Best Gifts in Stardew Valley — Complete Gift Guide (1.6)

Every NPC in Stardew Valley has a birthday once a year. Giving them a gift on their birthday gives 8x the friendship points. That's four times as fast as normal gifts, so wasting it on a "like" instead of a "love" stings hard. This guide gives you every loved gift for all 34 NPCs, plus the universal items you can always rely on.

I've tested every gift combination across multiple saves. Some loved gifts are surprisingly cheap or easy to craft — perfect for birthdays. Others are endgame rare but worth it once you're flush with cash.

Quick Summary

• Easiest Universal Love: Prismatic Shard — loved by everyone except Haley.
• Best Cheap Gift: Coffee (loved by 9 NPCs), Sashimi (loved by 6), or any foraged Daffodil/Salmonberry (universal likes).
• Always Hate: Tripe, Hashbrowns, and all minerals except universal loved ones — check the hates list below.
• Birthday Priority: Always give a loved gift on birthdays. A loved birthday gift = 1,440 friendship points vs 160 for a normal liked gift.

Universal Gift Rules

Before diving into individual NPCs, know these base rules:

• Universal Loves: Prismatic Shard, Rabbit's Foot (except Penny — she hates it).
• Universal Likes: Artisan Goods (except Void Mayonnaise), Cooked Dishes, Flowers, Foraged Minerals, Fruit Tree Fruits, Spring Onions, and all gems.
• Universal Neutral: Most Artisan Goods, Fish, and eggs.
• Universal Dislikes: Fish (raw), all construction materials (Wood, Stone), Fertilizer, and all Trash items.
• Universal Hates: All crafting ingredients (Clay, Battery Pack, Fiber), Minerals beyond the likes list, and raw Meat/Animal products.

The safest low-cost strategy? Carry a stack of Coffee or Sashimi for NPCs you pass daily. Most NPCs like or love it, and it costs almost nothing once you have the recipes.

Full NPC Gift Table

Each entry lists the NPC's loved gifts, with the easiest/most practical option in bold.

Pelican Town (Core 12)

Abigail

• Loves: Amethyst, Blackberry Cobbler, Chocolate Cake, Pufferfish, Pumpkin, Spicy Eel
• Best Gift: Amethyst — cheap from the Mines (Floors 1-39), or buy from Clint for 100g.
• Birthday: Fall 13

Alex

• Loves: Complete Breakfast, Salmon Dinner
• Best Gift: Complete Breakfast (Cooking: Egg + Milk + Hashbrowns + Pancakes) or Salmon Dinner (Salmon + Amaranth + Kale).
• Birthday: Summer 13

Elliott

• Loves: Crab Cakes, Duck Feather, Lobster, Pomegranate, Squid Ink, Tom Kha Soup
• Best Gift: Crab Cakes (Cooking Level 6 — Crab from Crab Pots). Pomegranate if you have a fruit tree.
• Birthday: Fall 5

Emily

• Loves: Amethyst, Aquamarine, Cloth, Emerald, Jade, Ruby, Survival Burger, Topaz, Wool
• Best Gift: Amethyst or any gem — all easy from the Mines.
• Birthday: Spring 27

Haley

• Loves: Coconut, Fruit Salad, Pink Cake, Sunflower
• Best Gift: Coconut — foraged from Calico Desert (unlocked by Bus) or bought from Oasis for 200g. Sunflower works too, seeds from Pierre's (50g).
• Note: Haley is the only NPC who hates Prismatic Shard. Don't waste it on her.
• Birthday: Spring 14

Harvey

• Loves: Coffee, Pickles, Super Meal, Truffle Oil, Wine
• Best Gift: Coffee — costs 300g from the Saloon or craft with 5 Coffee Beans. Trivially easy to stock.
• Birthday: Winter 14

Leah

• Loves: Goat Cheese, Poppyseed Muffin, Salad, Stir Fry, Truffle, Vegetable Medley, Wine
• Best Gift: Goat Cheese (Cheese Press + Goat Milk) or Salad (220g from Saloon). Easy and cheap.
• Birthday: Winter 23

Maru

• Loves: Battery Pack, Cauliflower, Cheese, Diamond, Iridium Bar, Miner's Treat, Pepper Poppers, Rhubarb Pie, Strawberry
• Best Gift: Battery Pack — craft with Lightning Rods or buy from Krobus (500g on Saturdays).
• Birthday: Summer 10

