best in class

The 11 Very Best Electric Kettles

Boil water with efficiency and style.

The best electric kettle is the Fellow Stagg EKG Pro.
Photo: Marcus McDonald
The best electric kettle is the Fellow Stagg EKG Pro.
Photo: Marcus McDonald

In this article

An electric kettle is one of the few appliances I keep out on my counter. I use it almost daily for hot or iced tea, depending on the season. (My current model and our best overall pick, the Stagg EKG Pro Electric Kettle, allows me to brew to exact temperatures for each.) My needs, however, may be different from your own. If you’re a pour-over coffee die-hard, a gooseneck is nonnegotiable (more on that below). If you prefer a French press, the type of spout matters less. Beyond coffee and tea, maybe you just love instant noodles and want a reliable boil when you’re hungry for dinner. Or maybe your stove takes ages to heat up so you want a vessel that can boil a lot of water quickly to decant into a pot.

To find the very best electric kettles on the market, I tested several styles myself and talked to more than a dozen experts about their favorites. I consulted a well-rounded group of people: coffee and tea professionals who are obsessive about temperature control and flow rate, along with regular cooks and other Strategist staffers with strong opinions on how they like their hot beverages. Read on to find the right kettle for you. And if you’re looking for other tools to make your morning coffee or tea, I’ve rounded up the best grinders, milk frothers, and coffee makers, too.

What we’re looking for

Pour spout

Some kettles have a classic, beak-shaped pour spout that dispenses water fairly quickly. Others have a gooseneck: a long, skinny spout shaped like a backwards “S,” snaking its way from the bottom of the kettle out and towards the top. A gooseneck pours pretty slowly, giving you a better handle over speed and the surface area you’re covering with water. This might not matter so much when filling up a mug for tea, but it is imperative for something like pourover, where the stream of water over the coffee grounds needs to be ultra-precise. I’ll also say that even if it’s not strictly necessary for everything, the chance of splashes and spills with a gooseneck is next to nothing.

Temperature settings

Like the type of pour spout, temperature settings are something you’ll care about or not, depending on what you’ll use your kettle for — and, frankly, how nitty-gritty you want to get about it. Some kettles heat to the exact degree you set (technically ideal for both coffee and tea preparations), some have pre-determined temperatures (usually tied to tea types), and some don’t have any temperature control at all. Also, some hold the temperature you want while you go about your business, while others will need to be reheated if they’re left to cool.

Volume

Finally, you’ll want to consider how much water your electric kettle will hold. Are you only making one cup of coffee every morning? Do you often offer tea to multiple guests at once? Goosenecks are generally on the smaller side, but you’ll find the exact capacity of each kettle on this list.

Best electric kettle overall

Pour spout: Gooseneck | Temperature settings: Precise temperature control and hold | Volume: 0.9 liters

The Fellow Stagg EKG Pro is the kettle I’ve been using for the past year. First things first: I know it’s on the pricey side and more expensive than most on this list. But I consider it well worth the investment — a perfect marriage of form, function, and durability that makes it truly best in class. 

It has exact temperature control in single-digit increments, plus clearly named predetermined settings for tea and coffee types (which is what I use). While the ultraprecise settings mean it takes slightly longer to reach temperature than other kettles do (it slows down as it gets close to your desired degree to ensure precision), it still takes only five minutes to reach a full boil when filled to maximum capacity. And it holds temperature, too.

I also love the gooseneck spout. The feature is found with multiple models on this list, but Fellow has optimized the flow so water comes out at the perfect rate for pour-over. I don’t personally drink that style of coffee, but having a slower stream of water is still useful: The water never splashes or overflows when I’m pouring, and I have maximum control if I ever need just a little hot water to deglaze a pan while I’m cooking.

The spout is just one of many positives of the overall design: The Stagg EKG is as counter-worthy as it is functional. Its minimal profile, clean lines, and nice color options (I have the all-white) make it what I think is the most attractive option on the market. Kyle Ramage, co-owner of Black & White Coffee Roasters, feels similarly. “It’s sturdy, and it’s eloquent,” he says. I also find the angled handle makes it comfortable to hold and pour at the same time.

If you’re interested in the Pro but can’t spend $195, Fellow still sells the original Stagg EKG model for $30 less. It doesn’t feature the preprogrammed settings (and lacks a few other perks, like the ability to change altitude and language and a chime that sounds to indicate it has finished heating). But otherwise, it shares the look, feel, and functionalities of the updated version. Indeed, it’s the one that many professionals — including tea writer Sara Shacket; Jerad Morrison, co-founder and co-CEO of Sightglass Coffee in San Francisco; and Marco Suarez, one of the owners of Methodical Coffee in Greenville, South Carolina — have been recommending to us since it originally came out six years ago (there’s a reason it’s one of only a few items that have survived countless updates to our gift guides for coffee lovers and tea lovers).

