I’ve learned the best thing to give someone is something you’ve made yourself. The effort and thought are always appreciated, and I find I feel the most confident giving gifts I made because of that. If you ever feel stumped on gift giving — whether it’s for a birthday, holiday, or just because — the sentimental value of a DIY gift is the way to go! Almost everyone loves food or food-themed things so why not make something delicious or deliciously cute for someone you love? Maybe you can sneak some bites for yourself, you are the one who made it after all.
Garlic Confit
@alexawhatsfordinner I will never get sick of this 😩🫶🏼 #garlicconfit #garlic #garlicgirl #easyrecipe #yum #foodie #garliclover #foodvideo #foodasmr #foodtok #homemade #satisfying #vegan #veganrecipe #cooking #recipe #homecooking
♬ Nabi (feat. OHHYUK) – Peggy Gou
Garlic confit can be used in so many recipes, or just spread onto a piece of bread. Plus, it’s even better when it’s homemade, and TikToker Alexa Santos shows just how easy it is. Cover your garlic cloves in olive oil, salt, and thyme. Bake it at 250°F for two hours. Once it’s done, you’ll be able to spread it like butter. Add it to a jar and top it off with a bow for your garlic-obsessed friend.
Sweet and Spicy Candied Nuts
@georginaburgess_ Sweet and Spicy Christmas Nuts 😍🎁🎄 Can you tell I’ve got Laryngitis? 😂🤒 I make these every Christmas and give to friends and family 🥰 They’re incredibly quick and easy to make (surprisingly)! Full recipe as well as all the storage info is in my (free) Christmas Ebook – link is in my bio! Once you’ve put your email in make sure to check your junk for the Ebook 🫶🏻 enjoy!! 😘 #veganchristmas #ediblegift #homemadegift #vegangift #candiednuts #candiedpecans #spicednuts
♬ original sound – CRONK REVIEWS
This edible gift is perfect for any friend that enjoys snacking on nuts, and TikToker Georgina Burgess has a simple recipe to make them. Pick out their favorite types of nuts and add them to a bowl. Add cumin, ginger, cayenne, cinnamon, and salt to the nuts. In a pot, melt some butter with sugar and water and then mix it into your nuts. Spread the nuts evenly on a baking sheet and bake until they appear to be golden. Once done, they’ll be hard and crunchy. Add to a decorative jar and you have a great gift for any mixed nuts lover.
Homemade Garlic Butter
@gabriellaquille Homemade 🧈 is better. Find the recipe on @peppertheapp link in comments!homemadebutter diyholdaygifts homemadegiftideas cheapholidaygiftideas budgetchristmasgifts cashapp13plus cookingprojects cashapp13plus
♬ Underneath the Tree – Kelly Clarkson
Making butter from scratch can sound really intimidating, but it’s actually really simple and such a thoughtful gift. Gabriella Quille on TikTok recommends adding heavy cream and salt to a bowl and using a hand mixer to transform it into butter. Drain the milk from the solid butter and put it aside. Chop up some parsley and chives and mix it into your butter, adding a bit of salt as well. Add in some minced garlic and form it into a log by putting it in some plastic wrap and shaping it. Add a festive bow or some wrapping paper and you have a flavor, hand-made gift for your bestie.
Chili Crunch
@misfitsmarket a last minute gift idea for the foodie in your life! #misfitsmarket #lastminutegiftidea #diygiftideas #chilicrunch #ediblegifts #foodiegiftidea
♬ original sound – Misfits Market
Chili crunch can be used in a variety of recipes, making it the perfect gift for any spice lover in your life. In Misfits Market’s recipe, you start your chili crunch by chopping up some shallots and slicing up three cloves of garlic. Add these ingredients, some cinnamon sticks, and a neutral oil to a pot and cook until the garlic and shallots turn golden. In a separate bowl, combine gochugaru, red pepper flakes, salt, sugar, soy sauce, grated ginger, toasted peanuts, and sesame seeds. Strain your oil mixture over the bowl and let the shallot-garlic mixture cool on the side and then add it back into the mix. Mix it all together and put in a glass jar. Whoever receives this gift will thank you for such a flavor-packed, mouth-watering chili oil crunch that they can use in so many dishes.
