We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Shopping The Best Gift Ideas of 2024 Gift Ideas by Interest The 30 Best Food Gifts You Can Buy Online Including steaks, cookies, charcuterie, and more. By Rachel Simon Rachel Simon Rachel has written for Dotdash Meredith's Ecommerce team since 2020, covering home goods, tech, fashion, beauty, and more. She's interviewed dozens of experts and is always on top of the latest trends and product releases. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 27, 2024 In This Article View All In This Article Reviews FAQs Take Our Word For It Photo: Real Simple / Alli Waataja If you're celebrating a loved one known to chef it up in the kitchen (or anyone who appreciates great food), you can't go wrong with a gift basket brimming with delicious goodies. The options are pretty much endless, too, whether your recipient is a connoisseur of meat and cheese, vegan snacks, gourmet pasta sauces, or a little something sweet from their favorite out-of-town bakery. Food gifts are a simple yet meaningful method for showing gratitude, sympathy, or congratulations. To help you find the best food gifts you can buy online, we researched dozens of options in a wide mix of food types and price ranges, covering sweets, savory snacks, entrees, appetizers, and more. We also spoke with Lindsay Schey, founder of The Gift Insider, for expert insight on how to pick the best food gift. Levain Bakery Signature Cookie Assortment PHOTO: Levain Bakery View on Levainbakery.com View on Goldbelly.com If your giftee loves cookies, they’ll go gaga for this four-pack assortment from Levain Bakery. The package has four of the store’s most popular cookies—chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and dark chocolate peanut butter chip—all baked fresh daily. They can be stored in an airtight container for a week and/or be frozen before getting heated up in the oven. Boarderie Ciccetti Cheese & Charcuterie Board PHOTO: Boarderie View on Boarderie.com View on Harry & David This delectable prearranged cheese and charcuterie board serves three people and comes with 17 delicious artisan cheeses, meats, nuts, chocolates, dried fruits, crackers, and olives, along with the wood serving board and bamboo cutlery kit. It’ll be shipped overnight, so the recipient can enjoy the goods while they’re still fresh, and you can also schedule the delivery as an e-gift, so they can pick their own ideal delivery date. ButcherBox Meat Favorites PHOTO: ButcherBox View on Butcherbox.com Available at ButcherBox, this filling collection comes with beef, pork chops, bacon, and more. All of the meat has no added hormones, and the free-to-ship package will come vacuum sealed and frozen with dry ice, so it can stay fresh for hours on end if not frozen immediately. Sur La Table Movie Night Popcorn Set PHOTO: Sur La Table Orig. $30 $20 at Sur La Table This movie night popcorn set comes with three types of non-GMO kernels (crunchy big and yellow, delicate tender and white, and an oversized caramel mushroom), plus five fun flavors of popcorn seasonings (buttery jalapeno, cookie dough, dill pickle, movie theater, and zesty cheddar). Any popcorn lover will be drawn to these unique flavors. Uncommon Goods Olive Oil Dipping Gift Set PHOTO: Uncommon Goods $68 at Uncommon Goods This elegant olive oil dipping set comes in either a sampler or deluxe size, and both options include a bottle of organic cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, six seasonings, and two gorgeous deep blue dipping plates. The spices include smoked paprika and crushed chilies, and the plates come divided into two sections for bread and oil. Williams Sonoma Five Days of Entrées PHOTO: Williams Sonoma $240 at Williams-Sonoma In this seriously hearty Williams-Sonoma set, you’ll get five entrees made by Oregon’s Elephants Delicatessen: beef lasagna, beef stroganoff, meatloaf, polenta dolcetto, and zuni stew. Each entree can serve up to four people, and they just need to be thawed for 24 hours before heating. Texas Pete Hot Sauce Sampler PHOTO: Amazon $19 at Amazon Hot sauce connoisseurs will love this variety pack of Texas Pete hot sauces, which contains three 6-ounce bottles of some of the brand’s most popular sauces: original hot sauce (which is fairly mild), hotter hot sauce, and sauteed garlic hot sauce. Magnolia Bakery Baked Fresh Sampler Pack PHOTO: Magnolia Bakery View on Magnoliabakery.com With this sampler pack, your dessert-loving pal can enjoy several cups of Magnolia’s classic banana pudding or a variety of best-selling flavors, including red velvet and chocolate hazelnut, along with an assortment of blondies and chocolate brownies. The set comes with six sizable cups of the pudding, four blondines, and four brownies. Carnegie Deli The Ultimate Feast PHOTO: Carnegie Deli View on Carnegiedeli.com Let your loved one experience all the most famous goods from New York’s iconic Carnegie