Foodie Christmas Gift Ideas

Giving the perfect Christmas gift is hard. And, saving enough money to get that “perfect” gift for every friend and family member is even harder. That’s why, for the past couple of years, I have held off on the gift cards or last minute Amazon orders for most of my friends and family and have stuck to making things in the kitchen instead. The way I see it, making some yummy granola or chocolate peanut butter cups will cost you about a fourth of what you’d normally spend on a gift and they are so much more meaningful. And, for those who aren’t really feeling like whipping up your own gifts, I’ve included a few affordable items that would make the perfect gift for any foodie friend. So, this Christmas week, worry less about braving the long lines at Target or the mall and be more concerned with the Christmas playlist that you will jam to in your kitchen while you’re mixing up some love-filled presents for family and friends. After all, the Advent season is all about preparing your mind and soul for what’s to come. Hope you are inspired by these ideas!

Things to Make:

Granola

This one will always go at the top of my favorite Christmas gifts to give. Yes, it may be kind of obvious that I’d have this on the top of my food gift list considering it is the blog’s namesake, but honestly, you can’t go wrong with this one. Whether people use it on yogurt, as a cereal, or just eat it plain, I am sure it will be a hit. I always use my granola recipe that I absolutely love but there are so many good recipes out there, this could be a great opportunity to experiment and find your own favorite granola recipe!! I also love the fact that the ingredients in it are pretty inexpensive to buy, especially if you buy them in bulk.

Dark Chocolate Cups

I love these because you can literally put anything in them and they will still taste delicious. Over the summer, I even tried putting a mix of purple sweet potatoes and coconut butter in the middle and I still can’t get over how good they were. These also make the absolute best gift because they’re so quick and easy to make. Plus, who couldn’t love anything that involves chocolate. Definitely going to be gifting quite a few of these this Christmas!

Ingredients/ Supplies (makes about 18 mini cups)

• One bag of dark chocolate (I use 72% cacao)

• 2 tbs coconut oil

• Peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower butter

• Mini cupcake tin

• Mini cupcake baking pan

Directions

1. Line a mini cupcake pan with mini cupcake tins.

2. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave with the coconut oil in 30 second increments, stirring and microwaving until fully melted.

3. Once the chocolate is melted, scoop the chocolate into the mini cupcake tins. Just scoop enough so that there will be a bottom layer.

4. Freeze this layer for about 5 minutes in a freezer.

5. Once the bottom layer of the chocolate is solid, scoop your nut butter of choice in each cupcake tin.

6. Add more dark chocolate to each cup until the cups are filled to the very top with chocolate.

7. Freeze for 5-10 more minutes or until firm.

8. Take out of the freezer and gift away!! Just be aware that these cups may get melty when at room temperature for more than an hour so store in the fridge.

Granola Bars

We all have that friend who refused to leave the house without a granola bar (okay, I’ll be honest, that friend is me). So, although this may seem like an odd gift for Christmas, I can assure you that it will be a winner, especially with this recipe. Quite frankly, I was completely inspired by Minimalist Baker on this one and give her full credits for this great recipe below. Just put these bars into a cute tin from the Dollar Tree and you’ve got yourself the perfect Christmas gift!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup peanut butter

• 1.5 cups oats

• 1 cup roasted nuts/seeds of your choice (I used pecans and pumpkin seeds)

• 1 cup pitted dates

• 1/4 cup honey

Directions

1. Blend the dates using a food processor until they form into a dough-like consistency. 

2. Heat the honey and the peanut butter over medium heat. 

3. Add the oats and nuts/ seeds to the mixture and stir

4. Continue to stir and slowly add the date mixture.

5. Pour the mixture into an 8x8 pan and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

6. Once the mixture is chilled, cut it into bars!! I would recommend storing in the fridge for max freshness. 

Lentil Soup Jar Mix

I love the idea of giving someone the gift of a meal that they can make whenever they want. This gift is not only super cute, but it is also so easy to assemble. I chose to replicate this Moroccan lentil soup and although it contains a lot of spices, most of them I already had on hand. However, for this recipe, I used half green lentils and half red lentils instead of just all red but you couldn’t go wrong either way. There are tons of recipes online as well for good looking soups that I would definitely encourage you to peruse to find the perfect one for your gift. This present is the perfect thing to help warm up your friend or family member in those long winter months.

If you’re not so into making things… 

Matcha or Tea

This is honestly the best gift to receive. If you know someone who likes to drink tea, nothing will make them happier than a new blend of tea to try. I would also recommend gifting matcha powder to someone who likes to be experimental with his or her tea and coffee. For matcha, my absolute favorite is Republic of Tea’s U-matcha single sip. However, if wanting to spend a little less on the gift, I would recommend looking at the Trader Joe’s matcha selections that are often decently cheaper but still good quality.

Milk Frother

This takes any mediocre home latte to the next level. For that friend that is always trying to make lattes in her dorm using a Keurig, this is exactly what he or she needs. I would especially recommend this one.

Everything But the Bagel Seasoning

The best seasoning. Ever. I put it on avocado toast, sweet potatoes, even salads - honestly, you just can’t go wrong. This also makes the perfect “happy” or stocking stuffer for friends and family.

Microwaveable Egg Poacher

I can’t recommend this gift enough. Whether it’s for a college student who doesn’t have a stove or an adult who loves eggs benedict but never has time to poach the eggs, this gift is the best. All you do is stick an egg in the microwave in the mold with some water, and it comes out as a perfectly running poached egg in just 45 seconds. I recommend purchasing this one.

Wishing everyone the best Christmas week! Just remember that this is a time to be present with friends and family and not a time to stress too much about finding that perfect gift. I hope that this list gives you some ideas!