My family is really into food, so I’m always on the hunt for Pacific Northwest food gifts. My dad literally asks for gift certificates to artisanal food stores every year, and nothing makes my mom happier than when I stick locally-made salted caramels or chocolate in her stocking.
Food is a universal language we all understand, so it makes the best gift for anyone on your list. Male, female, old, or young, everyone appreciates getting a taste of something new, especially if it’s not something they’d buy on their own. So here’s my list of gift ideas for foodies…all made in the Pacific Northwest!
This post has affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no cost to you if you click on them and make a purchase. This is a small way I earn money to support this site. If links aren’t showing up for you, turn off your ad blocking software. Thank you for your support!
Pacific Northwest Food Gifts
Save this to Pinterest for later, as I update it every year with new PNW food gift finds!
1. Seattle food tour – $12.95
Treat a loved one to a day of being a tourist in our own city with my self-guided Seattle food tours. Each guide takes you on a 5-6 hour itinerary for exploring my favorite restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in the best neighborhoods in Seattle.
This is an especially good gift because you can pair it with gift cards to the restaurants. It’s also great for out-of-town loved ones…especially if you pair it with an airline gift certificate to come visit you!
2. Mama Lil’s Peppers – $29+
Mama Lil’s Peppers out of Portland, OR is a staple in my household. They’re known for pickled condiments, but it’s specifically their red peppers that you’ll see in restaurants all over the PNW. I love putting them on literally everything: sandwiches, toasts, eggs, you name it. They make the perfect stocking stuffer for the pickle lover in your life!
3. Apple cider or Apple fiber – $13-$14
Sauk Farm located in Concrete, WA grows delicious apples and turns them into interesting products. Their Honeycrisp apple cider and apple fiber are two yummy options. Both are made with 100% organic apples and have no added sugar, additives, or preservatives.
Never heard of apple fiber? It’s a powder similar to brown sugar that goes great in smoothies or baked goods!
Considering apples are one of Washington’s biggest exports, these unique items are some of the best PNW food gifts for those who love getting a true taste of place. And these apples are especially good because they’re grown in Skagit Valley, one of my favorite foodie destinations in Washington.
Buy Apple Cider Buy Apple Fiber
4. Hot sauce – $15
Elixir Sauce Co. located in Spokane, WA makes incredibly hot sauces using peppers they grow themselves. Smoky Ghost is their original secret family recipe that started the business. It features ghost peppers and has a delicious mix of smoke and fire.
5. Hazelnuts – $6+
Made to Give Hope based in Canby, OR makes hazelnut gift sets that are grown, shelled, and roasted directly on their farm. You can even find flavored ones for an extra special gift idea! I learned during my first trip exploring the best Willamette Valley wineries that Oregon is one of the largest producers of hazelnuts in the US, so this is an extra special locally-made food gift.
Does your loved one prefer other types of nuts? Try these PNW-made pumpkin seeds or almond bar instead!
6. Toffee popcorn – $4.50
Northwest Expressions located in Shelton, WA sells homemade flavored popcorns that the snacker in your life will love. Their toffee popcorn flavor is made with sweet cream butter, pure sugars, and roasted almonds that are turned into toffee and poured over popcorn and peanuts. It’s the perfects sweet and savory snack!
Want other options made right in Seattle? Check out Cobb’s Popcorn nestled among my favorite Pike Place Market restaurants.
7. Tea – $10
Flying Bird Botanicals located in Bellingham, WA sells teabags with creative flavors like lavender orange red tea and dreamcatcher nighttime herbal tea. They’re all made with ingredients from Pacific Northwest and Fair Trade farms. The teabags are compostable and the tins made of 100% recycled materials. They’re a hometown favorite, so you’ll find their teas in a lot of coffee shops if you visit Bellingham.
We’re lucky to live in an area that loves tea, so if you’re not vibing on Flying Bird Botanicals’ flavors, here are some other options:
- Fog Horn Grey Tea from Beach House Teas (Long Beach, WA)
- Saffron Rose Tea from Villa Jerada (Seattle, WA)
Or if you’re not vibing on tea, try rich hot cacao from Retreat Drinks out of Gig Harbor, WA. It has coconut cream, maple, and a touch of mint for a rich and complex flavor.
8. Smoked salmon – $40+
Northwest Native Gifts located in Vashon, WA is a Native-owned company that hand smokes sustainable salmon wild-caught in Alaska. You can buy their Sockeye smoked salmon jars as a gift set of 2, or splurge for a 12-jar gift set for the salmon lover in your life.
