​​​​Holiday Gift Guide 2024: The Best Panettone

This large, light, airy, dome-shaped loaf of golden sweet bread is synonymous with Christmas in most households in Italy.

But like other Italian traditions, the popularity of panettone migrated with waves of Italian immigrants who made their way to America, Canada, South America, and beyond. Of course, panettone remains uber-popular in Italy, where 75% of Italians rate it as their favorite dessert. (Ironically, Peru consumes more panettone than Italy!)

Because of its sweetness, panettone is sometimes called a cake, but most experts consider it a bread. Besides being eaten at home, beautifully packaged panettone (and star-shaped pandoro) are classic Christmas gifts. They are beautifully boxed, tinned, or elegantly wrapped in paper and given to friends, neighbors, relatives, and colleagues.

Bread, pasta, and other foods in Italy differ from region to region, town to town, and home to home. The same applies to panettone, where each baker has a slightly different recipe or technique. Although you will likely see the commercial facsimile in most supermarkets in your neighborhood, artisanal panettone is in a class of its own.

“Made in Italy” artisanal panettone is handmade from a “mother dough” yeast starter, baked in a heavy baking mold with tall sides, relies on local ingredients, and is free of preservatives. The breads are typically studded with candied fruits, citrus peel, chocolate, or nuts, which are locally sourced.

Here are some of the best panettone of the season to please every palate:

Eataly Signature Panettone

Last year, Eataly, the global Italian superstore, launched its private-label line of artisanal panettone and pandoro made in Italy. A team of gastronomic experts steeped in the traditions of Milano and Verona created the new products.

These panettone are baked using the finest authentic ingredients—including dough made with lievito madre (mother yeast), IGP hazelnuts sourced from the Langhe, and butter made from Piemontese cream.

Choices include the classic version (packaged in a box or tin), limoncello, pear and chocolate, and panettone with pistachio cream. Prices range from $49.99 to $79.99.

Eataly also carries a range of other artisanal Panettone brands, including Bonifanti, Vergani, Fraccaro, Acetia Giusti, Antica Offelleria Di Milano, and Galup.

Pasticceria Scarpato Artisan Chocolate Panettone from Dolceterra

Pasticceria Sarpato, a family-owned Veronese pastry maker, has been creating authentic panettone and pandoro for generations, embellishing its leavened products with artisanal creams.

Scarpato has been storing and refreshing its sourdough starter for more than a century, three times a day, year-round. Making these breads takes over 72 hours of slow and careful workmanship.

Chocolate lovers will appreciate the premium chocolate bits added to the classic recipe. The bread is topped with a dusting of powdered sugar and a shimmer of gold leaf and comes elegantly wrapped in a season gift box.

Dolceterra, the Italian importer, also offers Scarpato classic panettone and ones enhanced with Amarone grappa, pistachio cream, and EVOO. Prices range from $54.90 to $65.00.

Superclassic | Panettone Roberto Cavalli by Olivieri 1882

This top-of-the-line luxury gift represents a collaboration between Olivieri 1882, which has been honing its craft for over a century, and fashion designer Roberto Cavalli. The stunning packaging of the bread, with the iconic Ray of Gold print, reflects the glamour of the fashion icon.

Fifth-generation baker Nicola Olivieri currently helms the family-run pasticceria and uses a 140-year-old recipe to concoct the beloved holiday staple.

Made of hand-selected raw ingredients with a meticulous four-day production process, Olivieri’s signature panettone is elegant, rich, and highly digestible. The special occasion breads are 100% prepared by hand and delivered freshly baked to the U.S. and worldwide.

This year, the company offers 23 different choices of panettone and pandoro ranging from $90 to $130.

Giusti Panettone with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

Giuseppe Giusti has produced balsamic vinegar in Modena (Emilia Romagna) since 1605, making it the oldest vinegar in Italy. Claudio Stefani Giusti, a 17th-generation member of the Giusti family, now leads the company.

In an innovative twist, Giusti balsamic vinegar is added to this panettone’s dough to soak the raisins and as a cream filling. The vinegar’s sweet and sour taste perfectly complements the panettone’s fragrant softness.

Beautifully wrapped in a rustic, traditional style, the Giusti panettone recipe is made from all-natural ingredients—strictly fresh and authentic. It can be purchased on the Giusti U.S. website or online at Eataly for $49 99, and at some gourmet food shops.

