The 7 Best Wooden Spoons of 2023, According to Our Expert Testers
Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.
Jonathan’s Spoons Spootle was the clear winner.
Food & Wine / David Hattan
The wooden spoon bears a heavy responsibility in most people’s kitchens. As the tool required for cooking or baking nearly anything, it is arguably the backbone of your utensil drawer, rack, or basket. People have relied on these versatile utensils since the Ancient Egyptians first carved one over 2,000 years ago. Wooden spoons are ideal for everyday kitchen tasks, including scraping metal pots and pans without scratching the surface and maintaining a safe temperature to the touch, even when submerged in hot liquids like broth at full boil.
As common as they are, it can be hard to remember that there are essential factors to consider when evaluating a wooden spoon. For example, spoons typically take on tasks that require a hardy stirrer; however, the thickness and wood type of any spoon (head or handle) can make or break it — quite literally. We expect spoons to stir, scrape, scoop, and serve with ease, all while holding up against high temperatures and constant use. When buying a new kitchen tool, it can be hard to determine how it will hold up in the face of steaming pots, sizzling meat, and the dishwasher. Our test kitchen is here to help. After testing 13 different top-of-the-line wooden spoons, we deemed Jonathan’s Spoons Spootle our favorite.
Jonathan’s Spoons Spootle
Best Overall
Pros: Great at stirring, comfortable to hold and clean; this is our favorite spoon.
Cons: The shallow spoon bowl isn’t ideal for serving things like oatmeal.
What’s not to love about Jonathan’s Spoons’ Spootle? The quirky design shines in any utensil holder or on any dining table. The slanted, flat edge of the spoon head and its slightly rounded corners are perfect for scraping and getting into corners, and the round bowl of its head is ideal for stirring. The Spootle held up well in our tests, only showing a little roughness on the handle during durability testing. It was certainly our favorite spoon overall, earning the highest score out of the 13 spoons we reviewed. Slightly flexible and made of cherry wood, our experts agreed it was comfortable to hold and did the job easily. It earns our confident vote for the wooden spoon suited to any kitchen needs.
Price at time of publish: $28
Material: Cherry
Length: 12.75 inches
Weight: 1.7ounces
FAAY Teak Cooking Spoon
Best Value
Pros: We love that the teak wood used to make this spoon makes it durable and water-resistant.
Cons: While the oval-shaped design works well for stirring and serving, it’s not the best for scraping up fond.
The FAAY 13.5-inch Teak Cooking Spoon is made of teak, a hardwood known for its durability and strength. This spoon exemplifies good value with its low price and durable, long-lasting material. Built to last and resist water damage, this spoon promises longevity. We were impressed by how well it broke up ground sausage during testing, especially considering the spoon head's ovular shape (as opposed to a flat edge). This design assists the spoon’s ability to scoop and serve food effectively. For anyone looking to buy a high-value wooden spoon at a low cost, The FAAY 13.5” Teak Cooking Spoon is it. It doesn’t hurt that it’s super easy to clean, too.
Price at time of publish: $11
Material: Teak
Length: 14 inches
Weight: 2.4 ounces
Sabatier All-Purpose Spoon
Most Versatile
Pros: This spoon could complete nearly every one of our tests with perfect ease.
Cons: It isn’t the most durable spoon we tested — the wood took on some light damage during our testing.
The Sabatier All Purpose Spoon is an excellent all-purpose kitchen utensil. It performed well in all our tests, showcasing a wide range of abilities. It was especially effective in our oatmeal test, where the rounded shape and bowl depth made stirring and serving effortless. The long handle lends flexibility if you use pots of various depths, and it’s proportional to the spoon head in a way that feels sturdy and capable when stirring and scraping. This wasn’t the most durable spoon we tested, as it showed some use afterward, but its versatility spoon is worth the commitment to handwashing.
Price at time of publish: $24
Material: Olivewood
Length: 13.75 inches
Weight: 2.8 ounces
Le Creuset Revolution Scraping Spoon
Best Splurge
Pros: The flat head of this spoon really gives it an edge when cooking.
Cons: The price is steeper than other spoons, but the longevity and versatility make this spoon worth it.
