Best Kids Cooking Tools (Budget-Friendly)

Cooking with kids can be fun and a great learning experience for them, and a few tools made for little hands can help make the process so much easier and safer. These kids cooking tools and kitchen utensils for little kids are small in scale but durable, affordable, and so easy to use!

Kids Cooking Tools

I’ve cooked and baked with my kids regularly, starting when they were toddlers, since it’s a fun way to be together and be productive. We have a few tools that we love to use to help make our experience a little easier, and I am delighted to share them with you today.

Each of these kitchen tools for kids hold up well through typical toddler wear and tear and are great additions to your kitchen (in addition to our favorite learning tower). They are all designed for little hands and can help you bake with the kids, make your favorite cookies together, and just enjoy more cooking experiences.

Below you’ll find options for little chefs for both baking and cooking projects. Each is meant for a small child to be used with supervision.

(You may also like my favorite Kids Cooking Sets, which are great gifts, and our beloved Kids Cookbooks.)

Kids’ Kitchen Utensils

In this post you’ll find safe choppers, knives, mashers, spatulas, and tools for stirring, and more. (You may also want to pick up a toddler apron to help keep messes off clothing.)

Crinkle Cutter (Also Known as Zig Zag Cutter)

This slicer is the best! It’s crazy durable and easy for 1 year-olds to use since they can use both hands/arms to press down holding the grip. (You may need to help them to start out.) Montessori families love it, and it’s good for slicing things like cucumbers, potatoes, bananas, strawberries, melon, kiwi, and any other soft-ish pieces of produce.

Stay nearby when it’s in use to help little fingers stay above the dull stainless steel cutting surface.

Under $10; good for kids 18 months and up

We use our potato masher to stir eggs and pancake batter, mix muffins, and yes, to mash potatoes, sweet potatoes, and avocado. It’s very sturdy with a silicone handle and stainless steel base—and it actually works, which is a definite advantage over many kid-specific tools.

Under $13; good for kids 18 months and up

You totally can use your regular cutting board with your child, but I like having a separate small one because the scale works so well with little kids. And the small size is easy for the kids to get out from the drawer or cabinet all by themselves—not to mention it’s cute. This one comes with a kid-safe knife, too.

Under $25; good for kids about 3 and up with the knife, 1 and up with just the cutting board

This mini cutting board is a pint-size version of the larger ones I use myself. They’re sturdy, easy to clean, and a perfect way to get the kids helping at the counter chopping ingredients like vegetables including carrots, cucumbers, apples, bananas, potatoes, and more.

Under $15; good for kids age 1 and up

This 16-ounce pitcher has a lid that stays on and is shatter-resistant, so it can survive inevitable falls. We use this for pouring liquids into batter and to let the girls pour their own water during meals. It’s a perfect way to allow the kids to have more freedom without much risk, and is a great way to work motor skills.

Under $20; good for kids 18 months and up

These little dog knives are lightweight and easy to hold, and they work well to cut soft foods like bananas, strawberries, melon, pancakes, and more. We use the scissors regularly so our young chefs can cut up their own noodles during dinner! This is a great kit for kids who like to help in the kitchen.

Under $40; good for kids 2 and up

These safe knives are great for cutting soft foods for kids around age 3 and up. They’re able to cut foods, but they are not sharp, so they’re a safe option. This set has three knives so you’ll be set for years of kid-friendly cooking together.

Good for kids age 3 and up

These are great for stirring everything from batter to pasta to oatmeal. We also like to use them with kinetic sand, and I particularly love that they’re made in one complete piece so the handle and top don’t come apart.

Good for kids 18 months and up

Busy Little Hands: Food Play

My cookbook for little kids is perfect for pairing with one of these cooking tools. The recipes are super straightforward and are all no-cook, so the kids can be safe and productive in the kitchen with you!

Best Tips for Kids in the Kitchen

• Choose easy recipes, or just parts of recipes, to start with.
• Make sure the kids are safely situated at the counter in a learning tower or at the table in their normal booster seat or high chair.
• Expect mess and allow plenty of time for the process.
• Let the kids help decide what to make together. You can even look through recipes together!
• Use larger bowls than you think you need to give the kids more room.
• A small whisk, rolling pins, and vegetable peelers can be good kids cooking tools, too.
• Check out my favorite learning towers and step stools to safely have the kids up at counter height.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please comment below.

This post was first published October 2019.