Looking for mason jar gift ideas that actually get used? A jar turns almost anything into a present. Fill one with cocoa mix, a sugar scrub, a sewing kit or a handful of chocolates, add a tag, and you've got a gift that looks like you thought about it for weeks. These are cheap to make, quick to put together and endlessly easy to personalize, which is exactly what you want in December when the list keeps getting longer. We rounded up 53 of them, from edible mixes and spa jars to painted jars and mason jar crafts you can hang on the tree. Perfect for neighbors, teachers, coworkers and anyone who gets a last minute add to your list!
1. Hot Cocoa Mason Jar Gift
Layer cocoa mix into a jar, add a silver doily and a few die cut snowflakes, and the whole thing reads like something from a boutique. Crystal at A Pumpkin and a Princess built hers as a last minute neighbor or teacher gift, which is exactly when you need one ready to go. The marshmallows do most of the decorating for you. The jar keeps working long after the cocoa is gone. Swing by A Pumpkin and a Princess for the full tutorial and more of her handmade holiday ideas.
2. Snow Globe Gift Card Holder
Gift cards feel a lot less like an afterthought once they are sitting inside a snow globe. There is no water in this one, just mini styrofoam balls, glitter and a bottle brush tree, so nothing leaks and nothing has to be sealed. Old jam, pickle and pasta sauce jars are the point here, which makes it free. Use a bendy cardboard gift card if your jars are on the small side. The written steps and the video tutorial are both on our post.
3. Christmas Cookie Mix in a Jar
Dry ingredients go in the jar in tidy stripes and the person who opens it only has to add butter and eggs. Crazy Little Projects gives you two cookie mixes on the one page plus free printable tags with the baking instructions, so nobody has to go hunting for them later. Pressing each layer down firmly is what keeps the stripes sharp. It is one of those mason jar gift ideas that never gets regifted. Pop over to Crazy Little Projects for the full recipe and both tag printables.
4. S'mores Mason Jar Gifts
Golden Grahams, holiday M&Ms and mini marshmallows get tossed together and poured straight into a jar, and that is genuinely the whole recipe. Kimberly at A Night Owl Blog made hers for her kids' teachers and uses the mason jars with handles so the jar becomes a mug afterward. Bakers twine and a printable tag finish it in about a minute. Nobody has ever turned down snack mix. Head to A Night Owl Blog for the recipe and the free printable tags.
5. Santa Chocolate Jar
One Santa hat, one mason jar and a handful of chocolates is the entire supply list, which is why this one gets made here every December. The hat is trimmed down to the width of the lid and glued back together, then black ribbon and a gold foam buckle turn the glass into Santa's belly. Nothing gets sewn, so it comes together in an afternoon with kids helping. Fill it with cocoa mix if candy isn't their thing. Our step by step tutorial has the measuring trick and a video.
6. Grinch Fudge in a Jar
Spoon fudge is a very soft white chocolate fudge poured into little jars and eaten with a spoon, which is a much better idea than it has any right to be. Lisa at Cooking With Curls tinted hers Grinch green and used 1.5 ounce mini glass jars, though any size works. Evaporated milk is the base and it matters, sweetened condensed will not behave. Single serving desserts make lovely stocking fillers. Get the full recipe and her color notes over at Cooking With Curls.
7. Herb Garden Kit in a Jar
Anyone who cooks or keeps plants alive will use this one, which cannot be said for most handmade gifts. Angie at The Country Chic Cottage packs a jar with everything needed to start a miniature herb garden on a windowsill, so the present keeps giving for months. It is a welcome thing to receive in January when nothing is growing outside. Pretty on a kitchen counter too. The full tutorial and her supply list are waiting at The Country Chic Cottage.
8. Beeswax Poinsettia Candles
Red and green beeswax sheets get cut with a flower cookie cutter and pressed onto the top of a soy mason jar candle, and that is the whole trick. Garden Therapy points out that the beeswax gives off a honey scent as it melts, so the candle smells like two things at once. Make the jar candles from scratch or buy them and add the flower, both work. Leave the jar about three quarters full so the bloom sits flat. Garden Therapy walks through the whole tutorial.
9. Homemade Brownie Mix
Skipping the box mix is the whole point, and Dorothy at Crazy for Crust works out four different pan sizes from the one base recipe so you are not stuck guessing. Jar it up, tie on the baking directions and you have a gift that gets used the same week. Keep a batch in your own pantry while you are at it. Brownies are the safest bet for a recipient you do not know well. The full recipe and all four sizes are at Crazy for Crust.
