20 Must-Haves Kitchen Tools for Healthy Eating
When it comes to healthy cooking, the first step is to find delicious recipes that will make you excited to spend time in the kitchen without depriving you of any flavor. I also find that the best kitchen tools for healthy eating make the cooking process more enjoyable and efficient. That’s why I’m bringing you my favorite kitchen tools and appliances to help bring my healthy recipes to life!
From durable nonstick cookware to a collection of sharp kitchen knives, the following are a variety of healthy cooking gadgets that I frequently use in my own cooking and think are worthwhile additions to any kitchen. With these 20 must-have kitchen tools at the ready, you’ll find it easier and more convenient to stick with your healthy eating goals.
My Top Picks
- Best Healthy Cookbook: The Skinnytaste Cookbook – $17.89 at Amazon
- Best Air Fryer: GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Digital Air Fryer – $84.99 at Amazon
- Best Cookware Set: Le Creuset Toughened Nonstick PRO Cookware Set – $419.95 at Amazon
- Best Spiralizer: Brieftons 5-Blade Vegetable Spiralizer – $24.95 at Amazon
- Best Blender: Ninja Foodi Smoothie Bowl Maker – $89.99 at Amazon
- Best Food Scale: OXO Good Grips 11-Pound Food Scale – $55.99 at Amazon
Reviews of the Best Kitchen Tools for Healthy Eating
1. Best Healthy Cookbook: The Skinnytaste Cookbook
My first cookbook, The Skinnytaste Cookbook, is still an unbeatable starting point if you’re looking for healthy recipes that are light on calories but packed with flavor. It includes 150 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, and you’ll find lightened-up versions of lots of your favorite meals. Some of my go-to recipes in it are the Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli, which is deliciously decadent with only 420 calories per serving, and Buttermilk Oven ‘Fried’ Chicken, which delivers an amazing crunch without all the grease. It’s a great start to your healthy cooking journey.
2. Best Air Fryer: GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Digital Air Fryer
There are lots of amazing air fryers out there today, but I personally love this model from GoWISE USA. It’s the best air fryer I’ve used, and I actually tested all the recipes from my last cookbook in it! While it’s a lower-priced option, this air fryer is still extremely powerful, cooking meat and other foods quickly.
Plus, the touchscreen control pad is easy to use, and I love that it comes with a basket divider that lets you cook two foods at once. It’s a must-have for healthy recipes like my Air Fryer Chicken Tenders or Blackened Air Fryer Salmon Bites.
3. Best Cookware Set: Le Creuset Toughened Nonstick PRO Cookware Set
The right pots and pans will make cooking healthy meals much easier — and, dare I even say, enjoyable? My go-to is this nonstick set from Le Creuset. The six-piece collection comes with all the essentials for your kitchen: 8- and 11-inch fry pans, a 3-quart saucepan, and a 4.25 quart saute pan, as well as lids for the latter two.
The pans have a slightly textured surface that’s amazing for browning and searing, and they’re nonstick, so they require less oil but still wipe clean, even after cooking sticky foods like scrambled eggs. It’s a bit pricey but I think it’s completely worth it.
4. Best Spiralizer: Brieftons 5-Blade Vegetable Spiralizer
One of the easiest ways to make your favorite pasta dishes a little healthier is by swapping out traditional spaghetti for spiralized veggies — or even to mix in with pasta to add more veggies to your diet. Zucchini is one of the most popular vegetables to use as its strands are very similar, and it’s the star of my Shrimp Scampi Zoodles and Kung Pao Chicken Zoodles.
The easiest way to create tasty zoodles is by using a spiralizer, and I highly recommend this model from Brieftons. The handy design holds the vegetables in place for you (keeping your fingers well away from the sharp blade), and it comes with five attachments to create different thickness and shapes.
