When you have a cutting board that meets all your needs, meal prep is easier and more fun. (Lisa Schweitzer/Yahoo)(Lisa Schweitzer/Yahoo)
No matter how seasoned a cook you are, a cutting board is an essential piece of kitchen gear. It ought to be easy to use and clean — and it doesn't hurt if it looks good too. If yours is worse for wear, the best cutting boards of 2025 will upgrade your lineup.
Years of experience working in restaurants and writing about food and cooking have made me a fan of wooden cutting boards over any other material. I've found that titanium and glass cutting boards are slippery and can dull chef's knives. Because of all the concerns around microplastics, we decided to focus on materials like hardwood and paper composite, rather than plastic, for this list. After testing 14 of the best cutting boards, I found one for every task, whether you're carving cooked meat, chopping raw ingredients (and want a dishwasher-safe cutting board), or serving up a cheese or charcuterie platter.
Dimensions: 18"L x 12"W x 1.25"Th | Material: Maple | Weight: 8 lbs. | Dishwasher-safe: No, hand-wash only
John Boos & Co. is legendary among chefs — the Illinois-based brand has been making top-notch cutting boards and butcher blocks since 1887. It's also the company behind one of the best nontoxic cutting boards we've found.
As for the Chop-N-Slice, I could use this wooden cutting board all day, every day. It's made of durable maple wood, and the size and thickness are large enough to handle most meal prep needs while not being too cumbersome to carry to the sink or the table.
One of the most notable features of the Chop-N-Slice is that it's made from end-grain wood (pieces of wood that have been glued together for a uniform look that won't dull knives). This is the Goldilocks of cutting boards: While its surface is large, the thickness is not overwhelming, which keeps its weight to eight pounds.
I washed the board with soap and water many times and let it air dry. It didn't retain odors, but you can always flip it over and use the other identical side if you're worried about lingering smells. Like any wooden board, this one will show some wear and tear, but you can refresh it by conditioning it every month or so with food-grade mineral oil. If soap and water aren't sufficient when working with foods that stain, like beets, you can scrub the board with a paste of baking soda and water, and it'll clean up almost as good as new.
Dimensions: 20"L x 14"W x 1.5"Th | Material: Maple wood | Weight: 9 lbs. | Dishwasher-safe: No, hand-wash only
This is one of the most stunning cutting boards I've seen — it looks like a piece of home decor. It's spacious, substantial in thickness and weight and boasts a juice groove, finger grooves and feet. These are not uncommon features, but having all of them in one package can cost a ton. Some of the other boards I tested, of a similar high quality, had only a few of those features and were more expensive.
I sliced crusty bread with a sharp serrated knife, diced beets and chopped garlic, plus other everyday tasks, on this bad boy. While beets will stain almost any wooden cutting board, this one held its own. Knife marks healed nicely, and I couldn't detect any lingering odors. This beautiful board is excellent for prep work and also for serving up cheese and charcuterie or anything else.
It arrives waxed and should be hand-washed and air-dried (the feet come in handy for air flow). As long as you can commit to maintaining it monthly, it will take center stage in your cook space for years to come.
Dimensions: 17.5"L x 12"W x 0.25"Th | Material: Plant-based composite | Weight: unlisted | Dishwasher-safe: Yes
Material Kitchen, which launched in 2019, carved out a name for itself with its reBoard, a cutting board made of plastic scraps and sugarcane. Its MK Free Board is the newest evolution, and if I didn't know better, I'd say it was made of plastic. It looks and feels like plastic, and it's dishwasher-safe. But, in fact, it's made from plant-based materials, including clay and biodegradable polymers. The company claims this board is "free of permanent micro-plastics."
I diced beets, chopped garlic and sliced up crusty bread on this cutting board, and none of them left much of an impact as far as knife marks, stains and odors. I popped it into the dishwasher numerous times and slid its slim profile right into my cabinet for storage. I love its versatility and plan to use it every time I'm prepping raw proteins like steak, pork and chicken.
It's large, features a practical juice groove and has a hanging loop hole (though, to be honest, I don't know anyone who actually makes use of those).