Sue and Israel Shotridge are the owners of Northwest Native Gifts. Israel is a Tlingit artist who created the beautiful salmon design on the packaging of this gift. It depicts the important part that salmon plays in the lives of PNW Indigenous people. Besides nutritional value, it’s a powerful symbol of regeneration, self sacrifice, and perseverance.
Is Northwest Native Gifts out of salmon?
Their fish are hand caught and packed, so supplies are limited! If you need other options, Seattle-based Alaska Smokehouse and Ekone are great alternatives (or additions for a sample of all their fish!).
Does your loved one prefer fresh salmon?
Drifter’s Fish based in Seattle, WA is owned by husband-and-wife fisher(wo)men duo, Michael and Nelly Hand. They go fishing in Alaska on their boat every summer and come back with a ton of different salmons, fishes, and octopus, which they sell both fresh and tinned.
They also have a Community Supported Fish program (like a CSA, but for fish) where they hand deliver or ship 15-pounds of flash-frozen wild Copper River sockeye salmon packaged in 6-8 oz. portions.
Pro tip: If your loved one likes fish but not salmon, try Neptune based in Seattle, WA. They make excellent fish jerkies using Pacific pollock and rockfish. One of my favorites is their spicy cajun rockfish jerky.
9. Natural salt – $6.50+
San Juan Island Salt based in Friday Harbor, WA is the go-to producer of salt harvested right from the Salish Sea. Their natural sea salt is a pantry staple!
10. Chocolate-covered cherries – $15
Washington and Oregon are some of the largest producers of cherries in the US. The season is short, but once you’ve had a Rainier cherry, your life will be forever changed.
Chukar Cherries based in Prosser, WA makes dark chocolate covered Rainier cherries that are excellent snacks. I polished off a bag of these in just two sittings recently because they are so addictive!
Buy Chocolate-Covered Cherries
11. Salted honey or boozy caramels – $15+
San Juan Island Salt out of Friday Harbor, WA also uses their salt in soft chewy caramels. All of the ingredients in these are organic, and the honey comes from Pacific Northwest bees.
Locals know that Jonboy Caramels out of Seattle, WA are a staple at all of the best Seattle farmers markets. Owners Jon Sue and Jason Alm make the most irresistibly smooth and chewy caramels with organic brown rice instead of corn for a toastier taste. While they have a bunch of flavors, their boozy caramel gift set is probably something most of the food lovers in your life have never tried.
Buy Salted Honey Caramels Buy Boozy Caramels
12. Foraged mushrooms and grow kits – $7+
Oregon Mushrooms Co. out of Keno, OR dries mushrooms they forage in the Beaver State. Their offerings vary with the season, but you may find local favorites like morels, chanterelles, porcini, and matsutake at any given time.
Would your loved one prefer to grow their own fresh mushrooms? SnoValley Mushrooms out of Duvall, WA sells grow kits that let you have access to fresh mushrooms any time you want to whip up a dish.
Buy Dried Mushrooms Buy Mushroom Growing Kits
13. Locally-made cheese – $46.50+
Rogue Creamery based in Central Point, OR makes some of the best Pacific Northwest food gifts around for cheese lovers. They make all types, but they’re particularly loved by blue cheese fans. People go nuts over their Smokey Blue, so much in fact that many splurge for a full cheese wheel!
14. Nut butter – $20+
Ground Up based in Portland, OR makes incredible nut butters with interesting flavors. One of my favorites is the cinnamon snickerdoodle. It has the perfect consistency and tastes just like the cookie!
All of their nut butters are peanut free, so it’s perfect for those with food allergies. In addition, they work to support the women in the Portland area through job training and donations.
15. Honey – $14
Farmer’s Daughter Gifts out of Ellensburg, WA is a beeswax candle and apothecary studio that partnered with the beekeeper behind Imbrocks’ Swit Moa Honey in Cowiche, WA to offer pure raw honey. It has a light floral aroma thanks to the nectar the bees harvested, which will give your food lover a unique taste of place.
16. Coffee – $21
Noire Pack based in Seattle, WA curates some of the best coffee beans in Seattle made by Black-owned companies. They sell Boon Boona, one of my favorite coffee roasters in the city. Their coffees are great beans for a French press.
Want to provide a variety pack? Check out Noire Pack’s coffee sampler gifts instead.
