The Best Play Kitchen for Kids

Looking For The Best Play Kitchen Of 2022?

Are you looking to buy one of the best play kitchen sets of the year for your children? Look no further!

Here, at Kitchen Appliance Lab, we review kitchen appliances and share tips and tricks that will hopefully make your kitchen life easier.

In this article, we’re going to do things a little differently. We’re going to review some kids play kitchens!

A play kitchen is a toy kitchen that has realistic features and sometimes have realistic sights and sounds.

These play kitchens help your kids pretend to cook and work in a kitchen.

We love them because we love cooking, and a play kitchen can help your kids to love to cook, also.

In addition to that, it’s not a screen!

It’s tough to get your kids off of a screen and doing something with their hands. A play kitchen gives them the opportunity to do something fun that’s not on a tablet, television, or phone.

A play kitchen can introduce your little ones to important life skills, not only working together but also creativity as they pretend to cook food.

It can turn your children into little chefs!

It can also help improve fine motor skills, it can provide hours of fun, and can be a bonding experience for your little one with friends or for all of your children together.

A best play kitchen isn’t just something that you should buy on a whim. Best play kitchens are big, bulky, expensive, and often require hours of setup.

Not only that, but you need to plan on where it’ll go.

Play kitchens tend to be big and heavy. Some can even weigh up to 100 pounds!

It’s important to look at its dimensions and look around your living space to see where it might go.

Therefore, it would probably be a good idea if you gave this Best Play Kitchen article a glance in order to make sure that you’re covering all your bases!

Before we dig into everything, we want to share the every play kitchen that we’ll be reviewing.

What’s the Best Play Kitchen?

KidKraft Uptown Espresso Kitchen

If you’re looking to give your kids the top of the line play kitchen experience and do it while keeping things affordable, this may be the play kitchen for you!

This KidKraft Uptown Espresso play kitchen is a top of the line toy!

It has the following features –

• Real, usable, chalkboard surface on freezer
• Refrigerator, freezer, oven, and microwave all have doors that open and close
• See through doors
• Shelving for pans and accessories
• Cabinets that open and close
• Durable particle board wood construction
• Kid-friendly design
• Granite style countertops
• Cordless phone
• Oven knobs that turn and click
• Easy to assemble
• Easy to follow instructions

This KidKraft play kitchen is a sturdy, realistic-looking kitchen set that will provide hours of cooking fun for your chef children for years to come.

It’s affordable, easy to set up, and will last you for years to come.

This toy kitchen set is made for kids 3 years old and older, specifically, it says up to 7 years old.

It’s not made for children under 3 because there are small parts. However, there is no reason why a child older than 7 can’t play with it. So it may not be the best play kitchen for toddlers, but it’s great for older children.

This play kitchen weighs 60 pounds and its counter height dimensions are 22 inches from the ground to the countertop.

As with every kitchen play set, it’ll help improve your child’s motor skills while they have fun. It’s large enough for 2-3 children to play with at the same time. And although it does not come with play food or other accessories, it’s a high quality toy kitchen.

It has a 90 day warranty, which you may not think is a alot, but it actually is. Think about the time you bought a toy and it came with a one year warranty, that’s right, never!

And although it has a warranty, KidKraft is one of the best toy makers in the world, so I don’t think you’ll need it.

Step2 Lifestyle Custom Kitchen Playset

This Step2 Play Kitchen is one of the most affordable play kitchens on the market. Just like KidKraft is one of the best kitchen makers in the world, so is Step2!

And best of all, it has all of the features that your kids will love.

• Granite looking countertops
• Decorative plate rack
• Storage shelf
• Great for toddlers
• Kid friendly design
• Sink with faucet
• Ice maker
• Recycle bin and pull-out drawer
• Special frying pan and boiling pot with electronic frying and boiling sounds
• Oven, microwave, refrigerator, and storage space
• Includes a 20 piece kitchen accessory set

Step2 is a company that makes various kinds of kids play kitchens. They make kitchens that have fun realistic effects and yet are affordable.

It has a height of 41.5 inches, a width of 28 inches, and a weight of only 28 pounds. Because of it’s slightly smaller size, this is a great kitchen play set for a toddler or for a smaller child.

The kitchen features a stovetop burner that makes sounds when the frying pan is on it. So it’s like your little chef is actually cooking while using the burner!

It’s made from all plastic parts, which makes it super light and easy to move. It does need 4 AA batteries in order to run the sound effects properly.

