These 30 Edible Christmas Gifts to Make in Advance are easy to make and super delicious for all the friends and family on your holiday list! From homemade chocolates, chutneys, jams, and herb mixes, there’s something for everyone!
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It’s a tradition in our house that the kids and I make homemade, edible Christmas gifts that we take to our neighbors to spread holiday cheer.
We’ve made cookies, jams, and chocolates in the past. Some years, I’m full of creative ideas; other years, I need inspiration.
Today, you’re in luck! I’ve compiled some of the best homemade edible Christmas gift ideas from food bloggers across the web, so you’re not left scratching your head. The best part about these foods is that you can make them in advance, and they will easily store well for weeks or months.
These adorable holiday-themed edible treats will wow your friends and family!
🎅🏻 18 Edible Christmas Gifts You Can Make in Advance
Chocolate Snowflakes
These beautiful chocolate snowflakes are an easy and fun winter treat. Dark chocolate is melted and combined with brown rice cereal for crunch to create these bite-sized holiday sweets! Make them a holiday gift, or enjoy them at home with your family!
Homemade Peppermint Bark
This dark chocolate is topped with white chocolate and crushed peppermint candies and infused with peppermint in this iconic holiday treat!
Strawberry Chia Jam
Easy vegan strawberry chia jam that’s low in sugar doesn’t need pectin, and is done in 20 minutes. No canning skills are needed.
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
These simple chocolate-covered pretzel rods are dipped in melted dark chocolate with holiday sprinkles and nuts. They make a beautiful and easy giftable holiday treat for friends and family!
Christmas Chocolate Bark
This chocolate bark is as easy as melting chocolate and topping your favorite nuts, dried fruit, and sprinkles.
No-Bake Coconut Cookies
Almond flour and almond butter are combined with coconut to create an adorable no-bake snowball cookie with a healthy twist.
Cookie Dough Bites
These tasty little treats are made with almond flour and butter with dark chocolate chips. They can be made in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to hand out.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
These chewy oatmeal raisin cookies are super simple to make and last long. Make it in advance, store it in the freezer, and then thaw when you’re ready to gift! These edible gifts look especially cute when storied in a cookie tin.
Homemade Fruit Cake
This is not your Grandma’s fruit cake! It’s festive and sweet with your favorite dried fruits. And light and moist with every bite. Make several small loaves or one large loaf to gift.
Almond Cherry Protein Bites
This healthy treat also has the colors of the season. Make it with cranberries or cherries, with oats and almond butter, to create a healthy snack to nibble on during the holidays.
Ginger Cookies
These ginger cookies are more like gingersnaps than the standard gingerman cookie. Plus, they are much easier to make since they are drop cookies rather than cutouts. But they are just as tasty!
Shortbread Cookies Dipped in Chocolate
What is better than a buttery shortbread cookie? How about a shortbread cookie dipped in chocolate and dusted with peppermint candies? These Christmas cookies are a special treat that will be adored by those you gift to.
Hot Chocolate Bombs
Make your own hot chocolate bombs and wow your friends and family! These are made with circular molds and will be good for weeks! Store them in a small box with tissue paper to keep them from breaking and instructions on how to use them.
Healthy Fudgy Brownies
Who doesn’t love fudgy brownies? These decadent delights are simple to make and are an excellent choice for those looking to make an edible Christmas gift in advance.
Cranberry Pistachio Cookies
These chewy melt-in-your-mouth cranberry cookies with pistachios are the perfect holiday cookie. Made with almond flour, almond butter, and maple syrup, they’re a gluten-free cookie you’ll make again and again.
Homemade Applesauce
Fall is the season of apples. Make this sugar-free applesauce in the fall after you visit the apple orchard, and can it so that you can give it to friends as a holiday gift!
Apple Ginger Chutney
Apple Ginger Chutney is a quick, easy, and delicious sweet-spicy chutney. It is a perfect treat with apple, ginger, and Indian spices. Ready in 12 minutes and great as a gift when canned in a beautiful jar.
Instant Pot Apple Butter
This Instant Pot Apple Butter is perfect for the holidays! It’s sweet and thick, and makes a large batch perfect for sharing!
Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Covered Dates
Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Covered Dates are perfect for your friends or loved ones. It’s like taking a bite of a healthy snicker!
Vanilla Salt
Homemade Vanilla Salt is one of the easiest and most delicious DIY gift ideas you’ll come across! Perfect for sprinkling on cookies and other baked products, desserts, and sweet treats.
