The 18 Best Food Advent Calendars of 2024, Tested & Reviewed

What we didn’t like: This is the most expensive of our recommended chocolate Advent calendars. 

Key Specs

• What it includes: 25 chocolates
• Good to know: The chocolates are made by different chocolatiers, using the brand’s single-origin chocolate; you can choose a calendar for one or two

What we liked: I grew up eating Godiva. This Advent calendar has 24 chocolates and I enjoyed every one. The salted caramel was bursting with caramel, the praline heart’s fudgy texture was delightful, and the mint medallion’s filling was creamy and mild. I don’t know about you, but I can easily eat a chocolate a day, which makes this calendar approachable—as does its price point. 

What we didn’t like: Compared to the high-end offerings, the chocolate was waxier and less complex, but that’s to be expected. 

Key Specs

• What it includes: 24 chocolates
• Good to know: There’s a guide to the chocolates on the back of the box

What we liked: This calendar comes straight from Japan and is, in a word, stunning. With gold detailing, cranes, cherry blossoms, and a magnetic closure, Bokksu’s packaging is top-notch. Open the calendar and there are 24 boxes in varying hues of blue and tan. There’s even a QR code on the side that you can scan to tell you more about the box’s content. The offerings were delightful, too, and included mostly food, but some non-edible items as well. There’s a fortune fox, sushi washi tape, several mochi, gorgeous porcelain chopsticks, strawberry cake, and mille-feuille cookies. I loved opening every drawer.

What we didn’t like: For the technology-adverse, a detailed printout explaining the box’s contents (in addition to the QR code) would’ve been helpful.

Key Specs

• What it includes: 24 days of “Japanese snacks and handcrafted collectibles,” per the company
• Good to know: There’s a pricier luxe version of the calendar available, though we didn’t try it

What we liked: This Advent calendar is, perhaps, the best-designed one I tried. It really plays into the “hotel” theme, with a key card and a tasting itinerary. There are detailed notes on every bottle of whisky to guide you through the tasting experience and even QR codes so you can purchase full-size bottles of your top picks. The second bottle I tried was one of my favorites, with strong notes of caramel and vanilla. I also love that this calendar comes with 24 vials of whiskey (with enough in each for a sampling pour) and two Glencairn tasting glasses.

What we didn’t like: I have no complaints—this is an excellent whiskey Advent calendar and worth the splurge for fans of the spirit. 

Key Specs

• What it includes: 24 whiskeys, a tasting guide, and two tasting glasses
• Good to know: The hotel keycard “unlocks” free shipping, discounts, and access to new bottles on Flaviar

What we liked: I hadn’t tried Straightaway before, but its Twelve Nights of Cocktails Advent calendar made me an instant fan. First of all, the wonderfully designed calendar has a table of cocktails, which is both helpful and adorable. The tiny tipples included a maple old fashioned, a very good mai tai, and a slightly spiced, gingery, and tamarind Thai gimlet. After unboxing this calendar, I took the cocktails on a family trip to Cape Cod and they were a huge hit. We loved sipping them straight from the can on the beach or pouring them over ice back at our Airbnb.

What we didn’t like: Nothing! This is a fun, inventive Advent calendar. 

Key Specs

• What it includes: 12 cocktails 
• Good to know: The price of the calendar breaks down to $5 a can

What we liked: This Advent calendar is shaped like a house—and is absolutely packed with wine. The 24 bottles are VERY generously sized and there’s a great variety (reds, whites, prosecco, and rose!). This is more wine than I (and my husband) could go through in a month, so we’ll have extras hanging around for a while.

What we didn’t like: My one complaint is that there are added layers of bubble wrap between the wine bottles and their openings. You have to open the box and finagle the bubble wrap out before enjoying the Advent calendar. I’d also like it if there was a tasting guide included.

