The 26 Best Stocking Stuffers for the Food Lovers in Your Life

I Ioved stocking stuffers when I was a kid. They were bonus gifts that extended the magic of Christmas morning just a bit longer. My stocking was often filled with my favorite chocolate truffles, a cute pair of socks, and, if I was really well-behaved, a gift card to Claire’s. (Any other 90s kids out there?) While my ears are too sensitive for a pair of Claire’s earrings now, I still enjoy the experience of dumping out my stocking to see what’s inside. As someone whose love language is gift-giving, I’m also equally chuffed to scout out stocking stuffers for my friends and family. And since I work in food media and test gear for a living, that inevitably means kitchen and food-related goodies. Here are some items from our tested reviews (as well as a few editor picks) that I’d happily give—or receive! 

Our Favorite Stocking Stuffers

We’ve long loved this little frother: It’s compact and creates a silky foam for lattes and the like. I bought this for a Yankee Swap (where folks choose a gift from a pile and have one chance to swap it for something else), and my friends nearly fought over it. The lucky one who took it home has been using it proudly ever since. 

I keep getting bags of this Cretan honey brittle to take photos for this piece, and my husband and I keep eating them all before I get around to it…whoops. Needless to say, this stuff is SO good. It comes in two flavors: sesame and pistachio. Both are sweet, crunchy, nutty, and impossible to stop eating. They’re great cracked into bits over some ice cream. I’d love a bag (or two) of this in my stocking, and I’m sure you know someone who would too. 

I grew up using an old, straight-swivel metal vegetable peeler that nicked my hand more often than it peeled the skin neatly off a potato. But everything changed when I got one of these little Y-peelers. They’re ten bajillion times better than straight-swivel ones, and this one from Kuhn Rikon is the best. It’s sharp, swift, and costs five bucks. Y-peelers for all! 

I gifted this to my mother-in-law a few years ago, and it’s changed her life. No more prodding chicken with her finger or slicing it open to see if it’s ready—she just grabs this instant-read thermometer from the drawer and cooks worry-free. It’s fast, accurate, and only costs $35. Stuff it into the stocking of someone who often faces a similar cooking conundrum, and they’ll thank you. 

This is a box of chocolates without any duds. Each piece is thoughtfully crafted (like the cute hand-formed mice) and utterly delicious. During the holidays, L.A. Burdick also sells these adorable chocolate snowmen, a flurry of chocolate, citrus, and crunchy hazelnut. Sorry, Frosty—this year I’m putting in my lot with these li’l guys. 

I asked for this tiny liquid measuring cup for Christmas one year and was delighted when I emptied my stocking and found two of them. It’s fantastic for measuring small amounts of liquid, like a tablespoon of soy sauce or a quarter cup of maple syrup. And since it has measurements in ounces and milliliters in addition to tablespoons, it easily makes the jump from cooking to cocktail-making. It’s actually my preferred jigger since it’s shaped like a liquid measuring cup and makes adding ingredients to a cocktail shaker mess-free. 

Okay, yes, you'd be giving them an ornament for Christmas on Christmas, but next year when they decorate their tree they will think of you! (And pickles! Who doesn't love a pickle?)

Associate editorial director Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm keeps this bottle opener on her wine fridge and guests always comment on it. “Everyone who comes over to my house is obsessed with this bottle opener that seems to defy gravity,” she says. “It's a balancing bird mid-flight! Beneath the beak is the bottle opener.” It’d make a great stocking stuffer for your brother who’s into birding or really anyone who likes beautiful things. 

While a silicone spatula might seem like an odd gift, trust me, whoever the giftee is will come to appreciate it. This one from GIR won our tests because of its agility and strong fiberglass core; we were even able to use it to scrape clean the area around the blades of a blender—no small feat.

This lovely herbal tea from jam maker Bonne Maman is floral, fragrant, and oh-so-French. I like to sip it before bed (it’s called a Dream blend after all) to wind down and soak up the calming aroma of rose, lavender, and verbena.

This espresso cup from Le Creuset has fantastic heat retention and is coated in sturdy enamel. Oh, and it’ll make that shot of espresso look downright adorable. 

“My sister brought me back a tin of this flaky sea salt when she visited Iceland last year. I liked it so much, I asked my parents to snag me another when they went a few months ago,” Riddley says. “It's perfectly flaky and the tin makes it highly giftable.” Who wouldn’t want a tiny tin of salt? I can’t think of anyone. 

If you have a coffee lover in your life (you know, someone who has a monthly bean subscription or waxes poetic about a pour-over), you can further indulge their habit with this single-serve brewer. The Aeropress is compact (it should fit into a stocking) and brews a great cup of coffee. Complete the package with the Fellow Prismo attachment, which helps pressurize the brew, leading to a more espresso-like, crema-topped result. 

Mini whisks come in handy when you want to blend a few eggs or a spot of dressing and don’t need to break out the big guns (read: a standard-size whisk). This little lad from Kuhn Rikon charmed us during our testing. It scrambled eggs, emulsified dressing, and whisked up a creamy tahini sauce with ease. Editor Rochelle Bilow has gifted these little whisks before, much to the delight of her giftees. “I bought a bunch of these as stocking stuffers a few years back, and it tickles me every time my family tells me they use them for scrambled eggs. They're surprisingly useful!” she says.

