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Whether you want to level up your baking skills or are just stuck in a recipe rut, a baking subscription box will get you excited to spend time in the kitchen. Rectangular Cake Board
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EMILY WAY/ TASTE OF HOME (3), KATIE BANDURSKI/ TASTE OF HOME
Here at Taste of Home, we love to bake. But even we struggle to squeeze in time for trying new recipes or finding inspiration. Plus, it can be expensive to buy specialty ingredients, like almond flour, when a recipe calls for a mere quarter cup. Luckily, there’s an easier way to experiment.
Enter: baking boxes. Complete with the ingredients and instructions for mastering new creations, this type of food subscription is so fun you’ll wonder why you didn’t try one sooner. I mean, who doesn’t like the sound of freshly baked treats every month?
Even better, because these boxes come with pre-portioned ingredients, there’s less waste involved. All you need to bring along are a few perishables and tools you likely already have in your kitchen. With tempting recipes like apple rose tarts and black pepper chocolate cookies, these boxes bring a dose of experimentation to any humble kitchen. Whether you’re new to baking or on your way to becoming an at-home pastry chef, a baking subscription box sparks creativity and introduces new techniques.
Six of our treat-loving team members tested the best baking subscription box for every skill level and taste preference. Below are our top picks for everyone, from the budding baker to the experienced home cook looking for a new challenge. Ready, set, bake!
Shop on Bake Eat Love
Shop on Bake Eat Love
Emily Way/Taste of Home
The Bake Eat Love Box is perfect for both anyone who’s just starting their baking journey or seasoned home cooks. It includes easy-to-follow recipes along with pictures illustrating key steps. You can look forward to tackling recipes like s’mores baked Alaska, birthday cake macarons and lavender panna cotta. Each box comes with a baking tool or other bonus item, too!
My box arrived with a recipe for bananas Foster sticky buns. Inside, nearly all the ingredients required— minus milk, butter and bananas— came pre-portioned in bags. A small wooden rolling pin is provided for flattening out the dough prior to rolling and cutting the buns. Other than that, every other required tool is an essential baking supply that was already in my kitchen. As someone who has never prepared sticky buns from scratch, I found the recipe surprisingly simple to follow. Ingredients for both the buns and topping come packaged separately, so it’s easy to see exactly what to use for which step at a glance.
There is an option to flambé the topping prior to adding it to the buns, though I chose to save my tiny apartment the potential (while unlikely) fire hazard. However, I do love that there’s the option to practice a more advanced technique in an otherwise straightforward recipe. I also found the included tips for working with yeast very thoughtful, especially for folks like me that start sweating at the very mention of proofing dough.
Emily Way/Taste of Home
If I needed extra help, a QR code is provided on the recipe card for video tutorials. The recipe even includes actual measurements for the included ingredients in case I want to make these again (believe me, I will). Plenty of additional blurbs—like how to cut the rolls and a few ingredient spotlights—really round out this learning experience. It’s an excellent pick for both seasoned bakers and those looking to expand their sweet culinary horizons.
Caitlyn Fitzpatrick/Taste of Home
Whether it’s a rainy day or you need a snack for movie night, the Baketivity baking kit gets the whole family involved for delicious fun. Caitlyn Fitzpatrick, Senior Shopping Editor, tested the brand’s cake pop kit, which makes roughly a dozen chocolate cake pops with rainbow sprinkles.
Caitlyn Fitzpatrick/Taste of Home
“I love that all of the dry ingredients come pre-measured, so it’s just a matter of cutting opening each one and pouring into the appropriate mixing bowl,” says Caitlyn. Although the required perishable ingredients aren’t included, there isn’t anything needed that probably isn’t already in your kitchen, including an egg, butter, oil and hot water. “I like that although this kit is made for families and kids, it has you make everything from scratch. So, you can have kids as involved as you’d like in making the cake batter and frosting,” says Fitzpatrick. “And if this is an activity you’re accomplishing with multiple kids, there are enough things to do that no one will feel left out.”
One downside of the Baketivity cake pop kit, specifically, is that it has a couple stretches of long down time. So fingers crossed your kid is OK with waiting for the cake to cool before crumbling it and for the cake balls to sit in the freezer for an hour before dipping them into the melted chocolate.
“My daughter is too young to join me in the kitchen right now, but I would absolutely break out a Baketivity baking kit with her. I think she’d get a kick out of the included chef hat and apron and, of course, the finished result would be super tasty,” says Caitlyn.
Katie Bandurski/Taste of Home
If you can’t remember the last time you tried something new in the kitchen, snag a subscription to Crumble Crate and shake things up a bit. This mid-to-advanced level baking subscription box offers a chance to learn new presentation skills, innovative techniques and enjoy rare ingredients without ever heading to the grocery store. Each monthly shipment includes pre-portioned ingredients, baking tools and a recipe card with a QR code with instructional videos, shopping lists and tips. While some recipes are simple-yet-delicious, most offer a healthy challenge for experienced home cooks.
