Best for Convenient Family Meals
Instant Pot Vortex Plus
$119.95 at Amazon
$149.99Now 20% Off
When comparing deep frying with air-frying, researchers found that air-frying resulted in much lower fat content but similar end results. The Instant Pot Vortex Plus has an air-fry setting that cooks foods evenly and crisply, and the 6-quart basket is large enough to cook quick, healthy meals for the whole family.
Best for No-Oil Convenience Cooking
Ninja Air Fryer Pro
$89.99 at Amazon
$129.99Now 31% Off
If you’re looking for a gift that will take the hassle out of cooking dinner, you’ll appreciate the ease of cleanup after a quick meal prep in an air-fryer. We love that the Ninja Air Fryer Pro 4-in-1 does more than fry foods without oil. This appliance can be used to roast veggies, dehydrate foods, and even quickly reheat cooked foods.
Best for Small-Space Cooking
Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven
$298.30 at Amazon
$369.95Now 19% Off
We love a toaster oven for the beginner home cook living in a small space because of the variety of meals it can make, including pizzas, roasted veggies, toast and bagels, and warmed-up leftovers. Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven is a large-capacity oven that can accommodate a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and cooks with 1,800 watts of power. This small appliance runs quietly, cooks food evenly, and is easy to clean.
Best for Affordable Toasting and Air Frying
Cuisinart Chef’s Air Fryer Convection Toaster Oven
$99.99 at Target
$229.99Now 57% Off
If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option for quick meals, consider Cuisinart Chef’s combination air-fryer and convection toaster oven. This toaster oven is slightly smaller than a full-size toaster oven, but can still accommodate up to 3 pounds of chicken wings or six pieces of toast.
Best for Quick, High-Protein Cooking
Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1
$139.99 at Walmart
$304.28Now 54% Off
Instant Pots are known for their multiple functions and speed. The Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 is a great choice for preparing high-protein meals on a tight schedule, including roasts, whole chickens, chilis, and stews. This small appliance has nine settings, so you can cook veggies, make your own yogurt, and even bake a cake.
Best for Adding Herbs and Garnish
Herb Scissors and Herb Stripping Tool
$7.49 at Amazon
If you’re worried “healthy” meals are boring, try adding a pinch of fresh herbs to boost the flavor — and this tool will help you save time on stripping or cutting leaves too. These user-friendly five-blade herb scissors can help you make several even and uniform cuts all at once. It also comes with a handy herb stripper so you can add some extra taste without all the stems.
Best for No-Fuss Homemade Bread
Cuisinart Bread Maker
$169.95 at Amazon
Sure, baking bread is a big step for someone who hates cooking, but a bread maker streamlines the process and cuts back on mess. The Cuisinart Bread Maker has a removable paddle, allowing you to mix the dough in the maker, as well as 12 preprogrammed menu options to guide you through the process of baking your favorite breads from start to finish.
Best for a Big Weekend Breakfast
Cuisinart Flip Belgian Waffle Maker
$74.95 at Amazon
Weekend mornings shine with Belgian waffles topped with fresh fruit and pure maple syrup, and nothing is better than waffles right off the iron. The Cuisinart Flip Belgian Waffle Maker cooks waffles evenly on both sides to your desired crispness. This small appliance is easy to use and easy to clean, and the result is a restaurant-quality waffle.
Best for Smoothie Lovers on a Budget
Ninja Blender Generation 1
$94.74 at Walmart
$89Now -6% Off
For a healthy diet that will support your immune system and reduce the risk of chronic disease, experts suggest aiming for 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit and 2 to 3 cups of veggies each day. Since a smoothie can be packed with fresh and frozen fruits, along with veggies like greens, zucchinis, and cucumbers, an affordable blender can be a game changer for anyone trying to prepare more nutritious meals at home.
Best for Smoothies for One
Nutribullet Personal Blender
$47.49 at Amazon
$71.99Now 34% Off
We love the Nutribullet Personal Blender for individual servings of nutrient-dense smoothies, and it would be a great gift for your always-on-the-go loved one who wants to eat out less or eat healthier at home. Our research found this blender has a lot of power, despite its small size, resulting in a smooth blend of frozen fruits.