Dimensions: 12"L x 8"W x 0.25"Th | Material: Paper composite | Weight: 0.88 lbs. | Dishwasher-safe: Yes
The Elihome cutting board was nothing short of a pleasure to take out, use and clean. There's something to be said for cheap and cheerful kitchen tools, and this board is one of them. Silicone feet at the corners to stabilize it and a juice groove, plus the ability to throw it in the dishwasher, make this one of the most practical boards I tested.
You can't beat it on ease of use and value: It weighs less than 1 pound and rings in at under $30. After using a serrated knife, stain-prone beets and stinky garlic on it, I popped it into the dishwasher, and it came out looking and smelling practically new.
My only complaints are that the juice groove is not generous, which is an issue when you're slicing steak or carving a chicken, and if I were starting over, I'd size up to the 17-by-13-inch or even the 18-by-15-inch board for more prep space. I also wouldn't choose this board to serve up a cheese or charcuterie spread, as it's more utilitarian-looking.
Dimensions: 15"L x 10"W x 0.6"Th (largest board from a set of 3) | Material: Bamboo | Weight: 1.5 lbs. | Dishwasher-safe: Yes
With three graduated sizes of bamboo boards in this set, it's kind of a steal. The boards feature juice grooves and indented side "handles" that make transporting them easy. Unfortunately, the juice grooves do diminish usable cutting space.
Bamboo cutting boards are harder than hardwood options, so they can be tougher on your knives. But bamboo is less porous than hardwoods, and more resistant to bacteria, according to the USDA. This set can also go in the dishwasher, so if you're worried about sanitization, this may be a good pick. (Just know that the boards will last longer if you hand-wash them.)
I personally found that the material dented easily when knocked around. It's the price you pay for lightweight, slim boards that moonlight quite nicely as serving pieces and are easy to store when not in use. And they're reasonably priced, so if they do get dented and need replacing, it won't leave a huge dent in your wallet.
One final thing to note is that the company claims these boards are organic, but this gets into hairy territory. It's difficult to find certified-organic bamboo products, and Royal Craft Wood does not appear on the USDA Organic database.
My time spent testing cutting boards yielded these considerations to keep in mind when you're shopping.
Material: We limited this testing pool to wood, bamboo, paper composite and plant-based materials. What you choose will depend on whether you can tolerate handwashing a board or if you prefer to put it in the dishwasher, and how much you plan to move it around your kitchen. If you prefer a lightweight board, you may end up with bamboo, paper composite or plant-based materials. If you want a board that looks like a piece of decor on your counter, a heavier wooden option makes sense.
Size: Cutting boards come in many sizes, from something as small as 6-by-8 inches to one as large as 18-by-24 inches. If you plan to buy one that works for everything, go for the largest size you can fit in your kitchen cabinet, and if it's dishwasher-safe, in the machine's bottom rack.
Features: Look for helpful finger grips on the sides, juice grooves and feet for stabilizing the board on the counter. Check to see if the board slides around on the countertop or stays put.
Value: The boards we tested range in price from $18 to $270. The cheapest ones are made from bamboo and may not be as durable as the others, but if you don't use a cutting board daily, these might fulfill your needs. A $200+ wooden board will likely last you decades as long as you hand-wash and -dry it and periodically oil it for maintenance.
After opening each box, I noted if the boards needed to be oiled before using and how to care for them. I sliced and diced crusty bread, beets and garlic on them, using both serrated and chef's knives. I also used them for lots of everyday meal prep tasks. I washed them by hand and put those I could in the dishwasher.
To rank on our list, the boards had to excel in the following tests:
"Slip 'n slide" test: I checked to see how stable each board was on the countertop and whether it needed a wet paper towel underneath to help keep it from sliding.
"Nice slice" test: I assessed whether a serrated bread knife or a regular chef's knife made noticeable marks and whether or not these marks mended after washing and conditioning.
"Scratch and sniff" test: Everyone knows that cut garlic leaves an odor behind, however you use it. I chopped garlic on each board to see if the scent lingered after washing.