Turmeric Latte Mix
Make your own Turmeric Latte Mix in a matter of minutes! It’s as easy as whisking together a basic turmeric latte recipe in bulk – it’s inexpensive, and it makes for a fabulous homemade gift.
Homemade Chocolate Fudge
Wonderfully sweet and delightfully gooey, this is the best chocolate fudge recipe made without condensed milk (and sugar!)
No Bake Cranberry Energy Bites
These 4-ingredient no-bake cranberry energy bites pack a protein punch. They’re gluten-free, taste heavenly, and make an ideal snack before dinner, post-workout, or as an elegant holiday dessert.
Chocolate Truffles
This three-ingredient recipe makes decadent chocolate truffles in minutes! The best part is that you can choose the outer coating based on what you have on hand! I love cocoa powder, coconut flakes, and sprinkles.
Easy Peanut Butter Balls
An easy, no-bake recipe for peanut butter balls using healthy ingredients like dark chocolate, an unrefined sweetener, and coconut oil to create a delicious and satisfying treat with WAY less sugar than the traditional holiday recipe!
Herb Salt by the Rising Spoon
Learn how to make a simple citrus & herb-infused salt flavored with fresh rosemary, orange, and thyme. It’s perfect for seasoning and finishing foods like poultry, fish & vegetables and makes a wonderful homemade gift for the foodies in your life.
Homemade Granola
If you have someone on your list that’s a health-nut, this sugar-free granola is the perfect edible gift! It will last for months, and has a great nutty flavor.
Healthy Chewy Granola Bars
These healthy, chewy, no-bake granola bars are delicious and customizable making a great homemade Christmas gift as well!
Chocolate-Covered Orange Peel
This classic holiday treat is simple to make and creates quite the impression. Candied orange peels are dipped in dark chocolate and dusted with sea salt for the ultimate flavor experience.
Caramel Chocolates
Homemade Caramel is dipped in dark chocolate for a luxurious treat your friends won’t believe is homemade!
Caramel Popcorn
This buttery, sweet, and crunchy caramel popcorn is blissfully delicious to snack on and a really simple treat to make in large batches.
📝 Expert Tips for Making Edible Christmas Gifts
- Find out if any of your recipients have any dietary restrictions or allergies. This will ensure that you don’t make something that your friend or family member can’t enjoy.
- Use festive packaging, like holiday-themed tins, jars, or boxes. Add ribbons, tags, and other decorations to make your gifts look extra special.
- Choose foods with a longer shelf life, like cookies, chocolates, spices, and rubs.
- Don’t be afraid to use your freezer. Store the edible treats you plan to gift in the freezer until you are ready to distribute them.
- Consider creating multiple recipes to assemble an assortment of cookies, chocolates, or other treats.
- Attach a recipe card to your gift so the recipient can recreate the treat.
- Make sure to include a handwritten note or card. This personal touch goes a long way!
❓ FAQS
When preparing food for gifting, it’s essential to choose items that have a good shelf life, transport well, and are generally well-received by a broad audience. Some ideas include cookies, bars, bread, muffins, granola, trail mix, preserves, jams, infused oils, vinegar, spice blends, and homemade sauces.
Most edible gifts can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container. This will help them keep for an additional 2-3 months. This includes chocolates, cookies, and spices. For foods like jams and preserves, use the proper canning method. You will be able to keep canned foods for up to one year.
With all of these delicious options, you’ll find an edible Christmas gift for your friends and family that you can make in advance to sit back and enjoy the season! It looks especially cute when you wrap it with string!
🎄 More Holiday Recipes!
Please comment below if you found this article helpful or have any additional questions. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more family-friendly vegan recipes!
Emese
I love making edible gifts for Christmas. Not to mention I always get positive feedback from family and friends. Thanks for this list. Now I know where to choose from.
Annie @ Annie's Noms
These all look glorious! I’m not sure anyone would end up getting any gifts as I’d eat them all haha! They look so tasty!
Alison Corey
I know! They’re all so tempting to keep for yourself!
Julia
Looking at so many great ideas it’s hard to pick a favorite. However, making chia seed jam been on my list for ages so gotta finally try it! Thanks for including my recipe as well!
Angela Allison
Awesome ideas! My vegan and non-vegan friends would love anything on this list. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Claudia
So many good ideas! I hope this post will inspire more and more people to give edible Christmas gifts! Such a good idea!