Our kit for the apple rose tart included essential tools, like a tart pan and pastry cutter. All tools included were high quality, though the recipe assumes that bakers already have a few items (like pie weights and a pastry brush). Dry ingredients come pre-portioned. Most of the ingredients required come in the box, aside from a few humble ingredients like apples, butter eggs and lemon juice that are pretty easy to source.
Katie Bandurski/Taste of Home
“I really appreciated that the more specialty ingredients, like the almond flour, are included,” says Senior Shopping Editor, Katie Bandurski. “This was nice because I didn’t need to buy an entire bag just to use a quarter cup in one recipe. The kit came with a nice full-sized sheet of instructions.”
Even as an experienced baker, Katie felt like this kit was a learning experience. “The directions were easy to follow, although I wish some were broken up into multiple steps. I had to re-read the frangipane and apple roses steps multiple times to ensure I was doing things correctly. I’ll also admit that the apple roses were challenging. They did not want to roll into roses. The good thing is that the tart still looks pretty, even if you don’t get perfect roses, or you just stick in the slices,” she says. “This was as much an art project as it was a baking project.” Despite this, her tart turned out stellar, and she learned a few new things along the way. We consider Crumble Crate a great pick for experienced bakers looking for inspiration or a new baking challenge.
If bread is your carb of choice but you have no patience for proofing, then Wildgrain is the baking subscription box you’ve been looking for. This bread and pastry box offers a delightful assortment of ready-to-bake treats like English muffins, sourdough, brioche rolls and macarons, conveniently delivered to your doorstep every month.
The best part? These delectable baked goods go straight from the freezer to your table in just 25 minutes—no need to remember to defrost them beforehand! Each delivery features a different selection, and you have the flexibility to pause your subscription or adjust its frequency at any time.
“The quality of the products is wonderful, with beautiful textures and great flavor,” shares former bakery owner and expert writer, Molly Allen, in her Wildgrain review. “Whether you’re looking for a gift for a bread baker or simply searching for a way to avoid separate trips to the local bakery, it’s a fantastic way to try new breads and pastries and keep them consistently stocked.”
Shop on Red Velvet NYC
Shop on Red Velvet NYC
Emily Way/Taste of Home
Want to feel challenged while still feeling supported in your culinary expeditions? Red Velvet NYC is one of the most well-known baking subscription boxes out there, and for good reason. Each monthly box includes not one, but two gourmet recipes with simple instructions that cover a wide variety of baking techniques. The desserts range in skill level, but expect to learn something new with every box. The best part? If you find a recipe you love, it’s easy to repurchase it on the baking kit storefront.
I tried the recipe for the Linzer heart cookies. Out of all the boxes I personally tested, this one taught me the most in terms of technique. While a bit challenging, I could practically feel myself leveling up as a baker as I worked through the recipe. The Linzer dough is sticky, delicate and required frequent trips back to the fridge as I cut out the hearts and transferred them to the baking sheet.
However, this was by no means a difficult recipe, and it was also the most rewarding experience I had testing baking boxes. Especially after my husband, already wowed by the delicate beauty of the cookies, took his first bite and earnestly exclaimed, “You made these?!” I felt like punching my hand into the air à la Rocky Balboa. Forget my proudest baking subscription box moment—this may have been my proudest baking moment ever.
Emily Way/Taste of Home
Overall, this is my top pick for home cooks and budding bakers that have a desire to crank their culinary skills up a notch or two. It was tough, but by no means limited to experienced bakers, and I definitely learned a few valuable tricks to take with me in my future bakes. Better yet, this is one recipe I can see myself making again in the future as a food gift or bring along as a party showstopper.
Shop on Here Here Market
Shop on Here Here Market
Emily Way/Taste of Home
Take your tastebuds on a world tour without worrying about airfare or lost luggage with the BaKit Box. Full of international flavors and family-friendly flair, this baking subscription box offers pre-portioned ingredients for one globally-inspired recipe every quarter.
My box arrived with a recipe card for South African black pepper chocolate cookies, and enough dry ingredients to make about 24 cookies. Ingredients have clear labels and each recipe sheet offers additional activities on the back like word searches and taste test challenges. Apart from typical baking tools like mixing bowls, a whisk, spatula, baking sheets and plastic wrap, the recipe required eggs, salt and butter from my kitchen. The concept itself was a fun idea—spicy and sweet, anyone?—and the activities on the recipe explored the different types of peppercorns, making it a great learning experience overall.