Overall, this unit is one of the smaller units we’re reviewing, so hopefully, it’ll be easy to move and easy to place somewhere in your house.

The biggest downside to it is that assembly can be kind of a pain. An electric screwdriver is recommended, but if you don’t have one, you can still use a regular screwdriver, it’ll just take a little longer to assemble.

The Step2 Grand Walk-In Play Kitchen and Grill

Looking for what can only be described as a baller kitchen set for your kids?

This might be the one for you!

The Step2 Grand Walk-In kitchen and grill is a top of the line kids toy kitchen that will keep your little ones entertained all day long!

• Eat-in station
• Barbeque grill
• Large enough for 3-4 children
• Kid-friendly toy appliances
• Plenty of storage space
• 103 piece accessory set included (kitchen accessories included may vary)
• Play food included
• Cabinets with doors that open
• Great for toddlers
• Kid-friendly design
• Play cookware included
• Lights and sounds for stovetop and grill
• Strong seamless double-wall construction
• Easy to clean
• Low maintenance
• BPA and Phthalate free
• Only 33 pounds
• Batteries included
• Recommended for children 24 months to 8 years
• 36 inches wide
• 50 inches tall

Yes, your kids will absolutely love this kitchen. It has realistic sounds and lights that will make your children feel like they’re really cooking. It’s hours of fun and has so many features, it’ll take all day just to explore them all!

It’s large enough to walk into and has all of the features that your child would want.

The 103 piece set of accessories is massive and includes play food, kitchen toys, and many other accessories. This is one of the best toddler kitchen play sets and one of the few that the recommended age is for a 2 year old.

Therefore, it’s great for a toddler and good for an older child, also. If you have multiple children, then getting this one may be the way to go because children of all ages can have fun with it.

Your child will love to play with this best in class, enormous, kitchen set!

However, it does have its drawbacks.

It’s a pain to set up! Be ready to spend over 2 hours to set it up, and that’s if you have a power drill.

Without a power drill, it’ll easily take over 3 hours.

In addition to that, the instructions are terrible!

It really has no other drawbacks. If you can get past the setup, then your kids will love you for it!

Step2 Heart Of The Home Kitchen Playset

This Step2 Heart of the Home Kitchen Playset is another great product from the Step2 company.

If you notice, almost all of the best play kitchens are from Step2 or from KidKraft.

This one is smaller than most, yet more affordable than many of their other kitchen models.

• Easy to assemble
• Lots of storage
• Realistic play kitchen
• Comes with 41 piece kitchen accessories set including play food and utensils
• Includes pet nurturing center
• Includes recycling bin and reusable grocery bag
• See-through cupboard
• Ice maker
• Great for toddlers
• Stainless steel (faux) refrigerator
• Requires 4 AA batters – not included
• Lights up and has sound effects for realistic cooking sound
• Good for ages 2-8 (great for a toddler or smaller child)
• Weighs just 25 pounds
• 48 inches tall
• 45 inches wide
• 12 inches deep
• Easy to fit in a room

This Step2 Heart of the Home kitchen playset is one of the more innovative play kitchens for a few reasons.

Pretty much all kids play kitchens come with a sink, microwave, oven, refrigerator, and some storage space.

This one also comes with a pretty large set of accessories for your kitchen.

However, this is one of the few that comes with doggie food and water bowls, a recycling bin, a reusable grocery bag, a dry-erase grocery list, and a real photo frame so your little chef can place a picture of your family.

These are unique features and make the kitchen worth it. It also has a stainless steel looking refrigerator and is one of the few products that are both good for toddlers and also for older children.

However, as with some of the other Step2 playsets, it’s a pain to put together. But overall, the pros far outweigh the cons!

KidKraft Uptown Natural Wooden Play Kitchen

This KidKraft Uptown Natural kids play kitchen set is another winner from the KidKraft company.

It’s a wooden play kitchen that looks natural and fancy.

Its recommended age is from 3 years old to 15 years old! Not that a 15-year-old would like to play with a play kitchen, but that’s how sturdy it is.

And it’s no wonder because even though it’s small at just 43 inches high, it weighs a whopping 70 pounds! Good luck moving this around the house.

Still, it has great customer feedback and even though it’s made from wood, it’s very affordable and has many useful features.

• Real paper towel holder
• Cordless phone
• Chalkboard surface on freezer
• Ice maker
• Fancy countertop design
• Durable wood construction
• Refrigerator, freezer, microwave, dishwasher, and oven doors that open and close
• Removable sink
• Easy to clean
• Easy to follow instructions
• Shelving, storage space, and hanging pegs

This is a modern looking toy kitchen and one that won’t disappoint. your kids will have nonstop fun cooking on this best kitchen play set.