Best for the Daily Smoothie Maker
KitchenAid K150 3-Speed Ice Crushing Blender
$199.99 at Amazon
Fruit and veggie lovers who make smoothies every day will appreciate having a high-powered blender that can quickly handle frozen foods and ice. The KitchenAid K150 is the best blender for someone who is willing to splurge on a higher-priced option; it’s quiet, simple to use, has three speed settings, and efficiently blends a wide variety of foods.
Best for Fruit and Veggie Juicing
Breville Juice Fountain Plus
$179.95 at Amazon
It’s no exaggeration to call this the Cadillac of juicers. The Breville Juice Fountain Plus comes with all the bells and whistles. The wide chute paired with a powerful extraction system can handle whole fruits and veggies, with no need to chop them in advance. It easily disassembles, and many of the removable parts are dishwasher safe, so the hardest part of juicing — the cleanup — is no big deal.
Best for Frozen Yogurt and Sorbet
Ninja Creami Deluxe
$219.95 at Amazon
$249.99Now 12% Off
Healthy lifestyle changes are more likely to stick for the long term if you plan your meals and snacks ahead of time, and avoid making certain foods (and your favorite treats) completely off-limits. With that in mind, we suggest making frozen yogurt and sorbet a regular part of your healthy eating plan this year. The Ninja Creami Deluxe turns your favorite nuts, fruits, and add-ins into a delicious frozen treat that’s packed with nutrition, too.
Best for More Home-Cooked Meals
Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook and Carry
$89.99 at Amazon
$94.99Now 5% Off
People who cook at home more than five times a week are less likely to be overweight. But busy work schedules and after-school activities can make it difficult to prepare healthy family meals during the week. The Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook and Carry is a great tool for anyone who wants to eat at home more often, because you can prep meals ahead of time and program the slow cooker to cook for a set amount of time. Dinner will be ready exactly when you need it to be.
Best for Chopping Fresh Ingredients
Cuisinart 15-Piece Knife Set with Block
$90.99 at Amazon
$129.95Now 30% Off
If you’re going to start cooking more from home, you will want to make sure you’re cooking with fresh, flavorful ingredients and a good knife set will help you slice and dice your ingredients just right. That’s why we recommend this 15-piece knife set from Cuisinart. With 15 knives included, it will set you up with the right knife for each ingredient you need.
Best for Quick Meals
EuChoiz Microwave Collapsible Steamer
$24.69 at Amazon
$25.99Now 5% Off
If you’re someone who doesn’t eat at home much because you just can’t find the time, this steamer can help. Steamed veggies are a great choice for a quick meal, and this microwave steamer can help you save on time. Plus, it’s collapsible for easy storage, comes with its own lid and bowl.
Best for Hot Lunches On the Go
Crock-Pot Electric Lunch Box
$29.99 at Amazon
$39.99Now 25% Off
Packing lunch instead of grabbing food out is a great way to save money and take control of your diet, but it's easy to get bored with cold sandwiches day after day. The Crock-Pot Electric Box is a small, portable electric cooking pot for taking soups, rice bowls, and pasta on-the-go, and we think it just might be the cutest gift on this list. We love this heated lunch box because it’s spill-proof and dishwasher-safe and can hold up to 20 ounces of food.
Best Rice Cooker
Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker
Rice cookers are the unsung heroes of the kitchen, tackling so much more than delicious, fluffy rice. The Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker can also be used to prep one-dish rice meals, brown mixed rice bowls, and cook oatmeal and porridge. Because it has a removable nonstick inner cooking pan and inner lid, it’s easy to clean after cooking.
Best for Meal Prep in Small Spaces
Chaceef Mini Rice Cooker
$35.99 at Walmart
Rice isn’t just a delicious carbohydrate to pair with protein and veggies — it's also a whole grain and a great source of fiber, vitamins B1 and B6, magnesium, and phosphorus. This mini rice cooker is a great option if you’re short on space or looking for a budget-friendly gift for a friend who is learning to cook. Like many rice cookers, it’s multifunctional and can be used to cook rice, oatmeal, soups, and even cakes.