Key Specs

• What it includes: 24, 187-milliliter bottles of wine
• Good to know: This calendar is large and heavy

What we liked: “If cheese is to you what it is to Wallace in Wallace and Gromit, then this is the Advent calendar to buy,” Grace says. “Murray’s is known being a purveyor of fine cheeses, and this advent calendar has a cracking array of big wedges: Start with a 12-month aged Gouda, then pop open a door to Irish cheddar, followed by a Manchego, then an amber and fudgy Mimolette and, well, I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but let’s just say you’re in for a fantastic cheeseboard.” The calendar also includes some snacks to serve with the cheese. 

What we didn’t like: Nothing to say here! This calendar was impressive. 

Key Specs

• What it includes: 9 cheeses, 4 jams, crackers
• Good to know: The cheeses are all 3 to 5 ounces

What we liked: This advent calendar is seriously beautiful…and loaded with tea. Each slide-out box comes with five sachets of individually packed tea. The offerings include classics (Earl Grey, English breakfasts) and newer offerings (Pumpkin Spiced, Sweet Cinnamon, Turmeric Ginger). I enjoyed every tea I tried and think, for the money, you truly get a lot of tea in a beautiful box that’s indicative of the season.

What we didn’t like: Once or twice, there were three or four teas instead of five inside of each slot. However, this is still a lot of tea! 

Key Specs

• What it includes: “120 plant-based biodegradable pyramid tea bags,” per the company
• Good to know: The company has smaller Advent calendars available

What we liked: Tea Forte is new to me, but after its Advent calendar, I’m an instant fan. The tree-shaped calendar has 24 teas, each one as great as the last. I couldn’t even get through photographing this calendar without opening one of the teas and sampling it. There’s Peach Brûlée, Apricot Amaretto, Caramel Nougat, Black Currant, Cherry Marzipan, and Blueberry Merlot, as well as familiar offerings like Earl Grey and chai. The pyramid-shaped tea bags are unique and have little leaves attached to their ends, which you use to add and remove the tea. 

What we didn’t like: The packaging was less sturdy than others and I nearly ripped a couple of doors off while retrieving tea.

Key Specs

• What it includes: 24 teas
• Good to know: The company sells a variety of Advent calendars.

What we liked: “I’m a casual tea drinker, but unwrapping the 24 Days of Tea Advent Calendar made me wonder if my fling could become a long-term thing: This is one of the most fragrant packages I’ve ever received!” Rochelle says. “The doors to this ‘tea shop’ open to reveal 24 tins of loose-leaf teas and herbal blends. Tea purists may not love the sweetened and flavored varieties, like Snickerdoodle and Jack Frost Mocha, but I thought the blends were pure fun, and full of nostalgia. (Well, the Gin & Tonic tea wasn’t a core memory of Christmases past, but I did enjoy the juniper and lemon verbena-infused blend.)”

What we didn’t like: There isn’t a diffuser or bags included.

Key Specs

• What it includes: 24 tins of tea
• Good to know: Each tin includes two 8-ounce servings each

What we liked: The box looks like a tree-lined street, with perforated windows and doors that are discreetly numbered. “While there are a few truffles and jams, this calendar sits strongly on the savory side of things,” Rochelle says. “The vinegars and oils—flavored with things like black truffle and Mandarin orange—are generously sized and really, really delicious. I was especially tickled at the inclusion of herbs and seasoning blends: The tomato powder was outstanding.”

What we didn’t like: The numbers were harder to see compared to others we tested. 

Key Specs

• What it includes: 24 items (olive oils, vinegars, jam, salts, chocolate truffles)
• Good to know: Each tin includes two 8-ounce servings 

What we liked: Let’s get this out of the way: This calendar is extremely expensive. However, “I actually don’t think it’s that ridiculous of a price considering how many tins of fancy fish eggs you get (plus, caviar ain’t cheap, and it shouldn’t be),” Grace says. “The beautiful red box has twelve shelves, each containing a different jar of fish eggs, including salmon and whitefish roe, and Siberian and classic white sturgeon. Try a jar a day, or throw a lush potluck where guests bring different accouterments to serve with the caviar. Think oeufs mayonnaise, buckwheat blini, and potato chips—this is my plan!”