Emma’s Fellow Stagg Electric Kettle. Photo: Emma Wartzman

Best less expensive electric kettle

Pour spout: Gooseneck | Temperature settings: Precise temperature control and hold | Volume: 1 liter

I find the Bonavita nearly as impressive as the Stagg EKG on a technical level. If you go this route, you won’t give up temperature precision in one-degree increments, temperature hold, or a gooseneck spout. It has some predetermined temperatures, too, though it doesn’t actually say what they’re for outside of the instruction manual, which I don’t find as helpful as the Stagg’s markers. Otherwise, my main knock is aesthetic: It’s simply not as sleek as our best overall pick. It’s not bad-looking — just more standard appliance than design object.

The functions are very intuitive. While the Stagg EKG operates via a nondescript dial and display screen, the Bonavita has clearly marked buttons on its base: power, a plus and minus to set exact degrees, and a hold. I also appreciate the comfortable handle and stainless-steel material, which is easy to wipe down so it looks spotless. Ken Nye, owner of Ninth Street Espresso, even thinks the Bonavita has a slight edge over the Stagg EKG, beyond the lower price. “The larger capacity and faster flow rate are both helpful when using the kettle for things other than pour-over coffee,” he says.

Best simple gooseneck electric kettle

Pour spout: Gooseneck | Temperature settings: No temperature control or hold | Volume: 0.6 liters

While the Balmuda (from the maker of our very favorite steam toaster oven) comes in at a similar price point to the Stagg EKG, it may be a better choice for those who don’t need or want a high-tech option. I think it’s similarly pleasing to look at but has only a simple on-off switch. The water also heats up very quickly, in about two minutes, both because it doesn’t need to home in on an exact degree like the Stagg EKG or the Bonavita and because it’s a bit smaller overall. Still, when full, it makes plenty of hot water for a couple of mugs of tea at a time. The speed also means I can simply reheat as needed without worrying about the exact temperature hold. The spout pours gently and evenly, it’s comfortable to grip, and I particularly enjoy the light on the end of the handle that turns on when your water is heating and off and when it is done. Finally, it has a fitted, rounded base, as opposed to the wider square base of the Stagg, so if you have limited counter space, this design choice can make a difference.

Best less expensive simple gooseneck electric kettle

Pour spout: Gooseneck | Temperature settings: No temperature control or hold | Volume: 0.8 liters

Hario was the original creator of this type of spout, and though more advanced gooseneck kettles have come out since, it still commands a lot of respect, cited by several of the pros I spoke to as a solid choice. Suyog Mody, founder of Brooklyn’s Driftaway Coffee, has had his for nearly a decade. And if you’re looking to get a temperature that will work for coffee, you don’t have to overthink it: “Just boil the water, wait a minute, and then pour it,” he instructs. Mody’s colleague and coffee educator at Driftaway, James McCarthy, is also a fan: “I like the feel of it. It’s easy to handle.” While none of the professionals I talked to called out the look of the Hario in particular, I have to say, I think it’s quite attractive. Former Strategist writer Leah Muncy, who’s an avid tea drinker, owns one and agrees wholeheartedly. “I mean, just look at that little wavy handle!” she says. “Sometimes I just stare at it.”

Best large temperature-controlled electric kettle

Pour spout: Standard | Temperature settings: Precise temperature control and hold | Volume: 1.8 liters

McCarthy called out the Oxo gooseneck as his personal favorite (and price-wise, it’s just about the same as the Bonavita). But Oxo also makes this larger version with a standard pour spout, equipped with the same base as the gooseneck. It allows for temperature adjustments down to the degree and holds that temperature for up to 30 minutes. Of course, the glass body allows you to see how much water is inside, and the overall design is sleek (harder to find, in my opinion, when it comes to the larger models). Finally, the silicone on the bottom of the kettle itself allows you to set it down on any surface without worrying about damage.

Best large simple electric kettle

Cosori Electric Glass Kettle
$22
$22

Pour spout: Standard | Temperature settings: No temperature control or hold | Volume: 1.7 liters

In testing the Cosori, I found that the spout releases a very steady and controlled stream, especially for having a larger opening); there’s no splashing or spilling when I pour. And while I’m partial to the Stagg EKG, the larger volume of this one is useful for batching iced tea, as well as cleaning my sink: I fill it up, let the water get piping hot, scrub the stainless interior of my basin with a sponge, and then pour the water out all over it for a sparkling finish. I like that the kettle is made of glass because I can easily see the amount of water inside, and the handle is sturdy and comfortable to hold, too.

Strategist deals editor Sam Daly bought this same model about eight months ago and has used it nearly every day since. She’s appreciative of the quick two minutes it takes to heat up. “I can literally start the water, grab a tea bag and mug, turn back around, and it’s at a good temperature,” she says. Beyond tea, she uses this large kettle — which doesn’t have exact degree control, but she’s not particular about that — to make oatmeal and to get a head start boiling water for a pot on her stovetop (her range takes forever on its own, she says). And while her previous model would keep sizzling on the bottom even after she poured the water out, “this one automatically shuts off after I pick it up,” she says.

