired for how productive they are and how perfect they make it look. These signs understand better than anyone that the devil is in the details, and while their perfectionist tendencies can certainly come with drawbacks, the pros far more often outweigh the cons. It's the reason they tend to adopt a lot of healthy habits, for one. But even they might need some tips for cooking with vegetables. For that, they need look no further than "Health Nut: A Feel-Good Cookbook" by Jess Damuck.

Purchase "Health Nut: A Feel Good Cookbook" by Jess Damuck for $35

As the aesthetes of the zodiac, Libras have made a name for themselves through their good taste in decor, style, and art — which is why a book full of recipes inspired by Frida Kahlo is the perfect gift for these signs. From pasole to tres leches cake and from chilaquiles to enchiladas, "Dinner at Frida's" by Gabriella Castellanos is exactly that. Add that to Tasting Table's list of the 15 essential Mexican cookbooks everyone should have in their kitchen.

Purchase "Dinner at Frida's, 90 Authentic Recipes Inspired by the life and Art of Frida Kahlo" by Gabriella Castellanos for $24.99

No signs are more notorious night owls than Scorpios. Knowing that, it really only makes sense that the cookbook gifted to them be one they can get some good use out of. In so, this sign's cookbook is none other than the cocktail recipe book from Toni Tipton-Martin: "Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice: Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks." From traditional recipes like the Absinthe Frappe to modern libations like the Jerk-Spiced Bloody Mary, this James Beard Award winning cookbook puts a spotlight on the rich history of Black drinking culture and the generations of creativity it's brought to hospitality.

Purchase "Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice: Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks" by Toni Topton-Martin for $30

Widely considered the adventurers of the zodiac, Sagittariuses are driven by a relentless sense of wanderlust and positivity — and with it, anything is possible in their eyes. These signs are true free spirits, and they don't let anyone else's limitations hold them back. Two time James Beard Award winning podcaster, Dan Pashman, can relate. In his cookbook, "Anything's Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People," the Sporkful podcast host builds on his viral, TIME Award winning pasta invention, the sauce carrying sfoglini cascatelli noodle, with a collection of 81 different sauce recipes to serve it with.

Purchase "Anything's Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People" by Dan Pashman for $35

Capricorns are much more concerned with work than cooking — often opting for a two ingredient Trader Joe's recipe more than something made from scratch. It's understandable, as the "workaholics" of the zodiac, these signs work hard enough outside of the kitchen. Fortunately, Caroline Chambers has a book full of recipes with them in mind. In "What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking," Chambers takes the sinks full of dishes, long lists of ingredients, and lengthy prep times out of cooking. With a book full of recipes that are efficient without sacrificing quality or flavor at their disposable, these signs will be able to do it all. Although, nobody doubted that in the first place.

Purchase "What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking" by Caroline Chambers for $35

In accordance with the "aqua" in their names, Aquariuses are represented by the water bearer. While this does not make them water signs (they're air signs), it does make them born with a natural, humanitarian outlook on life. These signs want to make the world a better place, and they have the action oriented personalities to do it. Just looking at all of the honorable work the World Central Kitchen does to feed people in war and climate disaster stricken regions, there's no better representation of humanitarianism in cookbook form than "The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope" by José Andrés.

Purchase "The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope" by José Andrés for $35

Pisces have wide imaginations — it's part of the reason why they're so easily distracted. These signs have entire worlds inside of their heads, and they spend a lot of time daydreaming as a way of exploring them. But "Ever-Green Vietnamese: Super-Fresh Recipes Starring Plants From Land and Sea" by Andrea Nguyen is their invitation to explore another world: the world of sea vegetables. From dulse to kelp pickles and from kombu to nori, sea vegetables are a vitally important blue food that have the potential to restore the health of our food system and our oceans, which these fish should be all about.

Purchase "Ever-Green Vietnamese" by Andrea Nguyen for $35