What we didn’t like: Again—the price! Good gosh. 

Key Specs

• What it includes: 12 tins of caviar, mother-of-pearl spoons, tin key, and a caviar cookbook
• Good to know: Each tin contains 1-ounce of caviar

What we liked: From the moment I unboxed it, I could smell this box in the best way possible. I’m most familiar with Fly by Jing’s chili crisp, which was of course included in the calendar. It’s umami-laden and has enough Sichuan peppercorns for some heat without being overwhelming. The rest of the calendar is filled with rather substantially sized, two-ounce jars of other goodies I can’t wait to try, including uber-fragrant Sichuan peppercorns and shallot sauce. The box itself is beautiful, too (though the cardboard doors required some effort to open), adorned with silver snowflakes and bamboo.

What we didn’t like: I have a feeling it’s going to take me a long time to get through these small, flavor-packed jars!

Key Specs

• What it includes: 12 jars
• Good to know: Each jar is 2 ounces

What we liked: Many of the Advent calendars we tested had a “go big or go home” mentality, but Vienna Cookie Company’s offering was refreshingly petite. It’s just a slim box, tastefully wrapped with gold ribbon. Inside were 24 Austrian-inspired cookies, which were are also politely sized. Each one can be devoured in just one bite, but they’re perfection: sometimes boozy, always buttery, and just the right amount of sweet. “The Raspberry Husarenkrapferl was a revelation, and I would have been happy with one thousand more of them,” says Rochelle. 

What we didn’t like: We would not have been upset if the cookies were two bites big. Don’t tip the box on its side: If you do, the cookies will fall out of their slots!

Key Specs

• What it includes: 24 Austrian-inspired cookies (Rum Balls, Rum Sugar Balls, Rum Caramel Balls, Coconut Rum Balls, Vanilla Cookies, Vanilla Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, Gingerbread People, Raspberry Husarenkrapferl, Chocolate Husarenfrapferl, and Apricot Husarenkrapferl)
• Good to know: There is a plastic package over the cookies that must be removed before you open the Advent doors and begin sampling

What we liked: This calendar contains 24 beautifully crafted truffles and nothing more. There are eight varieties, including Strawberry Conserve and Caramelised Biscuit. These are iconic chocolates, made by one of the most famous chocolatiers on London’s Bond Street, and they taste every bit as luxurious as a Christmas-time visit to the shop feels. The packaging is very pretty. “Opening the calendar feels (almost) like opening the doors to a high-end chocolate store,” says Rochelle. “I never thought I’d be able to visit Bond Street without a plane ticket, so I was thrilled to dive into this calendar.”

What we didn’t like: It was impossible to break the seal on the calendar without ripping off a portion of the decorated box. It didn’t affect the usage, but it didn’t look quite as nice after that.

Key Specs

• What it includes: 24 chocolate truffles (Milk Sea Salt Caramel, Strawberry Conserve, Caramelised Biscuit, Dark Gold Leaf Truffle, Sea Salt Praline Truffle, Chocolate Brownie Truffle, Milk Chocolate Truffle, and Milk Gold Truffle)
• Good to know: This calendar arrives with ice packs, but you’ll still want to unpack as soon as possible, especially if it’s getting delivered to a warm climate

FAQs

What’s the point of Advent calendars?

An Advent calendar is meant to be a countdown to Christmas, which is why they often have 24 items (December 1 to 24).

What Advent calendars are worth it? 

Well, all of our top picks! Some of them—like the Bonne Maman jam calendar—contain so much product, you likely won’t be able to go through it all in just a month. 

Why We’re the Experts 

• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the associate commerce editorial director of Serious Eats.
• She’s been with the site since 2021 and has been testing gear professionally for more than six years.
• Riddley (and other Serious Eats editors) spent months testing advent calendars for this review.