Looking for a gift for the foodie in your life? Whether they’re a coffee snob, fromage fanatic, wannabe sommelier, or snack lover with a discerning palate, there are plenty of delightful baskets across the internet that are sure to brighten their day.
These are not your everyday gift baskets, mind you. They feature the best artisanal food that you can find. They'll wow the recipient and show them that you went the extra mile with supreme products, including wine, coffee, chocolate, baked goods, fruit, and more.
There are plenty of fruit baskets out there, some more exciting than others. For one that will blow the recipient away, go with the Exotic Fruit Gift Basket from Melissa’s Produce. It’s fresh, juicy, colorful, and frankly blows most other fruit baskets out of the water. This 8-pound treasure may include Asian pears, blood oranges, feijoas, kiwis, kumquats, persimmons, pomegranates, sapotes, tamarillos, lychees, passion fruit, specialty bananas, strawberry papayas, cherimoyas, baby pineapples, pepino melons, mangos, starfruit, or coconuts.
Includes: Asian pears, blood oranges, feijoas, kiwis, kumquats, persimmons, pomegranates, sapotes, tamarillos, lychees, passion fruit, specialty bananas, strawberry papayas, cherimoyas, baby pineapples, pepino melons, mangoes, starfruit, coconuts (all subject to seasonal availability)
Moose Munch popcorn is said to have gone through more than 160 recipe attempts to get a winning formula. It’s sweet, crunchy, caramelly, a little salty, and hard to stop snacking on. This assortment includes a range of Moose Munch in various kinds of chocolate, caramel, and more, all in a decorative tin.
Includes: Moose Munch premium popcorn, six bags (milk chocolate, dark chocolate, classic caramel, milk chocolate-covered, dark chocolate-covered, milk chocolate s’mores)
Looking to delight the Italian food fanatic of the group? Look no further. The Italian Treasures Gift Box at iGourmet has just about everything they could want, aside from a plane ticket to Italy. Fifteen regions of the country are represented in the box, from Tuscany to Abruzzi to Umbria. Enjoy aged Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic vinegar, white truffle oil, lavender honey, Italian olive oil, and so much more.
Includes: Caciotta al Tartufo, Sliced Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano Stravecchio, Piave DOP, Sliced Speck, 100% Italiano extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Kamut Penne Rigatti Felicetti Monograno pasta, white truffle oil, Italian lavender honey, Biscotti di Riso Miele, Pane di Musica, Sbrisolona cookies
It’s hard to beat Champagne, especially from a producer as iconic as Dom Perignon. This basket includes a bottle of Dom paired with snacks, including Godiva chocolate truffles, Lille chocolate cookie thins, fruit-filled pastries, and galettes. It’s luxe, tasty, and crowd-pleasing. Even if the person you’re sending it to doesn’t happen to love Champagne enough to drink it casually, this bottle is nice, so it can be saved for the next special occasion.
Includes: Dom Perignon, smoked gouda cheese spread, chocolate brownies, Lille chocolate cookie thins, chocolate chip cookies, Godiva dark chocolate ganache hearts, vanilla fudge with sea salt, olives, fruit filled pastries, chocolates with mint filling, galette French butter cookies with sea salt, Lindt Lindor milk chocolate truffle balls, milk chocolate with hazelnut praline, and more
Paris, and France in general, is often considered an epicenter of luxury, so if you want to give a truly indulgent treat to someone you love, consider the Taste of France Collection by iGourmet. This basket includes aged cheeses, dried meats, olives, crackers, jams, cookies, and more. It makes for a stunning and well-rounded spread.
Includes: Camembert, aged Mimolette cheese, Chabichou du Poitou, Saucisson Sec sausage, French bistro ham, cracked green olives, fig jam, chocolate cocoa nib cookies, French cornichons, Dijon mustard, sourdough flatbreads, artisan crisps
Given that people say “cheese” when smiling for a photo, it’s no surprise that cheese makes people happy. This gift basket from the Di Bruno Bros. would make any cheese and charcuterie lover downright ecstatic by way of the best of the best, including a 3-year-old cheddar cheese and a cheese spread.
The set also comes with jam, candied nuts, salami, crostini, Di Bruno Bros. Prosciutto Stuffed Pepper Shooters, and a chocolate bar. If you want to go above and beyond, there are additional gifts you can add to the basket, such as aged balsamic vinegar, cookies, and even more cheese.
