This site contains affiliate links, view the disclosure for more information.
Looking for 21st birthday gift ideas that will make any 21-year-old ecstatic? Here are 32 of the absolute best 21st birthday gift ideas.
Turning 21 is one of the most exciting birthdays, so it should be celebrated accordingly!
When I was shopping for my friend's 21st birthday, I wanted to get them something memorable and a little more creative than just a bottle of booze.
While most 21-year-olds will be happy with just a case of beer or a wine bottle, if you want to buy your trendy 21-year-old best friend, daughter/son, or girlfriend/boyfriend a gift they will love, these gifts are definitely ones to consider!
This post is all 21st birthday gift ideas.
OUR TOP 21ST BIRTHDAY GIFT IDEAS:
Best Overall: Anthropologie Rose Quartz Wine Rack
"This was one of my favorite gifts I have ever received! It holds all my special wine bottle and looks so beautiful on my counter."
Best Under $25: ColourPop Eyeshadow Pallet
"This eyeshadow pallet was only $15 but the colors were so pigmented and fun! I made this eyeshadow pallet a part of my everyday makeup routine"
Most Popular: Dyson Hair Wrap
"This hair product was definitely an investment but it was so worth it. It gives my that blown out hair look every time I use it."
Best Personalized: Personalized Bathroom Bag
"For someone who travels a lot, this bathroom was was a lifesaver. Plus, I had it personalized so I could always tell it was mine."
Best For Him: Personalized Whiskey Decanter Set
"Guys are so hard to buy for but my boyfriend absolutely loved this personalized set. He uses it all the time when friends come over"
Best For Her: Gorjana Chain Necklace
"I seriously wear this necklace out all the time and get so many compliments and people asking where it is from!"
BEST 21ST BIRTHDAY GIFT IDEAS FOR HER:
1. Wine Tumbler
Now that the birthday girl can drink legally, she will most likely want to be drinking at all the social events she goes to! This includes pools, watch parties, and just social drinking around the house.
This wine tumbler is the perfect gift to keep all her alcoholic beverages cool for hours on end. You can find so many cute tumblers but this one from Target is a great deal and so cute.
2. Rose Colored Wine Glass Set
Of course, you can buy a 21-year-old a set of plain clear wine glasses but this rose-colored set is even better. These will come in handy when any of her family/friends come over for drinks or even just to decorate her bar cart. These trendy versions of wine glasses from Crate and Barrel are a set all 21-year-old girls will fall in love with.
3. "Buzzed" Drinking Card Game
Whenever you host friends over for a wine night, you need activities to keep busy; this drinking card game is the best way to do it!
"Buzzed" is a gift that will keep on giving with hours of fun cards to keep the party and conversations going!
4. Rose Quartz Wine Rack
The rose quarts wine rack from Anthropologie is one of my all-time favorite 21st birthday gifts for any trendy girl that loves kitchen decor. I seriously want to buy this for myself...
The stunning wine rack is the perfect way to display and organize wine bottles while keeping them sophisticated. Have all your friends pitch in to buy your 21-year-old a birthday gift she will be using on her kitchen counter or bar cart for years.
5. Hangover Hoodie
This gift is perfect for the day after the celebration ;). Hangover Hoodies are becoming super popular so any trendy 21 years old will recognize the brand. I just ordered my first Hangover Hoodie a few weeks ago and have been putting it to good use after my nights out.
6. Kendra Scott Ring
If the girl you are buying for this year is a jewel wearer, this ring is one-hundred-percent a 21st birthday gift idea to consider gifting!
You can always count on Kendra Scott for the trendiest and best quality jewelry; this chain-link ring is one of their newer pieces so you can almost guarantee she has nothing like it already.
{RELATED POST: 22 Perfect Gifts For Beauty Lovers That They Will Use Everyday}
7. Gold Bar Utensils Set
How cute is this bar utensil set from Target? The best part, it is only $30!
This five-piece set comes with the gold stand and all matching gold utensils perfect for creating fun new cocktails to celebrate turning 21. If you're sticking to a budget, this is the way to go.
8. Gorjana Chain Necklace
Jewelry is perfect for a birthday as special as the 21st! Gorjana has some of the best gold pieces, especially trendy gold chains and necklaces.
