The 40 Best Food Gifts for Anyone Who Loves Cooking (and Eating!)
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Whether you’re seeking a gift for a special foodie in your life or something for that one coworker whose hobbies remain ambiguous, there’s one type of gift that’s nearly foolproof: food. Edible gifts are not only extremely practical (everyone has to eat, right?) but also offer endless options to fit everyone and anyone's taste buds.
And since there are a slew of online delivery services available, you can ship crowd-pleasers from around the globe, too. Think: birthday cakes made by a famous New York City bakery to authentic Japanese snacks produced by local family-run businesses.
Below, we've created the ultimate guide to the best food gifts that will make a lasting impression—including mail-order food gifts included in Oprah's Favorite Things over the years. Bon appétit!
All Purpose Seasoning by Tabitha Brown Variety Pack
Created in collaboration with McCormick, Tabitha Brown's line of salt-free seasonings capture a variety of flavors: Caribbean-inspired fruity-savory, garlicky, and sweet and smoky. Each of these can be used on all kinds of dishes, from tacos to spaghetti.
Signature Selections
This Wagyu gift set is sure to please meat lovers. The signature assortment includes ribeyes, filets, and burgers, all aged between four to six weeks for mouthwatering flavor and tenderness.
Bon Appetit Gourmet Food Gift Basket
Can't decide on a single food gift for your loved one? Then surprise them with this assortment of sweet and savory goodies, including chocolates, olives, smoked Gouda cheese spreads, and a chocolate brownie.
Strawberry Shortcake
These strawberry-flavored blondies are a healthier way to curb sweet cravings. Like the rest of the brand's offerings, they're protein-packed, low carb and low sugar. Plus, how cute is the Barbie-pink dusting of sugar crystals on top?
Arte Cheese & Charcuterie Board
This Oprah-approved artisanal board makes the perfect housewarming gift or present for anyone who likes to entertain. It includes 35 hand-selected, ready-to-serve artisan cheeses, meats, dried fruits, nuts, chocolates, and spreads. And once your loved one finishes off all the goodies, they can reuse the acacia wood board time and time again!
Burger Sauce
For those who say burgers are their entrée of choice, give them this sauce to try out. It's filled with a blend of nine different spices and herbs to add some extra flavor to the meat. Plus, it's a super versatile food gift: It can be used as a condiment, dipping sauce, steak sauce, or gravy.
Taste of Trapani Organic Italian Food Gift Set
Perfect for feeding a crowd of pasta connoisseurs, this Oprah-approved kit is complete with handcrafted noodles, organic marinara sauce, and an array of herbs and salts to make an Italian-inspired feast.
Coffee Blend
Give your friends and family the gift of good coffee to kick-start their day. This smooth and spicy dark roast will elevate their morning brew, including notes of sweet bell pepper. As another incentive to shop, BLK & Bold contributes five percent of its profits to support at-risk youth nationwide.
Bokksu Snack Box
Bokksu's snack boxes come with up to 22 Japanese snacks, candies, and a tea pairing—all of which are sourced by small, family-owned businesses in the country. The offerings are curated around a specific cultural theme, and each box comes with a guide that walks you through the snacks' origins and flavors (as well as any potential allergens included).
Sauce Mango Chili Medley
This sweet chili medley can be used as a glaze, dip, marinade or cooking sauce to add a boost of flavor to meats, noodles, or even guacamole!
The Artist Capsule Cold-Pressed Olive Oils
Lemon, garlic, basil, and chili flavors fill Brightland's artisan olive oil set. In her 2022 Favorite Things list, Oprah suggested serving these with salads or slices of crisp bread.
Freshly Baked Cookies
If you're torn on what to get that friend who loves all things sweet, consider gifting them an array of Cravory's cookies. The San Diego-based company offers fan-favorite recipes like birthday cake, red velvet, and lemon bar.
Hot Chocolate Gift Crate Set
Do your friends and family love cozying up with a warm cup of cocoa? Then gift them this hot chocolate set, which comes with toasted marshmallow, deep dark, and salted caramel flavors.
