2021 Holiday Gift Guide

My annual holiday gift guide is here! You’ll find more than 60+ gift ideas in this year’s guide.

Instead of creating various posts, I’ve compiled all of the gift ideas into one master guide. You’ll find all sorts of fun, creative, and practical gifts under the following categories:

• Food & Cooking Gifts Under $75
• Clothing & Home Goods (including unique edible gifts!)
• New & Timeless Cookbooks
• Well-Tested Kitchen Splurges
• Zero & Low-Waste Gifts

Best of all, nearly all of the items in this guide I own myself (and have personally tested) or have bought and gifted to others (as noted by a * asterisk). I’ve also included other well-researched and highly recommended items for more ideas.

As always, I hope you can use this year’s gift guide to find unique, practical, and well-loved gifts for family and friends this holiday season! You can find all my previous years gift guides here.

Food & Cooking Gifts Under $75:

1. Joyce Chen Wok* – I finally bought a carbon steel wok and it is a game-changer. You will use it for everything (stir fries are the tip of the iceberg). Be sure to follow the seasoning instructions carefully.
2. Rancho Gordo Bean Box* – the best dried beans in the world. This is a lovely sampler box containing five favorites.
3. Oven Gloves – move aside clunky oven mitts, these gloves are much more versatile and allow for improved dexterity.
4. Ground Up Holiday Tasting Flight* – I gifted my sister this nut butter sampler last Christmas and she loved it! The sizes and variety of flavors are great.
5. Baking Scale* – tremendously improve your baking game and consistency!
6. Jacobsen Infused Salt Six-Pack – six infused salts from the famous Oregon-based sea salt company. I also have my eye on this black garlic one.
7. Kitchen Shears* – good-quality kitchen scissors make a world of difference in the kitchen! These are strong enough to spatchcock poultry too.
8. GIR Spatula* – the best spatulas available in all kinds of fun colors.
9. Award-Winning Extra Virgin Olive Oil – one of my favorite gifts to receive is a high-quality bottle of extra virgin olive oil and this family-owned California estate won gold in the 2020 World Olive Oil Competition.
10. Dozen Bagels from Russ & Daughters – the gift of freshly baked NYC bagels.
11. Ceramic Butter Keeper or Spoon Rest – lovely hand-thrown and practical ceramics to keep out all year long.
12. Royal Riviera Pears* – my family orders Harry & David’s famous pears every holiday season! So juicy and delicious.
13. Classic Italian Pannetone – a holiday tradition in our family! This naturally leavened Italian pannetone is considered one of the best.
14. OXO Baking Essentials Set* – give the gift of baking organization! A practical set that will make any baker in your life happy.
15. Emile Henry Pie Plate* – a beautiful, functional, and high-quality pie plate that you’ll own forever.

Practical Clothing & Home Goods

1. Bomba Gripper Slippers – I’ve had my eye on these affordable, casual slippers with rubber grips since they came out! But I particularly love that you can throw them in the washing machine. The colors are fun too.
2. Athleta Polartec Tights* – just bought a pair of these cozy, fleece-lined leggings for chilly winter days. Love that they aren’t bulky and get incredible reviews!
3. L.L. Bean Storm Chaser Boots* – my favorite waterproof, insulated boots. Incredibly comfortable (straight out of the box) with added grip for ice and snow.
4. Frontgate Resort Bath Towels* – a new set of 100% Turkish cotton towels in every possible color. We just purchased a set of these! They boast more than 9000+ 5-star reviews.
5. Waterhog Mat* – we have several of these all over the house. If you live in a cold climate and deal with winter weather, you need one of these.
6. Everywhere Belt Bag* – I’ve owned this Lululemon bag for 3 years and it has held up so well! I use it for everything from farmer’s market visits to dog walks. It holds my bulky phone plus extras.
7. Wingspan Board Game* – my in-law’s recently gifted us this board game! It’s a bit complex to get started, but beautiful and very unique. Read more about it here.
8. Massage Gun* – gifted this more affordable version to Connor last year and he loves it! If you deal with sore muscles but don’t want to break the bank, this is a great choice.
9. Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket* – one of my favorite outerwear pieces. I’ve owned mine for 6 years and it still looks just as good as new. Lightweight and perfect for travel.
10. Custom House Watercolor Sketch – a lovely customized gift for any homebody (or anyone who has moved recently).
11. Weighted Blanket – cozy, calming, and pretty enough to leave out. Need I say more?
12. Linen Runner – a beautiful hand-sewn runner for the table.
13. Farmhouse Pottery Mug Gift Set (or anything from this ceramic guide!) – as a self-proclaimed pottery aficionado, you can’t go wrong with a gift in this category.
14. Adjustable Ornament Storage Bag* – we own and love this bag! It makes putting up and taking down a holiday tree easy and effortless.