Dried Citrus Jars
@juliakhligh part 2 of my thoughtful + affordable homemade holiday gift! instructions + supplies links in comments! 🍋🍊🎁 #holidaygifts #homemadegift #inexpensivegift #diyfood
♬ Elegant classical music – BJ-AKI
It’s super easy to make jars of dried citrus. TikToker Julia Khligh says you just need some limes, lemons, and oranges. Slice your fruits and bake them in the oven. Once done, place them in a glass char and decorate it with some chiffon. These dried slices can be used to top off a cocktail or accent a charcuterie board. It’s cheap, simple, and thoughtful.
Sourdough Starter
Let’s start with a classic, the sourdough starter. A sourdough starter is basically a jar of active yeast created by flour and water mixed together to create a natural yeast to make sourdough bread. All you have to do is mix together the two ingredients — water and flour — let it sit for a few days while taking care of it by removing overgrowth (this bad boy will grow like crazy if you let it) and feeding it warm water and more flour. It’s like taking care of it like a plant until you gift it. Just make sure the giftee knows how to take care of it. Maybe make a cute care guide to go along with the jar. The great thing about a sourdough starter is that it is the gift that keeps on giving, as it will grow constantly and the overgrowth can be jarred and gifted to others as well. Here’s a recipe for sourdough bread using the starter you can steal.
Infused Sugars
A very versatile gift indeed. Infused sugars are simple depending on what you plan to infuse the sugar with. Usually, all you have to do is let the ingredient you want to infuse sit in sugar for a month. You can take simple white sugar and infuse it with fruity flavors for your alcoholic concoctions or with vanilla bean or florals like lavender for baked goods. Infusing sugar takes a while, so receiving some infused sugar ready to use would be a sweet little gift, especially if you create an assortment of little jars.
Rim Salts
For your alcohol-aficionado friends, you can make rim salts to compliment their favorite drinks. It’s another simple gift, and TikToker Caroline Harrington shows how easy it is to make. All it takes is some thoughtful mixing of matching flavors to create flavored salt to go on the rims of glasses of alcohol. Here is a citrusy salt to go with margaritas, and over here is a spicy savory salt for Bloody Marys. Those are just a few examples, but the sky’s the limit, well, provided you know what goes nicely with a hard drink.
Homemade Pickles
Now, I know pickles aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the people who do like them tend to like them a lot, so why not make some for the pickle-crazy person in your life? Pickles are very easy to make if you are making quick pickles, and you can follow my guide here to learn about the process and for a simple dill pickle recipe that will have your friends or family saying “You made these?” The gift is even better if paired with some nice bread, cheeses, and one of those weird sausage logs that get given out on the holidays. Make it a nice deli basket with a handmade touch.
Pasta Picture Holders
Let’s move on to some cute kitchen decor. A small but mighty little craft are these pasta picture holders made from clay that The Making Box on TikTok demonstrates how to make. They would look perfect on the kitchen of your friend’s or family member’s windowsill, preferably holding a picture of you. This is also great if you want to get crafty and create something that will last. The shapes and yellow color of the pasta holders would add a playful pop to any kitchen.
Spore Paintings
You’re probably asking, ‘What on earth is a spore painting?’ Yeah, me too. Perfect for your local goblincore girly, or someone who just really likes to cook with mushrooms, you just use the spore-markings of a mushroom to create a work of art, as shown by Terhi Montonen on TikTok. You simply put mushrooms down on a piece of paper that would best make the colors of the spores pop, and then you get an abstract yet completely natural little picture to go in your kitchen or anywhere else. If you are picking mushrooms outdoors in the wild, please be careful and follow a guide before touching them.
Honey Bear Planter
If you have a honey container shaped like a bear, don’t throw it away, but instead turn it into a planter. Those jars are so cute that they would look great growing some rosemary or maybe even with some small flowers. You can keep the colors coordinated by filling it up with sand and having a succulent sticking out the top. The size of the jar had an effect on what can go in it, so this gift may be for honey lovers only, but that doesn’t make it any less thoughtful.