19 best Father’s Day gifts for the dad who “doesn’t want anything”
Do Father’s Day gifting the right way this year with our favorite picks across tech, outdoors, home and kitchen and more.
Custom Lego Minifigure
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Below, I’ve rounded up the best Father’’s Day gift ideas, including products we’ve reviewed in the past along with some NBC Select staff favorites. Be sure to check shipping times to confirm that your gift will arrive on-time and avoid showing up to the celebrations empty handed.
We have a number of Lego fans on the NBC Select staff, myself included, so trust me when I say that this is the ultimate gift for your Lego-loving dad. Using Lego’s Minifigure Factory, you can build him a personalized Lego character while choosing from options for faces, hair, tops, pants and more. You can also customize his clothing with text and symbols, and the best part — you can get all this for just over $10.
If your dad is big on the outdoors, this travel coffee kit from Aeropress could be a handy addition to his next camping trip. After adding coffee and water, he can stir the mixture and then press down on the top of the Aeropress, which uses air pressure and micro-filtration to brew 1 to 3 servings of espresso, according to the brand. It can also make cold brew, and comes with a mug and a lid that doubles as a traveling case.
These golf balls are designed to be faster and optimized for control on the green, according to the brand. They have a soft feel and an aerodynamic design that’ll help the flight of your dad’s golf swing, and each are carefully measured and checked for precision. Each pack contains three golf balls, which you can get personalized with your dad’s name.
Surprise dad with a mini lip care trio to stay hydrated and protected. This lip balm trio from Jack Black includes three flavors (Shea Butter, Natural Mint and Pineapple Mint), all three of which have hydrating ingredients like cocoa butter and avocado oil, which help to plump and moisturize the lips throughout the day. The lip balms also provide much-needed protection from the sun — they absorb UVB rays and have an SPF of 25.
NBC Select commerce editor Cory Fernandez has very specific criteria when it comes to socks, and this pair from Uniqlo has been his go-to set for the last five years. “I always end up back at Uniqlo because the brand’s socks are incredibly comfortable, considerably soft and practically tear-resistant — all at a great price point,” he wrote in his review of the Colorful 50. They’re made from a cotton blend and come in over 50 colors, so you can grab your dad a pair in his favorite shade.
One simple but effective gift to consider for dad this year is a good quality t-shirt that will hold up over time, such as the popular Carhartt relaxed fit pocket t-shirt. It’s perfect for dads who prefer a comfortable and somewhat oversized fit for their t-shirts — the hem coms to just below the waist and the raglan sleeves go to a few inches above the shoulders. It also has UPF 25 to help provide protection against the sun, and it’s made from a fast-drying polyester blend, according to the brand.
This quarter-zip sweater is made from 100% organic cotton, making it soft and lightweight, according to the brand. It has a fisherman rib design that adds a hint of dimension, and has an airy, breathable feel that makes it great for wearing on its own, or layering with other pieces. It’s the ideal sweater for your dad’s next casual night out.
A good apron can make time spent in the kitchen that much more enjoyable, so whether your dad is an amateur cook or an at-home chef, this top-rated apron is sure to be a hit. It has an adjustable neck strap for maximum comfort, along with utility loops for holding tools or towels, according to the brand. The apron is made from a water and stain-resistant fabric, and is also machine washable.
These Dylan clogs are a stylish, more minimal alternative to the Classics. They have a smooth, rounded top that’s made to look like a classic mule, yet still have the comfortable softness that we all know (and love) Crocs for. They work as both indoor and outdoor slippers, so your dad can use them for days spent in the garage or the yard, or as an in-home pairing with his favorite robe or set of pjs.
Finding the perfect bag is always an ordeal, but this year you can give the gift that finally ends your father’s search. This crossbody bag is lightweight (at just over half a pound) and has an adjustable strap that’ll help your dad achieve max comfort while wearing. It has a passport-sized interior pocket, making it great for travel, an interior zip pocket, and a pocket on the strap for small essentials like lip balms or credit cards. It’s also water-repellent and machine-washable, making it the ideal all-weather option. The brand sent Fernandez a sample of this bag a year ago and he loves how spacious it is and how modern it looks. “The strap is incredibly comfortable, even when the bag is really heavy,” he says. “Plus, the small pocket on the top is the perfect place to store my glasses.
