The best wok is a versatile and affordable piece of cookware that just gets better the more you use it. Like a cast-iron skillet, a good wok requires a little extra TLC to achieve and maintain a slick nonstick cooking surface, but if you’re willing to put in the effort, you’ll be rewarded with perfect stir-fries, tender bok choy, delicate steamed bao, pan-fried dumplings, and homemade versions of popular Chinese restaurant dishes like fried rice and lo mein.
The best woks:
Though woks are most often associated with Chinese cooking, they can, of course, be used to prepare favorites from many Asian cuisines, including Japanese- and Korean-inspired noodles. A good wok can also be used for braising, and it makes a great frying pan for crispy treats like fried chicken wings.
Of course, not all woks are created equal, so we sought out experts who have used a wide range in personal and professional settings, as well as, needless to say, our own test kitchen. Keep reading to learn more about the top picks.
Jump to a section:
Top-tested pick
The Bon Appétit test kitchen pick
The pro pick
What to look for in a wok
Seasoning and caring for a carbon-steel wok
Basic wok cooking accessories
Top-tested pick: Yosukata carbon-steel 14" flat-bottom wok
The good: Heats very quickly, flat-bottom wok that performs like a traditional round-bottom wok
The bad: Pricier than similar woks, doesn’t come with a lid, requires additional seasoning out of the box, angle of the handle may be awkward for shorter cooks
After testing a number of popular woks, cookbook author and Epicurious expert contributor Hsiao-Ching Chou declared the Yosukata black carbon-steel flat-bottom wok the best of the best. This 13.5" wok heats very quickly, which Chou says is an important part of achieving wok hei, or “the so-called breath of a wok that comes from the magic of carbon steel, searing temperatures, and fast cooking.” One of the most impressive things about it is that it’s a flat-bottom wok that performs as well as a traditional round-bottom wok. Round-bottom woks, which don’t fit on most stoves in Western kitchens, can often get hotter than their flat-bottom counterparts, so to find a flat wok that comes close is a real get.
Though the Yosukata is a pre-seasoned, it takes time to build a truly nonstick patina, and this wok still requires some seasoning before you use it for the first time. All of that said, Chou didn’t have any issues with eggs sticking to the cooking surface one of the first times she used it. She also loved the wood handle and called it “beautiful,” but said the inclined angle might make for a slightly awkward cooking experience for shorter folks.
The only real drawback to the Yosukata is that it’s pricier than similar woks and it doesn’t come with a lid—but if you’re willing to spend another $40, you can get a matching lid that will fit perfectly.
Material: Carbon steel
Handle material: Wood
Helper handle: Yes
Size: 13" wok
Comes with accessories: Yes
The Bon Appétit test kitchen pick: Souped Up Recipes Carbon Steel Wok
The good: Pre-seasoned, has a pour spout and hammered cooking surface, comes with a spatula and lid, wok-cooking video tutorials available online
The bad: No helper handle, requires minor assembly
“It’s hard to develop recipes using a wok because it doesn’t always translate to the home kitchen,” says Bon Appetit food editor Shilpa Uskokovic. But like many of her test kitchen colleagues, she still has a favorite wok, and her top pick just might surprise you.
“I have to admit I bought a wok from this YouTube creator, Souped Up Recipes, and I kinda love it,” Uskokovic says.
Imported and sold (though not made) by the recipe developer who goes by Souped Up Recipes, this 12", flat-bottom carbon-steel wok is pre-seasoned, has a pour spout, and comes with a bonus wok spatula and wood lid. While the wok is slick right out of the box, dimples in the carbon steel make it even easier to release food from the cooking surface (though it looks hand-hammered, it’s actually machine-hammered).
If you’re a wok-cooking beginner, Souped Up Recipes has more than recipe videos online—she’s even posted explainers, including this 12-minute primer detailing the science behind wok cooking and how to get the most out of this specific wok.
At less than $50 (at the time of publication), it hits the sweet spot in terms of price. There’s no helper handle and the wok arrives with the wood handle detached for shipping, so you’ll need to attach it before cooking.
Material: Carbon steel
Handle material: Wood
Helper handle: No
Size: 12" wok
Comes with accessories: Yes
The good: Great value, lightweight, even heat distribution, easy to season
The bad: Wood handle will char over time on a gas stove, requires seasoning out of the box
Sohui Kim is known for her Brooklyn restaurants, the Good Fork, Insa, and Gage & Tollner, and as the author of Korean Home Cooking and The Good Fork Cookbook. Given all those credentials, she could certainly make a case for upgrading her old wok to something fancier and more expensive. But good luck getting her to give up her 12" Joyce Chen wok.
