Be it slicing and dicing onions or peppers to carving succulent meats, the best cutting boards are an essential kitchen tool. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or amateur, a quality cutting board can make all the difference to your food prep, saving you time in the long-run.
But with so many different types of cutting board on the market, it can be tricky to know which one is suitable for your needs. From wood and rubber boards to non-porous plastic, there is one to suit every home and budget. Other things to consider include weight, durability, how easy it is to clean, and cost. Prices can start from as little as $20 right up to $200 upwards for the premium boards, so cost is an important factor.
So whether you’re after wood, plastic or rubber, we’ve selected the best cutting boards to suit every kitchen need, lifestyle and budget.
You may also want to check out what the 5 things I learned from testing cutting boards to help you choose.
What are the best cutting boards
After extensive testing, we found the best cutting board to be the OXO Good Grips Carving and Cutting Board. This scored highly across the majority of our tests, with a durable yet lightweight design. Plus, it has convenient features such as the soft, carrying grip and a drip-catcher to avoid messy spills.
For something more solid and heavy-duty, the John Boos Maple Countertop Cutting Board is the best wooden cutting board we’ve tested. We loved the strong, wood construction and wide lipped design to secure onto the edge of the countertop.
If you are after durability, the NoTrax Sani-Tuff Premium Rubber Cutting Board is the best choice for large prep tasks and is built to last.
The best cutting boards you can buy today
The OXO Good Grips Carving and Cutting Board is the best cutting board we tested. It’s well constructed from a food-grade, hard plastic composite, making it solid yet lightweight. This also means it can withstand heat, which is handy if you want to carve your poultry while fresh out of the oven.
We love the non-porous, translucent surface that doesn’t trap odors or stains from pigmented foods. In fact, it performed well in all of our tests where we chopped ‘staining’ vegetables such as beets, red onions, oranges and carrots. After each test, there were no stains in sight while any residual juice sat on the surface. What’s more, the OXO Good Grips has a convenient drip-catcher to prevent any run-offs, so you can simply pour out any juices from the corner.
This cutting board is easy to use, and thanks to its non-slip pad, it remains sturdy and secure during cutting. The soft grip edges make it easier to lift and carry around, while both sides are usable, with one side being smoother than the other. However, we found that cutting raw meat on the smoother side was more challenging as there was less grip on this surface. The size of the board is rather large, so suitable for large prep tasks or cutting multiple fruits and veggies at once. Bear in mind the size may be too big for smaller countertops at 21 inches long.
Similarly, while it’s dishwasher safe, it could be too big to fit in the lower-rack snugly. In any case, it’s light enough to carry to the sink and handwash in seconds. While it may not have the ‘wow’ factor in appearance, its quality, convenience and ease of use makes it our top pick.
If you’re after a heavy-duty, professional grade cutting board, this John Boos wooden board is a great option. As one of the best cutting boards, it’s solidly-built in a natural, maple wood, and designed with a lipped edge to grip onto the countertop. This gives it extra stability when chopping multiple prep tasks. In addition, it has a juice groove to catch any oils or liquids that may run off, and the board is reversible too.
Before first use, you must treat with the Boos ‘mystery oil’ provided or a natural unbleached beeswax and food grade mineral oil. We found the surface smooth and solid, and we were impressed by its non-staining abilities (even with beets!). The convenient lipped design made it easy to use, and it remained stable throughout our chopping tests. Plus, there were no knife dents or nicks that you’d expect to see on a wood grain.
Bear in mind, at 13 pounds the board is extremely heavy to lift and handle, and was one of the heaviest we tested. As it’s hand wash only, this makes it difficult to lift to the sink and clean properly.. You also need to frequently treat the board after use to protect the wood and prevent it from cracking over time. While some people may find this a little time-consuming, how well you care for it will make it last the distance. What’s more, it looks attractive and will look great in any kitchen.
With its medium hardness and innate water resistance, teak would seem an ideal wood for cutting boards—and TeakHaus’s heavy-duty entry backs this up making it one of the best cutting boards.
Working with this stunning, edge-grain board is a snap, thanks to its expansive dimensions that simplify prepping and arranging multiple ingredients at once. All but the deepest cuts tend to vanish on the rich, dark surface; cleanup is a dream, with tough stains (like chipotle chiles in adobo) wiping away with just hot, soapy water; and because teak needs less oiling than other woods, it’s as low maintenance as cutting boards get.
