Electric kettles boil water quickly and take up relatively little space on your counter. We prefer those with glass pitchers that allow you to see the water level at a glance and those with clearly visible light-up indicators to signal that the kettles were on or had finished their boiling cycle. The best kettles also have handles that feel good in your hand, pour neatly, and sit securely on their bases. Our favorite electric kettle is the fast, sleek OXO Brew Cordless Glass Electric Kettle. It boasts a comfortable handle and slow-open lid. The Cosori Original Electric Glass Kettle is nearly as fast at boiling water and weighs less than our winner; it’s our Best Buy.
If you make a lot of pour-over coffee, check out our review of electric gooseneck kettles. They hold less water than the kettles in this review but allow you to pour water more precisely, and many allow you to choose specific temperatures beyond just boiling. And if you drink hot beverages throughout the day, a hot water dispenser might be right for you. Most hold double the amount of water as electric kettles and can keep that water just below boiling for a long time. Have limited counter space? You might want to investigate our review of stovetop kettles.
Electric kettles are handy for making tea or coffee and for any cooking task that requires a few cups of boiling water, from rehydrating dried mushrooms and tomatoes to softening lasagna noodles, reconstituting concentrated stocks, or preparing a water bath for delicate cheesecakes or custards. We like them because they take a lot less time to boil water than it takes in a saucepan on the stovetop—the models we tested take from 4½ to 5½ minutes to boil a quart of room-temperature water, nearly half the time it took to boil the same volume in a saucepan.
We gathered a variety of electric kettles with pitchers made from stainless steel and glass. We didn’t test plastic models, as the plastic can release microplastics when heated and create funky flavors in the water as well.
The models in our lineup had capacities ranging from 48 to 60 ounces—the most common size for electric kettles. We didn’t have clear preferences where capacity was concerned, and all the pitchers had acceptably wide openings that made them easy to fill with water. All models also had maximum fill lines, which helped prevent us from overfilling them. However, several small design differences made some kettles much easier to use than others.
How Does an Electric Kettle Work?
There are two basic components to any kettle: a pitcher and a base. The pitcher is the part you fill with water; it typically contains a heating element. The pitcher fits into a base that plugs into an outlet. Once turned on, the base powers the heating element so that the kettle can boil water. The pitchers themselves are cordless, so you can lift them away from the base to pour, and 360-degree compatibility with their bases means that they don’t need to be oriented in a certain direction. Each electric kettle also automatically shuts off when the water boils and has a safeguard that prevents it from turning on when the pitcher is empty.
What to Look for
- Glass Pitchers: We want to see the water level as we fill each model. With glass kettles, a glance was enough. This allowed for precise filling and also helped us avoid adding too much water.
- Light-Up Power Indicator: These need to be bright and visible to signal that kettles are on or have finished their boiling cycle. Our favorite kettles both have big tabs that illuminate in blue hues that were easy to see even from across the kitchen. The tabs also function as power buttons.
We appreciated indicator lights that were bright and visible, such as the light-up power tab on this model. The tab clicks off when the boiling cycle ends.
- Comfortable Handles: These made the pitchers easy to hold steady, which is crucial when pouring boiling water.
- Slow-Opening Lids: Models with lids that lifted slowly at the push of a button ensured that hot water didn’t splash out at us.
- Secure Connection: The best models had pitchers that sat firmly on their bases. This prevented unwanted spills of hot water due to wobbling or rocking.
What to Avoid
- Stainless-Steel Kettles: It was difficult to check the water level when filling the stainless-steel kettles. Each one relied on a small window or an external gauge—the majority of which were hard to read at a glance.
- Dangerous Designs: We disliked models with lids that flipped back quickly and flicked hot water back at our hands.
- Weight: In general, the less a pitcher weighed, the easier it was to lift and use once filled with water. But in practice, differences in weight were fairly minimal and didn’t contribute to testers’ preferences. We’ve included the weights of each model in the chart for folks with hand strength or mobility issues who might need this information.
The Tests
- Record the average time required to boil 1 quart of room-temperature water
- Compare water boiled in each machine in a blind tasting
- Make pour-over coffee with water boiled in each kettle to evaluate precision and spouts
- Wash interiors by hand
- Boil 25 additional batches in all kettles
- Boil a total of 365 batches in the top models, simulating daily use for a year
How We Rated
- Power Indicator: We evaluated the size, brightness, and location of the kettles’ power indicators.
- Filling and Pouring: We assessed the comfort of the handles, precision of the pour spout, and design of the lid.
- Water Level Visibility: We considered how easy or difficult it was to check the water level in each kettle.