Includes: Aged cheddar cheese, cheese spread, prosciutto stuffed pepper shooters, salami, candied nuts, imported jam, crostini, chocolate bar
Who doesn’t love a good cookie? Cheryl’s is well known in the baking world, and for good reason. Its Best of Buttercream Cookie Boxes include many of its best-sellers, ranging from orange citrus to salted caramel chocolate to wedding cake and beyond. The boxes are available in 12, 24, 32, 72, or 100 total cookies. Each one is individually wrapped, making this a great choice for a party or business event.
Includes: Buttercream frosted cut-out cookies, buttercream frosted key lime white chip cookies, buttercream frosted orange citrus cookies, fudge buttercream frosted chocolate cookies, strawberry buttercream frosted sugar cookies, buttercream frosted salted caramel chocolate cookies, buttercream frosted lemon burst cookies, buttercream frosted wedding cake cookies, buttercream frosted peanut butter buckeye cookies
Nuts and snack mixes are fantastic for picnics, road trips, home bars, backyard barbecues, and movie marathons. If you want to thank a host or bring great snacks to a get-together, consider the Giant Gourmet Gift Basket from Nuts.com. It features a wealth of roasted nuts, tasty popcorns, dried fruits, chocolates, crackers, and even honey. It’s a nicely diverse basket that has something for everyone.
Includes: Roasted and salted mixed nuts, roasted and salted pistachios, dark chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, Turkish figs, roasted and salted cashews, roasted and salted almonds, chocolate-covered sunflower seeds, jumbo gourmet buttercrunch, caramel-coated popcorn, monkey munch, dark chocolate-covered cherries, chocolate-covered espresso bean mix, honey mustard pretzel pieces, dried fruit mix, gourmet honey, gourmet strawberry preserves, gourmet crackers, gourmet chocolate
Jams and jellies are great on toast, crackers, biscuits, tarts, scones, cookies, and more. Frog Hollow Farm has a delicious fruit conserve collection consisting of five 8-ounce jars, with flavors such as apricot, nectarine, plum-blueberry, nectarine-plum, and peach. Please note that certain flavors are subject to availability and may be substituted to a different flavor. Either way, it is sure to be tasty.
Includes: 5 jars of fruit conserve, 8 ounces each (apricot, nectarine, plum-blueberry, nectarine-plum, peach)
Vegans avoid a lot of common ingredients, which can sometimes make it a challenge to find a good food gift. Luckily, the Bite Society has this Very Vegan Gift Basket filled with vegan-friendly snacks and treats, including Ethiopian coffee, marionberry jam, potato chips, sour apple drops, and even vegan lime-coconut cookies. The packaging is eye-catching and fun, and several of the tins as well as the gray basket can be reused, too.
Includes: Ethiopian coffee, granola, lemon ginseng tea, marionberry jam, potato chips, spicy nuts, sour apple dots, vegan lime-coconut cookies, peach buds
Ackermann Maple Farm, a small family-run company in Vermont—one of the birthplaces of maple syrup—showcases its maple products in this sweet breakfast box. You can choose the grade of pure syrup and the flavor of barrel-aged or infused syrup to send in this gift, along with gluten-free or wheat-based pancake mix. The package also includes maple sugar, maple crumbles to use as a crunchy topping or like sugar cubes, and maple cream, which is pure maple syrup that has been reduced and whipped to a spreadable consistency.
Includes: Bottle of traditional maple syrup, bottle of barrel-aged or infused syrup, maple cream, pancake mix, maple sugar, maple crumbles, 3 recipe cards
Captain Jack's has sat dockside in Seward, Alaska, for more than 20 years, packaging wild-caught seafood products for sports fishermen and local family-owned businesses. The name has become a bit misleading since ownership by Elle Zernia, whose voice you’ll hear if you call and ask for “Captain Jack.” The Deluxe Taste of Alaska gift box combines land and sea flavors into a shelf-stable package. It includes two different Alaskan-made sausages, smoked sockeye salmon, smoked silver salmon, assorted cheeses, mustard dipping sauce, and crackers, along with a wooden-handle spreader.
Includes: 2 types of Alaskan-made sausage, jar of smoked sockeye salmon, jar of smoked silver salmon, jar of mustard dipping sauce, assorted cheeses, box of crackers, wooden-handle spreader
San Juan Island Sea Salt was inspired by college friends reducing seawater to salt as Christmas gifts. Today, the business produces 20,000 pounds of salt annually. The Ultimate Salt Set nestles eight of its best-selling products in an illustrated gift box. It includes a jar each of house-made organic seasoning salt, popcorn seasoning, natural sea salt, and salt cold-smoked with local Pacific Madrona wood, along with an engraved salt box. Two grinders hold a coarse sea salt and black peppercorn blend and a mixed seasoning blend. The set also contains regular or chocolate salted honey caramels.
