Fun Holiday Gifts for Vegan Cooks

lifestyle on being vegan podcast Dec 06, 2018

Although I’m not the biggest shopper (except for my two substance abuse problems of buying way too many books and going slightly nutty at kitchen supply stores), I do love buying gifts for others. This is especially fun for me when the person I’m giving a gift to has a particular hobby or obsession. Something that only the people that know them well will know to get. My mother in law for instance, insists that gifts for her need to be gifts for her, i.e. clothes, jewelery, accessories, etc. She just doesn’t get why my favorite gifts to receive are appliances or gadgets for the kitchen, not to mention a great cookbook. Gift giving is sometimes hard because we think our gift recipient will love what we love getting, but that is often times not the case. To give the perfect gift one must walk a little bit in the other person’s shoes. What do they really need? What do they secretly wish they would have? What would make them smile when they tear up that wrapping paper?

It can be hard to find the perfect gift, but if you have a vegan foodie or cook in your life, I can certainly help you with that because I’m one of them! I love getting tools and inspiration, not to mention cool ingredients to work with in the kitchen, so in today’s post and podcast episode I’ll be helping you with a list of amazing holiday gifts you can give to a vegan cook.

Are you ready? This list could have unlimited options, but I’ve narrowed it down to those foolproof gifts, things your loved one will love to get even if they already have something similar (because why have one set of measuring cups when you can have 2?) Keep in mind that we’re Amazon affiliates so Brownble gets a little kickback when your purchase anything through the links below at no additional cost to you, but we’re not affiliated with any of the brands or specific products, meaning I’m recommending what I truly love, the tools I have in my kitchen and the ones I would always recommend to you no matter what.

Also, check out our shop for specific product and brand recommendations for kitchenware, books, cooking classes, courses, gift certificates and more for the vegan cooks in your life. It's the perfect guide for Holiday gifts for vegans.

Measuring cups and spoons

One can never have too many! Especially if your loved one loves to bake. The best are these sets in which you have an individual cup or spoon for each measure.

Mise en place bowls

Bowls of many different sizes are so useful for cooks to organize and measure out ingredients before cooking. These are called mise en place bowls and in my opinion, one can never have enough of the tiny ones, or the small ones (for things like minced garlic or spices. I also prefer glass ones where you can clearly see ingredients and which are the easiest to clean.

A great audiobook to listen to while they cook

People think kitchen tools are reserved for the prepping and cooking of ingredients, but I beg to differ. Getting in the mood and having fun entertainment while you work are just as important. Here’s where a cool audiobook comes in handy, and it’s also a great idea for a gift when you live far away and you want to send en electronic or downloadable gift and save on postage.

A pot clip for wooden spoons

This is such a cool gadget. A clip with a spoon holder so you never get your counters dirty by laying down your spoons or spatulas. A countertop spoon holder also does the trick, but the idea that the pot clip hangs out right there over you pot is so cool.

The vegetarian flavor bible

This is a wonderful gift especially if your loved one is into creating their own recipes and loves learning about food pairings and food combinations for maximum flavor. A great book for novice or advanced cooks.

Our online vegan cooking classes and courses

I had to of course include our courses and our cooking school in this list! Our online vegan cooking school is filled with vegan cooking classes, support when going vegan, and it’s filled to the brim with delicious and easy vegan recipes. You can check out all the details and watch our video trailer here!

Our latest vegan online course The Roadmap (also included with our school membership) is the most comprehensive yet simple guide to help you go vegan or make more vegan choices. It’s the guide we wish we had had when we went vegan so many moons ago. You can check out all the details and watch our video trailer here!

If your vegan gift recipient is a cheese lover, our online course Melt: The Ultimate Vegan Cheese Course (also included in our school!) will teach them a whole new hobby, with everything they need to know on how to make vegan cheese wheels and blocks at home, with video and recipes for everything from vegan camembert cheese, a vegan mozzarella that melts, fresh mozzarella burrata style balls, vegan mascarpone, the most delicious NY style cheesecake and so much more. Check it out and watch the trailer here.

Books for the home cook

There are so many fantastic cookbooks for the home cook, it’s hard to know where to begin! I hate playing favorites because there are so many beautiful, creative and simple cookbooks out there, but when picking a foolproof cookbook, it’s mostly all about the author or chef. They past the test for me when I know their recipes are so good I could cook them for the first time when having people over for dinner and not fear that it won’t work out.

So here’s a little tribute to my favorite chefs and cookbook authors:

Any cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, like her books Veganomicon with Terry Hope Romero, Isa Does It (maybe my favorite!), or perfect for the holidays, her Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook, just to name a few. She has so many and anything that came out of her pretty cooking brain will amaze you.

Anything created by the Spork Sisters, their books SporkFed and Vegan 101 are filled with easy yet extremely flavorful and comforting recipes.