Le Creuset kitchen products are trusted to be well-designed and long-lasting, and this scraping spoon lives up to that legacy. Coming in around the mid-range of all the spoons we tested in weight, length, and handle thickness, the Le Creuset Revolution Scraping Spoon is a very comfortable fit whether scraping fond or serving at the table. It came out of our durability tests relatively unscathed, and while it wasn’t our favorite spoon, it did well in most of our cooking tests. The unique design style is a standout and would make this spoon fit for a luxurious hostess gift — one our testers agree is worth the splurge.
Price at time of publish: $36
Material: Maple
Length: 13 inches
Weight: 2.1 ounces
KitchenAid Universal Bamboo Basting Spoon
Best Bamboo
Pros: The thin lip of the spoon head makes this a very versatile cooking spoon.
Cons: The oval shape limits its usage to some degree.
Inexpensive, durable, and one of our highest performers, our experts agree that a cook can’t go wrong with the KitchenAid Universal Bamboo Basting Spoon. This bamboo spoon maintains a classic look while reaping the benefits of its bamboo makeup — it’s strong and lightweight, making it useful for most kitchen tasks and easy to utilize with little effort. The spoon head has a deep bowl ideal for scooping and mixing. Its only downside is that the rounded shape of the spoon head means it doesn’t scrape corners as well as it could. However, the thin lip of the spoon made it perfect for breaking up sausage and getting under food in the pan.
Price at time of publish: $6
Material: Bamboo
Length: 13.0 inches
Weight: 2.1 ounces
Epicurean Chef Series Large Spoon
Best Dishwasher-safe
Pros: This spoon is made of nearly indestructible material, and it’s easy to clean.
Cons: This wasn’t our highest-performing spoon due to its shallow design.
Richlite is a paper-based composite material that boasts a sturdy build and a waterproof surface. This was our favorite dishwasher-safe spoon, which makes cleanup quicker and hands-free for anyone worried about tending to the fickle nature of a regular wooden spoon when washing dishes. It’s also practically indestructible, showing zero signs of damage during our durability testing. It showed a fair amount of flexibility, and while on the heavier side of the spoons we tested, it wasn’t uncomfortable to handle. The shallow bowl and oval shape weren’t ideal for serving, but this spoon did well in testing. For any dishwasher-dependent cook, this is the best wooden spoon for the job.
Price at time of publish: $19
Material: Richlite
Length: 13.5 inches
Weight: 2.8 ounces
Made In The Wooden Spoon
Best for Serving
Pros: The broad spoon head is perfect for stirring and serving, and it’s pretty enough to sit at the table.
Cons: The performance of this spoon was good all around, but it has a rougher wood texture than some other spoons.
A serving spoon should get the job done across the board, and a perfect serving spoon should be designed to work together to work effectively at the table without worrying about spillage. Preferably, it would also function well when cooking. The Made In The Wooden Spoon is not just a pretty face (though it is lovely!). It proved it deserves a place in the kitchen during our tests. This spoon stirs easily thanks to the large surface of its spoon head, and its angled handle is comfortable to use. The Made In The Wooden Spoon is a perfect serving spoon in the kitchen or dining room.
Price at time of publish: $19
Material: Beech
Length: 13 inches
Weight: 2.1 ounces
Our Favorite
In every test we ran, our experts were impressed by Jonathan’s Spoons Spootle. Whether scraping fond, breaking up sausage, stirring oatmeal, or serving, this spoon does it all with finesse and efficiency. The design is pretty enough to boast about while still being effective in myriad cooking tasks. Our experts agree that the Spootle feels durable enough to last. Overall, we would recommend this wooden spoon for any level of cook.
Factors to Consider
Durability
A wooden spoon's value is found in its ability to handle hefty tasks while having longevity in step with its price. A lot of this comes down to the wood type and design of the spoon. Does the handle width and length match the spoon head enough that it won’t snap when force is applied? Is the wood water-resistant enough to manage an accidental cycle in the dishwasher? Will it show wear and tear too early in its lifecycle? Some woods, like the teak of the FAAY 13.5-inch Teak Cooking Spoon, are practically indestructible, making it a great contender for most cooks of any level.
Functionality
While the material and durability of a spoon can be a major deciding factor before your purchase is made, design, in terms of functionality, gives way to another set of options for any prospective spoon buyer. The spoon head can come in various shapes and degrees of roundedness. (Generally, the more rounded its head is, the better for stirring and serving). The lip of the spoon, its thinness, and whether the head of the spoon comes to a flat edge can determine its overall effectiveness when scraping fond or breaking up ingredients. Not to mention the depth of the bowl, which is another issue entirely — the deeper the bowl, the easier to serve from.
