The 33 Best Cooking Gifts for Kids 2021
Here you’ll find some of our favorite food-related gifts for kids, including plush cauliflower for tots and a starter hand-held appliance for tweens. Whether your kid is already correcting your pronunciation of “potato pavé” or you just want to get your mac-and-cheese aficionado excited about something new, these are the best cooking gifts for kids of all ages in 2021.
For Your Infant/Toddler
Oil and Carol Get Your Greens On Teethers
It’s never too early to teach your kids good eating habits. Or to try, anyway. Before you start on real solids, give your baby a teether in the shape of your favorite vegetable. Made from all-natural rubber, and painted with plant-extracted pigments, these green teething toys are soft on the gums and easy for tiny hands to hold. Choose from radish, avocado, and banana. Or get all three and let your baby go to town on fruit and crudités in the crib.
Ramona the Radish Teething Toy
$19.00, Nordstrom
Oli and Carol Arnold the Avocado Teething Toy
$19.00, Nordstrom
Oli and Carol Ana Banana Teething Toy
$19.00, Nordstrom
Hand-Stitched Taco Booties
No, you absolutely don’t need another reason to nibble on sweet little baby feet, but maybe these adorable taco booties will make you feel less weird about doing it in public. Plus, the window to use your child as a food-forward fashion accessory only lasts so long! Make the most of this precious time by slipping these hand-stitched, felted wool booties on those squishy little piggies ASAP.
Taco Booties
$25.00, Uncommon Goods
‘Rise & Shine’ Breakfast Food Mobile
Start Baby’s day off right with this delightful crib breakfast food mobile. A sunny-side up egg, a strip of bacon, a halved avocado, a slice of toast, an orange slice, and a smiling sun are suspended from a circular frame with a minimalist design. We’re pretty sure your little one will be completely dazzled by it. Don’t eat bacon? The artist welcomes customizations.
Breakfast Foods Mobile for Baby
$78.00, Etsy
Jellycat Cauliflower
This once-reviled cruciferous vegetable has had a real glow-up in recent years. Your mini-me will embrace the cauliflower craze with this adorable, squishy plush toy. Healthy, happy (look at that smile!), and huggable, Jellycat’s products are built to last, but they require a bit of TLC (hand wash/spot clean only; do not tumble dry, dry clean, or iron).
Jellycat Amusable Cauliflower Stuffed Toy
$28.00, Nordstrom
Garbella Food Alphabet Baby Onesies
“B” is for bagel, “D” is for dumpling, and “E” is for empanada, right? Keep your cutie looking deliciously adorable in these 100% cotton, hand screen-printed onesies by Garbella. These whimsical basics are available in sizes 3-6 months, 6-12 months, and 12-18 months.
Garbella Food Alphabet Baby Onesies (Set of 3)
$66.00, Food52
Bamboozle Playful Bamboo Kids Dinnerware Set
This Elly the Elephant bamboo feeding set has a cute design and is toddler-friendly. Each set includes two of everything—two divided plates, two bowls, two cups, two forks, and two spoons—so if you lose one piece, you have a backup. These dishes will grow with your little one, from first purée to that delightful stage when macaroni touching peas can trigger a monumental meltdown. It’s all dishwasher-safe and a great alternative to plastic or melamine.
Bamboozle Playful Bamboo Kids’ Dinnerware Set
$30.00, Food52
For Your Preschooler:
Munchtime Trainer Chopstick
These plastic trainer chopsticks are topped with colorful, kid-friendly designs: unicorn, llama, shark.
Munchtime Trainer Chopstick
$8.00, Amazon
Hape Fun Fan Fryer
A portable play kitchen is perfect for cooking-curious kids who are short on space or always on the go. Though it takes up less than a square foot, this wooden mini-electric stove from Hape packs in plenty of features, including an inbuilt fan, which makes the food turn in the pan, and three double-sided felt discs, so your chef-in-training can prepare steak and vegetables, fried salmon, spaghetti, bacon and eggs, curried chicken legs, and pancakes.
Bark Dog Marshmallow Mugtoppers
$27.00, Amazon
Dinosaur Taco Holders
Rawr! Hungry kids will love eating dinner from these adorable t-rex and triceratops taco holders. Each pedestaled prehistoric creature holds two hard-shell tacos—and probably all kinds of items your kids will manage to put on these dinosaurs’ backs. Luckily, no matter what kind of mess they get into, you can throw these dinos in the dishwasher for quick-and-easy clean-up.
