Whether you’re shopping for gifts for someone who loves to cook, loves to entertain or just loves to eat, it’s a breeze to whip up a foodie-themed gift.
With so many fabulous cookbooks, cocktail sets, kitchen supplies and food-themed items, you could easily spend your whole day hunting down the best gift ideas for the culinary-obsessed. To make it easier, we reached out to four experts and rounded up their favorite gifts for cooks and foodies.
Need more ideas? Check out our favorite?gift ideas for men,?gift ideas for women,?Amazon gifts, ultra-practical gifts and gifts under $25.
Best gifts for cooks
We’ve made no secret of our love of?Brightland products?— they really are?that good?— and this gift package includes all the bestsellers. They’ll get the Alive and Awake olive oils, two raw vinegars, two jars of small-batch honey, a spout for the oils and a mini whisk.
Molly Yeh, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author and star of the Food Network TV series “Girl Meets Farm,” says her latest cookbook, “Home Is Where the Eggs Are,” is “perfect for every home cook and fully packed with cozy recipes that feel like celebrations.”
Remi Cruz, whose blog “Cooking with Remi” includes recipes for Korean classics, junk food alternatives, everyday meals and more, has a social media following of more than 5 million who tune in to her TikTok and YouTube videos. She says a Dutch oven is the perfect gift to give any time of the year. “It's the best vessel for cooking any sort of hearty and warming soup and creates the coziest and most delicious meals,” she says. “It’s an investment kitchen piece that can be used for a lifetime.” Le Creuset’s round version comes in 2-quart to 13.5-quart sizes and a wide array of colors, and we named it the best luxury Dutch oven.
“I believe a good knife is an absolute staple in any kitchen,” Cruz says. “This knife is incredible because it can basically accomplish any task you might have and cuts the need for an entire knife block of knives you might not utilize.”
“I have absolutely fallen in love with all Caraway products,” Cruz says. “My whole family uses them now, and they are truly the best pans I’ve ever used. They’re incredibly nonstick and durable, come in gorgeous colors and are of incredible quality. These would make a fantastic gift that would last the receiver a very long time.” Check out our favorite nonstick pans here.
“I grew up with my mom making Korean barbecue weekly, and this pan makes it so easy to have the restaurant experience in your kitchen,” Cruz says. “It’s a great reason to have friends over and enjoy some delicious food together.”
“This is the best gift for anyone in your life who is constantly in the kitchen,” Cruz says. “Standing on a hard floor for long periods of time ends up causing body pain, and this mat alleviates so much pressure in the back and knees. After putting one of these in my kitchen, I can cook all day without any pain whatsoever!”
“This might sound crazy, but I grew up without a salad spinner so I didn’t even know this existed until recently,” Cruz says. “I love growing leafy greens in my garden and using this tool to save time and paper products. I think it’s a fabulous gift for anyone who loves salads or just wants to get more greens in.”
With 75-plus seasonally inspired, approachable snack boards, recipes and cocktails, Olivia Carney’s “The Art of the Board” is just the thing for fun, stress-free entertaining (and is even better when paired with a bottle of wine or a cheese board). It’s the perfect gift for your favorite host or hostess, or even for yourself. “This book truly has something for everyone,” Carney says. “Whether it’s for someone who always raises their hand to bring the cheese board, the person who loves having a cookbook displayed on their countertop or the mom who wants to have a little fun with weeknight meals, this book has it all.”
Carney calls this 6-inch skillet the must-have kitchen accessory you didn’t know you needed, perfect for serving warm dips and baked cheese or to help make breakfast fun for the kids. “This mini cast iron is my go-to for serving warm cheese dips or baked Brie on my food boards,” she says. “The size is perfect for an 8-ounce round of Brie, and you can assemble, bake and serve all in one.” Check out our list of the best tested cast-iron pans for even more options.
The perfect gift for your favorite cook who loves to challenge themselves in the kitchen (unless they grew up making them with their nǎi nai), this kit has everything they’ll need to make perfect soup dumplings — a steamer, parchment paper rounds, dumpling dough roller, wooden spatula and recipes.
If you want to make your favorite home cook really feel special, splash out for hand-finished, sand-cast, enamel-coated cookware from Le Creuset. This Dutch oven is perfect for stews, casseroles, soups and even brownies!
There is no shortage of great sauces and condiments that can help elevate at-home dishes, and Fly By Jing has some of our favorites for kicking up the heat. This trio of sauces features a hot Sichuan Chili Crisp, a sweet Zhong Sauce and a savory Chengdu Crunch sauce, which are perfect for finishing dishes and desserts or mixing in mid-meal prep.
What good is cooking all that food if you don’t have a place to put your leftovers? This 13-piece set includes four glass bowls with lids, three reusable storage bags and six stretchy lids to seal off your bowls. Plus, every piece is dishwasher- and microwave-safe for even quicker leftover cleanup.
Enjoy fresh, homemade pizzas with the Ooni Koda 12 Pizza Oven. Great for those with limited outdoor space or those looking for a portable pizza oven for tailgating and other on-the-go uses, the Koda 12 is a lighter and smaller version of the Ooni Koda 16, which is our pick for the best gas-powered pizza oven.
Best gifts for bakers
Baking (and cooking) can involve a lot of standing but can also be so messy! That’s why we love giving your favorite baker this machine-washable rug with a cushioned pad, so they can stand comfortably in the kitchen and clean up any spills easily.
For the person who keeps saying they?want to bake bread?like everyone did in quarantine, here’s the final nudge they need to get cooking. This kit comes with a proofing basket, a baguette couche, a scoring tool and more.