Best small simple electric kettle

KitchenAid Electric Kettle
$91
$91

Pour spout: Standard | Temperature settings: No temperature control or hold | Volume: 1.25 liters

Recipe developer and cookbook author Sohla El-Waylly says this electric kettle looks enough like a stovetop model that one morning her mom (whom she gifted one to) was so sleepy, she literally put it on a burner and ruined it. Luckily, El-Waylly has never done the same with her own in the seven years she’s owned it — but she does appreciate its “old-timey retro vibes,” along with the fact that its “no bells and whistles.” While that means you can’t see the water level and there’s no temperature control, it perfectly suits El-Waylly’s main needs: making tea (she’s not fussy about exacting degrees) and using a bit of boiling water for cooking, whether deglazing a pan, finishing off undercooked rice, or giving a head start to water for potatoes or pasta.

Best large electric kettle for tea

Breville One-Touch Tea Maker
$280
$280

Pour spout: Standard | Temperature settings: Precise temperature control and hold | Volume: 1.5 liters

This recommendation comes courtesy of a Strategist story written a few years ago by contributor David Schwartz — a recommendation that, when I checked in with him all this time later, still holds up. He’s been a regular tea drinker his whole life, but the ritual changed for the better when he received this (undeniably high-end) electric kettle as a gift. “It brews tea at custom temperatures depending on leaf type and flavor strength,” Schwartz writes, “but what differentiates this from less-expensive alternatives is something that almost all run-of-the-mill coffee makers do: It brews automatically, at any time of day, without you having to do anything but pour in the tea. The Breville’s pièce de résistance is a metal-mesh basket that robotically dunks loose leaves in boiled water for the exact steeping time and then removes them, resting above the water’s surface to prevent too-bitter brews or totally weak souse.”

Best less expensive large electric kettle for tea

Pour spout: Standard | Temperature settings: Standardized temperature control and hold | Volume: 1.7 liters

If the Breville isn’t worth the investment to you, Shacket recommends this Cuisinart model with preset temperatures for different types of teas. It has a full-boil button for black tea (which is also the correct setting for herbal and rooibos teas), a 190-degree button for oolong, a 185 button for white, a 175 button for green, and a 160 button for delicate teas — not to mention a French press setting. There’s also a keep-warm setting, unlike with some of the bigger models that automatically shut off and cool down once they’re done boiling.

Most stylish large electric kettle

Chantal Oslo Electric Kettle
$80
$80

Pour spout: Standard | Temperature settings: No temperature control or hold | Volume: 1.9 liters

Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo had coveted the out-of-her-price-range Stagg EKG kettle for a long time — but then she saw this equally attractive one and decided to buy it. The design reads stylishly Scandinavian; it comes in a range of pretty matte colors and features a light wood handle. “I just thought it was so nice-looking,” Corsillo says, much more in line with her and her partner’s style than the previous big one she owned with roommates. She also calls the Chantal “blissfully uncomplicated” to use. You simply fill it up and press down on a single button. The cord wraps into the base for neat storage, it holds a lot of water, and it has a comfortable grip.

Best travel electric kettle

Pour spout: Standard | Temperature settings: No temperature control or hold | Volume: 0.6 liters

This foldable electric kettle was brought to our attention by Death Cab for Cutie front man Ben Gibbard, who takes this clever contraption with him when he’s on the road (along with his portable AeroPress). “When you’re on tour, the first thing you want every morning is a really good cup of coffee,” he says. “I’d rather make it myself than be on the hunt for it. And this kettle is great because it compresses down and doesn’t take up a lot of room in your bag.” It works with a simple on-off button, which, when on, will automatically reheat your water as soon as it drops below 75 degrees. You can also adjust the voltage at the bottom, which makes it usable all over the world if you have the correct plug adapter.

Some more electric kettles we’ve written about

Our experts

• Liza Corsillo, Strategist senior writer
• Sam Daly, Strategist deals editor
• Sohla El-Waylly, recipe developer and cookbook author
• Ben Gibbard, Death Cab for Cutie frontman
• James McCarthy, coffee educator at Driftaway Coffee
• Suyog Mody, founder of Driftaway Coffee
• Jerad Morisson, co-founder and co-CEO of Sightglass Coffee
• Leah Muncy, former Strategist writer
• Ken Nye, owner of Ninth Street Espresso
• Kyle Ramage, co-owner of Black & White Coffee Roasters
• David Schwartz, Strategist contributor
• Sara Shacket, tea consultant
• Marco Suarez, co-owner of Methodical Coffee

The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best dining room decor items, coffee makers, knife sets, Japanese coffee brewer, charcoal water filter, and drinking glasses for water and more. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.

Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.

The 11 Very Best Electric Kettles