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There’s nothing better than a gift that keeps on giving, which is why food subscription boxes are kind of perfect. Plus, you don’t have to wrap these gifts yourself, which we consider to be a big win. These days it seems like there's a subscription box for everything—you could opt for clothing subscription boxes like Stitch Fix, skin care and beauty boxes like Birchbox, general lifestyle boxes like FabFitFun, or even gadget boxes like Breo Box—but for people who love to cook and eat (we assume that’s why you're here, after all) there’s nothing better than a subscription for their favorite food. Maybe that's fancy cheese. Maybe it’s chocolate. Maybe it’s charcuterie. Whatever their thing is, there’s probably a box for it.
We’ve rounded up some of our favorite food boxes to make this gift-giving season your easiest one ever. Got a new parent or recent grad on your list? They’ll probably be very grateful to receive some meal kits and crates of peak-season fruit. Get ready to hear about how great you are each time a new curated box hits the doorstep every month, and pro tip: subscription boxes also make great last-minute gifts, since they'll arrive monthly instead of on the exact day.
A food subscription box for easy weeknight meals: Gobble
A meal kit delivery subscription is the not-so-secret key to easy weekday meals. If you know a wannabe home cook who’s been targeted by one too many ads about HelloFresh or Blue Apron, try this Gobble meal plan instead. It comes with pre chopped and prepped individual ingredients that just have to be combined and cooked—and nothing takes longer than 15 minutes. Get this for the person on your list who has a takeout habit they’re trying to kick.
What you’ll get: Pre-portioned ingredients for meals that serve two or four up to six days per week.
For the coffee-lover who loves to try new things: Trade Coffee
Trade offers our favorite coffee subscription, period. They carry an extensive inventory of beans from roasters all over the country, and the box is highly customizable based on coffee preferences and drinking cadence. You can personally select the coffee you'd like to receive, or take a quiz about your preferred brewing methods and flavor profiles so that Trade can send you beans they think you’ll lovefrom a variety of roasters. The beans are also roasted to order, so you know you’re always getting the freshest coffee possible. Read more about our favorite coffee subscription services to learn about all of the options.
What you’ll get: At a custom frequency, you’ll get either a standard bag or Big Bag (your choice) of coffee from different roasters across the country.
A box for people who are obsessed with warm, fresh bread: Wildgrain
Even people who have a toddler-aged sourdough starter and like to bake from scratch will appreciate a Wildgrain subscription box, which is like having an artisan bakery in your freezer. Each box comes with a different combination of sourdough bread, pasta, and pastries, and everything can go from freezer to table in about 25 minutes, since it’s all par-baked. The contents are sourced from small bakeries all over the US, and the company donates four meals to the The Greater Boston Food Bank for every new subscription, so you can feel really good about spending your money on this one.
What you’ll get: On a monthly or bi-monthly basis, a box with a combination of par-baked artisan breads, pasta, and pastries.
The best box for chocolate lovers: Compartés
For chocolate connoisseurs who love variety, it’s hard to beat the Compartés chocolate of the month club. Each month, the recipient will receive a curated, seasonal selection of chocolate bars, truffles, and other confections, including some of the brand’s newest releases. They also have a no melt shipping guarantee, so you’ll never have to worry that your fancy chocolate gift box will arrive in the form of fancy chocolate soup.
What you’ll get: For three months, six months, or one year, each shipment comes with a seasonal selection of chocolate bars, truffles, and more.
A box for the wannabe mixologist: Shaker & Spoon
You probably know at least one person who is always trying to come up with a new cocktail or master a classic recipe. This is probably the same person in your life who owns multiple novelty ice trays and has a well-stocked bar cart. Shaker & Spoon’s boxes come with everything you need to make a dozen craft cocktails—minus the alcohol—including things like garnishes, bitters, and house made syrups.
What you’ll get: On a one-month, three-month, six-month, or yearlong basis, a curated box of ingredients to make a batch of 12 craft cocktails.