Cleaning
Most wooden spoons are better served by handwashing. Wood grain is often susceptible to water damage after some time, even when it’s meant to be water-resistant. The ideal wooden spoon is easy to clean well by hand and doesn’t show signs of wear and tear after just a few uses. If it’s essential that a spoon be dishwasher-safe, there are options like the Epicurean Chef Series Medium Spoon, which is made from richlite, a waterproof paper-based composite material.
The Tests
We tested 13 spoons in a wide range of materials, weights, lengths, shapes, and sizes to determine the best tool for any cook’s needs. Tests included recording general wear-and-tear on the spoon material, cooking and breaking up sausage, stirring and scraping while making oatmeal, and a durability test where we applied pressure to the handle. We ultimately rated each spoon based on performance, usability, cleanup, and durability during all these tests.
What Didn’t Make the List
Strong Contenders
OXO Good Grips Corner Spoon ($7 at Amazon)
While the flat-headed design of this spoon made it ideal for breaking up ingredients like sausage and scraping fond off the bottom of a pan, its weight made it clunky and awkward to use.
Earlywood Long Server in jatoba ($42 at Earlywood Designs)
We love how large the head of this spoon is, which made both stirring and serving a breeze. The only downside was that the wood wasn’t as durable as we would’ve liked.
Results Still Simmering
Five Two Wooden Spoons The Mix Master ($25 at Food52)
The design of this spoon is perfect for scooping; its narrow shape made it too small for serving.
OXO Good Grips Large Wooden Spoon ($7 AT Amazon)
Like the OXO Good Grips Corner Spoon, our testers liked the shape of this spoon, but its weight made it hard to use efficiently.
Low Performers
Earlywood Large Flat Saute in maple ($18 at Earlywood Designs)
The design of this spoon is chic and offbeat in a way we appreciate, but it’s too difficult to use for most of the tasks we tested it with.
Material The Wood Spoon in walnut ($20 at Material)
A beautiful spoon that broke up the sausage well. Unfortunately, the lack of a bowl on the spoon head made stirring and serving inconvenient.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of tasks are wooden spoons best used for?
<p>“I prefer to use wooden and bamboo spoons for dishes that need a good deal of stirring: thicker sauces, risotto, caramelizing onions, etc.,” says Michael Andrzejewsk, Chef de Cuisine at <a href="https://www.fishersobm.com/" data-component="link" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="externalLink" data-ordinal="1" rel="nocaes">Fisher’s</a> in Orange Beach, Alabama. “They are more friendly to non-stick and Teflon pans; I always have a nice result when using one to make a French omelet.”</p>
Which spoon is better, wood or bamboo?
<p>“I think it’s a matter of preference. Bamboo comes in a wider variety of shapes and sizes and is certainly more affordable than a good wooden utensil. I feel that wood has the benefit of a better feel in your hand; if you cook a lot, that’s very important. Regarding the environmental differences, there are arguments to be made for or against either type of spoon. Sustainability is an issue, but the transportation and processing of bamboo are also environmentally demanding.”</p>
How do you care for wooden spoons?
<p>“I don’t do anything out of the ordinary with wooden utensils. Never soak them or put them away wet. This includes not leaving them sitting in a simmering pot!</p>
How do you clean wooden spoons?
<p>“I wash my wooden utensils in soapy water, rinse them in hot water, and hand dry them. I never put them in the dishwasher or allow them to soak.”</p>
What else do we need to know?
<p>“I am of the school of thought that you can’t have enough cooking tools/toys, spatulas and spoons being no exception. We keep the tools we can’t live without in a drawer and a few boxes of less popular items in the pantry. Finding one or two you forgot about and adding them to the rotation is always fun.”</p>
Our Expertise
This article was written by Christa Glennie. Glennie has been a freelance writer and food editor for nearly 20 years. She is also the author of two cookbooks and specializes in food and drink trends, agriculture, the regional foodways of Western New York, and the restaurant business. For this piece, she interviewed Chef Michael Andrzejewsk, a classically trained chef with several James Beard Foundation nominations. He currently works as the Chef de Cuisine at Fisher’s in Orange Beach, Alabama. With experience in professional kitchens responsible for the execution of French, Japanese, Mexican, and classic New American cuisines, he’d used wooden spoons from all over the globe for countless tasks.
