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The 8 Best Woks of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

These traditional Chinese pans offer unique and varied cooking possibilities

Three woks on a wooden table, holding stir-fry, fried eggs, and fried rice

The Spruce Eats / Will Dickey

More than 2,000 years ago, during China’s Han Dynasty, cast iron was smelt into a unique form, one where a curved bottom flared out into an expansive width ending in high walls designed to retain both heat and ingredients. The name it was given was simple: wok. In the Cantonese spoken in its region of origin, wok literally means “cooking pot.” Not particularly specific, perhaps, but neither are its uses. As time has shown, the wok's design is that of a workhorse—a multi-cooking wonder with infinite capabilities.

The best woks can do it all, but only a wok can turn out stir-fry as it's meant to be: with vegetables that are vibrant, blissfully blistered, yet tender-crisp; meat that captures a little browning without drying out; and dishes with little oil but a lot of naturally extruded flavor. Not only does a wok allow you to cook high-volume ingredients—like the vegetable-heavy dishes Asian cuisine is known for—by virtue of its tall sides, but its sloping sides also catch heat in a blooming pattern, creating different zones. Where the flames hug the bowl is where you sear; up toward the edge is where you keep warm and dry.

To help you find the absolutely best one for your kitchen, we tested 18 of the top woks side-by-side in our Lab. After comparing all of their aspects, especially how they performed, we narrowed our recommendations done to these eight.

Best Overall

Yosukata Carbon Steel Wok

Yosukata Carbon Steel Wok Pan

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    4.8/5
  • Ease of Use
    5/5
  • Performance
    5/5
  • Ease of Cleaning
    5/5
What We Like
  • Nicely balanced

  • Easy to use with one hand

  • Very responsive to heat changes

  • Compatible with all cooktops

What We Don't Like
  • Handle attachment gets hot

  • Metal helper handle also gets hot

This traditionally style wok is made from black carbon steel, a durable material that heats easily and adapts quickly to changes in temperature. The flat bottom allows you to use this wok on just about any cooktop, from gas ranges to induction burners, and also will do just fine on the grill or over an open fire. A beechwood handle gives a comfortable grip, while a metal helper handle can give you more security when transporting the wok on and off the cooktop.

We found this wok ranked highly across the board when it came to performance, durability, and ease of cleaning. We appreciate its balance and stability, which was important when it came time to stir-fry beef and toss fried rice. The lighter weight of this wok made it incredibly easy to toss and flip foods with just one hand, and most foods had very little to no sticking when it came time to plate.

After cooking, we were able to wash away everything easily with a gentle scrub and rinse, and re-seasoning with oil and a paper towel helped pull away anything that was left behind. The only thing we could really complain about were how hot the metal parts of the handles get, but that's easily solved by keeping an oven mitt or dish towel nearby to protect the hands when needed.

We recommend this for small to moderately-sized households, as it has enough capacity to cook a fair amount of food at once. At this medium-range price point, we think that this wok delivers in all areas and is worth it for anyone doing a fair amount of woking at home.

Material: Carbon steel | Oven Safe Temperature: 450 degrees | Diameter: 13.5 inches | Induction Compatible: Yes

Best Starter Set

Souped Up Recipes Carbon Steel Wok

Souped Up Recipes Carbon Steel Wok

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    5/5
  • Ease of Use
    5/5
  • Performance
    5/5
  • Ease of Cleaning
    5/5
What We Like
  • Ready to use right away

  • Affordable

  • Durable

What We Don't Like
  • Could use a helper handle

  • Slightly heavy

If cooking with a wok is fairly new for you, this starter set from Souped Up is an affordable kit that will let you get cooking right away. This set includes a flat-bottomed, 13-inch wok, wooden lid, and traditional spatula to let you flip and toss ingredients. The wok itself is made of carbon steel, the material of choice for many professionals who specialize in wok cooking. "[Carbon steel] is durable, conducts heat quickly and evenly," says George Chen, founder and executive chef of the China Live group in San Francisco.

In our tests, we found this model really easy to work with—the round handle proved to be comfortable to hold, and the pan itself felt very stable on a gas range grate thanks to a super flat bottom. The overall performance was what you would expect of a carbon steel wok: quick to heat up and adapt to temperature changes, and very durable.

