The 13 Best Gift Baskets of 2022, Tested by Our Editors

Best Overall: Harry & David

4.7

View On Harry & David

Harry and David is a well-known company, famous for its wide range of gourmet gift baskets. Though there are a lot of options to choose from on the site, our tester noted that it wasn't a headache making her final selection. She liked that customers were able to choose smaller and larger versions of the same basket, depending on who you're shopping for and your budget.

Upon delivery, our tester found that there weren't any labels on the box letting the recipient know there were perishable items inside. Most of the items were snacks that could be kept in the pantry for weeks anyways, but also included was a Hickory-smoked summer sausage and a block of white cheddar cheese—so if a recipient doesn't open within a couple of hours of the box arriving, these foods could go bad quickly. Otherwise, the food items paired nicely together, and though our tester ordered the smallest size of the basket, she had enough food to share with her partner over a couple of snacking sessions.

Best for Local Favorites: Goldbelly Foods

5

View On Goldbelly.com

Our Ratings

• Selection
  5/5
• Ordering
  5/5
• Unboxing
  5/5
• Quality
  5/5

Goldbelly can deliver local favorites across the country to satisfy any type of customer. From the famous banana pudding from New York's Magnolia Bakery to deep dish pizza from Gino's East in Chicago, you can pretty much send it all. Our New York-based tester picked a delivery of cheeses from across the country in San Francisco—specifically from a spot she frequented when she lived there years ago.

Our tester's box included an array of cheeses and a card describing each cheese's flavor and pairing suggestions. The cheeses were wrapped in their original packaging and then placed in Goldbelly's packaging to keep them cool during transit. Our tester noted that even a week after arrival, her cheese tasted just as delicious.

Best for Foodies: Mouth Foods

4.8

View On Mouth

Our Ratings

• Selection
  5/5
• Ordering
  5/5
• Unboxing
  5/5
• Quality
  4/5

Adventurous eaters might appreciate something from Mouth, an innovative company with a wide array of regional and handmade snacks as well as unusual treats that your special someone will be obsessed with. The simplest gifts start at around $40, with most options costing between $60 and $100. Shipping depends on location, with most states able to be shipped in one to three days.

Mouth received fairly high scores overall, but our tester took off one point since three items she originally ordered were swapped out with another snack. There is a disclaimer that notes this on the site when you place your order, but it's something to keep in mind if you had your heart set on a specific product making into the gift. Mouth does make it easy to shop by dietary requirement and taste preference, though, so it's still easy to find a gift the recipient will enjoy.

All items came packed in crinkle-cut brown paper, which might not make for the fanciest presentation, but we liked that the material was easy to recycle.

Best Chocolate: Williams Sonoma

4.2

View On Williams-Sonoma

Our Ratings

• Selection
  4/5
• Ordering
  3/5
• Unboxing
  5/5
• Quality
  5/5

You can always count on Williams Sonoma when looking for a food gift basket with a luxury feel—in fact, the store offers their own exclusive collection every holiday season. They offer a variety of food items, including meat and cheeses to fruit, but they especially have a ton of chocolate treats and confections, perfect for the holidays.

During testing, we loved the high-end feel of the packaging. A twine string held the boxes together neatly in a stack, and a decorative gifting bow adorned the boxes, just as pictured. Our tester gave it high scores for taste, which make sense since they ship perishable foods directly from their vendors for freshness. If you're concerned about ingredients and allergens, those are clearly printed on the boxes, but the information is placed so as not to get in the way of the presentation of the gift.

This gift basket lost some points for ordering and selection, as it stood out to us that most gifts cost a minimum of $50 and the basket we selected had a $12 shipping fee—a significant markup if you're on a budget.

Best Ice Cream: Jeni's Ice Cream

5

View On Jenis.com

Our Ratings

• Selection
  5/5
• Ordering
  5/5
• Unboxing
  5/5
• Quality
  5/5

This popular artisan ice cream brand delivers ice cream right to the recipient's door and has dozens of fun flavors to choose from, including Brambleberry Crisp and Salty Caramel Pie, plus a handful of dairy-free options. You can send a few pints or gift a Pint Club 3 Month Subscription, which delivers four pints of delicious ice cream to their doorstep each month. The company also offers new flavors seasonally, so even if you've sent it as a gift before, chances are there's something new for your loved ones to try.

Testing proved that the quality of the ice cream was phenomenal. You can expect unique and delicious flavors that are packaged well and will arrive at your recipient's door within the expected time frame. The included dry ice kept the ice cream frozen and ready to eat.

The order minimum is four pints at $12 each, or you can order a specific collection starting at $58 for five pints. Shipping cost is dependent on zip code, and all orders will arrive one to two days after being shipped.

Best for Hosts: Stonewall Kitchen

4.8

View On Stonewallkitchen.com

Our Ratings

• Selection
  4/5
• Ordering
  5/5
• Unboxing
  5/5
• Quality
  5/5

Proper host etiquette dictates giving a gift after spending a weekend at someone's house. This classic New England store makes some of the best pancake mixes, jams, and syrups out there—and prices start at just $10 and cap off at $200. Our tester liked that there was enough variation in basket options to make the gift feel personalized, although since many of the gifts do include mixes or sauces, they're not all ready to eat straight out of the packaging like some of the other picks we tested.