Penny

• Loves: Diamond, Emerald, Melon, Poppy, Poppyseed Muffin, Red Plate, Roots Platter, Sandfish, Tom Kha Soup
• Best Gift: Diamond — found in deeper Mine floors (50+) or from Crystalarium. She's also the only NPC who hates Rabbit's Foot.
• Birthday: Fall 2

Sam

• Loves: Cactus Fruit, Maple Bar, Pizza, Tigerseye
• Best Gift: Tigerseye — easy find in Mines (Floors 40+). Or Pizza from the Saloon for 600g.
• Birthday: Summer 17

Sebastian

• Loves: Frozen Tear, Obsidian, Pumpkin Soup, Sashimi, Void Egg
• Best Gift: Frozen Tear or Obsidian — both common in Mines/Frozen floors. Sashimi is also cheap once you have a kitchen.
• Birthday: Winter 10

Shane

• Loves: Beer, Hot Pepper, Pepper Poppers, Pizza
• Best Gift: Beer (400g from Saloon) or Pizza (600g from Saloon). Hot Pepper works too if you grow it in Summer.
• Birthday: Spring 20

Other Pelican Town Residents

Caroline

• Loves: Fish Taco, Summer Spangle, Green Tea
• Best Gift: Summer Spangle — seeds from Pierre's (50g), grows in 8 days. Green Tea is even better once you unlock her sunroom.
• Birthday: Winter 7

Clint

• Loves: Amethyst, Aquamarine, Emerald, Gold Bar, Iridium Bar, Jade, Ruby, Topaz
• Best Gift: Any gem — you already mine them constantly.
• Birthday: Winter 26

Demetrius

• Loves: Bean Hotpot, Ice Cream, Rice Pudding, Strawberry
• Best Gift: Ice Cream (240g from Saloon). Strawberry also works if you saved seeds from Egg Festival.
• Birthday: Summer 19

Evelyn

• Loves: Beet, Chocolate Cake, Diamond, Fairy Rose, Stuffing, Tulip
• Best Gift: Diamond or Fairy Rose. Diamond is your go-to — stick it in a Crystalarium.
• Birthday: Winter 20

George

• Loves: Fried Mushroom, Leek, Stuffed Pepper
• Best Gift: Leek — foraged everywhere in Spring. Ridiculously easy gift.
• Birthday: Fall 24

Gus

• Loves: Diamond, Escargot, Fish Taco, Orange, Tropical Curry
• Best Gift: Orange (fruit tree) or Diamond.
• Birthday: Summer 8

Jas

• Loves: Fairy Rose, Pink Cake, Plum Pudding
• Best Gift: Fairy Rose — cheap to grow in Fall (180g per seed). Pink Cake works but needs the recipe.
• Birthday: Summer 4

Jodi

• Loves: Chocolate Cake, Crispy Bass, Diamond, Eggplant Parmesan, Fried Eel, Omelet, Pancakes, Rice Pudding, Vegetable Medley
• Best Gift: Diamond or Omelet (Cooking Level 2).
• Birthday: Fall 11

Kent

• Loves: Fiddlehead Fern, Roasted Hazelnuts, Vegetable Medley
• Best Gift: Fiddlehead Fern — foraged in Secret Woods during Summer. Roasted Hazelnuts work too (Fall foraging).
• Note: Kent doesn't accept gifts before Year 2 (he returns in Spring of Year 2).
• Birthday: Spring 4

Lewis

• Loves: Autumn's Bounty, Glazed Yams, Green Tea, Hot Pepper, Vegetable Medley
• Best Gift: Hot Pepper — Summer crop, regrows. Green Tea is also great once unlocked.
• Birthday: Spring 7

Linus

• Loves: Blueberry Tart, Cactus Fruit, Coconut, Dish O' The Sea, Yam
• Best Gift: Cactus Fruit or Coconut — both from the Desert. Easy if you already go for Skull Cavern runs.
• Birthday: Winter 3

Marnie

• Loves: Diamond, Farmer's Lunch, Pale Broth, Pink Cake, Pumpkin Pie
• Best Gift: Diamond — Crystalarium solves this permanently.
• Birthday: Fall 18

Pam

• Loves: Beer, Cactus Fruit, Glazed Yams, Pale Ale, Parsnip Soup, Root Juice
• Best Gift: Beer or Pale Ale (Keg). Both are cheap to craft or buy.
• Birthday: Winter 18

