13 DIY Valentine gifts to make at home

Yeah chocolates and flowers are nice… but if you really want to show some love this Valentine’s Day, a thoughtful homemade Valentine’s gift is sure to make them swoon.

Here’s some of our favourite homemade Valentine’s Day gifts for her, him, and all your friends.

Spending the day by yourself? Treat yourself to any of the below for deserved self care.

What are some good homemade gifts?

First, you need to think about what will make your Valentine smile. Do they have a notorious sweet tooth? Are they a sucker for a cute hand-written note?

We’ve come up with a list of handmade Valentine gifts with something everyone will love, whether it’s a self-care package, sweet treats or hand-crafted beauty products.

What should I make my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day DIY?

Homemade Valentine’s gifts for him are a sure-fire way to show you care.

Go for the sweet or savoury snack bundle detailed above, make them their favourite cake or choose the date night jar option and fill it with date ideas they will love – being thoughtful doesn’t cost a thing!

What should I get my friends for Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s day isn’t just for romantic soulmates, you can enjoy the day just the same with your best buds.

As well as spoiling them with the Valentine’s gifts for her above, you could also arrange a video call for all sorts of Galentine’s fun, like:

• A cocktail making class
• Baking or cooking together
• Crafting cute Valentine’s gifts (like the ones above)
• An escape room
• Watch rom-coms together with hot chocolates and treats

What can I make for Valentine's Day gifts?

To help you show some extra love, here’s 13 of the best DIY Valentines gifts you can craft up at home to make that special someone’s, or your very own, day.

Here are some cake recipes from us to get you started:

• Easy to make vegan carrot cake
• Vegan chocolate fudge decadence cake (as seen above)
• Vegan Cherry Bakewell cake
• Raspberry & vanilla cupcakes
• Vegan banana bread cake
• Caramel & chia seed cupcakes
• Mango, poppy seed and blueberry vegan cheesecake
• Vegan lemon curd meringue cupcakes
• Manuka honey and summer fruits cheesecake
• Vegan gingerbread cake

Summary

• Bake your valentine their favourite cake
• You can use them to make afternoon tea (below)

Keep it classic with scones and jam, traditional cakes and delicate finger sandwiches, or switch it up to tailor the afternoon tea to their tastes. For example, if they love chocolate, make it a chocolate theme or if you had an amazing holiday in Mexico last year – swap the cucumber sandwiches for (mini) tacos!

At least one pot of tea is a given, but bottle of bubbles probably wouldn’t go amiss either!

See some cake recipes in in the section above for some inspo.

Summary

• A homemade afternoon tea is sure to impress
• You can cater it to their tastes or dietary needs
• Add a bottle of bubbles to make it more luxurious

Simply buy a selection of their favourite sweets, chocolates, biscuits, etc and arrange them in a mason jar – just like in the old sweet shops!

Then decorate the jar with paint, glitter, ribbons, your favourite in-jokes- whatever you think will make them smile.

Here’s some of the snacks you could include:

Vegan sweet treats:

• Freedom Mallows Vegetarian Mini Pink & White Vanilla Marshmallows
• Free From Fellows Midget Gems
• Panda Liquorice Mix
• Rhubarb & Custard Sugar Free Sweets
• Gin Gins Chewy Ginger Candy
• Mallow Puffs Salted Caramel & Dark Choc Mallows
• Free From Fellows Gummy Bears
• Doisy & Dam Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Nuttercups
• Sula Cola Sugar Free Sweets
• Free From Fellows Cola Bottles
• Jealous Sweets Tangy Worms
• Candy Kittens Sour Watermelon
• Jealous Sweets Fizzy Friends
• Candy Kittens Eton Mess
• Free From Fellows Rhubarb & Custard
• Free From Fellows Pear Drops
• Dairy free Chocovered Raisins

Vegetarian sweet treats:

• Chocolate Coated Brazil Nuts
• Snack Yogurt Almonds
• Picklecoombe House Manuka Nuggets
• Holland & Barrett Juicy Jellybeans
• Joe & Sephs Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate Popcorn Bites

Summary

• Fill a mason jar with their favourite sweets
• Decorate to make this gift even sweeter

Summary

• Fill a pretty jar with date night ideas as a gift
• You can give one to your friends too for girls’ nights out

Just get yourself a wicker hamper, basket, or simply a cardboard box and fill it with some seriously tasty snacks you know they’ll love.

Ribbons, bows, and a cute handmade note will seal the deal and take your hamper to the next level. Pop a bottle of their favourite wine or drink in too, to make it extra special.

