The Best Last-Minute Gift Is a Food Subscription

With all the chaos of the holiday season swirling, it’s not a surprise that you’re online right now trying to find a gift for someone in your life. There’s a lot going on this time of year, and a trip to the mall definitely won’t make you feel any less stressed out about getting everything checked off your to-do list.

But there is a foolproof solution that doesn’t involve making a frantic, last-minute shopping trip: just give the recipient you have in mind a really great food subscription box. It’s both an easy gift and a win-win: Your recipient gets to open a present multiple times over the course of the next year, and you’ll also save yourself several headaches by jumping online and ordering something to be shipped directly to their door instead of fighting all the other shopping procrastinators in person. These subscriptions are our favorite, offering a selection of delivered goodies that can suit a variety of tastes (and budgets).

Murray’s Cheese Club

Who doesn’t want artisan-made cheeses from one of New York City’s best cheesemongers shipped directly to them? Murray’s offers multiple subscription options, which include both cheeses and accouterments like jam, crackers, and optional add-ons like imported prosciutto. Give the Globetrotter’s Club to a cheese enthusiast who’s always trying new things, or order the Cheese Board Club for the person on your list who eats “girl dinner” every single night.

Eater Wine Club

It’s wine! Delivered right to your BFF or natty-wine-loving cousin every single month. What else is there to say?

Miami Fruit Variety Box

This Miami-based purveyor has earned a massive following on TikTok because it stocks fruits you just can’t find at most grocery stores, like custard apples and the fruit of the monstera deliciosa plant. The small subscription box includes 3-5 pounds of tropical fruit that can be shipped to your recipient’s door every four weeks, or even weekly if you’re feeling especially generous.

Trade Coffee, the company that connects coffee roasters around the country to customers, offers subscription options of between three and 24 bags to suit the precise caffeine habits of all your gift recipients.

Zingerman’s Food Clubs

Michigan deli Zingerman’s virtual market boasts an array of subscription gifts that truly run the gamut. Perhaps your giftee would like a subscription to the Reuben Sandwich Gift Club ($395), which delivers all the essentials to make the deli’s iconic Reuben sandwich at home for three months. Or maybe they’re the type who will find adventure in the Dabbler ($150), an assortment of bacon, breads, and cheeses.

Té Company Tea & Treats

Few things are more comforting than a warm cup of tea and a crispy cookie perfect for dunking. This three-month subscription from Té Company includes both a curated assortment of Taiwanese oolongs and treats like pineapple linzers to pair with the tea’s delicate notes. Té Company also offers tea-only (and treat-only) subscriptions.

Burlap & Barrel Spice Club

Whether the person you have in mind for this gift is an experienced cook or someone just starting to build their spice cabinet, Burlap & Barrel’s Spice Club is a solid choice. Every four months, they’ll receive a box of four different spices or spice blends, along with recipes and tips for actually using them in the kitchen.

Sfoglini Pasta Club

Known for its slow-dried, bronze-die-extruded pastas, New York-based Sfoglini offers a pasta subscription that will send your recipient six boxes of beautifully made pasta once a quarter for the next year. Each box includes six different varieties of pasta, including Sfoglini’s lacy reginetti, sauce-grabbing radiatore, and specialty pastas made with heirloom grains. (If 24 boxes of pasta in one year seems like too much, Sfoglini also offers a half-year option.)

Salt & Straw Pints Club

If you really love someone, you’ll send them five pints of ice cream to eat every single month via Salt & Straw’s Pint Club. As the name indicates, the Portland, Oregon-based creamery will ship five random pints of their always unique flavors to your recipient each month. Note that each includes a “selection of flavors that are both dairy-based and vegan, and some contain nuts or soy.” Three-month, six-month, and year-long subscriptions are available.