The slight sweetness, tang, and paprika-adjacent earthiness of Aleppo pepper make it a versatile spice. I sprinkle it over everything, though it particularly sings on eggs or in a bowl of bean soup. It's a great little stocking stuffer that'll add a bit of piquant spice to your giftee's cooking routine.

If you know someone who totes a reusable mason jar/cup/mug, consider upping their ante with this reusable straw. A million times better than those bamboo ones that begin to disintegrate after a few sips, the OXO is made of metal for durability and sports a silicone-lined tip for smooth drinking. The set also includes a brush for easy cleaning.

Tinned fish is trendy—I just attended a tinned fish potluck. So, if you know someone who enjoys eating good quality tinned mackerel out of a can, then this gift set of Portuguese tinned seafood delights would make a fantastic stocking stuffer. It’s got calamari in ragout, sardines, small smoked sardines in olive oil, and good ol’ mackerel, of course—a veritable fish feast. 

“An absolute must for any serious baker,” Rochelle says. “Burlap & Barrel is beloved by restaurant pros, and I've never had vanilla quite like this.” 

Anyone in your life like mystery, intrigue, and food? Then this book could be a great stocking stuffer. “I recently got this new printing of Anthony Bourdain's telling of Typhoid Mary. Did you know she was a cook? The compact paperback would be an excellent stocking stuffer. I can't wait to read it,” Riddley says. 

If anyone I know reads this, grab me a bottle of this olive oil would ya? It’s perfumed with Sicilian oranges, lending a bright, faintly bitter, and juicy flavor to the grassy olive oil. It’s divine drizzled over ice cream or a simple green salad for a citrus burst. 

If the tea lover in your life is at the point where they only buy loose-leaf teas, then perhaps gifting a tea infuser is in order. This cute little ball infuser from Norpro has a mini teapot at the end of the chain (adorable) and in our tests it kept tea leaves contained while still resulting in a full-bodied brew. 

While a wooden spoon might seem like a utilitarian (read: boring) gift, real ones know that a good one is indispensable for cooking. Use it to scrape fond, toss veggies, stir a thick and stewy stew... the options are endless. This gorgeous rounded spoon from Sabatier aced our tests, easily scraping corners and remaining in tip-top shape even after frequent use. Plus, won't it look pretty poking out from a stocking? I sure think so.

I wish I had this oyster knife when I was a line cook—the beautiful vintage one the chef handed me to shuck was dull as a doornail. When I tested oyster knives, this was one of the winners for beginners because of its grippy handle and pointed upturned blade. It makes easy work of popping open the briny bivalves. If you have an oyster lover in your life, this is a great little knife to slip into their stocking. 

“I recently got a variety pack of Hu dark chocolate, and it was gone way too quickly,” Rochelle says. “The Crunchy Mint and Hazelnut Butter were truly outstanding—the perfect combination of bitter and sweet. If my boyfriend doesn't fill my stocking with more this year, I'll be devastated.” If anyone I know happens to read this, I might be devastated if I don’t get some too. 

Like its cousin the bench scraper (which would also make a great stocking stuffer), bowl scrapers are innocuous but incredibly useful. Serious Eats contributor Tim Chin wrote a whole love letter to bowl scrapers, highlighting the obvious uses (scraping dough) and the not-so-obvious ones. He writes, “Need to quickly clean up the mess of carrot peels on your station and that explosion of whole wheat flour on the counter? Bowl scraper’s got your back. Pushing purées or mashed potatoes through a fine-mesh tamis? Bowl scraper is the weapon of choice.” Stick one in the stocking of someone you know who bakes a lot or appreciates an innocuous kitchen gadget that punches above its weight. 

What is hand cream doing on this list, you may ask? Well, if you're an avid cook, it inevitably means you'll be doing the dishes. And I don't know about you, but my hands get super dry after being in sudsy water. I know, I know...I need to buy dish gloves. But, in the meantime, this silky hand cream is a life—er—hand saver. It's also one of my favorite scents ever—and that's saying a lot since I'm prone to migraines triggered by scents. The delicate rose and sweet lychee are subtle and hardly cloying, and the creamy moisturizer leaves my hands refreshed. It's a great little gift (she says as she adds it to her cart for herself).

FAQs

What are some ideas for cooking stocking stuffers?

We’ve got tons of ideas, including an orange-flavored olive oil, a mini whisk, hand-crafted chocolate, and more. 

How much should you spend on a stocking stuffer?

Stocking stuffers are little treats, so no need to break the bank. Many of the items we recommend cost between $5 and $30, with a few extra special items that are a little bit more. 

Why We’re the Experts

• Grace Kelly is an editor at Serious Eats, where she’s been reviewing gear for over two years. 
• She’s long-loved stocking stuffers and many of the items listed above are things she’d give (or happily receive!).