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We tested nearly two dozen play kitchens for setup, durability, design, and more. Play Toys For Children
If you have a little chef at home, a play kitchen is the perfect tool to encourage their culinary aspirations and cognitive development. After all, chopping, mixing, preparing imaginary banquets, and all that pretend play—also known as symbolic or imaginative play—helps promote creative thinking, problem-solving, and independence.
With designs that'll make you jealous and made of durable wood or plastic, the best play kitchens effortlessly fit in with any home decor. Since they can be an investment—albeit one with a large return—you’ll need one that fits into your budget, and we're here to help.
To find the best options, we had parents and their children put 22 kitchens through multiple tests at home, evaluating their design, setup, accessories, durability, and overall value. We considered these criteria and more during testing in the real world before narrowing down our list of the best play kitchens. Moreover, we spoke with a pediatrician about what to look for in play kitchens and the benefits of pretend play. The toys on our list work with a variety of family budgets, home decor, and ages.
“This is nicer than mommy’s kitchen,” said our 3-year-old tester when he encountered KidKraft’s impressive Farm to Table Play Kitchen (thanks, kid!). The large farmhouse sink looks stylish and has enough space for washing tiny dishes and hands and rinsing veggies—complete with running water sounds and a light-up faucet. A spacious refrigerator opens to keep play food fresh, and it comes equipped with an ice maker that dispenses pretend cubes (another hit with kiddos who played with this kitchen).
Additional features include a fire-inspired light and sound cooktop, chalkboard (chalk not included), pot rack, and two collapsible storage bins with a wood print. Plus, 18 accessories come with this play kitchen, including a cutting board and pretend knife to slice the “choppable” veggies from the pretend herb garden.
After months of testing, the play kitchen showed no wear and tear. Even when we accidentally spilled a cup of coffee on it, it wiped up easily.
While the overall design of the play kitchen is sleek, the initial impression was anything but: It arrived in more than 30 pieces. However, the assembly process was simple. Thanks to its clear instructions, it took an hour and a half uninterrupted to assemble, which is comparable to other play kitchens on our list.
The Little Tikes Real Wood Kitchen With Island's 2-in-1 design stood out among the other 21 play kitchens we tested. The design includes a wooden kitchen and island—both easy to assemble and durable. The only tools we needed for assembly were a pair of screwdrivers and pliers, and fitting it all together only took about an hour. Once finished, we introduced the kitchen to an ecstatic 4-year-old who adored its vibrant blue color and accessories, like pots, pans, a butcher block, and pretend food.
Our 4-year-old kiddo used the island as a prep space before placing food in the oven, which opened like a real oven (pull down) rather than a door (to the side). With additional sounds and lights, like one in the oven to see food cooking, and easy-to-use knobs for appliances, there’s no shortage of pretend play opportunities with this play kitchen.
The price tag is about average compared to other play kitchens. Additionally, you’re paying for a trusted name brand (Little Tikes), so the play kitchen should last you through multiple years or kiddos—and, indeed, in long-term testing, this one held up like new after months of use.
More than 12 accessories come with this Little Tikes play kitchen, but only two pieces are pretend food (so you may need to purchase additional pieces if you don't already have some on hand). On the plus side, one of those accessories is unique and sure to be a hit with kids: A realistic turkey with removable legs to share with friends.
If you’re working with a small space, choosing the Hape Gourmet Kitchen means you don’t have to sacrifice functionality or style. Despite only measuring less than 2 feet wide and 1 foot deep, it has a sink to wash the dishes, a double-rack oven with clickable and turnable knobs, a spice rack, and a two-burner stove to “cook” multiple dishes at once.
Assembly of the wooden design took only 30 to 45 minutes to complete—a fast construction time compared to other play kitchens we tested. Moreover, the entire setup felt sturdy once finished, and we appreciated the gender-neutral design for all children to enjoy.
Overall, this children's play kitchen has a classic, beautiful design that fits in with any home decor. In addition, its small footprint is a bonus for those working with limited space.
This Hape kitchen doesn’t have any additional accessories, but it's still enough to keep a child busy. If you prefer to keep the same aesthetics, Hape offers play food and pretend pots and pans to match the beautiful wooden look.
