What’s more appetizing or festive than an edible holiday gift? Practical and fun, homemade food gifts in beautifully bundled Mason jars are guaranteed to delight family and friends. Make a few of these 12 festive gift jar recipes for the food-lovers on your list.

Sweet Treats

Sugar and spice, and everything nice in a jar! These sweet treats will give friends and family another reason to smile through the holidays.

Vegan Banana Pecan Pancake

A jazzed-up morning favourite, banana chips offer a sweet crunch to pancakes that pair nicely with the toasted pecans. For a special touch, accompany with a jar of Sensations Maple syrup with Compliments.

Get the recipes:
Vegan Banana Pecan Pancake Gift Jar
Vegan Banana Pecan Pancake

Soft Sugar Cookie

Everyone loves making Christmas cookies – and here’s an easy way to gift a homemade cookie mix in a jar. The cookies are delectably crispy on the outside with a chewy centre. For decorating cookies, sprinkles and/or coloured sugars are packaged in re-sealable bags in the jar too. Add a pretty bow to complete the gift.

Get the recipes:
Soft Sugar Cookie Gift Jar
Soft Sugar Cookie

Cardamom Vanilla Sugar

Sweeten the holiday season with a flavoured sugar stash that will add spiced aromas to everything from baked goods to hot drinks. Loop a striped string around the lid and a matching oval-shaped label for handwritten messages.

Get the recipe:
Cardamom Vanilla Sugar Gift Jar

Spicy Hot Chocolate

More of a dessert for grown-ups than a beverage, this hot chocolate mix is best served with a dash of liqueur and a dollop of whipped cream. Decorate the jar with a cinnamon stick wrapped in a red ribbon.

Get the recipe:
Spicy Hot Chocolate Gift Jar
Spicy Hot Chocolate

Saved by a Jar

With the holidays in full swing, you never know who might land on your doorstep. Follow these tips for making gift jars in bulk and always have lovely, last-minute gifts on hand!

• Organize an assembly station, laying out all required equipment (funnels, jars, spoons). Then, place ingredients in dishes and arrange according to the order in the recipe.
• Accompany each ingredient with a measuring tool to expedite the packing process.
• Stick some pretty patterned tape onto the jar’s bottom and jot down the ‘packaged on’ date.
• For longer storage, use a vacuum sealer to remove air from jars.

More Wrapping Ideas

For a festive flair, deck the jars with holiday fabrics and accents, or edible trimmings such as candy canes. Depending on the recipe, a little spoon or holiday cookie cutter attached to the jar’s side with lacy ribbon or colourful twine makes a fun and practical accessory.

Savoury Recipes

Thanks to layers of beautiful ingredients, these recipes-in-a-jar look as fabulous as they taste when they’re made.

Spicy Southwest Bean Soup

Layered beans topped with a spice pack in a small re-sealable plastic bag make this fiery favourite a cinch to make. After soaking the beans, combine them with vegetables, spices and stock, and cook. The spicy soup is ready in just 1 to 1.5 hours. Leftovers can be frozen.

Get the recipe:
Spicy Southwest Bean Soup Gift Jar
Spicy Southwest Bean Soup

Smoky White Bean Chili

Turkey, canned tomatoes and chicken broth are all that’s needed to complete the ingredients of this classic chili. The separate spice pack includes ancho chilies and a little smoked paprika, which balance beautifully with sweet sundried tomatoes. Great on its own, this chili makes fabulous leftovers too, served on nachos, chili-dogs, sloppy Joes or baked potatoes.

Get the recipes:
Smoky White Bean Chili Gift Jar
Smoky White Bean Chili

Herbed Mushroom & Barley Risotto Gift Jar

Who says a gourmet meal can’t come from a jar? Simmered in broth, this dry mix cooks into a creamy comfort classic with meaty mushrooms and a sweet-nutty flavour from the chewy barley.  Add a personal message on a gift card, and attach alongside the recipe scroll that matches the checkered lid.

Get the recipe:
Herbed Mushroom & Barley Risotto Gift Jar
Herbed Mushroom & Barley Risotto

Layering Tips

• Use wide mouth jars. It’s easier for packing and layering the ingredients, as well as shaking them out later.
• Always layer according to the order listed in the recipe.
• To keep layers neat, add ingredients using a canning funnel (or a rolled up sheet of paper).
• Use a spoon or flat utensil to flatten each layer before adding the next. This will ensure everything fits into the jar!

Holiday Preserves

Holiday meals and dishes are extra special when served with homemade jam, chutney or preserves. This year, surprise friends and family with holiday preserves from your kitchen.

Indian-Style Mango Chutney

Spicy and fruity, this fragrant Indian-inspired jam makes a delicious marinade or sandwich filling. Add festive bling by fastening silver orbs to the lid with twine.

Get the recipe:
Indian-Style Mango Chutney Gift Jar

Middle Eastern-Style Preserved Lemons

Talk about simple! This exquisite Middle Eastern garnish traditionally takes up to a month to make. But our recipe is an ingenious short-cut, and thin lemon slices are perfectly preserved in just 24 hours. The garnish adds a citrusy-tangy punch to everything from baked goodies to grilled chicken. Wrap the jar with a dazzling silver bow.

Get the recipe:
Middle Eastern-Style Preserved Lemons Gift Jar

Dragon Fruit Compote

Sweet and tangy with fragrant warm spices, this chunky sauce can be paired with desserts, waffles, and roasted meats. Using striped twine, pin festive ornaments, like a cranberry stem or mini ornament, onto the lid.

Get the recipe:
Dragon Fruit Compote Gift Jar

Cranberry-Orange Jelly

A dollop of this pantry favourite adds sweet-citrusy tang to warm biscuits, pancakes, and crêpes. Attach a silver spoon with a stylish scarlet ribbon that matches the jelly. Accessorize with a spray of evergreen.

Cranberry-Orange Jelly Gift Jar

Pairing Fruit Preserves

Include some of these helpful serving tips on gift recipe cards.

• Pick complementary flavours. Mingling tastes should balance, rather than overpower, each other.
• For cheese pairings, remember that fruit preserves play a supportive role. Lightly drizzle atop to highlight flavours.
• Think outside the box! Jams can sweeten savoury entrées, like stir-fries, curries, braised meats, and even sushi. Make a barbecue sauce, or sweet-savoury filling for crêpes and French toast.
• Smooth cream cheese onto whole grain crackers, and drizzle on a sweet preserve such as the Dragon Fruit Compote.
• Warm and gooey, a wheel of baked Brie can be served alongside crackers and the Cranberry-Orange jelly.
• For a deli delicacy, top crackers with honey mustard, smoked turkey, and a dollop of the Indian-Style Mango Chutney Jam.