The Best Electric Kettle for Speedier Mornings, According to Experts

On the hunt for a new kettle? Our Test Kitchen found the very best electric kettles out there—including gooseneck, retro and small-scale styles.

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Tkp Electric Kettles
TMB Studio

Searching for the Best Electric Kettles

Does your morning routine involve freshly brewed coffee in your French press, a cup of tea or even hot chocolate?

Then it’s safe to guess that you rely pretty heavily on your kettle to get the water ready. But be honest: What’s the state of your kettle like? Has it seen better days? Is that stovetop teakettle covered in grease marks that just won’t come off?

If that’s the case—or if you just started your pour-over coffee or tea-steeping journey, you’ll want the best electric kettle to suit your needs.

How We Tested Electric Kettles

Our Test Kitchen team not only tests hundreds of reader-submitted recipes every year but also focuses on testing kitchen gadgets and other products.

To test electric kettles, our team sourced 10 of the most popular brands from department stores, big-box chains and across the internet. Each kettle was brought into the kitchens at our headquarters and given a thorough examination by our team of pros, including coffee fanatic and culinary assistant, Mark Neufang. For this test, we looked at the following:

  • Speed: We timed how long it took each kettle to boil a full pot of water. Who doesn’t want their hot water ready faster for a cup of tea?
  • Style: Electric kettles come in all sorts of styles. Traditional shapes and gooseneck kettles both work, but some prefer one to the other. Our pros evaluated various shapes in this test.
  • Comfort: Kettles should be comfortable to lift and pour with one hand. The handles also shouldn’t get too hot to hold.
  • Features: We made note of any special features the kettles may have—everything from auto-off functions to pretty finishes. If there were any standout features, our pros tested how well they worked.
  • Price: The performance must be reflected in the product’s cost. We don’t mind a spendy appliance if it knocks our socks off, but we don’t want to spend big bucks for little payoff.

Cosori Electric Kettle
Via Amazon.com

Best Gooseneck Kettle

Cosori Electric Gooseneck Kettle

For pour-over coffee, you can’t beat a gooseneck kettle—particularly the Cosori Electric Gooseneck Kettle.

According to Mark, “this model has such an elegant and nice pour”—ideal for next-level coffee.

However, this Cosori kettle doesn’t just pour perfectly and drip-free. It also has features that make it stand out from other kettles on the market; namely, this small appliance has multiple settings. You’ll find buttons on the base that will heat the water to just the right setting for various teas, coffee and a basic boil. For folks that are particular about their morning brews, this is game-changing.

This countertop kettle also beeps softly to indicate when the kettle is situated on the base properly, when switched on and when it reaches temp. When you’ve stepped away from the kitchen, these alerts are helpful.

Pros

What our Test Kitchen liked about this Cosori kettle:

  • Beautiful pour
  • Presets for coffee and various teas
  • Keep-warm function
  • Great price for all the features

Cons

Consider these factors before you buy:

  • Smaller capacity (27 ounces)
  • Small opening makes it harder to clean by hand (grab a dish brush for this one!)
  • Water takes longer to reach a boil—about six minutes

Specs

  • Capacity: 27 ounces
  • Features: Five temperature presets, keep warm function, auto shut-off
  • Price: $70

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Stagg Ekg Electric Kettle
Via Surlatable.com

Best Kettle with Temperature Control

Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Pour-Over Kettle

For a countertop kettle with all the bells and whistles, our Test Kitchen suggests Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Pour-Over Kettle.

This stunning kettle—which comes in black, white, steel and copper colors—makes an elegant statement on the countertop.

Performance-wise, our testers couldn’t get enough of this small appliance and its features. This 32-ounce Fellow kettle allows you to select a precise temperature for heating—not just a boil or a preset. For tea fanatics that know all brews are different, this is a fabulous feature.

Once the water inside hits the desired temperature, you can configure the base to switch the heating element off immediately or hold the temp for up to 60 minutes. That extended time is perfect if you’re planning on making cup after cup of tea or coffee—no need to reheat.

Another feature that our team loved is the Brew Stopwatch. This serves as a timer for your coffee or tea so you don’t over- or under-brew.

Pros

What our Test Kitchen liked about this Fellow kettle:

  • Custom temperature setting
  • Hold temperature feature
  • LED screen
  • Pretty finishes including copper

Cons 

Consider these factors before you buy:

  • Pricey for casual users

Specs

  • Capacity: 32 ounces
  • Features: Temperature setting, hold temperature setting, sleep mode, LED screen
  • Price: $159

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Kitchenaid Electric Kettle
Via Amazon.com

Fastest Electric Kettle

KitchenAid Electric Kettle

Are you nothing without that first cup of coffee in the morning? Then you’ll want a speedy electric kettle for your daily French press. Enter, the KitchenAid Electric Kettle.