New & Timeless Cookbooks:

1. Baker Bettie’s Better Baking Book* – for anyone looking to master fundamentals and gain a solid understanding of baking science.
2. Cook This Book* – one of my favorite cookbooks of the year; cleverly formatted and filled with lots of creative, flavorful recipes.
3. That Sounds So Good – filled with weekday and weekend-specific dishes (most of which are vegetarian!) that are sure to mix up your cooking routine!
4. Dessert Person* – a must-have cookbook. I love that it is formatted from easy to most difficult, and packed with revamped, yet classic and nostalgic baked goods.
5. An Everlasting Meal* – I’ve owned this book for years, but re-read it a few months ago. One of my favorite resource books. Reads like a novel, yet offers endless pantry cooking inspiration.
6. To Asia With Love* – another new addition to my cookbook collection, this book is all about everyday, approachable vegetarian pan-Asian recipes. My favorite kind of meals!
7. Grains for Every Season – the latest book by Joshua McFadden, author of Six Seasons, one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. It releases later this month, but I can already tell it will be a winner.
8. Baking with Dorie – you can never go wrong with a Dorie Greenspan book. This latest addition contains metric measurements, which makes it an instant winner.
9. The Wok: Recipes and Techniques – while J. Kenji López-Alt’s much-awaited second book won’t be released until spring, it is already on my wishlist. Pair an IOU book order with this carbon steel wok!
10. The Korean Vegan* – if you enjoy story-telling and flavor-packed vegan Korean faire, you will love this highly acclaimed debut cookbook by Joanne Molinaro!
11. Pasta: The Spirit and Craft of Italy’s Greatest Food – everything you could possibly want to know about pasta and more.
12. Ottolenghi Test Kitchen – it wouldn’t be an ABP Gift Guide if it didn’t include at least one Ottolenghi title. Looking forward to grabbing this one myself!

Well-Tested Kitchen Splurges:

1. Brod & Taylor Knife Sharpener* – I don’t usually recommend knife sharpeners, but this sturdy, stainless-steel version is the best I’ve ever tried and offers the ability to sharpen serrated knives too. Replacement sharpening bars are also available, which means it is a good investment for the long-term.
2. Ooni Pizza Oven* or Original Baking Steel* – I was recently gifted the 16 Koda (gas model) and wow, it transforms home pizza making. It takes some trial and error to adjust to the high temperatures, but is easy to use and offers more cooking space than other models.
3. Thermapen Instant Thermometer* – the best and fastest instant thermometer on the market. A great gift for any cook!
4. Ember Temperature Control 14-Ounce Mug* – a wonderful gift for busy parents or anyone who is prone to reheating their coffee or tea throughout the morning! I love ours.
5. Breville Immersion Blender* – a wonderful immersion blender, but also comes with a great high-quality small processor attachment. I use mine several times a week for grating small amounts of parmesan, chopping nuts, or quick sauces and marinades.
6. Brod & Taylor Sahara Folding Dehydrator* – the king of dehydrators, this model folds flat when not in use and comes with a beautiful glass front for easy monitoring.
7. Staub Enameled Dutch Oven* – an investment piece that is beautiful enough to leave out and will last a lifetime. I recommend a 5.5 or 7 Quart for maximum cooking versatility.
8. Challenger Bread Pan* – my favorite bread-baking vessel. Worth the hype!
9. Cuisinart Electric Kettle* – we’ve owned this kettle for four years and it is my favorite to-date. The keep-warm function is my favorite.
10. Smeg Juicer – I’ve heard amazing things about this juicer! If you know someone who loves juice or making citrus-y cocktails, this is a splurge item.
11. Sodastream Fizzi* – as a lover of sparkling water, I adore this simple device. You can make water as fizzy as you like and doesn’t require a plug. Plus zero bottle waste!
12. Espresso Machine* – this machine has been on my gift guide for 5 years. It is probably my most loved kitchen appliance. I couldn’t live without it.

Low-Waste Gift Ideas:

1. MasterClass Year Membership – love this idea for anyone who is curious or loves to learn new things. It would also make a great gift for anyone who is newly retired!
2. Bee’s Wrap Assorted Pack* – one of my favorite stocking stuffers.
3. Local Compost Membership (here’s a good resource!) – we gave our in-laws a 6-month subscription to a local composting service two years ago. They use it to this day. A great, zero-waste gift that makes a huge impact!
4. Audible Gift Certificate – if you know someone who loves audiobooks, I can’t think of a better gift. I’ve heard from many that this is one of the best gifts they’ve ever gotten.
5. Potted House Plant – hard to kill and comes in a lovely ceramic or porcelain pot.
6. Grow Oya Ceramic Gardening Pots – a wonderful water-conscious gift for budding gardeners!
7. Airbnb Gift Certificate – the gift of travel in 2021. Cheers!
8. Restaurant or Coffee Shop Gift Card – consistently our most-requested gift, you can’t have enough of these. Plus, you’ll be supporting local businesses.
9. Baking or Cooking Class – I’m a big fan of experience-based gifts and these are always fun! Find a local spot or book a virtual class online.
10. Netflix, Apple TV, or Disney+ Yearly Membership – a practical gift that is always appreciated!
11. Stasher Bags* – I’m a big believer in using what you’ve got, but these silicone bags are so helpful in the kitchen. We use them constantly. The sandwich and stand-up are my most-used size.
12. Photoshoot Session with a Local Photographer – a wonderful gift for new parents (baby or pet!), couples, or small business owners.