2021 Holiday Gift Guide for the Vegetable Lover

Please the vegetable lovers in your life with a veggie-centric gift! From kitchen gadgets to non-kitchen essentials, this Holiday Gift Guide for the Vegetable Lover has something for every budget and style. 

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Happy holidays, veggie enthusiasts!

I’m so excited to share my updated gift guide for the 2021 holiday season. Whether you use it to purchase a gift for yourself or to get gift ideas for fellow vegetable lovers, I hope that you find it helpful!

This Holiday Gift Guide for the Vegetable Lover is broken down into two categories: Kitchen Essentials and Non-Kitchen Essentials. For the kitchen essentials, I identify which gifts cost less than $20, less than $50, and over $50.

All of these gifts have one thing in common: they help people cook, eat, celebrate, or learn more about veggies. 

I select the gifts in this guide with the goal of supporting a hobby or passion and facilitating an experience. To me, nurturing or inspiring someone’s interest in cooking is truly the best gift of all…for both the body and the mind.

So without further adieu, let’s get to the guide. I have personally used most of these products, and the Veg World wouldn’t exist without a lot of them. Enjoy!

Kitchen Essentials

I found myself coming back to these essentials time and time again throughout 2021. The past two years brought many challenges, but cooking at home has been a stress reliever and creative outlet.

I purchased a new set of bamboo cutting boards, was gifted some new tools that I absolutely love, and stumbled into the best handheld citrus juicer I’ve ever used. I included all of these, plus some old reliables, in the guide. 

Under $20

• Totally Bamboo 3 Piece Cutting Boards: These cutting boards are lightweight, durable, and sanitary. To keep them from sliding on the counter while you chop veggies, put them on this silicone mat.
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• Thirteen Chef’s Mineral Oil: This food-grade mineral oil is ideal for maintaining bamboo and wooden cutting boards. 
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• Large Silicone Fork: This is a new addition to my kitchen. It’s great for mashing avocados for guacamole, breaking up ground meat while it’s cooking, whisking eggs, and more.
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• Melon Baller: Though you can’t use it on veggies, it’s great for preparing melon for salads and other dishes. It’s a fun tool!
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• Kitchen Shears: I use these for so many things, like snipping herbs, cutting spiralized veggies into smaller pieces, and more.
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• Stainless Steel Skewers: These are great for making veggie kabobs.
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• Mesh Grilling Mats: No more losing your veggies when they fall through the grill grates! These mats are also dishwasher-safe.
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• Stainless Steel Funnel: A funnel is very helpful for filling olive oil bottles and spice jars.
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Under $50

• Vegetable Cookbook for Vegetarians: My cookbook is a great gift for veggie-lovers, beginner cooks, and experienced home chefs alike. To support independent bookstores, purchase a copy from Bookshop.org.
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• Olive Oil Bottle/Pourer: Decorative and functional, an olive oil bottle with a pour spout is ideal for pouring out the right amount. This one is opaque, which helps prevent olive oil from going rancid by protecting it from light. Pair it with my recommended olive oil (below) to complete the gift.
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• Chef’n Handheld Citrus Juicer: When the paint on my old $5 citrus juicer started peeling, I went to a local kitchen store to pick up another one. They only had one brand available, and although it cost a bit more than I wanted to spend, I’m so glad I bought it. It’s the BEST citrus juicer out there!
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• Cuisinart Mini Food Chopper: This appliance is the perfect tool for chopping onions and other veggies (great for making salsas!) and grinding nuts or oats.
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• Smooth Edge Can Opener: I love the style of this can opener. It’s really easy to use to open cans of beans and veggies.
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• Nordic Ware Baking Sheets: I gifted these to myself this year and I love them!
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Over $50

• Partanna Extra Virgin Olive Oil (3 liters): Giving someone a tin of olive oil may seem odd, but it’s actually an awesome gift for someone who cooks a lot (especially veggie dishes). This olive oil is my go-to brand, and the big tin lasts a LONG time! Pair it with the refillable olive oil bottle (above) to complete the gift.
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• Shun Chef’s Knife: This is a fantastic chef’s knife that’s well worth the investment.
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• Chef’s Choice Knife Sharpener: Sharp knives are safe knives, and keeping your knives sharp makes all the difference if you are an avid home cook. Just remember to read the manual before using a knife sharpener, as many of the reviews for this product point out.
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Non-Kitchen Essentials

Here are a handful of things I use before, during, or after cooking. 

• Teva Slip-Ons: These are supportive and comfortable. I wear them all day in the kitchen.
• AirPods Wireless Headphones: These make it so easy to listen to podcasts while cooking.
• Amazon Echo Dot: Alexa is perfect for setting timers when your hands are full.
• The Third Plate by Dan Barber: My latest read.
• Sleepytime Tea: Unwind with a cup of this tea after a long day in the kitchen.

Want a recommendation for something you don’t see on here? Check out My Must-Have Kitchen Essentials List. And remember, telling your fellow veggie lovers about the Veg World counts as a gift too.

Happy gift-giving! – Lizzie