Need impressive homemade food gifts on a budget? Since 2011 I've shared my best gift-worthy recipes every December on Cheap Recipe Blog. This ultimate, always-updated guide has them all (cocktail kits, truffles, granolas, spice blends + more). Pin or bookmark now; I'll keep adding new ones all season.
Every December since 2011, Cheap Recipe Blog transforms into edible-gift central. There's just nothing better than handing someone a beautiful jar, tin, or box and saying, “I made this for you.†It's personal, thoughtful, and (let's be honest) way cheaper than anything you'll find in a boutique.
This year I pulled together every single reader-favorite, gift-worthy recipe from the archives – 46 in total – so you can knock out your entire list from one page. Sweet, savory, boozy, crunchy, spreadable, and even a few luxurious body treats that smell like dessert. Most are shelf-stable, travel well, and look downright gorgeous with a simple ribbon and tag.
So here you have it: The Complete Cheap Recipe Blog Homemade Gift Guide. Your homemade holiday gift headquarters.
Drinks & Drink Mixers Everyone Will Use All Year
Perfect for coffee lovers, cocktail enthusiasts, and anyone who loves a cozy mug.
- 2-Ingredient Homemade Vanilla Extract → Once you start infusing, it takes a couple of months for the extract to have strong flavor – and it gets better with age. Bottle it in pretty amber glass for the baker who has everything.
- Apple Cider Syrup → Slowly reduced cider that tastes like pure autumn. Amazing on pancakes, oatmeal, cheese boards, or stirred into sparkling water.
- Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate → Rich, spiced, and miles better than store-bought. Just add milk for instant lattes.
- Margarita Cocktail Infusion Kit → Dried lime, orange, and sea salt layered in a jar. Add tequila and shake. The happiest hostess gift.
- Pear-Ginger Cocktail in a Jar Kit → Dried pears, crystallized ginger, and warm spices. Add bourbon or vodka for winter's coziest drink.
- Complete Guide: How to Make Cocktails in a Jar → Step-by-step tutorial + 5 bonus flavor combos so you can customize for every recipient
Spice Blends & Condiments That Elevate Every Meal
Small jars, huge flavor impact. These are the gifts cooks fight over.
- DIY Pizza Seasoning Blend → Oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a secret ingredient that makes homemade pizza taste like your favorite pizzeria.
- Sweet & Spicy Meat Rub → Sugar, paprika, garlic, and other spices.  Perfect for ribs, brisket, pork, or even roasted sweet potatoes.
- Fruited chili crisp → Crunchy, spicy, sweet with dried mango and pineapple. It's the condiment people spoon straight from the jar.
- Citrus Sea Salt → Fresh orange, lemon, and lime zest baked into flaky salt. Instantly fancy on chocolate chip cookies, grilled fish, or margarita rims.
- Spicy Homemade Mustard → Coarse, fiery, and better than the average mustard in the grocery aisle.
- Coffee Spice Blend → A warm blend of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg – sprinkle on top of a cappuccino or straight into grounds for café-quality coffee at home.
Homemade Granola (Because Breakfast Gifts Are Always a Win)
Crunchy, cluster-packed, and way cheaper than boutique brands. Package these up in decorative Mason jars.
- Orange Marmalade Granola → Bright citrus sunshine with a subtle bitter-sweet marmalade note.
- Strawberry Granola → The freeze dried strawberries add color and tangy sweetness.
- Banana-Peanut Butter Granola → Healthy Elvis vibes in every bite.
- Chocolate Granola → Cocoa powder + dark chocolate chunks = chocolate for breakfast, totally acceptable.
- Carrot cake granola → All the flavors of carrot cake in scoopable form; cinnamon, raisins, coconut, pecans.
Candy & Chocolate Gifts That Look Store-Bought (But Taste Homemade)
Decadent, shippable, and guaranteed to disappear fast.
- Peanut Butter Truffles → Creamy peanut butter centers, dark chocolate coating, flaky salt on top; better than the classic candy cup.
- Brigadeiros (Brazilian Chocolate Truffles) → One-pot fudge balls rolled in sprinkles. 15 minutes start to finish.
- Chocolate-Covered Goat Cheese Truffles → Tangy goat cheese rolled in dark chocolate and nuts. Surprisingly addictive.
