You would like to cook Ayurvedic food, but have not yet found the right book? To give you access to the widest possible selection of recipes, we have searched for the best Ayurvedic cookbooks. This will make it much easier for you to bring a little Ayurveda into your everyday life. Our top 4 Ayurveda cookbooks with the most delicious recipes can be found here on our list!
Book 1: The Great Ayurveda Cookbook - 150 simple, Indian-inspired recipes
Our first favourite comprises a compact 160 pages, on which a whole 150 different recipes are presented. All the important details are here at a glance:
The author
The book was published in 2012 by Nicky Sitaram Sabnis, who comes from India. He was a hotel manager and speciality chef, as well as a self-employed restaurant and catering manager in Bombay/Mumbai for many years.
He has lived in Germany since 1993 and has also been running the Ayurveda seminar kitchen there at Frauenwörth Abbey, Fraueninsel, Chiemsee since 1998. Together with his wife he runs the Ayurveda house "Haus Annapurna" in Sachrang/Chiemgau.
He also writes Ayurvedic nutrition books and magazine articles, and holds seminars and workshops. His Ayurvedic cuisine has been featured in several television programmes. An impressive list, we think!
The recipes
When you open the book, you will first find the basics of Ayurvedic nutrition explained - briefly, concisely and clearly. You can also determine your own constitutional type and find practical tips on Ayurvedic cooking. Then there is a selection of 150 simple and delicious recipes.
For us, particularly tasty examples would be: Spicy lentil stew, prawns in hot and sour sauce, baked carrot-papaya biscuits, Goa-style fish curry, or nut balls. Important: much of it is vegetarian, but there is also a chapter with fish and meat. Teas, drinks and breakfast dishes are also presented.
Our conclusion:
We find the recipes very well described, so that even lay cooks can easily follow the steps. We like the fact that there is an easy-to-understand introduction for newcomers to Ayurvedic nutritional principles, which can also be used to determine one's dosha type.
The photos by Karl Newedel are a real feast for the eyes. The book is generally of a very high quality - it also makes a great gift. However, we would recommend "The Great Ayurveda Cookbook" mainly as an introduction for Ayurveda newcomers because of the simple recipes. However, it can also serve as a supplement to the menu of die-hard Ayurveda cooking fans !
Book 2: I'm doing really well with Ayurveda - Simple and healthy recipes for life from the Sonnhof Ayurveda Resort in Tyrol
The second book we would like to introduce to you is our in-house cookbook! As the title suggests, you feel really good when you pamper yourself with simple and healthy recipes. So get yourself a bit more satisfaction:
The authors
On 185 pages, Lisa, Christina and Johann Mauracher show you how you can bring the Sonnhof philosophy into your own home:
- Lisa Mauracher is a trained yoga teacher according to Yoga Alliance, as well as an expert in energetic Vastu incense. Flow yoga, consciousness exercises and meditation are also particularly close to her heart. She is also the general manager at Sonnhof Ayurveda.
- Christina Mauracher runs the Ayurveda Centre and is a true Ayurveda specialist. Her training as a Master of Science in Ayurvedic medicine already speaks volumes. She is a licensed coach according to the Tipping Method and General Manager at the Ayurveda Resort Mandira.
- Johann Mauracher is the hotel owner of the Sonnhof Ayurveda Resort and wants to combine the millennia-old healing art of Ayurveda with his Tyrolean homeland. With the hotel's own farm, the dream became reality: Ayurvedic cuisine with the best local products!
The recipes
Photo: Gerhard Wasserbauer
The authors are now passing on this wealth of knowledge and experience to Ayurveda fans through their joint cookbook. It contains not only great recipes - breakfast, soups and light dishes, vegetarian and vegan dishes, drinks and desserts - but also Ayurvedic lifestyle tips.
Among other things, the morning ritual and how to find more ease at work are explained. There are also tips on healthy exercise, harmonious nutrition in the family, more balance and stress-relieving breathing.
