Want to make real Thai food at home? Then you need these Thai cookbooks. Tasty (authentic) recipes, dishes that go beyond phad thai, and gorgeous food photography – these are the best Thai cookbooks around.

Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand

Andy Ricker opened a small restaurant called Pok Pok in a Portland neighborhood in 2005 after spending years traveling and eating around Thailand. The shop soon became a national phenomenon (and now has more locations in Portland and New York) and in Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand Ricker shares some of the simple, tasty recipes that helped with his success.

Thailand: The Cookbook

The title says it all. Thailand: The Cookbook looks like the Mastering the Art of French Cooking for Thai food….plus gorgeous photos. Jean-Pierre Gabriel’s book features 500 recipes from across Thailand coupled with stunning photos of Thailand’s food, people and scenery. It’s probably the most beautiful book I’ve ever owned.

Simple Thai Food: Classic Recipes from the Thai Home Kitchen

I’ve mentioned the Thai food blog She Simmers before for its fantastic Thai food recipes, photos and explanations. When I ate something in Thailand and wanted to know what was in it or how to make it, I would visit this blog. Now the author behind She Simmers, Leela Punyaratabandhu, has her own cookbook filled with home-style recipes and, again, gorgeous photos. Simple Thai Food: Classic Recipes from the Thai Home Kitchen also an excellent choice for American cooks as Leela’s spent many years in the U.S. and breaks down how the dishes are traditionally made in Thailand as well as how they can be adapted for ‘stateside Thai chefs’.

The Food of Northern Thailand

Living in northern Thailand, I think I know the food, but this book that just came out in the past year is a real deep dive into the culture by someone who clearly loves both the region and the cuisine. Part cookbook, part photo journal, Austin Bush traveled province by province to document the local food culture, exploring what makes it different and unique. While you may have to do some searching or make some substitutions for the ingredients needed in The Food of Northern Thailand, it’s totally worth it and you’ll be fascinated by every page. Fun fact, Austin did the photos for the first Pok Pok cookbook and got help on this one from his pal, Andy Ricker.

Thai Street Food

Who doesn’t love Thai street food? As a successful chef and restauranteur, you might think someone like David Thompson would be above street eats, but the beauty of Thai cuisine is that it works at every level, whether it’s a Michelin plate or a greasy skewer that’s perfect on the go. Each recipe in Thai Street Food, like crunchy prawn cakes or deep-fried banana fritters, comes with big, beautiful pictures and a story from David himself that gives you a better feel for life on the streets of Thailand.

Bangkok: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Thailand

Bangkok’s the kind of city where you can eat like a king for pennies or spend a real fortune eating genuine royal cuisine. And it’s delicious. All of it. Leela Punyaratabandhu’s Bangkok captures the flavors of the city in 120 incredible recipes for everything from pork belly curry to Thai iced tea. While Leela’s an excellent writer, each recipe is introduced with a personal story, she’s also clearly a recipe perfectionist. If you want to recreate the authentic taste of Bangkok in your kitchen, this book is a must-have (along with, fair warning, maybe about 20 fresh ingredients for each).

Night+Market

Named after the hip L.A. restaurants of the same name, Night+Market captures Thai cuisine with energy that zaps off the page. Truly the kind of cookbook that goes great with a beer, it’s as much fun to read as it is to try out the recipes, which are stripped down enough to make what can sometimes be a complex cuisine accessible to anyone, and of course you’ll want to invite all your friends around the enjoy what you’ve made together.

The Drinking Food of Thailand 

Because the first Pok Pok cookbook wasn’t enough, Andy Ricker and JJ Goode came back in 2017 with this followup dedicated to the wonderful foods Thai people eat when they’re drinking. The subject could have just been a great excuse for “research” but what they’ve put together are 272 pages of bold photos, bar tales and incredible food and drink. The recipes in The Drinking Food of Thailand are inspired by Ricker’s Portland, Oregon, restaurant, Whiskey Soda Lounge and highlight the flavors of Isaan, the lesser known northeast corner of Thailand with a serious taste for herbs and spice.

Hawker Fare

You think you know Thai street food, but you don’t know it the way Chef James Syhabout does. Born to a Thai mother and Lao father, these are the flavors of James’s youth, filtered through the experiences of his diverse career in fine dining. The cookbook shares, not just mouthwatering recipes and colorful photos, but the story of his parents, his upbringing, and his ethos on how to cook, eat and live well.

Pin the post for later!

Note: The links above (in the titles) take you directly to where you can buy the books on Amazon and I receive a small commission with no added cost to you.