A modern play kitchen will fit the bill if you want a design to blend into your home’s decor or child’s room theme. We love the sleek look of the Teamson Kids Little Chef Charlotte Play Kitchen. “It’s a super chic play kitchen; probably the most stylish we’ve seen,” says our tester, impressed by the modern gray color and plastic gold handles and accents.
The descriptive setup instructions are a blessing when putting this one together. While there were many pieces, the directions were clear, and we finished assembly in about 2.5 hours. The play kitchen is solid, showing no visible damage or scratches despite repeated slamming doors at the hands of an excited kid for over a year.
This Teamson play kitchen separates into two independent pieces: a standalone fridge and a stovetop and sink combination. An extended countertop near the sink is an ideal spot to prep pretend food, while the sticker touch screen on the fridge provides further imaginative play.
This play kitchen doesn’t come with any accessories except a cup and a few ice cubes. Teamson offers separate play kitchen accessories in stainless steel and kid-safe wood.
There are plenty of opportunities for imaginative play with this toddler play kitchen, which includes a coffee station, cooktop, sink, oven, and refrigerator. There aren’t too many sounds and lights in the kitchen, which can be a pro or con, depending on your family’s preference. For example, the stove makes a bubbling noise when kiddos cook with the included pot or pan, while the built-in coffee station features a pod machine that feels like the grown-ups'. In addition, many other accessories come with this play kitchen for toddlers, such as condiment bottles, utensils, cups, coffee pods, and more, to add to the kitchen experience.
Bonus: The kitchen is available in four color schemes, including pink.
We loved the design of Step2 Fun With Friends Kitchen because it wasn’t overly fancy, yet still had a modern style. However, the three-hour assembly was its biggest downfall. We struggled to get screws through the plastic with no holes, leaving us confused and with tired hands (we recommend an electric drill). Once assembled, though, everything felt sturdy and durable, and it held up well after multiple uses.
Wooden play kitchens have many benefits; they’re aesthetically pleasing and durable without sacrificing functionality and fun. The engineered wood of the Teamson Kids Little Chef Paris Play Kitchen consistently shows its endurance through lots of pretend play for over a year. It’s solid white with rose gold accents, standing out beautifully among your home's decor, according to one of our testers.
It took us about two hours to set up this play kitchen due to the considerable amount of steps. Fortunately, the instructions are thorough, accurate, and organized. The pictures could use enlarging for easier visibility, but they helped guide us through many small parts and screwing pieces together. The finished piece was worth it, according to our tester: “It’s simple, yet functional and beautiful. It’s a sturdy wooden set.”
The Teamson Kids Little Chef Paris Play Kitchen is like a dreamy home renovation. It features a deep farmhouse-style sink with turning faucet handles, turnable rose gold oven knobs (that also make a clicking sound), a working ice maker (three pretend ice cubes included), and a faux marble stovetop.
Bonus: All three pieces separate, so you can keep them together to create one big kitchen or place them in different places around the house.
We wish this play kitchen included accessories, but we do love how much storage it has for the items you already have or purchased separately. Two cabinet doors under the sink reveal storage space, while the oven and two refrigerator compartments also hold goodies. Our kids loved opening and shutting all the doors and cabinets of their play kitchen and pushing the button to make ice come out of the machine.
The cooktop of the Ikea Duktig Play Kitchen is quite impressive for such a compact setup. It has an electric stovetop with two “heat” settings (but with no actual heat) that glow red with the touch of a button. While these run on batteries, they shut off after a few minutes to conserve energy. Of course, the modern stovetop isn’t the only part of the play kitchen’s sleek design. We appreciated several other thoughtful details, like windows on the oven and microwave door, S-style hooks to hang accessories (sold separately), a sink, and extra storage space. One of our favorite features? A three-position adjustable height so kiddos can use the kitchen as they grow.
Setting up the play kitchen was cumbersome with lots of parts and pieces, but we assembled everything in about an hour and a half by following instructions closely (in typical Ikea fashion, these have pictures only). The fiberboard and birch plywood showed no wear and tear, even with a 5-year-old slamming the doors out of excitement.
While no accessories come with the Ikea play kitchen, we think this kitchen still has value thanks to its attractive (and durable) design.
The Janod Cooker Reverso play kitchen is a step back in time with a modern flare. This play kitchen is reversible; one side of the unit is a play kitchen, while the other resembles a laundry room. It also has features that make it feel like you’re in the '60s, like the stunning bright color and patterned wallpaper. “The kitchen is aesthetically beautiful, realistic looking, solid wood, and great because it has two sides,” says our tester.
