43 Fun And Creative Candy Gift Ideas … You Can Make Now!

In this article: Candy Gift Ideas for every occasion, from birthdays to graduation, to teacher gifts … candy gifts are affordable and everyone loves candy!

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We all the know the end of the school year is coming. And that means end-of-year teacher gifts. We scramble to shove a coffee gift card into an envelope on the way to the last day of school and cross our fingers that our kid remembers to hand it over to their teacher before the end of the day.

After my son’s teacher confessed that she got over $500 in still-unused coffee gift cards last year, I asked several of my teacher friends about their favorite gifts from students.

I hate to break it to you, but they all said no more apple tchotchkes … or tchotchkes of any kind for that matter! While the thought is appreciated, you can only have so many apple paper weights or apple magnets, right? They also told me that they don’t drink much coffee because bathroom breaks are few.

Luckily, you can never go wrong with candy gifts. Let's face it, we all love candy! And even if the teacher can't eat the candy because of a diet, they love sharing it with their students, family, and own children.

That’s why I’ve gathered over 40 amazing candy gift ideas you can DIY.

Why Candy is a Great Gift

Candy gifts are:

• Inexpensive: you can get most candy at the dollar store for $1 per piece.
• Versatile & Personal: customize candy gifts with their favorite flavors and candies. Make the same gift with different candies for different people … you'll never run out of gift ideas!
• Fun to make: DIY candy gifts are a fun way to bond with your kid and put your handmade touch on a gift
• Extra fun to give: the surprise and excitement on their face when they receive a candy gift makes it so rewarding to give!

Chocolate bars are one of my favorites for candy gifts. Everyone loves a Hershey's bar!

Where Did Candy Bars Come From?

Candy wasn’t always available in fun colorful packages like today. In the 18th century, the first candies were medicinal, prescribed by an apothecary to treat chest or digestion problems. Sugar was added to herbal concoctions to make them taste better, hence the “spoonful of sugar” reference in Mary Poppins.

Thank goodness, the price of sugar fell after the American Civil War, causing the confectionery and apothecary industries to separate. Packaged candy first appeared in 1854 when Whiteman’s packaged the first chocolates box. Now you can find candies in flavors of all kinds in all types of packages imaginable, for as little as a dollar a box.

Did you know you can make candy at home? My homemade fudge is a highly requested gift from family and friends during the holidays!

Milton Hershey was the first American to bring the chocolate bar to mass production level, introducing chocolate to the masses! His original Hershey’s Sweet Milk Chocolate bar, introduced in 1900, ranks as one of the best selling American candy bars for the last 100 years.  

Where to get the best deals on candy

My favorite place to shop for box candy, like Mike & Ike’s, is the dollar store.

Both Dollar Tree and 99 Cents Only Stores boast huge selections of candies in all shapes and sizes.

99 Cents Only Stores also carries unique and imported candies, such as Haribo gummy bears.

Most candy in these stores costs about $1 per package, while candy at most grocery stores costs two to three times as much. For around $10, you can make an impressive looking candy gift with the ideas below.

Do they love specialty or hard-to-find candy? Check out this list of amazing candies to try:

Now that you're stocked with all the best candy, let's dive in to all the fabulous candy gift ideas you can make:

Candy Gifts For Teachers

Score major brownie points with the teachers with these 5 DIY candy gift ideas:

• Reese's Pieces Gift Idea – Pinterest
• Rolo Pencil Teacher Gift – Skip To My Lou
• M & M Candy Gift Idea – Technology Rocks Seriously
• Your Lifesaver Candy Gift Idea – It's Written On The Walls
• Mento Candy Gift Idea – Pinterest

But wait, there's more! Check out these creative ideas for teachers, like the “emergency stash” or a candy dish made from crayons!

• Teacher Appreciation Gift – Mission To Save
• Paper Crafts With Free Printables – Kenarry Ideas For The Home
• Teacher's Emergency Stash – Eighteen 25
• Crayon Candy Dish – Two Sisters Crafting
• Swedish Fish Gift Idea – Mama Cheaps

DIY Candy Gift Ideas For The Graduate

Celebrate the grad's big day by making a sweet graduation candy bouquet with their favorite candy.

Check out these super creative candy gift ideas your graduate will love:

• Graduation Candy Bouquet – Sweet Celebrations by Stacey
• Graduation Candy Idea – Pinterest
• Making A Candy Bouquet – Thrifty Fun
• Graduation Candy Grams – Happy Go Lucky
• Graduation Candy Saying Water Bottle – Bee-ing Mommy
• Champagne Glass Graduation Gift – Our Crafty Mom

Get even more grad gift ideas: Graduation Money Gift Ideas!

Housewarming Candy Gifts

Welcome new friends into the neighborhood with a DIY housewarming gift … made with candy! The kids are gonna love receiving this gift … and the parents will love the chocolates.

The pineapple made from Ferrero Rocher chocolates is my favorite idea from this bunch:

• Pineapple Candy Housewarming Gift – Pinterest
• Candy Flower Bouquet – A Girl And A Glue Gun
• DIY Housewarming Champagne Bottle – The Diary Of A Debutante
• Housewarming Candy Gift – Million Moments
• New Home Candy Basket – Pinterest

DIY Candy Bouquets, Cakes, and Wreaths

Candy bouquets are super popular on Pinterest … and surprisingly easy and affordable to make. Check out these fun candy wreaths, bouquets, and cake ideas to DIY:

• Candy Wreath For Birthdays – Fun-Squared
• Valentine Candy Bouquet – Pinterest
• Valentine's Day Candy Bag – Faking It Fabulous
• Candy Birthday Cake – Fun-Squared
• How To Make A Cute Candy Bouquet – Pizzazzerie
• Lollipop Candy Malt Bouquet – Rada Cutlery

Want to give gift cards too? Make a DIY gift card wreath … and pump it up by adding candy!

DIY Candy Gifts In a Jar

• Homemade candy recipe: Crumbly Chocolate Caramel Bark – Crunch and Cream
• DIY Mason Jars for Candy – Mod Podge Rocks
• Hershey's Kisses Mason Jar Valentine's Gift – Crayons and Cravings
• Printable Candy Gift Tags – Gluesticks
• Valentine's Day Gifts For Him – Play Party Plan
• Reese's Pun Candy Gift for CoWorker – Pinterest

Candy Gift Ideas for Guys

Husbands, dads, and boyfriends are notoriously challenging to buy gifts for. But all guys love candy! Make one of these clever candy gift ideas for him this year:

• Wreck It Ralph Gift Tags – Play Party Plan
• Small Gift Ideas – Organized 31
• Make Candy Lei – Organized 31
• DIY Rainbow Candy Gift Jar – Mission To Save
• DIY Ombre Candy Jar – Mission To Save
• Golf Party – Party Pinching

Birthday Candy Ideas

Making a poster with candy is one of the most popular gift ideas right now! Celebrate their birthday with a bang with one of these quick, inexpensive birthday candy gift ideas:

• Teal Birthday Gift – Fun Squared
• Soda Can Candy Bouquet – Miss Kopy Kat
• Candy Poster Birthday Gift – Fun Squared
• DIY Candy Bouquet – Down Red Bud Drive

Give A Gift They'll Remember for the Right Reasons

With over 40 fabulous candy gift ideas to choose from, you won't be phoning it in with a boring coffee gift card or an apple doo-dad nobody wants.

Giving a small candy gift? Check out this collection of free printables from The Dating Divas:

Who’s on your list to get one of these fab candy gifts? Let me know in the comments!

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