We did find that this carbon steel wok was on the heavier side, so keep that in mind if you have any issues with strength or mobility. As with all carbon steel, you'll need to keep up the pan's finish by taking some time out to clean the wok and go through the seasoning process once more before storing it away. During that seasoning process, you'll need to remove the handle before placing the oven as only the wok itself is oven-safe.

Material: Carbon steel | Oven Safe Temperature: 450 degrees (wok only) | Diameter: 13 inches | Induction Compatible: Yes

Best Nonstick

Circulon SteelShield Wok

Circulon SteelShield Wok With Glass Lad

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    5/5
  • Ease of Use
    5/5
  • Performance
    5/5
  • Ease of Cleaning
    5/5
What We Like
  • Hybrid surface cleans easily

  • Top window lets you see what’s cooking

  • Browns food well

What We Don't Like
  • Expensive

  • Takes up a lot of space

This wok has the best aspects of both stainless steel and nonstick cookware. Made by Circulon, it features a nonstick surface with raised concentric stainless-steel circles. This translates to a slick, easy-to clean wok, that can still reach the temperatures needed for golden brown crispiness or an excellent sear. It also means a metal utensil won't scratch the surface, rendering your nonstick pan useless.

We love the slightly-wider-than-normal bottom that allows you to cook more food in less time. We also like the design, from the curvy, yet comfortable, handles to the inlaid glass window in the cover. That allows you to see what's happening inside whether you're making fried rice or popcorn. And while this is a big pot, it's nice enough that you'll want to keep it out and large enough to be constantly useful. It is dishwasher-safe, though you might end up hand-washing since it will take up a good amount of room.

Material: Stainless steel with nonstick coating | Oven Safe Temperature: 500 degrees | Diameter: 14 inches | Induction Compatible: Yes

Best Splurge

Mammafong Blue Carbon Steel Wok

Mammafong Pre Seasoned Blue Carbon Steel Flat Bottom Wok

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    4.8/5
  • Ease of Use
    5/5
  • Performance
    5/5
  • Ease of Cleaning
    5/5
What We Like
  • Double-baked oil seasoning

  • Lightweight at only 3 pounds

  • Can use metal utensils

  • Improves with use and age

What We Don't Like
  • Requires stovetop drying and oil rubbing

  • Cannot use soap to clean

Real deal, fresh-forged carbon-steel woks are a challenge to get up to seasoning speed. This wok takes months of work out of it for you, as it’s ready right out of the box, thanks to an intensive seasoning process. Mammafong eschews the spray-coating shortcuts and instead, seals natural oils in at an intense heat possible only with industrial ovens, baking in the oil that gives the well-polished surface a smooth, nonstick quality that won’t flake off. Another way they focus on quality is through the use of heavy, 16-gauge carbon steel.

We found this to be a wonderfully balanced wok, thanks to its flat bottom. The shape of this pan lent itself well to tossing and flipping ingredients, even when it was very full. While the wok does come pre-seasoned, we found it a bit sticky during the first few uses but it should continue to improve as the seasoning builds up over time. This wok responded well to heat, allowing us to make fluffy fried rice without burning, and stir-fried beef browned without drying out.

We cleaned this wok with soap and water, but according to Chen, the process of scrubbing, rinsing, and heating your carbon steel wok really is the best way to keep it clean—no soap is necessary. It does require stovetop drying and oil rubbing after every use, but this meticulous care ensures it continues to get better with use.

Material: Carbon steel | Oven Safe Temperature: 500+ degrees | Diameter: 14 inches | Induction Compatible: Yes

Best Budget

T-fal Jumbo Wok

T-Fal Specialty Nonstick Jumbo Wok

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    4.5/5
  • Ease of Use
    5/5
  • Performance
    5/5
  • Ease of Cleaning
    5/5
What We Like
  • Large capacity

  • Handles stay cool to the touch

  • Dishwasher safe

What We Don't Like
  • May be too large for small living spaces

  • Only oven-safe to 350 degrees

  • Not suitable for induction

This bargain is a solid choice for those just getting into the art of woking. Its nonstick interior impressed our tester, who commented that "even the most stubborn ingredients—like thinly sliced mushrooms, diced onions, and grated garlic—slid right off without leaving any residue or burn marks." This feature, in addition to its lightweight aluminum composition, might be just the boost a home cook needs to stir, flip, and steam with confidence.

