The first time I ever gave pantry mixes as a gift was a few years ago. It was one of the first years our family did a Secret Santa exchange, and I drew my sister-in-law.
I knew her family cared a lot about eating healthy and keeping preservatives and unnatural ingredients to a minimum. I also knew that with three kids, making everything from scratch was hard. So I put together a gift basket of homemade mixes.
She still uses them to this day. When I visited not long ago, she served dinner, and when we told her it was delicious, she said, “I used the gravy mix that Mindy gave me.”
Knowing I helped her put food on the table with less stress was truly a blessing to me. And I think it’s a blessing for her too, because it means less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying her family.
Here’s what I figured out somewhere along the way. The best gifts I can give aren’t things I buy. They’re things I already make.
When you live the way Curtis and I do, there isn’t room for extra stuff, and there’s no way I’m spending December in checkout lines. What we do have is a pantry full of mixes I make all year anyway. Taco seasoning. Gravy mix. Pancake mix. Cookie mix. Hot cocoa. Pour any of them into a clean jar, tie on a tag, and it turns into a Christmas present.
So this year I rounded up every pantry mix on the blog that makes a good homemade Christmas food gift. Each one comes with what to put on the tag and how long it keeps, so the person you give it to actually gets to use it.
Less time shopping. More time out living. That’s the whole idea.
Homemade Christmas Food Gifts: The Short Version
The easiest homemade Christmas food gifts are dry pantry mixes in a jar: drink mixes, baking mixes, seasoning blends and dinner mixes. They’re cheap to make in a batch, they ship and travel without breaking, and they keep for months on a shelf. Add a tag with the instructions and the date you made it, and the gift is done.
Quick answer:
- Best for almost anyone: hot cocoa mix, cookie mix in a jar, pancake mix
- Best for the cook in your life: taco, fajita or Italian seasoning, ranch seasoning, gravy mixes
- Best for neighbors and coworkers: small jars of seasoned salt or garlic salt
- Always put on the tag: what it is, how to use it, and the date you made it
Cozy Drink and Breakfast Gifts
These are the jars people open first. Everybody drinks something warm in December.
1. Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix
This is the classic gift in a jar, and for good reason. Mine is the homemade hot cocoa mix I keep on the shelf all winter. It works with or without powdered milk, so you can make a jar for just about anyone.
For the tag: copy the directions from the hot cocoa mix recipe card.
2. Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets
A jar of homemade instant oatmeal is breakfast for someone who’s always rushing out the door. Layer it in a wide-mouth jar or bag single servings and tuck them in a basket.
For the tag: copy the directions from the instant oatmeal recipe card.
3. Lemon Ginger Tea Jar
Fill a small jar with dehydrated lemon slices and dried ginger. It’s pretty, it smells amazing, and it goes in hot water, tea or a holiday drink. Ginger Tea Recipe for Colds and Flu Season.
Tag: Drop 1 or 2 lemon slices and a few pieces of ginger in hot water. Steep 5 minutes. Add honey to sweeten.
Baking Gifts in a Jar
Baking mixes are the gifts that turn into a memory, because someone has to actually make them.
4. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix in a Jar
The oatmeal chocolate chip cookie mix layers beautifully. The oats, sugar and chocolate chips make stripes in the jar, so it looks like you tried way harder than you did.
For the tag: copy the directions from the cookie mix recipe card.
5. Homemade Pancake Mix
Pair a jar of homemade pancake mix with a small bottle of syrup and you’ve got Christmas morning breakfast covered.
For the tag: copy the directions from the pancake mix recipe card.
6. Homemade Biscuit Mix
A jar of homemade biscuit mix is a gift for the person who’d rather make dinner rolls than eat a cookie. It pairs perfectly with a gravy mix (see the dinner section below).
For the tag: copy the directions from the biscuit mix recipe card.
7. Homemade Brown Sugar
This one sounds too simple to give, but bakers burn through brown sugar in December. A jar of homemade brown sugar with a cute label is something they’ll actually use. Add a note that it keeps soft in an airtight jar (how to store brown sugar).
8. Freeze-Dried Strawberries
If you have a freeze dryer, a jar of freeze-dried strawberries is the gift nobody expects. They’re crunchy, sweet and good on oatmeal, in cookies or straight out of the jar. If you are new to freeze drying, the Harvest Right is what I use and recommend.
Tag: Keep the lid tight. Once they’re exposed to air they soften fast.
Every one of these gifts started the same way: a pantry that already had the basics on hand. If you want to build one like that, I put together a free guide that walks through exactly how I set mine up so the ingredients are always there when I need them. It’s called the From-Scratch Pantry Starter Guide, and you can grab it below.
Seasoning Gifts for the Cook in Your Life
Small jars, big flavor, and they’re the cheapest gifts on this list to make in a batch. All of these are in my homemade seasoning blends roundup too.
