5 Easy Vegan Gift Basket Ideas

Vegan gift baskets will delight your friends and family with thoughtful, cruelty-free treats. Here are five creative ideas for the perfect vegan Christmas basket.

The idea behind vegan gift baskets is similar to traditional Christmas gift baskets: hampers packed with tasty treats, drinks and grooming products. But how do you prepare a gift basket for vegans? Essentially, vegan products do not contain any ingredients derived from animals or animal byproducts — not only food and drinks but beauty products and clothing too. Find out more about what veganism means.

So what kind of Christmas basket can you give your vegan loved ones? We’ve got you covered. Making a vegan Christmas basket is easy and fun. For each of the ideas below, you’ll need a basket, picnic hamper, or a box made of recycled cardboard, which you can cover in attractive recycled paper or hand-drawn designs.

Check out these five vegan gift basket ideas.

1. Vegan Gift Baskets with Tea and Coffee

Vegan coffee lovers enjoy the same coffee as non-vegans, as coffee is 100 percent vegan and doesn’t use any animal products during processing. It’s important to give fair trade coffee to ensure that it is grown sustainably and that workers are paid a fair wage.

Similarly, tea is also usually vegan; however, care should be taken when choosing different flavors. The following types of tea are always vegan:

• Green tea
• Black tea
• White tea
• Oolong tea
• Matcha tea
• Chamomile tea, and
• Peppermint tea

Tea becomes non-vegan when you add honey or milk to it. In addition, sometimes artificial coloring contains animal products. For more information, read about plastic in tea and why most teabags are not compostable.

2. Prepare a Nuts and Seeds Christmas Basket

Vegans don’t eat meat and get protein in their diet from other sources. This is where nuts, seeds and pulses come in. Prepare a selection of nuts and seeds for your vegan gift baskets, which you can find in the supermarket or health food store. Good choices include cashews, almonds, chia seeds, flax seeds and pumpkin seeds. 

If you’re interested in considering the environmental impact of the nuts you include in your Christmas presents, check out some of our analyses:

• A Deep Dive Into Cashews: How Sustainable Are These Popular Nuts
• How Are Pistachios Grown & Are They Sustainable?
• Eating Almonds: Benefits and Drawbacks for You and the Planet

Why not print off or send some recipe ideas too? Consider these:

1. Tasty Smoked Pumpkin Seeds — Smoked pumpkin seeds are a great, healthy snack.
2. Cashew Cream Cheese — This vegan cream cheese can be used in sandwiches or to make a vegan cheesecake.
3. Homemade Oat Milk — Looking for new plant-based milk? Give oat milk a try.
4. Fruity Overnight Chia Pudding — This chilled pudding makes a yummy, healthy breakfast.
5. Flaxseed Milk — Another option for plant-based milk.

3. Vegan Gift Baskets with Chocolate and Cookies

Vegan chocolate doesn’t contain any milk or animal fats. Check out these nine chocolate brands for vegans for more information and some great gifting ideas, or make some delicious vegan truffles. Your loved one will appreciate the extra effort you put into the present. Store the truffles in a recyclable gift box (available on Amazon**), lined with recycled paper.

If you’re into baking, consider adding some homemade cookies to your vegan gift baskets! Take a look at these recipe ideas: 

1. Vegan Christmas Cookies — Almond or sugar cookies that everyone will love.
2. Peppermint Chocolate Cookies — For something with a bit of extra flavor, try this recipe.
3. Vegan Gingerbread Cookies — Fun and festive, gingerbread cookies make a lovely gift.

4. Vegan Beauty Baskets

Vegan gift baskets aren’t just about food. Make a basket full of these natural beauty remedies for the vegan in your life. Package them in washed and reused bottles, jars or containers.

1. Grapeseed oil — This multipurpose oil can soften hair and skin.
2. DIY conditioner — These two different recipes contain coconut oil or sea salt.
3. DIY Body Butter Recipe with Geranium & Primrose — This body butter contains cocoa butter and some essential oils.
4. 3 Turmeric Face Mask Recipes — You can use these masks to treat acne and dark patches.
5. DIY Sugar Wax — remove unwanted hair quickly and easily.

5. Vegan Gift Baskets with Cheese and Wine

A more traditional Christmas basket could include vegan cheese and wine. Check out the best homemade vegan cheese substitutes and learn how to make your own vegan cheese at home. 

You may be surprised to learn that wine isn’t always vegan due to how it is processed. Have a look at these vegan wine brands for some inspiration. Or, for those who don’t drink alcohol, consider alcohol alternatives and get them some drinkable treats anyone can enjoy.

Read more:

• How to Make Mulled Wine the German Way
• Vegan Parmesan Cheese Recipe: How to Make It Yourself
• Vegan Chocolate Recipe: 4 Ingredients & Sugar-Free

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Tags: Christmas Guide Purchase Advice Vegan