10. Office Survival Kit Mason Jar Gift
Mini office supplies packed into a mason jar is a funny gift that people actually keep on their desk. Ellen at Bellewood Cottage fills hers with tiny stationery and works in an appearance from Jim and Pam, which tells you the tone. It is a good answer for a coworker swap or a new job, and you can build it for very little. Everything visible through the glass is part of the joke. Bellewood Cottage has the full tutorial and the packing list.
11. Goat Milk Bath Tea
Epsom salt, lavender buds, colloidal oatmeal and powdered goat milk go into large sealable tea bags so nothing ends up floating in the tub. Soap Queen mixes the essential oils into the salts first, which is the step people skip and regret. A bail jar full of the little sachets looks expensive and is not. This one suits anyone who finds bath bombs too much. Soap Queen has the measurements and the full tutorial.
12. Sweet and Salty Pretzels in a Jar
Sweet and salty is the flavor combination nobody turns down, and packaging it in a jar makes it look deliberate rather than leftover. Amanda at Amanda's Cookin' put hers together specifically as a gift for neighbors, teachers and coworkers, so the quantities already suit that. Pretzels keep their crunch better than most homemade treats, which matters if the jar sits for a few days. Good for a cookie exchange table too. The full recipe is waiting at Amanda's Cookin' with her other jar gifts.
13. Illuminated Snow Scene in a Jar
Little winter scene inside the glass, light behind it, and suddenly a plain jar is the nicest thing on the shelf. Sara at Bitz & Giggles built hers out of a childhood love of snow globes and lit it so it glows after dark. Because it is lit rather than filled with water, it travels well and there is nothing to leak. It reads as decor, so it stays out all season. Bitz & Giggles walks you through the build step by step.
14. Homemade Spice Mix Gifts
Five spice mix recipes, hinged lid jars, sticker labels and wooden tags is a whole gifting afternoon sorted. Club Crafted makes hers in bulk specifically for the hard to shop for people, which is a category most of us have. Anyone who cooks will use a good rub or blend, and it is a lot cheaper per jar than a bought spice set. A whole matching set makes a generous present. Club Crafted has all five recipes and the label how to.
15. Mason Jar Beginner Sewing Kit
The lid becomes a pincushion, which is the detail that makes this one stick in your head. A circle of cardboard cut slightly smaller than the lid, a scrap of fabric and a little fiberfill sit inside the painted ring, then the jar underneath holds the actual supplies. Smashed Peas and Carrots made hers for a neighbor learning to sew, and it suits a college bound kid just as well. Square pint jars look best. Smashed Peas and Carrots lays out every step.
16. Christmas Morning Muffins in a Jar
Breakfast is the gift here, which is a nicer thought than another tin of cookies. A Wonderful Thought layered a muffin mix into a jar so somebody can wake up on Christmas morning and bake without measuring a thing. Make a second one for your own kitchen while the ingredients are out. It is a good choice for a family rather than one person. A Wonderful Thought has the full recipe and the layering order.
17. Coffee and Vanilla Candles
Coffee beans and vanilla pods fill the jar, a candle sits in the middle, and the heat pushes the scent into the room without a drop of fragrance oil. Michelle at A Crafty Mix warns to use a candle that burns down the center rather than dripping, because she learned that one the hard way. Ribbon and a cinnamon stick finish it. This is a genuinely good housewarming gift. Pop over to A Crafty Mix for the full tutorial and more of her rustic ideas.
18. Citrus Sugar Scrub
Three ingredients, and one of them is a piece of fruit off your counter. Alice and Lois makes this with organic coconut oil, sugar and orange zest, and that zest is what lifts it out of plain sugar scrub territory. It suits skin that has been through a long winter, so it lands well as a late season gift. A small jar with a ribbon looks like something from a shop. Alice and Lois has the full recipe.
19. Mason Jar Snowman
A clear ornament glued to the mouth of a jar becomes the snowman's head, both filled about a quarter with fake snow. Amy at Canary Street Crafts paints the face on by hand and says a wet rag takes it off if the first try goes sideways, which is reassuring. Her carrot nose came out crooked and she kept it, which is the right instinct. Glue a small disc over the ornament hole so the snow stays put. Canary Street Crafts has every step photographed.
20. Homemade Bath Salts
Epsom salt, sea salt or Himalayan salt and a little baking soda is the base, and everything after that is your choice of scent and color. Bren Did explains why the mineral salts matter rather than just handing over a ratio, so you can build your own blend instead of copying one. Jars of these look expensive on a shelf and cost pennies. Good for anyone who says they never relax. Bren Did has the full recipe and the customizing notes.
