32 Homemade Food Gifts That Are Way More Meaningful Than Store-Bought
If you prefer spatulas to glue guns, these delicious and simply wrapped homemade food gifts are your kind of project.
Carson Downing
A tasty homemade food gift is the present everyone loves, and it's an especially thoughtful gift for cooking enthusiasts. We have fun ideas for everyone on your list. From creamy chocolate truffles and Christmas cookies to hot sauce and flavored syrups, there's a gift idea for cooks and food-lovers. Add our cute packaging ideas, and these gifts will be the most attractive (and tastiest) under the tree.
Roasted Red Pepper Soup in a Jar
What could be warmer on a cold day than a steaming bowl of soup? Share one of the most soul-fulfilling homemade edible gift ideas: heat-and-eat soup. This red pepper soup is gluten-free, fat-free, and low in calories (yet still full of flavor), so it's ideal for gifting. Package it with a spoon for easy enjoyment.
Cheddar Wafers
Leave the packaged crackers on the shelf. These easy cheddar wafers can be ready in less than an hour—and can be prepped up to a week in advance. From a snack for the kids to a classy cheese board addition, these crackers are among the most crowd-pleasing food gifts available.
Toasted Seasoning Salt
Did you know that toasting salt in a skillet imparts a smoky flavor? Make a big batch of these savory seasoning blends. Meat-lovers can use it to season steaks or burgers, and vegetarians can toss this gift with popcorn, nuts, or roasted chickpeas.
Spiced Bourbon Cherries
If you like old fashioned cocktails, then you'll love these bourbon cherries. Pair this homemade food gift with a set of cocktail glasses. The spiced cherries are flavored with bourbon, vanilla, and pepper—so they're a must-have for home mixologists.
Individual Brownie Trifles
No one will be able to resist these adorable snowmen in a jar. This simple trifle recipe uses purchased brownies and whipped cream. Just layer them and add the lid. To decorate the jars, cut off the toe end of a baby sock and wrap the cut end with a length of twine. Glue tiny pom-poms to the twine ends. Slide a sock hat over top of the jar, then add pom-poms and ribbon.
Pancake Kit
A tasty pancake kit can make a surprisingly thoughtful and creative Christmas gift. Package homemade pancake mix (see the link above for our buttermilk blend), a container of milk, pure maple syrup, and fresh fruit. Make identifying tags from twine and cardstock; an unused guest check becomes a recipe instructions sheet.
Christmas Macaroon Mix
Candied cherries and orange peel spice our coconut macaroons, and embellishments decorate their packaging. Place the disk lid on top of the filled jar, then place a scrapbooking paper circle on top and secure with the rim lid. Lastly, twist a white pipe cleaner on each end of a red one to complete the unique 'wrap.'
Strawberry Freezer Jam
This homemade Christmas gift will last in the freezer for up to one year. It's the perfect way to preserve spring strawberries well into winter. To create the holiday-ready packaging, bend fresh rosemary sprigs into a wreath and attach to the jar with string. Place it in a gift box with your favorite cookies.
Focaccia
Customize this food gift with your favorite toppings. We like pitted olives, garlic, and fresh rosemary. Wrap a strip of waxed paper around a small wood breadboard and the bread and tie with twine. For extra flair, tie a rosemary sprig to the board handle.
Pecan Pie Bars
Reuse the plastic tray from a cookie package to gift our delicious pecan pie bars with ease. Line the bottom of the tray with 3.25 x 2-inch mini paper loaf liners. Fill the liners with bar cookies and add a decorative sticker to ID the pie-inspired flavor.
Hot Chocolate Mix
Cute for kids and grownups alike, this hot chocolate mix makes the perfect last-minute gift. It calls for only five ingredients and can be made in 15 minutes flat. Instruct the recipients to mix with water and voila: a hug in a mug.
Cookie Decorating Kit
A cookie decorating kit is the perfect gift for a family to use on Christmas Eve. Make a batch of our classic cutout cookies, and package them with sprinkles and frosting.
Spiced Apple Tea Mix
Meet our top pick for a food gift for a holiday host, your friends at the office, or fellow book-club members. This relaxing tea mix features ginger, cloves, and dried apple chips, giving it the taste of apple pie in a cup. Craft a tea kit with paper cups and tea filters.
Pizza Night Kit
Delight a friend or neighbor with pizza makings. Use our recipes for the dough and the sauce, and tie up bundles of classic pizza toppings. To package this creative gift, use a pizza box and stick on a cute custom label.
Triple-Pepper Hot Sauce
Spice up your (er, their) life with three kinds of chile peppers, which make this hot sauce a perfect gift for the daredevil diners in your circle. Tie mild dried chiles to the bottles to hint at the heat inside.
Triple-Chocolate Truffles
Delight chocolate-lovers with a batch of decadent truffles. Plastic boxes, candy cups, and festive fabric are all you need to package these luscious treats. It's really all about the milk chocolate-covered truffles inside.
