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See why.The Best Mortars and Pestles and Molcajetes
To find the best mortar and pestle, we went back to the grind.
By Updated May 19, 2023
Our favorite mortar and pestle, the Cilio by Frieling Goliath Mortar and Pestle, was redesigned slightly, so we tested it again. It remains our favorite. We also tested a few molcajetes, mortar and pestle sets traditional to indigenous groups in the region around present-day Mexico. Our new favorite is the Masienda Molcajete; our Best Buy molcajete is the IMUSA Granite Molcajete 8 inches, Grey.
Top Picks
See Everything We Tested
What You Need To Know
While the primitive-looking mortar and pestle might seem like it would be better off left in the Stone Age, there are actually a number of good reasons to own one. It’s a low-tech multitasker, allowing you to blitz whole spices into powder and grind wet ingredients into pastes and sauces. Fans of these tools—including many professional cooks—say that the quality of the foods produced by a mortar (the bowl component) and pestle (the club-like component) are superior in flavor and texture to foods that come out of a food processor. Instead of simply cutting whole spices or herbs into tiny pieces, as the blades of a grinder or food processor might do, the pestle crushes them, extracting more aromatic oils and flavor compounds in the process. Finally, mortars and pestles are dead simple—there are only two parts to use and clean and no sharp blades to nick yourself on. The best versions are also nearly indestructible.
Since we last tested these tools, our favorite, the Frieling Goliath Natural Stone Mortar & Pestle, has been redesigned. So we decided to take a fresh look at mortars and pestles. We tested seven models, priced from about $13 to about $100, using them to grind peppercorns to different levels of coarseness, to make garam masala from whole spices, and to make pesto.
Mortars and Pestles Deliver Quality—and Sometimes Speed
The best models made it clear why these tools have their champions. Yes, electric tools are faster: You’ll make pesto more quickly if you use a food processor (about 40 seconds compared with 8 to 16 minutes in the mortars and pestles), and spice blends can be produced in a lot less time in an electric spice grinder (about 15 seconds compared with 9 to 20 minutes in the mortars and pestles). But in some cases, a mortar and pestle can actually give you a speed advantage. Using our favorite peppermill, it took a wrist-breaking 34 minutes to coarsely grind ½ cup of peppercorns—the amount needed for our Pepper-Crusted Beef Tenderloin Roast recipe. By contrast, grinding the peppercorns using our favorite mortar and pestle took less than 5 minutes, and it performed just as well.
Even if you do have electric tools, you might want to consider using a mortar and pestle for the nuanced flavor and texture it can deliver. While we didn’t detect much of a difference between garam masala made using the electric blade grinder and garam masala made using the higher-rated mortars and pestles, pesto made using the higher-rated mortars and pestles did indeed have a more complex, savory, and cohesive flavor and a softer, more luscious texture than pesto made in the food processor, which, while still delici...
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 3 stars out of 3.
True to its name, this Goliath of a mortar and pestle was one of the biggest, heaviest, and best we tested. Weighing just under 11 pounds, the granite mortar sat rooted to the counter; its coarse-textured interior allowed us to grind dry spices to fine powders and wet ingredients to smooth pastes more quickly than any other model. Its pestle—also one of the heaviest we tested—did a fantastic job of smashing garlic and reducing whole spices to smithereens. One tiny gripe: The pestle could be a smidge longer; our hands sometimes hit the rim of the mortar while pounding ingredients.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 3 stars out of 3.
Gorgeous and formidable, this molcajete and tejolote set excelled at every task. The volcanic rock that both parts are made from is quite coarse-textured and porous, so this set is exceptionally good at breaking down ingredients, making perfect sauces and pastes and easily grinding spices to the exact fineness we required. It’s quite large and heavy, so it holds a lot of food and won’t budge at all during use. (It can be a little daunting to lift for cleaning, though.) We found the tejolote just a tad short, but it’s otherwise easy to grip and control.
- Capacity: 3 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 3 stars out of 3.
We loved this affordable granite molcajete, which did a great job of making pastes, sauces, dips, and spice blends. The molcajete is heavy enough to sit securely on the countertop during use. But because it’s lighter in weight than our favorite and has three legs that elevate the bowl slightly, it’s a touch easier to lift and clean. It holds a good amount of food too. Our main quibble? While its barbell-shaped tejolote is otherwise easy to grip, it’s a touch short, and at 1.5 pounds, it was actually the heaviest we tested. While this weight made it crush foods efficiently, it also meant that the tejolote could get a little tiring to use.
Recommended
- Capacity: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Capacity: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Capacity: 2 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 2.5 stars out of 3.
This small granite mortar and pestle is a great option for those who are looking to economize and don’t mind spending a little more time and taking a few extra batches to get through a recipe. Although it has half the capacity of our winner, it did a great job of grinding spices to powder and making pesto, thanks to a heavy pestle and a relatively coarse mortar. While not as heavy as our favorite, the mortar is still heavy enough to sit fairly securely on the countertop. And the long pestle gives hands plenty of room to grip without hitting the rim of the mortar when pounding.
Not Recommended
- Capacity: 1 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 1 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 1 stars out of 3.
- Capacity: 1 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 1 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 1 stars out of 3.
We had to hold this lightweight metal mortar down to keep it from tipping over when we used it; its short walls let spices fly everywhere as we chased them around with the pestle. The smooth interior and lightweight pestle made it impossible to pound or grind spices to fine powder; pepper was left coarse or whole, and garam masala had unappetizing chunks of cinnamon bark and coriander seeds. Pesto was acceptable but quite chunky.
- Capacity: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Stability: 1 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 0.5 stars out of 3.
- Performance: 1 stars out of 3.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
Miye Bromberg
Miye is a senior editor for ATK Reviews. She covers booze, blades, and gadgets of questionable value.
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