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We think the very best friend gifts are often the gifts that you’d also like to receive. For us, those gift ideas include treats, new decor for a dinner party tablescape, houseplants, and tools to feed our baking obsession. Read below for the best gifts for friends whether you’re shopping for the holidays, need upcoming birthday gifts, headed to a housewarming, or missing your pal due to a long-distance friendship.
Gifts to keep their green thumb going strong
Give your best friend who loves to grow their own food a gift set of gardening tools to keep their plants growing strong: Include a pretty planter or garden shears, some gardening gloves, and a watering can attractive enough that it won’t be hidden away. If their busy schedule has caused their green thumb to go a bit black, maybe encourage them to start over with a sleek beginner hydroponic garden from Click and Grow or a potted herb or two. At the very least, they can handle a new succulent. For more plant gift inspiration, check out our gardening gift guide.
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Tea, coffee and everything to go with them
Whether your friend guzzles coffee or sips tea, they'll probably appreciate a gift that caters to their morning beverage routine. Try a good herbal tea, a fruit infusing water bottle, handmade coffee mugs from Etsy, or—if you’re feeling really generous—a very electric cute kettle or portable espresso-maker to give them the gift of calmer (or more caffeinated) mornings.
Gifts to keep the whole kitchen smelling nice (even when no one is cooking)
Rid your friend's kitchen of lingering onion and garlic aromas with a scented candle—or go for an essential oil diffuser for a little aromatherapy. We've also thrown in our favorite rich hand cream and a golden hand soap packed with natural oils to soothe hands after doing copious dishes.
Aperitifs, cocktail ingredients, tools, and some fun glasses to serve them in
Leave the stand mixers, blenders, and toaster gifts to parents and siblings: As a friend, you get to give the fun stuff, and the burgeoning world of complex-tasting non-alcoholic cocktails is getting more fun every year. A fancy carafe and tumbler set will give your BFF—and their dinner guests—a cool way to hydrate during holiday season hosting. And if your friends have broken all of their wine glasses recently, give the gift of our product test winners, which are sommelier-approved.
Thoughtful gifts for their sweet tooth
Nothing against boxes of truffles, but…there’s more to chocolate than that. A rich bar of fair-trade Raaka (or even a whole year’s supply) will surely satisfy. Here are those and more for your treat-loving friends.
Pretty home decor gifts for the friend who throws the best dinner parties
A beautiful piece of servingware, elegant new table linens, or a homey new ceramic trinket will always make a great Christmas or holiday gift—especially if your bestie loves to entertain.
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Baking tools they need
So, your best friend is a baker? You're lucky. That means you’ve probably been on the receiving end of fabulous cakes, crispy focaccia, soft-centered cookies, and buttery, flaky-crusted pies. Feed the obsession (and your own cravings) with baking related gifts, like fancy teacake molds, our favorite cake pan, or a useful dough mixing tool. For a super special personalized gift, go for a monogrammed loaf pan (or get one for each of you for the bread-lovers' version of a friendship bracelet).
And a few cooking tools as well
While you’re shopping around for baking tools, you might as well pull together a few for cooking necessities as well and assemble a little kitchen gift box. Everyone needs a quality cutting board, a go-to can opener, and a paring knife. Get fancy and throw in a few items that your friend might not even know they need—like our staff favorite fish spatula, a mini mandoline, a meat thermometer, and small saucepan for melting butter.
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Stocking stuffers
Here are some small but meaningful best friend gifts so you don’t have to resort to a bunch of last minute gift cards—including some stylish bags for the farmers market. All these make great gifts whether you stuff them in a stocking or not. (Fun free idea: Fill the trendy grocery tote below with a few goodies for a food-themed upgrade to a stocking.)
Easy go-to gifts
Sometimes you’re invited to a last minute birthday dinner or thrown into a hastily put together Secret Santa, and you’re on the hook to get a gift for someone who is a friend but perhaps not you’re best friend. jIn that case, it’s time to lean back on some reliable go-tos. You can never go wrong with a good cookbook, but if you want something that feels a little more personal then maybe opt for a recipe journal so they can curate their own.Or go the funny gift route and get a cooking utensil with a bit of personality—like the TikTok famous OTOTO pasta man or Gracula garlic crusher.
Need more gift ideas? Check out more gift guides below:
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