100+ Gift Ideas that vegans will Love

Hello,

It is now November which means it’s time to start shopping for Christmas gifts. This can be somewhat stress inducing. If you are in this boat, you are not alone, trust me.. I feel you. I totally know how it feels to find yourself overwhelmed with what to give others as gifts.  There is always that one person who is hard to shop for. Maybe it’s the tech-junkie that already owns everything under the sun, or your distant niece or nephew, whose interests you really don’t know all that much about. Or maybe its the *up-tight ethical vegan who only eats organic food and drives a moped powered on her own compost scraps* 

Whether you are shopping for someone like this, or you are that person.. I hope this list vegan-approved list helps inspire and assist you in your ethical holiday shopping.

Obviously, I do not speak for all vegans but these are some things that I think are pretty mainstream in the vegan community. But as a disclaimer, at the end of the day, regardless of your ethical standings, I think any good-hearted human would be extremely grateful to receive a gift that you took the time and effort to pick out for them..

I hope you find this post helpful. Never forget… it’s the thought that counts.

Happy Holidays,

Hannah.

~Now let’s jump in~

1. Vegan Food

It goes without saying that one thing that is a sure-fire way to impress a vegan is by spoiling them with vegan food. We love our delicious plant-based food. And if you are looking to splurge there are definitely some up-scale options on the market.

@purelykaylie

via Amazon.ca

via Amazon.ca

Here are some different brands that I like.

• Squish Vegan Gummies
• Four Sigmatic Mushroom superfood beverage: I like the Hot Cocao Mix
• Vegan Chocolate: I like GiddyYo, Camino, Chocosol, Theobroma
• Organic Traditions Holiday Gift Box.
• Organic Spice like Simply Organics and Cha’s
• Smoothie Superfood Powders like Unicorn Superfood or Rawnice
• Vegan Hot chocolate: Castle Kitchen , Camino, Botanica 
• Sprouting kit 
• Mushroom Growing kit
• Good Quality Tea like Pukka, Traditional Medicinal, Numi

2. Vegan Books

Whether it is a cookbook, novel, coffee table book or non-fiction, books make a great gift. These are some of my favourites. If you’re giving to someone who is especially environmentally conscious, you can gift them an ebook if they have an e-reader or ipad.

CookBooks

• Oh She Glows and Oh She Glows every day
• Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck
• Hot for Food Vegan Comfort Classics: 101 Recipes to Feed Your Face
• Eat Feel Fresh: A Contemporary, Plant-Based Ayurvedic Cookbook
• The Vegan Stoner Cookbook
• The No Meat Athlete Cookbook: Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes to Fuel Your Workouts—and the Rest of Your Life
• Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking: 101 Entirely Plant-Based, Mostly Gluten-Free, Easy and Delicious Recipes
• Vegan 100: Over 100 Incredible Recipes from Avant-Garde Vegan

Non-Fiction

• How Not to Die
• The China Study (Revised Edition)
• Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals by Hal Herzog
•  The Bloodless Revolution: A Cultural History of Vegetarianism from 1600 to Modern Times by Tristram Stuart

Fiction

• Kids books: V is for Vegan, Vegan Is Love: Having Heart and Taking Action and  That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals: A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things

3. Make something

If you have the time, there is nothing more special than a home made gift. The charm of a homemade gift is hard to beat. It rejects the more materialistic aspects of the holidays and avoids creating unneeded waste. It’s a good bonus that it also saves you some money. Here are 3 ideas for cute and vegan-approved homemade products.