“It never fails me as the heat distribution is even and the wok is lightweight,” she enthusiastically told me. “You can season the pan really well and keep it for all eternity! I love this product.”
Kim isn’t alone in her love of the Joyce Chen carbon-steel wok. The 14" version (which is easier to find than the 12" wok these days) was also Epi’s budget pick and is a favorite of at least a few BA test kitchen editors.
This affordable wok is so popular because it is easy to season, heats quickly and evenly, and like all carbon-steel cookware, will last a lifetime if properly maintained. The wood handle is easy to maneuver and the spun-steel construction creates ridges on the surface area that provide a nice friction for holding food off to the side. And even the bigger version is comparatively lightweight at just 3.3 lb.
Overall, there’s not much to complain about with this wok, though if you cook on a gas stove, the wood helper handle may eventually char.
Material: Carbon steel
Handle material: Wood
Helper handle: Yes
Size: 14" wok
Comes with accessories: No
What to look for in a wok
While it’s possible to buy stainless-steel woks, cast-iron woks, and even featherlight aluminum nonstick woks, all the experts I spoke with agreed that a carbon-steel wok is the way to go. Carbon steel is a versatile lightweight iron-carbon alloy that tolerates extremely high heat, warms up and cools down quickly, and works on all stovetops (including induction). When properly cared for, a carbon-steel pan will last a lifetime.
American cooktops are made for flat cookware, so unless you want to purchase a wok ring, look for a flat-bottom wok you can use on your gas, electric, or induction range without issue.
Test kitchen director Chris Morocco also recommends looking for a wok with a long handle, which makes it easier to hold and move the wok when cooking. Woks are big, and if you plan to cook large batches of meat or noodle dishes in yours, you may also want a helper handle.
Though you may be tempted by sleek woks from DTC brands like Made In and Smithey, most experts on Chinese cuisine say you don’t need to spend more than $60 or $70 to get a really good wok.
Seasoning and caring for a carbon-steel wok
Like cast iron, carbon steel is prone to rusting. But with routine seasoning and careful cleaning, you can avoid rust while also developing a beautiful nonstick coating that will outperform and outlast your favorite nonstick pan (conventional nonstick surfaces wouldn’t hold up to the high temperatures required for traditional wok cooking, anyway). Some carbon-steel woks come pre-seasoned and are super slick right out of the box, some are pre-seasoned but still need some additional seasoning before they’ll be truly nonstick, and others are completely uncoated and require you to start the seasoning process from scratch.
No matter how seasoned it is when it arrives, you should always start by washing your carbon-steel wok with soap and hot water to remove any manufacturing residue and then drying it completely.
Seasoning carbon steel is similar to the process of seasoning a cast-iron skillet, which involves applying a thin layer of oil with a paper towel or other lint-free cloth, then heating the wok over high heat. However, for the best results, you’ll want to follow the specific seasoning instructions that come with your wok.
Basic wok cooking accessories
In The Nom Wah Cookbook, chef and Bon Appétit contributor Wilson Tang lists a wok as the very first piece of equipment in his “Things You’ll Need” section, but it’s not the only thing you need. If you’re a beginner wok cook choosing your first wok, add these three items to your cart while you’re at it.
If you plan to steam anything in your new wok, you’ll need a lid, and Tang recommends an aluminum wok lid, specifically one with a wood knob because that knob will stay cool to the touch. If your wok doesn’t come with a lid, make sure the one you pick properly fits your wok. Unlike Western cookware, a wok lid rests just inside the pan, not on or over the edge, so you’d want something like a 13" lid for a 14" wok, and an 11" lid for a 12" wok.
You’ll also need a wok-specific spatula, and Tang says that, “Due to the curved nature of the wok, a traditional flat spatula is an awkward fit. The harmonious curves of a wok chuan—or wok spatula—nestle in cutely to the curves.”
If you plan to deep-fry anything in your wok (which you absolutely should!) cookbook author and Epicurious contributing expert Hsiao-Ching Chou recommends getting a spider strainer too. “It’s the cleanest way to shift, turn, or remove whatever you are frying,” she says.
