Magnolia Table, Volume 2 by Joanna Gaines Review: A Generous, Gathering-Centered Sequel

Magnolia Table, Volume 2 is a cookbook published by William Morrow Cookbooks in April 2020, written by Joanna Gaines — co-founder of Magnolia, editor-in-chief of Magnolia Journal, and co-owner of Magnolia Network. It is the second volume in a three-book series, following the original Magnolia Table, which was itself a #1 New York Times bestseller. The sequel arrived with notable momentum: it debuted as an instant #1 New York Times bestseller in its own right. The book's origin story is part of its design: after watching her family's recipes find their way onto other families' tables, Gaines returned to the kitchen to push beyond her comfort zone and develop an entirely new collection of dishes for families to gather around.

The volume offers 145 recipes sourced from four distinct venues: Gaines's personal family kitchen (shared with husband Chip and their five children), the Magnolia Table restaurant, Silos Baking Co., and Magnolia Press, the couple's coffee shop — all based in Waco, Texas. The recipes span the full arc of the day and the table: breakfast, breads, soups, sides, and dinner. The publisher also notes that the book includes tips and guidance for hosting — covering topics such as table setting and menu planning — making it useful not only as a recipe resource but as a reference for those who want to think through the full shape of a gathering. The scope is deliberately broad, designed to serve both everyday family meals and more deliberate entertaining occasions.

The book's commercial reception was immediate and strong, reaching #1 on the New York Times bestseller list upon release. On the question of recipe reliability — the core concern for any cookbook buyer — one writer who has tested Gaines's recipes across nine years of her work notes that the Magnolia Table series has produced "consistent, reliable dishes (particularly baked goods) that are well-balanced and tasty," flagging cook times as the area most likely to require attention but reporting no significant problems even there. That kind of sustained, cross-series track record is meaningful context for Volume 2, which draws from the same culinary sources and approach. The magnolia.com description further positions the collection as accessible to cooks at varying experience levels, from beginners to the more seasoned.

The recipe range is one of the book's clearest structural strengths: 145 dishes drawn from professional restaurant and bakery settings as well as a home kitchen gives the collection unusual variety and a tested-in-public-life character. The multi-venue sourcing also means that readers get a cross-section of what Gaines and her team actually serve — not a purely aspirational set of recipes designed for the page. The inclusion of hosting guidance (table setting, menu planning) adds organisational value for readers who want to plan meals as events rather than simply cook individual dishes. The cookbook is written in English and published in an illustrated hardcover edition, with photography described by the publisher as a central feature.

Readers who connected with the first Magnolia Table volume and want a continuation of that approach will find Volume 2 a natural fit: it shares the same gathering-centred philosophy and extends the recipe pool without repeating the original. Those drawn to the Magnolia brand's domestic, family-first aesthetic — or fans of Gaines's television work — are the book's clearest audience. That said, cooks looking for adventurous or globally influenced technique may find the collection stays within a comfort-food and American home-cooking register; the book's stated mission is warmth and accessibility rather than culinary experimentation. Additionally, while the publisher and Gaines's own platform describe cook times as generally reliable, independent testers note that timing is the most variable element, so first-time cooks with a particular dish should remain attentive there.