21. Spiced Nuts
Crunchy, sweet and properly spiced is exactly what you want in a jar on a snack table, and these keep well enough to gift. A Couple Cooks built this one as a party appetizer, so it scales up without any fuss when you need six jars instead of one. Nuts suit the people who do not want another sugary present. A kraft label and twine is all the dressing it needs. Grab the full recipe from A Couple Cooks and browse their other party snacks.
22. Christmas Apothecary Jars
These are not real apothecary jars at all, they are dollar store glass and recycled bits glued together, and DIY Candy says so up front. Filled with holiday candy they work as a table decoration and a help yourself treat at the same time. There is a lot of painting, so patience during drying time is the only skill required. They look far more expensive than the supply list suggests. DIY Candy has the full tutorial and a video.
23. Coconut Lime Body Scrub
Coconut and lime together smell like a holiday, which is half the reason to make this in January. Lori, writing for Kenarry, uses all natural ingredients that exfoliate and hydrate at once, and poured hers into a self locking mason jar so it seals properly. Pair it with a homemade bath treat and you have a whole pampering gift for very little. Once or twice a week is plenty. Kenarry has the full recipe and the ingredient notes.
24. Mercury Glass Mini Mason Jar Ornament
Mirror effect spray paint goes on the inside of a four ounce jar, then a vinegar and water spray and a homemade dabber break it up into that aged mercury glass look. Misty at Back Porch Bliss makes the dabber out of a straw, a rubber band and a scrap of old t shirt, which is very much the spirit of the thing. A battery votive inside finishes it. Cover the outside with paper first. Back Porch Bliss shows exactly how the dabber works.
25. Sweet BBQ Rub
Brown sugar, New Mexico chili powder and smoked paprika carry this one, and Donna at The Slow Roasted Italian says light brown sugar rather than dark so the molasses does not take over. The whole batch goes into an airtight 32 ounce mason jar and stores in a cool dark cupboard, which makes it an obvious gift for anyone with a grill or a smoker. It works on ribs, chicken and pork. The Slow Roasted Italian has the measurements and her storage notes.
26. Snowman Gnome Mason Jars
Gnomes are still everywhere and this version hands one a jar to sit in, painted white with a faux fur beard and a paper hat. Crafting Cheerfully includes a free PDF pattern and an SVG cut file, so you can trace by hand or run it through a cutting machine. Fill the jar with candy and it joins the mason jar gift ideas that suit absolutely anyone. Faux fur is what sells the whole look. Crafting Cheerfully has the full tutorial and both files.
27. Beeswax Candles
Beeswax pellets and a little coconut oil melted in a big jar set inside a pot of water, poured into four ounce glass jars with cotton wicks. Laura at A Beautiful Mess went this route wanting natural products at home, and notes the finished candles smell of honey with nothing added. No fragrance oil means nothing to react to, which matters for sensitive people. Small jars make a set of gifts out of one batch. Head to A Beautiful Mess for the pouring notes and the full tutorial.
28. Stove Top Simmer Scents in a Jar
Instead of a candle, this one is a jar of the things you drop into a pot of water on the stove to make a whole house smell like the holidays. Dream a Little Bigger packaged hers as a gift, which is a clever answer for people who cannot have open flames or strong fragrance. It reads as generous and costs very little. Add the simmering instructions on the tag or nobody will know what to do with it. Dream a Little Bigger explains exactly what goes in.
29. Homemade Chai Tea Mix
Pantry mixes are underrated as gifts because they get used up rather than shoved in a cupboard. Creative Homemaking measures out a chai blend you can jar and keep, so a hot drink is a scoop and some hot water away. Tea drinkers are easy to forget when everyone else is handing out coffee. A jar of this beside a mug makes a complete little present. Creative Homemaking has the full recipe and the storage notes.
30. Dollar Store Candy Jar
Labeling a candy jar emotional support candy is the sort of joke that earns a real laugh, and Aubree at Aubree Originals built hers from a Dollar Tree glass jar and a bit of vinyl. Hers lives on her craft desk and gets refilled constantly, which she admits freely. It suits a friend, a neighbor, a teacher or anyone having a week. The whole thing costs a couple of dollars. Aubree Originals has the full tutorial and the cut file notes.
31. Mason Jar Bird Feeder
Not all gifts in a jar are edible, and a bird feeder is a lovely thing to hand somebody who already has enough candles. Crafts by Amanda designed hers as a quick garden project that looks good hanging in a yard, and says outright it makes a fine gift. Fill it before you wrap it so the recipient does not have to. Good for grandparents and anyone with a window worth sitting at. Crafts by Amanda has the build and her other garden crafts.