5. Best Blender: Ninja Foodi Smoothie Bowl Maker
Smoothies and smoothie bowls are a great way to sneakily fit more fruits and vegetables into your diet. (Try my Protein PB & J Smoothie Bowl — you’ll love it!) Whenever I whip up smoothies, I like to use the Ninja Foodi Smoothie Bowl Maker, which can handle even the thickest ingredients. One of the best features is its built-in tamper, which pushes the ingredients down into the blade. This means you can blend up frozen fruit and veggies with less liquid, making thick and tasty smoothie bowls for breakfast or a midday snack.
6. Best Food Scale: OXO Good Grips 11-Pound Food Scale
A digital scale is a must-have tool in the kitchen, especially if you’re focused on healthy cooking. Not only will it help you measure out ingredients fast and accurately, but it’s also great for portion control. I particularly like this model from OXO, which has an 11-pound capacity. It’s sleek and sturdy, and the display panel actually pulls out from the scale, making it easy to read even if you have a large bowl or plate on top. It’s great for precise measurements for baking too!
7. Best Olive Oil Sprayer: Evo Oil Sprayer
I love using sprayable olive oil because it prevents me from adding too much oil when cooking. This sprayer bottle allows you to do the same with your favorite brand — and it can save you money by not wasting any precious oil. It comes in four color choices and holds 6 ounces of liquid so you don’t have to refill it too often
8. Best Mandoline Slicer: OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer
If you’re making a recipe like my Best Eggplant Rollatini with Spinach, a mandoline slicer will make prep so much easier, giving you nice, even vegetable slices with minimal effort. I have this one from OXO in my kitchen (OXO is the best!), and it’s perfect for slicing up both firm and soft veggies and fruits. It comes with blades for crinkle and julienne cuts, as well as French fries, and the food holder will keep your fingers safe as you slice.
9. Best Meal Prep Kit: AnyDay The Meal Prep Set
If you like to prep weekly lunches or dinners ahead of time, I highly recommend the Meal Prep Set from AnyDay, which includes everything you need to cook and store your favorite healthy recipes. The set includes four glass dishes of varying sizes that you can use to microwave or steam veggies, soup, sauce, or rice, as well as airtight lids for all of them. It also comes with four freezer trays that perfectly portion food into 2 tablespoon or .5 cup servings.
If you need some inspiration on what to cook with the kit, my Skinnytaste Meal Prep Cookbook has 120 healthy recipes that are perfect for making ahead of time.
10. Best Slow Cooker: Hamilton Beach Set & Forget Digital Programmable Slow Cooker
It can be hard to find time for healthy cooking when your schedule is packed, and on days when you barely have a minute to sit down, this Hamilton Beach slow cooker will be your best friend. The 6-quart design has a built-in thermometer, and you can set it to automatically switch to warming mode when your meal reaches a specific temperature. It’s perfect for recipes like my Pork Carnitas or Lasagna Soup — just get them started in the morning, and you’ll have a perfectly cooked meal waiting for you and your family at the end of the day.
11. Best Knife Set: Global Takashi 7-Piece Knife Block Set
No kitchen is complete without a set of high-quality knives, and when I’m cooking, I generally reach for these ones from Global. The seven-piece set includes a chef’s knife, bread knife, ceramic sharpening rod, vegetable knife, peeler, and utility knife, as well as a wooden block to store them all. The tools are ergonomically designed and beautifully sharp, making it a breeze to chop up vegetables, slice bread, and more — which is great if you have a lot of meal prepping ahead of you! While they’re a costly investment, they’re also something that will last you forever with routinely sharpening.
12. Best Thermometer: ThermoPro TP19H Digital Meat Thermometer
When you’re cooking or grilling meat, it’s always convenient to have a digital thermometer on hand to monitor the internal temperature to make sure your dinner is edible! Personally, I recommend this popular model from ThermoPro. It has a large digital screen that’s easy to read, and it provides an accurate reading in just a few seconds. With this kitchen tool for healthy eating, you’ll never overcook (or worse, undercook) chicken breasts again!