"Beet it" test: Because beets are the food I think of first when it comes to staining, I diced cooked beets and spread their juice around each board to see how easy it was to clean them afterward.
The Boardsmith Maple End Grain Cutting Board: I love this board, but didn't rate it best wood cutting board because it's even more expensive than the Jones Cutting Board with almost identical specs and features.
Made In Butcher Block: This board is solid and hefty and has a nice, deep juice groove and side indentations for handling. The very light-colored wood is more susceptible to stains, which is a real bummer as it also makes a nice serving piece for hors d'oeuvres and cheese.
Williams Sonoma Larch Wood Original Board: The thick, heavy board is high quality and less prone to staining due to its zany wood pattern. It doesn't have a juice groove, so I wouldn't use it to carve a whole chicken or slice up steaks. It does feature feet, which helps air circulate when you're drying it and keeps it stable on the counter.
John Boos R-Board Series Maple Cutting Board: Another substantial maple entry, this board is thick and stable with finger grooves on the side, but no juice groove. It's a bit rougher in texture than other maple boards and seems to stain more readily.
Ironwood Gourmet Large End Grain Acacia Cutting Board: This dark wood cutting board was a pleasure to use. It's slightly less hefty than other boards I tested and it did occasionally need stabilizing with a wet paper towel underneath, but its color makes staining less of an issue. Acacia is softer than maple, so I'm curious to see if it holds up as well over time.
Epicurean Kitchen Series Cutting Board: This is a bare bones paper composite board that's only feature is a hanging loop hole. It's certainly slim and easy to store, but it needs stabilizing with a wet paper towel. The plus is that it's dishwasher-safe and suitable for most meal prep, though nothing that requires a juice groove. It would be a good extra board to have on hand for holiday meal prep.
Cup Board Pro Cutting Board: Created by a firefighter, this paper composite board has a detachable recessed cup for chopped food. It's notably more expensive ($90) than the other paper composite boards we tested, which felt unwarranted, as the board cannot sit flush on the countertop when the plastic cup is attached.
Caraway Cutting Board: Birch wood is softer than many others and will not last as long. The Caraway medium board is on the smaller side, though it is reversible. It has a slim juice groove on the "bottom," while the "top" features a depressed section for diced foods that isn't particularly helpful.
Totally Bamboo 3-Piece Cutting Board Set: A set of three basic bamboo boards is not a bad idea for small and medium tasks like slicing citrus garnishes for drinks and serving cheese and crackers. The material isn't great on your knife edge, though, and these won't suffice when you're slicing juicy cooked proteins.
After scraping off any residual food, hand wash wooden cutting boards on both sides (getting the entire thing wet prevents warping) with warm, soapy water and a sponge. Be sure to let boards air-dry completely before putting them away. For sanitizing, the USDA recommends flooding the surface of your cutting board with a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Allow the board to stand for several minutes, then rinse with water and air dry or pat dry with clean paper towels.
It helps to store wooden boards upright, like file folders, in a kitchen cabinet organizer, so that there's airflow and moisture doesn't collect. If you use your board daily, condition the wood with food-grade mineral oil once a month to prevent drying or separation.
What is the best material for cutting boards?
The answer is what works best for you. If you prefer kitchen gear that can go in the dishwasher, then cutting boards made from paper composite or plant-based materials would be best. If you want a board that also serves as a serving piece, a wooden one is probably the best option.
Should you use different cutting boards for meat?
This is a personal preference. I like having a few boards on hand for various tasks. I use wood for general meal prep and always have something dishwasher-safe like the MK Free Board or the Elihome Essential Series board for meat and fish prep because it simply makes life easier.
What do professional chefs use for cutting boards?
We asked chef Matthew Cutolo at Gargiulo's Restaurant in Brooklyn, N.Y., to answer this: "I only use wooden cutting boards. They’re durable, heavy, gentle on my knives and built to last. My go-to is a large board that can handle everything from prepping vegetables to butchering meat. I also keep a few smaller boards on hand for a quick chop of onions, herbs or garnishes."
We received complimentary samples of some products and purchased others ourselves, but we reviewed all products using the same objective criteria.