These Are the Mixing Spatulas Our Testers Loved

How We Tested

We sent the spatulas on this list to our experienced at-home testers so that they could put them to work in their kitchens. They used each spatula to mix a batter in a regular mixing bowl, recording how comfortable the spatula felt in their hand and how well it worked for mixing. They also observed whether they could scrape the bowl completely clean with the spatula when they went to transfer the batter. They then tested each spatula's ability to handle high heat while sautéing and noticed whether the handle stayed cool. Finally, they tested whether or not the spatula was suited for reaching into smaller jars or blending up a dressing in a mason jar. After mixing, cooking, and baking tasks were completed, they rated each spatula on design, performance, ease of cleaning, and overall value.

What to Look for When Buying a Mixing Spatula

Heat Resistance

Silicone spatulas are used for far more than smoothing out cake batter. The average heat resistance of a typical silicone spatula is between 400 to 600 degrees. Anything less isn’t recommended. You’ll want a spatula that can stand up to the heat when stirring vegetables halfway through roasting in the oven or mixing your ingredients while pan-frying dinner.

While the heat rating applies to the silicone head of your spatula, it doesn’t always apply to the handle of the spatula. An all-silicone unibody spatula will have the same heat resistance the entire length of the spatula. Handles made from wood, plastic, or metal may have different heat ratings or recommended uses. 

Flexibility and Rigidity

The beauty of the silicone spatula is in its flexibility—while still being relatively thin and sturdy. The slightly bendable head makes it easy to get every last drop out of the pot like a small hand-held squeegee. Flat and curved surfaces alike are easily scraped with this tool, and anything from heavy cookie doughs to light and fluffy meringue can be picked up with minimal effort and sticking. (Ever try and get all of the marshmallow fluff out of the canister with a wooden spoon? The horror!)

With that said, you don’t want the spatula to be too flexible. A silicone spatula head that folds in half when you’re trying to do simple tasks isn’t going to be effective or hold up during more intense projects. Look for spatulas that have a rigid core that extends up into the head. The silicone head itself should be thicker in the center and taper out towards the edges for the most support. 

Sizes

Regardless of which style of spatula you prefer, it’s a good idea to have a range of sizes to work with. Small, medium, large, and jumbo spatulas can come in handy for so many different projects. You can think of small spatulas as extensions of your fingers. Want to get that last bit of queso dip at the bottom of the jar? Or maybe scrape down to the bottom of your blender to get all of the smoothie ingredients mixed? A small spatula is there for you. Some smaller spatulas even come with longer and narrower handles just for such purposes.

Medium-sized spatulas are going to be your daily go-to tool. From cooking dinner to making a cake, an average-sized spatula is an incredibly versatile tool. If you do a lot of cooking and baking, it might even be worth it to buy one or two special spatulas at this size and a pack of economical spatulas to plow through projects that demand a lot of separate mixing components.

Large and jumbo-sized spatulas are here to do some heavy lifting. Least likely to be used in everyday cooking, this spatula makes folding together a large batch of chocolate mousse or similar whipped recipe easier with fewer deflating folds in the long run. Also useful for stirring large batches of soups and liquid that need to be scraped to the bottom of the pot, a large spatula moves several handfuls of ingredients more efficiently than a large wooden spoon or ladle with the benefit of the silicone scraping head. 

Materials

As mentioned before, the majority of the mixing spatulas on the market today are made of heat-rated silicone that can stand up to almost every cooking environment. Plastic head spatulas should be avoided as they typically have lower heat resistance ratings and are likely to melt, bend, or snap while you’re cooking. 

Handles are made from several different materials, including plastic and BPA-free food-grade plastic, wood and bamboo, metal, and fiberglass. 

Plastic handles are generally less expensive than some of the other options, but care should be taken when using hot appliances. A plastic spatula left resting on the side of a hot pan might melt grooves into the handle or warp if used near very high heat or an open flame. Fiberglass handles are even stronger than plastic and make for a solid core. Check the recommended heat rating before using a fiberglass spatula near an open flame. 

A wooden-handled spatula is also usually a more cost-effective spatula but can tolerate a higher amount of residual heat than plastic (but should not be used on an open flame). Unfortunately, wood is very porous and can easily absorb colors, odors, and ingredients that may never completely wash out. 

Metal handles are sturdy, heat and flame resistant, and non-porous to avoid stains and residual scents. Typically metals are used as the core of seamless unibody spatulas or are coated with silicone or plastic for safe handling.

Comfort

Since the mixing spatula is essentially an extension of your hands and fingers, it should feel comfortable to hold and use. Handles that are too bulky take too much effort to grip and use smoothly. Handles that are too thin or slick are difficult to keep a firm grasp on. 

Look for a handle that’s easy to hold in a few different positions. A non-slip grip, textured, or handle made of silicone will go a long way when you’re working with something that splashes around or makes you work up a sweat. Many spatulas have a straight handle, but a more ergonomically-designed handle gently widens where you hold the handle most often and tapers for a tighter grip closer to the head.

Price

Luckily, this essential tool isn’t going to put a hole in your wallet. Most spatulas are so reasonably priced that it’s worth it to pick up a set or several pieces of your favorite style to have on hand. Both reliable sets and high-quality standalone spatulas can all be found for less than $20. If properly maintained, they can last you many months, or even years. Once you’ve gotten your use out of them, they’re easily replaceable without a large financial commitment.