Deli. The Ultimate Feast comes with pre-sliced pastrami, corned beef, Dusseldorf mustard, rye bread, sour pickles, potato knish bites, and a 4-inch cheesecake. Plus, shipping is free. Zabar’s NYC Essentials Basket PHOTO: Zabar’s View on Zabars.com Want even more NYC? Experience the deliciousness of a classic city breakfast with the iconic Zabar’s NYC Essentials Basket. The care package includes a huge amount of salmon, cream cheese, toasting bagels, nova, coffee, chocolate babka, cinnamon rugelach, and more. Milk Bar Birthday Cake PHOTO: Milk Bar View on Milkbarstore.com Every day will feel like the giftee’s birthday with this gourmet gift from Milk Bar. The 6-inch dessert features three tiers of vanilla birthday cake with rainbow flecks, multiple layers of creamy frosting, crunchy crumbs, and, of course, rainbow sprinkles. Sheri's Berries Gourmet Drizzled Strawberries PHOTO: Shari’s Berries View on Berries.com Chocolate-covered strawberries make a great gift for anyone with a sweet tooth, and this elegantly designed 12-pack of strawberries from Shari’s Berries is the perfect example. The freshly made fruits are drizzled in milk chocolate and/or white chocolate, and you can get them in a half, full, or two dozen. The Best of Junior’s 8-Inch Four-Flavor Sampler PHOTO: Junior's Cheesecake View on Juniorscheesecake.com Junior’s cheesecake is famous for a reason. The 8-inch, four-flavor sampler comes with the eatery’s most beloved cheesecake flavors: Original New York, Raspberry Swirl, Brownie Marble, and Apple Crumb. It’s cut into four quarters and serves 10 to 12 people. Galaxy Desserts Classic Croissants PHOTO: Williams Sonoma $27 at Williams-Sonoma This collection of eight buttery, flaky croissants from Williams-Sonoma are a pastry fan’s dream. The set can arrive in a few days’ time, and the recipient can bake the croissants 24 hours later if they thaw them overnight, or they can freeze them for later use. B.Happy Oh Joy! Peanut Butter Bundle PHOTO: B.Happy Peanut Butter View on Bhappypeanutbutter.com B.Happy’s Oh Joy! Bundle comes with three 12-ounce jars of the brand’s most popular peanut butters: Joy to the World, Count Your Blessings, and Go Lucky. These are not your typical peanut butter flavors—you can expect ingredients like cranberries, chocolate, cherries, toffee, and rice crispies. Lou Malnati Two Deep Dish Pizzas PHOTO: Goldbelly View on Goldbelly.com View on Tastesofchicago.com Handmade by Chicago pizza maker Lou Malnati’s, the two frozen 9-inch pizzas are big enough to serve two adults each. You can choose from a huge variety of options for each pizza (and mix and match!), including classic cheese, sausage, spinach, and/or gluten free (for a small extra cost). Mrs. Prindables Classic Caramel Apple Gift Basket PHOTO: Mrs. Prindables View on Mrsprindables.com This beautiful gift basket from Mrs. Prindables contains caramel apples in two different flavors, as well as a handful of other sweets like pretzels and caramels. If your giftee is allergic to nuts, there’s also a nut-free version. It’s designed to feed up to six people and is made fresh to order. Harry & David Gift Box PHOTO: Harry and David’s $55 at Harry & David This Harry and David’s gift box is ideal for any charcuterie lover and contains 4 pounds of pears, cheddar cheese, sausage, popcorn, mixed nuts, and crackers. What’s not to love? Jimmy’s Famous Crab Cake Gift Box PHOTO: Jimmy’s Famous Seafood View on Jimmysfamousseafood.com The box from Jimmy’s Famous Seafood is filled with some of the eatery’s best foods, including two 8-ounce colossal Maryland crab cakes, two pints of soup, and crab dip. All of the items can last a few days in the fridge or up to three weeks in the freezer. Omaha Steaks Value Freezer Filler PHOTO: Omaha Steaks Orig. $362 $180 at Omahasteaks.com Made by Omaha Steaks, this assortment includes filet mignon, sirloin, chicken, franks, and seasoning. The retailer offers free shipping, which helps defray the higher price tag, and the recipient can cook the meats any way they like best. Cafe Du Monde De Soto Gift Wrap PHOTO: Cafe Du Monde View on Cafedumonde.com Any beignet lover will be thrilled to get this sugar-filled Cafe du Monde gift basket. The sweet assortment features a large box of the eatery’s classic beignet mix, powdered sugar, a sugar shaker, and even a cookie cutter so the recipient can get their beignets into just the right shape and size. Spicewalla 6-Pack Taco Collection PHOTO: Spicewalla View on Spicewallabrand.com This Spicewalla spice assortment contains six seasonings made specifically for tacos, including a carne asada rub and chipotle chili powder. The spices can be tangy, smoky, or seriously hot, and they can also be used on items like a margarita or chocolate dessert. The package should arrive in no more than two days. Jeni's Ice Cream Best Sellers Collection PHOTO: Jeni's Ice Cream View on Jenis.com Whether your recipient loves their ice cream with