13. Best High Speed Blender: Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender
To make healthy soups and smoothies, I love using my Vitamix blender because it blends everything super well for a smooth and creamy taste! All of the Vitamix blenders are amazing, but the Ascent model has some worthwhile features like five pre-programed settings, sleek touchscreen controls, a programmable timer, and the ability to control the blender from your smartphone with the app. It goes above and beyond your typical blender and will last you for years and years.
14. Best Vegetable Peeler: OXO Good Grips Y-Peeler
Whether you’re prepping cucumbers for a garden salad or carrots for soup, the task will be much easier with this little Y-shaped vegetable peeler. It has a cushioned, non-slip handle and extra-wide blade that covers more ground with each pass. There’s even a built-in potato eyer to remove blemishes on your spuds. Plus, it comes with a protective cover so you don’t have to worry about tossing it in the utensil drawer and scraping yourself later.
15. Best Salad Spinner: OXO Good Grips Large Salad Spinner
There are so many delicious salads that you can add to your healthy cooking routine — some of my favorites are my Salmon Caesar Salad and Watermelon Arugula and Feta Salad. However, washing (and drying) salad greens by hand can be a tedious process, so I’d highly recommend a salad spinner like this one from OXO.
You can use the inner colander to rinse off your lettuce, then just give it a few pumps inside the spinner to get them dry. It also doubles as a steamer in the microwave, which is a plus. The lid locks flat for more compact storage, and it’s easy to pull out for your daily salad needs!
16. Best Food Processor: Cuisinart 14 Cup Food Processor
Food processors are a versatile tool to have in your kitchen — I use mine to make recipes like Whipped Feta Dip and even Sloppy Joes. This 14-cup model from Cuisinart is big enough to accommodate the largest recipes, and it includes blades for shredding and slicing vegetables, which will come in handy if you don’t have a mandoline or box grater. Think of it as your sous chef! I also like that it has large paddle-style control buttons that are easy to operate.
17. Best Carbonator: DrinkMate OmniFizz Sparkling Water and Soda Maker
While not exactly a tool for cooking, the DrinkMate OmniFizz will definitely encourage healthier habits at home (and probably save you money along the way!). This countertop gadget allows you to carbonate any drink, including water, juice, and even cocktails, and it’s extremely helpful if you’re trying to cut back on soda. Plus, having sparkling water on tap is just so fancy.
18. Best Vegetable Chopper: Cuisinart Mini-Prep Food Processor
If you dislike having to chop up vegetables to make healthy meals — like me — this mini food processor will streamline dinnertime prep. All you have to do is place your vegetables in, and then it will do all the work for you. While I also recommend having a bigger food processor for sauces and salsas, this one is easier to pull out and is good for smaller tasks.
19. Best Food Steamer: Aroma Housewares Pot-Style Rice Cooker and Food Steamer
This cute appliance has a convenient 2-in-1 design that makes eating healthy a breeze! It can cook up to six cups of rice, but it also includes a steam tray that you can use to cook vegetables, fish, and more without any oil. It’s incredibly easy to operate with just one button, and you could cook a whole meal in it without ever lifting a finger.
20. Best Grill Pan: OXO Good Grips 11” Square Grill Pan
If you can’t grill outside, I love this square pan for searing steaks and chicken on the stovetop! Because it’s non-stick, you can use less oil and I find that it cooks everything evenly. It’s also oven safe up to 390 degrees F and it’s easy to clean with a little soap and water. Plus, it gives you an excuse to “fire up the grill” in the colder months.
Why You Can Trust Me
I’m the author and recipe developer behind Skinnytaste, which features hundreds of healthy recipes that the whole family will love. My goal is to create lighter versions of classic foods that don’t compromise flavor — because healthy eating should be enjoyable! My recipes use seasonal, whole foods that are easy to find in the grocery store, and they’re easy to make with the help of the right healthy cooking gadgets.
I’ve personally used the products featured in this article. They’re the tried and true kitchen tools I reach for on a regular basis to help whip up my family’s favorite meals.
Prices were accurate at time of publication.
