It’s hard to go wrong with homemade food gifts for holiday giving! Whether you’re looking for a little something to say thank you to a service provider (hey, hey, letter carrier!) or a special something for your kids’ favorite teacher, the ideas below range from savory to sweet — even a little something to tipple.
Check out these last-minute handmade gift ideas, too.
Homemade food gifts for year round giving
If you’re someone who loves feeding people, making homemade food gifts is just a natural extension of that need to nourish. Of course, this list includes both the healthy and the not-so-healthy, but it is the indulgent time of year!
Homemade food gifts are perfect for the holidays, but they’re a great way to say “thank you” all year round. They’re also a very nice hostess gift to take when you’ve been invited to someone’s home for a dinner or party.
Sweets for your sweets
From a simple loaf of sweet bread to a cookie “kit” these easy and budget friendly gifts will be warmly received. If you love to bake and share sweets with your favorite people, these easy-to-give cookies and treats may be just the thing.
Sweets for your sweets
Easy and Flavorful Orange Sugar
This flavored sugar takes on the essence of orange, making it a delicious addition to baked goods or stirred into tea.
Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
Package up a jar of this homemade hot fudge sauce with a good quality ice cream scoop and some fun toppings for a delicious gift.
Decadent Gourmet Fudge
This recipe makes about five pounds of fudge, so you'll have plenty to share and still have some left for yourself.
Ginger Cookies
These cookies look fancy but there's no fiddling with persnickety cookie cutters. Make some for giving and some for the dessert table!
Cookies in a Jar
This easy to make gift nets delicious homemade white chocolate chip cookies with macadamia nuts. Just print out the tag and tie one on at these pretty jars are ready for giving.
Chocolate Cut Out Cookies
These rolled chocolate cut out cookies are a perfect sweet treat for that special someone!
Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake
Wrap up a loaf of this easy and delicious lemon cake for a sweet gift. It's perfect for shipping to far-away friends.
White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Deliciously sweet, these white chocolate chip cookies are studded with chips and cranberries.
Portuguese Sweet Bread
This delicious sweet bread is perfect for giving along with a jar of fruit jam or jelly.
Raspberry Jam
The addition of fresh apricots gives the finished product a fresh, sunny flavor perfect for gift giving.
Easy Homemade Strawberry Jam
Deliver a jar of homemade jam straight from the kitchen coupled with a loaf of fresh bread and you'll be someone's favorite Santa!
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies Gift in a Jar
Give a gift of delicious white chocolate cranberry cookies! This pretty jar is great for gifts and can be transformed into warm cookies fresh out of the oven in no time!
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Savory homemade food gifts
Prefer things a bit more fiery? How about giving a jar of homemade hot sauce to kick up the heat? Or a hearty ready-to-make soup mix? These savory gifts will be much appreciated — especially by folks who aren’t much into making their own.
Savory homemade food gifts
Caramelized Onion Jam
Put up a few jars of this yummy caramelized onion jam for the friends and family you especially love.
Smoky Homemade Hot Sauce
This homemade hot pepper sauce has a wonderful smoky flavor. Perfect for the one who loves hot stuff!
Dried Chile Pepper Flakes
Give a jar of homegrown, homemade chile pepper flakes. Maybe coupled with this book?
Easy French Bread Recipe
Bread may seem to take a while, but it's mostly hands-off and the end result is worth it.
Garlic Rosemary No-Knead Bread
This crunchy bread made with rosemary and garlic will wow your gift recipients.
Bottoms up!
Whether your gift recipient is a teetotaler or one who enjoys a little nip now and again, these delicious elixirs add flavor to cocktails or non-alcoholic sodas and spritzes. Package these homemade gifts in small (food safe) bottles that you’ve upcycled. (Here’s one way to make them pretty!)
Bottoms up!
Homemade Kahlua
Learn how to easily make this favorite liqueur at home, without using instant coffee.
Homemade Orange Liqueur
This homemade tangerine or orange liqueur is easy to make and a fun way to use seasonal citrus.
Homemade Creme de Cacao
This makes a dark chocolate liqueur, not the clear, colorless, liqueur of the popular brand of Crème de Cacao.
Ginger Simple Syrup
This easy recipe makes a flavorful addition to sweets, beverages, and marinades.
Citrus Simple Syrup
This simple syrup recipe calls for tangerine or orange juice, but you can substitute just about any fresh juice to make different flavors.
More gift giving ideas:
Hi Kris. Thank you so much for the recipe for homemade vanilla. It was soooo easy but so fun and great to give as gifts. All of my sisters and baking friends loved it. Who knew we could MAKE it! Enjoy the New Year. Mimi
Love it!