Colors

No matter what color, pattern, or seasonal design you’re interested in, there’s a spatula out there to match your tastes. Most spatula sets come in a variety pack of colors, although you can also pick and choose which colors you’d like to add to your collection. Designer collections, like Le Creuset, even have silicone spatulas that coordinate with cookware collections for a uniform kitchen color palette. Holiday-themed spatulas and specialty designs make mixing spatulas easy and ultra-useful gifts for friends and family who love to cook.

Product Types

Flat Spatulas

Flat spatulas make up the majority of the mixing spatulas on the market. The head of the spatula isn’t entirely flat (usually thicker in the center and tapered towards the edges) but is used flat for stirring, scraping, and folding. 

The edges of the flat spatula vary, but in most cases, there is one squared-off edge at the top, and one rounded edge, making it easy to push batter into the corners of a pan or scrape the bottom of a round bowl, all with the same tool. Spatulas where the top edge is mostly flat are great for stirring and are able to evenly scrape more surface area of the bottom of a pot.

Spoon Spatulas (Spoonulas)

Spoon-shaped spatulas, occasionally referred to as spoonulas, blend the contemporary spatula with the traditional wooden spoon. A spoonula is a spatula shaped with a concave side that makes scooping batters, tasting sauces, and transferring ingredients from one bowl to another much easier. The spoonula typically also tapers out to the edges of the spatula and comes in small, medium, and large sizes. It is often part of a larger spatula set for the ultimate cooking flexibility.

Pointed Spatulas

Seen much less often and typically only in smaller sizes, the pointed spatula is made specifically for spreading or digging into very tight corners or scraping food at an extreme angle—like from the very bottom of a blender. 

Brands

OXO Good Grips

OXO’s line of kitchen hand tools is where Good Grips began, and has only improved and expanded. Incredibly popular, OXO products can be found in department stores, home goods stores, and even grocery stores. Known for durability and ease of use, OXO hand tools are median-priced tools that will last several years when used appropriately.

Vremi

A newcomer to the kitchen and home goods market, the New York City-based Vremi has set out to design functional household goods at relatively low prices. Its brightly colored line of kitchen goods is a step above generic, with catchy pop culture-pun related names.

Get It Right

More commonly referred to as “GIR," silicone products are what they’re made of—and some might argue that no one does silicone spatulas like GIR. The four different-sized spatulas GIR makes come in a whopping 16 different color options and are considered some of the best available because of their strong core and clean unibody design. That quality comes at a price, though, ranging from $8 to $16 per spatula. This is ultimately a small price to pay for an exceptionally comfortable and functional tool. 

StarPack

StarPack is an Australian-based company that specializes mostly in silicone hand tools for the kitchen at moderate prices. The line of silicone tools branches out from mixing spatulas to classic spatulas, tongs, spoons, pasta servers, and whisks as well. The only downside is that all of the tools are red, which may or may not match your decor if you have a specific color palette in mind.

Orblue

Orblue makes an extensive line of home and professional food production tools, all at very affordable prices. With a focus on innovative tools, there’s a good chance you’ll find a few different tools to love for your home kitchen, including herb scissors, a corn peeler, and a rotary cheese grater—because who doesn’t want more cheese?

Tovolo

With the tagline of “Everyday Utensils," you might be surprised to see just how large Tovolo’s line of silicone and wooden spatulas, spoons, and hand tools is. A popular choice at most kitchen goods stores, Tovolo also sells mixing spatulas with playful prints, sparkles, and holiday themes for cooks with a playful spirit. These spatulas can get years of use, even if you reach for them every day. 

Maintenance

Most silicone spatulas are dishwasher safe and easy to clean by hand. A few things you’ll want to pay attention to are food residue build-up in any creases or in a spatula with a detachable head. These may need to be scrubbed and rinsed out by hand to be thoroughly cleaned. Spatulas with detachable heads will need to be completely dry before being reassembled to avoid trapping any water inside the spatula or risking water draining out into your next cooking project. 

If using a spatula with a wooden handle, make sure it’s dishwasher safe for thorough sanitizing at a high temperature. Once the handle becomes water-logged, shredded, discolored, or molds, it’s best to throw it out and get a new spatula.

While a silicone spatula head is heat resistant, it isn’t cut-resistant and can easily be sliced by the sharp edges of cans and other sharp tools. If you notice your spatula has been sliced, or that a chunk of it is missing from extensive use, it’s best to throw it away to avoid having any pieces of silicone break off into your food.

FAQs

What are mixing spatulas used for?

Mixing spatulas are used for many tasks: blending a batter, scooping from jars, removing every last bit of batter or dough from the sides of bowls, stirring soups and sauces, flipping or sauteing ingredients in a pan, folding ingredients gently into a batter, and frosting a cake or cupcakes.

What is a spoonula?

Spoonulas are similar to mixing spatulas but rather than having a flat blade or head they have a spoon shaped blade or head. They’re used in similar ways but have the advantage of being able to scoop out an actual spoonful of any given ingredient for addition to a recipe or for tasting a sauce or soup.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Donna Currie is a food writer and product tester for The Spruce Eats, as well as the author of the cookbook, Make Ahead Bread. She's tried out numerous spatulas over the years for all her cooking and baking needs so she knows what to look for, and she specifically tested and reviewed the OXO Good Grips set for this roundup.

Karen Resta is a writer specializing in food culture and history, cooking, pastries, and restaurants. A former pastry chef, she’s traveled to Budapest, Kyiv, and Paris during their Fashion Weeks as a photographer and writer, always finding the best authentic pastries along the way. Mixing spatulas are one of her favorite kitchen tools and she absolutely loved testing seven of the spatulas on this list.