While it's true these days that a ready-made gift basket is only a few clicks away, there's more than convenience that goes into the perfect gift basket.
Composing your own themed basket with goodies for your favorite foodies doesn't need to be that much harder but comes off as a more thoughtful and personal gift.
In this gift basket roundup, we've listed everything you need to compose your own DIY gift baskets. This list contains 23 DIY gift basket ideas filled to the brim with all the good things in life. Let's get creative!
Our Top DIY Gift Basket Ideas
1. Themed Baskets
A themed basket means that you pick a flavor, for example lemon, and fill the basket with lemon-scented edibles: a lemon (obviously), lemon tea, lemon liquor, lemon wafers, and so on. Bonus point if the theme has some personal, funny memory attached to it!
2. Cheese Lovers' Basket
For this one, fill it with cheesy things (just kidding). Apart from cheeses, add some dried and fresh fruit, jams and jellies, gourmet crackers baked with olive oil, and a bottle of wine or two. Optional: make it vegan by choosing a selection of premium vegan cheeses!
3. Nutritious and Delicious
Perfect for the health junkie or the foodie who wants to eat healthier without paying the price of suboptimal taste! Nowadays, there are so many delicious products packed with vitamins and antioxidants that you can gift someone a tasteful experience that also boosts their immune system. Win-win!
4. Hot Cocoa Basket
This basket is a given for the colder months and for the foodie who loves to snuggle up on the couch with a warm blanket and hot chocolate. Spice things up by adding cinnamon, cardamom, and chili. Include a beautiful mug, quality chocolate, and a sweetener the recipient will appreciate – and you're good to go!
Optional: a quirky spoon and a suggested activity while drinking the cocoa, such as a knitting kit or sudoku.
5. Flavored Salt Basket
You can't really go wrong with salt. Ok, if someone has high blood pressure and is avoiding it. Apart from that, salt is a safe bet since everyone uses it regardless of their level of kitchen finesse and food preferences. Plus, sweets are often plentiful around holidays and celebrations – so why not balance it with something savory?
6. Fermented Foods Basket
What's all the buzz around fermented foods, such as kombucha and sourdough bread? They're full of probiotics, good bacteria for your stomach, and can potentially help rebalance a microbiome that's out of whack. And with that tickling acidity, the taste is addictive!
Fill the basket with ready-made fermented foods, or if you know your foodie friend loves to spend time in the kitchen and try new things, a culture kit to make their own cheese and yogurt with a starter kit for sourdough bread or kombucha.
7. Coffee Addict's Dream Basket
Cold brew coffee and artisan, single-origin brands have become to the coffee industry what microbreweries are to beer. Cold brew contains less water, is never heated during the production process (a little like raw chocolate!), tastes more but has a slightly lower amount of caffeine.
A coffee lover gift basket is a great gift to coffee lovers on a budget as a welcome upgrade from instant coffee or cheaper varieties. Add some cute cups, stir sticks or spoons, and your favorite sweets! And voila – your coffee lover friend just got the fuel they deserve for long workdays or studies.
8. Homemade Ketchup
This favorite gets a fancy upgrade if you make it on your own! Use high-quality tomatoes and add some interesting flavoring to your bottles, such as smoke, jalapeño, or hot chipotle.
Homemade ketchup is usually a healthier option than the sugary ones from the store or diner. Decorate the glass bottle with a label, and you have a unique gift that adds subtle flavor to their dinners for many weeks to come!
9. Ice Cream Condiments
Know someone who loves ice cream even for Christmas? Put together a gift basket with luxurious cones and all kinds of condiments to take the icy experience from vanilla to Rolls Royce!
Why not include an ice cream scoop and maybe some bowls to enjoy the frosty dessert in? (Plus it's a nice hint to be invited over for a glacial party!)
10. Snacks Box
We all know that person who munches on just anything. Show them some love by making a gift basket with homemade snacks and delicacies such as fudgy popcorn, energy bars, chocolates, gourmet cookies, and crisps.
11. Mediterranean Yum
Few cuisines can beat the Mediterranean one – full of fresh vegetables cooked to perfection, savory cheeses, olive oil, garlic, and of course pasta. Put together a Mediterranean kit for those who just can't stop raving about that perfect pasta bolognese during their trip to Italy (or to the Italian restaurant in their block).
Fresh and dry pasta, a premium, cold-pressed olive oil, an aged cheese, an Italian or Greek cookbook – maybe even some fermented garlic? You really can't go wrong with this one!
12. BBQ Set
A BBQ set makes for the ideal gift basket for those who can't wait to turn the heat up on the grill. Even if they live somewhere cold, and you gift it in the winter, it will give them a nice reminder of you when the temperature rises again. Include some high-quality tools and accessories as well as barbecue sauces in different flavors.
13. New Mom Gift Basket
For the new mom (or soon-to-be), you can put together a bunch of foods you know they crave, or healthy, ready-made meals and snacks to have at hand when they're too sleep-deprived to cook.