We like the generous 14-inch diameter of this wok, which allows you to cook several portions at once. There's more than enough room to feed four people, to make enough food for a dinner party, or to even do a little meal-prep for your workday lunches. A long handle and stay-cool silicone helper loop provide yet another failsafe, and a flat base means anyone with a gas or electric stove can get cooking.

Material: Aluminum | Oven Safe Temperature: 350 degrees | Diameter: 14 inches | Induction Compatible: No

Best Electric

Breville Hot Wok Pro

the Hot Wok™ Pro

Breville

Our Ratings
  • Design
    5/5
  • Ease of Use
    4.5/5
  • Performance
    4.5/5
  • Ease of Cleaning
    5/5
What We Like
  • Gets hot enough for searing

  • Large enough for family meals

  • Steaming rack

What We Don't Like
  • Takes up a lot of storage space

  • Heat cycles on and off at lower temps

For true, exceptional wok cooking, the magic lies in the fingers of flames that lick up the sides of the pan. Enter this 8-quart electric wok, which has a butterfly-shaped heating pattern designed specifically to imitate exactly that. An excellent standalone solution to those frustrated with the unevenness of electric stovetop woking or who enjoy cooking with acidic foods that can't go into cast iron or carbon steel.

This 1800-watt Pro model is a serious upgrade from the standard Breville Hot Wok, offering an additional boost of energy that allows this model to cooker hotter—up to 425 degrees—and faster than before. That’s just the right formula to help you sear and seal, but 15 other heat settings make this appliance just as functional as a wok over a fire. You can warm, slow cook, deep-fry, or steam with ease, especially since the tempered glass lid has an adjustable vent that gives you better control over covered cooking. We recommend it for stir-fry, fajitas, and steaming. Plus, you can use it to make wings for a crowd.

At 15 inches across with the cool-grip handles, this modern wok channels the tribal cooking roots of its ancient predecessors. In terms of contemporary upgrades, there are plenty of those, too. The QuanTanium coating on the aluminum bowl is not only nonstick, but it’s also durable and scratch-resistant. And once the bowl is released by a convenient one-touch slide bar, it’s dishwasher-safe, too.

Material: Aluminum | Maximum Temperature: 425 degrees | Diameter: 15 inches | Induction Compatible: N/A

Best Cast Iron

Joyce Chen Cast Iron Wok

Joyce Chen Cast Iron Wok

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    4.8/5
  • Ease of Use
    4.8/5
  • Performance
    5/5
  • Ease of Cleaning
    5/5
What We Like
  • Even heat distribution and retention

  • Sturdy construction

  • Suitable for all stoves

What We Don't Like
  • Heavy

  • Slower to respond to heat changes

While carbon steel is traditionally the most popular material for a wok, a cast iron model is another option, offering similar durability and versatility. One thing to note is that cast iron is heavier, so it may not be ideal for someone who likes to flip and toss food with a flick of the wrist.  This wok by Joyce Chen comes pre-seasoned, and like all cast-iron cookware, it becomes even more nonstick with continued use. It holds onto heat for a long time, allowing your food to blister and char to flame-kissed levels, and it will last a long time if cared for properly.

Our tests confirmed that this wok is heavy, so we suggest using a metal spatula to keep things moving around. We liked this wok's wide, open surface that made it easy to toss rice, vegetables, and stir-fry beef. It heated evenly, turning out fried rice with browned, crispy grains, but it didn't quite achieve the char of a professional kitchen (which, really, is nearly impossible without the right amount of BTUs). The heat distribution and retention of this wok is excellent, and cleaning was very easy with a light hand washing. Overall we think at this price point, you're get a lot of bang for your buck with a wok that is easy to maintain and will last a long time with proper care.

