Gift shopping for kids based solely on age can be a daunting task. What if they already have what you picked out? What if their parents think it’s ugly? What if it isn’t as age appropriate as the box says it is? But once you know what the kid in question is into, picking out the perfect gift can be fun—especially if you’re buying for a kid who’s into food and cooking.
In addition to cute toys and food-themed accessories, there are plenty of fully-functional tools and small appliances that can help kids be more creative in the kitchen.
Below, find 27 great gifts for kids who love to cook (or for kids you want to help nudge in that direction).
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Food-themed gifts
These food-themed gifts can get even the littlest kids more excited about food… even if it’s just as a fashion statement for now.
This super-cute strawberry claw clip from delightfully quirky lifestyle brand Jenny Lemons is the perfect size for kids who need to keep their hair out of their face whether they’re mixing something up in their play kitchen or helping out in a real one. The plant-based cellulose acetate material is strong enough to hold thick, textured hair and small enough to hold onto wispy, fine hair too.
Help the little person in your life get a head start on the universal language of food with this adorable “French things” canvas banner from Imani + Kids. It features six French culinary words with illustrations… and a cute dog.
If the tween or teen in your life is into making beaded bracelets (FYI: they probably are) they’ll love these food-themed DIY jewelry kits from Fashion Angels. If you’re lucky, they might even make you your very own bracelet.
Culinary gifts for imaginative play
If the kid in question doesn’t already have a play kitchen, this is your chance to give them the best gift they’ll get all year. If they do, you get to do the fun part: help to outfit it with adorable accessories for imaginative play.
For little kids who’ve shown an interest in cooking, a play kitchen is worth every penny. And IKEA now offers an alternative to its Ubiquitous and infinitely hackable Duktig play kitchen. The new Silltrut kitchen for children is a little moodier, a little smaller, and a little cheaper than its popular predecessor. And you should probably go ahead and add it to your cart before it sells out.
The best meals start with a trip to the farmers market and this plush produce set from Imani + Kids lets even the littlest shoppers load up a grocery tote with a banana, artichoke, a head of romaine lettuce, a beet, an avocado, and a carrot.
When they’re ready to graduate from soft toys, and you want to give them something prettier than plastic, there’s this solid wood play fruit. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the pieces can be “chopped up” with an included wooden knife—and then put back together for endless fun.
One of BA’s favorite brands has put some kid-favorite characters on its littlest aprons, and the results couldn’t be cuter. Hedley + Bennett’s kids apron collabs include Elmo, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, Chewbacca, Grogu, Mickey and Minnie Mouse. But the most beautiful of them all is the Rifle Paper Co. Herb Garden pattern. No matter what design you choose, the adjustable straps will grow with kids age 4 to 8—and from the play kitchen to the real one.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my Nespresso machine gets more use than any other appliance in my kitchen, but my four-year-old son has been playing with this wooden single-serve coffee maker for nearly two years. He loves asking me if I want the light, medium, or dark roast pod and there’s even milk, sugar, and ice to jazz up the drink. So if you know a toddler or preschooler whose parents caffeinate as often as I do, this makes a great gift.
Bigger kids will have fun playing barista with this far more realistic espresso machine designed to look just like the De’Longhi la Specialista. It comes with a portafilter, two plastic cups, an americano pod, a cappuccino pod, and a milk jug—so by the time they’re tall enough to reach the kitchen counter, they’ll be ready to start making your morning latte.
It’s never too early to teach kids that somebody has to clean up after dinner, and hey, don’t forget to do the floors! This self-contained set has everything the little cook in your life needs to tidy their “work zone” including a broom, dustpan, mop, and duster.
This child-size vacuum cleaner from Cadson is officially licensed by Dyson, which is why it looks so realistic. The best part is that it’s actually somewhat functional. Though the suction is very limited, it will collect crumbs and pet hair in the easy-to-empty debris tray.
Functional tools and utensils
There’s no reason kids shouldn’t be using real utensils in the kitchen (with adult supervision, of course). But to be safe and effective, small hands need small cooking tools.
This kid-sized spatula and whisk set from Material comes with a deck of cards to get kids thinking more creatively about cooking. (For what it’s worth, this 42-year old uses the utensils almost daily).
