18 thoughtful hostess gifts to bring to a party that'll score you another invite

Best host and hostess gifts
Best host and hostess gifts

— Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. Purchases you make through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. 

Whether it's your best friend's birthday party or a holiday brunch, as a party guest, you may want to bring the gracious host a little gift of appreciation. Here at Reviewed, we’ve curated the best hostess gifts, because you don’t want to forget about the wonderful people who are cooking your delicious holiday meal or inviting you to their epic party.

Make smart choices without hours of googling. Subscribe to The Checklist newsletter for expert product advice and recommendations.

From a seasonal candle to a cozy throw blanket to a s’mores maker, these are the best gift ideas for a hostess (or host) that will keep you on the guest list and also give you no excuse to show up empty handed!

1. Waterfall Coupe Glasses

Best host and hostess gifts: Waterfall Coupe Glasses
Best host and hostess gifts: Waterfall Coupe Glasses

The hostess with the mostess style will absolutely gush over this gorgeous set of four Waterfall Coupe Glasses. A coupe glass is an alternative to a flute (perfect for that midnight toast) and also creates a beautiful display for shaken or stirred cocktails. The sophisticated hand painted crystalline design of this set is simply stunning.

$72 at Anthropologie

2. S’mores Maker

Best host and hostess gifts: S’mores Maker
Best host and hostess gifts: S’mores Maker

I once hosted a holiday party where three out of five families brought a s’mores maker for the gift exchange! It’s a popular hostess gift because it’s unique, fun and of course, makes delicious s’mores—with no campfire required! This S’mores Maker from Williams Sonoma features a ceramic tray, four roasting sticks, a grill top and a roasting chimney to make perfectly toasted s’mores.

$50 at Williams Sonoma

3. Boarderie Arte Cheese & Charcuterie Board

Best hostess gifts: Boarderie
Best hostess gifts: Boarderie

Any party will be popping right away with this robust Boarderie charcuterie board that arrives fully arranged and ready to serve, no shopping or prepping required! The reusable wood board arrives chilled and includes 35 hand-selected artisan cheeses, meats, dried fruits, nuts, crackers, jams and more. The host will be so grateful that you've saved them precious party prep time and no guests are waiting around to be served.

From $129 at Boarderie

4. Cocktail drink bombs

Best host and hostess gifts: Cocktail drink bombs.
Best host and hostess gifts: Cocktail drink bombs.

Help the party host serve up more drinks in a hurry with a variety pack of Cocktail Drink Bombs. Each bomb contains all the ingredients needed to mix a variety of beverages with flavors like margarita, mojito and peach bellini. Drop one into sparkling water for a refreshing mocktail or add alcohol for a yummy cocktail.

$30 at Uncommon Goods

5. Green Chef

Best host and hostess gifts: Green Chef
Best host and hostess gifts: Green Chef

For the host who needs a break after putting so much time and energy into making their delicious meal for you, a Green Chef gift card will be greatly appreciated. They’ll be able to choose from a variety of healthy and organic meal kits to be delivered to their door. Dietary restrictions pose no problems as keto, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options are available.

From $50 at Green Chef

6. Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve

Best hostess gifts: Kiehl's hand salve
Best hostess gifts: Kiehl's hand salve

This is for the one who deserves to be pampered after cleaning up after their guests, or has dry hands after doing all those dishes. Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is the best hand cream we’ve ever tested, offering a creamy texture and moisturizing finish, so their hands feel soft and hydrated.

$22 at Nordstrom Rack

7. Anthropologie Capri Blue candles

Best host and hostess gifts: Capri Blue candles
Best host and hostess gifts: Capri Blue candles

Not all scented candles are created equal. As someone who regularly pops into Anthropologie just to sniff their candles, I can vouch for Anthropologies’s signature Volcano scent. The fragrance is fresh and fruity and oh so inviting.

Shop Capri Blue Candles at Anthropologie

8. Saje Aroma Om Essential Oil Diffuser

Best hostess gifts: Saje Aroma Om Diffuser
Best hostess gifts: Saje Aroma Om Diffuser

The Saje Aroma Om is the best essential oil diffuser we tested, thanks to it's beautiful design and high-quality materials. Just add a few drops of their favorite Saje diffuser blend for a hostess gift they'll absolutely love.

$98 at Saje

9. ChefSofi Round Cheese Board set

Best host and hostess gifts: ChefSofi Round Cheese Board set
Best host and hostess gifts: ChefSofi Round Cheese Board set

The best parties start with the best bites. The ChefSofi Round Cheese Board is one of our favorite charcuterie boards and one the host or hostess will be happy to use for their spreads at any of their fabulous parties. Made of acacia wood, the set comes complete with four removable ceramic bowls and four knives that can be stored in their own compartment for ultimate convenience.