The assembly of this play kitchen isn’t difficult, but it is tedious, with many pieces requiring screws. Unfortunately, the stovetop cracked on the upper left side when we tried to snap it on. We placed a piece of tape over the damaged area to keep the stovetop and its frame together. Thankfully, the crack didn’t affect the stovetop’s interactive elements.
Our testers’ kids enjoyed the stovetop’s pretend burners with boiling sounds, two turnable knobs on the oven, a cupboard with magnetic doors, and more fun features. The company includes seven metal accessories, from utensils to pots and pans, which our kids had a blast using to make pretend lunches and dinners. On the laundry side, there’s a washing machine with knobs, storage shelves, and a clock with turnable hands.
We’re confident this play kitchen's solid wood would last many years. However, you can’t put this play kitchen against a wall because of the reversible design. Moreover, it can tip over because the kitchen has “feet.” You may be able to use the play kitchen without the feet but read over the manufacturer’s recommendations first. There’s also the option to anchor one of the play kitchen’s sides to a wall (though you’ll need to purchase anchoring pieces).
Toymakers Melissa & Doug encourage kiddos to tap into their imaginations with this play kitchen. The design mimics a real kitchen with features like a stove, oven, microwave, storage space, and refrigerator with a working ice dispenser.
The setup process was about average and took us about 90 minutes to complete. There were 26 steps to follow, but the company labeled all the pieces and the hardware. The only additional tools we needed to finish assembling the play kitchen were screwdrivers, a wrench, and an extra pair of hands during the early steps.
A downside to this children’s kitchen was the lack of accessories. While it comes with two pretend ice cubes and a pretend grocery list, it doesn't have any pots, pans, food, utensils, or other play kitchen accessories. Otherwise, the Melissa & Doug toy kitchen set showed very little wear and tear after six months of use and remained sturdy and durable during many playtimes.
To select the best play kitchens, we sent 22 top-rated options to our editors to use with their children at home for over six months now. We assessed each play kitchen on several attributes, including:
In addition to our editors (also parents) providing detailed insights into using the play kitchens with their children, we also spoke with the following expert:
According to Dr. Ross, children typically start engaging in pretend play between ages 18 to 24 months. However, older children can benefit from a play kitchen. Our editors' kids ranged from 2 years old to 8 years old, with all kiddos engaging happily with their play kitchens.
Children who play with a pretend kitchen benefit from imaginative play, also known as symbolic play. “Some of the benefits of symbolic play are that it encourages imagination, utilizes social interactions, and helps with communication skills," explains Dr. Ross. She encourages parents to let their children imagine whatever they want, even if it's unrealistic. Allow children to get as creative as they want, but always ensure toys and furniture are safe and age-appropriate, says Dr. Ross.
Children who entertain themselves in a pretend kitchen reap the benefits of various types of play in return. Imaginative play allows children to experiment with various social roles and learn to cooperate. Moreover, this type of play encourages the growth of language, communication, and complex negotiation skills.
Parents and caregivers can encourage pretend play by leading by example. Dr. Ross suggests families take toys and start creating a story while encouraging a child to engage in pretend play.
Katrina Cossey is a commerce writer, enthusiastic shopper, and devoted mom. She spent several years in broadcast journalism but found her true passion in writing about the best products for families, pregnant people, and kids of all ages. She’s researched thousands of baby products, toys, gifts, and more and personally tested many of them. In her spare time, you’ll likely find her in the beautiful outdoors of Oklahoma with her husband and 4-year-old son. Katrina tested the KidKraft Ultimate Corner Play Kitchen with the help of her then 3-year-old, who loved the light-up stovetop, clickable oven knobs, and microwave. On the other hand, Katrina was not a fan of the four-hour assembly time (but it was worth it in the end).
Wooden Doll House Ashley Ziegler is a freelance writer who covers lifestyle, home, parenting, and commerce content for a variety of platforms. She’s a mom to 1-year-old and 4-year-old daughters and an aunt to three nieces and two nephews ranging from 5 to 11 years old. In addition to regularly scouring the internet to find the best things for herself, Ashley spends multiple hours a week researching, comparing, and writing about products specifically for kids and families.