TLDR: Ree Drummond has published 9 Pioneer Woman cookbooks between 2009 and 2025, with every single one hitting #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
The collection evolved from calorie-dense “cowboy food” (2009) to holiday planning (2013), freezer meals (2015), sheet pan suppers (2017), low-carb options (2019), pandemic shortcuts (2021), and finally a “greatest hits” remaster (2025).
She announced The Essential Recipes would be her last but then revealed a 10th book is coming. Total sales exceed millions of copies.
Since Ree Drummond published her first cookbook in 2009, she’s become one of the best-selling cookbook authors in America. Every single book has debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. That’s not luck. That’s a proven formula of relatable recipes, step-by-step photography, and solving real problems for busy home cooks.
Here’s the complete chronological guide to all nine Pioneer Woman cookbooks (plus the announced 10th), what makes each one unique, and where to find them.
Book #1: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (2009)
Published: October 27, 2009
Publisher: William Morrow
Theme: The origin story and cowboy-approved comfort food
This is where it all started. The debut cookbook established the Pioneer Woman aesthetic: ranch life, hearty portions, and step-by-step photography that showed every single stage of cooking. The recipes are unapologetically caloric because they were designed to fuel ranch work. Think butter, red meat, and cream-heavy sauces.
Signature recipes:
- The Perfect Pot Roast (became her signature Sunday dinner)
- Rib-Eye Steak with Whiskey Cream Sauce
- Fried Pork Chops (encourages cooking “by feel”)
- Cinnamon Rolls (inherited from her mother)
- Pico de Gallo (foundational skill she emphasizes)
What critics said: The New York Times praised her “funny, enthusiastic, and self-deprecating” tone and “attentiveness to basic cooking skills.” Some readers noted the heavy use of butter and red meat, but that was the point. This is ranch food.
Sales impact: Debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list immediately.
Book #2: Food from My Frontier (2012)
Published: March 2012
Publisher: William Morrow
Theme: Broadening the culinary scope beyond pure ranch food
This second cookbook came after The Pioneer Woman show launched on Food Network in 2011. The recipes expanded beyond cowboy-approved comfort food to include more elegant offerings. There’s a clear dichotomy: heavy meals for the working men, lighter options for social gatherings.
Signature recipes:
- Carnitas Pizza (Tex-Mex meets Italian)
- Cowgirl Quiche (lighter counterpoint to steak-and-potatoes)
- Honey-Plum-Soy Chicken (early foray into global flavors)
- Knock You Naked Brownies (became iconic)
- Perfect Pancakes (established her breakfast authority)
Sales impact: Hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list again, solidifying her status as a franchise.
Book #3: A Year of Holidays (2013)
Published: October 29, 2013
Publisher: William Morrow
Theme: Holiday entertaining and occasion-based cooking
This book addressed the high-stress reality of holiday cooking by providing complete menus for twelve major holidays throughout the year. It’s structured chronologically through the calendar, functioning as a comprehensive manual for domestic celebration management.
Signature recipes:
- Dr Pepper Cupcakes (for Super Bowl)
- Glazed Easter Ham
- Watermelon Sangria (Fourth of July)
- Caramel Apple Rolls (Christmas)
- Resolution Smoothie (New Year’s Day)
Sales impact: Massive. Sold approximately 367,000 copies in 2013 alone, then another 152,439 copies in 2014. Hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Denver Post bestseller lists.
Book #4: Dinnertime (2015)
Published: October 2015
Publisher: William Morrow
Subtitle: Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-Minute Meals, and Other Delicious Ways to Solve Supper
Theme: Time-saving solutions for busy families
This marked a major pivot toward pure utility. The subtitle says it all: this is about solving the weeknight dinner problem. The book introduced batch cooking, freezer meal prep, and ultra-fast assembly meals for time-crunched parents.
Signature recipes:
- Freezer Meatballs (batch cooking for future meals)
- Breakfast for Dinner (validates pancakes and eggs as dinner)
- Chicken Taco Salad (16-minute meal)
- Ready-to-Go Beef Taco Filling (freezer staple)
Sales durability: Still selling strong two years later. In 2017, it sold an additional 113,000 copies and secured the #6 spot on that year’s best-selling cookbook list.
