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Oct 15, 2024

25 Best Gift Baskets of 2024, According to Our Editors

We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Our list includes overnighted Massachusetts oysters, Levain Bakery cookies, and so

We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

Our list includes overnighted Massachusetts oysters, Levain Bakery cookies, and so much more.

Julia Heffelfinger is a cook, recipe developer, writer, editor, and food stylist. A native of Minnesota, Julia will talk your ear off about her love of her home state and buttered corn on the cob.

Expertise: cooking, travel.

Experience: After graduating from Wesleyan University, Julia Heffelfinger worked in production for several food-focused television shows, including Cake Boss and Next Great Baker. She attended the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City while working on the line at Daniel Boulud's fine dining Mediterranean restaurant, Boulud Sud. Julia assisted food columnist Melissa Clark at The New York Times before spending four years in the food department at Food & Wine. You can find her work in Food & Wine, Better Homes & Gardens, Condé Nast Traveler, Artful Living, Eater, My Fitness Pal, and Furthermore from Equinox.

Food & Wine / Dera Burreson

Whether it's a holiday, birthday, hostess gift, or something sweet for your valentine, everyone loves a good gift basket. But finding one that will impress the food-obsessed in your life and that works for your budget can be a tall order. Luckily, we've done all of that legwork for you. We've chosen a wide range of gift sets from our favorite specialty food and drink producers and pulled together this list with something for everyone.

Our list of the best gift baskets includes silky dark chocolate truffles that are (almost) too pretty to eat, dry-aged steaks for the carnivore in your life, a decadent pint of the month ice cream club, Vermont-made cheeses and jams, and so much more. Read on for our top gourmet gift basket picks that will make a thoughtful, and delicious, gift any time of year.

Harry & David practically invented the gift basket with juicy foil-wrapped pears, dried fruits, crackers, and toasted nuts. There is a reason that this company is still a go-to resource after over 100 years of business. This hefty gift box includes six of its Royal Riviera pears with four varieties of cheese from Rogue Creamery in Central Point, Oregon. The smoky, creamy blues are so good with the buttery pears, but we also couldn't stop snacking on the nutty, cheddar-style TouVelle.

Forget waiting in line for one of Levain Bakery's gooey chocolate chip cookies — now you can send them directly to friends or family (or to yourself). The famous NYC bakery is known for its hulking cookies with soft, buttery centers and perfectly chewy edges. They've been in the cookie business for 25 years now, expanding from its shop in the Upper West Side to several new locations and now (even better) home delivery. Its signature gift box includes four, six, or eight 6-ounce cookies in all of its best-selling flavors, each cookie freshly baked to order.

Porter Road was started by two Nashville chefs who were struggling to find fresh, humanely raised meat in their area. Their shop soon developed a cult following for its high-quality meats, butchered on-site and sourced from free-range animals raised on local farms. In 2019, they launched their online shop so people around the country can taste the difference in their products. Their curated "Best of" box is a sampling of their greatest hits, from dry-aged steaks to fresh chorizo.

Christina Tosi's Milk Bar was an instant hit with its confetti-flecked cakes and nostalgic sweets. Now you can ship all of the fan-favorites from this NYC bakery directly to your door through its extensive online shop. While its towering layer cakes are great for birthdays and holidays, who wouldn't love a hot pink tin packed with its greatest hits. This sampler includes cookies, birthday cake truffles and a slice of its gooey Milk Bar pie.

This chic little bundle from California-based Brightland olive oil has everything you need to dress all of your spring and summer salads, including a sleek gold pour spout. The Awake olive oil is a robust blend made from early-harvest Coratina olives, so it's bold with lots of fresh grassy notes. Drizzle this olive oil over grilled vegetables or a seared steak, or pair it with the Champagne vinegar infused with Valencia oranges and a drizzle of the orange blossom honey for a quick 3-ingredient vinaigrette.

Brightland is one of our editor-favorite olive brands, and we think this stylish set deserves a permanent perch on everyone's kitchen counter.

Do as the Italians do, and order this La Dolce Vita collection from Murray's Cheese. This gift box has everything you'll need for a dreamy aperitivo spread: Prosciutto, sopressata, Castlevetrano olives, crunchy taralli crackers, and four varieties of cheese, including a wheel of the insanely creamy La Tur from Piedmont. Just add a few Aperol spritzes or your favorite NA spritz and let cocktail hour begin.

Jasper Hill Farm's award-winning cheeses are produced and aged in its on-site creamer in Northeastern Vermont. Its exceptional cheeses range from cloth-bound cheddars to robust blues and creamy soft-ripened wheels. The Diversion gift basket is our go-to because it features a variety, including our favorite, the Harbison, a dippable cheese aged in spruce and encased in a gorgeous bloomy rind. "I always bring Jasper Hill Farm's Harbison to my family get-togethers. It requires some scooping and spreading, and it's a fun conversation starter around the charcuterie board," says Commerce Editor Danielle St. Pierre.

