The Best White Elephant Gifts for Food-Lovers

These spreads can be used for toast, drizzled over oatmeal, or if I’m being entirely honest, eaten straight off the spoon like peanut butter. This trio, made in small batches in Los Angeles, includes a nutty black sesame butter, jammy cashew pineapple cake butter, and fragrant Chinese almond cookie butter. 

For everyone that thinks of Shrek not just as a movie, but a lifestyle.

Of course Fishwife has nailed its holiday packaging; its regular packaging is already adorable. This smoked salmon set comes with the brand’s regular smoked salmon and two collaboration tins made in partnership with Fly by Jing: a chile crisp smoked salmon and a sweet and spicy smoked salmon.

Staub’s reliable Dutch oven gets a tomato makeover and the results could not be cuter. Imagine serving a bowl of tomato soup in this thing.

If you bring this Jinro frog dispenser to any party, I promise people will cheer. It uses motion detection to pour shots and can be set to dispense half or full pours. This set also comes with extremely cute shot glasses to really get the party started. 

Every home cook needs a reliable apron, and this minimalist version from Hedley & Bennett has everything you need: pockets and a lifetime guarantee. The aprons are made in America from 100 percent cotton and come in chic, muted shades of green, blue, black, and more.

Nothing is more fun than turning pancake batter into fish shapes, especially when you fill the taiyakis with spoonfuls of nutella, custard, or sweet red bean. This taiyaki waffle iron is perfect for those who want to level up Sunday brunch.

For those of us that chronically forget to drink our coffee or tea while it’s still hot (it’s me), this mug will keep a brew warm all day.

Who wouldn’t want to bask in the cheery red glow of a tomato shaped lamp? This lamp can be placed on a desk or strung up; either method will be adorable. 

A regular candle for a White Elephant exchange is usually a snoozefest, but this is the exception. The packaging makes it look like an actual tin of fish, while the vanilla eggnog aroma makes it particularly appealing for the holidays. 

Sushi Go! is perfect for fans of card games and sushi. Up to eight players can compete in this expansion set version, which also includes a board and player tokens.

Cheese knives are one of those things you don’t ever really think of buying because, surely, a butter knife will do, right? (Wrong.) This fancy set with marble and brass feels extra luxurious and would double as a great gift for a host. 

Nothing screams holiday cheer more than this: hot cocoa bombs in the shape of Santa Claus slowly melting in a pool of steaming milk to reveal a confetti storm of mini marshmallows.

We can’t all have a $1,000 pizza oven built into a luxurious backyard patio. Some of us have to settle for the just-as-effective countertop pizza oven that actually ensures a crisp crust and melty blanket of cheese. This one works well on both frozen pizzas and freshly tossed pies. 

Candy enthusiasts know that one of the best things to do while traveling abroad is to check out the confection scene. This box of Japanese Kit Kats from Bokksu brings that experience to the White Elephant exchange, with flavors like sake, dark matcha, and blueberry cheesecake.