Book #5: Come and Get It! (2017)
Published: October 2017
Publisher: William Morrow
Theme: Sheet pan suppers and minimal-cleanup dishes for crazy busy lives
This book doubled down on the efficiency theme. The focus shifted to one-pan cooking and sheet pan suppers that required minimal active time and even less cleanup. It was perfectly timed for the peak of the sheet pan cooking trend.
Signature recipes:
- Sheet Pan Sausage and Root Vegetables
- Cap’n Crunch Chicken Strips (sugary cereal breading for kids)
- Slow Cooker Glazed Ribs
- Million Dollar Dip (became a viral favorite)
Sales impact: Commercial juggernaut. This was the #1 best-selling cookbook of 2017 in the entire United States. It sold nearly 480,000 copies in the final quarter of 2017 alone, dominating the holiday gift market.
Book #6: The New Frontier (2019)
Published: October 2019
Publisher: William Morrow
Theme: Low-carb options and modern appliance integration
By 2019, the Keto diet and low-carb eating had dominated American food culture. Ree acknowledged her own “occasional adventures in carb cutting” and integrated lower-carb options alongside traditional comfort foods. The book also heavily featured Instant Pot and Dutch oven recipes, acknowledging the market saturation of these tools.
Signature recipes:
- Portobello Bun Burgers (mushroom caps replace bread)
- Cauliflower Fried Rice (vegetable substitution for grains)
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal
- Lasagna Soup (deconstructed lasagna for easier prep)
Sales impact: Debuted at #1 on the Nielsen Bookscan charts, selling nearly 45,000 copies in its first week and over 92,000 copies by November 2019.
Book #7: Super Easy! (2021)
Published: October 2021
Publisher: William Morrow
Theme: Pandemic shortcuts and sanity-saving convenience
Released during the COVID-19 era when home cooking fatigue had set in hard. Families were cooking at home more than ever but exhausted by it. Ree responded with “sanity-saving shortcuts” utilizing pantry staples and legitimizing processed convenience ingredients.
Signature recipes:
- Buffalo Chicken Totchos (tater tots meet nachos)
- Butter Pecan French Toast
- Mug Cakes (single-serving instant gratification)
- Broccoli-Cheese Stromboli (kid-friendly vegetable incorporation)
Retail strategy: Walmart offered an exclusive edition with bonus content.
Book #8: Dinner’s Ready! (2023)
Published: October 2023
Publisher: William Morrow
Theme: Speed cooking with “Fridge Grabs” and make-ahead components
This book introduced a new concept: “Fridge Grabs.” These are condiments and components (pickled red onions, garlic confit) that you prep ahead and store in the fridge to elevate simple meals throughout the week. The focus remained on speed and convenience.
Signature recipes:
- Pretzel Dogs (fun, tactile food for teenagers)
- Pickle Chicken Bites (capitalizing on pickle-flavored snack trends)
- Cast-Iron Hamburger Pizza (rustic cookware meets family favorite)
Sales impact: Continued bestseller status.
Book #9: The Essential Recipes (2025)
Published: October 28, 2025
Publisher: William Morrow
Theme: Greatest hits collection with remastered classics
Positioned as a definitive collection, this isn’t just a reprint of old recipes. Ree “re-examined, re-worked, and re-tested” her most famous dishes to create foolproof versions that address common problems readers encountered over the years.
Signature recipes (updated versions):
- Ree Drummond’s Mac and Cheese (new version addresses the dry pasta problem, incorporates Velveeta)
- Perfect Pot Roast (refined version of the dish that launched her career)
- Marlboro Man Sandwich (tribute to Ladd)
The “last cookbook” drama: During promotion, Ree announced this would be her final cookbook, stating “I feel that I’ve kind of told the stories I want to tell with food.” She even joked she lacked the nerve to title it “The Last Supper.” Then in September 2025, she reversed course and revealed a 10th cookbook is actually coming, but that one will “definitely be my last.”
Retail strategy: Walmart offered an exclusive edition with a unique blue scallop cover, 16-page insert with three bonus recipes, and equipment recommendations for $23. Barnes & Noble offered signed editions.
