12 Best Valentine's Day Food Gifts That Aren't Chocolate

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Valentine's Day is supposed to be all about romance, but for many of us it's an excuse to celebrate the kind of love that will never let you down: a passion for all things chocolate. If you want to impress a Valentine's Day giftee, whether they be a partner or a platonic friend, one sure-fire way to do it is with the bougiest box of chocolates you can find, while DIY-ers can opt to make chocolate-covered strawberries instead. What if you want a gift that isn't chocolate, though? Some people are allergic to the stuff, while others, believe it or not, actually don't like it. There are also people who wouldn't welcome such a gift because they're counting calories or carbs. What, then, is the solution? A non-chocolate food gift, of course.

The following list includes a number of non-chocolaty dessert items such as gummy candies, cookies, and ice cream. If your potential Valentine is nostalgic for fall, we've even sourced caramel apples decorated for the holiday. Should they prefer savory to sweet, your options include pretzels, cheese, charcuterie, and even beef jerky. Of course, no list would be complete without a couple of bottles of Valentine wine.

Conversation hearts are one non-chocolate candy that's pretty ubiquitous around Valentine's Day, but does anyone past elementary school-age actually enjoy eating these chalky confections? (One of our taste testers gave it a go a few years back; here's how they ranked them.) To get the sweet message across in a way that's more likely to appeal to someone over 21, you could instead opt for this bottle of Conversation Hearts Handcrafted Reserve cabernet sauvignon from Mano's Wine. It's just $7.95 for a 375-milliliter bottle, so if that's too small, you can always buy two.

Purchase the Conversation Hearts Handcrafted Reserve cabernet sauvignon from Mano's wine here for $7.95.

If you want your Valentine's wine to fit the seasonal color scheme but you're not into reds, Mano's Wine still has you covered. How about a bottle of sweet rosé adorned with lipstick kisses and the inscription "Love You Most?" The Love You Most Sweet Rosé is priced at $24.95, but it does come in a full-sized 750-milliliter bottle.

Purchase the Love You Most Sweet Rosé from Mano's wine here for $24.95.

If your Valentine's more into meats than sweets, this CharCUTErie Heart Savory Box from My Charcuterie would be the perfect choice. It's priced at $58 and comes packed with cold cuts — one piece is even sliced into a heart shape, while others spell out "love" and "XOXO." Accompanying the meats is a selection of sliced cheeses and crackers, as well as nuts, fruits, candies, and cookies; making this heart-shaped box a complete meal. (Just add wine — see above.)

Purchase the CharCUTErie Heart Savory Box here for $58.

Chalky candy hearts aren't the only food that can whisper sweet nothings. The Cabot Creamery is offering a $36 Life Is Cheddar With You Gift Box which includes four bricks of chatty cheese: pepper jack that teases, "You keep things spicy;" Alpine cheddar that gushes, "You melt my heart;" 3-year aged cheddar that admits, "I'm fondue of you;" and Seriously Sharp cheddar that declares, "I seriously like you." Merch fans take note: It also comes with a Cabot Creamery keychain.

Purchase the Cabot Life Is Cheddar With You Gift Box here for $36.

When Cupid shoots his arrow, he always hits the target. You might want to hit Target, too, for some budget-priced, yet creative Valentine's gifts. One such item is the $11.99 Claussen Pickle Valentine's Heart Box with Plush and Gummies Candy. The box is inscribed "You pickle my fancy!" but the candies inside aren't pickle-flavored. (According to the packaging, they're strawberry-flavored.) If this is a dill breaker, Target has similar gummy heart boxes featuring a plush KFC drumstick, Ore-Ida crinkle fry, and Stitch from Disney's "Lilo and Stitch." There's also a similar box with a pink-frosted Dunkin' donut, but it contains chocolates instead of gummies.

Purchase the Claussen Pickle Valentine's Heart Box with Plush and Gummies Candy here for $11.99.

Macarons may look like a simple sandwich cookie, but they're one of those complicated desserts that even chefs tell you aren't worth making at home. Why go through all that effort when you can just go to Target and pick up a heart-shaped clamshell holding four Valentine's Day Mini Macarons? These come in red velvet and vanilla (two each), and the package costs just $4.99. This price point makes it a great V-Day "stocking stuffer," but it can also be a gift for a child or someone you're still at the coffee date stage with.

