What to Buy Kitchen Tools The 5 Best Pepper Grinders of 2023, Tested and Reviewed Classic or electric, our top picks are stylish, functional, and easy to use. By Clarissa Buch Zilberman Clarissa Buch Zilberman Clarissa Buch Zilberman is a freelance Commerce Writer at Food & Wine, specializing in product reviews and roundups. Her work has also appeared in Travel + Leisure, Bon Appétit, Entrepreneur and Realtor.com, among other print and digital titles. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Our top picks Reviews Our Favorite The Tests Factors to Consider FAQ What Didn't Make the List Our Expertise We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Food & Wine / Cameron Beall Pepper grinders are one of the most fundamental tools to have in your kitchen. After all, nearly every recipe calls for salt and pepper. That's why a solid pepper grinder — and not just a flimsy plastic option from the grocery store — is an essential tool for everyday cooking. With so many materials, styles, and price points to consider, finding the best pepper grinder can be daunting. From standard wooden mills to sleek stainless steel and automatic spice grinders, the options are vast. To narrow down the list, we tested nearly two dozen of the most popular pepper grinders for everyday use, from ceramic classics to automated electric grinders. Read on for our full list of the best pepper grinders. Our guess? After reading this, you’ll never buy pre-ground pepper again. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Latent Epicure Battery Operated Grinder Set at Amazon Jump to Review Best Value: OXO Good Grips Radial Grinder Pepper Mill at Amazon Jump to Review Best Manual: Le Creuset Pepper Mill at Amazon Jump to Review Best One-Handed: FinaMill Pepper Mill & Spice Grinder at Amazon Jump to Review Fastest Output: Männkitchen Pepper Cannon at Amazon Jump to Review Best Overall Latent Epicure Battery Operated Grinder Set 4.8 Amazon View On Amazon Pros: This grinder strikes the perfect balance between style, size, and performance. Cons: This slightly larger grinder might be difficult to use one-handed. Out of all the grinders we tested, the Latent Epicure Battery Operated Grinder Set scored the highest in every category. Despite its sleek, low-profile design, we were pleasantly surprised with its performance and capacity, as it can comfortably fit a decent scoop of peppercorns (approximately 30 grams) and offers a consistent, reliable grind. Because it’s electric, this grinder does pretty much all the work for you — simply load it, select your desired coarseness, and press the top button. Whether filled to the brink or running low, the grind remained steady. The only downside our testers noted was it might require two hands for proper use, as the body is larger than others. It’s also not dishwasher-safe, and the care guide recommends cleaning out the grinding mechanism occasionally to maintain performance. Overall, our testers were impressed with the look and feel of this grinder, noting they would recommend it to friends and family. Price at time of publish: $41 Material: Stainless steel and acrylicCapacity: 1.06 ouncesSize: 4.41 x 3.15 x 8.66 inchesOperation mode: Electric Food & Wine / Katherine Polcari Food & Wine / Katherine Polcari Best Value OXO Good Grips Radial Grinder Pepper Mill 4.8 Amazon View On Amazon View On Wayfair View On Webstaurantstore.com Pros: This budget-friendly grinder is durable and comfortable to hold.Cons: Our testers noted some slight inconsistency in grind size. In our tests, we found that this manual pepper grinder from Oxo simply gets the job done. It’s well-designed, durable, and comfortable to hold, and it’s also a solid choice for anyone on a budget. The body is lightweight and easy to handle, yet sturdy enough for everyday use. This grinder offers a secure grip, thanks to the slight tapering where your hand grasps the chamber and the thick, rubber dial. Plus, the plastic side hatch opens for easy refills, the clear body helps you see when it's time to add more peppercorns, and a snap-on bottom lid keeps grinds from getting on your countertops. It should be noted that our testers encountered some difficulty when trying to create a consistently fine grind. For every batch they made, there were a few coarser pieces scattered throughout. Price at time of publish: $15 Material: PlasticCapacity: 1.31 ounces Size: 6.5 x 4 x 2.62 inchesOperation mode: Manual Food & Wine / Siobhan Wallace Food & Wine / Siobhan Wallace Best Manual Le Creuset Pepper Mill 4.8 Amazon View On Amazon View On Williams-Sonoma View On Lecreuset.com Pros: This pepper mill is functional and stylish, and it comes in an array of classic colors. Cons: A smaller spice cavity means you'll have to refill this grinder more frequently than some others. Le Creuset is known for crafting products that pop, and this pepper mill is no exception. The lightweight, high-gloss ceramic grinder is functional yet stylish, complete with a metal knob to adjust the settings and a corrosive-resistant grinder. It's available in several bright colors like cerise, Caribbean, flame, and Marseille, plus more traditional