Included are also four jars of local Blake Hill Preserves, which were created to pair specifically with these Jasper Hill cheeses. The spiced plum preserves with port and star anise are particularly amazing with the Bayley Hazen Blue. The Diversion also has an optional upgrade if you'd like to send your gift basket with a set of Boska stainless steel cheese knives.

If you're looking for a gift basket that goes beyond cheese, crackers, and chocolate, have you thought about sending soup dumplings? Xiao Chi Jie ships authentic, frozen xiao long bao, or soup dumplings, right to your door. These aren't your average frozen dumplings — the delicate dumpling wrappers make little pockets for the seasoned ground meat and unctuous, rice wine-infused broth.

The XCJ Full Dumpling Experience includes three bags of its different soup dumpling flavors (that's 150 dumplings!), plus a bamboo steamer basket for cooking and its three signature dipping sauces (chile crisp, ginger-scallion umami, and classic vinegar).

Katrina Markoff, the genius behind Vosges Chocolate in Chicago, is a real-life Willy Wonka. She travels the world sourcing the best spices, nuts, chiles and florals to pair with her luxurious chocolate. This 16-piece dark chocolate truffle set is perfect for the adventurer in your life. Each chocolate is infused with ingredients from around the world, be it Kalocsan paprika from Budapest, ground guajillo chiles from Oaxaca, or wild fennel pollen from Tuscany.

Melissa's is a phenomenal online resource for impeccable, hard-to-find fruits, vegetables, herbs, and microgreens. There are so many different fruit gift basket delivery options, but this one from Melissa's includes novel additions such as baby pineapples, Asian pears, lychee, kumquats, persimmons, rambutans, tamarillos, and feijoas (a variety of South American guava). This gift is great for adventurous eaters, smoothie junkies, or anyone who needs a tropical reprieve from the dead of winter, and a reason to make some recipes with passion fruit, for example.

Note: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, and Hawaii don't allow citrus fruit shipments into the state, so Melissa's will substitute for a different seasonal fruit variety.

Make the most important meal of the day also the tastiest one by giving a lucky someone Stonewall Kitchen’s Down East Breakfast Gift basket that’s bursting with the essential elements of a filling, flavorful morning spread — true to the Maine-based company’s regional roots. Smooth, medium-roast coffee provides some initial fuel, and the mixes make whipping up fluffy pancakes and sticky-sweet cinnamon buns a breeze. Embellishing the baked goods is easy, too: Jams (including Stonewall Kitchen’s iconic Wild Maine Blueberry Jam) and maple syrup are also included.

New York-based Mochidoki makes phenomenal Japanese mochi ice cream. Its delicate pockets of silky ice cream wrapped in pillowy mochi are the perfect two-bite treat. All of its flavors are made with the highest quality ingredients, like semi-sweet chocolate from Zurich and Alphonso mango. Its mochi ranges from traditional (red bean and black sesame) to new flavors like salted caramel and cake batter. We like the 24-piece gift set so you can try them all.

California-based McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams has a 70-year history of making deliciously creative ice creams and cookies. They source the best of everything, including artisan chocolate, and dairy from a family-owned farm. This dedication to ingredients pays off big time in ultra-smooth ice creams with alluring flavors to suit every palate. We love McConnell's Pint of the Month Club, which includes four pints per month of four different, carefully selected flavors, from Eureka Lemon & Marionberries to classic Golden State Vanilla.

While some flagship flavors are always available, it’s fun to see what limited releases they’ve churned out (hurry, and you might score a pint of their limited-run Raspberry Cheesecake & Chocolate Crust). We think a monthly ice cream delivery is one of the best gift baskets to give or receive.

Gift a taste of Sicily with Bona Furtuna's monthly gift subscription box. The Italian specialty food purveyor prides itself on making organic sauces, pastas, olive oil, and more with ingredients from its sustainable farm in Corleone. Its monthly membership includes a curated selection of new and best-selling products that can be used to make a different recipe each month, such as homemade pizza with basil-almond pesto and Sicilian chile pepper flakes. Send a one-month bundle, or go big and give three to six months of Italian home cooking.

Give the gift of a picnic and ensure it’s buono with Bella Cucina’s Italian Antipasti Basket. All the fixings for an alfresco feast fit neatly into one package. From savory lemon, olive, and pesto spreads to the crisp crackers and flatbreads needed to get this goodness from jar to mouth, it’s all packed in an easy-to-carry basket that’s easy on the eyes too. A rustic olive wood knife completes the set.

