Five edible gift ideas for your favourite vegan
While vegans aren’t nearly as fussy as some people make out, the idea of choosing gifts for your meat and dairy-avoiding friends and relatives can be daunting – especially if you’re a carnivore or just veggie yourself. Truth be told, though, there are plenty of options to consider – and many can be personalised to the recipient.
Below are a few of our favourite vegan gift ideas for inspiration and, as you might have guessed, some of them involve chocolate!
Posh ingredients
Most vegans pay a lot of attention to the ingredients in their food, and when it comes to cooking, all kinds of exciting things can go into a dish to make it taste amazing. That said, some of the best ingredients can be expensive, and tend only to make it onto the shopping list on special occasions.
Vegan writer Kristy Turner says in her blog: “There are some ingredients that sometimes feel too extravagant to purchase for yourself. Those ingredients make great gifts. I put matcha green tea powder in that category because whenever I buy it, I always feel like I’m splurging on something extra special.”
So, whether it’s green tea powder, posh salts or some delicious goji berries, start looking for the things your friend or loved one might not necessarily consider a ‘regular’ purchase, and treat them!
Gift sets
There’s nothing to say that a gift must be one singular item – why not put some smaller products together to create a gift pack or hamper? You have two options here: you can either purchase a ready-made gift set or multipack – like this lengthy supply of Ombar chocolate – or make your own by getting a little crafty.
Writing for The Vegan Woman, blogger Claire Crossan says: “Try thinking outside the box and make a gift package, including some exotic dried fruits, dates and nuts. Just be sure that the nuts are not coated in honey and the dried fruit doesn’t contain palm oil and you’re good to go.”
If you choose to make your own, be sure to tailor the contents to the recipient; pick some of their favourite items and complement them with something they might not have tried before.
Make-your-own chocolate
Chocolate may well be the perfect gift. Suitable for any occasion and widely available in vegan-friendly forms, you can’t go too far wrong. You can go one step further, however, by giving your friend or relative the chance to make their own chocolate.
This Raw Chocolate-Making Kit from Elements For Life will give your sweet-toothed friend a chance to get closer to their favourite treat. It comes with everything needed to produce two trays of delicious raw chocolate, including cacao powder, cacao butter and fruit syrup. You even get the moulds!
Recipe books
With the vegan population growing steadily, dedicated recipe books are becoming more widely available by the day. They make great gifts too, providing many meals’ worth of inspiration for your vegan friend or loved one.
With so many out there, you’ll need to decide which one is most suitable. Start by gauging the recipient’s personal tastes: what do they like to eat? Are there any ingredients or cooking styles they tend to favour?
Our suggestion would of course be to go for chocolate – or raw chocolate to be precise. As we’ve said already, it’s hard to go wrong! There are some fantastic chocolate books out there, including the simply titled ‘Raw Chocolate’, by vegan and vegetarian writers Matthew Kenney and Meredith Baird.
Bake a cake!
Instead of giving your vegan friend a book of recipes, why not use one yourself to make a cake or few? Homemade presents are a great way to show that you care, and can be personalised for an extra special touch.
The traditional birthday cake is an obvious option, but cupcakes are growing in popularity and allow you to be particularly creative. These raw chocolate muffin cakes, made by vegan nutrition adviser and Instagram user health_and_chocolate, don’t even require baking! All it takes is some simple ingredients, including cacao butter and cacao powder.
