10 Small Appliances (That Aren’t the Instant Pot) to Gift for the Holidays

For many grown-ups, unwrapping a small appliance for Christmas is like finding an electric car under the tree for a kid (read: It’s pretty darn rad). For many years, the gift to get was the Instant Pot, and while it’s still a great present, SO MANY people already have one. (For your reference, more than 300,000 units were snatched up in just 36 hours during 2018’s Amazon Prime Day.) So where does that leave you? Anywhere on this list! We’ve rounded up the very best small appliances to gift that AREN’T the Instant Pot.

Here’s what you should get anyone who already has the famous multi-cooker.

Sure, Instant Pot now makes the Duo Crisp + Air Fryer (an Instant Pot with air-frying capabilities), but if your loved one already has an Instant Pot, there’s no reason to get another. Because you can just pick up this cool lid, which works with the base of the IP and air-fries and crisps up food. We tried it and love using it as a broiler.

Buy: Mealthy CrispLid, $60

Instant Pot launched a blender about a year ago and it was designed to compete with those high-powered, highly priced blenders from Vitamix and Blendtec. How does it stack up? Impressively well! See: We Pitted the $99 Instant Pot Blender Against the Vitamix — Guess Which One We Liked Better.

Buy: Instant Pot Ace Cooking Blender, $99 at Walmart

The folks at Instant Pot have been pretty busy! They also recently came out with this air fryer oven, which can bake, air-fry, dehydrate, cook a rotisserie chicken, and more. We tried it out and were genuinely impressed. Get this (and the blender?) for anyone who might love the idea of having a matching set sitting out on the counter.

Buy: Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven, $119 at Walmart

This cute little guy is a total must-have for anyone who likes hard-boiled eggs. We were skeptical at first (doesn’t a pot work just as well?), but it’s a cult-favorite and makes quick work of the job — and perfectly cooked eggs. And it’s less than $20, so it’s great for, say, a white elephant swap.

Buy: Dash Rapid Egg Cooker, $19

There are two types of home cooks: Toaster Oven People and those who can do without. For the former, there’s this brilliant device from Breville. It’s the toaster our gear pro uses in her own kitchen at home. It’s not too huge. It has preset programs for toast. It’s a broiler. It’s an oven. It’s an all-around great find.

Buy: Breville Mini Smart Oven, $144

This jumbo air fryer got our pick as the best of the best (its size was a plus because you can cook up lots of fries and wings for a crowd!). It’s definitely not the cheapest option out there, so get a few family members to split the cost with you.

Buy: Philips Premium Digital Air Fryer XXL, $350

Help your loved one kick their expensive coffee shop habit in 2020 with this serious-but-easy-to-use coffee and espresso machine. It comes with a milk frother and a set of Nespresso capsules to get your little caffeine fiend started.

Buy: Nespresso Vertuo Plus Deluxe Coffee & Espresso Maker, $160 at Macy’s

If your family’s designated grill master is feeling stifled by the cold weather, get her this indoor grill to hold her over until spring. It sears and sizzles (but doesn’t send smoke into the air!). It also dehydrates, air-fries, bakes, and dehydrates. It’s relatively new to market but is already a bestseller on Amazon.

Buy: Ninja Foodi, $200

For anyone who’s been hoping to get into composting (we only have one planet, you know!), this electric version is a new release and backed by the folks at Vitamix. Kitchn editors are currently hard at work giving this a test drive, but we like that it promises to make composting super easy and that it turns compost into a viable soil amendment in less than three hours.

Buy: FoodCycler, $299

There haven’t been many advancements in the toaster department in many, many years, but this new machine is the best thing since, well, sliced bread. The inside mechanics feature a toaster card that bends around the bread to toast slices from end to end (other cards just stay flat). And the interface is incredibly visual — carb-lovers can actually set their toast based by how they want it to look. A countdown towards the end of the toasting lets folks know how much time they have left to gather butter, jam, and any other necessary spreads.

Buy: Revolution Cooking 2-Slice High Speed Smart Toaster, $300 at Williams Sonoma

It’s the holiday season, which means it’s time to do some gift shopping! We’re sharing our favorite picks for anyone on your list — check out all of our gift guides here!