Material: Cast iron | Oven Safe Temperature: 500+ degrees | Diameter: 14 inches | Induction Compatible: Yes

Best Small

Cuisinart Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Grilling Wok

Cuisinart Pre-Seasoned 10-Inch Cast Iron Wok

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    4.8/5
  • Ease of Use
    4.8/5
  • Performance
    5/5
  • Ease of Cleaning
    5/5
What We Like
  • Easy to store

  • Perfect for stove, oven, or grill

  • Distributes and maintains heat well

What We Don't Like
  • Handles get hot and remain hot

  • Cannot maneuver with one hand

Woks tend to be on the larger side, so if you're looking for a more compact option that you can use on any stove top (or even your grill), this is a fantastic pick. At just 10 inches in diameter, it's about the size of a medium frying pan with higher side walls that let you toss and flip foods with a spatula or other utensil. Made of one single piece, there are no rivets or seams to worry about so it feels very sturdy and secure.

During our tests, we liked the great color we were able to achieve when making stir-fried beef and fried rice. We appreciated the wok's even heat distribution and retention with one caveat—since the handles are also cast iron, they also hold heat, so you must handle the wok with oven mitts while it's hot. Cleaning this wok required little more than wiping it down and re-oiling it with paper towels, and over time, additional seasoning should make the surface even more nonstick than it already is.

Material: Cast iron | Oven Safe Temperature: 500+ degrees | Diameter: 10 inches | Induction Compatible: Yes

Final Verdict

Our Best Overall pick is the Yosukata Carbon Steel Wok, a top-performing, traditionally-styled wok that works with any cooktop—including open flames. For a beginner wok, we recommend the Souped Up Recipes Carbon Steel Wok since it comes with everything you'll need.

Person holding a Yosukata Carbon Steel Wok Pan

The Spruce Eats / Nick Simpson

How We Tested

We tested 18 woks side-by-side in our Birmingham, Alabama, testing lab to find out which were easiest to use and produced accurate readings. Additionally, our expert testers use certain models in their home kitchens, and regularly supply us with home-cooking insights and updates on long-term wear and tear.

We Observed

  • A wok's material matters: Cast iron will get to the high heats needed for searing and wok hei, but it's dense, which takes a long time to heat up, and can stay too hot for too long. Carbon steel and nonstick or hybrid nonstick woks will get to a high temperature quicker, and cool down fast. The material also needs to be durable due to all the moving and shaking while cooking.
  • A wok's handle is equally as important: A too-short wok handle could mean it getting too hot to handle (or worse, using a kitchen rag and risking it catch on fire). An uncomfortable handle means tossing food with two hands or arm fatigue while cooking. The worst handle is one that can't be taken off and can't go into an oven when the wok itself needs proper oven seasoning.
  • A wok's price tag is just that, a price tag: We tested a few woks more expensive than any on this list. We found that there wasn't anything extraordinary about their performance or design, and a couple were even harder to use.

We Rated

  • Design: The best woks have a classic sloped sides, enough cooking space for a 4-person household, useful handles, and look great when left out on the stove. We rated woks higher when those handles stayed exceptionally cool when over high heat.
  • Ease of Use: Woks are meant to be moved around during cooking. We assessed how easy a wok was to maneuver on the stove, especially when we were tossing food around while making stir-fry or fried rice.
  • Performance: To analyze a wok's heat conductivity and distribution, we boiled water in each, monitoring how long it took to come to a boil and how long to cool down. We also recorded how well a wok seared beef and browned rice.
  • Ease of Cleaning: Wok cooking is best with oil at high heats so you can achieve a great sear and some wok hei. But that can also mean lots of fond. We created fond in each wok and then monitored how much cleaning you'd need to get the wok back into shape for your next dinner.

About Our Testers

  • Our Lab team has spent collective decades working in professional kitchens, developing recipes, and testing kitchen gear.
  • Donna Currie, a seasoned food writer, cookbook author, and recipe developer, has tested hundreds of products for us over the past seven years. She's tested a number of woks for us, but absolutely raves about her gorgeous Circulon SteelShield Wok.
Person testing temperature in a Joyce Chen Cast Iron Wok

The Spruce Eats / Nick Simpson

What to Look for When Buying a Wok

Material

Traditional woks are constructed out of carbon steel, an alloy made of iron and carbon. It has many similar properties to cast iron: it holds heat well, can be used on any sort of cooktop (including open flame and induction), and is extremely durable. Carbon steel is lighter and less brittle than cast iron and is also more responsive to changes in heat. The malleability of carbon steel also lends itself well to shaping and pressing, so the surface of a carbon steel pan will be smooth in comparison to the rougher surface of a cast iron pan. 

