The 11 Best Bento box Cookbooks (2023 reviews)

Here, we review cookbook that manages to win our hearts. It's the makiko bento box cookbook and it's widely considered as one of best cookbook you can buy. The book gives recipes for Japanese and non-Japanese bento, recipes for common ingredient substitutions(for those who do not have access to much Japanese grocers), food safety and prep and handy tips and tricks to help you get started if youre new. It contains a nice blend of traditional Japanese food and other food types that work well in Bentos. It includes recommendations for bento boxes, food storage, food safety, and preparing in advance so you're not rushed in the morning.

The recipes are varied enough to appeal to novice and experienced bento creators, and are generally healthy enough for everyday food. The recipes are easy to follow, contain many variations so youll never get bored, and have handy tips and tricks to help you get started if youre new. The recipes are extensive and creative, with instructions that are easy to follow. The instructions/recipes are clear and concise.

Why We Like This:

Includes cooking timelines, items to prep the night before, and simple variations of recipes
Has great, simple japanese style bento recipes
Good for college students and young adults

Best For Egg roll dip: Shufunotomo Bento box Cookbook

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The shufunotomo bento box cookbook should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. This cookbook has a lot of tasty options for americanized tastes. It will teach good bento practices and delicious recipes. They're tiny and perfect for a little terriyaki sauce, egg roll dip, etc. It is perfect for beginners and those who want to cook fast and simple dishes. The recipes are great and come with tips on cooking. It is also very helpful with food storage information and prep instructions to ensure what you eat is the best it can be.

The recipes are clear, easy to follow and every recipe has a picture. There's good tips for freezing and preserving. This book has larger recipes that you make and freeze, or keep in the fridge for a week, in individual servings.

Why We Like This:

Incredible and easy recipes that have fast prep times
Very practical, tasty, and authentic recipes
Provides a lot of great ideas for beginners
Easy to follow recipes and taste good and also healthy

Best For beginners: The manga University Culinary Institute Bento box Cookbook

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate cookbook. The the manga university culinary institute bento box cookbook is exactly that - it's a simple cookbook that hits all the right notes. With its cartoon characters, intriguing cultural notes, and attractive food arrangements, The Manga Cookbook is an enticing little volume. They're tiny and perfect for a little terriyaki sauce, egg roll dip, etc. It's also a great way to get a kid interested in cooking a menu with great variety and full of healthy choices. The recipes are easy to follow with cute illustrations.

This book is fantastic, wonderfully written, animated, and the meals are fantastic to boot. It is great for soups and other items with liquids. The easy recipes and cute illustrations make this just a wonderful cookbook for people who really enjoy manga.

Why We Like This:

Nice and easy intro to japanese cooking
One of the new comers and featured product

Best For adult: Maki Ogawa Bento box Cookbook

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The features department is where maki ogawa bento box cookbook truly manages to shine. Not only does it give you great tips, recipes and ideas for healthy and fun lunches for your kids, but it also shows you step by step instructions on how to make them just as cute and you see them in the book. The Yum-Yum Bento Box is full of instructions, recipes and tips on how to make these fun, colorful and healthy meals. It's bright, attractively laid out and easy to understand.

Each bento has several recipes with it, and they're all easy to mix-and-match. It makes flipping back through challenging. The book is very informative about the concept of "eating with your eyes" before you eat your meal, and also discusses the proportional nutrition of veg to starch to protein to fruit/sweets that is aimed for in the bento lunch concept.

Why We Like This:

Just inspiration for packing an adorable lunch
More requests for cookies and chips and candy
Would recommend for children 4+, or just people who love beautiful food presentation
A few extra minutes of prep gives food a flourish

Best For work lunches: Chika Ravitch Bento box Cookbook

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The chika ravitch bento box cookbook is suitable and reliable and fits well with your daily usage. If you enjoy learning to make flavorful food that is pleasing to the eye, you will love this book. It has traditional japanese bento as well as western-style bentos. It showcases the simplicity of many Japanese dishes that are delicious, and popular. Bento for Beginners provides some authentic Japanese recipes as well as some Western recipes to fill your boxes.

Well written and organized, this could be a fun addition to the lunchbox repertoire. It provides techniques and recipes, with plenty of helpful tips. There are several recipes that are Japanese inspired but others that will appeal to kids and those on special diets.

The recipes in this book are an interesting mix of traditional recipes and more modern ones. It also includes some nutritional information per serving for calories, total fat.

Why We Like This:

A nice feature for picky eating kids
Teaches you basic japanese bento (lunch box) recipes using ingredients you can easily find
Has a good mix of the “idea” of bento lunches and actual recipes

Best For various companies: Popowa Bento box Cookbook

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Popowa line of cookbook come in a pretty wide variety of styles, so you can definitely find one that suits your individual preferences and needs. The structure and ritual of a bento is key. It is made of blended cashews, eggs, baking powder, salt, and water. The book's recipes are accessible and delicious.