17. Huckleberry fudge – $14
Huckleberries are very common in the Pacific Northwest. They’re a more tart version of a blueberry and make an excellent gift from the Pacific Northwest. They grow at 5,000 feet above sea level in Washington, Idaho, and Montana and are an important crop for Plateau Indigenous tribes.
Big Bear Chocolates based in Spokane, WA makes a bunch of confections using huckleberries. Their huckleberry milk fudge is a best seller, but they also make huckleberry caramel apples, huckleberry hot cocoa bombs, and huckleberry jelly beans. Any option would be a great way to try this local fruit!
18. Fruit butter – $14
Amy Lynn of Iddell Dew Gardens located in Falls City, OR grow fruits and veggies in her own garden and then turns them into interest butters and jams. For example, you’ll find flavors you don’t always see like pumpkin butter and monkey butter with bananas, coconut, and pineapple.
Buy Pumpkin Butter Buy Monkey Butter
19. Chocolate – $4-$19
I have a whole list of the best chocolate in Seattle because we have so many great makers. Seattle Chocolates is one of the quintessential chocolate companies in our city thanks to their unique flavors. They always have interesting flavors like candy cane truffles, hazelnut butter crisp, mint chocolate alongside classics like sea salt chocolate.
They also have a premium line called jcoco. I love the luxe and unexpected ingredients they use like cardamom, coffee cherries, edamame, and more!
Does your loved on prefer caramels? You can’t go wrong with Gig Harbor Chocolate Company’s Salt Caramels. I always get chocolate caramels for my mom because the soft chewy interior and decadent chocolate interior is to die for!
Buy Jcoco Chocolate Buy Gig Harbor Chocolate Caramels
20. Jam – $15+
There are SO many jam companies in the Pacific Northwest thanks to our abundance of fruit. One option is Girl Meets Dirt, a female-owned jam company that got its start on Orcas Island, WA. You’ll find interesting flavors, such as this quince jam or island plum spoon preserves that go perfectly with manchego cheese.
Buy Quince Jam Buy Island Plum Jam
21. Frozen soup dumplings – $40
MíLá (previously named Xiao Chi Jie) from just outside of Seattle, WA makes some of the best soup dumplings ever. If you’re not familiar with xiao long bao, they’re like your typical dumpling, but smaller and with broth inside.
Husband and wife duo Jen and Caleb started selling their excellent pork XLBs frozen during the pandemic. They ship nationwide and even offer a gift set that includes noodles, sauces, and a steamer.
22. Spices – $4+
The Kitchen Imp based in Seattle, WA makes spice gift sets. I discovered Melissa’s work at one of my favorite Seattle holiday markets and became obsessed with her dukkah, a blend of nuts, cumin, and other spices common in African cuisine that I love to use in this curried parsnip carrot soup recipe.
If you’re looking for a spice that is the ultimate gourmet food, Cyrus Saffron in Lake Chelan, WA grows saffron right here in the Pacific Northwest!
For food lovers who prefer rubs, here are some options:
- Periodic Table of Flavor Spice Set from Spiceology (Spokane, WA)
- Beer-infused rubs from Spiceology (Spokane, WA)
- Harissa from Villa Jerada (Seattle, WA)
23. DIY baking kit – $25+
Rulla Pulla out of Washington makes Scandinavian DIY baking kits. Considering Seattle has deep Nordic roots, this is the perfect gift for someone who is interested in this cuisine, but isn’t motivated to learn how to make it from scratch and chance messing it up.
24. Oysters – $75+
Washington state is known for one of the OG gourmet foods: oysters! I grew up on the east coast and always thought I hated oysters because they tend to be bigger and brinier when they’re from the Atlantic Ocean. But the ones in Washington are smaller and sweeter, which makes them irresistible even for people who think they don’t like oysters.
Hama Hama Oysters based in Lilliwaup, WA farms fresh oysters you can ship anywhere in the US. I visit their farm most years to forage for oysters and can attest to their just-right brininess. They also sell gift sets with shucking equipment and condiments, plus other shellfish like mussels and clams.
25. Wine – $30
Washington is the second largest wine producer in the US, followed by Oregon at third. We have so many amazing wineries in the Pacific Northwest. It can be hard to choose.
However, one of my favorites right now is Maison Noir, one of the best Black-owned wineries in the Pacific Northwest owned by sommelier-turned-winemaker André Hueston Mack. I love his O.P.P. pinot noir. It’s super drinkable with a satisfying raisin finish and goes with literally everything.
