Best Romantic & Sexy Cookbooks and Recipes

Check out GAYOT's picks of the best romantic and sexy cookbooks

By Gayot Editors

Romantic Dinner-for-Two Recipes

If you’ve ever used or seen the hashtag #foodporn with photos that make your heart swoon, you know exactly what we mean. Food has the ability to really, really turn us on — whether you’re talking ancient aphrodisiacs, the obligatory candlelit dinner for two, feeding your lover chocolate-covered strawberries or simply a homemade meal that is so gorgeous you absolutely have to “document” it.

GAYOT has compiled a selection of sexy cookbooks and oeuvres on the pleasures of eating, from plant-based romance (yes, it’s a thing now) to the fine art of culinary seduction.

1. The Couples Cookbook

By: Dennis and Nancy Bunt
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Originally Published: 2015

Dennis and Nancy Bunt’s recipes are a great collection of romantic meals for two.

When you start with any other cookbook, you might end up doing one of the least sexy things around — a bunch of math. While traditional cookbooks are written to accommodate at least six to eight people, Dennis and Nancy Bunt’s recipes will only cover romantic meals for two. Thanks to its proportioned measurements and hand-picked recipes, The Couples Cookbook is the best way to avoid conversions and instead, enjoy a sensual night of dining with your partner.

2. Lunch in Paris

By: Elizabeth Bard
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Originally Published: 2010

A Love Affair with Food.

Lunch in Paris is a playful, feel-good book, one you can devour in just a few nights, while living vicariously through the young protagonist’s adventures with love, lust and food — lots of food! Who doesn’t feel like just flying up and away to France, and then falling in love with a handsome stranger and the country’s incredible edible bounty?

3. The Lusty Vegan

By: Ayinde Howell
Publisher: Vegan Heritage Press
Originally Published: 2014

A survival guide for any non-vegan who’s in a relationship with a vegan.

Along with being a cookbook, The Lusty Vegan doubles as a survival guide for any non-vegan who’s in a relationship with a vegan. It’s packed with award-winning chef Ayinde Howell’s 80 delicious recipes that cover all dietary bases, so both you and your omnivore partner (or vice versa) can enjoy a romantic meal together.

4. The New InterCourses

By: Martha Hopkins, Randall Lockridge
Publisher: Terrace Publishing
Originally Published: 2007

A delicious cookbook for the kitchen, coffee table or the bedroom.

The New InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook takes you on an aphrodisiac journey of more than 135 sexy dishes ranging from traditional stimulants, such as oysters, chiles or artichokes, to lesser-known mood boosters such as black beans, basil and pine nuts. It’s a delicious book for the kitchen, the coffee table and, of course, the bedroom.

5. The Physiology of Taste

By: Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Publisher: Everyman’s Library
Originally Published: 2009

The Physiology of Taste by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, a classic tome on the pleasures of food.

This classic tome by the famous French foodie is not a how-to cooking manual with recipes but rather an exploration of amusing, epicurean morsels in the world of fine dining. This esteemed work on the pleasures of food was published in 1825. While some of his witty chit-chat might read outdated, a lot still holds true today. Among his famous observations: “The pleasure of the table belongs to all ages, to all conditions, to all countries, and to all areas; it mingles with all other pleasures, and remains at last to console us for their departure.”

6. Romancing the Stove

By: Amy Reiley
Publisher: Life of Reiley
Originally Published: 2012

Unlike your typical unabridged guide, Romancing the Stove is short, sweet and sassy.

From its libido-stoking recipes to its Dictionary of Desire, this playful tome will teach you and seduce you. The aphrodisiac ingredients of each recipe are highlighted alongside sexy serving suggestions. Although the collection contains some indulgent fare like creamy lemon custard cakes, the emphasis overall is on healthy eating.

7. The Seduction Cookbook

By: Diane Brown
Publisher: Innova Publishing
Originally Published: 2005

Up the ante on your “fork-play,” with The Seduction Cookbook.

This little volume will get you in a playful mood in no time, with the help of seductive dishes such as “Pornish” game hen dressed up in orange, ginger and soy sauce or erotic ahi and mussels ménage à trois. We love the little bits of history and erotic lore and playful ideas for “fork-play.”

8. Sustenance & Desire

By: Bascove
Publisher: David R Godine
Originally Published: 2004

“More of a love letter to food than a cookbook…”

An opening by famous food writer M.F.K. Fisher, who is known to describe food the way others describe sex, sets the tone for the journey through Sustenance and Desire. More of a love letter to food than a cookbook, this compilation of poems and prose pieces — complemented by paintings from the editor — is a great read for literary gourmands and food-loving couples alike, which is why it earned a spot on our list!

9. Sweet Serendipity

By: Stephen Bruce
Publisher: Universe
Originally Published: 2004

What’s more romantic than serendipity?

To New Yorkers, “serendipity” brings to mind the whimsical general store, restaurant and dessert shop, Serendipity 3. Sweet Serendipity, the inventive cookbook from Serendipity 3 co-founder Stephen Bruce, gives you a taste of New York City’s famed Upper East Side ice cream parlor at home. Treat your significant other to a pleasant surprise with one of the book’s 75 fun desserts, such as Lemon Ice Box Pie, Cherry Pan Dowdy and Chocolate Chip Pizza.

10. Table for Two

By: Marianne Paquin
Publisher: Flammarion
Originally Published: 2003

French writer Marianne Paquin’s Table for Two is devoted entirely to gastronomic pleasure for couples.

The recipes — such as Tagliatelli in Cream with Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Pistachios, Olives and Parma Ham, or Strawberry Soup with Mascarpone and Pink Sugar — are inspired and exciting but also sensibly grounded and definitely delicious. Whatever the season or occasion, think about using this book next time you set the table for two.