Best for Coffee Drinkers
Breville BES870XL Espresso Machine
$549.95 at Amazon
$699.95Now 21% Off
A hot latte from the comfort of your home is a delicious indulgence, and the Breville Espresso Machine is a luxurious gift for the coffee lover in your life. This espresso machine is well-loved for its precision; it’s designed to control pressure and temperature to deliver an espresso shot that tastes like it was pulled by an expert barista.
Best Coffee Grinder
Oxo Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
$109.95 at Amazon
Your favorite at-home barista will love the grind provided by Oxo Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder. This grinder has multiple settings that provide the right grind based on how you will be brewing your coffee. For example, it'll grind beans finely for espresso or coarsely for a French press.
Best for Bakers
KitchenAid Classic Series
$399.95 at Amazon
It’s hard to hate cooking and baking when you have a KitchenAid Stand Mixer at your disposal. This classic kitchen appliance is perfect for baking cookies, breads, and cakes, but can be paired with add-ons, like a pasta-maker and veggie spiralizer. The Classic KitchenAid has a tilt-back head so you can easily add ingredients while keeping the bowl attached.
Best Stovetop Pan
For Always Pan
$129 at Amazon
Even though most of the gifts on this list are small appliances, we added the For Always Pan because its 10-in-1 functionality has us feeling like it deserves a spot on this roundup. As a ceramic nonstick pan, the For Always Pan can be used to boil, sear, steam, fry, and more. It’s also easy to clean and durable, so it’s great for everyday use.
Best for Meal Prepping
Cuisinart Food Processor
$250.64 at Amazon
$319.95Now 22% Off
Sometimes it's the prep work that makes cooking feel like such a chore. If you or your loved one find that chopping, dicing, or grating bores you to tears, a food processor is a great way to streamline the process. We love the Cuisinart Food Processor for its numerous settings, giving the chef control over whether a veggie is diced or sliced, shredded or pureed.
Best Processor for Small Spaces
KitchenAid 3.5-Cup Food Chopper
$69.95 at Amazon
Smaller households don’t need a 14-cup food processor like the one above, but can still benefit from the convenience of a quick chop, dice, and puree. The KitchenAid 3.5-Cup Food Chopper may be small, but has enough power for veggies and fruits of all kinds. Because of its small size, you can easily tuck it away in a cabinet when not in use.
Best Ice Maker
Countertop Ice Maker
$69.99 at Amazon
$89.99Now 22% Off
Stay hydrated with an ice-cold water and tea with a countertop ice maker. We love this option because it’s compact and portable, so you can put it away when you need more space, or bring along for camping if you’ll have access to a power source. Each day, this ice maker can make up to 26 pounds of ice and has the capacity to store 1.3 pounds at a time.
Best Popcorn Maker
Orville Redenbacher's Hot Air Popper
$39.99 at Amazon
Popcorn isn’t just a favorite late-night snack — it can also be low-calorie and free from saturated fats. You don’t need butter or oil to pop popcorn in this air popper, and you can add some flavor with a little salt or popcorn flavor blends. The Orville Redenbacher’s Hot Air Popper consistently provides popcorn that is popped just right.
Why Trust Everyday Health
We independently investigate and recommend products and services we believe will enrich the lives of our readers and meet their specific needs. You can trust our reviews because we do the legwork for you. Read more about why you can trust us.
Mary Sauer
Author
Mary Sauer is a freelance health and parenting writer whose work often covers mental health (especially maternal mental health), grief, and caregiving. Her work has been published by the Washington Post, Verywell Mind, Parents, Vice's Tonic, and ARC Poetry Magazine. She's also the managing editor of the upcoming Salt Tooth Press and an MFA student at University of Missouri, Kansas City.
Sauer is a mom of four and lives in Kansas City, Missouri. She enjoys hiking, trying new coffee shops, and shopping at used bookstores. At home, she spends her precious free time reading, rewatching Fleabag, and gardening.