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It’s that time of year again! The holiday season is here and Christmas and Hanukkah are right around the corner. This is my favorite time of the year. I love twinkling lights, shinny ornaments, and the smell of cinnamon. I don’t like shopping malls, however. I prefer to avoid the crowds, and I like to support small vegan businesses. By doing so, I help vegan companies stay in business, and I look at sharing a vegan gift with an omnivore as a tiny bit of activism. I’ve put together a list of my favorite gift ideas to make shopping easier for you this season.

MY 2016 VEGAN HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

FOOD GIFTS

Food Subscription

Give the gift that keeps on giving with subscription boxes!

Vegan Cuts Snack Box Gift Subscription – What could be better than having snacks delivered to your door each month? It’s like a mini Christmas each month when the box arrives, so your recipient will think of how thoughtful you are throughout the year. Three and six month gift subscriptions are available.

– What could be better than having snacks delivered to your door each month? It’s like a mini Christmas each month when the box arrives, so your recipient will think of how thoughtful you are throughout the year. Three and six month gift subscriptions are available. Gone Pie – Gone Pie is a 100% vegan bakery specializing in wheat-free and gluten-free treats. If you’re looking for a one-time gift, you can choose from a selection of cookies, brownies, pies, bars and more. If you’re looking for a gift that keeps on giving, they also have a Treat of the Month club.

Homemade Food Gifts

Tins of cookies, bottles of flavored oils and jars of soup mix all make really great gifts, and you’ll be spreading some vegan joy by giving them. Joni Marie Newman’s book Vegan Food Gifts has lots of great ideas for, well… vegan food gifts. I’ve made quite a lot of gifts from this book over the past few years and the recipients have always loved everything. (The book itself also makes a great gift!)

Store-Bought Food Gifts

If you don’t have time to make food gifts, there’s no need to worry, because there are plenty of places to buy delicious vegan food online and your gift can be shipped directly to the recipient. Some of my favorites are:

Miyoko’s Kitchen – This dairy-free cheese is the best around, and it’s probably even better than “the real thing”.

– This dairy-free cheese is the best around, and it’s probably even better than “the real thing”. Rescue Chocolate – Rescue Chocolate is “the sweetest way to save a life!” From each chocolate purchased, 100% of the net profits are donated to animal rescue organizations around the country. All of the their chocolates are vegan and kosher, and they’re handcrafted in Brooklyn.

– Rescue Chocolate is “the sweetest way to save a life!” From each chocolate purchased, 100% of the net profits are donated to animal rescue organizations around the country. All of the their chocolates are vegan and kosher, and they’re handcrafted in Brooklyn. Lagusta’s Luscious – These chocolates are heartbreakingly delicious and painstakingly made by hand with truly artisanal ingredients in New Paltz, New York. Give your loved one a few bars or barks, a box of bonbons, or a collection of luscious truffles.

GIFTS THAT PAMPER

Skin Care Products

Because who wouldn’t want to receive products to pamper themselves during the holidays?

Meow Meow Tweet – Meow Meow Tweet is a New York-based company that produces handmade vegan body care items. They make soaps, body oils, perfumes, balms, scrubs and more.

– Meow Meow Tweet is a New York-based company that produces handmade vegan body care items. They make soaps, body oils, perfumes, balms, scrubs and more. The Fanciful Fox – The Fanciful Fox is a Brooklyn-based skin and body care company. They produce scrubs, body butters, soaps, moisturizes, bath fizzies, and more – and it’s all handmade. They also have also have a line of men’s products that includes facial serum, aftershave, and beard oil.

Beauty Boxes

Like with food subscription boxes, you can give the gift that keeps on giving with skincare products!

Vegan Cuts – This Beauty Box arrives once a month is chock full of new health and beauty care items that just about anyone will love. Three and six month gift subscriptions are available.

– This Beauty Box arrives once a month is chock full of new health and beauty care items that just about anyone will love. Three and six month gift subscriptions are available. Petit Vour – The Monthly Box also delivers fresh beauty products—culled from beauty’s kindest—right to your doorstep each month. Three and six months subscriptions are available

CLOTHING AND JEWELRY

Clothing, jewelry, tote bags, and purses are always fun gifts. There are many options out there – these are just a few of my favorites.

Gunas Handbags – Gunas is an independent high fashion label with a cause! Their bags are high fashion without any animal cruelty.

Christy Robinson Jewelry – Super cute message necklaces and bracelets are sure to please any lady on your list!

Message Tote Bags and T-Shirts – Last year I opened a Zazzle store with some vegan and animal-themed products, such as Crazy Cat Lady t-shirts and Meat-Free Zone tote bags.

Kat Mendenhall Boots – Kat’s vegan cowboy boots are handcrafted in Texas.

FOR THE KITCHEN

I love opening presents to find shiny new kitchen gadgets inside!

Message Mugs – You’ll can find Kale Queen and VeggieGirl mugs in my Zazzle store.

Travel Mugs – If you’re shopping for someone who travels a lot, consider travel mugs and water bottles from Eco Vessel rather than a ceramic mug.