Chardonnay Central Coast
Toast to any occasion with this tasty chardonnay. It has fruity notes of lemon curd, honey, pineapple, and ripe pear, with a soft, balanced finish thanks to a hint of oak.
Salt-Free Flavor Trio Combo
Help loved ones amp up their meals with this salt-free set of Adobo, Sofrito, and Sazón seasonings, inspired by traditional Latin flavors. Bonus: Two percent of Loisa's sales are donated to support food and social justice causes.
Limited Edition Maple Syrup Gift Box
Love the idea of a gift you don't have to wrap? Oprah says you can't go wrong with this breakfast table upgrade. In fact, she even suggests using it beyond pancakes and yogurt—it's great as a beverage sweetener, too.
Treasures of the Orchard Chocolate Gift Box
Chocolate is never a bad idea—especially when it looks as artful inside and out as this one does. It's so much more than your average box of truffles, too. “You know I love a good produce haul. So when I saw that this family-owned chocolate company was taking California-grown fruits (like apricots, strawberries, and more) and dipping them in chocolate for this gift box? I just had to include it on my list,” says Oprah.
New England Breakfast Gift Basket Classic
What better way to start off someone's day than with a full New England breakfast feast? This new and improved design comes complete with a wooden crate and Stonewall Kitchen foods, including fluffy pancake and waffle mix, pure New Hampshire maple syrup "leaf," traditional scone mix, gourmet coffee, a tea sampler in a wooden chest, and delicious blueberry jam!
Best of Cellars at Jasper Hill Cheese Collection
Help upgrade a friend's wine-and-cheese nights with a selection of handcrafted cow's milk cheeses from Vermont and New Hampshire.
Birthday Cake
Celebrating birthdays remotely can be tough, but funfetti cakes like this one from the New York City–based Momofuku Milk Bar make it better. Rest assured, cakes are specially packaged with insulation and ice packs so that they can arrive on your loved one's doorstep in one piece.
Dark & Milk Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Classic chocolate-covered strawberries are a delectable treat for almost any occasion—birthdays, graduations, thank-yous, holidays, or even just to say "I love you." Plus, the mix of milk and dark drizzle add special flair to this mail-order gift.
Oyster Mushroom Log Kit
A kit to grow organic oyster mushrooms in the comfort of the kitchen is a unique gift a foodie will definitely appreciate.
Meat and Cheese Picnic Tin
Send this thoughtful and unique gift basket that has basically everything one would need to enjoy a wonderful picnic at the park. You can even add wine or dessert for good measure.
Custom Message Shortbread Cookies
Does it get fancier than personalized, buttery shortbread cookies delivered to the doorsteps of the special people in your life? Not sure what message to write? These cookies also come in sweet "I love you"and "happy birthday"options.
Red Christmas Ornaments Popcorn Tin
Can't make it for the holidays but want to send a thoughtful gift? This gourmet popcorn tin is festive, generously large, and comes with traditional butter, caramel, and cheesy cheddar flavors.
Gourmet Soft Pretzel Gift Box
There's nothing twisted about this glorious gift. The 20-piece pretzel set includes three types of heat-and-eat soft pretzels (Bavarian-inspired Wheelhouse, light and fluffy Turnbuckle sticks, and SlidePiece mini buns), four flavors of salt (White Truffle, Lemon Rosemary, Chili Lime, and Classic), and everything seasoning. That, according to Oprah, "will thrill all who still believe in carbs."
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie
For the friend who can never choose just one dessert: This decadent delight—which is handmade by Illinois-based Blissful Brownies—combines gooey fudge brownies, chewy chocolate chunk blondies, and a layer of creamy caramel sauce.
Tartufi All About Truffles Seasoning Collection
As they say, variety is the spice of life—and that's exactly why we love this Oprah-approved gift set. It features three of the Italian brand's bestselling seasonings: truffle and rosemary sea salt, truffle and parsley sea salt, and its award-winning truffle zest—all of which can be sprinkled on eggs, pasta, popcorn, pizza, fries, and more. "I took the truffle and rosemary sea salt out of my bag at a restaurant, and the waiter asked, 'You travel with that?' I said, 'Do you have it here?'" Oprah said in 2017.
