11 best woks for speedy meals, tried and tested for every budget
Whether you’re throwing together a speedy stir fry, braising meats and veggies, or dabbling in a little light tempura frying, a good wok is a worthwhile addition to your kitchen. Available in a variety of styles and sizes (and prices!), we've done the analysis to find the best woks to shop right now.
We’ve rigorously tested the top woks on the market and whittled down the selection to 11 top-performers. Here are the ones our Good Housekeeping Institute experts experts rated the most:
What’s the difference between a wok and a frying pan?
A wok’s bowl-shaped design means it reaches high temperatures quickly, spreading the heat evenly, which allows food to be cooked at speed and with less oil. The high sides also mean it’s easy to toss and turn food without losing any ingredients.
While you can still make a stir fry in one of our best frying pans, a wok should be your pan of choice – ones made from carbon steel will also impart the traditional smoky stir-fry flavour known as "wok hei".
What materials are woks made from?
Although traditional carbon steel and cast iron woks are favoured by chefs, we’ve focused on aluminium and stainless steel woks in our testing. Requiring less maintenance, these non-stick models are generally a better fit for the average kitchen, as well as being much cheaper. Here's a quick rundown on the different materials.
Carbon steel
The first choice for chefs, traditional woks are made from carbon steel. They need to be seasoned with oil (and heat) before use to build up their non-stick surface and patina, which also creates that ‘"wok hei" taste. This material offers good heat conductivity but isn’t dishwasher-friendly. Look after a carbon steel wok properly, though, and it should last a lifetime.
Cast iron
These woks are fantastic heat conductors, but are usually heavy, making them trickier to manoeuvre. They must also be seasoned (with oil and heat) to prevent rusting and achieve that authentic "wok hei" taste.
Stainless steel
Naturally non-stick and typically dishwasher-friendly, stainless steel woks aren't always the most efficient, especially when it comes to heat distribution, but they are lower maintenance and easier to clean.
Aluminium
Aluminium woks are great when it comes to heat distribution – making them ideal for stir fry fans. They can take a little longer to heat up but are usually non-stick.
Key wok features to look out for
Base: In order to circulate heat evenly, traditional woks have a rounded bottom. This can mean they struggle to balance properly on all hobs though, so flat-bottomed woks are now more commonly used.
Handles: Woks tend to either have one long handle for easy tossing and turning, or two smaller C-shaped handles for easy manoeuvrability. However, there are some hybrid models that have a long handle on one side and a small grip handle on the other, such as the high-scoring M&S Chef Hard Anodised 30cm Wok we tested.
Size: Woks vary in size, with smaller ones typically about 24cm in diameter and larger family models up to 35cm.
Lid: Although a lid isn’t necessary for a stir fry, if you’re planning on steaming, stewing or braising in your wok, then you may want to consider purchasing one with a lid. We recommend glass lids so you can keep an eye on your food without having to lift it and lose the heat.
How we test woks
Our expert testers at the Good Housekeeping Institute review both non-stick and traditional woks, using little to no oil on non-stick options and building up a solid patina before cooking with traditional models.
They cook three staple dishes in each wok: one meat, one involving fried rice and one vegetable-based recipe that uses a sugary, sticky sauce. They also try each wok on gas, electric and induction hob types, and score them based on balance and manoeuvrability, time to heat up and amount of sticking or burning.
If the wok claims to be dishwasher-safe, they wash it on numerous cycles to assess if there are any signs of damage after continued cleaning. These are the ones that excelled on test.
Toughened Non-Stick Wok
Score: 98/100
One of our joint winning woks, this Le Creuset number scored full marks across all our cooking tests, with no ingredients sticking or burning. The dual handles make it easy and safe to lift (although they do get a little hot after extended periods), while its deep design means food stays inside when tossing and turning.
It’s also oven and dishwasher-safe, and remained unchanged after repeated dishwasher cycles. Metal utensils didn’t scratch the surface either. A worthy wok (joint) winner.
Recycled Stir Fry Pan
Score: 98/100
Thanks to its lightweight, comfortable soft grip handle and seamless non-stick surface, this wok impressed across the board (and it costs a lot less than our other joint winner). It also holds the high accolade of being our fastest wok to achieve optimal cooking temperatures, with its recycled aluminium base reaching an impressive 180C in a minute and a half on a gas hob.
Our testers found it required little-to-no oil while cooking, making it perfect for health-conscious cooks and fans of low-calorie sprays. If you’re looking for a wok that can feed the whole family, this one may be a little too small to meet your needs, but if it’s speed and minimal oil usage you’re after, it’s hard to beat.
Eco Non-Stick Stir Fry Wok
Score: 95/100
If you’re someone who uses your wok from morning to night, every single day, then this Prestige model should be on your radar. Made from recycled aluminium, it showed no signs of wear or tear during testing and remained as good as new, even after multiple dishwasher cycles.