You will also find drinking tips from the Ayurveda professional Gaurav Sharma and suggestions for vitality through deep cleansing. How to "be completely with yourself" is also explained. The main part of the Ayurveda cookbook ends with the evening ritual.
In addition, on the last pages you will learn some interesting facts about Ayurveda, get an overview of the best Sonnhof spices and can look at food tables to find out which foods are best for your dosha.
Our conclusion
With the healthy recipes of the Tyrolean Ayurveda Resort Sonnhof, you are not only doing something good for your body, but also for your soul.
Based on sound expert knowledge, the recipes are well thought out. The many suggestions for a happier everyday life complement the simple and varied Ayurvedic cooking recipes perfectly. Have fun trying them out!
#Book 3: The Ayurveda Cookbook - Self-Healing through Ayurvedic Cuisine
The title says it all - our third Ayurveda cookbook focuses on the impressive self-healing powers that lie dormant in each of us. With the right Ayurvedic recipes you can easily activate them.
The author
Vasant Lad is one of the best-known Ayurvedic doctors in the world. Together with his wife Usha, he has compiled 100 delicious and healing recipes in this great cookbook. In addition, he explains the basic principles of Ayurveda and you can use a questionnaire to find out which constitutional type, i.e. which Dosha, best suits you. Vasant Lad shows how the right combination of foods can regulate digestion and create physical balance - so you can enrich your health and well-being.
The recipes
The exciting thing about this Ayurveda cookbook, in our opinion, is the recipe finding by ailment.
For example, for eye problems you will find a recipe for an aromatic mung bean soup, saffron rice is recommended for migraines, and carrot sabji is excellent for blood circulation. You will find an excellent selection for a wide variety of needs.
We find the sweet almond khir particularly delicious. In addition, the book provides more than 300 simple Ayurvedic home remedies that can be used to balance ailments of all kinds.
Our conclusion
Almost a must for all Ayurveda fans! With this cookbook, Vasant Lad addresses everyone who wants to learn the practical use of Ayurvedic cooking. For example, there are always very good explanations for each recipe.
It is indicated what effect a dish has on the respective doshas. If you want to know whether your own dosha is harmonised or increased by a dish, you are recommended to take this cookbook - this book is not only an excellent cookbook, but also a textbook of Ayurveda!
Book 4: Ayurveda Alchemist: The Great Ayurveda Cookery School
As the last book on our list, we would like to introduce you to "Ayurveda Alchemist". In 132 selected recipes, traditional and modern Ayurveda cuisine meet and enter into a fascinating symbiosis.
The author
Sandra Hartmann has studied the art of meditation and cooking in Ayurveda in great detail. At the age of 23, the enthusiastic cook had herself ordained as a Brahmana, or priestess. The reason for this: in Hindu monasteries, only they are allowed to enter the sacred monastery kitchen. She then underwent various training courses on Ayurvedic nutrition, worked for several years as a chef in vegetarian restaurants in Vienna and finally opened her own cooking studio.
The Ayurveda Alchemist" is the revised version of her first cookbook: "The Treasure of Ayurveda Cooking". Today Sandra Hartmann teaches Ayurveda nutrition and cooking and trains Ayurveda cooks .
The recipes
Look forward to soups, grain and lentil dishes, subjis, samosas, casseroles, chutneys and raitas, as well as delicious desserts. The variety of the "Ayurveda Alchemist" is great! Besides the explanation of the preparation, you will also learn how the principles of Ayurveda actually work, i.e. how food affects us.
The masalas (spice blends) also occupy an important part of the book. Learn how best to combine the six flavours with food to support digestion and well-being.
Our conclusion
The long experience of the top chef is simply noticeable in the book. The recipes are quick to make and well explained and bring joy to anyone who would like to try their hand at Ayurvedic cooking. There is also a beautiful picture for each dish - in general, the book is visually very appealing and lovingly designed.
We also like the fact that the book contains some European-style, hearty dishes - there is something for everyone here. We can only warmly recommend "Ayurveda Alchemist" as a supplement for cooking enthusiasts and Ayurveda fans!
