The Best Gifts for the Baker in Your Life (2026)

If you’re in search of the best gifts for bakers this holiday season, you’re in the right place. To say I’m an enthusiastic baker is an understatement: I was the kid who brought cupcakes to school every day because I was obsessively testing out new flavor combos in all my free time. I had a sourdough starter before I had my driver’s license. I’m never without a loaf pan of quick bread or a platter of pastries on my kitchen counter. My freezer is full of baking experiments past, and my cabinets are overflowing with enough bakeware, cookie cutters, and piping tips that I might as well open a patisserie.

Needless to say, I’m no stranger to baking tools, nor to receiving baking tools as a gift, which is why I feel particularly qualified to tell you that the best gifts for bakers are things that bring joy to the baking process in one way or another. I’m talking high-quality gear upgrades that make projects more seamless (I’m looking at you, KitchenAid mixer), small-but-mighty tools that’ll transform your giftee’s baking game, and fun extras like fancy sprinkles and vintage serveware that no one really needs, but every baker definitely wants.

This list is full of baking gift ideas, big and small, that’ll work for beginners and pastry pros alike, so feel free to mix and match them as you see fit to curate the perfect gift for the baker in your life. And if that baker is you, consider this your sign to make a few upgrades to your own supplies stash before holiday baking truly gets underway.

Jump straight to some of my favorite gifts:

• For the layer cake pro: Mosser Glass Cake Stand
• For the baker who somehow still isn't measuring by weight: Escali Primo Scale
• For the pie and cookie baker: Nickey Kehoe Walnut Rolling Pin
• For the baker who's always running out of oven space: Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro
• A great stocking stuffer to level up their bakes: Beyond Good Pure Ground Vanilla Powder

KitchenAid Artisan Plus stand mixer

Take a peek into any serious baker’s kitchen and there’s a good chance you’ll find a KitchenAid mixer sitting proudly atop their counter. These workhorses make mixing up large batches of cookie dough a breeze, allow you to knead bread dough without the usual requisite arm workout, and can be transformed into a million other gadgets thanks to KitchenAid’s line of mixer attachments. If the baker in your life has been getting by thus far with a wooden spoon and a prayer, this is one of the greatest and most useful holiday gifts you can give them. The 5-quart Artisan Plus model is an improvement on the original Artisan, featuring luxe stainless steel accessories, a helpful bowl light, and precision speed control. It's one of the best options for most home bakers, and it comes in a rainbow of colors, so there’s sure to be one that’ll look right at home in your giftee’s kitchen. If you’re in the market for something a bit less of a splurge or your baker friend is tight on storage space, the Artisan Mini has a smaller footprint and price tag.

KitchenAid Flex Edge Beater

If your baker friend already has a KitchenAid mixer, this paddle scraper attachment also makes a great gift. It works just like a typical paddle attachment, but has a flexible edge that perfectly grazes the contours of a standard KitchenAid bowl, eliminating the need to stop the machine every few minutes to ensure its contents are fully incorporated—a major win in any baker’s book.

GIR Sprinkle Mini Best Tools Set

I bought this mini tool set from GIR years ago because I have a penchant for sprinkles and all things mini, but the utensils it comes with have actually become some of my most-used tools in the kitchen. The set includes a couple of different variations of GIR’s cult favorite mini silicone spatulas, along with a flipper that’s perfect for silver dollar pancakes and a whisk that’s the ideal size for emulsifying small batches of salad dressing or beating eggs and milk in a liquid measuring cup.

Beyond Good Pure Ground Vanilla Powder

Beyond Good's ground vanilla powder is a favorite of BA's resident baking whiz Jesse Szewczyk, and makes for an excellent stocking stuffer. “It's not paste, nor is it extract, but a secret, more potent third thing. For bakers looking to expand their vanilla horizons, give them the gift of adventure with something new,” says Szewczyk.

A beautiful cake stand

For the friend who’s constantly churning out gorgeous frosted layer cakes and lofty whipped-cream-topped pavlovas, get them a cake stand worthy of displaying their impressive baked goods. The friend whose style leans more vintage will appreciate the one from Ohio-based Mosser Glass, which comes in a range of pretty pastels and a variety of sizes. For the baker with a more modern taste, go for the hand-glazed option from Cape Town, South Africa-based Mervyn Gers Ceramics.

