The best kitchen gifts for moms are things they actually need, but aren’t so boring they don’t feel like gifts. They’re the utensils, gadgets, and small appliances that make a mom’s life easier, and they’re made with high-quality materials and have luxe finishes.
If you’re shopping for your own mom here, you can probably think of a few kitchen tools that should have been replaced decades ago. This is your chance to upgrade your mom’s kitchen with a nonstick pan that’s actually nonstick, a fresh set of measuring cups, or a casserole dish that’s easy to clean. You’ll also find cooking gifts for busy moms who don’t have all morning to make coffee or all night to wash dishes.
Whether you’re shopping for your mom, your mother-in-law, your stepmom, your grandma, your wife, or any other mother figure in your life, here are the 16 best kitchen gifts for moms in 2023.
An easy-to-clean casserole dish
Your mom’s tater tot hotdish recipe has never changed, and that’s a good thing. But if she’s still baking it in the same Pyrex she used when you were a kid, she’s definitely due for an upgrade. The retro Olive glaze on this stoneware casserole dish from Le Creuset has all the vintage charm without the decades of baked-on cream of mushroom soup.
A Nespresso machine
If you love a mom who loves her Keurig coffee maker, give her the gift of a pod option that actually makes good coffee and espresso—and has a free recycling program to boot. This giftable bundle includes Epicurious’s top-rated single-serve coffee maker, a starter set of coffee and espresso pods, and a Nespresso Aeroccino frother so she can quickly and easily make lattes, cappuccinos, flat whites, and more. Moms with small kids will appreciate this no-maintenance method for making coffee while grandmas will love showing off their new kitchen gadget when they have their friends over for brunch on a Wednesday, because that’s a thing retired people can do.
Fancy olive oil
If the mom in your life is ready to break out of her culinary comfort zone, this gift set of infused olive oils from Brigthland is a great way to help her get started. Each of the four flavors—chili, garlic, lemon, and basil—is distinct without being overpowering, and the artist-designed bottles double as kitchen decor. A little drizzle instantly elevates everything from soups and salad dressings to grilled chicken and vegetables.
A KitchenAid pasta roller
Know an empty nester who’s already baked her way through three sourdough cookbooks and needs a new challenge? This pasta maker set comes with three attachments—a roller, a spaghetti cutter, and a fettuccine cutter—for her trusty KitchenAid stand mixer.
A new knob for her Le Creuset
Le Creuset Dutch ovens are made to last a lifetime, and with proper care they’ll last even longer than that. So if you know a mom who’s had a piece of the iconic French cookware for more than a few years, the lid is likely still sporting the original basic black knob. Give her the gift of an aesthetic upgrade with one of Le Creuset’s Signature stainless steel knobs, which are also available in gold-toned and iridescent finishes.
Dishwasher-safe cutting boards
Before I had kids, my knife skills were basic at best. But about three months into my first kid’s foray into eating solid foods, my trusty chef’s knife and I were well on our way to mastering most of the classic French knife cuts. I spent a lot of time obsessively cutting fruits and veggies into tiny, tiny pieces, and I was doing it all on my wooden cutting boards, because that’s what I had. Materials’s colorful, dishwasher safe reBoards would have saved me so much time hand washing and might have even spared my favorite cheese board that eventually warped after I left it in a wet sink overnight.
A new set of nonstick pans
If your mom’s ancient “nonstick” cookware is actually quite sticky because it lost its probably-toxic coating years ago, do everyone a favor and bust out your best holiday gift wrap for this gorgeous set of three GreenPan Reserve frypans. The gold-toned handles look and feel luxurious, the smooth ceramic coating will revolutionize the breakfast routine, and one of the five color options is sure to work well with her kitchen decor.
A lightweight cast iron pan
My mother-in-law has made very clear that at this stage of life, she wants the most lightweight version of everything. That can be a tall order when it comes to cookware, a category where heft is often an indicator of quality. Fortunately, this Japanese cast iron pan defies all expectations. It’s super thin and less than half the weight of comparable cast iron pans from Le Creuset and Staub, but performs just as well. A stay-cool handle means she can use it on the stove without an oven mitt, and the textured black enamel interior makes it dishwasher safe too.
Silicone spatulas
If your mom is anything like mine, cookware-specific utensils aren’t a thing, silly! But if you’re going to invest in new ceramic-coated fry pans for her kitchen, you need to get her on board with caring for them. Though it’s true that no ceramic-nonstick cookware will last forever, it will last a lot longer if you wash it by hand and don’t go anywhere near it with metal utensils. Help get Mom off on the right foot with a set of heat-resistant silicone spatulas. These spatulas from GIR (which stands for Get It Right) are great because each one is one single piece of silicone so you never have to worry about little bits of food getting stuck around the handle. And unlike those pricey fry pans, these can go in the dishwasher.
An air-fryer oven
If your mom still hasn’t jumped on the air fryer band wagon, give her a smart countertop oven that can also air fry. Somewhat less high tech than similar models, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Toaster Oven looks a lot like an old-school toaster oven—but it does so much more. In addition to air frying a variety of foods to crispy perfection, she can use it to bake, broil, slow cook and even rewarm pizza—all with a simple twist of a knob. The only thing she’ll have to worry about is abandoning her full-size oven in favor of this much more convenient one.
Colorful wine glasses
If your mom loves to unwind with a nice glass of red, consider a set of these colorful wine glasses from Estelle Colored Glass. Hand blown in Poland, they arrive packaged in a gift box that’s ready for you to wrap (or not).
Stainless steel measuring cups
My mom isn’t much of a baking enthusiast, which explains how she’s managed to make do without a ⅓-cup measuring cup since I was in junior high. If your mom’s set is similarly lacking, a full set of high-quality stainless steel measuring cups makes a great gift. The handles on this set from Oxo are magnetic, so they’ll all stay nested together in the drawer and reduce the risk of one cup disappearing.
An electric kettle
Is your mom a daily tea drinker? Is she still boiling her water the old-fashioned way (on the stove)? Modernize her morning routine with this aesthetically-pleasing electric kettle from Zwilling that will always reach one of six preset target temperatures and will never boil over.
A recipe journal
Here at BA, we’re big fans of saving recipes to an app, but there’s also something to be said for a hand-written record. This recipe journal is the perfect gift for a sentimental mom who always talks about passing down her favorite family recipes. You can even have it personalized so it’s like a little DIY cookbook.
An indoor herb garden
This countertop herb garden comes with everything Mom needs to grow her own fresh herbs, including seeds. No, it isn’t quite the same thing as living out some Nancy Meyers-inspired dream life in which she gets to walk outside and trim an endless supply of fresh herbs with expensive antique scissors, but it’s still instant access to the freshest herbs possible. And what home cook wouldn’t love that?
Head this way for more gift guides for folks who love to cook, eat, and drink.