hues like black and white. During testing, this pepper mill produced consistently sized ground pepper despite the lack of a clear setting indicator. To control grind size, simply turn the metal knob to achieve anything from super fine to coarse. The outside of the grinder is easy to clean with a cloth, though we should note it’s not dishwasher-safe. Despite its price, this pepper mill is a great choice for home cooks who use a bit of pepper in recipes or as toppings. It’s sleek enough to display proudly in your kitchen and provides even grinding for everyday use. It might not be ideal for those who make large quantities of food at one time, as manual cranking may take a while. Price at time of publish: $46 Material: Ceramic Capacity: 1 ounceSizes: 2 x 2 x 8 inchesOperation mode: Manual Food & Wine / Bailey Fink Food & Wine / Bailey Fink Food & Wine / Bailey Fink Best One-Handed FinaMill Pepper Mill & Spice Grinder 4.5 Amazon View On Amazon View On Wayfair View On Food52 Pros: Interchangeable spice pods and a battery-operated base make this electric pepper grinder both functional and versatile.Cons: There is no clear grind level indicator. FinaMill's battery-operated spice mills make grinding spices easy and fun. To use, fill one of the interchangeable pods with your desired whole spice, pop it into the body of the grinder, and press the button on top. The automatic gadget illuminates what you're seasoning with an LED light and grinds your spices for as long as you hold down the button. To change spices, simply press the pod to release. Our testers loved that this grinder comes with three interchangeable spice pods, so you can easily swap out different spices between each use. It’s lightweight and small enough to use with one hand and just as easy to refill — quickly dump an entire jar of peppercorns into one of the spice pods and start grinding in seconds. It also helps that the pods offer significant capacity, allowing for prolonged use without frequent refills. Depending on how finely you grind the pepper will determine how long you can go without a refill. The FinaMill produced a fairly consistent grind each time. There were a few instances where big chunks were spotted, but during most of our tests, the grind was uniform. The downside is it's difficult to determine how coarse or fine the grind will be as there's no grind level indicator. Testers also noted that the electric part of this grinder as well as the pods are easy to clean with a wet towel, though they’re not dishwasher-safe. Price at time of publish: $45 Material: Plastic and ceramicCapacity: 2 ounces Sizes: 9.88 x 6.73 x 3.58 inchesOperation mode: Electric Food & Wine / Bailey Fink Fastest Output Männkitchen Pepper Cannon 4.4 Amazon View On Amazon View On Mannkitchen.com Pros: This mill quickly and consistently grinds pepper up to 60 different coarseness levels.Cons: This expensive mill might be overkill for some home cooks. In our testing, we found that the MANNKITCHEN Pepper Cannon lives up to its name. This mill shoots out ground spices that are extremely consistent in size, no matter the grind setting. Its quick, powerful performance is balanced out by a sleek, stylish aesthetic that makes it fun to use. This grinder also has one of the largest capacities of the models we tested, so you won’t have to worry about frequent refills. Our testers found the grinder to be intuitive and easy to use, especially since there is a metal dial at the bottom of the grinder that clicks with each level of coarseness. However, because of its slightly more sophisticated design, you’ll want to reference the directions before first use. Overall, we’d recommend this slightly pricier pick as a gift for a chef, a serious home cook, or anyone who loves freshly-ground pepper. Price at time of publish: $200 Material: Aluminum Capacity: 1.66 ounces Sizes: 7.25 x 2.2 x 2.2 inchesOperation mode: Steel burr Our Favorite The Latent Epicure Battery Operated Grinder Set proved to be an overwhelming favorite among our testers. In terms of price-to-performance, it provides superior value. It was the only grinder on our shortlist to achieve a perfect rating across the board, from size and design to ease of use and grind consistency. And the best part is it’s a set of two, so you can easily grind both salt and pepper and keep these mills on your kitchen counter for everyday use. The Tests Throughout our tests, we assessed everything from grind output to consistency. For manual mills, our experts noted how many full turns were required for various levels of ground black pepper, as well as the overall consistency and volume of the grind. For electric options, we observed the grind consistency of whole black peppercorns for varying times from 10 to 30 seconds. We also looked at design features that make grinding easier and flaws that might make the grinding process more difficult. Factors to Consider Grinder Material One of the most important elements of a pepper mill is the grinding mechanism. Most mills operate with either metal or ceramic grinders, which are preferable to the less expensive plastic grinders. Plastic grinders can chip, flake, and get dull quickly, making your pepper grind inconsistent. Metal grinders work well, but can sometimes be prone to rust, so it is important to care for them well, and opt for stainless steel whenever possible. Ceramic grinders provide consistent grinding without maintenance issues, and many of the top-rated grinders use ceramic grinders. Body Material The body of your grinder is purely an aesthetic decision since no one material is better than others in terms of the functionality of grinders. They come in wood, plastic, metal, ceramic, and in a variety of styles. Once you find the other functionality you want in a grinder, you will have many options for a grinder that will look as good as it works. Coarseness Settings This is one of the most important features of any grinder and should be a major part of your decision-making. Some grinders have only one level of coarseness, some have as many as ten. Being able to control how coarse or fine you can get your pepper is a key part of using your grinder. Finer particles will give an even peppery heat to your dishes, a coarser grind will give intense pops of crunchy fire. Ease of adjusting between levels of coarseness can be achieved with a knob, lever, or button. Types of Pepper Mills There are three main types of pepper mills. Most work with twisting motion, which works well in almost any application. Some have a crank which can be easier to operate for kids or those with arthritis or carpal tunnel issues. Some small versions for tableside work with a pump button mechanism, which is great for the last flourish, but not useful for recipes. Finally, battery-operated or rechargeable electric versions can make grinding a lot of pepper for recipes easier or can be great for people with motor function issues. For this piece, our editors relied on their personal culinary experience to determine what's needed in a spice grinder and what characteristics make up an efficient one. We performed competitive research and assessed a variety of different brands and price points. We focused on selecting products that are functional, versatile, and durable, while being aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-use. Frequently Asked Questions Are salt and pepper mills the same? “While salt and pepper mills may look very similar, the material of the grinding mechanism is often different. Therefore, they are not usually interchangeable. For pepper, a case-hardened metal or carbon steel is often used so that it can easily grind the firm peppercorns. For salt, stainless steel or ceramic is used to avoid corrosion and rust,” says Anthony Contrino, Emmy-awarded culinary producer, food stylist, and host of Saucy on Peacock. “Salt and pepper mills can be the same, but generally, they aren’t. A salt mill does have to contend with often-damp salt, so its workings, if metal, can corrode. That is why ceramic or nylon workings are better for salt mills. The burrs on the grinding mechanisms are also different for salt and pepper,” says cookbook author Susan Loomis. What is the difference between a pepper mill and a pepper grinder? According to both Contrino and Loomis, there is no difference. A pepper mill is just another name for a pepper grinder. How does a pepper mill work? “A pepper mill works like an old-fashioned stone grain mill, where two sturdy stone wheels crush whatever is needing to be crushed between them. However, a pepper mill is more refined since the wheels generally fit one inside the other with teeth that mesh," says Loomis, "These teeth grind the pepper to the coarseness that you specify by moving them closer or further apart, which is done with a screw."“Pepper mills grind pepper using burr grinders. When you rotate the spindle, or the upper part of the mill, the grinder rotates in one direction against a second grinder with the facets going in the opposite direction, which breaks the peppercorns into small pieces," says Contrino, "You can adjust the grind by loosening the top nut for coarser fragments, or by tightening it for a finer grind." What Didn't Make the List Strong Contenders Peugeot Paris u’Select 9-inch Pepper Mill ($47 at Amazon) Cole and Mason Derwent Pepper Grinder ($50 at Amazon) Cole & Mason Lincoln Duo Salt and Pepper Grinder Combo ($25 at Amazon) OXO Good Grips Pepper Grinder ($28 at Oxo) Results Still Simmering Cuisinart Rechargeable Salt, Pepper, and Spice Mill ($90 at Amazon) Fletcher’s Mill Federal Pepper Mill ($59 at Amazon) PepperMills Supreme Model 200 ($50 at PepperMills) Kuhn Rikon Essential Adjustable Ratchet Grinder ($30 at Amazon) Peugeot Olivier Roellinger 5.25-inch Pepper Mill ($60 at Amazon) OXO Good Grips Contoured Mess-Free Pepper Grinder ($18 at Amazon) Trudeau Plus Pepper Chrome Graviti Mill ($30 at Amazon) Dreamfarm Ortwo ($50 at Food52) Low Performers Grind Gourmet Travel Salt and Pepper Grinder Set ($29 at Amazon) Zassenhaus Speyer Dark Stained Beech Pepper Mill ($29 at Amazon) Crystalia Manual Black Pepper Grinder ($20 at Amazon) Our Expertise Clarissa Buch Zilberman is an acclaimed food writer with nearly a decade of experience. 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