Estelle Colored Glass Cake Dome

Another great option for the cake-baking-obsessed friend is this gorgeous cake dome from Estelle Colored Glass. It’s tall enough to accommodate a decent-sized layer cake, with a large enough diameter for a 9-inch round. It works great for covering cheese or pastries, too, making it an ideal choice for the baker who loves to host. Oh, and did I mention it's available in three colors (plus clear if that's your thing)?

Vintage Pie Server

For the relative whose Thanksgiving pies steal the show year after year, a vintage pie server is a thoughtful gift that they’ll be excited to use every time they entertain. These heirloom-worthy beauties are sourced in Europe, and each is one of a kind.

Frozen blueberries from Maine

What baker wouldn't want to receive a giant box of perfect Maine blueberries? These berries from Josh Pond are packed and frozen within 24 hours of leaving the field and shipped with dry ice so they're still at their peak by the time they arrive on your doorstep. Their flavor would shine in a simple blueberry pie, but a 5-pound box will leave the lucky recipient with plenty more berries to turn into muffins, scones, jam, coffee cake, and whatever else their heart desires.

King Arthur’s Fiori di Sicilia extract

This Italian baking extract still hasn’t caught on in the States, so gifting it to your baking-obsessed friend is like letting them in on a little secret—a secret that’s the gateway to infinitely better babkas, brioches, teacakes, and more when used in place of the typical vanilla extract. With notes of sweet citrus and vanilla, it’s traditionally called for in recipes for panettone and colomba d’oro. BA contributor Heather Eddy likes it so much, she’s even been known to use a dab of it as perfume.

Nordic Ware sheet pans

A baker can truly never have too many sheet pans, and a shiny new set is the ultimate practical and sure-to-be-appreciated gift. These aluminum pans from Nordic Ware are our top pick for their efficient and even heat distribution, warp-resistant design, easy-to-clean nature, and unbeatable price point. If your giftee is all set on standard half-sheet pans, consider going with a set of quarter or eighth sheets, which are useful for small batch bakes, organizing kitchen tools, and prep tasks like toasting nuts for these Double Pecan Thumbprint Cookies.

Really good cocoa powder

“We here in the Test Kitchen are cocoa snobs, and we collectively agree that Guittard Cocoa Rouge is the best. It's deeply chocolatey, robust, and a serious game-changer for chocolate cakes,” says Szewczyk. Slip a can of this stuff in your baker friend's stocking and you might just be rewarded with a batch of brownies if you play your cards right.

Odd measuring cups

These “odd”-sized measuring cups are like a kitchen cheat code, eliminating the need for intense mental math when you’re in the midst of a marathon baking session. I’d recommend you go for the set that includes odd-sized measuring spoons, too, to save your giftee from ever needing to eyeball one and a half tablespoons again.

Escali scale

While we’re on the topic of measuring, a digital kitchen scale is arguably one of the most crucial tools for any baker worth their salt, right up there with mixing bowls and the oven itself. A cup of flour can weigh 120 grams for one person and 150 for the next, and that 30-gram difference can have disastrous consequences when it comes to finicky bakes or ratio-specific bread doughs. Even if your gift receiver already has one, I’d guess an Escali scale in their favorite color would be a much-welcomed upgrade. We love them for their durability and simple, intuitive design—and the fact that they come in 10 different colorways.

An oven thermometer

I hate to break it to you, but the odds that your oven is actually at the temperature it says it’s at are slim to none. If your baker friend has ever complained to you about how the bottoms of their cookies always end up scorched or their muffins just don’t seem to rise, give them an oven thermometer for the holidays and watch as their baking woes magically disappear. This one from Thermoworks is our favorite: The probe-style design is markedly more accurate than your standard hanging thermometer and means it can double as a meat thermometer. Pair it with Thermoworks’s $4 grate clip or an all-metal binder clip—both will enable your gift recipient to secure the probe to an oven rack.

