Essential Paleo Kitchen Utensils to Streamline Your Cooking
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When you embark on a lifestyle change, there will inevitably be new tools and gear needed to support you on your journey. And The Paleo Diet is no different. While we’re not saying you need to have all the kitchen utensils listed below to be Paleo, we’ve found each one helps make cooking and meal prepping Paleo foods a little easier. From an Instant Pot with 11 different cooking functions to a veggie spiralizer for making grain-free pastas, this list is designed to help you cook healthier, faster, or more efficiently.
And to inspire you even further, we’ve provided recipe examples to show how you might use these kitchen utensils with various ingredients or cooking methods. Starting a new way of eating may feel like a challenge, but we’re here to help make things a little smoother.
Under some of these recommendations you may see two options, either for different price points or diverse options to choose from. We don’t skimp on quality when selecting a less expensive option—in fact, that may be the one we prefer because our staff has tried it themselves.
We want you to feel comfortable in the choices presented to you, with the knowledge that whichever one you prefer has been vetted by cross-referencing with select trusted reviewers or tested by our staff beforehand. If you believe one of our recommendations does not fit with our Paleo standards, please let us know at help@thepaleodiet.com.
Cast-Iron Skillet
A cast-iron skillet is perfect for getting a crispy sear on meat and fish, and easily goes from the stove to the oven without worry. They require a little upkeep, but can last a lifetime.
Recipes to try with your cast-iron skillet:
- Crispy Chicken Thighs with Kale & Red Onion
- Paleo Salmon Fillets with Lemon Dill Sauce
- Pumpkin Apple Breakfast Bake
Cookware Set
Like cast iron, ceramic is one material we support for a non-toxic cookware set. We love our Caraway set in the Paleo test kitchen, but the brand can come with a hefty price tag. GreenPan is more budget friendly and rated highly by Consumer Reports for quality.
Recipes to try with your ceramic cookware:
- One Pan Bone-In Pork Chops with Apples
- Easy, One-Pot Cream of Mushroom Soup
- PaleoFLEX™ Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Multicooker
Air fryers, slow cookers, pressure cookers, and dehydrators can take up a lot of storage space—which is why we like a multicooker that can do it all! These cooking utensils are wonderful for hosting or simply cutting down hands-on cook time.
Instant Pot is a frequent winner in this category, with two of its models making the best multicookers tested by Consumer Reports in 2025. The Duo Crisp comes with 11 cooking functions, which means you’ll be reaching for this appliance time and again for a variety of recipes.
Recipes to try with your multicooker:
Blender/Food Processor
You likely already have a blender in your kitchen, and it is a practical tool in Paleo cooking. Because you may be blending nuts for homemade almond milk, nut butters, or dairy-free cheeses, we recommend a full-size blender like Vitamix or Ninja for taking on tough blends. A smaller personal blender may not cut it (pun intended).
Alternatively, a food processor can finely chop and blend ingredients as well, and often comes with multiple functions for slicing or dicing large amounts of produce and prepping dairy-free dough. If you’d like to keep your personal blender, a food processor is a great additional option.
Recipes to try with your blender or food processor:
Electric Kettle
We chose the following electric kettles for our Coffee Cart Guide after comparing reviews from Wirecutter and Consumer Reports. Though these were rated for brewing coffee, we like to think they can equally be applied to teas, warm mocktails, and any other recipe that requires hot water.
Recipes to try with your kettle:
Instant-Read Thermometer
Food safety is important to us at The Paleo Diet, so we consider an instant-read thermometer an essential kitchen utensil. They’re most often used for ensuring meats are cooked through, but they can also be used on cooling soups and sauces to check that they’re not too long in the “temperature danger zone.” ThermoWorks thermometers have been loved by our staff for years and read faster than other inexpensive versions.
Mixing Bowl Set
We love it when our cookware can double as food storage. A lidded mixing bowl set can serve many purposes, like storing salad ingredients ready to grab from the fridge and be shaken up for lunch, or crowd-please dips that travel easy.
Recipes to try with your mixing bowl set:
- How to Make Easy Batch Salads
- Paleo Banana Pancakes
- Matcha Pudding with Strawberry, Peach, and Melon
Veggie Spiralizer
A spiralizer is a must for people who still want to enjoy grain-free pastas made with veggie noodles, and allows the user to choose their vegetable of choice—from zucchini and carrots to beets and butternut squash.