Note, though, that the smallest version of this board measures 16x12x1.5 inches and weighs 10 pounds, and the largest comes in at 24x18x1.5 inches and 15 pounds. Getting one that’s too big will complicate cleaning, storing, and even just lifting it. In addition, teak’s high silica content may accelerate the dulling of your knives over time.
But find your perfect match and you may just discover, as we did while testing, that TeakHaus’s cutting board can solve many of your cooking problems.
The Joseph Joseph Chop2Pot Cutting Board will save precious time when it comes to quick, daily prep jobs. Its folding design means that once you’re finished chopping, you simply squeeze the handle to fold the sides in, and then you can pour the ingredients directly into your pot without spillage. Alongside that clever feature, it’s constructed in a durable plastic with a soft grip handle, non-slip feet and hanging eyelet. This makes it lightweight to carry around and ideal to store, especially if you lack the space to display a large cutting board.
In our tests, we liked the textured surface that made chopping fruit, vegetables and raw meat easy to cut without pieces sliding around. However, one thing to ensure is that the grip is flat on the countertop to prevent the board from moving out of place, otherwise this could be a safety hazard.
In addition, veggies such as beets and red onions didn’t stain the plastic, however, oranges left a puddle of juice sitting on the surface, which was inconvenient to dispose of. Although the Chop2Pot is easy to clean with soapy water and is a convenient size to fit in the dishwasher. Overall, the Chop2Pot is one of the best cutting boards for smaller prep tasks only, as it will not hold plenty of food. I found this was the case when chopping various veggies at once. Although it does come in three sizes to suit your needs. The main selling point here is the handy folding feature that will certainly make cooking a lot more convenient.
Though bamboo doesn’t instantly come to mind when I think of Sweden, Ikea’s Lämplig Chopping Board may change that. This thoughtfully designed cutting board sports a couple of handy, uncommon features: a milled canal on one side for catching juices and a single raised edge that either anchors the board to the counter or acts as a mini-backsplash, depending on positioning.
In our tests, the Lämplig proved highly capable whether mincing herbs, chopping up vegetables, or slicing pizza, with cuts mostly disappearing into the warm-toned bamboo surface. We even found that tough stains like chipotle chiles in adobo could be washed away with just hot, soapy water.
Only two things hold back the Lämplig. The first is that the canal only sits on the top-side with the edge, which limits the reversibility. The second is the board’s otherwise laudable size: at 18×20.8×0.8 inches, it gives you plenty of room, but it’s too big to fit under standard-height cabinets if you stand it up to dry or season. If you can put up with that, though, you won’t find too many more inconveniences with the excellent Lämplig.
If you’re after a heavy-duty cutting board, the NoTrax Sani-Tuff is built like a workhorse. Constructed from 100% high density, anti-microbial rubber compound, it’s designed to be durable with a non-skid surface. This also means that the surface doesn’t absorb liquids, bacteria or odors.
It’s very heavy, so lifting and carrying it around the kitchen may be an issue for some. However, the solid and sturdy design makes cutting vegetables and raw meat a much easier task, without sliding around. Generally, we found the NoTrax cutting board easy to use, performing well in our ‘staining’ tests, with hardly any absorption of pigment from the beets or carrots. Its large surface area is also sufficient for large prep tasks or multiple jobs at a time, which is why it’s one of the best cutting boards right now.
The only disappointment was the visible knife marks on the surface of the board. However, this can be resurfaced with sanding if you have a little patience. In addition, cleaning is hand wash only and simple to do with soapy water, but may take some effort due to its size and weight. The NoTrax cutting board is also available in different shapes and sizes to suit your cooking needs. It comes at a steep price, but for that you get a heavy-duty board which is built to last.
If you favor a lightweight cutting board over big and cumbersome, the Epicurean Kitchen Series Cutting and Chopping Board is ideal. It’s constructed from RichLite paper composite, meaning it’s non-porous, heat-resistant and eliminates lingering odors and bacteria. Best of all, it is super light to carry at 1.5 pounds, which is ideal if you don’t want to struggle with a hefty cutting board.
While it’s not as chunky as the best wooden chopping boards, don’t be fooled. It does have a strong, solid surface and if you can overlook the ‘clacking’ noise as you chop, you can quickly slice and dice small portions with ease. More importantly, it performed well in our ‘staining’ tests, thanks to the non-porous surface. However, it was too small and awkward to cut raw meat portions, and did display a few knife nicks after testing.