A ton of popular social media influencers shop this brand and the prices aren't too bad! If you want to give a high-quality necklace as a gift, this is the one to get!
9. Dyson Hair Wrap
Okay, I know what you're thinking... that much money for a hair dryer? I get it. But, this is one of the most popular hair tools on the market right now. It basically turns your hair from wet to voluminous, curly, and dry, in half the time it would normally take so it is definitely worth the investment if you really want to impress the birthday girl.
You can always go in on the gift with friends to cut down the cost! I promise this purchase will be so worth it when you see the shock and happiness on her face!
10. Travel Bag
Every 21-year-old needs a good travel bag for when they graduate college (or even before). Dagne Dover has a wide range of super cute, high-quality travel bags that will last her for years. I can guarantee this 21st birthday gift will be put to good use!
11. The Art of Mixology: Drink Recipe Book
I don't know about you, but when I turned 21 I didn't know how to make much more than a vodka cran; this drink recipe book has all kinds of fun drink recipes for the birthday girl to make now that she is legal.
If you want to go the extra mile you can buy this and then plan a day to make all kinds of different drinks from it as an additional birthday celebration!
12. iPad Mini
The new iPad Mini is the perfect gift for any 21 year old who loves keeping her life organized. I use mine to keep notes, work from, plan my day on, and so much more. You can't go wrong with giving this as a gift to any girl so consider gifting one when looking for 21st birthday gift ideas.
13. ColourPop Eyeshadow Pallet
ColourPop is one of the best and most popular eyeshadow brands. You can buy a pallet of 9 shades for only $15 dollars but the quality is still so good!
If you really want to go all out you could customize a pallet for her 21st birthday on their website and pick out all the best shades you think she will like! And there you have it, an inexpensive and custom gift that she can use all the time.
BEST 21ST BIRTHDAY GIFT IDEAS FOR HIM:
14. Custom Flask For Men
A flask is a great gift for any guy turning 21, but a custom leather flask is even better. You can buy this whole gift set on Etsy for around $30 depending on what you want to be included. The gift box is of fantastic quality and says, "Happy 21st" which is perfect!
15. Custom Name Drinking Glass
A custom drinking glass is a fun, personalized way to celebrate the legal 21-year-old. I can guarantee they will be pulling this glass out to drink any time they are watching a game or just having a beer around the house.
16. Beis Travel Suitcase
CALPAK is a well-known travel brand that creates durable luggage pieces perfect for guys.
Every 21-year-old guy will likely be traveling more than ever for school and work, so they will need a quality piece of luggage to travel with! This is the brand to choose if you want to buy the 21-year-old guy an amazing gift for his birthday.
{RELATED POST: 31 Insanely Good Graduation Gifts For Him}
17. Leather Apple Watch Band
If the 21-year-old you are shopping for is an Apple Watch owner, this leather band will be the perfect gift to replace his old one. The band looks so sleek and is the perfect alternative to the normal rubber one.
Plus, this band on Amazon is only $12! If you are on a budget but still want to buy a great 21st birthday gift for him, this is the way to go.
18. Travel Bag
Looking for 21st birthday gift ideas for guys that aren't all about alcohol? This is a great option!
If you want to buy a nonalcoholic-related gift for a guy for his 21st birthday, look into buying him a Dopp kit! I know first hand how much guys use these because my boyfriend won't go anywhere without first putting all his essentials in one when he travels.
Fossil has a ton of high-quality leather Dopp kits that he is guaranteed to love.
19. Liquor & Whiskey Bottle Gift Box
Want to give him a bottle of liquor but don't know how to make it special? This gift is a great way to give a bottle of liquor to a guy but make it a little more meaningful. The set from Etsy comes in a beautifully designed package plus the bottles come in a custom wooden box for him to keep.
This is 100% the way to go if you want to elevate your alcohol-related gift for him this year.
20. Personalized Whiskey Decanter Set
When I asked my guy friends what they would want to receive as a 21st birthday present, this was at the top of their list. I was pleasantly surprised they would suggest more than just a bottle of cheap liquor ;).
