5 Best Soup Ladles

A soup ladle is not the sexiest kitchen tool, but it is essential if you like to eat soup!  While many of us don’t tend to give soup ladles much thought, everyone has at least one in the utensil drawer. They are handy tools to transfer hot soup or broth to bowls, plates or storage containers. Besides their obvious purpose they are multi-functional and can be used for much more than just serving soups and broths! They are beneficial when pouring sauces, portioning batter for pancakes or waffles, adding broth to risottos, and serving drinks from a bowl.  

We have selected a variety of ladles suitable for multiple uses. 

List of best soup ladles

• Best overall – Rösle Stainless Steel Hooked Handle Ladle with Pouring Rim
• Best stainless steel – Newness Stainless Steel Soup Ladle
• Best budget / most popular – OXO Good Grips Nylon Ladle
• Fun design – OTOTO Nessie Ladle
• Best for gravy – Buy Go! Gold Drizzle Spoon with Spout

Things to consider before buying the best ladle

Material

Soup ladles are made from a variety of materials, including stainless steel, plastic, silicone, aluminium, and nylon. We personally prefer stainless steel because they are a low conductor of heat, and they are easy to clean. Other materials might discolour, depending on use and foods handled. 

 

Design

We like to store ladles and larger utensils hidden away in drawers, but it is handy to have a ladle designed with a hook. It won’t fall into the cooking pot and is easy to hang up if you like to display your utensils. Ladle sizes vary and some come with a spout to make pouring liquids easier.

Features

An important feature of a ladle is heat resistance. Other features are rust resistance and dishwasher safety. Stain resistance is also an important feature. Many materials might change colour, especially silicon or nylon, after using it to make tomato sauce or beetroot recipes. 

Price

As with other utensils, the price will differ based on a range of factors. We always recommend selecting utensils depending on your needs, and while a sturdy ladle made of stainless steel might not be the most attractive, this ladle will last a lifetime. 

Overview of best soup ladles

Best overall – Rösle Stainless Steel Hooked Handle Ladle with Pouring Rim

This German designed ladle is solid and made of sturdy stainless steel with an angled handle, a hooked end, and an all-around pouring rim.

The long handle with angle makes it easier to hold and balance the ladle when pouring liquids. The hooked end is handy to avoid the ladle sliding into your soup pot and it is easier to store it on an exposed kitchen rail. The pouring rim facilitates drip-free serving in any direction. This solid, one-piece, sturdy ladle is dishwasher-safe, easy to clean, and it comes with a lifetime warranty. 

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Best stainless steel – Newness Stainless Steel Soup Ladle

This large capacity ladle holds up to ½ cup of liquid and is made with food-grade 304 stainless steel. It also is durable, rustproof, and heat resistant with a vacuum ergonomic round handle, perfect for reducing heat transmission. As with most other ladles, it is also easy to clean and dishwasher safe. 

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Best budget / most popular – OXO Good Grips Nylon Ladle

With over 20,000 reviews it is the most popular ladle on Amazon. The contoured handle is comfortable to hold no matter if you’re feeding from the front or the side.

Be aware that it is not heat resistant which means you should not leave it in the pot and it is best used for quick stirring and serving. It is dishwasher safe.

Fun design – OTOTO Nessie Ladle

This funny designed Nessie ladle fits on the fun kitchen gadget list. ‘Nessie’ is made of durable bright coloured, BPA-free material that is heat resistant and dishwasher safe. This Nessie ladle stands by itself on the counter and besides being easy to use it also adds quirkiness and a sprinkle of fun when cooking. 

Lime green, turquoise, and dark purple are the three bright colours available.

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Best for gravy – Buy Go! Gold Drizzle Spoon with Spout

Gold, rainbow red, gold rose or silver, this ladle is attractive and presents well when serving gravy, sauces or salad dressings. Its design is sleek with a spout on one side, for easy pouring. The one-piece, high quality stainless steel with mirror finish is sturdy, heat resistant, dishwasher safe and durable.

Highlights of the best ladles

While the soup ladle is not the most glamorous utensil in the kitchen, it does have its purposes. To be honest, when buying a ladle, like most other utensils, you want to get the best size, material, and colour for your needs.

Nowadays, décor is really important to a lot of people, so getting the right design for the best soup ladle might be a priority especially if it is going to sit on the countertop or hang on a wall rack.