However, raw carbon steel requires a lot of seasoning, and all carbon steel is higher maintenance than other materials, as it must be hand-washed, kept dry, and oiled frequently. In a home kitchen, the metallic odor will take some time and use before fading. Additionally, rounded-bottom woks are only suitable for gas stoves with a wok ring.

Cast iron is another heavy-duty material perfect for high-heat cooking because of its ability to maintain heat—this makes it the perfect choice for searing and deep-frying, and also for keeping foods warm for a long time. While cast iron requires a little bit of special care to maintain its seasoning, cookware made from this material has a very long lifespan and can be used on virtually any cooktop. This material is great for big-batch stir-fries; however, hot handles and heavy weight make it unsuitable for tossing if that’s your wok style.

As with nonstick skillets, foods cooked in nonstick woks release easily thanks to the slippery coating, and any debris leftover from cooking is easily removed. Nonstick coatings can come in a few forms, from cutting-edge ceramic to hard-anodized aluminum. However, nonstick coatings are more delicate than uncoated metals, and are prone to scratches and flaking, and historically can’t be used with metal or sharp utensils. The maximum cooking temperature for nonstick pans is usually lower than that of other materials, so if you’re looking to get the char that a traditional wok would give, you may want to opt for another version.

Stainless steel is a top choice for quality cookware because it is durable and resistant to stains and other damage. A wok made of this material will typically have a heat-conducting aluminum core surrounded by layers of 18/10 stainless steel, giving it some heft and thickness. These types of pans are not only beautiful to look at but will also stand up against sharp or metal cooking utensils without getting scratched. Plus, they are generally easy to care for.

A Calphalon Tri-ply Stainless Steel Wok displayed on a lit stove with vegetables in it
The Spruce Eats / Danielle Goldstein

Size

Home woks come in a wide range of sizes, from small 8-inch versions that are ideal for singles, all the way to 36 inches for feeding a party. A good average size to have is a 12- or 14-inch wok, which fits well on a standard stove, and can typically feed three to four people depending on their appetites. It will give you enough room to stir-fry a generous amount of food without worrying you might accidentally toss some of it out of the wok.

Round or Flat Bottom

Traditional, round-bottomed woks are meant to be used with a special stove featuring a burner that is fitted to cradle a wok. This setup creates a hotspot at the bottom while sending heat up the sides of the wok, and also allows for a smooth scooping motion to stir ingredients around. Flat bottoms are an evolutionary allowance for flat cooktops. These center the hot point on the surface that touches the burner, taking a longer time for the sides to capture and keep higher temperatures. 

If you opt for a round-bottomed wok, you’ll be more likely to create restaurant-style results, but you’ll also need a special ring to allow your burner to hold the wok—and a gas stove. If that sounds like a hassle, opt for a flat-bottomed wok—this style will sit directly on your existing cooktop without needing any special accommodations.

Person showing the bottom of a Cuisinart Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Grilling Wok

The Spruce Eats / Nick Simpson

Heating Capacity

Restaurants that specialize in wok cooking often cook at temperatures higher than you can achieve on a home stove, so a traditional carbon steel wok will easily stand up to the highest heat on your range. Cast iron and stainless steel can also withstand high temperatures—double-check with the manufacturer to verify the cooking range of your wok. Nonstick pans generally do not do well with very high heat, so if you’re looking to achieve a restaurant-quality stir-fry, you should choose a pan with a higher temperature threshold.

Maintenance

Traditional carbon steel woks can be cared for very similarly: use a non-abrasive scrubber and water to remove any debris, wipe the surface dry with a paper towel, then follow this guide to maintain its seasoning. Stainless steel woks can often go in the dishwasher but double-check the manufacturer’s guide to ensure it is not handwash only. For nonstick woks, you’ll want to use a nylon scrubber along with gentle dishwashing soap, and avoid using metal utensils or sharp implements that could damage the coating. 

