28 Best Teacher Gifts

These gift ideas deserve an A+.

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November 01, 2023
By: Erica Finamore

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Let’s face it, teachers deserve a gift every day of the year! They care for, teach, and inspire our kids and that is no easy task. So when the holidays roll around, of course you want to treat them to something nice. If we’re being realistic here, the best gift for a teacher is a gift card to their favorite coffee shop or just a general cash card. But, if you’re a wrapped-present only type (we get it) we’ve found some cool food-centric gifts that’ll definitely earn you that gold star.

Who couldn’t go for a snack right about now…and always? Appeal to their sweet and savory sides with a little of each. This gift box comes in a cute wood crate and contains two cookies emblazoned with “thank you” in Italian and French, plus rocky road popcorn, crackers, nuts, and cheese. There’s truly something in there for every kind of snacker.

This one is an A+ gift for history teachers (or anyone who likes some Revolutionary War trivia). Oliver Pluff & Co packaged five types of teas that were tossed overboard at the Boston Tea Party in 1773 and put them together in a fun set that includes brewing instructions and a little background on each blend. Caution: You may have to pay tax on it.

Bringing an apple for the teacher is an age-old custom, but does anyone really do that anymore? This apple is a work of art made from recycled book pages, and has the same sentiment but doesn’t require frequent trips to the fruit stand.

$18

Totes are like pencils in a classroom: Can you ever have too many? Whether they’re toting graded papers, craft supplies, or lunch, give teach something sturdy and lightweight to do it with. This strawberry-printed satchel can hold up to 30 pounds and is made with tear-resistant nylon.

Chapsticks. We buy them, then lose them, find them, and lose them again almost immediately. Bottom line, everyone could use a couple more. Unlike your regular old lip balms, these are made with all natural ingredients and come in cool recyclable cardboard tubes. This group is packed with sweet citrusy scents like lemon, pink grapefruit, and orange blossom.

An at-home spa night is the perfect remedy for a tough work week. So, after a day filled with tantrums and tattling, they’ll be thrilled to settle in for a bath featuring this luxe soap made of silky, moisturizing coconut milk powder and nourishing coconut pulp.

What popular frozen dessert was accidentally invented in 1905 by an 11-year-old? Grab this pack of 200 food-themed quiz questions to find out! We won’t make you wait, the answer is popsicles, but this trivia set is packed with 199 other fun facts that will help the giftee create an awesome game night.

$33

After a long day of work, making dinner can be the last thing anyone wants to think about. And that’s where these bougie bottled sauces come in. Carbone, a celeb favorite restaurant in NYC, makes a pack with three of their signature styles– tomato basil, marinara, and spicy arrabbiata. All they have to do is add pasta and voila, a gourmet meal.

Yes, another apple for the teacher reference, but this one’s a scented candle! It’s made of a cozy blend of clementine, mandarin, cranberry, cinnamon, and nutmeg and comes in a beautiful etched glass vase they can reuse long after the wax is gone.

Give them a fun activity and delicious snack in one! Farm Steady makes tons of cool food kits (cheese, hot sauce, bagels), but their newest product sounds pretty sweet. It comes with French pastry baking mix, dark chocolate batons, baking yeast, and all the instructions they’ll need to create the flaky-crusted favorite. Bon appetit!

Fashionable cherry-coated glass food containers put regular old Tupperware to shame. These are the ideal marriage of form and function. Plus, let’s face it, lunch just looks better when it’s stashed in these 32- and 68-ounce glass bowls with trusty locking lids.

$28

They have all their lesson plans, but what about food plans? Organized type-A’s (so, teachers) will happily dive into this foodie planner. It comes with prompts, recipe pages, shopping lists, measurement guides, and pretty much everything they’ll need to get their weekly meals streamlined and ready.

Tea towels get put through the ringer, so it’s good to have a rotation of pretty ones you can display on your stove. The trick with giving them as a gift is that they’re not always beautifully packaged, but not in this case! These basil, mint, and dill-decorated unbleached cotton towels come rolled up and packaged in a berry basket. Just add a ribbon or bow and you’re good to go.