Again, KidKraft is a top of the line maker of kids toy kitchens. Many of their toy kitchens have the same kind of elements, they slightly vary in design. That way you have the option of choosing one that lines up with your taste.

KidKraft Ultimate Corner Play Kitchen

This KidKraft Ultimate Corner Play Kitchen features a unique design that I haven’t seen anywhere else. It’s a corner kitchen!

That can be great or troublesome. Do you have a free corner in your living room, play room, or kids room? If so, then this may be the perfect kitchen set for your little one.

If you don’t have a free corner, then just keep scrolling and go onto the next play kitchen, because this will be terrible for you!

• L shape play kitchen fits perfect in a corner
• Large play area
• Removable sink for easy cleanup
• Burners have lights and sounds for realistic cooking sounds
• Shelving and hanging pegs for pots, pans, and other accessories
• Cordless phone
• Plenty of storage space
• Durable wood construction
• Step by step easy to follow assembly instructions
• Comes in Espresso and White
• 61 pounds heavy
• 42 inches tall

Overall, the KidKraft Ultimate Corner Play Kitchen is a really fun kitchen play set if you have a corner for it, it may even be your best bet. However, if you don’t have a corner for it, you’ll find it extremely frustrating!

KidKraft Grand Gourmet Ultimate Corner Play Kitchen

This KidKraft Ultimate Corner Play Gourmet Kitchen is the other L shape play kitchen from the KidKraft company.

While the other had a more modern design, this one is just a little bit more vintage and country style than the other one. If you’d like your child to have a Jonna Gaines type of cooking experience, this may be the one for you!

It still has the sturdy, durable wood manufacturing of all KidKraft play kitchens while being easy to assemble.

• Innovative L shape corner design
• Working doors
• Pegs to hang accessories
• Great for toddlers and also for children of all ages
• Realistic looking burners
• Pots, pans, and other accessories including curtains
• Easy to assemble
• Chalkboard on freezer door
• Realistic looking wood countertops

If you’re looking for a more country type of fun kitchen playset and you have a free corner in your living room, play room, or kids room, then this may be the play kitchen for your little ones.

However, if you don’t have a free corner, then keep scrolling because positioning this play kitchen in a suitable place will be a nightmare for you!

Kidkraft Vintage Kitchen

Cooking just became old school! I mean vintage old school!

This KidKraft Vintage Kitchen is one of the more affordable toy sets that they produce. Not because it’s inferior quality, but just because it’s a little bit smaller than many of their other play kitchens.

This also means that this vintage kitchen can be good for a toddler, not just an older child.

It measures just 35 inches high but still weighs a pretty hefty 35 pounds. Which is lighter than many others, but because it’s made from wood composite, it’s still much heavier than the plastic kids play kitchens.

• Doors on appliances really open and close
• Knobs that turn and click
• Cordless phone
• Great for toddlers
• Removable sink
• Super easy to put together

This is a high-quality kitchen playset that your little ones will love, especially if you have a toddler or a smaller child.

Melissa & Doug Wooden Chef’s Pretend Play Toy Kitchen

Finally, a kitchen playset not made by KidKraft or Step2!

Let’s see how this Melissa Doug Wooden Chef Pretend Play Toy Kitchen matches up!

This kitchen playset features a modern kitchen design and all of the basic elements such as microwave, stovetop burner, sink, oven, refrigerator, and cabinet.

It’s durable because it’s made from wood and comes in three distinct colors, charcoal, cloud, and pink.

It also has a pretty cool feature – it dispenses real ice cubes. And by real ice cubes, I mean that they’re toys, but you can release them by placing your cup in the dispenser.

As you can see, this is beyond just regular play food, it’s a pretty innovative feature that I’m sure your child will love.

It can also be bought with various accessory sets, which can add significantly to the price. Because of that, I’m not sure if the accessory sets are worth it.

What I link to in this section is the play kitchen by itself, if you’d like the accessory sets, feel free to add them on Amazon. Or, you can always search for and buy your own from a different vendor.

• Easy cleanup
• Ample storage
• For ages 3 and up
• Great for a toddler and also for an older child
• 39 inches high
• Easy to place in a room
• Working knobs and dials
• Working ice dispenser (releases 2 play ice cubes)
• 31 pounds
• Easy to assemble
• Made from wood

Overall, this wooden chefs pretend kitchen toy set will entertain your toddler or child for years of cooking fun.