Anything created by Brian Patton aka The Sexy Vegan, from The Sexy Vegan Cookbook to his individually sold Sexy’s Best (his take on the best way to prepare timeless dishes).

Chloe Coscarelli’s Chloe Flavor, Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen and Chloe’s Kitchen

Any of the Deliciously Ella Cookbooks, from her first book Deliciously Ella, to Deliciously Ella Every Day, to her latest Deliciously Ella The Plant Based Cookbook (a record breaking book that everyone’s raving about)

Angela Liddon’s The Oh She Glows Cookbook

I could go on and on but I trust these beautiful chefs with my loved one’s taste buds any day of the year. For even more delicious titles, check out this post with even more gift ideas, and ways to celebrate with the foodies and cooks in your life.

A set of kitchen towels

Another thing one can never have too many of. Don’t think of the pretty factor alone when choosing them, touch them and ask yourself, can this dry something well?

Mixing bowls

A set of mixing bowls is different to mise en place bowls. Mixing bowls are larger, and I love to have several medium sized ones and one or two very large ones. I love glass but I also love light stainless steel ones that can get really cold in the fridge, these are perfect for making pie or pastry doughs in which you want to start with really cold ingredients.

A holiday basket with yummy specialty ingredients

Nothing excites me more as getting a basket or box filled with fun and unusual ingredients I can experiment with. This is the perfect gift if your loved one already has a fully equipped kitchen. Some ideas: special fancy vinegars like raspberry vinegar or white balsamic, a bottle of a good balsamic reduction, good quality maple syrup, truffle oil, chili oil or another flavored olive oil, dried mushrooms and arborio rice for making risotto, a bottle of wine they love, good quality dark chocolate, pecans, some unusual spices, some cool flours or seeds for making bread, you can get so creative here and these are things your loved one will use for sure.

A spice or coffee grinder

This is the type of appliance many home cooks would love to have but have been postponing to buy more urgent appliances first. Gift it with some cool coffee beans if you’re gifting it as a coffee grinder, or some cool whole spices if you’re gifting it as a spice or seed grinder.

That piece of equipment they’ve been dreaming of getting

A food processor, a blender, coffee maker, standing mixer, a waffle iron, and electric griddle for making all those Sunday pancakes at once, an ice cream maker, etc. You’ll know which one this is because chances are they’ve mentioned this repeatedly in the recent past. Is that just me?

For some of our favorite brands and additional gift ideas, check out our recommendations shop.

A knife sharpener

An electric or run through knife sharpener makes for a wonderful gift. Sharp knives are the key to pleasurable cooking.

A good chef’s knife

Forget about getting your loved one a fancy set of knives. Spend your money on a really good chef’s knife that will last them a lifetime. Japanese knives like the Kasumi are my personal favorites, but a good quality European knife is also great. This is a great gift if you want to give a big important gift to someone really close to you who loves to cook.

Deliciou seasoning kit

We recently bought a mixed box of their vegan spices which include their famous Bacon, Cheesy Bacon, Chipotle, Taco and Cheddar seasonings and we’re having a blast with them! They’re such a cool company and I think it would make a fun gift for a vegan cook. I know the bacon seasonings get all the applause, but I have to say that to me, their chipotle and taco seasoning are addicting and my personal faves, Carlos loves their cheesy bacon seasoning.

Bamboo cookbook or iPad stand

Very useful and a great inexpensive gift option if your loved one loves cookbooks. It could be a great companion to our programs and courses if your gift recipient loves watching us through their tablet.

An enamelled cast iron dutch oven

Give this as a gift and they will love you forever. These babies are expensive but they’ll last a lifetime and are the best for baking breads with the perfect crust, or making stews, chili, soups and braised casseroles. I love my Le Creuset dutch oven which I found on sale and I use it so much.

An old family recipe

This is a great gift if you and your family love to exchange DIY presents. Cook a batch of an old family recipe your friend or family member will love, wrap it in a beautiful way, and include a pretty printed out version of the actual secret family recipe to go with your gift, making them vow on grandma’s Italian tomato sauce that they will never share the recipe with anyone. It turns gift giving into a fun and yummy experience.

Individual cast iron mini pots

These are great for things like French onion soup or mini pot pies. They come with their very own lid and they’re so gorgeous and fun to use.

Kits!

A pancake, pizza, scone or sushi making kit with all the utensils, ingredients and toppings they might need.

An in-person cooking class you can take together

Experiences are always fun, especially when done together.

A trip and tour of a local farm

Nothing excites a cook more than seeing the veggies they love coming out of the ground, especially if this little day trip includes a box of freshly picked products to take home.

I could go on and on with ideas, but hopefully these will be of huge help this holiday season, to celebrate with the cooks in your life.

Check out our shop for specific product and brand recommendations for kitchenware, books, cooking classes, courses, gift certificates and more for the vegan cooks in your life. It's the perfect guide for Holiday gifts for vegans.