A wooden rolling pin

A trusty wooden rolling pin will last a lifetime with proper care. If your baker friend currently uses a handled model (or worse, a wine bottle), introduce them to the wonderful world of French rolling pins. I love a tapered French pin in particular because of the maneuverability and control they afford you—plus they tend to be on the thinner side and relatively lightweight. The 1¾-inch model from JK Adams was my overall favorite when I tested rolling pins for Epicurious last year, but if you want something a bit more elevated in look and feel, the maple rolling pin from Whetstone Woodenware and the walnut rolling pin from Nickey Kehoe are both highly gift-worthy upgrades.

Fun sprinkles

For the frequent cake baker—you know, the designated birthday cake maker of the friend group who prides themselves on their perfectly executed crumb coats and top-tier piping skills—you can never go wrong with an assortment of fancy sprinkles and glitter for them to use on their next cake decorating endeavor.

A silicone baking mat

Help your baker friend get over their parchment paper habit by gifting them a set of reusable silicone baking mats. These mats are incredibly nonstick, super easy to clean, and provide great heat distribution, whether your giftee is making classic chocolate chip cookies or a batch of delicate macarons.

A do-it-all countertop oven

I can almost guarantee the avid baker in your life dreams of having more oven space. And while you probably can't gift them an actual second oven, getting them a good countertop model is the next best thing. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro will allow your baker friend to more easily bake at higher quantities by nearly doubling their total oven space, and is a great option for small batch bakes that'll let them forgo the big oven altogether. It also has a proof setting that creates the perfect toasty environment for sourdough, focaccia, pizza dough—you name it. When your giftee is not baking, they can make toast, reheat leftovers, air fry frozen tater tots, or cook a full dinner using one of the machine's six other settings.

Le Creuset Bread Oven

If you’re in need of a great gift for the sourdough bread baker in your life, this enameled cast-iron bread oven from Le Creuset is a countertop-worthy piece of bakeware that also makes the process of lowering a shaped boule into a preheated baking vessel far less harrowing. That’s because, unlike the high-sided Dutch oven your friend is probably accustomed to using for the job, this clever piece of cookware has shallow sides and a domed lid. Pair it with a cute pair of oven mitts in a complementary color if you really want to help your giftee kiss those breadmaking burns goodbye.

A good bread knife

Speaking of sourdough, anyone who's ever baked (or even bought) a crusty loaf knows how difficult (and borderline dangerous!) it is to slice through one with a dull knife. This handsome knife from Mac has been our favorite for years for the way in which it effortlessly cuts through even the crustiest loaves without snagging thanks to its razor sharp, rounded teeth. Chances are it's an upgrade from whatever your baker friend is currently using, and I'm willing to bet they'd greatly appreciate finding it under the tree this year.

An offset spatula

“From swooshing buttercream like Van Gogh to prying stubborn cookies off of sheet tray, and offset spatula is a must for any baker,” says Szewczyk. Frosting that needs to be smoothed out? An offset spatula's got your back. Delicate pastries stuck to your baking sheet? The offset spatula strikes again. Get your baker friend a full-sized one for smoothing buttercream over cakes, and a mini one for more precise tasks. “You can never have too many, so gift away,” says Szewczyk.

The Perfect Loaf cookbook

This book from veteran bread baker and blogger Maurizio Leo will turn the sourdough-curious into the sourdough-confident, and a well-seasoned sourdough baker into a bona fide expert on boules, batards, and everything in between. Leo's website was instrumental in my own sourdough education, and you can trust this book, which is filled to the brim with step-by-step photos, QR codes, baking timelines, and expert knowledge, will be the same for whoever you give it to.

Piping tips

Get the friend whose entire Explore page is filled with satisfying cookie decorating videos a set of piping tips, so they can try their hand at some icing art of their own. This 55-piece kit from Ateco has everything they'll need to make just about anything their heart desires, whether that be swirly frosting-topped cupcakes or extravagantly decorated sugar cookies. Pair it with these flexible reusable piping bags, which have been my go-to for years because I find them easier to clean than canvas options.

Stackable cooling racks

Any frequent baker whose kitchen is tight on space will appreciate these stackable cooling racks. The spacers are removable, which means your giftee will have the option to use just one at a time if they're making a small batch of treats. Oh, and the racks have a chip- and rust-resistant, copper-plated finish that's dishwasher-safe.

Head this way for more gift guide content

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