Containing some of Snake River Farms' best sellers, this gift box goes heavy on American Wagyu steak with a bundle of ribeyes, filets mignons, ground beef, and hot dogs, plus Kurobuta pork chops. These cuts will work great any time of year, whether on the grill or inside on the cast iron.

The promise of pleasant memories is tucked into every XO Marshmallow’s Ultimate S’mores Bundle, which delivers everything needed to make the beloved treat and the meaningful moments that often accompany them. The set includes a S’mores Kit for four (four marshmallows, two bars of Hershey’s chocolate, and eight homemade graham crackers), ten roasting skewers, a box of their signature vanilla marshmallows, and a tabletop smokeless firepit.

While the kit contains XO’s handmade marshmallows in classic vanilla, we recommend adding an extra order of the squishy sweets and choosing one of the more innovative flavors like cookies and cream or salted caramel. There are other bonuses in each box, too: XO eschews high-fructose corn syrup and preservatives in all its marshmallows, and the kit’s graham crackers are gluten-free.

As the name of this package suggests, it can feed a small crowd. Island Creek grows its oysters in Duxbury Bay, Massachusetts. Its oysters are harvested every morning and then overnighted (for free!) straight to your door. This is a great gift for land-locked friends and family craving a taste of the coast, or if you're looking for a way to switch up your cookout spread. This set includes 100 super-fresh east coast oysters, plus 250 grams of buttery white sturgeon caviar (10 to 15 servings) from Sterling Caviar Farms in Eleverta, California.

For the curious coffee drinkers out there, this Roaster's Choice Box from Blue Bottle includes a rotation of new, single-origin roasts from around the world. A limited quantity of each set is available, so check in frequently for what's fresh and has the roasters talking. Each box includes three 6-ounce bags of beans, such as a wild honey-tinged coffee from the Gitega Hills in southern Rwanda or rare beans from high in the mountains of Honduras.

Diaspora Co. was created with a mission to rethink the spice trade and create an equitable relationship between spice companies and their growers. Now with over 30 fair-trade, single-origin spices from over 150 farms across India and Sri Lanka, it's sharing incredibly fresh spices and house-made masala blends. Any cook in your life will love the Build Your Own Spice Shelf, which is a great excuse to toss out some of those old dusty spices. You can choose between a pack of best-sellers or building a custom pack to upgrade your lucky recipient's spice rack.

If you’re gifting a tortilla devotee, delight them with the Masienda’s Tortilla Starter Kit and bring their corn-flour-disc dreams to life. The set includes one bag each of white corn and blue corn masa harina, both fine-ground and made from slow-dried, small-batch-milled heirloom corn, plus an artisan-made tortilla press. We love the press color choices — white, black, or Espuma, a pale pistachio green. First-time tortilla makers can learn how to achieve the sought-after tortilla puff (the hallmark of tasty and well-textured tortillas) on Masienda’s video series and blog.

If you don't want to show up at brunch empty-handed, then order a trio of Rumor Rosé. This crisp, steely-pink wine is produced and bottled in the heart of Côtes de Provence, aka rosé mecca. Rumor is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, and Mourvèdre grapes, which produces a classic, fruit-forward rosé with lovely citrus notes. You can also round out your gift with a travel wine cooler bag or a Coravin wine stopper, which allows you to pour wine without removing the cork and keeping the bottle fresh.

Note: This set is only available to ship to Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Nothing sets the mood like a bit of bubbly, and this sparkling wine gift basket from Hickory Farms is the perfect treat to celebrate any occasion. It comes with two bottles of Contollo California Sparkling Wine and the perfect little bites to pair it with, including smoked gouda, cookies, French truffles, and more. All that's left to do is break out the Champagne flutes and raise a glass.

Cheese lovers should be prepared to salivate over this Baked Brie Board from Boarderie. Perfect for holiday gatherings, fancy brunches, and any old time when you want to indulge your cheesiest cravings, this gift bundle is chef-made with delectable artisan ingredients. It includes four ready-to-bake brie flavors: blueberry, vanilla, and Thai ginger; truffle, fig, and orange; chocolate, espresso, and raspberry; and rosemary, sun-dried tomato, and olive. All you have to do is pop them in the oven for 20 minutes on the included oven-safe baking trays, and you're in for melty, cheesy goodness.

If you're looking to share a refreshing non-alcoholic drink that keeps things interesting, the First Sip Kit is a perfect introduction to Ghia's NA apéritifs. They lose the booze, without missing out on the complexity of crafted cocktails and mixed drinks. With bright flavors like Yuzu, lemon balm, and botanical extracts, they're sure to draw you in at first sip and keep you coming back for more. So if you're planning on gifting this bundle, you might want to order an extra set for your own home bar.