- Classic Chocolate Ganache Truffles → Silky centers rolled in cocoa, nuts, or festive sprinkles.
- Cacao Nib Honey Caramels → Chewy, deeply chocolatey, individually wrapped like real candy.
- Homemade Cashew Turtles → Gooey caramel, toasted cashews, dark chocolate: Pure nostalgia.
- White Sour Cream Fudge → Ultra-creamy, slightly tangy old-fashioned fudge.
- Toasted Walnut Fudge → Rich, nutty, and stays perfectly fudgy for weeks.
- Pecan Pralines → Buttery, crumbly Southern candy that melts in your mouth.
- Andes Mint Bark → Two ingredients, five minutes. Tastes exactly like the classic after-dinner mint, elevated.
- Chocolate Dessert Salami → Cookies, nuts, and dried fruit in a chocolate “salami†roll – slice and serve. Always the first to go.
- Ice-Cube-Tray Chocolate Bites → Melt chocolate, add any mix-ins, freeze. Easiest customizable gift ever.
- Salty Hot Fudge Sauce → Spoon over ice cream or eat with a spoon at midnight (no judgment).
- Cookie Butter Truffles → Biscoff spread + chocolate. Four ingredients, zero baking.
Jar Gifts That Wow on Sight
Layered, colorful, and ready to hand over.
- Christmas Pickles (Red Hots Cinnamon Pickles) → Electric red, sweet-spicy pickles that scream holidays dream of.
- Homemade Nut Butters → Almond, peanut, cashew, or flavored — tie with twine and call it luxury.
- Tropical Cheese Ball with Homemade Pear Chips → Pineapple, coconut, macadamias + crunchy pear chips = vacation on a cracker.
- Pecan Cranberry Dip in a Jar → Cream cheese, cranberry sauce, pecans, green onion — serve with fancy crackers.
Luxurious Non-Edible Gifts (That Still Smell Like Dessert)
For teachers, coworkers, or anyone who “doesn't need more stuff to eat.â€
- DIY Gingerbread Sugar Scrub → Brown sugar + warm spices = spa day in a jar.
- Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub → The coziest fall scent for winter-dry skin.
- Lemon-Sugar Hand Scrub → Bright, clean, and leaves hands baby-soft.
- Homemade Lemon Skin Balm → Intensely moisturizing whipped balm that smells like lemon sugar cookies.
Why I've Been Making (Almost) All My Holiday Gifts in the Kitchen Since 2011
Let's talk money for a second, because that's what Cheap Recipe Blog is all about.
- A pretty 8-oz jar of “artisan†granola at a boutique? $12–$18. My homemade versions? Usually $2–$4 per jar, and they taste better.
- Fancy cocktail infusion kits on Etsy? $25–$40 each. Mine cost under $5 and look just as gorgeous.
- A single pound of decent chocolate truffles or bark or turtles from a chocolate shop? Easily $30+.
- Tiny 4-oz jars of flavored salts or spice blends in gift shops? $10–$15 each. My cost? Less than a dollar, in many cases.
Add it up and you can outfit teachers, neighbors, coworkers, mail carriers, hair stylists, and still have money left for actual presents under the tree.
But the real magic? You get to double-dip.
Every single one of these recipes makes plenty, so while you're packaging up beautiful gifts, you can (and absolutely should) keep a jar, bag, or tin for your own pantry. I call it the “maker's tax,†and it's the best part of December. A little homemade vanilla in your morning coffee, a spoonful of salty hot fudge at midnight, or a handful of that carrot-cake granola when no one's looking — you deserve it for being the thoughtful, crafty, budget-savvy superstar you are.
So yes, you'll save a shocking amount of money.
Yes, your gifts will look Pinterest-perfect and taste better than anything store-bought.
And yes, you'll end the season with a fridge and pantry full of the same goodies you just gave away.
That's the Cheap Recipe Blog way: give generously, spend wisely, and always keep a little for yourself.
There you have it: 46+ recipes that are foolproof, gorgeous, inexpensive and straight from your kitchen.
Which one are you making first? Who's getting the lucky recipient? Drop it in the comments — I read every single one! And please pin or bookmark this page; you'll be coming back to it all December long.