A personalized glass and decanter set is the perfect 21st birthday gift for guys. The set comes in a box with four custom glasses, a decanter, and even extra bar tools if you want to add them on!
21. Yeti Cooler
Any 21-year-old guy will need a good cooler to keep all of his refreshments cold throughout the day when he is at games, camping, traveling, or even just having a friend over. Yeti is at the top of the list when it comes to the best coolers to buy guys. They keep drinks cold for hours on end and are super durable; this gift will last him for years to come!
BEST CUSTOM 21ST BIRTHDAY GIFT IDEAS:
22. Custom Shot Glass
Custom shot glasses are always a go-to gift for 21st birthdays so it is probably not surprising this is on the list of best custom gifts to buy 21-year-olds.
The custom shot glass from Etsy is the perfect gift to say "let's party" but stay classy...
23. Customized Wine Bottle
Custom wine labels are a great way to spice up an ordinary wine bottle when you are giving it as a gift. You can either buy pre-made wine labels like this on Etsy or make your own! I have an entire post on how to make your wine bottle labels here!
24. Custom 21st Birthday Sign
Recreate this 21st birthday gift idea:
Custom 21st signs are a huge thing at my school for birthday girls to wear out to the bar the night of their 21st birthday. You have it made with all their favorite things and then have a reveal at their party! This is one of the best parts of a 21st birthday, so you have to do this for any girl turning 21!
You can get creative and make your own with cardboard, a boa, and glitter, or order one with all their favorite things on it. This Etsy seller creates handmade 21st birthday signs if you aren't the creative type!
25. Shot Book
Shot books are another tradition many 21-year-olds know and love. You basically have each of their friends/family pick a page and decorate it. Then, as the night goes on and they take more shots, they have their friend sign the page with what they drank and where. Most people don't make it to 21 shots of course but it is still a fun tradition you definitely want to be a part of for their 21st birthday!
All you need to create this custom birthday gift is a scrapbook and willing participants to create the pages! Definitely add this to your list of top 21st birthday gift ideas you need to give this year.
26. Personalized Bathroom Bag
Girls use bathroom bags religiously to keep all their makeup, hair products, or jewelry in so you can guarantee this gift will be a hit. You can gift this adorable black and white bathroom bag from Minted customized with their name on it to make it even more special.
27. Birthstone Necklace
The birthstone necklace is gorgeous and comes in cute 21st birthday packaging. It will be the perfect reminder of her special day. She will absolutely love this sentimental 21st birthday gift and wear it all the time.
28. Letter Ring
You obviously can't go wrong with jewelry for any 21-year-old, so this ring from Amazon is the perfect piece to give her. The best part? It is only $7. How's that for a 21st birthday gift for her on a budget!
I actually have this ring and wear it all the time. It still looks great after months of wear so she won't even know you got it for such a great deal.
29. Personalized Box With Their Favorite Things Inside
If you really want to buy a personalized gift for her 21st birthday, create a box of her favorite things! Buy a cute custom box for her that she can keep for years and then stuff it with gift cards, makeup, jewelry, and alcohol shooters to celebrate her 21st. She will absolutely love opening this to see all her favorite things.
I also created a list of fun stuff you can stuff her personalized box with that you can order straight from Amazon. Check it out here!
30. Monogrammed Serving Board
Serving trays are always a safe bet when it comes to gift-giving. You can order this serving tray from Crate and Barrel in any letter! I am currently obsessed with this marble, wood, and gold tray so I know any 21-year-old will love to receive it as a gift too.
31. Personalized Travel Jewelry Case
We all know the struggle of trying to travel with jewelry just to find it a tangled mess when you get to your destination. The custom travel jewelry organizer from Mark and Graham is one of my favorite 21st birthday gift ideas. It can be customized to have any initials on it and will keep all her jewelry safe and organized during travel.
32. Engraved Necklace
I mentioned gifting a Gorjana necklace before and I will do it again. Gorjana has a ton of stunning gold jewelry pieces but you can also order customized pieces. This chain necklace can have any name, monogram, or initials added to it to make gifting jewelry even more special. You seriously can't go wrong with picking a necklace when looking for your 21st birthday gift ideas.
This post is all about 21st birthday gift ideas.
Other Posts You May Like:
