The best Christmas food gifts are the ones people actually eat, and in December most of us get cookies from everyone. A savory gift stands out on a counter full of tins. A jar of pickled crimini mushrooms with a ribbon around the lid is the kind of present that gets opened at the party instead of saved for later: sharp, savory and ready for the cheese board.
Below: why a savory jar is the edible Christmas gift that stands out, twenty Christmas food gift ideas, both bought and homemade, which ones travel well, how to pack and ship food gifts, and when to order so they arrive before Christmas.
The savory gift in a season of cookies: pickled mushrooms
December runs on sugar. A jar of pickled mushrooms is the opposite: something to open with cheese and crackers, to put out on Christmas Eve, or to keep for the quiet days after. It is also an easy gift to send. The label says to store the jars in a cool, dry place and refrigerate after opening, so a sealed jar ships, wraps and waits under a tree like any other pantry gift, with no ice packs and no rush.
Golden Grove makes five, and each suits a different person on your list:
- Crimini: whole caps with garlic and thyme. The classic, and the safest pick for someone you don't know well.
- King oyster: thick, meaty coins with truffle oil in the jar. For the person who likes the good stuff.
- Shiitake: the most savory of the five, with tamari in the brine. For the ramen and rice-bowl crowd.
- White shimeji: bright and delicate. For the cheese-board host.
- Black shimeji: savory and tender, in apple cider vinegar. For the salad maker.
For a family or a food lover, a 6-Pack with one of each and a second of the favorite is a proper present; a 4-Pack suits a couple; a 2-Pack is a host gift or a generous stocking stuffer. The Build Your Variety Pack lets you choose every jar, so you can send a different mix to each person on your list.
"Bought these for a small cheese board and everyone kept asking where the mushrooms were from. The crimini were the first jar we finished."
— Chris M., Golden Grove customer
That is the test of a food gift: does it get opened, and do people ask about it? A box of five pickled mushrooms passes both, and it arrives at a time of year when everyone is hosting and needs one more thing to put out.
20 Christmas food gift ideas
Food gifts to buy
1. A box of pickled mushrooms
The gift above: five varieties in one box, mixed your way. Savory, shelf-stable until opened, and something many people have never tried.
2. A cheese board in a box
A hard cheese, a sleeve of good crackers, a jar of pickled king oyster and a small jar of fig jam. Hard cheeses are among the foods that travel without refrigeration, so this one can go in the mail too.
3. Good olive oil
A bottle of fresh, single-estate olive oil from this year's harvest is a gift many people would never buy themselves.
4. A hot sauce trio
Three small bottles from mild to fierce. Easy to ship, easy to wrap, and always used.
5. Specialty salt
Flaky sea salt, smoked salt or truffle salt in a small tin. The cook on your list will use a pinch every day.
6. Coffee or tea from a local roaster
Whole beans roasted that week, or a tin of loose tea. Ask for a grind if they don't own a grinder.
7. Honey
Raw local honey or a set of single-flower honeys for tasting side by side, perfect with the cheese board above.
8. Hard salami
A whole dry-cured salami keeps well and is one of the foods that can be mailed without refrigeration. Pair it with mustard and a jar of pickled crimini.
9. Chocolate bars from a craft maker
Single-origin bars for a tasting, or one very good bar for a stocking.
10. A pickle sampler
Three or four very different jars for the pickle lover. More ideas in our list of pickle gifts.
Homemade Christmas food gifts to make
11. Spiced nuts
Pecans or almonds roasted with rosemary, brown sugar and cayenne. They keep for weeks in a sealed jar and travel well.
12. Cookies in a tin
Choose sturdy cookies like shortbread, biscotti or gingerbread over delicate ones, and pack them tightly so they don't break.
13. Chocolate bark
Melted chocolate spread thin and scattered with nuts, dried fruit and flaky salt. Fast, pretty and easy to break into gift-sized pieces.
14. Brownies or blondies
Dense bars travel better than cakes. Wrap each one individually.
15. Homemade granola
A big batch makes a dozen gifts. Add nuts and dried cherries and pack it in a jar with a ribbon.
16. A hot cocoa mix
Cocoa, sugar, milk powder and a pinch of salt layered in a jar, with mini marshmallows on top and instructions on the tag.
17. Infused salt or sugar
Salt with rosemary and lemon zest, or sugar with a vanilla bean. Make it a week ahead so the flavor develops.
18. A dry baking mix
The dry ingredients for a favorite cookie or bread, measured into a jar with the recipe on the tag. Food safety guides recommend this instead of a cake baked in a jar.
19. Fruitcake or a holiday loaf
Dense, keeps well and travels well. Wrap tightly and it will arrive in good shape.
20. A savory board kit
Homemade crackers or crostini, a wedge of hard cheese and a jar of pickled white shimeji, with a card that says "open on Christmas Eve". Our guide to charcuterie board ingredients has more to add.
Food gifts to ship: what travels well
Clemson University's extension service lists hard salami, hard cheese, country ham, cookies, brownies and fruitcake among the foods that can be mailed without refrigeration. Sealed shelf-stable jars travel well for the same reason. Anything perishable needs a cold source, such as frozen gel packs or dry ice, a sturdy box with no empty space, and overnight delivery.
How to pack and ship a food gift
- Choose sturdy foods. Dense bars, hard cookies, nuts and sealed jars arrive in better shape than frosted or delicate treats.
- Wrap jars individually in bubble wrap or paper, and stand them upright.
- Fill every gap in the box so nothing moves.
- Ship early in the week, so the package doesn't sit in a warehouse over a weekend.
- Add a card with ideas for each item, so the jars get opened rather than saved.
Order in time for the holidays
Our orders usually leave within one to two business days, and most arrive three to five business days after they ship. Holiday demand can add delays, so for Christmas, order by the second week of December.
Christmas food gift questions
What food gifts ship well?
Foods that don't need refrigeration: sealed jars, hard cheese, hard salami, nuts, sturdy cookies, brownies and fruitcake. Avoid anything soft, frosted or perishable unless you can ship it cold and overnight.
What is a good savory Christmas food gift?
A box of pickled mushrooms, a cheese board kit, spiced nuts, a hot sauce trio or a good olive oil. Savory gifts stand out in a month of cookies.
What do you give a foodie for Christmas?
Something good they wouldn't buy for themselves: a box of pickled mushrooms in five flavors, a single-estate olive oil, flaky or smoked salt, or coffee from a local roaster.
Which edible Christmas gifts can you make in advance?
Dry, sealed ones last longest: spiced nuts, granola, infused salt or sugar, a dry baking mix and fruitcake. Make them a week or two ahead and keep them sealed until you wrap them.
Can you mail homemade food gifts?
Yes, if they are sturdy and shelf-stable, like cookies, bars, granola and spiced nuts. Pack them tightly and ship early in the week.
Do pickled mushrooms need to be refrigerated?
Our jars say to store them in a cool, dry place and refrigerate after opening, so they can travel and sit under a tree sealed.
How far ahead should I send Christmas food gifts?
For our jars, order by the second week of December. For anything you mail yourself, check your carrier's holiday deadlines and send it early in the week.
The short version
In a month of cookies, a savory gift is the one people remember. A Build Your Variety Pack of pickled mushrooms ships without ice, waits sealed under the tree, and gets opened with the cheese board on Christmas Eve. Order by the second week of December, and for more ideas see our gifts for mushroom lovers and pickle gifts.