This stunning countertop kettle heats 42 ounces of water to boiling in four minutes—that’s almost a minute faster than our next-best competitor.

Beyond the speed, this kettle just feels sturdy and made to last. According to Mark, “This kettle has quality, solid construction—you honestly cannot go wrong with KitchenAid.”

Another reason you can’t go wrong: This kettle is stunning to look at. The vintage style of this small appliance is just right for so many kitchens. And if the pale pistachio color isn’t for you, KitchenAid offers this kettle in several other colors (of course, it’s KitchenAid!); pick it up in a bright cherry red, burgundy, black or stainless steel.

Pros

What our Test Kitchen liked about this KitchenAid electric kettle:

  • Comes in a handful of gorgeous colors to match other KitchenAid appliances
  • Comfortable handle
  • Boils water quickly
  • Easy to clean

Cons

Consider these factors before you buy:

  • Only basic features (auto-off)

Specs

  • Capacity: 42 ounces
  • Features: Auto shut-off once kettle boils, water filter
  • Price: $89

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Breville Electric Kettle
Via Williams-Sonoma.com

Best Electric Kettle for Families

Breville Soft Top Tea Kettle

While many electric kettles look stunning sitting on the countertop, their metal exteriors can be dangerous for little fingers. If you have kids at home (or are just accident-prone yourself), our Test Kitchen recommends the Breville Soft Top Tea Kettle.

Breville’s countertop kettle is made of BPA-free plastic, unlike many other kettles our pros tried. This means that the exterior of this small appliance doesn’t get scorching hot while boiling water. Sure, it gets warm, but nothing that will hurt any curious kitchen helpers. Another bonus: the lid clicks securely shut.

This high-capacity kettle also works fast. When tested, our pros found that this pot boiled seven cups of water in less than five minutes—that’s pretty speedy!

Our testers also liked how you could easily see into the kettle thanks to the clear lid and the transparent panels on the side. This made filling to an exact measurement simple and also helped our cooks catch a glimpse at how close the water was to boiling.

Pros

What our Test Kitchen liked about the Breville Soft Top Tea Kettle:

  • High capacity—56 ounces
  • Exterior doesn’t get hot
  • Boils quickly
  • Transparent top and sides make checking the water level and boil easy

Cons

Consider these factors before you buy:

  • Not as pretty as other models

Specs

  • Capacity: 56 ounces
  • Features: Auto shut-off, window to easily see water level, plastic exterior that doesn’t overheat during use
  • Price: $60

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Bodum Electric Kettle
Via Amazon.com

Best Small Electric Kettle

Bodum Gooseneck Electric Water Kettle

Got a compact kitchen? You don’t need to sacrifice style or performance with the Bodum Gooseneck Electric Water Kettle.

This elegantly designed and lightweight kettle holds just over three cups of water—just enough to make your morning tea or pour-over coffee.

What our Test Kitchen really loved about this petite kettle was how well it poured. Gooseneck kettles like this are just such a pleasure to use; the water streams out so elegantly without any drips.

Pros

What our Test Kitchen liked about this Bodum kettle:

  • Small footprint
  • Easy gooseneck pour
  • Heat-resistant cork grips
  • Affordable

Cons

Consider these factors before you buy:

  • Interior of the kettle can be hard to clean without a dish brush
  • Small capacity

Specs

  • Capacity: 27 ounces
  • Features: Automatic shut-off, cork grips
  • Price: $40

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Taste of Home

Check Out More Test Kitchen-Preferred Products

Kettles are just the tip of the testing iceberg! Our Test Kitchen is constantly testing kitchen gadgets, cleaning gear and delicious food, looking for brands that deserve the right to be called Test-Kitchen Preferred.

If you’re looking to outfit your kitchen with a few new appliances, be sure to check out these tests:

Lisa Kaminski
Lisa is a former Taste of Home editor and passionate baker. During her tenure, she poured her love of all things sweet (and sometimes savory) into Bakeable, Taste of Home's baking club. Lisa also dedicated her career here to finding and testing the best ingredients, kitchen gear and home products for our Test Kitchen-Preferred program. At home, you'll find her working on embroidery and other crafts.