The only thing missing from the Epicurean cutting board is the addition of non-slip feet or grips, which was disappointing. This would help it hold firmly in place on the countertop as it tends to move from time to time. We also noticed that the board is considerably flat, so it would benefit from a drip-catch feature for any liquids that run-off. This was the case after cutting juicy oranges and tomatoes. Having said that, the board is very easy to clean and can also be placed in the dishwasher. What’s more, it’s the perfect size to handle, user-friendly and can be hung up for storage. The Epicurean cutting board is ideal for small prep jobs or for households that won’t necessarily need a massive cutting board.
If you’re a keen cook who often uses multiple cutting boards at once, the Joseph Joseph Folio cutting board set is a great buy. The four colour-coded boards are tiered in a stylish storage case, with an easy-to-grab, stainless steel handle to easily lift out. This is handy for when you want to select a board to quickly slice and dice ingredients. Each board is made from durable plastic and is lightweight to lift and carry around.
We liked the double-sided, textured surface for better grip, while it also ensured no knife marks after chopping. The non-slip pads on the corners make each board extra sturdy on the countertop too. As a result, it performed well, allowing us to cut fruit, veggies and raw meat with ease. The board didn’t stain when cutting beets and red onions either.
Another bonus to having colour-coded boards is you can assign different boards for veggies and raw meat. That way, you can avoid the risk of cross-contamination and have more flexibility. What’s more, the boards are easy to clean with soapy water and are dishwasher safe.
We liked the Folio’s user-friendly and versatile appeal. Not only is it ideal for everyday use, but it makes for an attractive feature to your kitchen. You also have the option of choosing from two sizes and a range of stylish colors to suit your tastes. However, the surface is probably not ideal for large tasks such as carving a chicken or other meats. In which case, you’d need a bigger cutting board for convenience. A minor negative is the storage case is prone to fingerprints, oil splashes and marks, so you’ll need to clean it often to keep it in top shape.
If you’re a home chef who loves the environment as much as your endive, Material’s The reBoard makes a compelling addition to your kitchen. This BPA-free cutting board is made with 75% recycled plastic and 25% renewable sugar cane, so you can feel good about where it came from and what has gone into it. Luckily, you can also feel good about it as a cutting board.
Measuring about 14.8×10.8×0.4 inches and weighing 1.9 pounds, this reversible board is neither huge nor hefty, but it offers sufficient slicing and chopping space. Its heavily textured surface keeps it anchored to the counter and makes most of your knife marks invisible. We experienced no trouble dicing onions or mincing jalapenos, and chipotle chiles in adobo sauce couldn’t stain it. Even so, it’s dishwasher safe, with a hole in one corner that makes it easy to both store and carry.
If you care about how it’s likely to fit in with your kitchen decor, the board comes in five eye-grabbing colors. But simply caring about either the environment or just having a fine, if small, cutting board to add to your arsenal is more than enough reason to consider The reBoard.
This edge-grain cutting board from Shun Cutlery, a major Japanese knife manufacturer, is a comfort and pleasure to use. It’s made of hinoki, a Japanese cypress with natural antibacterial and antifungal properties well suited to the kitchen; Shun also touts the ability of the citrus-scented “medium-soft wood” to “preserve the edges” of your cutlery. We found it indeed had a faint scent, but we were interested to see how it handled everyday use.
Our testing bore this out, and the board excelled at all normal cutting tasks while also cleaning up stain-free, which is why it’s one of the best cutting boards. (Shun recommends wetting the board before each use to facilitate this, which you may not always find desirable.) The board looked fairly beat up by the end of our first round of tests, though, and had acquired a myriad deep, visible cut by the end — that’s the softness of the hinoki for you. At least the board is reversible, although only one side has the handsome Shun logo branding in the upper-left corner.
Whether this board will prove beneficial to your knives or a solid long-term investment will depend on how (and how much) you cook. It’s certainly soft on the blade, but you need to be prepared for some knife marks on the surface as a consequence.
How we tested the best cutting boards
We called in nine cutting boards of varying materials, sizes and designs to see which could deliver every respect. First, we looked at how easy it was to cut fruit, vegetables and raw chicken on each surface, and whether it had sufficient grip.
Next, we cut vegetables with strong pigmentation such as beets, red onion and carrots to see if the surface would stain. Then, we considered how durable the board was by testing for knife dents or nicks, as well as dropping each onto the floor to see if it would break easily. Luckily, none of the cutting boards chipped or showed any signs of damage.
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