Ethel M Review

Thursday, March 27th

2025 Chocolate Gift Basket Reviews

Ethel M

• Starting at $95
• 5 gift baskets available
• Orders over $99 ship free
• Satisfaction guarantee
• "A+” Better Business Bureau rating

With a name like Ethel M, you know this company has some deep-rooted family history. Over 40 years ago, Forrest Mars Sr. (the man behind M&Ms and the Milky Way bar) decided to make a company that was pure in its intentions and expression to create a new type of chocolates. He named his new endeavor after his mother, Ethel M, and committed to making chocolates in small batches with the finest and most unique ingredients.

5 available baskets

Chocolates can be purchased individually from Ethel M or in gift boxes/baskets. The company carries 7 chocolate gift baskets in total, but when we were shopping, 2 of them were out of stock (and limited editions), leaving us with only 5 choices. Although the selection we had looked tasty, there were far fewer options here than what we were able to get from other chocolate gift basket retailers.

An assortment of favorite flavors

You're not getting cheap Mars bars when you shop from Ethel M. The least expensive gift basket in their collection is $95, with 8 classic chocolate bars (lemon satin creme, peanut butter, caramel, dark chocolate, dark chocolate mint, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and sugar-free dark chocolate), a bag of dark chocolate almonds, and a classic collection of chocolate truffles. The other 4 gift baskets have a similar, but slightly different assortment of chocolates and prices go up to $130. All baskets come in a pebbled, brownish-gold tin basket that could easily be used for storage or as a decoration.

Free shipping on orders over $99

We were pleased to see that all Ethel M orders over $99 ship for free. Lots of chocolate gift basket companies charge nearly $20 or so for shipping, so it's really nice to find somewhere that doesn't. All gift baskets except for one will qualify for free shipping here, which is a plus.

Promised satisfaction

Ethel M does not accept returns on chocolates since they are a food item, but they do guarantee quality or they'll make it right. Gifts are sent in an insulated mini-cooler with ice packs to protect against heat damage and preserve the quality of the chocolates. If you run into an issue with your gift basket, Ethel M provides a phone number on their website for you to reach out.

Reviews are likely filtered

There are customer reviews posted on Ethel M's website that rave about the company and the chocolate gift baskets. However, every single rating gives the baskets 5 out of 5 stars regardless of which product we click on, which always leaves us a bit skeptical. As much as we hope that the gift baskets here have perfect satisfaction, this isn't always reality, so we aren't sure that the reviews here are unfiltered. Ethel M has an "A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau, though, which is a good sign. Ratings from customers other places online tell us that the flavors of chocolate here aren't quite Belgian quality, but still absolutely delicious and worth a try.

Lack of variety

We have no doubt that the chocolate baskets from Ethel M would be enjoyable, but there are so few options here that we aren't overly impressed. You could always buy a bunch of individual chocolates from Ethel M to create your own gift basket at home, but that really takes away the convenience that other companies offer. Because of this lack of diversity, Ethel M has earned an average rating.