This is a unique product at an affordable price, it also features a significant number of positive customer reviews. If you’re looking for a compact kitchen playset that is durable and affordable, this may be the one for you.

Step2 Little Baker’s Kitchen – Best Toddler Play Set

This is another winner from the Step2 company.

This Little Baker’s Kitchen is Pink and Purple and comes with a 30 piece set of accessories and is probably the best toddler kitchen play set on the market.

What’s unique about this play kitchen is that it comes with a baby seat that attaches to the countertop.

• Great for toddlers
• Compact play kitchen
• Easy to place in a room
• Realistic lights and sound (2 AA batteries not included)
• Includes fun 30 piece accessory food set
• Working knobs and dials help develop motor skills
• Doors open and close easily
• Pull out fruit or vegetable basket
• Baby high chair included
• Weighs just 20 pounds
• 41 inches tall

This play kitchen is recommended for a 2-8 year old. Of course, there’s nothing stopping a child that older than 8 years old from enjoying this play kitchen.

Because of its size, it’s specifically great for toddlers or smaller children. This best kitchen play set will provide hours of fun for your child, toddler, or older children.

Get ready for some great tea parties as you “heat” up water on the realistic stovetop burners. This Step2 fun with friends will give your child plenty of fun with its play foods, accessories, and high quality build.

The 30 piece accessory food set will turn your child into a little chef!

This is another winner from Step2 and even though it’s compact and easy to move around, it’s pretty durable. Your child or toddler will turn into a chef and enjoy years of cooking fun.

However, everything has its drawbacks, right?

Assembling this play kitchen will be really difficult without a power drill. And even then it will take you a while.

Still, it has a unique design, it’s compact, it’s light, and it may be the best play kitchen for you.

What are the different types of play kitchen sets? – Buying Guide

Should you buy a Wooden or Plastic Kitchen Playset?

A pretend play kitchen set is often built in either wood particle board or plastic. It is also possible to find a kitchen playset that is a combination of both wood and plastic.

Usually, children won’t really know the difference or they don’t care what the difference is. They’re concerned with if it has fun features and if it looks inviting.

However, there are pros and cons to each.

Plastic Kitchen Play Set Pros and Cons

The biggest pro for buying a plastic play kitchen set is that they’re easy to move around. Since they’re all plastic, they’re often super light and can be placed pretty much anywhere.

They’re also easy to clean and can even be placed outside on a patio or just in the backyard.

However, the biggest drawback is that they’re nowhere near as sturdy as a wooden play kitchen set. They’re also more difficult to assemble because they don’t come with pre-drilled holes.

Wooden Kitchen Play Set Pros and Cons

A wooden play kitchen set is often the favorites of parents around the country because they feel real, they’re sturdy, and they’re actually easier to put together.

However, they’re more difficult to clean, they’re heavy, so they’re difficult to move, and you definitely can’t put them outside.

Putting a wood composite play kitchen outside is a recipe for disaster! The humidity will warp the wood and cause it to fall apart.

Keep it indoors and you’ll have a play kitchen for years to come.

Size

Most kitchen playsets are around the same size because they’re all geared toward kids starting at around 2 or 3 years old.

The smaller ones are around 32 inches tall while the bigger ones are around 45 inches tall.

When it doubt, I always recommend going for a bigger one. After all, kids grow fast and you’ll want to squeeze out as much use out of your toy kitchen as possible.

Therefore, it’s always important to look at a toy’s dimensions before buying. Especially if the toy is a large one and will be taking up a significant amount of space.

Cost

As with anything, the cost of a play kitchen really varies. The wooden ones tend to be a little more expensive than the plastic ones, yet they tend to last longer, also.

Of course, budget is always a concern, but I would advise on spending a little more to get exactly what you’re looking for.

Here’s why.

The best toy kitchen sets will last you for years to come, and although you might spend a little more than a cheaper alternative, it’s worth it if you get exactly what you’re looking for.

Wrapping up with the Best Play Kitchen for kids

We hope that you’ve enjoyed this article on the best play kitchen.

The best kids kitchen play sets reviewed here were some of our favorites. They’re all high-quality kids kitchen play sets that will last you for years to come.

A best toy play kitchen can improve the motor skills of your child, can provide hours of pretend cooking fun, and can get your children ready to become little chefs.

They’re so different, it’s difficult to recommend just one. It really depends on what you’re looking for.

Any questions? Ask us in the comments!