Baking books for kids
Cookbooks we like for young bakers, sorted by level. Read the details with a grown-up.
For grown-ups: book links open Amazon, a different store. VanillaGoods does not earn anything from them.
Little Helpers
Cooking Class: 57 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Make (and Eat!)
Deanna F. Cook · Storey Publishing, 2015 · Ages 6 to 12
More than 50 recipes made for kids 6 to 12, with playful ideas like egg mice and fruit flowers.
Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers and Up
Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson · Tricycle Press, 1994 · Ages 3 to 7
Kids as young as three take the head-chef job while a grown-up guides and helps.
Salad People and More Real Recipes: A New Cookbook for Preschoolers and Up
Mollie Katzen · Tricycle Press, 2005 · Ages 3 to 7
The follow-up to Pretend Soup: 20 recipes kids as young as three can make with a little help from a grown-up.
My First Cookbook: Fun Recipes to Cook Together . . . with as much mixing, rolling, scrunching, and squishing as possible!
America's Test Kitchen Kids · America's Test Kitchen, 2020 · Ages 5 to 8
"Adult help!" stickers mark the steps where kids need support, and photos show every step.
Kid Chef Junior Bakes: My First Kids Baking Cookbook
Charity Mathews · Rockridge Press, 2019 · Ages 4 to 8
Step-by-step recipes in large type, with lessons on oven and knife safety and measuring, plus space to doodle.
Junior Bakers
The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs
America's Test Kitchen Kids · Sourcebooks Explore, 2019 · Ages 8 to 12
More than 100 sweet and savory recipes with step-by-step photos of tips and techniques, plus notes from the kid test cooks.
The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs
America's Test Kitchen Kids · Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2018 · Ages 8 to 12
More than 100 recipes young cooks will love to cook and eat, from breakfast to dessert.
Kids Can Cook Anything!: The Complete How-To Cookbook for Young Chefs
America's Test Kitchen Kids · America's Test Kitchen, 2022 · Ages 8 and up
A how-to cookbook with 70+ recipes and QR codes that link to videos of the techniques.
The Complete Cookbook for Young Scientists
America's Test Kitchen Kids · America's Test Kitchen, 2021 · Ages 8 to 13
Recipes paired with experiments that explain the science behind the food.
Baking Class: 50 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Bake!
Deanna F. Cook · Storey Publishing, 2017 · Ages 8 to 12
Photo-led lessons, so a first baker can follow along step by step.
Kid Chef Bakes: The Kids Cookbook for Aspiring Bakers
Lisa Huff · Rockridge Press, 2017 · Ages 8 to 13
Skill tutorials up front, then recipes that build on them.
Super Simple Baking for Kids: Learn to Bake with over 55 Easy Recipes for Cookies, Muffins, Cupcakes and More!
Charity Mathews · Rockridge Press, 2019 · Ages 6 to 12
More than 55 beginner recipes with 5 to 10 ingredients each, no special equipment, and notes on which jobs a grown-up should do.
Honest Pretzels: And 64 Other Amazing Recipes for Cooks Ages 8 and Up
Mollie Katzen · Tricycle Press, 1999 · Ages 8 and up
65 recipes with step-by-step instructions, from breakfast specials to desserts and a few baked things.
The Ultimate Kids' Baking Book: 60 Easy & Fun Dessert Recipes for Every Holiday, Birthday, Milestone and More
Tiffany Dahle · Page Street Publishing, 2019 · Ages 6 and up
60 dessert recipes for holidays and birthdays, set up so a grown-up only steps in for jobs like preheating and taking cakes out of the oven.
The Children's Baking Book
Denise Smart · DK, 2009 · Ages 7 to 12
Bread, pastry, muffins, cakes and cookies with simple steps; a few harder bakes need a grown-up's help.
Kitchen Science Lab for Kids: 52 Family Friendly Experiments from Around the House
Liz Lee Heinecke · Quarry Books, 2014 · Ages 7 to 10
Weekend science with kitchen ingredients.
Grown-ups: tools for little bakers
Our starter list of kid-friendly baking tools.