Say goodbye to boring kitchen canisters. Anthropologie’s decaled stoneware bistro version serves as a functional sculpture for your countertop and is ideal for stashing coffee beans, sugar, or any other ingredient you need to keep at an arm’s reach.

If there’s anything teachers deserve, it’s some quality relaxation time. Help them achieve it with this peppy little puzzle designed to look like an affogato. It’ll only take them about 20 minutes to finish, but Areaware makes these little guys in beer, broccoli, and plenty of other food and drink designs so they can start a collection.

$35

She’s beauty and she’s grace! Yes, we’re talking about the sauce. Truff makes cult favorite sauces and oils packed with plenty of the high-end truffle flavor people love. This white truffle version comes in a gorgeous gift box (again, no wrapping needed!)

What’s better than cracking open a good book and sipping on some tea, coffee, or hot chocolate? Drinking it out of a bookish mug! This porcelain piece has illustrated spines of classic lit like Great Expectations, Les Miserables, The Wizard of Oz, and Gulliver’s Travels.

$35

A quality water bottle is a nice thing for them to keep in the classroom, but this one’s so pretty we wouldn’t blame them for taking it home. The ceramic coating and double-walled stainless interior keep hot drinks hot for 12 hours and cold drinks icy for 24 hours. No splashing or leaking, just easy hydration.

Olive oil is much more useful than a bouquet of flowers, and frankly, this bottle is just as pretty! The hand-painted ceramic container can (and should) be used long after the oil is gone as a vase or serving vessel. But let’s not forget about the stuff inside. Muraglia olive oil is cold-pressed in Italy using traditional methods to create a fruity and peppery flavor that works well for cooking and finishing.

Are they a teacher by day, and aspiring chef by night? Spice up their cooking routine with this gourmet set of blends that make great rubs on meat, fish and veggies. The box comes with 12 different variations ranging from smoky honey habanero to Korean bbq and pink peppercorn lemon thyme. Yum!

Who doesn’t love a S’more? Grab some graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate and pair them with this makeshift mini campfire. The flame at the top roasts those mallows to toasted perfection while the metal tray softens chocolate squares.

$55

Being a teacher requires a LOT of coffee…we mean, energy. Save them from future caffeine-related emergencies with an on-the-go espresso maker they can stash in their desk. This one is manually operated, so no batteries required. They’ll just need to add hot water to the tank, ground coffee to the filter basket, and press the pump a few times to get a fresh shot to drink as is or add to milk to create their go-to blended beverage.

$39 (Set of 2)

There’s no denying that copper mugs just have a cool factor. You can pair them with ginger beer and some limes to get them started on their Moscow mule journey, but if you're not sure about the teacher’s drinking preferences, simply use them as pretty vessels to stash candy, pens, or another small present.

$43

Bakers tend to have lots of goodies at home, but an accessory upgrade is always welcome. This colorful silicone set is BPA-free, has antimicrobial properties, and comes with reusable baking cups, a spatula, and a whisk, so they can bake and decorate to their heart’s content.

Ok so this one isn’t really for your teacher, but isn’t their furry child kind of an extension of them? If they are head-over-heels in love with their dog, these tennis ball toys (that look like different Italian cookies) are going to fetch a ton of excitement from both your teacher and their pet.

Talk about a statement piece! Soho Home makes incredible luxurious home products, and these iridescent resin servers are no exception. They’ll come in handy any time they want to host, or just want to feel fancy serving themselves a Trader Joe’s caesar salad.

Custom and personalized gifts can take a while to get your hands on, but an initial piece is an easy way to get that just-for-you feeling without having to think about it too far in advance. Take this 12” x 7” cheese board for example, it’s made of mango wood, marble and brass and you can grab it and gift it instantly.

This is the type of niche gift that will earn them compliments every time they have people over. It’s a 7” ceramic super bowl that’s the perfect place to keep and serve snacks like nuts and candy. If they’re not the hosting type, it also makes a cute trinket tray for jewelry.

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