1. homemade skincare items (this blog post has some great recipes)
2. homemade/recycled candles
   • Place old candles in a saucepan filled with about 2-3 inches of water. Wait for the water to boil and the wax to re-melt.
   • Place a new candle wick in a tin or heat-safe glass (brownie points if this is a repurposed or recycled jar, just make sure it is heat safe)
   • Remove the now melted candles from the pan with a heat resistant glove and pour the different melted waxed into the jar in layers.
   • finish off with a hand drawn label or sticker and wrap with ribbon or twine.
     • Alternatively, amazon sells natural soy wax beads which you can add essential oils to and heat on the stove and pour into candle tins the same way. Or buying a vegan candle works well too!
3. A mason jar of a homemade sweet treat is a lovely gesture for the holiday season. Just make sure it is vegan and you’re good-to-go. Some recipes that I love to gift people are my energy balls, homemade nut-butter, chocolate hazelnut spread and cookie butter
   

   

   

   

   Throw these recipes in a cute mason jar with a nice ribbon and there you have it! A lovely and delicious gift.  If you wanna get really crafty with it you can use handwritten tags to tie to the jars as labels.

 

4. Vegan Leather Products

Being vegan can sometimes be challenging for the fashionistas out there. Before my vegan days I’ll admit that I loved a good leather shoe or purse. But now obviously I am less enthusiastic about purchasing clothing made out of another animal’s skin… Luckily for me, there are so many vegan leather alternatives made by some amazing brands. Some vegan leather’s can be somewhat expensive but then again, leather isn’t cheap either and especially since it is synthetic, it really pays off in the long run to invest on good quality vegan leather. From watches to wallets and notebooks to bags, belts and shoes, there are some awesome options out there.

Matt and Nat: Montreal based vegan bag retailers. Matt and Nat are one of the most respected and established vegan leather brands and they have some great designs available. Here in Montreal I see everyone walking around with these bags. Vegan or not, these bags make a great staple piece to any wardrobe.

Winners and Marshals: Now carry a wide variety of vegan leather purses! Many of them have the Peta-Approved Logo on them are are fairly affordable ranging from $25-$60.

Doc Martin’s Vegan Shoes: are a pricier item to give for a gift, but I thought I would include this simply because these shoes are definitely on my wishlist. Doc’s are a classic boot and they never go out of style. They are versatile, comfy and stylish. Doc’s have released a vegan line, with some amazing options ranging from $159-$229… Maybe if you yourself are in the market for some vegan boots you can gift these to yourself, cause you deserve it.

Vegan Watches via Unicorn  Goods:

Unicorn Good’s sells a wide variety of vegan items and is a great place to do some online shopping. I especially like there collection of vegan watches. They sell some plastic Casio watches too which look pretty sleek. Some cool brands offered include:

Votch: This brand is a 100% vegan company that has won awards from peta. They have some great lines of watched including the Pinatex Collection, that is made from recycled pineapple leaf fibres.

TIVC: Is an Australian brand who makes vegan leather watches. Their name stand for “Time for Change” the “IV” is the roman numeral for the number 4… can we take a moment to appreciate the genius of this name!  Their synthetic polyester eco suede wristband is unique as it is derived from recycled materials like t-shirts, fibres and plastics. TIVC also offer a watch band that is created from pineapple leaf fibres. Even better, 20% of their profits go to charity.

 

5. Natural Beauty and Skincare Products

There are a lot of new makeup brands that offer cruelty-free and vegan products that are ethically sourced and environmentally friendly. If you’re vegan loved one is interested in skin care or wears makeup, vegan makeup and beauty products are always a well appreciated gift. Here are some brands that are trendy right now in the vegan beauty industry.

Makeup:

• Eco-tools is a great brand that makes affordable and environmentally friendly makeup brushes. They often can be found at Winners and Marshals
• e.l.f. is a vegan and cruelty-free makeup company which also happens to be one of the most inexpensive makeup brands on the market. You can find elf on amazon and at most drugstores. I love their Baked Eyeshadow Palette, it would make a great gift.
• Sephora, yup… Sephora carries many brands that are entirely vegan: including Anastasia Beverly Hills, Cover FX, Milk and Kat Von D. Maybe you didn’t even know these house-hold makeup names were vegan. They also carry brands that have vegan lines and products, like Tarte, Urban Decay, Becca, Hourglass and IT Cosmetics.