Pierre

• Loves: Fried Calamari
• Best Gift: Fried Calamari — Cooking Level 3 (Squid: ocean fishing in Winter).
• Birthday: Spring 26

Robin

• Loves: Goat Cheese, Peach, Spaghetti
• Best Gift: Goat Cheese or Peach (fruit tree). Goat Cheese is easier once you have goats.
• Birthday: Fall 21

Willy

• Loves: Catfish, Diamond, Iridium Bass, Jelly, Mahi Mahi, Octopus, Pumpkin, Sea Cucumber, Sturgeon, Tiger Trout
• Best Gift: Diamond (always easy) or Catfish if you're into fishing (River: Spring/Fall, rainy).
• Birthday: Summer 24

Desert & Island NPCs

Sandy

• Loves: Crocus, Daffodil, Sweet Pea, Mango Sticky Rice, Minestrone
• Best Gift: Crocus (Winter foraging), or any Spring flower. Dirt cheap.
• Birthday: Fall 15

Leo

• Loves: Duck Feather, Mango, Ostrich Egg, Poi, Squid Ink, Stingray
• Best Gift: Duck Feather — from a Duck with high friendship. Mango works too if you have a tree on Ginger Island.
• Birthday: Summer 26

Bachelors & Bachelorettes (Marriage Candidates)

All 12 marriage candidates (Abigail, Alex, Elliott, Emily, Haley, Harvey, Leah, Maru, Penny, Sam, Sebastian, Shane) are listed above. The key difference is that after marriage, they get a 14-heart event — but gift-giving continues. Keep giving loved gifts weekly for the full heart bonus and fun interactions.

Krobus (Roommate)

• Loves: Diamond, Iridium Bar, Pumpkin, Void Egg, Void Mayonnaise, Wild Horseradish
• Best Gift: Void Egg (5,000g from Krobus himself) or Void Mayonnaise. Wild Horseradish is free from Spring foraging.
• Birthday: Winter 1

Dwarf

• Loves: Amethyst, Aquamarine, Emerald, Jade, Lemon Stone, Omni Geode, Ruby, Topaz
• Best Gift: Any gem or Omni Geode. Both are abundant in the Mines.
• Note: You can't talk to the Dwarf until you learn Dwarvish Translation Guide (from Scrolls in the Mines).
• Birthday: Summer 22

Wizard

• Loves: Purple Mushroom, Solar Essence, Super Cucumber, Void Essence
• Best Gift: Purple Mushroom — found in Skull Cavern or Mines (Floors 80+). Solar/Void Essence also works if you farm in the Mines.
• Birthday: Winter 17

Best Birthday Strategy

Birthdays are the most efficient way to max friendship. Here's the plan:

1. Always prepare ahead: Look up the next birthday on your Daily Planner. Stock their loved gift in a chest near your door.
2. Double up with Star Quality: Iridium-quality gifts give even more friendship. Save your best for birthdays.
3. Don't skip giftless NPCs: Kent, Leo, and Sandy are easy to forget since you don't see them daily. Mark their birthdays on your calendar.
4. Crystalarium = free diamonds: Once you have a Crystalarium, put a Diamond in it. Now you have unlimited universal loves for Evelyn, Marnie, Jodi, Gus, Maru, and Willy.

Best Loved Gifts by Accessibility

If you only do one thing: put a Diamond in a Crystalarium as soon as you reach Mining Level 9. It covers 9 NPCs permanently.

Common Gift Mistakes

• Giving hated gifts on birthdays: A hated birthday gift costs you friendship (-800 points). It's worse than skipping entirely.
• Giving the same gift twice per week: You can only give 2 gifts per week. Don't waste the second slot if you already gave one on Monday.
• Forgetting gift quality: Iridium quality gives 50% more friendship. Use your best quality items for NPCs you really want to befriend.
• Ignoring the Traveling Cart: She sometimes sells NPC-loved items off-season. Good for catching up on missed birthdays.

Related on StardewHub

• Gift Planner Tool — Find the perfect gift for any villager instantly.
• Villager Catalog — Browse all NPC schedules and heart events.
• Best Spouse in Stardew Valley — Who should you marry?
• Minerals Catalog — Check which gems to stock for gift-giving.

Gift-giving in Stardew Valley is mostly prep work. Stock up on the right items once, and you'll never scramble for a birthday gift again. Start with a Crystalarium Diamond and Coffee — the rest fills in naturally.