Best Wooden Play Kitchen for Kids (they LOVE this one)

Best Wooden Play Kitchen for Kids: We took a look through some of the best wooden play kitchens - check out what we found!

Kids love imaginary play.  Whether it’s playing “house”, driving a racecar, or building a fort, they love anything that seemingly connects them to what they see from adult, in books, or on TV.  Our kids absolutely love their play kitchen, which prompted us to do a little bit of research on the best wooden play kitchen for kids.

Why wooden? Wooden toys have a few key benefits over plastic or metal:

They are more durable and last longer, they are safer for kids, they’re environmentally friendly, and over time, wooden toys are less expensive (because they rarely need to be replaced).

Let’s take a look at what’s out there.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.  See affiliate disclaimer at the bottom of the page.

The Best Wooden Play Kitchen for Kids

We took a look at a few different wooden play kitchens and took into account key factors such as quality, price, and features.  Here’s what we came up with.

Best Wooden Play Kitchen: Highest Rated

If you’re looking to get your kid the absolute best, highest rated wooden play kitchen, this is it: the KidKraft Ultimate Corner Play Kitchen Set 

It is a bit more expensive (as expected), but worth every penny if you decide to go this route due to the size, complexity, and quality (KidKraft is one of the best in the business for play kitchens). 

Honestly, this thing has more features than my real kitchen.

It has everything that a typical play kitchen has (oven, stove, sink, refrigerator), but there are a few features that really make this one shine:

Features that make this special:

  • Corner design – perfect for the corner of a playroom and gives more space for multiple kids to play on it simultaneously
  • Water dispenser actually lights up and makes realistic sounds when button is pressed
  • Burners “turn on” with lights and sounds to help make believe you’re cooking something
  • A washing machine! Not a typical play kitchen component, but now your little one can do laundry while the food is cooking. ๐Ÿ™‚

Reviews of this play kitchen rave about it being one of the best available.  It’s extremely sturdy and durable (a benefit of most wooden play kitchens compared to plastic) and kids seem to love playing with it for hours at a time.

There aren’t too many drawbacks, but here are a few worth mentioning:

Possible Drawbacks:

  • Corner design – yes, I know we listed this as a positive feature above, but if your play space doesn’t have an open corner, you may be better off with one that is straight and fits flat against a well.
  • It’s expensive. That’s kind of what you have to expect with one of the best.
  • Long assembly time – given the size and complexity of this kitchen, reviewers have found that this one takes around 3 hours to assemble (depending on how quickly you work and how many drinks you’ve had).

Also, if white kitchens aren’t your thing, this one also comes in a darker “espresso” style.

Click here to read more about this play kitchen.

Best Wooden Play Kitchen: Most Unique

This is another highly rated wooden play kitchen that doesn’t look like most others you’ll find: the KidKraft Farm To Table Play Kitchen Set.

It’s not as large as the first KidKraft kitchen we wrote about above, but this one is actually slightly more expensive (as of the time of this writing) due to its unique design.

Features that make this special:

  • Farmhouse style features – includes fabric drawers that look like wood grain, wooden countertops, large farmhouse sink, veggie planter boxes that have little chalk labels, a brick tile backsplash, and a full chalkboard to write out a menu (or anything else!).
  • Quick(er) assembly time – compared to the ~3 hours for the kitchen above, this one is expected to take only 1.5-2 hours to assemble.  Still a project, but not nearly as long as some other play kitchens.
  • Includes 18-piece accessory and play-food set; most play kitchens require you to buy these accessories separately, but this one comes with a metal pot, metal pan, metal spatula, and several other items.

Possible Drawbacks:

  • Price – it’s one of the more expensive play kitchens
  • Instructions could be more clear – a few reviewers complained that the instructions were difficult to follow. It didn’t stop the completion of the assembly, but may not be as straightforward as it could be.

If you’re looking for a play kitchen that isn’t like all the others, this one is probably for you.

Click here to read more about this play kitchen.

Best Wooden Play Kitchen: Small Kitchen / Space Saver

If space is an issue, this is a highly rated play kitchen that has a fairly small footprint (compared to most other play kitchens): Hape Children’s Wooden Play Kitchen 

And just in case it’s hard to tell from the picture, this is a dark gray color.

Features that make this special:

  • Won’t take up a ton of space – This is the main reason we selected this one in this category.  Because it is only 2 feet wide, it’ll fit in tighter spaces.
  • Includes a couple accessories – This kitchen includes a pan and spatula, in case you haven’t been able to purchase other accessories yet.

Possible Drawbacks:

  • A little light on features – this is of course the tradeoff for having a play kitchen that doesn’t take up a lot of space; you lose some of the features that other play kitchens have.
  • Great for toddlers, might be a too small/simple for older kids – For a 2-3 year old toddler, it’s the perfect size.  For older kids (4-5 and older), they will probably still enjoy this may be better suited for a larger play kitchen.

Click here to read more about this play kitchen.

Best Wooden Play Kitchen: Budget

If you still want a really nice wooden play kitchen but price is an issue, you don’t have to sacrifice quality.  This is a more simplified play kitchen that sells new for <$100.

Like some of the others on this list, it’s another KidKraft: KidKraft Little Cook’s Work Station Kitchen

It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles. However, it is still highly reviewed and functions really well as a play kitchen.

Features that make this special:

  • Price – You won’t usually find a <$100 play kitchen made by KidKraft.
  • Quicker assembly time – Estimated assembly time is 1.5-2 hours – still a long time, but shorter than the larger, more complex play kitchens.

Possible Drawbacks:

  • Smaller than you might expect – Some reviewers were surprised by the size: the dimensions are 31.5 x 12 x 28.25 inches.
  • Does not include any accessories – This of course isn’t a deal breaker as you will probably want to buy your own play kitchen accessories, but we are pointing it out given some of the play kitchens above do come with some accessories.

Click here to read more about this play kitchen.

Which wooden play kitchen is best for your kids?

That’s it for our roundup of the best wooden play kitchens – now it all depends on what you’re looking for.  Our pick is still the KidKraft Ultimate Corner Play Kitchen Set but as mentioned above, this kitchen may not be for everyone (due to price and size).  

Fortunately there are a lot of options available.  Just prepare yourself for an intense evening of assembly. ๐Ÿ™‚ And if you can find it, this is also a great product to buy second hand somewhere like Facebook Marketplace.  You’ll spend less money AND won’t have to assemble it yourself.

(Looking for another good imaginary play option? Check out our Nugget couch review!)

Let us know which wooden play kitchen you like best – leave a comment below!

Best Wooden Play Kitchen for Kids: We took a look through some of the best wooden play kitchens - check out what we found!

About Eric and Tiffany Matthews

We're Eric and Tiffany, the parents behind Cynical Parent. We're just normal parents who are navigating parenthood with both eyes wide open (probably because there's a kid yelling nearby). And of course, we're pretty cynical. Don't believe everything you read or hear, whether it's on the internet, or from a close family or friend (or even from us!). Every child is different, and what works for one may not work for another. Sometimes you just need to try and see for yourself. :)

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