Why We Like This:

Many interesting rice/grain recipes, not to mention sauces, nut mixes for salads, etc
Fluffy grain-free pancakes w/ overnight chia jam
New and hot release

Best Bento Recipe Book: Kanae Inoue Bento box Cookbook

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We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention kanae inoue bento box cookbook for daily usage. This beginner bento book is a perfect tool for getting lunch / dinner packed and a family out the door on a busy morning. It covers similar recipes as some other books but centers more on speed and planning. It has "fish grills/roasters" instead to add to that it is cool to have a book with several new recipes in it. All the cooking instructions are easy and use the stove top and microwave so you can cook multiple things at once and use minimal utensils/plates to cook.

This book is perfect for home cooks as it gives you lots of recipes, some good ideas for how to structure your lunchbox, and every recipe is for one portion so it makes it easy to scale up as needed. It includes many handy tips on organization and ingredients. The recipes are straight forward and really simple.

Why We Like This:

Beautiful book with a clever layout
Stir-fried beed and egg with oyster sauce
Marinate dishes so they “cook” while you sleep
Easy to follow and nice pictures

Best Cookbook: Otagawa Bento box Cookbook

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The otagawa bento box cookbook is suitable and reliable and fits well with your regular usage. If you want to learn how to create a traditional japanese lunch box this book can help. It provides 109 delicious recipes to try. It has over one hundred and fifty recipes that have the perfect balance of carbs, and protein. There are all kinds of food to try such as fish, octopus, veggies, seafood, and more.

This is a really helpful chart to pick out the right bento box. It has recipes that are familiar and some that will become new favorites. The recipes in the book are simple, compared to the overcomplicated meal. This is a good collection of recipes for anyone who enjoys Japanese food.

Why We Like This:

Recipes were great, philosophy was compelling
A good selection of lunch suggestions, with easy-to-make recipes
New and hot release

Best Fun Book: Li Ming Lee Bento box Cookbook

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The li ming lee bento box cookbook's superior materials makes sure that it ages well with use. This collection of bento ideas is truly amazing. After going through many different bento books, this is a must have, beautiful display of step by step visual pictures and very good information. It has many useful recipes and practical ides. There is a section of the book with awesome food art and it too has instructions and beautiful color photographs of the works in progress.

This is a very comprehensive book that is super easy to follow and gives the bento lunch packer, from beginner to advanced, a thorough and enjoyable guide. It's packed full of details, richly colored pictures, and lots of easy explanations. The general amount of time or level of difficulty will save readers time to figure out which bento to try depending on their level or time they have. This is a great resource for anyone who loves beautiful food or wants to create their own amazing bentos.

Why We Like This:

Very cute & very easy recipes
New and hot release

Best Recipe: Marc Matsumoto Bento box Cookbook

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Not everyone likes to purchase cookbook for their regular usage, but the marc matsumoto bento box cookbook would be an anomoly. This is a great book for all the bento lovers, especially those who are just starting to explore the world of bento. It brings practical techniques, step-by-step instructions, and useful tips for 85 recipes that can be mixed-and-matched for 25 nutritionally balanced bento box lunches. It’s authentic, detailed, and easy to understand. The food is a nice mix of both Japanese and American tastes.

What makes this book a standout is that it also includes 85 stand-alone, simple-yet-unique recipes that readers can use with or without the BENTO boxes. The variety of boxes, easily available online, makes it clear that BENTO is an idea that has caught on. The recipes are super easy and everything tastes delicious. It comes with a beautiful and art worthy picture.

Why We Like This:

Is a fun book, great recipe
Really fantastic book to inspire you to make bentos
Great tasting recipes for the home cook

Best For Dementia Patients: Crystal Watanabe Bento box Cookbook

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Best part: crystal watanabe bento box cookbook costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. This is a second installation by the authors of the 2010 cookbook "Yum Yum Bento" and has seasonal themes. It is a bright and colorful book with nice clear photos of the bento. It is easy to learn the basic techniques and inspires you to try it more often than you think you would. There are lots of chickens and bunnies, and an exceptionally imaginative Halloween section.

This book is a great introduction to making cute character lunches and goes over each detail of nori eyeball by nori eyeball, cheese cheek circle by cheese cheek circle. It is perfect for dementia patients. There are a number of recipes for Japanese style meat and fish dishes, patties, etc, that are very quick and easy. The designs are fun and can be adapted for different foods, too. It is easy to eat and will be helpful later if or when the need arises.

Why We Like This:

Colorful fun and simple easy to follow directions
Great directions, fun food, perfect for dementia patients
One of the new comers and featured product