T’a Milano Panettone With Pears And Chocolate from Tasty Ribbon

In this inventive version, luscious, soft candied pears and decadent dark chocolate chips replace the customary raisins and candied fruits in the classic panettone recipe, creating a twist that excites the taste buds.

Based in Milan, two entrepreneurial brothers helm T’a Milano, representing the third generation of a famous pastry-making family. They say their passion for chocolate and haute patisserie is in their DNA. The panettone is attractively hand-wrapped.

Tasty Ribbon is a woman-owner purveyor of luxury food gifts that offers a curated line of artisanal products from Italy, all made with natural ingredients. In addition to this pear and chocolate version, it carries a full line of panettone, including one with wild berries and white chocolate from Galup, a famous pastry maker based in Turin. Prices range from $38 to $76.50.

Handmade with only the highest quality ingredients and following the family recipe, artisanal T’a Milano achieves a perfect panettone.

Fiasconaro Dolce&Gabbana Panettone with Citrus and Saffron from SupermarketItaly

SupermarketItaly is the Italian specialty grocer you wish was around the corner. Founded in 2009, this online family business sources international foods, drinks, and other imports and sends them to your doorstep.

The famed Fiasconaro pastry shop has been in Castelbuono, Sicily, since the 50s. Not only are the baked goods known around the world, but the shop has also become a popular tourist destination.

The beautiful tin on this Faisconaro panettone available from SupermarketItaly is hand-wrapped in a stunning Dolce&Gabanna design featuring bright-colored Sicilian fruits. The tin brims with a fresh, handmade panettone made with soft candied Sicilian fruits and saffron. It is priced at $68.99.

Settapani Rainbow Panettone

Settepani has been a family-run bakery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for over thirty years. It’s not surprising that this family and its founder, Chef Nino Settepani, became bakers. In Italian, the word settepani translates directly to “seven breads.” Chef Nino immigrated to the Italian-American neighborhood as a boy. His daughter Bilena is an accomplished, award-winning pastry chef.

This eye-catching, tri-color panettone is filled with raspberry, chocolate, and almond and then drizzled with chocolate and rainbow cookies, which will satiate any sweet tooth. It’s made with all-natural organic ingredients.

This panettone, a Nutella panettone, and a traditional Milanese-style one are all available with free shipping from Goldbelly. Priced from $74.95 to $79.95. New Yorkers can order them and pick them up at the bakery.

Sant Ambroeus Panettone Limited Production

The Sant Ambroeus brand dates back to 1936 when two pastry chefs opened a cafe in Milan steps from La Scala, the world-famous opera house. It became a popular meeting place for visitors and locals.

The same setting was redesigned in 2022 using traditional Milanese materials. Since then, this successful hospitality group has created restaurants, coffee bars, and a gelateria in East Hampton, Aspen, Southampton, Palm Beach, and eight locations across New York City.

This limited-production classic sweet, leavened bread is filled with candied orange, citron, lemon zest, and raisins. It comes packaged in signature Sant Ambroeus wrapping paper with a red ribbon. It is priced at $59.

Giadzy Apricot Panettone by Giada De Laurentiis

Celebrity chef and Food Network star Giada de Laurentiis sources high-quality Italian products from small, family-run producers across Italy. Her e-commerce store also includes holiday gifts, including three different types of imported panettone.

Her partner bakers at Perbellini have been crafting panettone in the province of Verona in northern Italy for 150 years. Every step of their baking process is managed by hand.

The Giadzy apricot panettone puts a fruity spin on a bread shaped like a domed flower, streaked with ripe apricot jam and glazed with crunchy almond icing. It comes in a colorful keepsake gift box. Prices range from $49 to $75.

Schar Gluten-Free Panettone

Yes, you can eat panettone if you are gluten-intolerant. Schar, which began in 1922 as a small health food and chemistry company in South Tyrol, Italy, offers a full range of gluten-free products to over 80 countries. Over time, it has become one of the fastest-growing gluten-free brands in the U.S.

Although not artisanal, Schar’s Italian sweet bread is lovingly crafted with premium ingredients and is free of artificial ingredients. It’s ideal for family, friends, and guests who want to embrace the holiday tradition and avoid gluten. Available online from Schar and many national retailers. Priced at $10.99.

Note: Most panettone serve 10-12 people and leftovers make delicious French toast the following day. Before you buy, check the package weight so you aren’t disappointed.

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