The 20 Best Food Gifts of 2021

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We’re not going to overcomplicate things—food is pretty much a guaranteed, foolproof gift. It’s practical (everyone has to eat, right?), timeless, and works for any occasion, not to mention that there are an endless amount of options available these days to fit every taste, both literally and figuratively.

Maybe you’re searching for a gift for your best foodie friend, who already has a cabinet stocked with fourteen different kinds of vinegar. Or maybe you want to pick up a simple hostess gift for a new friend or acquaintance.

In every instance across the board, there’s a food gift that fits. Check out the culinary deliciousness we discovered below, and you’ll see exactly what we mean and why food is truly the best way to someone’s heart.

Here, the best food—and beverage—gifts out there.

Niloofar Persian Trail Mix

Trust us, this is nothing like any trail mix you may have had before—it’s a million times better. The founder of the female-owned company was inspired by her Persian heritage and the foods she grew up with, including ‘ajil’ a traditional fruit and nut mix often served to guests. Enter her own take on the classic, which boasts all kinds of unique ingredients such as white mulberries, figs, golden berries, and assorted nuts.

Vegan, gluten-free, and with no added sugar, the sweet and salty mix is one you'll want to always have on hand. Choose from two types of trail mix, oh, and check out the Persian-style seasoned almonds, too. Either way, it’s a perfect gift—just ask any of the many, many people we’ve personally gifted it to.

Hillards Chocolate Craft Beer Brittle

No matter whether your recipient is a fan of chocolate, beer, or both, here’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. The innovative recipe features a sweet peanut brittle cooked in a copper kettle, finished with a local beer that gives it a subtle beer finish. It’s a delicious gift to bring to any casual gathering or barbecue.

Chocbox

Giving a standard box of chocolates is so last year. With this creative concept, you give someone everything they need to make their own delicious chocolate themselves. Each kit comes with all of the ingredients necessary, helpfully pre-measured, a mold, and directions so that you can play Willy Wonka in the comfort of your own kitchen.

There are several different flavors to choose from, from classic dark chocolate to unique options like ‘fruity fiesta’ and ‘java junkie.’

Saltworks Serious About Salt Shaker and Grinder Set

Any salt aficionado is sure to love this collection of 12 salts and peppers. Sourced from around the world, they come in small grinders and shakers, making it easy to ultimately refill any favorites. Their options are unique and unexpecte— think a Chardonnay oak-smoked salt and organic Tellicherry peppercorns.

Owen’s Craft Mixers Grapefruit + Lime

Nab these for the friend who loves whipping up homemade cocktails. The non-alcoholic mixers are made with simple ingredients (such as real juice) and are the perfect base for mixing with your favorite liquor.

We’re partial to the grapefruit + lime variant, which works nicely with a variety of different booze, but all of the choices are delicious. And the best part? You don’t even need the alcohol. They’re just as good on their own or used as a base for a mocktail.

The Heatonist Hot Sauce Gift Pack

The Heatonist Fan Favorites Pack — Courtesy of The Heatonist

Know someone who puts hot sauce on everything? This is the gift for them. This entire website is a treasure trove of hot sauce-inspired gifts. Be sure to peruse them all, but this trio is a surefire safe bet.

It comes with three sauces, and while they’re all hot, of course, none are totally mouth-numbing.

Tipsy Scoop Boozy Ice Cream Favorites

This company had the brilliant idea to combine two delicious and popular indulgences—namely ice cream and alcohol—into one yummy dessert. As the name suggests, each flavor is infused with booze.

This pack comes with six: mango margarita sorbet, vanilla bean bourbon, chocolate whiskey caramel, cake batter vodka martini, raspberry limoncello sorbet, and spiked hazelnut coffee ice cream. So, the next time someone asks you to bring a dessert to a dinner party, you'll be ready.

La Tienda Tapas Party Gift Box

Okay, so maybe gifting a plane ticket to Barcelona is out of the question, but consider this the next best thing. The goodies in this box serve six to eight, so all you have to do is open it up and wait for guests to arrive. It comes with all kinds of Spanish tapas essentials—stuffed olives, piquillo peppers, chorizo, potato chips, and more. The only thing missing? A pitcher of sangria.

Capital City Co. Wing Sauce

It may be Buffalo, NY that came up with buffalo wings, but apparently it’s Washington D.C. that’s known for its wing sauce. Namely, this sauce, which has somewhat of a cult-like following.

Available in either mild or sweet hot variants, it works great on wings (obviously), but can also be used as a marinade or sauce for fish, veggies, steak, and more.

