June is Soul Food Month and we love us some good ole’ soul food! One thing that continues to amaze me about being African American is how our food and our heritage are intertwined. Most of us still eat our mother’s baked ham and collard greens or our great grand father’s recipe for apple pie. In our homes, we learn certain recipes that are passed down by generations of the past only to pass them along to our children. Through food, we are given an opportunity to grow closer to our ancestors.

Even now as more black people adopt healthier lifestyles, soul food still remains a strong element in our households despite switching up the ingredients. No matter if you are vegan or vow to maintain southern traditional recipes, every black home needs a good soul food cookbook. Here are some of our favorites you should add to your collection:

1.) Sweetie Pie’s Cookbook: Soulful Southern Recipes, From My Family To Yours

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Robbie Montgomery, aka Miss Robbie who stars in the OWN reality show Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s, created the most anticipated soul food cookbooks in recent years. Next to nearly 150 recipes of mouthwatering dishes such as baked chicken and smothered pork chops are funny stories about her time working at her renowned restaurant, which she founded after in St. Louis, MO.  Whether you are a fan of Miss Robbie or you are just looking for any new cookbook, Sweet Pie’s Cookbook will warm your heart and maybe remind you of home.

2.)  Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African American Cuisine

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If you are Vegan and want to cook meals that still got a lot soul, Bryant Terry Vegan Soul Kitchen cookbook will become your new best friend. Terry’s recipes remove the heavy salts, fats, and sugars that normally come with traditional soul food and replaces them with plant-based ingredients. What we love about Terry’s book is it contains dishes from a myriad of African cuisines including African American, Caribbean, and Native American. He also includes his favorite recipes from his childhood. It is the ideal vegan cookbook of African American soul food.

3.) Soul Food Love: Healthy Recipes Inspired by One Hundred Years of Cooking in a Black Family

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Author Alice Randall and her daughter Caroline Randall Williams team up to put together delicious soul food recipes that go down four generations. On top of learning simple, yet savory 50+ southern dishes, Soul Food Love discusses the author’s family history and dives deep into the topic of health and the relationship between black women and food. Randalls’ new soul food cookbook is a promotion for a healthier living while honoring African American traditional food.

4.) The New Soul Food Book for People With Diabetes

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Though this cookbook is geared towards people with diabetes, those without the disease can use it as well. Written by Roniece Weaver and Fabiola Gaines, the cookbook is the first of its kind containing 150 low- fat recipes for almost every kind of dish. The book has become a staple in the black community. If you are looking to really upgrade your diet, The New Soul Food Book for People With Diabetes is the perfect option!

What soul food cookbooks are stashed on your kitchen counter? Let us know your favorites we missed!