Purchase Favorite Day Valentine's Day Mini Macarons here for $4.99.

One final Target item: Favorite Day Strawberry Mini Hearts, which are heart-shaped pretzels dipped in pink strawberry-flavored frosting and decorated with red sprinkles. A 6-ounce bag will set you back just $3.99, which means that this item, too, would make a good small gift or something you might bring to a Valentine's party.

Purchase Favorite Day Strawberry Mini Hearts here for $3.99.

Speaking of parties, those elementary school ones back in the day were the best part of the holiday. (Minus the card distribution, which was always awkward for anyone not at the peak of popularity.) While chocolate cupcakes may have featured on the menu, the real star was those pink, red, and white-frosted sugar cookies. Relive (and re-gift) the nostalgia with a Cheryl's Cookies Valentine's Day Buttercream Frosted Sugar Cookie assortment. The red and white ones are heart-shaped, while the pink ones are round. These are available in a variety of sizes, starting at a 12-pack for $24.99 and going up to 200 cookies for $229.99.

Purchase Cheryl's Cookies Valentine's Day Buttercream Frosted Sugar Cookie assortment here starting at $24.99.

How about proclaiming your affection with a pint of eCreamery "Love You" Vanilla Bean Ice Cream bearing the banner, "Love You to the Spoon & Back?" If neither the flavor nor the sentiment fits your mood, you could also opt for "Val's Day" Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream, which simply proclaims, "Happy Valentine's Day." Both pints are priced at $9.99, but if you want to go all-out, eCreamery also offers various other Valentine's Day ice cream gifts: several 4-pint assortments for $79.99, an 8-pint assortment for $149.99, and all 12 special Valentine's packaged flavors –- Buttery Nut Crunch, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Chocolate Turtle Sundae, Coffee Toffee, Cookies & Cream, Cupcake Cookie Dough, Mint Cookie Crunch, Mocha Oreo Fudge, Peanut Butter Cup, Red Velvet, and Sea Salt Caramel Brownie; all for $219.99. (Okay, more than half of them do contain chocolate, but you could always keep those for yourself.)

Purchase eCreamery "Love You" Vanilla Bean Ice Cream here for $9.99.

If your Valentine pal is a lover of all things whimsical, they're likely to be delighted by a Baskin-Robbins Valentine Unicorn Cake that's all dressed up with heart-shaped sunglasses and a pink, red, and white-sprinkled horn. The cake base can be confetti, white, or chocolate, while the ice cream can be any one of 31-derful flavors. (Actually, we counted 35.)

Purchase the Baskin-Robbins Valentine Unicorn Cake here for $34.99.

Is your Valentine's favorite season fall and they're already lamenting that they'll have to wait until August for PSLs and all the other autumnal flavors to return? If so, warm their wool and flannel-wearing heart with Affy Tapple's Valentine Sprinkle Caramel Apples. These are just like the brand's fall favorites, only all dressed up for Valentine's Day with a coating of red, white, and pink sprinkles. You can buy a 3-pack for $12.99, a 6-pack for $19.99. a 12-pack for $29.99, or a 24-pack for $54.99. These apples also feature in a $20.99 taster 12-pack that includes peanut-dipped apples and apples covered in both peanuts and mini chocolate chips. (Again, you can keep the last-named variety for yourself if your giftee's really chocolate-averse.)

Purchase Affy Tapple's Valentine Sprinkle Caramel Apples here for $12.99.

What do you get a Valentine who's following the keto or paleo diet? Why, a box of Meathearts, of course. This gift, brought to you by the Manly Man Co., consists of heart-shaped pieces of beef jerky adorned with sweet sentiments such as "Love" and "XOXO" as well as more savory ones like "Meat Me" and "Beef Mine." Well, the original version does, at any rate. The naughty version is instead embossed with phrases like "Hot," "Wild," and "Eat Me." A 2.3-ounce box of either variety costs $29.99, while a 4.6-ounce box is $54.99. If you need a Valentine for your father, there are Meathearts boxes for him, too, with sayings such as "Super Dad," "#1 Dad," and "My Hero." (Keep this in mind for Father's Day.)

Purchase Meathearts here for $29.99.