Have you ever had mixed emotions when opening a food gift? You love the thoughtfulness and tastiness of the gift, but you see a lot of fat and calories in the box and predict a gorge-fest will set you back on your health goals?

What I try to do is give healthy food gifts that are still treats. This prevents that wave of guilt when friends or relatives open the box.

Giving homemade plant-based foods not only makes the gift exchange more personal and intimate, but it’s also better for everyone’s health, your pocketbook, and the environment.

See my ideas for containers and wrapping at the end of this pot.

Happy Holidays!

Healthy gifts you can make

Except where noted, all of these plant-based recipes contain no added oils or sugar, meaning they are very healthy. But no worries—they also taste great.

Nuts

Homemade spiced nuts are always appreciated. People can keep them all to themselves or use them for a party or special meal. Nuts ship well, too, and fit in small packages. My two go-to recipes are:

Cookies

You can’t go wrong with cookies, and healthy cookies will be appreciated during the calorie-laden holidays. Here are my favorites:

Granola

I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t love the gift of homemade granola. Whole nuts and juicy dried fruit make it super-special. My recipe doesn’t use oil or sugar, so it’s healthy, too!

The Best Healthy Vegan Granola

Fruitcake

Try this vegan fruitcake, and you and your gift recipients may never laugh at fruitcake jokes again.

See the fruitcake recipe in my Plant-Based Anti-Inflammatory Cookbook

Fruit Slices and Dip

This won’t ship well, but for a local friend, give them some fruit they can slice and this date-based caramel dip.

Caramel Walnut Dip

Other Ideas

The possibilities for plant-based gifts go on and on. Here are some other ideas for gift-giving:

Homemade Vanilla Extract
Spice mixes such as Dukkah, Za’atar Spice Mix, taco seasoning, and pumpkin pie seasoning
Jams, jellies, or chutneys
Trail mix
Stuffed dates
Homemade nut butters, especially cashew, almonds, and hazelnut

Once-a-Month Gifts

For people who live near enough that you can deliver food regularly, you can write up a card telling them you’ll be bringing them food once a month. Here are some ideas:

Once-a-Month Soup (see lots of recipes here)
Once-a-Month Granola
Once-a-Month Cookies
Once-a-Month Trail Mix
Once-a-Month Oatmeal Kit
Once-a-Month Dessert

Wrapping and Containers

Food gifts (especially if you are shipping them) should be sealed tightly to prevent drying out. You can do this with well-sealed plastic bags, plastic wrap, foil, or waxed paper.

The sealed food can be presented in any of these ways.

There are decorated cellophane bags that can double as a sealer and a gift bag.
Holiday takeout container box
Metal tin
Ceramic loaf pan, mug, or casserole dish (you can find inexpensive ones at Home Goods, TJ Maxx, etc.)
Holiday box
Pretty glass jars, including Mason jars.
A glass jar with a hinged lid for granola

Healthy, Delicious Plant-Based Holiday Gifts