The recipes are easy enough to involve the kiddos, but they’re also delicious enough to entice adults, too. I never would have thought to try black pepper and cardamom in a chocolate cookie. However, I can definitely see myself breaking out this recipe again. The cookies were chocolatey, moist and pleasantly peppery while still offering an indulgent sweetness. If you’re interested in trying recipes from other parts of the world, sign up for this one ASAP.
Nicole Doster/Taste Of Home
Those that live a gluten-free lifestyle know how hard it is to find high quality GF recipes, especially for baked goods. Friendly Flours is a gluten-free baking box that offers so much fun and flavor, it’s almost impossible to tell that there’s zero gluten involved. Choose from a 1- 3- 6- or 12-month delivery schedule and enjoy a new safe, flavorful dessert every month.
“The packaging was notably delightful—like receiving a gift from a friend,” says Content Director, Nicole Doster. “I was really delighted to see that almost all the ingredients necessary to make the Browned Butter Cupcakes were included in the box. I was tickled when I discovered the box even came with a tiny glass jar of vanilla extract. They really thought of everything!” Overall, she found the baking experience to be rewarding, simple and fun for both newbies and experienced bakers.
“The cupcakes were perfectly spiced and tender without being too sweet. I thought that the instructions for the icing were unique, too, as the recipe called for a stiff butterscotch ganache with a gooey center topped with pretzel crumbs.” Overall, she heartily recommends this to any baker who is interested in experimenting with gluten-free recipes.
At $45 for a single box, the price might feel steep for some. However, the experience was top notch and definitely worth it—especially considering the lack of gluten-friendly baking box options out there.
There’s no such thing as too many cookies, and with Doughp’s Secret Dough Club. You’ll be able to whip up the delicious baked goods to your heart’s content. These cookies go beyond the ordinary chocolate chip variety. Doughp offers an impressive array of dough flavors (how about some fairy dust?) that are crafted without raw eggs, ensuring guilt-free enjoyment with every spoonful. Each month, receive two delectable flavors to include in your box. Already know what you like? Use the build-your-own subscription box page to tailor picks to your tastebuds.
“I live in Charlotte, NC, so the climate is generally pretty mild. However, I was out of town for three days (which is when it was delivered), so I have no idea how long it sat out there,” explains Senior Shopping Editor, Caroline Lubinsky. “When I opened the box, the ice packs were no longer cold, and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to try the cookie dough.” Despite the snafu, the packaging states that the cookies are fine to be left out for some time, so she still tried them. The brand guarantees your happiness, so you could always contact them and let them know. Luckily, everything turned out fine.
“I thought they tasted excellent,” says Caroline. “When they bake in the oven, the dough comes out pretty flat. This results in a crispy, buttery cookie, and I couldn’t tell that they were eggless. The dough was just as good to snack on. And hey, who doesn’t need a nice sweet treat that you don’t have to bake in the oven?”
First, think about the type of baked goods or treats you want to make. Are you eager to learn new cookie baking skills or try fresh homemade desserts on a monthly basis? Perhaps you’re interested in experimenting with new bread baking recipes. Additionally, contemplate the level of involvement you desire in your baking experience. Some boxes offer ready-to-bake options, requiring no mixing or measuring, while others provide pre-measured ingredients along with detailed instructions to help you master the recipe. Lastly, think about skill level. Some of the boxes on this list are best suited to those with prior baking experience, while others are tailored for families, kids and kitchen newbies.
There are dozens of baking subscription boxes out there, each with their own skill level, price point and specialties. In order to narrow down our list, we first researched 15 baking boxes, looking at value, skill level, breadth of offerings and inclusions. From there, our team chose 10 to test. While testing in our own kitchens, we kept in mind typical ingredients and tools in the average person’s home. Four of the boxes were tested in an apartment with limited space to see how well they performed in a smaller kitchen.
Each of the boxes featured ticked our boxes in the following categories:
As someone who has tested dozens of the best subscription boxes and can’t get enough of home-baked goodies, baking subscription boxes are right in my wheelhouse. I’m a home cook with over 10 years of experience mixing, baking and experimenting with recipes. What started as a simple hobby quickly became my passion, and now I work full time as Taste of Home’s Shopping Editor where I’m in charge of gift guides and testing new and delicious finds like snack subscriptions and cheese clubs.
Though every baking subscription box is different, the majority include step-by-step instructions, pre-measured ingredients and any necessary toppings or garnishes. Some boxes may come with kitchen tools, too. There are also bake-from-frozen boxes offering pre-made dough or pastries that simply just need to be popped in the oven—no mixing or measuring required.
It depends! The baking subscription boxes that come with pre-measured ingredients and instructions are a fun way to experiment with new recipes. Although, we understand that experienced bakers may find them too simple. More than anything, they’re an entertaining, time-saving option for trying new goodies, no matter your skill level.
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