9. Homemade Taco Seasoning
My homemade taco seasoning is the easiest place to start. Almost everyone makes taco night.
For the tag: copy how much to use per pound of meat from the taco seasoning recipe card.
10. Homemade Fajita Seasoning
Give fajita seasoning together with the taco seasoning as a “taco night” pair.
For the tag: copy how much to use per pound of meat from the fajita seasoning recipe card.
11. Italian Seasoning
Italian seasoning goes in sauces, soups, bread dough and roasted vegetables. It’s a gift that gets used every week.
12. Homemade Ranch Seasoning
A jar of ranch seasoning replaces a whole drawer of packets.
For the tag: copy the directions from the ranch seasoning recipe card.
13. Seasoned Salt
Seasoned salt is the one I’d give to coworkers and neighbors. Everybody uses it, and a small jar is plenty.
14. Garlic Salt
Pair garlic salt with the seasoned salt in two matching jars.
15. Homemade Burger Seasoning
For the grill person who keeps grilling all winter. Burger seasoning works on steaks and roasted potatoes too.
For the tag: copy how much to use per pound of beef from the burger seasoning recipe card.
16. Homemade Garlic Powder and Onion Powder
This is a gift for the person who loves to cook from scratch. Homemade garlic powder and homemade onion powder in two little jars taste nothing like the store-bought kind.
Dinner Mixes They’ll Use All Winter
These are the practical gifts. They make dinner easier on a cold night in January, long after the cookies are gone.
17. Homemade Country Gravy Mix
Country gravy mix plus the biscuit mix from earlier makes a biscuits and gravy gift set.
For the tag: copy the directions from the country gravy mix recipe card.
18. Homemade Chicken Gravy Mix
Chicken gravy mix is the one to give before a holiday dinner.
For the tag: copy the directions from the chicken gravy mix recipe card.
19. Enchilada Sauce Dry Mix
Add water and enchilada sauce dry mix becomes sauce in minutes. Pair it with the taco seasoning for a Mexican night basket.
For the tag: copy the directions from the enchilada sauce mix recipe card.
20. Cream of Anything Soup Mix
For the person who makes casseroles all winter, a jar of cream of anything soup mix replaces the cans.
For the tag: copy the directions from the cream of anything soup recipe card.
Bonus: DIY Laundry Soap
Not food, but it’s a dry mix from my pantry shelf and it’s one of the most practical gifts on this list. A jar of DIY laundry soap is perfect for the RVer or camper in your life.
How to Package Gifts in a Jar (and Make Them Last)
You don’t need anything fancy. A clean jar, a lid that seals and a tag with clear instructions do the job. I really like using these containers with an airtight seal, mason jars work really well or Mylar Bags are great if you want something non-breakable or inexpensive.
- Seasonings: 4 oz or 8 oz jars. A little goes a long way.
- Drink, gravy and soup mixes: 8 oz to 16 oz jars.
- Cookie, pancake and biscuit mixes: 32 oz (quart) wide-mouth jars, so there’s room to layer.
- Pack it tight. Tap the jar on the counter as you fill it so layered mixes stay in neat lines.
How long do mixes in a jar last?
Most dry gift mixes stay good for about 3 to 6 months in a cool, dark cupboard. Mixes with chocolate, nuts or oats lose quality sooner than plain spice blends. Ground spices and dried herbs keep their best flavor for about a year. Seasoning jars are the longest-lasting gifts on this list.
What do you write on a gift jar tag?
Three things: what’s in the jar, how to use it, and the date you made it. If the mix needs fresh ingredients (milk, eggs, butter), list them clearly so nobody opens it on a busy night and finds out they can’t make it. If someone you’re giving to has an allergy, list the main ingredients too.
Are homemade food gifts cheaper than store-bought?
Usually, yes, especially when you make a big batch from bulk spices, flour and sugar. I broke down the real numbers in my cost comparison of store-bought vs homemade dry mixes.
Can you mail gifts in a jar?
Yes. Dry mixes are some of the easiest food gifts to ship because nothing melts or spoils. Wrap glass jars in bubble wrap or a dish towel or sealed in mylar bags for anything going a long way.
The Best Gifts Are Already on Your Shelf
I still think about my sister-in-law pulling that gravy mix off her shelf on a busy weeknight, years after Christmas was over because she continues to ask me for more. That’s what a gift like this does. It doesn’t sit in a closet. It shows up at dinner.
The best part about homemade Christmas food gifts isn’t that they save money, even though they do. It’s that you made them in a few quiet afternoons instead of losing whole days to stores and traffic. That’s time you get back for the things that actually matter in December, like the people you’re giving them to.
Pick two or three from this list, make a big batch, and you’ll have gifts for everyone, plus plenty left over for your own pantry.
With love and adventure,
Mindy
What’s the one homemade gift you’d love to get in a jar? Tell me in the comments. I’m always looking for the next mix to try.