Chinese Soup Dumpling Kit
If they're like most people, your friend or family member has probably spent more time—and money—on their favorite food delivery apps (hello, DoorDash and Grubhub!) during the past few years. So encourage them to give their go-to Chinese spot a much-deserved break, with this clever kit. It includes everything they need to whip up some tasty, takeout-worthy Xiao long bao (a.k.a soup dumplings), including a bamboo steam basket, parchment paper rounds, dough rollers, a wooden spatula for the filling, agar agar powder, and, of course, instructions.
Hot Sauce Variety Pack
This trio features two Oprah-approved, truffle-oil-infused hot sauces—the classic Truff Hot Sauce and the seasonal White Truff—as well as an even hotter option. "What can I say? The packaging is cool, the hot sauce is sublime," Oprah said in 2019. "I live for the black truffle version, but this white-truffle-infused limited release is slightly sweet, slightly exotic, and every bit as delicious. Put it on everything. Give it to everyone."
Lemon-Lime Citrus Tree Aurantifolia
If your friend or family member is anything like us, they probably use lemons almost every day. So make sure they never run out of their favorite ingredient again thanks to this fruit tree. The potted present, which can grow up to two feet, will thrive by a sunny window, on the porch, or planted in the yard, and will eventually produce little Meyer lemons they can pick and enjoy in freshly baked scones, delicious dressings, and their favorite cocktail.
Grand Holiday Collection
Chances are you've got a friend or family member who screams for ice cream. So here's the scoop on a gift they're virtually guaranteed to love: Each of Jeni's holiday collections—Grand Holiday and Splendid Holiday—contains six pints of the Ohio-based brand's extra-creamy frozen treats, including limited edition seasonal flavors (think: White Chocolate Peppermint and Cognac with Gingerbread) and crowd-pleasing classics, like Gooey Butter Cake. Even sweeter? You can also choose to pick your own mix, featuring just the holiday flavors: Mexican Hot Chocolate, Sugar Plum, Pistachio Macaron, as well as the two above.
Sourdough Bread Making Kit
The perfect DIY gift for friends who love to bake, this box comes with everything you need to bake bread—baking mix, baking yeast, malt powder, cinnamon, raisins, vegetable rennet, cheese cloth, banneton, bread lamé, and a dough scraper. They'll be churning out sourdough in no time.
Flour Shop Rainbow Explosion Cake Kit
Perfect for the budding pastry chef, this gourmet DIY kit contains premium cake mix, six rainbow-hued coloring gels, cream cheese frosting mix, and colorful candies—basically everything they'll need to whip up their own version of the Instagram-famous Rainbow Explosion Cake.
Ultimate Spice Blends Gift Set
Warning: Things are about to get spicy—thanks to these five, freshly ground seasonings. Not only are they made by one of Oprah's favorite chefs, Chef Kenny Gilbert, but the unique blends (from Cinnamon Coffee Rub to Raging Cajun) also come with recipes that incorporate them. "Note: The fried-chicken seasoning should be declared a national treasure," Oprah said when she chose the set for her 2020 list of Favorite Things.
Cookie House Mug Buddies
Make your loved one's mornings even sweeter with these adorable tiny houses, which are handmade from dark chocolate cinnamon or gingerbread cookies and are designed to perch right on the edge of your friend or family member's mug of coffee, cocoa, or tea.
Just Jan's 4-Piece Jam Gift Set
Trust us: This sweet sampler set will be your favorite foodie's, well, jam. It includes four small-batch spreads. They'll delight in classic flavors like Kadota Fig, Organic Strawberry, Tangerine Marmalade, and Concord Grape.
The DIY Ravioli Kit
So you and your significant other have had to put your dreamy, once-in-a-lifetime Italian getaway on hold. That's okay—you can still feel like you're dining alfresco along the Amalfi Coast with this DIY pasta-making kit. It's got almost everything your partner will need to turn your kitchen into a trattoria (including flour, porcini mushrooms, truffle-infused olive oil, and a ravoli stamp), but make sure to pick up a few fresh fillings and basics from the provided shopping list to go with your gift. Mangia!