Skincare:

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  Credit: @bkind.products

  BKIND is an awesome vegan beauty brand based out of Montreal that makes a wide range of beauty products including face cleanser, bath salt, lip balm, nail polish, face masks and more. BKIND prides themselves on being 100% biodegradable.

• Sukin is one of my favourite skincare brands. I love their cream cleanser, I use it almost every day and it makes my skin feel fresh and moisturized now that the cool weather is drying out my skin. Sukin offers many versatile products that could work as gifts for men, women or kids. They are 100% Carbon Neutral, biodegradable and grey water safe.
• Essential Oils aren’t just for diffusers. They can be used as perfume and are a great ingredient for homemade skin care products like serums, masks, soaps and mists. These are the ones that I use and enjoy.
•  Mario Badescu is a facial mist spray that you may have heard of. It helps rehydrate dried out skin. It contains aloe, herbs and rosewater and it smells delightful.

 

6. Thrifted/Second Hand Goods.

Thrift finds are awesome because they repurpose old things that would otherwise be thrown away. I have thrifted some amazing pieces and honestly some of my favourite clothing item and furniture pieces are thrifted or second hand. There are a lot of bad connotations about second-hand gifts and re-gifting things, but honestly… I think that is a load of bullshit. Furthermore, this myth is just an idea that big-box producers like to use to encourage people to feed into the holiday consumerism. There is something kind of beautiful about  continuing the life of an item that you don’t have use for anymore.  If you think your friend would have use for it, by all means pass it on. This is 2018 people, there is enough garbage on this planet so lets try and do are part and repurpose things where they can be repurposed.

 

7. Kitchen Gadgets/Accessories

So, if your gift recipient is a foodie like me, they will for sure love some of these nifty kitchen gadgets and accessories.

• Coconut Bowls: Made out of recycled coconut shells, these bowl are 100% biodegradable and so adorable. Each one is unique. I purchased one this past summer and it is my favourite bowl for smoothie bowls and salads because it makes me feel tropical and beachy.
• Herb Scissors: to chop all those fresh herbs
• A Spiralizer: To make those delicious zoodles you see all over pinterest.
• Cute Apron: I love etsy, they have some amazing veggie-themed aprons that would make a great gifts, and it’s always nice to support independent artists.
• Avocado Slicer: This will change lives.

 

8. Vegan Apparel

Vegan apparel can range from really “in your face” vegan to a cute little homage to vegetables. There is also apparel that vegans will appreciate for their ethical and environmentally froward designs, and of course we would appreciate anything that doesn’t involve animal-derived materials. (Yes, this included wool and silk)

Veganized World is hands down one of the most iconic vegan apparel brands. This is one of the trendiest vegan companies at the moment. They have some truly clever prints and honestly their instagram account makes me want to buy every single design … so good job Veganized World.

Versatile Veganism is a lovely company with an inspiring backstory. The owner, Yvana is and artist who sponsors one animal sanctuary a year and uses the animals she meets as inspiration for her apparel and art. I am the proud owner of the pig print, I get compliments on it all the time.

Lights of All Is a sustainable minimalist fashion brand based out of Montreal that is vegan and eco-conscious. The owner, Katia makes and sells all of her designs by herself and focusses on creating as little waste as possible in the creation of her beautiful pieces. 10% of profits go towards a Quebec Animal Foundation the helps protect and rescue abused animals. I think that the sarong would make a great gift for the vegan beachy-soul.

Oraki is a Canadian brand that makes all of its clothes out of plastic recycled bottles. They specialize in yoga leggings, offering a wide selection of styles and patterns. They have won multiple awards and are truly a unique brand. These leggings would be a great gift for the active vegan that loves yoga, running, weight-lifting etc. I haven’t purchased a pair of these yet but I have heard amazing things and they are on my wishlist for sure!

VGAN STYLES is another great Canadian, Montreal-based clothing store that has hip unisex designs in t-shirts, hats, totes and pants. Their shirts will definitely impress the vegan with a sense of humour.