Here’s some mouth-watering snack inspo:

Vegan snacks

• Ten Acre Crisps The Story Of When The Cheese Met The Onion
• Eat Real Sea Salt Hummus Chips
• Crispy Corn
• Eat Real Chilli & Lemon Lentil Chips
• Eat Real Sea Salt Lentil Chips
• Sweet Chilli Soya & Chickpea Popped Bites
• Eat Real Dill Hummus Chips
• Garbanzo Dry Roasted Chickpeas Thai Sweet Chilli
• Seaweed Coated Peanuts
• Luxury Bombay Mix
• Eat Real Veggie Straws
• Seaweed Crisps – Salt & Vinegar
• Wasabi Peas
• Eat Real Sour Cream & Chives Quinoa Chips
• Chilli Coated Nuts
• Indie Bay Rock Salt Spelt Pretzel Bites
• Eat Real Jalapeño & Cheddar Quinoa Puffs
• Ape Vegan Cheese Puffs
• Other Foods Crunchy Oyster Mushrooms
• Boundless Activated Nuts & Seeds – Cayenne & Rosemary
• Habas Fritas
• Hippeas Sweet & Smokin Chickpea Puffs

Vegetarian snacks

• Honey Roasted Cashews
• Cheesies Cheddar Snack

Summary

• Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a hamper full of snacks
• Decorate the basket/box to make it special

We’ve put together a few examples to get your imagination flowing:

Vegan beauty bundle

UpCircle Daily Face Moisturiser + Vitaskin Vitamin C Cleansing Balm + Q+A Superfood Facial Oil

Good for your date + good for the animals = win, win this Valentine’s Day! Treat yourself or your vegan valentine to a beauty bundle full of cruelty-free and plant-based products.

Eco-friendly beauty bundle

Magnitone Cleansing Cloths + Ethique Solid Face Cream + So Eco Eye Kit

You wouldn’t want to give a load of single-use plastics to your eco-conscious valentine, and this goes for beauty products and cosmetics too. Impress them with this lovely clean and conscious beauty bundle.

Men’s skincare bundle

Ethique Shampoo & Shaving Bar + The Natural Deodorant Balm + Mancave Moisturiser

Looking for DIY Valentine’s gifts for him? Why not gift your Valentine with a skincare bundle they wouldn’t necessarily treat themselves too that will make them feel (and look!) great.

Summary

• Show you care with a personalised skin care bundle
• Use these pre-set bundles for some inspiration

Summary

• Make your own bath bombs for your Valentine
• Draw them a surprise bath with your bath bombs on the side

Summary

• Bring the spa to you with homemade face masks
• Add soothing music, candles and cucumber slices

Summary

• Perfect for adding to your handmade beauty hamper
• Enjoy together with friends or your partner

Summary

• Make a DIY body scrub with natural ingredients
• An easy and simple way to show you care

Simply find yourself a nice basket, hamper or even an old packaging box and decorate it with glitter, ribbons, bows, paint, stickers – whatever you think your Valentine would love – and fill it to the brim with some tasty vegan snacks.

Here are some of the best sweet and savoury vegan nibbles you can include:

Sweet snacks

• Love Raw Vegan Cre&m Filled Wafer Bars
• Nakd Blueberry Muffin
• Vego Organic Hazelnut Chocolate Bar
• Dandies Vegan Vanilla Marshmallows
• Deliciously Ella Double Chocolate Caramel Cups
• Raw Halo Vegan Mylk & Vanilla Raw Chocolate
• Biona Maple Syrup Waffles Organic
• Deliciously Ella Raspberry & Cashew Nut Butter Balls
• Karma Bites Popped Lotus Seeds Coconut & Vanilla
• London Apron Vegan Raspberry Meringues
• London Apron Vegan Vanilla Meringues
• Joe & Sephs Salted Caramel Popcorn
• Freedom Mallows Vegetarian Mini Pink & White Vanilla Marshmallows
• Free From Fellows Midget Gems
• Panda Liquorice Mix
• Rhubarb & Custard Sugar-Free Sweets
• Gin Gins Chewy Ginger Candy
• Mallow Puffs Salted Caramel & Dark Choc Mallows
• Free From Fellows Gummy Bears
• Doisy & Dam Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Nuttercups
• Sula Cola Sugar Free Sweets
• Free From Fellows Cola Bottles
• Jealous Sweets Tangy Worms
• Candy Kittens Sour Watermelon
• Jealous Sweets Fizzy Friends
• Candy Kittens Eton Mess
• Free From Fellows Rhubarb & Custard
• Free From Fellows Pear Drops
• Dairy free Chocovered Raisins

Savoury snacks

• Ten Acre Crisps The Story Of When The Cheese Met The Onion
• Eat Real Sea Salt Hummus Chips
• Crispy Corn
• Eat Real Chilli & Lemon Lentil Chips
• Eat Real Sea Salt Lentil Chips
• Sweet Chilli Soya & Chickpea Popped Bites
• Eat Real Dill Hummus Chips
• Garbanzo Dry Roasted Chickpeas Thai Sweet Chilli
• Seaweed Coated Peanuts
• Luxury Bombay Mix
• Eat Real Veggie Straws
• Seaweed Crisps – Salt & Vinegar
• Wasabi Peas
• Eat Real Sour Cream & Chives Quinoa Chips
• Chilli Coated Nuts
• Indie Bay Rock Salt Spelt Pretzel Bites
• Eat Real Jalapeño & Cheddar Quinoa Puffs
• Ape Vegan Cheese Puffs
• Other Foods Crunchy Oyster Mushrooms
• Boundless Activated Nuts & Seeds – Cayenne & Rosemary
• Habas Fritas
• Hippeas Sweet & Smokin Chickpea Puffs

Summary

• Make a hamper of vegan snacks for your Valentine
• Use the items listed as inspiration

Summary

• Have a go at homemade vegan chocolate
• Top with your Valentine’s favourite flavours

Summary

• Gift Manuka honey this Valentine’s
• Add a cute ‘Bee Mine’ label

Last updated: 26 January 2021