What do you think?
Rate this book
Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook
Vegetarian Times is known for its "great recipes" (Chicago Tribune), and this new edition of the Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook offers more than 600 fabulous recipes, along with comprehensive information on vegetarian diet and nutrition. It's the definitive guide for vegetarians as well as an inspiration to all cooks who want fresh new ideas and great taste. Forget about labels, this is the vegetarian cookbook that everyone will love!
"The new edition of the Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook beautifully updates this classic. The recipes are practical and sensitive to the seasons." Deborah Madison, author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
"Vegetarian Times has long been a respected presence in the world of vegetarian cooking. This impressive collection of innovative recipes ranging from homestyle to elegant will be a valuable guide to new cooks and a repertoire-refresher for the experienced cook." David Hirsch, Moosewood Restaurant
"The new edition of the Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook beautifully updates this classic. The recipes are practical and sensitive to the seasons." Deborah Madison, author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
"Vegetarian Times has long been a respected presence in the world of vegetarian cooking. This impressive collection of innovative recipes ranging from homestyle to elegant will be a valuable guide to new cooks and a repertoire-refresher for the experienced cook." David Hirsch, Moosewood Restaurant
490 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
8 people are currently reading
871 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
February 10, 2008
While I'm not a vegetarian, I don't eat very much meat (and have "vegetarian days" so to speak). I have a hard time on those days feeling like I'm "eating right" by getting enough vegetable protein and the proper balance of nutrients. This book is excellent for non-vegetarians dipping their toes into the no-meat pool. The recipes are accessible, easy to prepare, and so good they make you forget you're eating vegetarian.
May 12, 2013
This is a great vegetarian cookbook. For my first 7-8 years as a vegetarian we read Veg Times magazine every month and cooked its recommended recipes regularly. It was great when the book came out!
March 13, 2011
Urgg. I'm giving up on this one after only five recipes, even though I shopped for twelve. There were just too many problems with the recipes - even the good ones needed modification.
I had a party to go to so I started out with an appetizer, Bermuda Onion Toasts. A slice of toasted baguette is topped with onions cooked in red wine with sage and thyme. It sounded unusual but appetizing, and i was cooking for a fairly sophisticated crowd. The recipe made way too much onion mixture, which was also made up of long thin strings of onion, so I had to chop it all after cooking. Even though the flavor was good, with ten years of catering knowlegdge of what people will and won't eat at a party, I decided to put the onion mixture on top of neufchatel cheese. it got rave reviews.
for cooking at home I was loking for recipes that used beans, grains, and or greens.All of the grain recipes, save one, are for rice. I guess that's an indicator of the age of the book.
Moroccan vegetable soup was OK, there's not much to say about it. Indian Style Risotto came out pretty good, after cooking it 15 minutes longer than the directions, and adding something tart and salty, if i had had them on hand this would have been very good with pickled lemons.
The vegetable stock recipe was Ok, not very appetizing. But the big disaster that turned me against the book was Twenty Minute Minestrone, which wasn't either. this is the kind of thing that gives health food a bed name. I tried cooking it longer, eventually up to two hours, but it never improved. The whole big pot, and I mean big, went down the garbage disposal.
Now I can't look at any of the rest of the recipes I was going to try with anything other than dread. And since there's no fun material to read along with the recipes, this one goes in the yard sale box.
I had a party to go to so I started out with an appetizer, Bermuda Onion Toasts. A slice of toasted baguette is topped with onions cooked in red wine with sage and thyme. It sounded unusual but appetizing, and i was cooking for a fairly sophisticated crowd. The recipe made way too much onion mixture, which was also made up of long thin strings of onion, so I had to chop it all after cooking. Even though the flavor was good, with ten years of catering knowlegdge of what people will and won't eat at a party, I decided to put the onion mixture on top of neufchatel cheese. it got rave reviews.
for cooking at home I was loking for recipes that used beans, grains, and or greens.All of the grain recipes, save one, are for rice. I guess that's an indicator of the age of the book.
Moroccan vegetable soup was OK, there's not much to say about it. Indian Style Risotto came out pretty good, after cooking it 15 minutes longer than the directions, and adding something tart and salty, if i had had them on hand this would have been very good with pickled lemons.