32. Hershey's Kisses Gift Jar
Part homemade, part shop bought, and honestly that is the right call in the last week before Christmas. iSaveA2Z fills a jar with Hershey's Kisses and dresses it up, so the effort goes into presentation rather than baking you do not have time for. It looks good sitting under a tree, which not every handmade gift does. Cheap enough to make a batch for a whole office. iSaveA2Z has the full tutorial and the tag idea.
33. Fabric Mason Jar Covers
Every jar on this list looks better with one of these on the lid, which is why it earns its own spot. Julie at Dogwoods and Dandelions gives the exact fabric size to cut and how to attach it, and her covers fit over both the lid and ring or over a plastic lid if nothing is canned. It is the finishing touch that turns a jar into a present. Scraps are all you need. Dogwoods and Dandelions has the cutting and tying steps.
34. Chocolate and Notes Gift Jar
Chocolate in a jar is nice, chocolate in a jar with a written note tucked in with every piece is something else entirely. Kara at Creations by Kara built hers for Mother's Day with free printable notes, though it works for a birthday, a thank you or a friend having a hard month. The notes take longer than the chocolate and they are the part that gets kept. Creations by Kara has the full tutorial and the printables.
35. Buffalo Plaid Mason Jar
Buffalo plaid painted freehand with no tape at all, which sounds impossible until you see the brush order. Do Dodson Designs used a wide mouth decorative canister for the size, and points out it doubles as real storage rather than sitting empty. If you are a perfectionist this one may test you, and that is her warning not mine. The pattern works on plenty of other surfaces too. Do Dodson Designs has the brush order and the full tutorial.
36. Salted Dark Chocolate Almond Butter
Homemade nut butter in a jar is a gift people are quietly thrilled to get, because nobody buys the good stuff for themselves. Ambitious Kitchen makes this one with dark chocolate and salt, and calls it wonderful on just about anything, which is fair. It suits the healthy eater on your list who does not want a tin of fudge. Keep it refrigerated and say so on the label. Grab the full recipe from Ambitious Kitchen and see her other nut butters.
37. Teacher Appreciation Apple Jar
A mason jar dressed as an apple hits the teacher gift brief without being another mug. Delineate Your Dwelling made hers for the end of a preschool year and fills it with treats or a gift card, so it works at the start of term or the end. Teachers get a lot of handmade things, and this one is at least reusable. Quick enough to make a set for a whole team. Delineate Your Dwelling has the painting steps end to end.
38. Mason Jar Glue Stick Dispenser
Give a crafter glue sticks and you will never be forgotten, and putting them in a pint mason jar turns a boring restock into an actual present. Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous says she goes through glue sticks faster than candy in her craft room, which will sound familiar to anyone with a hot glue habit. The whole thing takes minutes. It is the gift that gets used up and remembered. Craftaholics Anonymous has the supply list and every step.
39. Slow Cooker Potpourri in a Jar
Fruit, spices and a splash of water go in the slow cooker and the house smells like Christmas for hours. Elizabeth at Frugal Mom Eh packages the dry mix in a jar with a free printable tag that carries the instructions, which is the bit that makes it giftable. Hostess gifts are hard, and gifts in a jar like this one are genuinely welcome. Frugal Mom Eh has the full recipe and the printable.
40. Flower and Pearl Treat Jar
Tiny faux flowers and flat backed pearls get hot glued in a cascade down the outside of a canning jar, then the lid gets a paper circle and a sticker message. Tanya at Dans le Lakehouse suggests wallpaper samples or old cards for the lid, which is the kind of tip that saves a trip out. Check the lid still screws on as you glue, because it will not once the flowers creep up. Dans le Lakehouse has the full tutorial and a video.
41. Dill Pickle Chex Mix
Dill pickle anything has a devoted following, and this snack mix gets its flavor from actual pickle juice plus dried dill rather than a seasoning packet. Averie Cooks calls it her favorite chex mix, and it comes together in about five minutes. Jar it up for the person on your list who is bored of sweet gifts. Savory presents stand out on a table full of cookies. Averie Cooks has the full recipe.
42. Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
Store bought taco seasoning is mostly filler, and mixing your own takes about as long as opening the packet. Elaine at Flavour and Savour puts the blend together to skip the additives and keep a jar in the pantry for quick weeknight meals. It is a practical gift for a student, a new cook or anyone who eats tacos on a Tuesday. A small jar and a hand written label does it. Flavour and Savour has the full recipe and the ratios.
