Imagine, you just got done with a long, late-night study session. You collect all of your notes, textbooks, and highlighters while thinking about that delicious sweet treat you’re getting yourself as a reward. You trek all the way across campus to your dining hall, only to realize it’s closed. I’ve found myself in this situation more than I’d like to admit.
On a college student’s budget, take-out isn’t always an option. Learning to cook in your dorm kitchen, no matter how small, is a necessity. Here are six cookbooks for dorms that will have you cooking like Gordon Ramsay by the end of the semester.
The 5-Ingredient College Cookbook: Recipes to Survive the Next Four Years by Pamela Ellgen
For those with limited fridge and counter space, elaborate recipes aren’t ideal. Pamela Ellgen’s cookbook contains 100 five-ingredient recipes that take 30 minutes or less to make. According to reviews, many of the recipes share common ingredients, so nothing in your refrigerator will go to waste. The paperback cookbook is available on Amazon for $14.99. The Kindle version is also available for $6.99.
Best for: new cooks, limited fridge space, cheap meals.
The One-Pan College Cookbook: 80 Easy Recipes for Quick, Good Food by MJ Hong
Doing your dishes in a small kitchen is a nightmare, but MJ Hong’s eliminates some of that stress with her one-pan recipe cookbook. The 80 recipes in the book are beginner friendly and take minimal prep. Hong also peppered the book with budgeting, cooking, and kitchen organization tips for college students who are out on their own for the first time. The cookbook is available in paperback on Amazon for $14.99 and on Kindle for $7.99.
Best for: limited kitchen space, less dishes, new cooks.
The Air Fryer Bible (Cookbook): More Than 200 Healthier Recipes for Your Favorite Foods by Susan LaBorde and Elizabeth Hickman
Don’t have access to a stovetop or an oven? That’s no problem. Susan LaBorde and Elizabeth Hickman’s Air Fryer Bible includes more than 200 air fryer recipes, ranging from light lunches to rich dinners and desserts. The cookbook is available in paperback on Amazon for $22.95. Spiral-bound and Kindle versions are also available.
Best for: no kitchen, quick meals
The Ultimate Meal-Prep Cookbook: One Grocery List. A Week of Meals. No Waste. by America’s Test Kitchen
When you’re running from class to class, sometimes you just need a quick meal to grab and take on-the-go. America’s Test Kitchen’s Ultimate Meal-Prep Cookbook is the perfect guide to get into meal prepping with 25 weekly meal plans. Not only will you be saving time by prepping your meals at the beginning of the week, but you’ll also be preventing food waste. The Ultimate Meal-Prep recipes will apparently use all of the ingredients you pick up at the grocery store that week. The cookbook is available on Amazon in paperback and digitally for $29.99.
Best for: cheap meals, quick meals
The Student Vegan Cookbook: 85 Incredible Plant-Based Recipes That Are Cheap, Fast, Easy, and Super-Healthy by Hannah Kaminsky
For those with dietary restrictions, navigating the campus cafeteria can be difficult. Hannah Kaminsky’s Student Vegan Cookbook will give you some back-up meals in case you can’t find anything in the dining hall. The cookbook includes 85 vegan recipes that are delicious yet easy to make. The cookbook is available on Amazon in paperback and digitally for $19.99.
Best for: new cooks, plant-based diets
5-Ingredient Instant Pot Cookbook for Two by Kimberly Sneed
Dorm kitchen convenience doesn’t stop at air fryers — instant pots are also a quintessential college cooking tool. Kimberly Sneed’s cookbook includes tons of easy-to-follow recipes that use minimal dishes. Even better, each recipe serves two people, so you’ll have the perfect portion to share with your roommate or have leftovers the next day. The cookbook is available on Amazon in paperback and digitally for $14.99 and $6.99 respectively.
Best for: no kitchen, limited fridge space, cheap meals