The vegetable stock recipe was Ok, not very appetizing. But the big disaster that turned me against the book was Twenty Minute Minestrone, which wasn't either. this is the kind of thing that gives health food a bed name. I tried cooking it longer, eventually up to two hours, but it never improved. The whole big pot, and I mean big, went down the garbage disposal.
Now I can't look at any of the rest of the recipes I was going to try with anything other than dread. And since there's no fun material to read along with the recipes, this one goes in the yard sale box.
July 27, 2018
There are a lot of good recipes here but the cookbook is uneven. This should probably be expected for a cookbook that collects recipes from many issues of a magazine. The selection of recipes is large and comprehensive and recipes are organized into useful categories but they have apparently not been reviewed to make them consistent with each other.
For example, one vegetable stock recipe says it can keep in the refrigerator for up to three days; another says it can keep for up to a week.
There is no reason the two recipes wouldn't keep for the same amount of time.
It is a better cookbook for poring through to get ideas than to use precisely as written. Many different (anonymous) recipe writers have contributed so there's not that feeling of trust you have when using a single-author cookbook.
For example, one vegetable stock recipe says it can keep in the refrigerator for up to three days; another says it can keep for up to a week.
There is no reason the two recipes wouldn't keep for the same amount of time.
It is a better cookbook for poring through to get ideas than to use precisely as written. Many different (anonymous) recipe writers have contributed so there's not that feeling of trust you have when using a single-author cookbook.
September 16, 2013
Includes a decent overview of the various reasons to eat vegetarian, including good articles about health and disease prevention and environmental concerns. Information on nutrition is up to date (disspells the protein combining myth)but not necessarily complete or accurate on all counts (if you are concerned about gluten in the diet do not rely on this book for accurate information or recipes). Recipes are varied and designed to apply to a wide variety of tastes and to tempt the cook with decadence (perhaps to prove the point that vegetarian food isn't just carrot sticks). However, if you are already a vegetarian, and looking to loose weight or get even healthier (like myself), these recipes probably won't do the trick.
March 30, 2018
This has been my go-to vegetarian cookbook for over a decade.
February 6, 2022
With the dysgeusia and parosmia in the household, I needed to add to my skimpy supply of vegetarian recipes, and when I saw this book on sale a second-hand store, I thought I'd give it a try.
This cookbook has many more recipes than the other vegetarian cookbook, Susan Gardner's "The Vegetarian Kitchen" had. It also seems to have much more information about being a vegetarian and various aspects of health, including protein concerns, which was my new (temporary ?) vegetarian's concern, as well as some helpful tips on calcium, which included some of my concerns.
However, "Vegetarian Times" talks about margarine being worse for cholesterol than butter. We went down the path of switching to butter some years ago, which resulted in a spike in two family members' cholesterol levels, which returned to normal when we returned to margarine. That made me skeptical of the other health benefits listed in this book. Nonetheless, I have a feeling that most of them are probably true. Still ... it made me cringe. It was published in 1995, so it might be dated.
Another reviewer complained that the information on gluten in it was outdated as well, so be careful if that's of interest to you.
My biggest complaint about this book is the long amount of preparation time for the food. I don't have time for all that, day in and day out, even if I cook and double it for leftovers. There was a small chapter about recipes that would be ready in "under 30 minutes." However, there's only one recipe from that section that we could use because of other limitations on our foods - soy and apple allergies, etc. That soy allergy alone is a huge reason to skip vast swaths of this book with tofu or soy sauce, etc. So I realize that part of the "fault" is ours in our needed, added restrictions.
My second biggest complaint is that there were many ingredients which would be hard to find. I wish they'd either used simpler ingredients or listed possible substitutions. I realize that there was a section in the back about various businesses that would ship ingredients to you. I suppose I'm sluggish to do all that. I'd rather just pick it up at the grocery store, especially where I can see the quality of the produce I'm getting.
Eh, my last complaint isn't really a complaint. It's more of a preference. It would've been nicer if they'd had pictures to show the finished results of the recipes and how appetizing they looked. It's not necessary. I'd try them anyway. But pictures can be an added encouragement. I suspect they ran out of room when they decided to put all the health reasons in the early chapters of the book.