Includes: Jar of natural sea salt, jar of madrona-smoked sea salt, jar of popcorn blend, jar of San Juan blend, pepper salt grinder, Daily Grind grinder, engraved salt box, box of salted honey caramels
The Epicurean Trader emphasizes craft products online and in all of its San Francisco stores, so it’s no surprise that the company’s curated cocktail kits explore twists on classic beverages. The G&T Kit holds three small-batch gins and five tonic water flavors for an experimental mix-and-match evening. The box’s contents can vary depending on availability but often feature artisanal gin from St. George Spirits of Alameda, California, and Fever-Tree’s line of tonic waters. The kit includes a recipe card to get the tasting started—just add ice and a lime.
Includes: 3 types of gin, 5 flavored tonic waters, recipe card
Rogue Creamery sits just a few dozen miles from the California border, but it looked northward to fill out this gift box. Four of its organic award-winning cheeses—three blue and one cheddar—are joined from Washington state by preserves and crispbread crackers and from Oregon by salami and even artisan chocolate made just doors from the creamery’s shop. The creamery has been making cheese since 1933, and in 2016, all of its products, the creamery, and its dairy farm became USDA-certified organic.
Includes: Rogue River blue cheese, Smokey blue cheese, Crater Lake blue cheese, 2-year aged cheddar, pear preserves, chocolate bar, sea salt crackers, Olympia Provisions Saucisson D’Arles
The word “experience” in this gift package gives a hint of what your recipient will find when opening the box: not only 45 oysters from this five-generation farm, but also the tools and accompaniments for an evening of shucking and slurping. The oyster selection depends on availability but typically ranges from sweet Fanny Bay Sun Seekers, to briny Taylor Pacific Petites, to strongly briny Shigokus. To help in cracking into them, the box contains a shucking knife and gloves. For serving, it includes mignonette sauce, Tabasco sauce, and a lemon.
Includes: 45 in-shell oysters, Taylor-engraved shucking knife, pair of shucking gloves, Taylor Shellfish mignonette sauce, mini Tabasco sauce, whole lemon
New York’s Eli Zabar builds gift baskets with a mix of fresh, seasonal, and shelf-stable ingredients assembled when ordered and typically shipped the next business day. This kosher basket is no exception. On the fresh and refrigerated side, it features breads from the company’s kosher bakery, fresh fruit, smoked salmon, and Parmesan cheese. Shelf-stable products include kosher crisp breads, olive oil, nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate. Add-ons such as kosher raisin nut rounds and challah can be selected for the order, or you can choose a larger Super Deluxe basket.
Includes: Kosher breads, kosher crisp breads, nuts, chocolates, smoked salmon, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, fresh and dried fruit
Hickory Farms is well-known for artisan goods, and this particular gift box is filled with bestsellers. In addition to the signature beef summer sausage, there are six kinds of cheese, two kinds of crackers, and some sweet hot mustard. It's enough to make a truly impressive charcuterie board in one, neat package.
Includes: Signature beef summer sausage, three cheese and onion blend, sharp cheddar blend, mission jack blend, jalapeño cheddar blend, smoked cheddar blend, sweet hot mustard, olive oil and rosemary crackers, golden toasted crackers
The Tour de France gift crate is a true tour de force. It includes a wealth of luxuries that would impress the most discerning Francophile. The artisanal fresh-caught salmon is smoked on fruitwood for a silky texture with complex taste. Brillat Savarin cheese is a buttery triple-cream cow cheese with a rind that has notes of nuts, mushrooms, and truffles. The included pork paté is made with a blend of onions and spices. Deep orange trout row adds a pop of color to the affair. Last, but most certainly not least, are the blinis, aka small French pancakes, best served with roe and some crème fraiche.
Includes: Smoked salmon, trout roe, French blinis, Brillat Savarin cheese, pork paté
Bokksu offers curated collection so of authentic Japanese snacks. The Seasons of Japan box includes highlights from every time of the year, ranging from ginger candies to white chocolate-infused strawberries and beyond. We love that Bokksu includes a pamphlet detailing each snack, its history, and where in Japan it originates from. It's a veritable tasty tour around the nation.
Includes: An assortment of 22 Japanese snacks
This candy trunk is the definition of a sweet treat. Sugarfina packs 20 candy-filled cubes in a gorgeous sky blue trunk, with each cube containing incredible candies that range in flavor, style, and appearance. There are gummy bears made with real Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne, caramels dipped in premium chocolate with a candy shell coating, and birthday cake-flavored cookie bites, to name a few. It’s an incredible set.