Blendtec – If you’re in the market for a big-ticket item, you can’t go wrong with a high-speed Blendtec!

Air Fryer – Air frying was huge this year, and I predict that it’s going to be even bigger next year!

Instapot – Pressure cookers were all the rage this year, with the Instapot as everyone’s favorite.

Dehydrator – I absolutely love my Tribest Sedona Express Dehydrator.

Juicer – I’m also in love with my Tribest Solostar 4 Juicer!

Food Processor – I received my Cuisinart food processor was as gift a few years ago and I love it!

Immersion Blender – If food processors and dehydrators are out of your price range, consider an immersion blender, which is perfect for making creamy soups on the winter.

Slow Cooker – If your recipient prefers to let your meal cook while he or she is at work, consider giving a slow cooker.

Sprouter – If you have raw food enthusiasts on our list, a sprouter makes a great gift!

COOKBOOKS

I thought 2015 was a good year for vegan cookbooks, but 2016 proved to be better. Cookbooks always make great gifts. There are many, many more wonderful cookbooks than those listed here. If you’re looking for more ideas, just search this blog for “cookbooks.”

Vegan Cuisine by Jean-Christian Jury – Weighing almost 7 pounds, this is the biggest cookbook I own, and with 800 recipes, it’s also the most comprehensive.

Vegan 101 by Heather Bell and Jenny Engel – This is the perfect gift for the new vegan in your life.

The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz – Let Isa show you that making festive vegan food for any occasion can be easy, delicious, and superfun.

Protein Ninja by Terry Hope Romero – Worried about your vegan loved ones getting enough protein (hint: they are), Protein Ninja will put your fears to rest.

Vegan Bowl Attack by Jackie Sobon – One bowl meals have been very popular this year, and Jackie’s book is chock-full with over 100 delicious bowl-based meals.

Peace & Parsnips by Lee Watson – This is a gorgeous hard cover book that’s packed with mouthwatering photos and 200 delicious recipes that were inspired by Lee’s travels, so there’s an ethnic flare to them.

Vegan Mexico by Jason Wyrick – Who doesn’t love Mexican food? This book is loaded with veganized versions of authentic Mexican recipes.

Caribbean Vegan by Taymer Mason – Learn how to make authentic Island Cuisine with this updated and expanded cookbook.

Aquafaba by Zsu Dever – Aquafaba, or chickpea water, has taken the vegan world by storm recently. Zsu will show how to make eggy-classics such as quiches, mayonnaise, and meringues all using the magical liquid most of us usually dump down the drain.

The Taco Cleanse by by Wes Allison and Stephanie Bogdanich and Molly R. Frisinger and Jessica Morris – I’m not one to endorse fad cleansing programs, but The Taco Cleanse is one trend I can get behind. The Taco Cleanse has over 75 vegan recipes for taco fillings, toppings, sauces, and even beverages such as margaritas.

Baconish by Leinana Two Moons – Think it’s difficult to give up bacon? Think again! Leinana makes it easy with her plant-based bacon recipes.

Ocean Greens by Lisette Kreischer and Marcel Schuttelaar – Learn all about sea vegetables and how to cook them with this gorgeous book.

I like getting creative with cookbook gifts. Why not give some potholders and kitchen utensils along with a cookbook? Or maybe a gift card to a grocery store like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods? How about pairing a copy of Kathy Hester’s Vegan Slow Cooking for Two with a small slow cooker or Becky Striepe’s 40 Days of Green Smoothies with a blender? Other ideas include an Instant Pot with JL Fields’s Vegan Pressure Cooking and Jill Nussinow’s Vegan Under Pressure; a juicer with Rosemary Ferguson’s Juice + Nourish; and a Kitchen Aid stand mixer with Zsu Dever’s Aquafaba.

BOOKS

Some people like to read, rather than cook, and there are plenty of book choices for them too.

How Not to Die by Michael Greger, M.D with Gene Stone – This thick tomb is a comprehensive guide to vegan health and nutrition, and in it Dr. Greger presents the groundbreaking science on how simple plant-based food choices help us live healthier and happier lives.

Vegan Fitness for Mortals by Ellen Jaffe Jones – This is a great book for anyone who wants to get in shape, start up an exercise routine, or amp up their current workouts.

Healing the Vegan Way by Mark Reinfeld – This book is part health book, part cookbook, and it’s a great vegan primer for those who are new to this way of eating.

Esther the Wonder Pig by Steve Jenkins, Derek Walter, and Caprice Crane – This book made me laugh and cry at the same time and it’s a must read for any animal lover!

Holy Cow by David Duchovny – If your gift recipients prefer novels to non-fiction, they’ll love Holy Cow.

AN ANIMAL SPONSORSHIP

Most animal sanctuary’s around the country offer animal sponsorships. Your recipient will receive photos and updates on his or her adopted animal and the money you donated goes to pay for food and care. Two of my favorite sanctuaries are Farm Sanctuary and Catskill Animal Sanctuary.

Whats on your holiday wish list this year?