Blankets, cloth diapers, and baby towels with a hood for the little one are great additions to a new mom gift basket.
14. Breakfast Basket
Whether it's for Christmas breakfast or just to put that extra silver lining on any weekday morning, a breakfast basket lets the giftee start their day on top! Adapt it to their dietary preferences or allergies and include luxurious versions of their breakfast favorites.
15. Tea for Two Gift Basket
For the seasoned tea drinker, or the one just getting into the universe of high-end teas, opt for a tea gift basket with generously sized mugs, premium loose-leaf teas and tea bags, and a strainer.
Choose a selection of fine teas like pu-erh and Chinese oolong teas together with smoked, earthy, and fruity flavors to offer the giftee a variety matching every mood.
Mix in some caffeine-free alternatives like herbal infusions and rooibos for late-night cups of tea and black teas for that morning energy boost.
16. Housewarming Baskets
Do you know someone who has just moved out from their parents, moved to a new city, or moved in with their loved one? A housewarming basket makes for the optimal gift idea for the one who's moved to a new home!
As a housewarming gift for the student, you can include food items that are easy to make and leave lots of time to study (or party), together with a set of kitchen utensils.
To the one who has moved city or state, include some local delicacies in your housewarming gift to make them feel at home – and to the couple moving in, specialties that both of them like.
17. Get Well Soon Basket
Know someone who's healing from a disease or going through a challenging time? A get well soon basket is that warm hug they need! If they're curing from a physical condition, soups are comforting and easy to prepare and digest.
Nutrition-packed, ready-made meals can be a lifesaver for those who don't have the energy for cooking. Colorful, nourishing juices that look like liquid sunshine can light up their day. And of course their favorite snacks or sweets. This thoughtful gift will make it easier to get well!
18. Gift Cards at a Premium Grocery Store
Gift cards re the easy way out and a sure way to make the recipient happy. A great alternative if you're to give a gift basket to someone you don't know that well! Plus, a gift card has the advantage of a longer shelf-life than perishable food items – a hot tip if you're unsure if the recipient will be home upon receiving the gift basket.
19. Teacher Appreciation Baskets
Wanna show your university teacher some love for how much they've helped you? Does your kid have a teacher who's going out of their way to make the children have a positive learning experience? That's worth celebrating!
It can be a little more challenging to know what to put in teacher appreciation baskets. It's commonly accepted to gift a basket with a fine wine, and some things they like to use in the classroom such as whiteboard pens.
If you're unsure about whether they drink alcohol, go for a beautiful bouquet of flowers or a gift card at a local restaurant instead.
20. Hostess Gift Basket
A hostess gift basket is a gift box filled with things you think the hostess would love. If you don't know them well, a safe card is flowers or some local specialty foods. If you wanna be a bit more personal, check with their closer friends, family members, or loved ones.
Do they have a favorite restaurant in town? A food discovery they can't stop raving about? Maybe you wanna gift something that has value to you as a way to make them remember you and know you better – just make sure it'll be well received (charcuteries to a vegan or homemade bread to a gluten-intolerant person might not leave the best impression).
21. Bridal Shower Gift Basket
To shower the bride-to-be with some love, put together a funny and playful gift basket. Aside from their candy of choice, to keep the energy levels high throughout the bridal shower, you can include items like a date night book filled with date ideas that will keep the spark long after the wedding bells have stopped ringing.
Other ideas: some personalized wall prints to have in their bedroom, a wedding day emergency kit with small, overlooked things that are easy to forget on the big day but can remove a lot of stress (such as pins or bandaids), and something goofy like matching husband and wife aprons.
22. Movie Night Gift Basket
Who doesn't love a good ol' movie night? Gift someone a moment of Netflix and chill with a gift basket that comes with a cozy blanket and slippers, the mandatory popcorns, their preferred candy or chocolate, and something salty. Add some sodas to drink or something healthier, such as kombucha or freshly squeezed juices.
23. Chocolate Gift Basket
While chocolate is a common gift, it doesn't have to be boring! A great idea to take the classical box of chocolates from the grocery store up a notch is to go for luxury pralines and truffles made from the exclusive Criollo cacao bean.
Select a mix of dark and lighter pralines filled with their favorite liquors, fruits and berries, nuts, mint, and spices like rose pepper or cinnamon for an instant mood-lifter!
Wrapping it Up
We hope that these DIY gift basket ideas have inspired you to put together your own box of presents. No need to reinvent the wheel – a little extra effort goes a long way! The people in your life will appreciate a DIY gift basket a lot more simply because of the intention.
So whether you go for a basket filled with ingredients to make a Bloody Mary, the metaphorical nuts and bolts to build a beautiful home in housewarming baskets, or the best basket for binge-watching British comedies, these gift ideas will get your creative juices flow! Which gift basket do you bring to the table tonight?