One friend of mine only wants cookbooks that have recipes for one or two people, not crowds of people, and I didn't see many recipes for a small number of people here. The minimum was four people, which, actually, is a little too small for me, but I can always double recipes and often do.
Still, throughout the rest of the book, there were enough interesting recipes for variety that I might keep this book. Most cookbooks I buy I glean a few recipes from and then hand the book over to a friend in a sort of book-exchange. The key to eating vegetarian, according to this book, was variety, and it certainly had that.
There was a probably-unnecessary dessert section. (Who puts meat in dessert? Even mince meat pie, I've learned, doesn't really use meat.) But, there were many fruit desserts with only mildly sweet use of various forms of sugar (brown, maple, honey, etc) that I suspect they would be good additions to either Weight Watchers (low points) or diabetic dessert recipes. At least, they would be worth trying. In the case of Weight Watchers, I could enter the recipes on the app and find out how "expensive" they are in terms of WW points.
One reviewer appreciated the wide variety of cuisines and cultures represented in this book. Definitely an added plus.
I know that this cookbook favors more grains which would also be costly in the WW app, but one would probably have the extra points for it if one wasn't consuming meat. Still, like anything else, it's a balance.
If I find cooking these recipes easier than I suspect, I might raise the rating to a 4 just for that purpose alone. Or lower it, I suppose, if I find we don't like these. One other reviewer said they'd used this cookbook and enjoyed it for over a decade (high praise!) but another reviewer had tried a handful of different recipes mostly with poor results and had to dump one down the drain. I appreciate the warning. It makes it sound a little daunting.
This cookbook has many more recipes than the other vegetarian cookbook, Susan Gardner's "The Vegetarian Kitchen" had. It also seems to have much more information about being a vegetarian and various aspects of health, including protein concerns, which was my new (temporary ?) vegetarian's concern, as well as some helpful tips on calcium, which included some of my concerns.
However, "Vegetarian Times" talks about margarine being worse for cholesterol than butter. We went down the path of switching to butter some years ago, which resulted in a spike in two family members' cholesterol levels, which returned to normal when we returned to margarine. That made me skeptical of the other health benefits listed in this book. Nonetheless, I have a feeling that most of them are probably true. Still ... it made me cringe. It was published in 1995, so it might be dated.
Another reviewer complained that the information on gluten in it was outdated as well, so be careful if that's of interest to you.
My biggest complaint about this book is the long amount of preparation time for the food. I don't have time for all that, day in and day out, even if I cook and double it for leftovers. There was a small chapter about recipes that would be ready in "under 30 minutes." However, there's only one recipe from that section that we could use because of other limitations on our foods - soy and apple allergies, etc. That soy allergy alone is a huge reason to skip vast swaths of this book with tofu or soy sauce, etc. So I realize that part of the "fault" is ours in our needed, added restrictions.
My second biggest complaint is that there were many ingredients which would be hard to find. I wish they'd either used simpler ingredients or listed possible substitutions. I realize that there was a section in the back about various businesses that would ship ingredients to you. I suppose I'm sluggish to do all that. I'd rather just pick it up at the grocery store, especially where I can see the quality of the produce I'm getting.
Eh, my last complaint isn't really a complaint. It's more of a preference. It would've been nicer if they'd had pictures to show the finished results of the recipes and how appetizing they looked. It's not necessary. I'd try them anyway. But pictures can be an added encouragement. I suspect they ran out of room when they decided to put all the health reasons in the early chapters of the book.
One friend of mine only wants cookbooks that have recipes for one or two people, not crowds of people, and I didn't see many recipes for a small number of people here. The minimum was four people, which, actually, is a little too small for me, but I can always double recipes and often do.
Still, throughout the rest of the book, there were enough interesting recipes for variety that I might keep this book. Most cookbooks I buy I glean a few recipes from and then hand the book over to a friend in a sort of book-exchange. The key to eating vegetarian, according to this book, was variety, and it certainly had that.