26. Low and non-alcoholic drinks – $29+
Just because your loved one doesn’t drink booze doesn’t mean they can’t partake in fun refreshments. Non-alcoholic cocktail companies are popping up everywhere, making some of the most unique Pacific Northwest food gifts.
For Bitter for Worse located in Portland, OR makes great tasting low-alcohol cocktails by soaking herbs and botanicals in alcohol to extract the flavors. Then they use a still to pull the alcohol out. Lastly, they mix their non-alcoholic base with natural ingredients found in the PNW.
Want truly non-alcoholic? Wilderton Earthen out of Hood River, Oregon uses a blend of peppercorns, smoked tea, and cardamom to make an earthy and spiced non-alcoholic spirit.
Buy For Better for Worse Buy Wilderton Earthen
27. Cocktail bitters – $19+
Portland Bitters Project founded by Cindy Capparell uses small batch organic ingredients to make interesting bitters for cocktails. These half ounce samplers are a great introduction to her offerings. You can pair it with a bottle of local gin or whiskey to complete the gift!
Girl Meets Dirt out of Orcas Island, WA also makes bitters. Try her peach tree bitters for a punch of fresh fruit.
28. Charcuterie – $40+
Olympic Provisions out of Portland, OR is a great option for meat lovers. They make fun exceptional meat stick that are truly one of one of the best Pacific Northwest gifts. They offer them in a meat stick bouquet that any carnivore is sure to love.
29. Caviar – $7-300
Fish is one of the obvious best Pacific Northwest food gifts, but have you considered caviar? The Seattle Caviar company sells caviar harvested both locally and around the world. Their Idaho sturgeon caviar is a unique variety that any caviar lover is likely not to have tried.
Fish & Caviar out of Bellevue, WA is another local caviar company. All its salmon-based red caviars are from Pacific Northwest, fresh-caught salmon. They have a bunch of gourmet food products and services, including non-caviar fish products, but the red caviar option is the best option for the foodie who wants a more local product.
Buy from Seattle Caviar Co. Buy from Fish & Caviar
30. Locally-made maple syrup – $19.50+
Yes, you heard that right, maple syrup made in the Pacific Northwest! Neil’s Bigleaf Maple Syrup based in Acme, WA makes Washington-tapped maple syrup. You often associate maple syrup with the east coast, but Devin and Miriah of Valley Farmstead figured out how to tap Bigleaf maple trees in Washington that sprouted decades ago and grown naturally.
For Pacific Northwest food gifts that alcohol enthusiasts will enjoy, try Woodinville Whiskey Co.’s barrel-aged maple syrup.
31. Oils & vinegars – $25+
You don’t think of the PNW as an olive oil producer, so I was so surprised to discover that Durant Farm based in Dayton, OR makes extra virgin olive oil. They farm olives right in Oregon and have one of the only olive mills in the Pacific Northwest.
Does your loved one prefer vinegar? Häxan Ferments based in Seattle, WA makes a vinegars crafted using organically grown ingredients sourced from local farms. I have their red wine vinegar in my pantry and am obsessed!
BONUS: Pet treats!
You can’t forget your canine and feline friends when buying the best Pacific Northwest food gifts! If you have a furry friend in your life, here are some locally-made pet treats that would make the perfect gift:
- Handsome Dog Bakery (Seattle, WA) – these look like frosted cookies!
- PNW Pawcuteries Shop (Seattle, WA)
- Tricia Made This Cat Treats (Portland, OR)
PNW food gift baskets
I love the idea of putting together my own gift basket filled with the best Pacific Northwest food gifts, but if you find that overwhelming there are options!
Washington Local is a Seattle-based company that curate Pacific Northwest goods. You can purchase one of their pre-curated boxes or create a custom one of your own. Both are perfect gift ideas for foodies!
More gift ideas for foodies
Here are even more ideas for Pacific Northwest food gifts.
- Get a Custom Trip Planned to a PNW Foodie Destination
- Best Gifts for Chefs and Home Cooks
- Food Gifts Made in Seattle
- Bucket List for Seattle Foodies
- Best Chocolate Made in Seattle
- Must-Try Seattle Coffee Roasters
- Best Washington Wines
- Oregon Wines to Try in Your Lifetime
- Pantry Staples Made in the Pacific Northwest
- Unique Seattle Gifts You Can Ship
- Best Seattle Experience Gifts
- Gifts for All Interests Made in the PNW
What about Woodinville Whiskey’s maple syrup (non alcoholic)? It’s pretty tasty!
Ooo yum, I’m adding this to my list. Thank you for the suggestion!