Chai Tea Private Reserve Trio
"I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love with a wonderful chai!" Oprah said in 2018, when she picked this trio of beautifully packaged spiced oolong, ginger, and sweet cinnamon tea for her list of Favorite Things.
Mustard Trio
Whether they're added to the usual suspects (think: burgers, pretzels, sandwiches) or something a bit more unexpected (egg salad, grilled cheese, marinades and vinaigrettes, you name it), this trio of small-batch mustards will add a golden touch to whatever your loved one is making. "These mustards—in classic, jalapeño, and sweet and hot—will make ketchup and mayo head for the back of the fridge," Oprah said when she selected them for her 2019 list of Favorite Things.
Mason Jar Indoor Herb Garden
Consider this the gift that keeps giving: These planters include everything your loved one needs to start an indoor herb garden—meaning that they'll not only grow a new hobby, but in a couple months, they will have also grown fixings for pasta (like basil), cocktails (like mint), and tacos (like cilantro).
Make Your Own Hot Sauce Kit
For the friend who always has hot sauce in their bag, this popular DIY kit is the ultimate gift. It includes everything they need to make different varieties of small-batch hot sauces—from one that's deep and smoky to another that's mild and earthy—so they can enjoy their spicy creations for months to come.
Extra-Virgin Chocolate Bars
For a treat that's as sweet as your friend or family member, you can't go wrong with these artisanal chocolate bars, which are made with extra virgin olive oil instead of cocoa butter, so they're super silky and flavorful. "What do you get when two culinary geniuses come together?" Oprah asked when selecting this set for her 2017 list of Favorite Things. "True chocolate bliss, courtesy of the world-class chef Thomas Keller and the renowned olive oil producer Armando Manni."
Pinot Grigio Wine Making Kit
This make-your-own-wine kit is the perfect DIY activity to do with your wine-loving spouse or BFF. The set comes with everything you'll need, and it makes five 750 ml bottles.
Gourmet Oil Dipping Spice Kit
You could give your loved one a fancy set of gourmet olive oils—or you could let them make their own with this internationally inspired set. Stocked with 15 different types of herbs and spices (think: oregano from Italy, smoked paprika from Spain, za'atar from Levant), each tin comes with recipes and bread pairings so they can get the full tasting experience. Just make sure to include a nice bottle of olive oil and they'll be good to go.
Kitchen Essentials Spices and Seasonings Set
Spice up your loved one's life with this set of small-batch herbs and seasonings—including kashmiri chili powder, cinnamon powder, smoked paprika, cloves, turmeric, granulated onion, green cardamom, herbs de provence, ground ginger, and more—from James Beard-nominated chef and restauranteur Meherwan Irani. "Any cook worth her salt will love this impressive 18-piece collection of spices that are roasted, ground, and packed to order in delightfully decorative tins," Oprah said when she selected the set for last year's list of Favorite Things.
Turmeric Herbal Tea Gift Set
Looking for a Christmas gift for the tea lover in your life? Oprah calls this gift set of six turmeric chai teas—blended with fruits, herbs, and spices—"the ultimate magic potion." Plus, part of the profits go to educating the children of tea growers in India.
1856 Premium Whiskey
This blend of premium aged whiskies is made by Uncle Nearest, a brand created in honor of an enslaved man named Nathan “Nearest” Green—the master distiller who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey. "Folks who love diversity in business and a superb drink will be glad to unwrap this gift," Oprah said when she picked it for her 2020 list of Favorite Things.
Infused and Cold-Pressed Grapeseed Oils
Infused with roasted garlic, white truffle, lemon, basil, or chili, this grapeseed oil set is perfect for marinades, drizzles, dips, and dressings.
Silver Tequila with Virtual Custom Gift Wrap
For the friend who loves their margaritas, treat them to a bottle of premium tequila. Bonus: Patrón has a virtual reality gift wrapping tool where you can customize the bottle with personal photos, text, and different designs curated by the artist JonBoy.
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