$50 at Amazon

10. Brass Measuring Cups

Best hostess gifts: brass measuring cups
Best hostess gifts: brass measuring cups

These Simple Brass Measuring Cups from Food52 will make a beautiful addition to your host's collection of baking accessories. Their minimalist, sculptural design with simple curves will look good in anyone's kitchen plus they're dishwasher safe. If you feel so inclined to add to this gift, there's also matching measuring spoons.

$48 at Food52

11. Magnolia Bakery desserts

Best host and hostess gifts: Magnolia Bakery desserts
Best host and hostess gifts: Magnolia Bakery desserts

Bring a mouth watering dessert and you’re guaranteed to stay on the party guest list. The famous Magnolia Bakery now ships nationwide, making it easier than ever to gift their incomparable banana pudding, or any number of their mouth watering cookies, cakes and desserts.

Shop desserts at Magnolia Bakery

12. Nordstrom throw blanket

Best host and hostess gifts: throw blanket.
Best host and hostess gifts: throw blanket.

A throw blanket is a practical gift that’s perfect all year round.  One fantastic gift option is the Bliss Plush Throw that feels super soft and a great value at under $30. If you’re feeling generous or being hosted for an extended amount of time, the CozyChic Throw Blanket by Barefoot Dreams lives up to its name as it is extra cozy and incredibly chic.

$29 at Nordstrom

$147 at Nordstrom

13. Netany drinking glasses with bamboo lids and glass straws

Best host and hostess gifts: Bamboo Glasses
Best host and hostess gifts: Bamboo Glasses

Is it just me, or does drinking out of a nice glass make whatever is in it taste better? These best selling Netany drinking glasses I found at Amazon have become a favorite within my household. My kids request their after school smoothies in them, and I have given myself a major upgrade from the plastic cup I used to drink my water out of every day. The set comes with eight can shaped glasses, eight bamboo lids, eight reusable glass straws and two cleaning brushes.

$29 at Amazon

14. Momofuku Dave’s Faves Pack

Best host and hostess gifts: Daves’ Faves Pack
Best host and hostess gifts: Daves’ Faves Pack

Edible gifts are always appreciated by hosts, after all, they put a lot of time, money and effort into feeding you, so why not return the favor with something flavorful? Momofuku is a culinary brand founded by Michelin star chef David Chang and now anyone can feel like they’re in one of his five-star restaurants with the Dave’s Faves Pack of pantry staples that include his famous noodles, chili crunch, Tamari and spicy seasoned salt.

$45 at Momofuku

15. A bottle of bubbly: Champagne or Prosecco

Best hostess gifts: champagne
Best hostess gifts: champagne

Champagne is always a good idea. Some tried and true bestselling bubbly gifting options include Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label Champagne, La Marca Prosecco, or for a splurge-worthy option you can't go wrong with a classic bottle of Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne. For a lighter bubbly beverage that's lighter in calories and lower in alcohol than your average glass of sparkling wine, try Libby’s Bubble Pack.

Shop champagne and sparkling wines at Drizly

16. Sweet Laurel Cake Kit

Best hostess gifts: Sweet Laurel Cake Kit
Best hostess gifts: Sweet Laurel Cake Kit

For the hostess who loves to bake, this beautifully packaged Sweet Laurel Cake Kit will make the sweetest gift. This isn't your basic store bought cake mix, though, because it features better-for-you ingredients like one box of gluten free, refined sugar free chocolate cake mix, vegan caramel topping and paleo, organic vanilla extract.

$55 at Sweet Laurel

17. Platterful Charcuterie Kit

Best host and hostess gifts: Platterful Charcuterie Kit.
Best host and hostess gifts: Platterful Charcuterie Kit.

Don’t hesitate to gift your hostess something cheesy with a Charcuterie Kit from Platterful. This all-in-one kit includes all the ingredients like meats, cheeses, crackers and spreads needed to build a delicious and gorgeous charcuterie board in a fraction of the time. An instruction sheet and even a video tutorial is available to help the host build an insta-worthy board. The best part? For each box sold, 10 meals are donated to feed hungry children across America.

From $99 at Platterful

18. Flowers, chocolate and wine

Best hostess gifts: Flowers, chocolate and wine
Best hostess gifts: Flowers, chocolate and wine

When in doubt, you can always grab a fresh bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolate truffles or for the wine lover, a bottle of wine or two from Wine.com. For an inexpensive wine that tastes as good as the bottle looks, try the newly released Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau or Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau Rosé. Any host or hostess will appreciate your contribution to keeping their wine rack stocked!

Shop wine at Wine.com

Back to top

More gift guides you'll love

The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews and more.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

This article originally appeared on Reviewed: Best hostess gift ideas