If you think fruit baskets are good only as corporate gifts or for last-minute holiday presents, think again. Like low-rise denim and cassette tapes, fruit gifts are having a moment. In fact, there are few things we get more excited about than seeing a box of peak season fruit we didn’t have to pay for on our doorsteps. Fruit baskets, gourmet dried fruit, and high-end berries are a great gift for your parents, your best friend, your in-laws, and beyond. It’s a gift that shows you know they have good taste (while showing off your own good taste!) and practically guarantees you’ll be invited over when they make a fall fruit galette or some strawberry shortcakes with their fruit box haul. These fruit gifts are perfect for any occasion, and don’t be surprised if you “accidentally” pick up a thing or two for yourself while you’re shopping.
Jump straight to our favorites
Harry & David’s classic fruit baskets
When it comes to fruit baskets, there’s a reason the names Harry and David immediately come to mind. The brand has been a leader in the gourmet gift space since the 1930s, so it has a pretty good track record of making people smile when a box of their peak season produce shows up on a doorstep. We’re particularly fond of the Royal Riviera Cream of the Crop pears, some of the best pears you’ll ever have, but the fruit and cheese and fruit of the month club options also make great gifts for anyone on your list who loves to eat.
The best pineapples money can buy
I visited the Maui Gold farm a few years ago and can confidently say that these pineapples live excellent lives. Every step of the growing process is carefully calibrated to ensure you’re getting super-sweet, perfectly tangy pineapples when you buy from Maui Gold. On my plane home from Hawaii, almost everyone had one of the farm’s signature cardboard boxes under their seats, but a tropical vacation isn’t a requirement for getting your hands on a pair of these pineapples—you can gift them in packs of two or four through Goldbelly.
A DIY Oishii Assortment
Especially during the cooler months, it’s almost impossible to find a strawberry that actually has flavor. That’s why we think Oishii’s strawberries, grown in a hothouse in New Jersey and carefully bred to ensure maximum sweetness, make such an excellent gift. The signature omakase berry is pricey but special. We also love their Nikko and Mini Koyo berries, which are comparable in price to a certain supermarket brand but significantly more flavorful. The brand has also recently introduced tiny, perfect cherry tomatoes that can make a winter salad sing. We recommend buying an assortment for the ultimate DIY fruit basket gift.
A crate of Taiwanese dried fruits
Taiwanese Golden Diamond Pineapples, which have a unique flavor profile and soft, edible cores, are just one of the exceptionally delicious dried fruits you’ll find in this assortment. The gift box is inspired by the produce cases you’ll find at wet markets around Taiwan, and there are some hard-to-find varieties like Pearl Guava and Wax Apple. Buy this for your friend who loves to zhuzh up their homemade granola or always needs to keep something sweet stashed in their tote bag.
This box of luxe chocolate-dipped dried fruit
Chocolate-covered fruit is always a showstopping gift, and we think this box of gourmet chocolate-dipped dried fruits from Compartés is way more exciting than a lackluster box of candy-coated out-of-season strawberries. The coating is made with the same high-quality chocolate the brand uses for its signature truffles and chocolate bars, and you’ll get berries, citruses, tropical fruits, and more in the assortment.
A cheffy box of Asian pears
This chef-inspired Asian pear gift box is perfect for anyone who loves to experiment in the kitchen. It comes with three perfectly ripe pears as well as pear vinegar, pear preserves, and dried pears, so your giftee will have the chance to experience one of our all-time favorite fruits in every possible permutation.
Tropical fruits from a Miami farm
It can be hard to find high-quality tropical fruits if you live in, say, the Northeast or the Midwest, which is why we think these boxes from Miami Fruit are such a fun gift. You can choose an assortment that comes with whatever’s in season (think cacao fruits, kumquats, soursop), which is our personal favorite. But if you know someone who is obsessed with all things banana, consider the banana variety box, which is a nice reminder that all bananas don’t look like the banana emoji.
This fruit-focused cookbook
It’s easy to gravitate toward using high-quality fruit for baking or fruit plates, but if you’re giving someone the gift of peak season produce, consider adding this fruit-centric cookbook for good measure. It offers tons of recipes that show how fruit can be used in both sweet and savory preparations and will help make sure that none of the perfect apples or pears in that Harry & David box you sprung for go to waste.
A fancy fruit bowl
If you’re going to have nice fruit around the house, it helps to have a great fruit bowl. Equal parts decorative and functional, this Emile Henry ceramic bowl has a cork lid that doubles as a divider so you can keep your bananas and oranges separate from, say, your onions and garlic. For the person on your list who aspires to a French countryside–inspired kitchen, we can’t think of a better gift than this vintage-looking Famille Rose fruit bowl.
Our favorite fruit-scented home and bath products
Yes, tomatoes are a fruit and no, they aren’t in season around the holidays (in most of the US, anyway!). So if you want to honor the person who makes tomatoes their entire personality when they are in season, go for one of these tomato-scented bath and home sets from Flamingo Estate. All of the products—which include candles, multi-surface cleaners, and bath soap—have an irresistibly pleasant garden-fresh, slightly herbal scent.
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