chocolate, peanut butter, fruit, or nuts, they’ll undoubtedly enjoy this best-selling Jeni’s assortment. Flavors include Brown Butter Almond Brittle and Salty Caramel, and the collection comes in pretty packaging perfect for Instagram. Harry and David’s Grand Meat and Cheese Box PHOTO: Harry and David’s View on Harry & David This impressive Harry and David’s assortment comes in a beautiful gift box and contains multiple sausages and cheeses, along with two boxes of crackers, a pepper and onion relish. and honey hot mustard. Momofuku Pantry Starter Pack PHOTO: Momofuku $55 at Amazon View on Momofuku.com This mouth-watering Momofuku pack has three of the company’s popular seasoned salts as well as soy sauce, tamari, and chili crunch. The salts can be used in place of salt and pepper on many dishes, the rich soy sauce and gluten-free tamari are ideal for salad dressings, marinades, and sushi, and the chili crunch can be put on nearly anything. Plus, shipping is free! Daily Harvest Greatest Hits Gift Box PHOTO: Daily Harvest View on Daily-harvest.com This gift box from Daily Harvest comes with smoothies, harvest bowls, flatbread, pasta, and banana and cacao bites. Because of the ingredients’ seasonal nature, substitutions might have to be made at times, but the recipient is bound to love whatever comes inside the set. Nuts.com Ultimate Snackin’ Box PHOTO: Nuts.com View on Nuts.com Coming from Nuts.com, the brand’s Ultimate Snackin’ Box contains 4 pounds’ worth of various nuts, chocolates, and other snacks. New customers automatically get free shipping, and Nuts.com will add on heat-resistant packing to keep the food from melting at no cost. OceanBox Ultimate Seafood Sampler PHOTO: OceanBox View on Oceanbox.com Seafood fans will be elated to receive this sampler from OceanBox, which includes sea bass, bronzini, king salmon, wild halibut, and wild red snapper. All of the hand-cut fish have had their pin bones removed, so the giftee won’t have to do any extra work, and they’ll arrive fresh (not frozen). Bona Furtuna Societa Gift Subscription Box PHOTO: Bona Furtuna View on Bonafurtuna.com If your giftee is a pasta lover, they're sure to enjoy a subscription service dedicated to providing delectable Italian dishes. Each box comes with organic products and chef-vetted recipes that both experienced and amateur cooks alike can feasibly create. You can select 1-, 3-, or 6-month subscriptions, and rest assured that all items in the box will be used in each recipe. Tate's Bake Shop Sampler PHOTO: Tate's Bake Shop View on Tatesbakeshop.com It’s hard to resist a crunchy cookie from Tate’s Bake Shop, and this sampler from the brand is sure to satisfy your gift’s recipient craving. This gift comes with a wood tray (with Tate’s logo) that’s filled to the brim with classic chocolate chip cookies, walnut chocolate chip cookies, brownies, blondies, and even more sweets from the popular brand. Questions You Might Ask Which food items last the longest without refrigeration? “Food gifts that last the longest without refrigeration typically include items that are non-perishable, often dried or preserved,” Schey says. “Think jerky gifts, pastas, spices, and seasonings.” She also recommends barbecue spice rub sets for any grillers out there or ingredient sets that can be stored in a cabinet until you’re ready to use them with a meal. How far in advance should you order a food gift? Although some food gifts can be delivered on the same day you order them, it never hurts to place an order at least a few days in advance, Schey says. “Food gifts can take longer to order than traditional gifts, as many have to be prepared and require extra effort for shipping and timing of delivery.” If you want the gift delivered ASAP, be sure to plan ahead or prepare for higher shipping fees. Schey adds that gourmet chocolates or truffles, prepackaged gift baskets, and items like specialty coffees and teas tend to have traditional shipping lead times. What occasions are food gifts good for? Food can work as a great gift for a wide number of occasions, including celebrating a milestone or showing sympathy for a loved one during a tough time. “Hostess and thank-you gifts are perfect occasions for a food gift,” Schey says, as they’re a good way to show gratitude for someone’s hospitality. She also recommends giving shareable food items as corporate or business gifts, as it’s something the whole office can enjoy. Take Our Word For It This article was written by Rachel Simon, a writer for Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, The New York Times, and many other publications. She frequently covers both gifts and food, and to find the best places to order food-centric gifts, she researched numerous retailers and took into account factors like price, amount, variation, and more. She also spoke to Lindsay Schey, founder of The Gift Insider, to get expert insight on what makes a food gift worthwhile.