Credit: oraki.ca

Credit: @versatileveganism

Credit: veganizedworld.com

Credit: vganstyles.com

9. Vegan Wine:

Wine has been a go-to gift since the beginning of time, an easy and versatile fool-proof option.. but is it vegan? Belief it or not, many wines are not vegan-friendly or even vegetarian-friendly. In the production process, many wines are clarified using various animal products in a process referred to as ‘fining.’ Some of the animal products used in this process include but are not limited to; fish bladder protein,  casein (milk protein), gelatin and egg whites. (source) #nowyouknow

>This is an awesome list of vegan wines<

10. Zero Waste Gear

The zero-waste movement is exploding world-wide. This movement is particularly popular with many vegans who have a background of environmental activism and consciousness.  The reason zero waste gear makes a great gift is because it takes a few initial purchases and investments in order to switch over from single use plastic. Gifting some of these products can help your loved one transition away from waste and make their lives a little easier. Some essential gear includes:

credit: danslesac.co

• Stainless steel straws
• Mason jars
• Bamboo toothbrush (I like the ones with charcoal bristles)
• Reusable coffee cup (KeepCup)
• Produce bags
• Reusable water bottles
• Cotton makeup remover disks
• Wax wraps (make sure they are vegan and not beeswax)
• reusable silicone-covers
• Glass Tupperware containers
• Sandwich baggies
• Silicone cupcake liners and baking mat
• A cute tote bag is always handy for weekly veggie hauls and lunch bags

11. Skip a physical gift and go for an experience.

For the most strict minimalists, it can be hard to find a place for gifts that don’t have a direct purpose. While some gifts may be awesome and really well loved, sometimes minimalists would much prefer an experience instead of something that they don’t need. Here are some fun ideas for experiences that make a good gift, and you can enjoy these experiences together so it really is a gift to yourself as well!

• Do a yoga class together or gift them a yoga class pass
• Buy tickets to a cool concert for an artist you both like
• Treat them to a lunch at that vegan restaurant you both have been meaning to go to
• Volunteer together, this is a gift this is absolutely free and it makes you feel amazing. You’r time is one of the most valuable things you can give, so offering to join them at any volunteering event of their choice is a great way to spend time together and show them you care.
• Go to a Vegan Food Festival
• Enjoy the great outdoors and natural attractions where you live
• Explore your home town and maybe even do a tourist activity that you have never done before.

12. Vegan Edibles

Now that weed is legal in Canada and a few states in the US, there is an abudance of products available for purchase online. Edibles are something that many vegan stoners often steer clear of, but as the vegan movement has grown, demand for vegan edibles has been answered with some interesting products. So, if the vegan you are shopping for likes to indulge in the good ol’ Mary Jane, this could be a fun gift to enjoy together! Just to note: Not all of the retailers listed below are entirely vegan, I linked some of their vegan products but be careful to read the ingredients before you buy anything.

Credit: korovaedible.com

• BuddhaBomb – are vegan cannabis infused gummy beers, they come in many different flavours including prosecco!
• Korova – This chocolate peanut butter bar is organic, vegan and gluten-free.
• Citrus Tamarind Cannabis infused Almonds. – by Winterlife. A healthy and unique choice of edible.
• Verdelux Chocolate Bon Bombs and Lush Gummies are vegan-friendly.

13. Donate to an animal sanctuary in their name

This is probably one of the sweetest gifts you could give to a vegan. For many people, these donation gifts are one of the most meaningful gift they will get. Furthermore, it really shows that you care about their interests and passions. Maybe they even have a favourite animal sanctuary that you already know about!

This is a great list of all certified animal sanctuaries around the world!

Credit: Gentle Barn Sanctuary – Santa Clarita

 

Featured Image credit: [eye-swoon.com] Check out this post about diy hand dyed linen gift wrapping. These gifts are absolutely stunning, I might attempt this is my own holiday gift wrapping.