If you have a KitchenAid mixer already, you can buy an attachment to create beautifully spiralized zoodles. If not, it may be helpful to get a device that can perform many other functions as well, such as the four-in-one food chopper from Fullstar, which is great for smaller tasks (compared to a food processor, above, which can tackle larger chopping tasks).
Recipes to try with your veggie spiralizer:
- Thai Chicken Curry Meatballs with Zoodles
- Sheet Pan Pork and Asian Vegetables
- Butternut Squash Latkes with Cilantro Sauce
Box Grater
No more pesky garlic presses or microplanes, because a box grater can do it all. Zest citrus or grate garlic on the smallest holes, and grate vegetables over the larger holes for zucchini fritters, sweet potato hash browns, or butternut squash tots.
Recipes to try with your box grater:
Citrus Juicer
Though The Paleo Diet does not recommend drinking an excess of fruit juices, we have a plethora of recipes that call for fresh-squeezed juice. As these amounts are usually less than one cup, a manual citrus juicer should suffice instead of a juicing machine (though we won’t stop you from living your juicing dream if that’s what you want!).
Recipes to try with your juicer:
Herb Stripper
Herb strippers may have a bit of a learning curve, but they can cut down on time spent stripping the leaves by hand. These tools are particularly handy for woody greens like rosemary, thyme, and even kale.
Recipes to try with your herb stripper:
- Lemon Rosemary Beet Chips
- Mushroom Frittata with Fresh Thyme
- Sheet Pan Flank Steak with Kale and Roasted Sweet Potato
Herb Scissors
To speed up chopping time with leafy herbs like parsley, basil, or cilantro, the multiple blades on a pair of herb scissors make for a convenient kitchen utensil to have. Most brands (including the one below) also come with a comb for removing persistent leaves from the shears.
Recipes to try with your herb scissors:
Cutting Boards
Plastic cutting boards have been shown to shed microplastics into food and breed bacteria on their surface. With a durable, quality cutting board, you’ll be safeguarding your health. Hardwood boards are less resistant to bacteria and not too harsh on knives, while paper composite boards are similar but dishwasher safe, making them a great option for prepping and slicing meats.
Mineral Oil
Hardwood and bamboo cutting boards (and other wooden cooking utensils) will last even longer with a little regular conditioning from a food-grade mineral oil. Not only does this make the wood look beautiful, but it strengthens the material and can help prevent mold and bacteria from growing.
Mandoline
We’ve covered food processors and chopping tools above for quick solutions to slicing veggies, but a mandoline can provide precision widths for making fruit and veggie chips or layered goodies. If you don’t have one of the above tools, a mandoline is another fantastic kitchen essential.
Recipes to try with your mandoline:
- Logan’s Everything Bagel Cucumber Salad
- Sweet Potato Pommes Anna
- Air Fryer Apple Chips with Autumn Spices
Vegetable Peeler
A quality, sharp vegetable peeler will make skinning fruits and veggies a breeze. But which shape you choose is up to your preference. Many love the ease of use of Y peeler, while others stick to the classic straight peeler. What’s important is to make sure you have a swivel blade (for precision peeling) made of stainless steel. And when your peeler starts to get dull, it’s time to buy a new one.
Recipes to try with your peeler:
Freezer-Safe Storage Containers
Glass and silicone are two non-toxic materials that can withstand both heat and cold. Our staff has tried and love Snapware’s glass storage containers for everyday use, but being able to bulk prep and store food in the freezer is a game changer. Souper Cubes are silicone molds made for storing soup (obviously) but can also be used for other foods like batch broths, mashed cauliflower, and more.
Recipes to store in the freezer:
Mason Jars
From aesthetically storing dry pantry goods to prepping Paleo pickles and salads, Mason jars are a versatile kitchen utensil to have around. There are many types of jars to choose from, but we like having a variety of wide-mouth jars (perfect for freezing liquids, if Souper Cubes aren’t your thing) with a screw-top lid, and flip-top jars with a rubber ring for an airtight seal.
Recipes to try with your Mason jars:
Spice Jars
Many storebought spice blends include added salts and sugars, which The Paleo Diet does not recommend. By creating your own spice mixes you’re not only ensuring that you know exactly what you’re putting in your food, but you’re free to create seasonings exactly tailored to your taste.
Recipes to store in your spice jars:
Andrea Dehnke
Andrea is the Content Manager at The Paleo Diet and has experience working with several health and nutrition publications.
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