Treat your dad to at-home relaxation this year with this muscle soak from Elemis. It has antioxidant-rich essential oils from rosemary, eucalyptus and juniper to calm and relax muscles, resulting in less aches and pains from workouts and day-to-day activity, according to the brand. When you mix it with water, it creates a smoothing foam that has a calming herb scent, and it also prevents the skin from becoming dry after a bath, according to the brand.
Physical media is always a great gift, and this player is the perfect enhancement to your dad’s collection, whether he’s just starting out or has a wall full of movies. It has a compact design, and can play both DVDs and Blu-ray discs with high-resolution playback, according to the brand. It easily connects to TVs, laptops and more via the HDMI plugin, and includes a remote control and AC adapter.
Apple’s iPads are our favorite tablets, and with a faster A16 processing chip on this new model, your dad will be able to access social media, streaming, web browsing and more with faster speed than before, according to Apple. Fernandez says he uses his iPad a lot more than he thought he would — “It’s the perfect travel accessory and prevents me from getting bored on long-haul flights,” he says. “Plus, I love pairing it with a cover that doubles as a stand.” This iPad is available with 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of storage, and in a variety of colors including blue, silver, pink and more.
At-home chef dads will love this nonstick pan from Our Place, which is a durable enamel-coated cast-iron skillet. It’s the ultimate multifunctional cookware piece — your dad can use it to grill, sear, braise, fry, roast, bake, broil and more. The skillet also comes with a wooden spatula and silicone hot grip covers for handling the pan when it’s still hot. It includes a glass lid, which makes it easy to monitor food as it cooks, and is heat resistant of up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the brand.
I’ve always been more of a physical book fan, but after Onyx sent me a sample of the Boox Palma 2, I was seriously inclined to change my mind. It’s basically a stripped-down version of a smartphone, where you can download apps for music, reading and more from the Google Play store. I especially love taking mine to the gym in the mornings — I’m able to listen to music while lifting and read while on the cardio machines, all without the distractions of texting, phone calls or social media. NBC Select commerce editor Jordan Bowman also tested the Boox Palma 2 for over three weeks and it became his go-to method of reading. It’s the ideal device for dads looking to disconnect from time to time.
If your dad is into, getting into, or even just thinking about fitness, a smartwatch is a great way to help enhance his experience. After trying the Garmin Forerunner 165 for over a month, NBC Select reporter Harry Rabinowitz says it’s a robust smartwatch with “many of the brand’s best features”. Your dad can sync his phone to show call and text notifications, and also take advantage of a wide range of tracking metrics, including daily steps, calories burned, floors climbed, heart rate, running data, sleep and stress data and more. The watch only comes in one size, however you can choose between black and white colorways.
As a cool addition to summertime movie nights, cookouts or just evenings on the porch, a smokeless fire pit is a great way to take summer fun with you everywhere. This pit from Solo Stove heats the air around it, which burns off smoke before it can leave the pit, according to the brand — meaning your dad won’t have to deal with any strong smoke smell after using it. It has a removable ash pan and base plate, and also comes with a carry case for easy storage and on-the-go use.
The Beast blender makes it easy to whip up delicious smoothies, purees and more. Your dad can choose from a manual pulse or decide on one of the pre-programmed, one minute blending options, according to the brand. The blender includes a shatter-resistant and dishwasher-safe blending jug, along with a drinking lid, two storage lids, two straws, a carry cap, a straw cap and a straw-cleaning brush — everything your dad needs to get started. “This blender is incredibly powerful,” says Fernandez who tried out an earlier version of the appliance. “I also love the look of it on my shelf — it makes me more motivated to make something in it.”
This full-sized air fryer has 4-in-1 functionalities that can bake, crisp, air fry and re-crisp meals easily, according to the brand. It comes with 4- and 1.5-quart thermal shock-resistant glassware containers, and has permanently fixed heat-safe feet so you can use it on a variety of surfaces like quartz, granite, laminate and more, according to the brand. Whether your dad is cooking from scratch or just looking to warm up his favorite freezer meals, the Crispi is a handy addition to your dad’s kitchen arsenal.
I’m an associate SEO reporter at NBC Select who has given dozens of gift ideas for a variety of holidays and occasions, including the best zodiac gifts, aesthetic gifts, and fun-size gifts. For this article, I researched products across shopping categories like home, tech, kitchen, wellness and more, including previously-covered NBC Select staff favorites, and compiled the best gifts for dads to consider this year.
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