Close up of Mammafong Pre-Seasoned Blue Carbon Steel Flat-Bottom Pow Wok after use

The Spruce Eats / Nick Simpson

FAQs

What is wok hei?

The common and poetic definition for wok hei is "breath of the wok." You’ve seen it in action if you’ve ever watched traditional wok cooking, the moment clearly identifiable as small flare-ups burst in and around the dish. Most importantly, it’s the vital, critical difference between limply sautéed and briskly wok-fried—an immeasurable quality that adds unplaceable depth and gorgeous warmth to stir-fried dishes.

What can you cook in a wok?

"Woks are incredibly versatile," says Chen. "Stir-frys are easy because you can toss the vegetables easily in the conical shape of a wok as it creates more even cooking. One can deep fry, steam, poach as the shape allows for more efficient use of liquids like water and oil."

What is the best way to prepare your wok for cooking?

Since heat is the most important element for successful wok cooking, you'll want to make sure your pan is preheated before adding any of your ingredients, particularly before you stir-fry. "Always heat the wok first before a dash of oil to prevent any food from sticking," says Chen. Once the oil is smoking hot, add your ingredients—you're more likely to achieve something close to wok hei this way.

Person cooking food in the Souped Up Recipes Carbon Steel Wok

The Spruce Eats / Nick Simpson

Is a gas or electric stove better for cooking with a wok?

A gas stove, while still not ideal at residential safety levels, is an improvement over electric, and a significant one if yours is equipped with a turbo burner. As regulated as they are, they still offer the dynamism of flame cooking, which travels up the wok’s walls faster and differently due to a broader emittance range. It also frees up your options to include round-bottomed woks as well—you’d just have to purchase a wok ring to hold it in place. 

What are the pitfalls of woking on an electric stove?

High heat that climbs at a steady rate up the walls of a wok is critical to this cookware’s ingenuity. With an electric range, whether it’s coil, glass, or induction, a flat bottom is your only option, so it takes longer for the sides to heat up. Unfortunately, this puts the sides’ readiness for cooking at odds with the base, which is in direct contact with the element; some ingredients may then scorch while others may never reach the browning you desire. 

What are the downsides of wok-cooking on a gas stove?

Gas burners have a dead zone in the middle, which means that although the sides of your wok will get hellaciously hot, the base will have several inches of indirect heat right in the spot you want to sear.

What is a wok ring?

Typically, a wok ring is a piece of metal that cradles the base of a round wok, keeping it in place above your gas burner and concentrating the heat around the curve of it. It’s not recommended for electric stoves and serves no purpose for induction ranges since it can’t channel emitted heat the way it can flames, and may also scratch your cooktop. It is also called a wok stand and can be used to place your round-bottomed wok on a counter or table for serving. 

What should I look out for when cooking in a flat-bottom wok?

Although flat-bottomed woks provide more direct-contact surface area for moisture to evaporate, it also creates a larger pool for it, too, which often collects faster than it can vaporize, resulting in boiled, not stir-fried, dishes. To avoid this, seek out smaller bases and higher walls for best performance.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Food is in Su-Jit Lin’s blood—particularly Chinese-American food, a unique regionalization of cross-cultural cuisine only just beginning to receive its due. The product of two generations of immigrant restaurateurs, she literally grew up in a commercial restaurant kitchen, surrounded by woks and the roar of the open fires that gave them their magical breath. Her dream home kitchen includes a range (or even just a burner!) capable of channeling that kind of wok-encompassing heat. Despite that, her theatrical skills in Chinese cooking are lacking: She still can’t flip a thing in any wok…or pan, for that matter. 

Bernadette Machard de Gramont, an LA-based writer who specializes in global food and wine content, updated our recommendations after our first round of Lab testing. After a 2-year stint at Williams-Sonoma Headquarters in San Francisco, she now researches and tests a variety of cookware, bakeware, and wine tools, and interviews field experts for their insight.

Additional reporting by
Siobhan Wallace
Siobhan Wallace
Siobhan is a freelance writer specializing in food, wine, and kitchen products. She has a Master's degree in Food Studies, passed the WSET Level 2, Wines, with Distinction, and has written two cookbooks.
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