What Types of Oranges Are Best for Citrus Gift Baskets?

Looking to buy or make your own citrus gift basket with oranges? Discover the best types of oranges to include in your next gift basket that everyone will love.

Is it the fun, festive color of the skin, or the bright, sweet taste of the fruit? When you’re talking about oranges, it’s both! And with a dizzying variety of oranges to choose from, how do you know which one is best for citrus gift baskets?

You can put together the perfect mix of oranges!

Read our short guide to selecting oranges below and create a gift everyone on your list will love.

The Classic Navel Orange

When putting together a citrus gift basket, you can’t go wrong when you include the Cara Cara Navel orange. It’s the classic fruit found in a gift basket and enjoyed by even the most discriminating citrus fruit lover.

Navel oranges are seedless—a huge plus for anyone who prefers to peel and eat with no fuss. They’re also the perfect size. A big orange means a juicier orange and a more filling snack.

We call the Navel a classic because of it’s consistent high-quality. It’s also the definitive choice for a timeless gift appropriate at any time of year.

Who doesn’t look forward to a basket of sweet juicy fruit starring the Navel orange? You can't beat the health benefits either!

The Beautiful Blood Orange

Of course, we think all oranges are beautiful, but the blood orange is in a league of its own.

When you peel a blood orange, you might feel a little awkward calling it an orange. The flesh inside isn’t orange at all—instead, you’ll find a beautiful red fruit under the orange peel. 

What makes the blood orange so popular aside from its unique shades of red and the fact that it doesn't have seeds, is the flavor. Blood oranges with their hint of raspberry flavor, are often even sweeter than Naval oranges.

Cara Cara Navel Oranges

They’re exotic. They’re sweet. They’re the perfect orange to include in a basket of citrus fruit.

The Cara Cara Navel orange is loved for its unique color and flavor. On the outside, it looks like any other orange, but on the inside, you’ll discover a deep rosy red, delightfully sweet treat. 

These oranges are versatile! Include them in your gift basket because they taste fantastic but also because they make great snacks and an excellent addition to salads.

The Orange That Is Not an Orange

Believe us when we tell you we’re not trying to sneak anything into your gift basket that doesn’t belong, but no citrus gift basket is complete without Honeybells!

Maybe you’ve heard that Honeybells aren’t really oranges. It’s true! Honeybells, also called tangelos are hybrids—a tangerine crossed with a grapefruit.

Honeybells have a heavenly sweet honey flavor with just a touch of tart. Don’t wait too long to order since their peak season is late January and early February.

Are You Giving Citrus Gift Baskets This Year?

Whether you choose Navel, Cara Cara Navel, blood oranges, or Honeybells, when you give a fruit basket, you’re gifting something memorable. Every time the recipient peels an orange and enjoys the sweet fruit inside, they’ll think of you! It’s never the wrong time of year to give citrus gift baskets. 

Try our seasonal citrus box while its available...the Craft Citrus Club!

Our Rio box is a 15-lb curated box of our fresh-harvested citrus from South Texas. The fruit is NOT gassed, rather it is tree-ripened. Our season runs from Nov-May for  oranges, grapefruit and mandarins.

Our Grande box is a 30-lb box of either fresh-harvested Rio Red Grapefruit or Sweet Oranges from South Texas.