5 Best Mortar and Pestle Sets for 2025

As an aspiring cook, finding the best mortar and pestle set for your kitchen can enhance the aromas, textures and flavors of your food while also adding a deeper sense of enjoyment and authenticity to the experience. This traditional tool is a versatile kitchen staple that has assisted cooks all over the world for centuries from grinding spices or nuts to making pastes and sauces. 

What can you do with a mortar and pestle? While some might defer to a spice grinder or creatively using the bottom of a cast iron pan to crush whole spices, herbs or seeds, choosing the best mortar and pestle for your needs allows you to control the process as you grind and combine ingredients to your ideal consistency.

The process of smashing the ingredients, rather than slicing and dicing in a food processor, releases aromas, flavors and juices, enhancing the texture of the dish. In addition to grinding spices, a mortar and pestle can be used to make sauces and dressings, rustic guacamole or hummus, and homemade flavored salts or spice blends. To help find the right choice for your kitchen, here are our picks for the five best mortar and pestle sets for 2022. 

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• Best Traditional: Harold Import Co. Marble Mortar & Pestle
• Best for Easy Clean-Up: Harold’s Import Co. Mortar and Pestle With Cover
• Best Environmentally Friendly: Harold’s Import Co. Wooden Mortar and Pestle
• Best for Versatility: Harold Co. Mortar and Pestle Set
• Best Artisan: Helen’s Asian Kitchen Suribachi Set

1. Best Traditional: Harold Import Co. Marble Mortar & Pestle

The elegant Harold Import Co. Marble Mortar & Pestle is a beautiful and efficient addition to any kitchen. Made from traditional Carrara marble, this best mortar and pestle is easy to clean and sturdy enough for daily use from grinding spices for an aromatic curry to creating your own unique blend of freshly ground spices for rubs or marinades. 

2. Best for Easy Clean-Up: Harold’s Import Co. Mortar and Pestle With Cover

The best mortar and pestle for easy and efficient grinding of seeds, nuts, herbs or spices with effortless clean-up is the Harold’s Import Co. Mortar and Pestle With Cover. This stainless steel mortar and pestle is designed with convenience in mind, allowing smooth removal of its contents. The clear cover keeps spices and powders from escaping the bowl while also providing visibility to monitor for the right consistency of your ingredients. 

3. Best Environmentally Friendly: Harold’s Import Co. Wooden Mortar and Pestle

Certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, the sustainably sourced Harold’s Import Co. Wooden Mortar and Pestle is one of the best mortar and pestles for the environment. The simple design highlights the natural beauty of the beechwood while maintaining functionality, versatility and durability. 

4. Best for Versatility: Harold Co. Mortar and Pestle Set

For cooks who love efficient and organized food preparation, the Harold Import Co. Mortar and Pestle Set comes with three sizes of porcelain mortars and pestles. This best mortar and pestle set is ideal for taking on complex dishes, weekly meal prep and multi-course menus. With a small, medium and large size to choose from, you will always have the right tool for the job. 

5. Best Artisan: Helen’s Asian Kitchen Suribachi Set

Drawing inspiration from Japanese tradition, the elegant Helen’s Asian Kitchen Suribachi Set combines beauty with functionality to create one of the best mortar and pestle sets. This ceramic and maplewood set is designed with inner ridges along the mortar to help keep ingredients inside the bowl and the wooden pestle is strong enough to grind spices, seeds or nuts while minimizing friction against the bowl. 

Finding the best mortar and pestle for your kitchen allows you to explore traditional preparation methods, control the consistency of your ingredients and develop your own unique seasoning blends or sauces made from freshly ground herbs and spices. Whether you prefer the classic marble, ceramic Japanese style or a modern stainless steel, adding the best mortar and pestle for your cooking needs to your tool collection expands the possibilities for each new dish.

For even more ways to elevate your kitchen, check out chef-recommended cookware in the Cozymeal Shop.