A cardinal rule for cooking gifts for kids: Small hands need small kitchen tools, like these 6″ cooking tongs. “My kids often refuse to touch food with their hands (and if they do, let’s face it, their outfit will usually tell the tale)—but how much more fun is tossing green beans, turning sausages, or flipping tortillas when they have special kid-size tongs?” says BA test kitchen director Chris Morocco. “Having their own special tools makes them a lot more likely to get involved in the kitchen.”
Morocco is also a proponent of getting kids started early with knives—as long as they’re the right sizes for small hands. A rubber grip and and rounded tip allow beginners to learn knife skills while staying safe and if you get them started with one of these, they’ll be graduating to a chef’s knife in no time.
Those cute little mitts need to be protected from heat too, so you might as well cover them with… cute little mitts. These 100% cotton oven mitts from Minted are fully machine washable and they’re so pretty you might just want to get yourself some matching tea towels.
Kid-friendly gadgets and small appliances
These small appliances make great gifts for bigger kids—and they’re more fun than the microwave.
I originally bought this cute Time Timer for myself—I have ADHD and it helps me manage my time blindness when I’m working on a deadline. It’s also proven to be a really great tool for my kids when they’re helping in the kitchen because it gives a clear visual indicator of how much time we have to wait for chicken nuggets to come out of the air fryer or cupcakes to come out of the oven.
This colorful handheld mixer from KitchenAid is the perfect gift for a tweens or teen who’s shown an interest in baking but isn’t quite ready for their very own stand mixer. It has five speeds and two stainless steel beaters and it will accommodate additional accessories (sold separately) for pastry projects.
This nonstick novelty waffle maker gives new meaning to the phrase “Put away your Legos.” Parents can use it to make “Lego-inspired” waffles for their teens and tweens to use it themselves. Unlike other gimmicky gadgets, this one actually works really well, and the stackable waffles are truly fun for kids of all ages.
This zero-fuss countertop doughnut maker allows little chefs to make deliciously warm and fluffy doughnuts in minutes, no frying required. Just fill it with your favorite batter (or store-bought cake mix), close the lid, and set the timer. The auto shut-off function means nothing will ever burn.
No, this is not an Easy Bake Oven—which is a good thing, because I tried the modern version and it’s awful. This is the very aesthetically pleasing Wonder Oven from DTC cookware brand Our Place and it’s cute, compact, and simple enough for older kids and tweens to use independently, but powerful and precise enough for them to actually learn to cook and bake in it.
Kits and cooking projects
These DIY cooking and baking kits are gifts that keep on giving. In addition to being thoughtful presents for kids who are interested in cooking, they’re great to have on hand when a bored tween complains that there’s nothing to do! You’re also giving them something to be proud of—and to eat!
A gingerbread house toolkit (complete with aprons)
It might be smart to give these gifts a little early—that way they can wear an adorable kid-sized apron with candy canes in the shape of hearts while they bake gingerbread men and construct gingerbread houses. There’re plenty of holiday apron options for adults, too, if you want the whole family to be festively clad for cookie decorating (and you should).
Donuts are good. Mochi donuts are better. And this sweet little DIY mochi donut cake is the perfect gift for kids who are ready to spend some productive time in the kitchen (with adult supervision, of course). Developed by Masaharu Morimoto of Iron Chef fame, the kit includes almost everything you need (save for a few staples) to make three batches of six baked mochi donuts.
It’s the cake that broke the internet. Think of this baking kit as a fun science project that uses a few simple ingredients—agar-agar, spring water, roasted soy bean flour, and black sugar cane syrup—to create an uber refreshing, slightly sweet jelly cake. Psst: It’s vegan and gluten-free.
Assembling a gingerbread house around the holidays never gets old, but you can make it a whole new experience with a kit that requires DIY’ing the building supplies from scratch (a.k.a. baking the gingerbread cookie walls and roof panels). This five-piece set comes with an instruction pamphlet, a festive spatula, a frosting bottle, and two silicone baking molds—all optimally sized for kid bakers and their adult helpers to construct a house fit for a whimsical winter wonderland.