Includes: Peach bellini, sugar lips, bubbly bears, dark chocolate sea salt caramels, heavenly sours, sparkling rosé bears, ice cream cones, birthday cake caramels, island pineapples, chocolate covered cookie dough, sparkle pops, peach bum, apple frogs, summer strawberries, cold brew cordials, strawberry hearts, rosé frosé, dark roast espresso beans, birthday cake cookies, robin’s egg caramels
Few gifts are more heartfelt than breakfast in bed. If a loved one is far away, though, consider sending them a breakfast gift basket instead. Take the New England Breakfast gift basket, which includes pancake mix, maple syrup from New Hampshire, blueberry preserves from Maine, and coffee to boot.
Includes: Farmhouse pancake mix, maple syrup, traditional scone mix, blueberry preserves, Earl Grey tea, breakfast coffee blend, Columbian coffee blend, wooden crate
Beverly Hills-based andSons Chocolatiers partnered with the nearby Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens to create a bonbon collection using high-quality chocolate and ingredients sourced from the property. The 24-piece box includes bonbons featuring the institution’s orange marmalade and tea blend, as well as andSons’ most popular signature confections of the season, which could include passion fruit, double yuzu, and dark hazelnut praline. These sweet treats all come packaged in a box that reproduces a Miranda Sofroniou painting of the botanical gardens.
Includes: 4 Huntington Orange Marmalade bonbons, 4 Huntington Tea caramel bonbons, 16 Signature bonbons
What to Look for in a Gourmet Gift Basket
Presentation
If you really want to wow someone when you give them a gift, then it’s not just about the contents–it’s about the overall presentation. Whether it’s all wrapped up in a bow or neatly arranged in an appealing basket, presentation is the cherry on top of any gift. Many premade gift baskets are known for their beautiful presentations.
Variety
Digging through a gift basket and discovering the goodies inside is just as fun as enjoying the treats themselves. Variety really elevates a gift basket from good to great. Well-rounded gift baskets could include dried meats, cheeses, gourmet snacks, candies, nuts, and fruit mixes. Even if you select a specialty gift basket, you can look for variety. For example, if you’re sending someone a chocolate lover’s basket, you can look for different flavors or types of chocolates. There could be salted caramel chocolate bars, milk chocolate-covered popcorn, double fudge brownies, dark chocolate mints, etc.
Freshness
Stale cookies are sad, especially when they're supposed to be a gift for someone—that’s why freshness is so important when it comes to perishable gift baskets. Typically, fresh baked goods are made only a day or two before being wrapped up and shipped in a gift basket. With next day or same-day shipping, your goods should still arrive fresh and tasty. Keep an eye out for shipping expectations when ordering.
FAQs
How are gift baskets shipped?
Each retailer will have a different shipping process. That said, most gift baskets with perishable items are often shipped with ice packs or on refrigerated trucks within a few days of ordering.
Additionally, most baskets come in some form of, well, basket. Wicker or woven baskets are common, but other options include wooden boxes or plastic tubs. Items may be nestled among package filling (like crinkle paper) or individually wrapped to ensure freshness and cleanliness.
What are the most popular types of gift baskets?
There is an incredible variety of gift baskets available. Popular gift baskets include snacks and foods, wine and cheese, gourmet candies and chocolate, holiday-themed sets, spa care, or a mix of items.
How can I customize a gift basket?
Many retailers allow customizable options. Some may let you swap out a few items for something else, add on extras, include a personalized gift message, or even embroider names onto items. Check for customization options in your online order.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
Writer and professional eater Christine Clark is an avid sharer and enjoyer of all things delicious. Her love languages are food and gift-giving. She has a cheese podcast, a fridge that is always too full, and a very lived-in kitchen.
Julie Laing, who also contributed to this roundup, has been a writer and editor for more than 25 years and is the author of the weekly newspaper column and food blog, Twice as Tasty. She loves to gift homemade food, from freshly ground spice blends and her personal sourdough starter, so she looks for quality first in any prepackaged food gift she recommends. Julie published her first cookbook, "The Complete Guide to Pickling," in 2020.
Allison Wignall, who updated this article, is a writer who focuses on food and travel. During her globetrotting she has tasted some of the sweetest confections–from macarons in Paris to fresh gourmet chocolates in Ecuador. Her work has been featured in publications, such as Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and Southern Living.