Dinosaur Taco Holders
$25.00, Uncommon Goods
Dumpling Day
This rhyming picture book is a delicious celebration of dumplings from around the world. Readers follow 10 families as they cook in preparation for a neighborhood potluck: samosa, ravioli, bourekas, and more. The book also includes recipes should your family be inspired to have your own dumpling party.
Dumpling Day by Meera Sriram
$18.00, Amazon
Wooden Ice Cream Bars
What even is a play kitchen without ice cream? This exquisite set of handmade popsicles from Odin Parker are made of beech wood and painted with nontoxic, water-based paint. This family-run business donates a percentage of every sale to the Children’s Hunger Fund.
Wooden Ice Cream Bars
$38.00, Odin Parker
My First Cook Book: Bake, Make and Learn to Cook
David Atherton, the 2019 The Great British Baking Show winner, wrote Bake, Make, and Learn to Cook with some of the youngest cooks in mind. Step-by-step illustrations by Rachel Stubbs lead kids through the instructions for Magic Tomato Sauce, Sushi Shapes, carrot cake, and other recipes Atherton considers his go-tos, even as an adult.
My First Cook Book: Bake, Make and Learn to Cook by David Atherton
$21.00, Amazon
Kitchen Step Stool
Bring your helpful kid (sometimes too helpful?) to counter height with a kitchen helper stool. This open-backed model has two platform heights and hand holds to ensure a safe climb every time. It can even help grown-ups reach upper cabinets—it can bear up to 200 pounds. These stools aren’t just for the kitchen: independent-minded children can use them in the bedroom, bathroom, or playroom, too.
Guidecraft Kitchen Helper Tower
$129.00, Amazon
Melissa & Doug Cutting Food
Kids love helping in the kitchen, and knives are especially intriguing. Before you hand over the Shun, let them hone their skills—for a few years, at least—with sliceable food from ubiquitous wood toymakers Melissa & Doug. This set comes with a wooden knife that’s anything but sharp, as well as fruits, vegetables, and bread that can all be “sliced” time and time again. Everything packs neatly into a small wooden crate for stylish storage.
Melissa & Doug Play Food Set
$19.00, Amazon
Make Your Own Dog Treats Kit
Your kid’s best friend deserves pupcakes and pawstries, too. This kit includes a full-color recipe book, a pet-shaped spatula, a cookie cutter and a cookie stamper, as well as cupcake liners, decorating bags, and treat bags with ribbon and gift tags, should your child feel entrepreneurial in their bark-erie endeavor.
Make Your Own Dog Treats Set
$25.00, Walmart
Easy Bake Ultimate Oven
Get the original cooking gift for you cooking-obsessed child—an Easy Bake Oven. No longer fitted with an incandescent light bulb, but with a small heating element, the nostalgic toy still serves up pint-sized treats. This deluxe set comes with a baking pan, pan tool, instructions, and three mixes.
Easy Bake Ultimate Oven
$158.00, Amazon
Ann Clark Cookie Cutter Set
Give your young baker cookie cutters that aren’t so, well, cookie-cutter. Llamas and cacti are on-trend. Plus, this delightful set from Ann Clark comes with a recipe booklet with ideas for both dough and frosting. Ann Clark cutters are solid: Stainless steel is durable and will slice through any dough with ease.
4-Piece Llama and Cactus Cookie Cutter Set
$12.00, Amazon
Thermos Taco Truck Lunch Kit
Make every day Taco Tuesday with this novelty lunch sack. It’s sturdy and easy to clean—just wipe with a damp cloth—and Thermos brand keeps foods well-insulated. We’re hoping it’s oh-so-fun design will inspire your child to make their own lunches for school. (Eventually, you will get there!)
Thermos Taco Truck Lunch Kit
$13.00, Amazon
American Girl Baking
This is one of the best introductory baking cookbooks out there, and features easy, crowd-pleasing American and Western European bakes, including cookies, madeleines, and cupcakes, as well as a number of slightly more involved recipes for blueberry turnovers, chocolate and raspberry tartlets, and a golden layer cake with chocolate frosting.
American Girl Baking: Recipes for Cookies, Cupcakes & More
$13.00, Amazon
The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs
This book is the perfect gift for the youngster who’s already dead set on culinary school. Equal parts textbook and cookbook, The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs features 100 kid-friendly recipes that adults will actually want to eat, useful techniques, and safety tips. There’s even a section on nutrition. Any kid who spends time with this book will learn enough to at least make their own school lunches—if not the occasional family dinner.