Potato Cinnamon Rolls
Great for a post-holiday breakfast, this wholesome cinnamon roll recipe features dough moist with mashed potatoes, a brown-sugar filling, and a luxurious cream-cheese icing. Bake the twist in a disposable foil pan, then add the lid and color to your gift with a wide, festive ribbon.
Lemon-Lavender Cookies
Delight a foodie friend with these delicate lavender cookies. We made cookie sandwiches for easy packing, but you also can spoon the sweet sugar frosting on top. To wrap the cookies, stack them in a paper-lined roll of corrugated cardboard. Place a round of cork at each end and tightly tie the tube with ribbon.
Fresh Cranberry-Pepita Buttermilk Bread
Carson Downing
This Christmas quick bread is loaded with fresh cranberries, salted pepitas, and orange zest. Wrap the cooled loaf in plastic wrap, then set in the middle of a tea towel. Fold the two ends of the towel over the loaf and tie remaining ends; tuck into folds. Finish with fresh greenery.
Apple-Berry Pie in a Jar
We're starry-eyed about these sweet mini pies that taste as good as they look. Bake the pie in a 1-cup, wide-mouth canning jar, then place the cooled pie in a pint-size wooden berry basket. Wrap the basket with red yarn and add a personalized label to complete the gift.
Spicy Lime Pistachio Nuts
Pistachios lend a seasonal green highlight to this nut mix, but you could easily substitute almonds or cashews. To package, layer two muffin liners to make a sturdy container and add your favorite nut mix. Punch circles from cardstock. Fold down the flaps of the liners to cover the mix, then use a dab of hot glue to seal with a cardstock circle. You could also use round stickers to secure the paper.
Pistachio-Cranberry Baklava
Take someone's taste buds on an International tour with this flaky pastry gift. Baklava makes the perfect holiday gift, as it offers a unique twist on the concept of Christmas cookies. Package the triangles in a holiday tin topped with a magnetic clip and a note from you.
Oatmeal Spice Cookies
Gift this classic childhood favorite with a grownup twist for the holidays. A bold dose of cinnamon and dried fruit adds some sophisticated flavor to oatmeal cookies. To package, line a small burlap gift bag with brown parchment paper. Tie the filled bag with ribbon and add a tag.
Hazelnut Rocky Road Brownie Mix
Our homemade brownie mix in a jar features rich cocoa powder, gooey marshmallows, and a layer of crunchy hazelnuts. Pour the ingredients into the jar one by one, and then decorate it for the season. (We used velvet stickers to jazz up the sides.) For the flower topper, layer a paper tag, a vintage foil flower, and a large button; adhere them together with a few dabs of hot glue.
Breakfast Basket
When you're heading to a friend's home for dinner, you'll nearly guarantee a return invite if, as a thank you, you leave a gift of breakfast behind. Fill a food gift basket with homemade pancake mix, granola, coffee, and jam. Finish it off with fresh fruit and a bouquet of flowers.
Vanilla Bean Liqueur
For a make-ahead Christmas cocktail gift your friends will love, combine vodka, sugar, and vanilla beans, then store for a month in a cool, dark place. Copy your favorite drink recipe onto a cute card and attach it to this luscious liqueur.
Egg-and-Bacon Breakfast Casserole
Here's a food gift that's a meal and a kitchen gift in one. A savory bacon-and-egg casserole goes mobile in a baking dish the recipients will love receiving. Wrap the dish with a festive holiday towel and ribbon, and tie on wooden utensils.
Chocolate-Cherry Banana Bread
Standard banana bread gets dressed up for the holidays with cocoa and amaretto-soaked cherries. To package, bake the bread in parchment paper. When it's cool, set it inside a wooden basket and slip it into a clear bread bag. Wrap the bread with red velvet ribbon and secure with hot glue. Use a thin-tip permanent marker to write on a wooden tag, and tie the tag to the package with hemp twine.
Hazelnut-Mocha Sauce
Cook chocolate pieces and chocolate-hazelnut spread with evaporated milk and sugar for eight minutes, stirring frequently, and this rich dessert sauce is done. Pour it into a glass jar and refrigerate until serving or until you're ready to give it as a gift to your friend with the biggest sweet tooth.
Cranberry-and-Pepper Shortbread Bites
Peppercorns give these buttery sweet treats an unexpected bite. To package them, cut scrapbook paper to fit the box lid and secure with double-stick tape. Layer two ribbons of different widths in a band around the closed box and hot-glue them in place. Dip the stems of punched leaf shapes in hot glue and press them onto the ends of hemp twine; knot them around the box on top of the ribbon.
Sweet Maple Mustard
If you're short on time, but want to give a gourmet food gift, this easy maple mustard is a snap to make, thanks to a microwave cooking technique. Tell the recipient to try it with soft pretzels or on sandwiches.
Limoncello
Bottle up sweet lemon liqueur in glass bottles and gift it with a simple cocktail recipe. Slip a candied or dried lemon slice onto the tag along with a recipe for a Limoncello Cosmo, which can be shaken with ice and served in a martini or coupe glass.
The Limoncello Cosmo recipe is 3 tablespoons vodka, 1 tablespoon limoncello, and 1 tablespoon of cranberry juice.
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