The best box for your pickle-loving uncle: Mouth’s Pickles of the Month Club
Mouth is a Brooklyn-based company dedicated to helping people discover the best, most delicious, and most interesting indie food products. With their pickle subscription box, you get three of the best jars of pickled cucumbers and one jar of something more unique, like cherry tomatoes, watermelon, or string beans. With selections like Whiskey Sour Pickles from Brooklyn Brine and Spicy Caribbean Pickles from The Real Dill in Denver, the gift will be a delight to snackers, adventurous cocktail makers, and tart-and-tangy fiends.
What you’ll get: For three months, six months, or one year, each shipment includes four pickled goods.
The best subscription box for snackers: Bokksu Japanese Snack Box
Bokksu Japanese Snack Box
If you know someone who could use a monthly delivery of deluxe artisanal snacks from local makers in Japan, a Bokksu snack subscription is the perfect gift. You’ll find snacks like matcha-infused dark chocolate Kit Kats and a popular snack mix of peanuts and crescent-shaped senbei, so this is the perfect gift for people who spend hours in the snack aisle at Teso.
What you’ll get: For one month, three months, six months, or one year, each box includes 20-22 snacks, candies, and a tea. Shipping is free worldwide.
The best subscription box for pasta nerds: Sfoglini Pasta
Home-cooked pasta beats takeout any day. This New York City–based company makes 100% organic pasta using a rotating cast of local ingredients and spices from neighboring gardens, breweries, farmers, and flour mills. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to break out of their penne rut, since it includes out-of-the-box shapes and flavors that will please any pasta lover. Past pasta offerings have included beet fusilli, porcini trumpets, and cuttlefish ink spaccatelli.
What you’ll get: Two shipments of six boxes of pasta, in three-month increments.
The perfect gift box for people who like it spicy: Fuego Box Hot Sauce Subscription
Get this for anyone you know who can’t eat a meal without a shake or two of Tapatío or who’s always complaining that spicy food isn’t spicy enough. Fuego Box finds quality small-batch hot sauces from all over the world and delivers them to your door, so there’s always something new to try. Each subscription includes quarterly shipments of new products that are sure to become your new favorite hot sauce varieties.
What you’ll get: For one year, four shipments containing three 5-ounce bottles of hot sauce each.
A cozy gift box for the person who drinks tea all day long: Art of Tea
For your friend who has made warm beverages their whole personality,get a tea subscription box. Each box comes with either four ounces of loose leaf tea or 12 tea bags, and the offerings can be customized to suit their tastes. If they’re not into caffeine, choose a subscription that focuses on herbal tea, or go for the single origin option for someone who is into trying the best of everything.
What you’ll get: Four ounces or twelve bags of tea every month, for three, six, or twelve months.
The best subscription box for fruit lovers: Harry & David Fruit of the Month Club
A classic Harry & David fruit basket is always a welcome gift, but we actually prefer the monthly gift subscription boxes since smaller deliveries mean that no fruit will go to waste. The company has tons of options to fit your needs, like the Favorite Pear Club (which ships three-month subscriptions of South Oregon pears starting in June), or the Citrus of the Month Club (which comes with three-, six-, or 12-month subscription options and includes everything from sumo mandarins to California Valencia oranges). For serious fruit fanatics, splurge on the Signature Classic Club: a yearlong gift of the best snacks nature can offer that includes a pineapple, sweet cherries, and a handful of honey mangoes.
What you’ll get: Choose from three-month, six-month, nine-month or one-year subscriptions of either a single type of fruit or a fruit medley.
The best box for butter snobs: Banner Grass-Fed Butter Subscription
Butter makes everything better, and there is, in fact, better butter. Give the gift of butter made with cream from local Georgia cows with this collection, which is loaded with flavor and churned to perfection. The sampler always includes one round of sea salt butter, one round of roasted garlic, one sweet butter (like honey rosemary or dark chocolate), and one seasonal butter (like red pepper mash or BBQ). All are grass-fed and hormone-free, and they make great companions to freshly baked bread, corn on the cob, or a stack of pancakes.
What you’ll get: For a quarterly subscription, each shipment includes four 5-ounce blocks butter.
The best food subscription box for cheese lovers: Murray’s Cheese of the Month
For anyone in your life who would appreciate the regular delivery of a pound and a half of cheese to their door, this gift box will get rave reviews. Murray’s has their in-house cheesemongers taste and select luxe cheeses based on their flavors and textures. Shipments are delivered the second Thursday of every month and come with an informative pamphlet that explains the idiosyncrasies and provenance of each cheese.