Book #10: TBA (Announced But Not Yet Released)
Ree announced in September 2025 that a 10th cookbook is coming, contradicting her earlier statement that The Essential Recipes would be her last. No title, publication date, or theme has been revealed yet. She insists this will “definitely be my last” cookbook.
What Makes Pioneer Woman Cookbooks Different
The Step-by-Step Photography Revolution
Ree’s signature contribution to cookbook publishing is documenting every intermediate stage of cooking. Sweating onions, mixing batter, searing meat. Critics initially thought it was excessive. But for novice cooks, it provides “motion picture” clarity. You can visually verify you’re on track. This method built massive trust with readers.
Solving Real Problems
Each cookbook after the first two addressed a specific pain point:
- Holidays (2013): Holiday entertaining stress
- Dinnertime (2015): Weeknight time crunch
- Come and Get It! (2017): Minimal cleanup
- The New Frontier (2019): Low-carb options
- Super Easy! (2021): Pandemic fatigue
This isn’t aspirational food. It’s functional food for busy people.
Accessible Ingredients
Ree uses supermarket ingredients, not artisanal or specialty goods. You can find everything at Walmart or your local grocery store. This broadened her appeal to Middle America in ways chef-authored cookbooks couldn’t match.
Sales and Commercial Impact
The numbers are staggering:
- Every single cookbook hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list
- A Year of Holidays: Over 520,000 copies sold in two years
- Come and Get It!: Nearly 480,000 copies in just the final quarter of 2017
- Come and Get It!: #1 best-selling cookbook of 2017 in the entire United States
- Total sales: Multi-millions of copies across all titles
This isn’t just cookbook success. This is publishing phenomenon territory.
Beyond Cookbooks: Memoirs and Children’s Books
Ree’s publishing empire extends beyond cookbooks:
Memoirs:
- The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels (2011): Romance memoir about meeting and marrying Ladd. Hit #2 on the New York Times non-fiction list.
- Frontier Follies (2020): Essays on marriage and motherhood.
Children’s Books:
- Charlie the Ranch Dog series (starting 2011): Features her Basset Hound. Titles include Charlie the Ranch Dog, Charlie and the Christmas Kitty, Charlie Goes to School, and Charlie and the New Baby.
- Little Ree series (starting 2017): Semi-autobiographical picture books about her childhood.
These books serve dual purposes: standalone profit and indoctrinating younger generations into the Pioneer Woman narrative, creating future cookbook buyers.
Where to Buy Pioneer Woman Cookbooks
Walmart: Often carries exclusive editions with bonus recipes and unique covers. The Essential Recipes Walmart edition has a blue scallop cover and 16-page insert for $23.
Barnes & Noble: Frequently stocks signed editions during launch windows.
Amazon: Standard retailer for all titles, both new and backlist.
Target: Carries the full collection.
The Mercantile: Ree’s physical store in Pawhuska, Oklahoma sells signed copies and Pioneer Woman merchandise.
Which Cookbook Should You Buy First?
For beginners: Start with Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (2009). It establishes the foundational techniques and the step-by-step photography method that makes everything else work.
For busy parents: Dinnertime (2015) or Come and Get It! (2017). Both focus on speed, efficiency, and minimal cleanup.
For holiday cooks: A Year of Holidays (2013). Complete menus for twelve holidays throughout the year.
For health-conscious cooks: The New Frontier (2019) includes low-carb and lighter options alongside comfort food.
For collectors or gift-givers: The Essential Recipes (2025). It’s the remastered greatest hits collection designed to be definitive.
The Legacy of Pioneer Woman Cookbooks
Ree Drummond changed cookbook publishing. Before her, blogger-authored cookbooks were niche products. She proved that digital-first authors could dominate mainstream publishing if they solved real problems and built genuine trust through transparency.
The step-by-step photography method became an industry standard. The focus on utility over aspiration shifted how publishers thought about cookbook audiences. And the sheer sales volume demonstrated that Middle America had massive purchasing power for the right content.
Whether the 10th book will truly be her last remains to be seen.
But nine #1 bestsellers, millions of copies sold, and a cookbook publishing revolution?
That’s already a legacy most authors will never touch.