Who among us hasn’t been covered in flour after baking just about anything? If your favorite amateur cake maker is constantly ruining their clothes with flour, butter and eggs, this smock-style apron will keep them protected and chic. This apron’s deep pockets can hold a dish towel, your phone or even that folded magazine with your new recipe, and it’s available in 11 colors and prints.
Stand mixers are overrated and take up a lot of space. For a home baker with a smaller space, our pick for?the best hand mixer?scored top marks across the board for function — easily mixing, whisking, beating and kneading — as well as ease of use and storage.
A recipe journal is a beautiful way to preserve family recipes throughout generations and makes a great gift for bakers and cooks who are always refining their dishes to find the ultimate and perfect combos.
Rolling pins are a nonnegotiable when it comes to baking, and this adjustable rolling pin will give your baker a super-accurate and even dough for uniform cookies, pasta and layers every time.
Best gifts for foodies
“These adorable charcuterie board earrings from Baublebar are sure to be the talk of any party this season,” Carney says. “They’re a great gift for your charcu-loving friend or someone who just likes to push the boundaries with their jewelry choices. They also have pineapple earrings, cocktail earrings and so much more …?I love the personalized feel of this gift without going through the trouble of actually personalizing it, saving you time and money.”
If they’re the type of person who enjoys a cookie or two with their daily espresso, then they’ll love this gift from Sant Ambroeus. It comes with 54 assorted cookies, which are all made by hand in the brand’s New York City bakery, and they’re packaged in a reusable tin box.
“Top Chef” fan fave and James Beard Award-winning chef Karen Akunowicz has been creating incredible pasta dishes at her enoteca Fox & the Knife since 2019, and your fave foodie can cook up a meal (three meals, honestly) from the restaurant at home with this kit that includes bucatini; creste de gallo; rich wild boar bolognese; and spicy, prosciutto-kicked amatriciana. Don’t skip the harissa-marinated olives, trust us.
If you want to really spoil your favorite foodie, go big with this luxe box from Harry & David that’s packed with meats and cheeses like Creminelli Fine Meats Casalingo salami and Sartori BellaVitano Tennessee Whiskey cheese, as well as tasty preserves, olives and nuts to complement the spread, which they can display on the included acacia wood tray.
If your foodie friend enjoys sampling snacks and candy from around the globe, this is the gift for them. This?editor-favorite subscription box?comes jam-packed with all things sour, sweet and savory from Japan.
Know a foodie with a major sweet tooth? These made-from-scratch ice creams have a smooth texture and buttercream body that makes them a dream to dip your spoon into. Trust us, if they’ve never had Jeni’s, they're in for an absolute delight.
If your foodie also dabbles in hosting, this set of Our Place Gather Bowls is perfect for busting out at the next dinner party. Made of ceramic, these bowls also have a glossy interior for scratch resistance and a satin exterior finish, which means they are not only excellent for serving but they give your food a polished presentation.
Best gifts for cocktail, coffee and tea enthusiasts
Charles Joly, co-founder of Crafthouse Cocktails and world-champion mixologist, recommends this in-depth look at the world of spirits and cocktails, calling it “the ultimate tome for the cocktail enthusiast in your life, compiled by the most respected voices in the industry. You’ll be able to endlessly revisit this reference piece that touches on every nook and cranny related to libations. Naturally, it’s best perused with a cocktail in hand.”
“A nugget ice maker is for the person in your life who wants to take their drinks to the next level,” Cruz says. “It’s a fun gadget to elevate your drink experience or step up your cocktail bar. I use it for everything from water and iced coffee to shaking up espresso martinis.”
A ridiculous amount of flavor is packed into one little box with these five different artisanal bitters. “This is the perfect one-stop shop to add the finishing touch to your cocktails,” Joly says. “Bartenders often view bitters as the ‘salt and pepper’ of the beverage world; this gift pack is the entire spice cabinet.”
Great for craft cocktail lovers or new homeowners, Carney says this 10-piece cocktail shaker set includes everything needed to set up a home bar for success. (Plus, it’s all dishwasher-safe!) “It even comes with a beautiful mahogany stand to keep the tools organized and looking beautiful,” she adds.
“I think a milk frother is a fabulous way to spice up your morning coffee or matcha,” Cruz says. “This frother is great because you can either make hot or cold foam, so you can create your perfect morning drink or afternoon pick-me-up.” This 4-in-1 frother from Instant Pot allows you to make cold, light warm and thick foam or hot milk for coffee or hot chocolate.
“This matcha machine has absolutely changed the game for me,” Cruz says. “I’m a big matcha drinker, and this is extra special because it actually freshly grinds matcha leaves to give you an extra boost of antioxidants you can’t get from the pre-ground stuff. It also automatically whisks it so that there are never lumps, and you're always left with a delicious shot of matcha.” The starter kit includes a matcha maker and three 4-gram packets of matcha leaf blend, plus a booklet with operating instructions, tips, farm information and recipes.
Let them think of you every time they make their morning brew by gifting a coffee subscription. Blue Bottle’s coffee subscription is our favorite out there with a great balance of variety, customizability and, most importantly, taste. The flavors are complex and bold but unmistakably delicious.
Best small gifts for foodies
This tiny kitchen gadget makes mincing garlic a cinch. Simply toss in a few whole cloves, then roll the device along the kitchen counter for a customized chop — less rolling results in a coarser chop, while more means a finer mince.
“These dairy-free coffee creamers are perfect because there’s something for everyone,” Cruz says. With flavors of toasted marshmallow, french vanilla and cinnamon swirl, these are the ideal creamers for whipping up your favorite seasonal coffee drinks at home.