We gave the brand high scores for quality, and we loved that a lot of the items included were "treat-like"—meaning they weren't necessarily products people would buy for themselves, but still made for fun pantry items that would last over the course of a few weeks or months. And although food is the star of the show with Stonewall Kitchen, many of the gift options come with one or two non-food items that extend the life of the gift.

Best Wine: Gourmet Gift Baskets

4.8

View On Gourmet Gift Baskets

Our Ratings

• Selection
  5/5
• Ordering
  5/5
• Unboxing
  5/5
• Quality
  4/5

If you're looking to give a wine gift to a loved one this holiday season, Gourmet Gift Baskets has a great variety of gift baskets to choose from, whether your recipient prefers Chardonnay, Rosé, or particularly enjoys a good glass of Pinot.

There are smaller and bigger baskets available, but all wine baskets also include snacks that pair nicely with the chosen beverage. In terms of delivery, our tester's basket arrived very quickly, and she found that all items were packed securely to ensure nothing shifted during the shipping process. The basket's other contents tasted fine, but we took off a point since some food items didn't live up to the same quality as others—the wine was clearly the main star of the gift.

Best Tea: David's Tea

4.5

View On Davidstea.com

Our Ratings

• Selection
  5/5
• Ordering
  4/5
• Unboxing
  4/5
• Quality
  5/5

If you're gifting to a tea fanatic, you can't go wrong with specialty tea boutique, David's Tea. You can browse through a good number of unique tea blends and tea accessory sets, including artisan tea samplers, matcha kits, tumbler, and tea gifts.

When browsing through the site, we noticed that David's Tea had quite a lot of options for a range of tastes and budgets, including plenty of seasonal blends and packs. Keep in mind that gift sets do tend to sell out quickly, which is why we took a point off for ordering.

You can get free shipping when you spend over $39, and your recipient can expect two servings with each tea in a gift set. Take note, most of the gifts contain loose leaf tea, so you'll have to be sure the recipient has an infuser.

Best Cheese: Jasper Hill Farm

4.7

View On Jasperhillfarm.com

Our Ratings

• Selection
  5/5
• Ordering
  5/5
• Unboxing
  4/5
• Quality
  5/5

Cheese lovers will go nuts over this gift basket option from Jasper Hill Farm, which is owned and operated by farmers in Vermont. When shopping for a basket, you have the option to browse among their curated collections, create your own cheese gift basket from scratch, or gift a Cheese Club membership so that your recipient can try limited-release cheeses or snag sneak-peeks at upcoming products.

We gave Jasper Hill Farm high points in every category, most especially in part that the cheeses were delicious and weren't something you'd typically find at the grocery store. Our tester said that the basket she tested felt very personal and special, and the included crackers and nuts gave her an instant charcuterie board. Note that the baskets start at a pretty high price point, but a lot of the boxes ship free with codes found throughout the site and the quality of the product is worth the splurge if your loved one is a cheese enthusiast.

Best Cookie: Levain Bakery

4.5

View On Levainbakery.com

Our Ratings

• Selection
  4/5
• Ordering
  4/5
• Unboxing
  5/5
• Quality
  5/5

Known for their incredibly thick and moist cookies, Levain is a coveted brand in the cookie industry. For the longest time, Levain bakeries were only local to the residents of Manhattan and the Hamptons. Fast forward nearly 20 years later, you can get their cookies delivered right to your door.

You might think that having a smaller selection would be a bad thing, but in this case, our tester found that this made the ordering process clear and fast, given the website was easy to navigate and not-at-all overwhelming. She found that every cookie she ordered arrived fresh, decadent, and ready to be enjoyed right away.

Best Baked Goods: Milk Bar

4.7

View On Milkbarstore.com

Our Ratings

• Selection
  5/5
• Ordering
  4/5
• Unboxing
  5/5
• Quality
  5/5

You don't have to live by Christina Tosi's Milk Bar to delight in one of her outrageous treats—you can just ship them across the country. Known for their "birthday cake" flavor, as well as the highly addictive Milk Bar Pie, these sweet treats and baking mixes are sure to brighten anyone's day. All of the sweets arrive in a cute gift box, too.

The brand scored a perfect score for selection, since Milk Bar has a wide range to choose from; for example, you can browse among cookie-only packages or opt for a sampler of their popular desserts. Our tester was particularly impressed by the company's commitment to freshness. The gift basket arrived packaged with cold packs and the tin basket was secured, so none of the treats were broken or damaged. The basket even included instructions on how to best store and preserve the treats once opened, in case you don't finish their delicious selections in one sitting.

Best Last-Minute: Gift Tree

4.2

View On Gift Tree

Our Ratings

• Selection
  4/5
• Ordering
  5/5
• Unboxing
  4/5
• Quality
  4/5

Gift Tree has been around for more than two decades, so we weren't surprised to see that they had their customer service down pat. While the site has a generous range of gift basket selections, our tester gave the brand a perfect score for ordering, since a gift expert helped her make her final selection via the 24/7 chatroom.

Shipping is super quick—our tester received her basket within a week of ordering and by the predicted delivery date. Plus, the two-day shipping option is free! All items were intact, and we were happy to see that there wasn't an overwhelming amount of waste when unboxing.

One thing to keep in mind: While the wine and snacks were tasty, we took points off due to the fact that there wasn't a full ingredients list online. This would've been helpful for those with certain food allergies or sensitivities.