There was a probably-unnecessary dessert section. (Who puts meat in dessert? Even mince meat pie, I've learned, doesn't really use meat.) But, there were many fruit desserts with only mildly sweet use of various forms of sugar (brown, maple, honey, etc) that I suspect they would be good additions to either Weight Watchers (low points) or diabetic dessert recipes. At least, they would be worth trying. In the case of Weight Watchers, I could enter the recipes on the app and find out how "expensive" they are in terms of WW points.
One reviewer appreciated the wide variety of cuisines and cultures represented in this book. Definitely an added plus.
I know that this cookbook favors more grains which would also be costly in the WW app, but one would probably have the extra points for it if one wasn't consuming meat. Still, like anything else, it's a balance.
If I find cooking these recipes easier than I suspect, I might raise the rating to a 4 just for that purpose alone. Or lower it, I suppose, if I find we don't like these. One other reviewer said they'd used this cookbook and enjoyed it for over a decade (high praise!) but another reviewer had tried a handful of different recipes mostly with poor results and had to dump one down the drain. I appreciate the warning. It makes it sound a little daunting.
May 9, 2019
I'd really give it 3.5. It's got some good basic information in the front about research into the health benefits of a vegetarian diet, kitchen prep tips as you'd find in a solid, basic cookbook (similar to Joy of Cooking). However, the recipes seem skewed to lacto-vegetarians and I'm looking to reduce dairy more than eggs. There's a good variety of recipes, just not a lot of things I'd consider practical for my cooking habits.
August 14, 2019
It was a good start. To aim to eat less meat. Good read
April 7, 2021
The best vegetarian cookbook ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2025
Excellent cookbook that offers a variety of soups, salads, and so much more! 😀 🥗💯
March 25, 2017
Text and philosophy in the beginning of the book were quite interesting. The recipes less so.
May 21, 2021
I haven't made anything yet-- just spent a lot of time looking at that miso noodle dish.
July 14, 2009
"Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook", by Lucy Moll and Vegetarian Times, is a taste-filled tutorial feting the vegetarian lifestyle and offering a veritable veggie feast of over 600 recipes. It certainly lives up to being called "complete", fully explaining the various types of vegetarian eating, and also including invaluable health and nutrition information. The guide to stocking your pantry with staples and the menu planning suggestions are very helpful, especially if you are new to the vegetarian lifestyle. The recommended cooking methods and food preparation techniques will aide you in making the most of the meal ingredients. The book does not include a photo of each recipe, but there are two inserts of color photos of selected prepared meals which look very tempting. The hundreds of recipes cover all meal courses and provide nutrition information for each dish. Some highlights include: "Mushroom Caps Stuffed with Basil, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Parmesan"; "Garlic Toasts with Black Olive Tapenade"; "Classic Minestrone"; "Potato-Leek Soup"; "Antipasto Platter"; "Fennel-and-Red Onion Salad"; "Twenty-Minute Pasta Salad"; "Apple-Carrot-Pineapple Salad"; "Calzones with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Garlic"; "Eggplant Parmesan"; "Creole Vegetable and Red Bean Jambalaya"; "Good Shepherd's Pie"; "Garden Vegetable Quiche"; and many other recipes for individual side dishes. The dessert section is delectable: "Pears in Raspberry Sauce"; "Layered Berry Parfaits in Champagne Glasses"; "Grand Marnier Souffle"; "Chocolate Ricotta Cream"; "Maple Rum Rice Creme with Chocolate Sauce"; "Chocolate-Espresso Cake with Espresso Sauce"; and many desserts made with a wonderful variety of fruits.
December 3, 2010
Eh, this one is worth checking out at the library. My complaints:
1) Not enough pictures. I appreciate visuals when it comes to food I'm going to spend time and money preparing - I want to see a vision of the goal!
2) Typos! Several recipes had typos that left me scratching my head and rendered the recipe incomplete.
3) Too much reliance on "meat substitutes", which many omnivores don't care for. I guess if you're a vegetarian or vegan, tofu, seitan, tempeh and fake meat might be your staples. But the heavy emphasis on these products in most of the entree recipes makes the book less accessible to omnivore readers.
The baked goods section was the most down-to-earth part of the book.