Take note, you will need to use wood or silicone utensils with this model as it’s not designed for use with metal tools, but the well-rounded sides make stirring and tossing easy. It performed flawlessly across all our cooking tests, so you won’t experience any sticking or burning, regardless of whether you’re making shakshuka for breakfast or whipping up dan dan noodles for dinner.
Allround Wok Non Stick
Score: 94/100
Ideal for making dinners for one with minimal hassle, this compact wok is quick to heat up and simple to clean – food scrapes out easily and a quick rinse gets rid of any oily residue.
The shallower sides meant some of our food slipped out while stir frying, and it was a little unstable on the hob, but its lightweight design makes it easy to adjust.
Chef Hard Anodised Large Wok
Score: 93/100
This wok is something of a one-hand wonder. Throughout testing, it proved to be comfortable to hold and balance, whether we were tossing vegetables or transferring it from hob to table.
The handy lid helps ensure the food retains heat after cooking, and it also aced our mince, onion and egg fried rice tests, although it did require a second rinse to remove sauce during cleaning. We consider that to be a forgivable fault though, given its ergonomic design and that helpful lid.
Renew On
Score: 92/100
Tefal’s new non-stick ceramic coating worked like a dream in our tests, with very little oil needed for frying. Our testers didn’t notice any charring or burning when cooking up rice and vegetables either. The wok heated evenly, thanks to its 100% recycled aluminium surface, ensuring our ingredients – from mince to egg fried rice – were well cooked through.
It isn’t dishwasher safe, but our testers found it easy to clean – it only needed a quick rinse to remove most of the food left behind. It’s also durable, well balanced and easy to grip while tossing ingredients or transferring food onto a plate. It is a little on the small side, so take note if you tend to cook large portions at a time, or are feeding a big family.
Easy Induction Wok
Score: 92/100
Great for making a stir-fry, there was no sticking or burning with this deep wok, and food slipped into bowls for easy serving.
The plastic handle isn’t ergonomic and it can feel heavy after prolonged use. We also noticed some scuffs on the rim after repeated dishwasher cycles but the good news is that when hand-washing, it only requires a speedy rinse.
Vivo CW0570 Wok
Score: 91/100
This good-looking wok retained its glossy finish after several cycles through the dishwasher. We also loved how easy the two handles make the wok to lift and turn, without heating up during cooking.
A small amount of rice did stick to the surface during testing, but it easily scraped away with the help of a wooden spoon. Standing firm on the hob, we think this is a reliable buy.
28cm Marble Wok
Score: 89/100
This wok comes with an attractive marble finish that will match most kitchenware collections. It scored highly on all cooking tests, and was a doddle to clean. The glass lid also adds to its versatility.
We did find the handle harder to use than others, and heavy on the wrist when tossing ingredients, but it did remain cool throughout cooking.
Foodi ZEROSTICK 28cm Wok
Score: 85/100
Our testers said cooking egg fried rice was a dream in this wok – there was no sticking or burning and all the food slid easily out into our bowl, earning it full marks for that dish. Food stuck to the pan slightly with the other recipes we tried, and its weight made tossing the ingredients tricky, but the lug handle helped, and a soapy sponge did the trick when it came to clean-up. Those quibbles aside, the food still cooked well, with beautifully softened vegetables in our stir fry.
We noticed a few scratches and browned spots on the base of the pan after using it on the hob and in the oven, too. However, Ninja offers a 10-year replacement guarantee upon registration should this ever affect its cooking performance.
Freedom Wok Graphite 28cm T800205
Score: 85/100
Another well-priced wok, this one should be your top choice if you’re short on space. The detachable handle (sold separately for £12.93) can be used on cookware across the Tower range and means this wok can be stacked easily in the cupboard. It also doubles up as an oven dish.
There was some slight sticking and burning when frying onions, but the stir fry impressed us. A great buy, especially considering the price.
The verdict on woks
Le Creuset has a stellar reputation for a reason and the Le Creuset Toughened Non-Stick Wok is here to add more fire to its flame. No ingredients stuck and mixing everything together was simple thanks to the wok's deep design.
But at a fraction of the price (although only available in a 28cm size), our other joint winning wok, Dunelm’s Recycled Stir Fry Pan, should also be on your radar. It needed little oil and heated up quickly – perfect for speedy mid-week meals.
Why you should trust the Good Housekeeping Institute
It’s frustrating when your stir fry and noodles stick to the bottom of the wok, so our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute have spent countless hours cooking with all these woks to find the best for your kitchen.
A carefully curated menu of staple dishes has been designed by our homes testing manager, Blossom Boothroyd, so our testers can put each to the test against their claims, as you would use them at home.
Our homes writer Megan Geall is also a keen cook and has spent time getting to grips with her wok in the kitchen, so she knows what makes a multitasking buy. She also writes about kitchen products day-in-day-out and keeps up to date with the latest innovations, to ensure she's asking all the right questions before she publishes our reviews.
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