43. Mason Lid Ornament Tree Wreath
Mason jar lids and rings, wired into a tree shape and hung with ornaments, is a front door piece nobody else on the street will have. Donna at Funky Junk Interiors wanted something that did not look like every other wreath, and landed somewhere between industrial and salvaged junk. It uses the rings that pile up when you only ever need the flat lids. Sturdy enough to live outside. Funky Junk Interiors has the wiring and assembly steps.
44. Everlasting Dandelion Wish Jar
Sealing a dandelion seed head inside a jar so the wish never blows away is the kind of gift that gets a real reaction. Autumn at It's Always Autumn walks the whole thing through in detail, and the result sits on a shelf rather than getting eaten in a week. It suits a child, a graduate or anyone who needs a small piece of hope on a windowsill. Nothing here is expensive. Head to It's Always Autumn for the tutorial and her other easy crafts.
45. Layered Candy Cookie Mix Jar
Jamielyn at I Heart Naptime packs a quart jar with the dry half of her candy studded cookies, then ties on a printable tag so whoever gets it only has to add butter, egg and vanilla. Her two rules are a bone dry jar and a funnel, pressing every layer flat so the stripes stay sharp instead of sliding into each other. It sits in a pantry until they want warm cookies. Head to I Heart Naptime for the full tutorial and the free printable tags.
46. Friendship Soup Mix in a Jar
Everybody hands out sweets in December, which is exactly why this one lands. Susan at Oh My Creative layers bouillon, dried onion, wild and white rice, split peas, lentils and two shapes of pasta into a wide mouth quart jar, packing down between layers so the bands stay crisp. One jar feeds a dozen people and the pot is ready in under half an hour. She has a printable tag to tie on too. The full tutorial is on Oh My Creative.
47. Hot Fudge Sauce In A Jar
Five minutes on the stove and you have a jar of sauce nobody expects to be homemade. Sally uses chopped baking bars rather than chips, which is the whole reason hers turns out glossy and silky instead of grainy. It thickens to a gooey caramel consistency as it cools, keeps in the fridge and reheats in the microwave. Pair the jar with a carton of ice cream for a gift that gets opened the same night. Her full recipe is on the post.
48. Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub
Sugar, warm baking spices and a little vegetable oil, whisked until the lumps are gone and spooned into a clamp lid jar. Linda at Mason Jar Crafts Love makes hers because she loves how scrubs look in glass, and the spice blend smells like a pie without any of the work. It costs pennies, comes together in one bowl and suits anyone who is hard to shop for. Get her full tutorial over at Mason Jar Crafts Love.
49. Hand Poured Mason Jar Candles
Soy wax, a wick and whatever scent you like, which is genuinely the whole supply list. Debbie at One Little Project weighs roughly six ounces of wax for an eight ounce jar, sticks the wick dead center and uses a holder to keep it upright while everything sets. Thrifted and vintage jars work as well as new ones, so a set costs a fraction of a store bought candle. There is a video plus printable steps on One Little Project.
50. Peppermint Brownie Mix in a Jar
By the second week of December everyone is buried in cookies, so a mix they can bake later is the smarter gift. Cindy at Skip To My Lou layers sugar, cocoa, peppermint crunch chips, flour, salt and baking powder into a wide mouth quart jar, pressing each band down firmly so the whole thing reads like sand art. She prints her labels on sticker paper for a crisper finish. Grab the label file and the full tutorial at Skip To My Lou.
51. Waterless Snow Globe Jar
No water means nothing to seal, nothing to leak and nothing that clouds over by next December. Sarah at Sadie Seasongoods builds a tiny snowy scene on the inside of a vintage jar lid, sets bottle brush trees and fake snow in place, then screws the jar down over the top so it stands upside down as the dome. Old jars from the back of a cupboard are the point. See the whole build at Sadie Seasongoods.
52. Triple Chip Oatmeal Cookie Mix Jar
Erin at Well Plated builds hers on a plain oatmeal cookie base and then lets the chips and dried fruit change to suit whoever is getting it, so one recipe covers the whole list. Her rule is to keep the mix-ins to a single cup, because any more and you are filling a second jar, and to pick a base that only asks for butter and eggs at the other end. Layer, seal, tie on the printable recipe card. The full tutorial is at Well Plated.
53. Bourbon Sugar Scrub Jar for Men
Spa gifts almost always get aimed at kids and women, which is why Jessica at Mad in Crafts made this one for the whiskey drinkers instead. Sugar, sunflower oil and a few drops of bourbon flavored candy oil get stirred together and packed into a small quilted jar, then tied with buffalo check ribbon so it reads rugged rather than floral. Mix it in a bowl first and split it between two jars if you want the batch to go further. She filmed the whole thing at Mad in Crafts.