1) Not enough pictures. I appreciate visuals when it comes to food I'm going to spend time and money preparing - I want to see a vision of the goal!
2) Typos! Several recipes had typos that left me scratching my head and rendered the recipe incomplete.
3) Too much reliance on "meat substitutes", which many omnivores don't care for. I guess if you're a vegetarian or vegan, tofu, seitan, tempeh and fake meat might be your staples. But the heavy emphasis on these products in most of the entree recipes makes the book less accessible to omnivore readers.
The baked goods section was the most down-to-earth part of the book.
March 4, 2008
This is my favorite veggie cookbook! Great diversity in recipes both ethnically and from a skill set level. There are awesome chapters about cooking both legumes and rice, giving cooking and soak times along with tips. All of the recipes have the calorie, protein, fat, carbs, etc. listed along with very honest serving amounts. Also most recipes have a "what to serve with or after" note in the description to help complete the meal, when you've never tried the dish. My Favorite? Lentil Burgers!!!
April 12, 2008
This cookbook is indeed what it's title suggests-complete....completely boring as well. There are a ton of vegetarian recipes here, but there's nothing new or exciting. If you need some basic recipes, this is a good cookbook for you, but if you like to live on the edge a little, splurge for Veganomicon.
The beginning of this book contains a couple of chapters going into the reasons to be vegetarian and the types of vegetarians out there. I kept thumbing through the pages, trying to get to the part with the recipes.
The beginning of this book contains a couple of chapters going into the reasons to be vegetarian and the types of vegetarians out there. I kept thumbing through the pages, trying to get to the part with the recipes.
June 28, 2012
This particular copy I obtained from my mother. There is another copy on my shelf I need to return to a friend of mine who was gracious to lend it to me (well over 2 years ago). I like to read through it, figure out if I have any of the ingredients to some of the recipes. If not, I'll find substitutes online or test it out on my boyfriend for dinner. This book did help me start off my vegetarian lifestyle and enhance my palate. I will never 'finish' this book because I don't believe cookbooks can be 'finished'.
September 4, 2007
This has been a good starter for us as a family as my husband went vegetarian. There are some awesome black bean cakes in here with mango salsa! Even the kids liked them. I owned it many years before he made the leap but use it much more now!!
January 22, 2009
I really love the Vegetarian Times magazines and have found them to be excellent resources. As a result, this cookbook was sort of a let down. A lot of the recipes I have seen before. Additionally, I appreciate cookbooks that have pictures, and this book was severely lacking.
February 2, 2012
OMG and Om Nom Nom!!! I may eat this book!!! Everything looks yummy!!!! Need to buy out the grocery store and get to cooking.
I'm going to have to buy this one.
Only downside - not enough pictures. Cookbooks must have pictures. Lots of them.
I'm going to have to buy this one.
Only downside - not enough pictures. Cookbooks must have pictures. Lots of them.
September 8, 2017
I miss Vegetarian Times, at least the way it was in the 90s and 00s. It's kind of lost it's focus in recent years. This cookbook still holds up, though, especially when you come back from the farmers markets having bought more than you know what to do with.
August 28, 2015
Solid, useful information and promotion of a vegetarian lifestyle. Helpful recipes. I am not a vegetarian but do like to eat a balanced diet with emphasis on a variety of delicious, healthy foods and this is a good resource.
December 28, 2007
My "go to" book when I cook for my veggie friends. Good recipes include Good Shepherds Pie and the Lasagne.
October 29, 2011
A very nice cookbook, sort of a 'joy of cooking' for vegetarians. But not one id use on a regular basis.
May 29, 2010
pretty much every recipe you could ever think of...ever.
August 30, 2010
Lots of mango recipes found within the pages.
A few pictures and a great index.
A few pictures and a great index.
September 12, 2011
Simple ingredients, straight forward recipes... an idiots guide (which is perfect for this meal-in-a-box-cook). Not necessarily the most creative of cookbooks, but a good basic.
February 15, 2011
The veggie-centric recipes sound excellent. Wish there were more pictures. Can't wait to try the baked egg rolls!
March 6, 2011
Basic and thorough. A good staple veggie cookbook. Lots of ethnic options.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews