What Homemade Food Gifts Can You Make With Spices?

The homemade food gifts people actually finish are the ones that taste like you made them on purpose: a tin of seasoned crackers, a jar of spiced nuts, a chili kit layered in a mason jar, a tray of chile-lime fruit. Each one takes under an hour, costs less than a store-bought basket, and the seasoning is what makes it taste like more than the sum of the box. Here are ten we would make, with the real amounts, and a note on which ones can ship and which ones should be handed over in person.

If you would rather buy a basket than build one, we already wrote that guide: what to put in a food gift basket. This page is for the people who like to make things.

Gifts you bake or toss (they ship fine)

1. Italian "fire crackers" in a tin

The Pinterest classic, and it disappears at every party. Whisk 3/4 cup olive oil with 2 tablespoons of The Godfather and a pinch of red pepper flakes if they like heat. Toss with a 16 oz bag of oyster crackers, spread on a sheet pan and bake at 250°F for 20 minutes, stirring once. Cool completely, then pack in a tin. They keep about two weeks sealed.

2. Steakhouse spiced nuts

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, toss with 3 cups of mixed nuts and 1 1/2 tablespoons of Divine Bovine. Roast at 325°F for 15 minutes, stirring halfway, until they smell toasty. Pack in a pint mason jar with a ribbon. Tie on a small tag that names the nuts — people with allergies will thank you.

3. Sweet-and-smoky pecans

Whisk one egg white with a tablespoon of water until foamy. Stir in 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of Cocoa Butt'Er — organic cocoa and decaf coffee — then fold in 3 cups of pecan halves. Bake at 300°F for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10. They crisp as they cool.

4. Taco-spiced pretzels for the snack drawer

Same method as the crackers, with less oil. Toss a 16 oz bag of pretzel pieces with 1/3 cup oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons of Rock Yo' Taco, bake at 250°F for 15 minutes. A good gift for the office, because it is not sweet when everything else on the break-room table is.

Gifts in a jar (they ship fine, they cook later)

5. Chili in a jar

Layer a quart mason jar with 1 cup dried kidney beans, 1 cup dried black beans and 1 cup dried pinto beans — the stripes are the decoration. Tuck a jar of Did Someone Say Chipotle alongside and write the card: soak the beans overnight; brown a pound of ground beef; add the drained beans, a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 4 cups of water and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the seasoning; simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. It is a Sunday dinner in a jar.

6. Bread-dip kit

A bottle of good olive oil, a shallow dish, a loaf of crusty bread if you are delivering in person, and a jar of The Godfather. On the card: one tablespoon of seasoning in a quarter cup of oil, wait five minutes. Here is the full bread dip recipe. One small rule: do not pre-mix garlic or fresh herbs into the oil for a gift. Dry seasoning on the side, oil in its own bottle, mixed at the table.

7. Homemade vanilla, started now

This is the naughty one. Artisan Vanilla Extract ($39.99, ships December 1) is seven organic vanilla beans and a bottle. They add the vodka and wait while it darkens, so the gift keeps going long after the holidays are over. Pair it with a sheet pan and a favorite cookie recipe written on the card.

Gifts you hand over in person

8. A chile-lime fruit tray

Not every fruit basket needs to be a pear in cellophane. Cut mango, pineapple, cucumber and jicama into spears, squeeze a lime over everything and dust lightly with Rock Yo' Taco right before you hand it over. It is the street-cart fruit cup, made at home, and it is the one tray at the party that gets emptied. Keep it cold and deliver it the same day.

9. A Bloody Mary brunch box

A bottle of tomato juice, a jar of pickled green beans, celery and lemons, and the Bloody Mary Boozy Duo ($17.99 in jars): Tidewater stirred into the glass, Divine Bovine on the rim. The vodka is up to you, 21 and over. For beer people, the Michelada Mix-Up does the same job.

10. Taco night in a colander

Use a colander as the basket — it is part of the gift. Inside: tortillas, a jar of salsa, two limes, and the Taco & Tequila Night set ($17.99 in jars). Write Tuesday on the card and you have planned their week.

Small extras for stockings and gift tags

Tie a sample packet ($2.99) to the ribbon of any homemade gift so they can try a second blend. For a stocking, the Chef's Choice Sampler Pack is $8.99 and fits in the toe.

Making gifts for a whole office or client list?

Ten tins of fire crackers is a fun Saturday. Fifty is not. For client and team gifts, your whole job is to pick the gift, send us the list of names, addresses and what each note should say, and pay one invoice. We handwrite every note, pack every box and ship it to each person — including remote employees in other states. Orders of $1,000 or more get 10% off. See corporate gifting, or browse everything on the Naughty & Nice gift list. Order by December 17 for delivery by Christmas.

Quick answers

What is the easiest homemade food gift?

Seasoned oyster crackers. Three ingredients, one sheet pan, 20 minutes in a low oven, and they keep about two weeks in a sealed tin.

Which homemade food gifts can you mail?

Baked, dry things travel well: seasoned crackers, spiced nuts, pretzels and dry jar kits like chili beans. Cut fruit, dips and anything that needs refrigeration should be handed over in person.

How do you make a homemade gift look store-bought?

Use a container they will keep, like a mason jar, a tin, a colander or a sheet pan. Add a handwritten card that says exactly what to make. Skip the cellophane.

Every Flavor Seed blend is USDA Certified Organic, gluten free and kosher, with no MSG, no fillers and no anti-caking agents, made in small batches by our family in Charlotte, North Carolina.