Lobster Gram Bloody Mary Bar

Brunch fans, Bloody Mary fans, and seafood fans alike will go gaga for this next-level gift box. Not only does it have the standard things you’d expect to see—Bloody Mary mix, of course, pickled veggies—it also comes with a full pound of jumbo cooked shrimp to completely up the garnish game. Pair it with the next gift on our list and you're really going to knock it out of the gifting park.

Ogden’s Own Distillery Five Wives Vodka

This small-batch vodka, a favorite in its home state of Utah and quickly gaining popularity nationwide, truly defines small-batch. Case in point: The water used comes from a spring hidden in a canyon that can’t be accessed by a vehicle and is hiked out five gallons at a time.

The corn vodka is gluten-free and clean and crisp-tasting, and the irreverent name and labeling make it good for a laugh.

Sigmund’s Build Your Own Box Soft Pretzels

New York City is known for its soft pretzels, but these are so much better than anything you’d get from a street cart. They’re made fresh and shipped out directly from the store’s New York City location; you get to pick from original, Truffle Cheddar, or "everything" flavors. We love this as a gift for any NYC ex-pat, or any carb-lover in your life.

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey

Here’s a choice option for your whiskey-loving friend. This one nabbed the title of ‘World’s Best’ at last year’s World Whiskies Awards (among other accolades it’s racked up).

Distilled, aged, and bottled in Tennessee, it’s also owned by an all-minority led business, using a process originally brought to Tennessee by enslaved African-Americans.

Exau Olive Oil 2019 Harvest Avus

Remember that scenario we mentioned, about the friend who has 14 kinds of vinegar in their pantry at any given time? This exclusive, high-end olive oil is a gift for that friend.

The award-winning company harvests, bottles, presses, and imports its oil from Calabria, Italy each year, coming back with unique versions each year. (This particular one is a medium-bodied oil, balanced with sweet and bitter notes.)

Grounds & Hounds Morning Walk Breakfast Blend Coffee

Not only does this company make delicious coffee, but it also works to help support rescue dogs around the country. Caffeine and puppies—could there be a better combination? 20% of all their profits go toward rescue organizations working to help dogs everywhere, a theme that’s seen in their creative coffee names.

Speaking of, all of the coffee is 100% fair-trade and 100% organic-certified. There’s a litany of different options to choose from, but this full-bodied, light-roast is a fan favorite. Add a cute coffee mug and you have the perfect gift for any dog- or coffee-lover in your life.

Fromagination Victory Cheese Box

Fun fact: Wisconsin cheese has won more awards than any cheese in the world. In other words, for those who like cheese, an assortment of Wisconsin’s finest is a great way to go.

This boutique cheese shop in Madison, WI, (if you find yourself there, make sure to pop by), provides exactly that in this adorable gift box. It comes with four of the state’s top cheese, plus all the accouterments you could need.

Sugarfina Design Your Own 8-Piece Candy Bento Box

This brand arguably redefined gifting candy, turning it from something more often found in a goody bag at a kid’s birthday party into a luxurious gift for adults.

There’s the noteworthy packaging to start, with high-end signature blue boxes and clear square compartments. And of course the grown-up flavors, things like peach Bellini gummies, chocolate-covered cookie dough bites, and even green juice gummy bears. Pick eight of your favorites and they’ll put them all together in this adorable box.

Mouth Big Spoon Nut Butter Trio

Mouth is one of our go-to destinations for any and every kind of food-related gift; their options are almost dizzyingly extensive. But here’s one fun find choice for any nut lover.

This flight comes with a chocolate sea salt almond butter, peanut cashew butter, and Fiji ginger almond butter, all from Brooklyn-based Big Spoon Roasters. Piece of toast and glass of cold milk not included.

Argaux 3-Bottle Gift Box

Wine clubs and subscriptions and gifting options are a dime a dozen, but we’re partial to this one because of how darn it easy it is (and the great variety of wines offered too, of course).

All you have to do is choose whether you want to gift red, white, or a combo, and how much you spend and that’s it. They do the hard work for you, finding three bottles and packaging them up for the perfect gift.

Halfsies Cookie Company Halfsies Sampler

You may have seen these cookies on social media, as they’re somewhat of an Instagram sensation. What started as a side business for a couple in upstate New York quickly turned into a full-blown juggernaut. What do we mean by that, exactly? A limited amount of these cookies goes on sale Sunday through Friday at noon…and sells out within minutes every time.

Per the name, the cookies come in (very large) halves. There are several different flavors available daily—fun flavor combs with equally fun names like ‘Rest in Reese’s’ and ‘I Hate Raisins Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chip—but you can’t go wrong with the classic sampler pack which contains six of their top flavors.