Your Paleo Holiday Gift Guide

This holiday season, gift your loved ones with presents that inspire healthy habits in the kitchen and beyond with our Paleo Holiday Gift Guide. Below you’ll find thoughtful culinary and lifestyle tools that are made to be used—not gimmicky stocking stuffers that will hide in the back of a drawer or collect dust.

Though half of our recommendations in this holiday gift guide are cooking gifts (we are trying to help everyone eat healthier, after all), we’ve also included a couple items each for other groups, like party planners, plant lovers, pet parents, athletes, and those who love to travel. Explore our list and see which items may align best in your friend or family member’s life.

Before you get started, please know that we want you to feel comfortable in the choices presented to you, with the knowledge that whichever one you prefer has been vetted by cross-referencing with select trusted reviewers or tested by our staff beforehand. If you believe one of our recommendations does not fit with our Paleo standards, please let us know at help@thepaleodiet.com.

Gifts for Aspiring Chefs

Browse these kitchen gifts for someone who is passionate about cooking.

Automatic Soap Dispenser

Anyone who has spent enough time in the kitchen has faced the challenge of working a soap pump while simultaneously trying to avoid contaminating it with raw food residue. A touchless soap dispenser effortlessly solves that problem, and the sleek design from Simplehuman comes in four neutral color options to complement any home.

Cast-Iron Griddle

When properly cared for, cast-iron cookware can last a lifetime. This cast-iron griddle fits over two stovetop burners, perfect for cooking large batches of food like Paleo-friendly pancakes. It comes with a reversible grooved side as well, making it easy to get a grilled look from the comfort of the stovetop.

Chainmail Scrubber

Cast-iron cookware requires a little extra TLC when cleaning. Though many like a steel wool scrubber for the job, they may flake metal bits into the cookware, which can transfer to food. A quality chainmail scrubber is a great alternative.

The Ringer boasts their chainmail’s ability to clean any material, from stoneware to glass, but we’d caution on using it on anything other than cast iron or stainless-steel cookware.

Defrosting Tray

Freezing meats and vegetables is a convenient way to store food, but forgetting to defrost the food for tonight’s dinner is less convenient. This simple aluminum plate is a great kitchen gift for those who like to speed up the defrosting process.

Ulu Set

An ulu is a traditional knife from Inuit, Yupik, and Aleut cultures. Similar to a mezzaluna, it features a curved blade and can slice and chop various foods by using a rocking motion.

Ulu Factory makes knife sets with bowl-shaped cutting boards to help contain ingredients—useful for chopping herbs, garlic, meats and more. The set makes a great kitchen gift for culinary and knife enthusiasts alike.

Mason Jar Vacuum Sealer

If the chef in your life is a fan of Mason jars for their food storage or canning endeavors, they’ll get plenty of use out of this handheld Mason jar vacuum sealer. In less than 30 seconds this device will remove the air from the Mason jar, protecting ingredients from contamination or spoilage.

Gifts for Grill Masters

See our recommendations for those who love using their grill or smoker.

Grill Basket

There are many tools for cooking items on a grill without losing pieces through the grate—and a grill basket is one of them. We like open-faced grill baskets for their compact size and ease of use, plus this basket from Weber has slots instead of holes, making it harder for bits of fish or veggies to fall through.

Meat Claws

These impressive tools make shredding meat fun. They even come with a knife edge for cutting persistent tendons and a bottle opener so your giftee can feel extra formidable the next time they need to pop the top off their drink.

Gifts for Party Planners

Explore these essential gifts for people who love entertaining guests.

Cocktail Set

A cocktail shaker and a few other bar essentials are great for burgeoning mixologists to create crafted drinks—both alcoholic and non-alcoholic—for their guests. This set comes with a stylish bamboo stand and is made with 18/8 stainless steel, with several metallic finishes to choose from.

Charcuterie Board

We love a charcuterie board that does it all, and Smirly delivers with a board that comes with recessed edges, two ceramic ramekins, and a spare platter for extra ingredients. The main board has a drawer that holds four serving knives, slate signage, and chalk markers for identifying your spread. There are several selections of wood to choose from, but we like the rich color of walnut for this set.

Simmer Pot

Simmer pots are a natural way to extract aromas from plants, simply by simmering ingredients in water on the stove. Many simmer pots are made from clear glass, but we like the durability and versatility of a small Dutch oven for this purpose.

Add your choice of dried or fresh winter aromatics to this Dutch oven for a seasonal simmer pot present that’s ready to go (just make sure the ingredients won’t go bad ahead of the gifting!).

Gifts for Those with a Green Thumb

Find inspiration for the plant lover in your life.

Plant Mister

A vintage-style plant mister is not only functional for spraying humidity-loving plants, but also doubles as décor. It’s perfect for maintaining a thriving indoor plant collection.

Roll-Up Potting Mat

Whether they live in an apartment or have a sprawling backyard, every plant enthusiast could use a work station from time to time. This waterproof potting mat provides just that, with various sizes available and convenient storage with the snap of a button.

Gifts for Animal Lovers

Embrace healthy living for pets and pet parents alike with these gift ideas.

Dog Bowl

Plastic food bowls can harbor bacteria and may contain harmful chemicals that can irritate a pet’s face or even lead to acne. And for owners with dogs that have a penchant for chewing, there is a risk of Fido ingesting plastics from food bowls.

We know you’re not here to preach pet health to your friends and family. However, you can give them a present that’s not only more stylish and durable than plastic pet bowls, but healthier, too.

Yeti’s Boomer bowls are made with food-safe 18/8 stainless steel and have a no-slip grip for overenthusiastic dogs. We like the Boomer 8 as a large water bowl for dogs, but they come in other sizes to accommodate all breeds.

Ceramic Slow Feeder

For four-legged friends who are voracious eaters, a slow feeder or puzzle feeder can help prevent choking or digestive issues. Many puzzle feeders are made from plastic, but Le Tauci offers ceramic bowls in various sizes, colors, and patterns. Their smallest bowls can even be used for feeding cats.

Gifts for Athletes

Learn about quality exercise and recovery tools for the fitness enthusiast in your life.

Massage Gun

Percussive therapy devices are great recovery tools for athletes, and Therabody makes several models that are recommended not only by Consumer Reports and Wirecutter, but our staff as well. We like the TheraGun Mini for its compact travel size and fun color options.

Foam Roller

Another tool that can help athletes maximize their recovery is a foam roller. Oceanfoam rollers have wavy ridges for a massage-like feel, and come in both a full-size and a compact size for traveling. The eco-conscious brand uses recycled EVA foam for the core and has an outer layer made from algae.

Our staff loved the firmness of the roller, which makes it great for targeting pain points, but multiple people also noted that it might be beneficial to rotate this product with a softer foam roller, depending on the athlete’s needs.

Gifts for Travelers

Discover practical gifts for your wanderlust loved ones.

Neck Pillow

It’s no secret that long-haul flights in business class are a pain, and trying to find a comfortable sleeping position without encroaching on your seatmate is next to impossible. But this neck wrap promises to ease some of the challenges that come with sleeping on a plane.

Trtl saves more space than traditional neck pillows and uses a plastic insert to cradle the head for upright sleeping. But, like other pillows, it’s not perfect—users with larger or shorter necks have experienced some discomfort.

Convertible Garment Bag

This unassuming duffle bag can unfold to fit a suit or dress on the hanger, perfect for weekend warriors who don’t want their star outfit to wrinkle. The material is also water resistant and there is a dedicated side compartment for shoes. When zipped up, this bag meets most airline size requirements for carry-on luggage.