The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs by America’s Test Kitchen
$12.00, Amazon
Sushi Making Kit
This sushi making kit will be a huge hit with the kid who’s mesmerized by the sushi bar. It contains everything required to make four servings of sushi, including rice, rice vinegar powder, nori, sesame seeds, and wasabi powder, as well as easy-to-follow instructions and a bamboo rolling mat. You will need to source your own fresh ingredients—a shopping guide is included—but that makes it perfect for pickier young eaters who may prefer the comfort of avocado and carrots to eel or uni.
Sushi Making Kit
$29.00, Uncommon Goods
Chef Knife Kit
If your kids like to help in the kitchen, they’ll be wielding sharp objects soon, whether you like it or not. Help them get started safely with the Opinel Le Petit Chef Knife Set. The pint-sized knife and peeler are real tools and designed with smaller hands—and safety—in mind. A ring on both utensils ensures index fingers are out of harm’s way and an included finger guard protects knuckles while holding food in place for chopping.
Opinel Le Petit Chef Knife Set
$49.00, Food52
For Your Tween
KitchenAid Hand Mixer
A tween or teen who’s begun cooking independently should have a few fun kitchen gadgets to call their own, and this colorful, compact hand mixer from KitchenAid is a great place to start. With five speeds and two stainless steel beaters, it’s versatile enough for a wide range of recipes, and additional attachments can be purchased for pastry projects.
KitchenAid Ultra Power 5 Speed Hand Mixer
$80.00, Amazon
Veritable Indoor Garden
There’s no better way to teach kids about what goes into their favorite food than by letting them grow some of it themselves. Grow herbs, small vegetables or edible flowers—no hassle required—with this smart indoor garden. All you have to do is plug it in, fill up the water reservoir, and place (included) seed pods in the planter, then wait three weeks and boom: harvest. Its LED light system automatically detects the lighting in your home, and the garden’s phone app will notify you when your plants need more water.
Veritable Smart Indoor Garden
$250.00, Amazon
Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker
Frozen dessert in as little as 20 minutes? Yes, please. This fun dispenser-style ice cream maker will have your children whipping up McFlurries and Dole Whips for the family in no time. This small appliance includes three compartment chutes for chocolate chips, sprinkles, or other mix-ins and is equipped with a convenient (and necessary!) cone holder.
Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker
$98.00, Amazon
Cookie and Cupcake and Decorating Kit
Baking is art and every aspiring dessert-maker wants to be noticed. (If they say they don’t want to be, they are lying.) Sweetology’s no-bake kits focus on decorating rather than creating desserts. In addition to five pre-filled piping bags of different colors, this “Blue Hawaii” box also comes with palm tree and beach cocktail sugar toppers.
Blue Hawaii Cupcake or Cookie Decorating Kit
$60.00, Sweetology
Teen Baking Bootcamp
Does your tween aspire to take over TikTok? Food Network and social media chef Matthew Merril knows a thing or two about being a star baker (2.2 million followers!). His recipes incorporate baking science and encourage improvisation, and will help precocious readers grasp the fundamentals of baking, while churning out donuts, cakes, cookies and more for all their fans. (That’s you!)
Teen Baking Bootcamp by Matthew Merril
$19.00, Amazon
Maple Bacon Lollipops
These maple bacon lollipops from New York City confectioner Roni-Sue Chocolates are the ultimate stocking stuffer for the adventurous kid who hankers for a holiday sugar high. You won’t find any questionable additives in these sweet-and-savory handmade treats—but you will find smoky bacon bits suspended in the transparent amber candy. Four lollipops come in a pack, so you should probably just go ahead and order two sets in case your kid doesn’t want to share.
Maple Bacon Lollipops
$9.00, Mouth
Cook in the Blank
Some people want to be told exactly what to cook and how to do it, but others just need a little nudge in the right direction to make mealtime magic happen. If your budding chef has a flair for flavors (or puts ketchup on literally anything), encourage more experimentation with Cook in the Blank, a Mad Libs–style cookbook from Food52 that provides tried-and-true templates for everything from chopped salads to sheet-pan dinners. You might end up with a roasted chicken smothered in maple syrup, scallions, and saffron—that’s part of the fun!—and that bird will be perfectly cooked.
Cook in the Blank: The Fun, Freewheeling Game Plan That Takes You from Zero to Dinner
$17.00, Amazon
Originally Appeared on Epicurious