What you’ll get: For a month-to-month, three-month, six-month, or one-year subscription, each shipment includes three carefully selected half-pound cheeses.
The best subscription box for people who will never stop eating girl dinner: Olympia Provisions Salami of the Month
This gift gives charcuterie lovers the opportunity to try 12 different salamis crafted from Northwest pork. From large-format Greek salami made with oregano, garlic, and orange zest to French salami flavored with garlic and black pepper, it’s a hit for meat enthusiasts and frequent party hosts. One of our editors has gifted this box and can confirm that they received ecstatic text messages from the recipient on a monthly basis all year long.
What you’ll get: For one year, each monthly shipment includes one 4.5-ounce salami along with tasting notes.
The food subscription box for people who are obsessed with regional specialties: Mouth’s Indie States of America Box
Each box in Mouth’s Indie States of America subscription focuses on a different region in the U.S., meaning you’ll get to taste your way through the country by sampling local, independent, small-batch purveyors from coast to coast. Think Hawaiian hot sauce, chocolate from Oregon, and barbecue spice rub from South Carolina. This is a great box for foodies looking to sample regional cuisines around the country without leaving home.
The best box for protein fanatics: Butcher Box
If you’re looking for a subscription service for your friend or loved one who has adopted a keto or paleo diet, this is the one. Each monthly delivery contains between 8.5–11 pounds of antibiotic-free meat, which you can customize depending on dietary restrictions.
What you’ll get: At a custom delivery frequency, you’ll get a selection of frozen premium-cut meats.
For the dedicated ice cream fanatic: Goldbelly Ice Cream Subscription
Goldbelly sources high-quality ice cream from local and regionally beloved creameries and sends the bounty directly to your doorstep. You can enjoy Humphry Slocombe from San Francisco, Coolhaus Ice Cream Sandwiches from L.A., or Graeters from Cincinnati (dairy-free hive look away). This is a surefire way to keep your giftee in complete ice cream heaven all year.
What you’ll get: For three, six, nine, or 12 months, you’ll get a monthly shipment of 5–6 pints of ice cream, or 6–24 ice cream sandwiches.
For the a-fish-ionado: Tinned Fish Club
Listen, we're on record that we think tinned fish makes a fantastic gift. What could possibly be better than a fancy can of salty, savory anchovies? A year's supply of salty, savory anchovies and mackerel and oysters and clams! Look no further than Cratejoy’s Tinned Fish Club, which delivers a curated box of tinned seafood from around the world.
What you’ll get: Every month for three, six, or 12 months, you’ll receive a selection of tinned seafood along with corresponding recipe ideas.
The box for the cookie monster in your life: Monthly Greatest Cookie Subscription Ever
Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t love a box of cookies delivered straight to their doorstep? You probably can’t think of anyone. Which is what makes this Goldbelly monthly cookie subscription box a go-to gift for anyone in your life. Each box comes with a curated batch of cookies in a variety of flavors from some of the best bakeries across the country, like black and white cookies from New York and giant dinosaur cookies from Minnesota.
What you’ll get: For three, six, or 12 months, you’ll get a batch of cookies from a different bakery.
For your favorite restaurant-goer: GiveBelly NYC Subscription
Help support New York City restaurants, while also giving an extra special and one-of-a-kind gift to your loved one, through the purchase of a Goldbelly NYC Gift Box Subscription.
What you’ll get: Each month for three or six months, you’ll get a box filled with enough food to feed four from some of the city’s most well-known restaurants.
For the person who’s always searching for new recipes: Recipes By Mail Subscription
If you’ve got a friend who loves flipping through cookbooks, but is quickly running out of shelf space—or a friend who's interested in both history and cooking—they’re going to be obsessed with this. Every month as part of this subscription service, they’ll get recreated handwritten recipes from historical figures like Eleanor Roosevelt, Emily Dickinson, and George Washington, printed on high-quality paper. They'll also get historical and biographical background, and a backstory for the recipe. We might just gift this one to ourselves.
What you’ll get: Each month (for a year or half a year) you’ll get a replicated version of a historical recipe, along with context pages.
