Top 5 | Best Play Kitchen list Every Mom Needs To See!

best play kitchen for 3-5 year olds — By: Heather Little

Best Play Kitchen Sets – 2022 list

Searching for the best play kitchen in 2022?

Play kitchen sets are a great gift for any toddler or older child. While it’s a more common gift for young girls, it also honestly makes a great gift for little boys as well! After all, both boys and girls love mimicking their mom and dad! Plus, our boys need to get in the habit of cooking and cleaning the house as well!

Not only are play kitchens super fun, but they are all great for encouraging young kids to play together and boosting fine motor skills.

It can also be used to teach toddlers and young kids responsibility. Make it a rule that they need to clean up their kitchen area when they’re done playing.

There are tons of options out there for play kitchens, but which is best?

There are multiple factors to consider when searching for the perfect toy kitchen. Things such as durability, assembly difficulty, available features, size, material, cost, and so on.

Take a look below for help on picking the absolute BEST play kitchen for your toddler or young kid.

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MOM-THOUGHTS QUICK LIST

OVERALL WINNER: KidKraft Ultimate Corner Wooden Play Kitchen

BEST SPACE SAFER PLAY KITCHEN: Hape Gourmet Kitchen

KidKraft Ultimate Corner Wooden Play Kitchen

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KidKraft Ultimate Corner Wooden Play Kitchen with Lights & Sounds, Play Phone and Curtains, Espresso, Gift for Ages 3+

MADE OF WOOD and EASY ASSEMBLY: Kitchen is made of premium, sustainable materials for long-lasting play you can feel good about. Make assembly easier with more help. Two people can set up this item in approximately 2 hours or less.
FITS IN YOUR SPACE: Innovative curved design cozies up in the corner, letting you utilize every inch oof your room.

LIGHTS and SOUNDS: The burners light up and make cooking sounds; water dispenser also lights up and makes realistic sounds when pressed.
LAUNDRY TIME: Built-in washer with open and close inset circle window door adds cleaning to the kitchen area.
SO DETAILED: Kids will find plenty of hands-on learning with buttons to press, knobs to turn and handles to pull. And, with homey touches like fabric curtains, a wall phone and lots of storage, this wooden kitchen is almost just like the real thing.

This KidKraft Corner Kitchen is the overall winner! This is seriously the best play kitchen for toddlers, and young kids. It looks so nice and “upscale” for a toy kitchen.

It includes: A refrigerator with an icemaker, freezer, sink, oven, microwave, close washer and stove. All of the doors are functioning with space inside to put food/pots/pans. The stove top and ice maker light up and make noise. There’s also a phone that is mounted by the clothes washer, curtains, and hooks to hang things such as kitchen towel, pots/pans.

It’s honestly really impressive looking! This is ultimately the play kitchen that we ended up getting our three year old. We did the whole set up, and even got this dining table that matches perfectly with the play kitchen.

BREAK DOWN:

PROS:

High-End Design/Beautifully Detailed
Looks just like a real grown-up’s kitchen

Tons of play space
Ice Maker and Stove Top include lights and sound
Includes all of the appliances your little one would ever need

CONS:

Assembly takes quite a while (It took my husband and I about 2.5 hours. Tip: Lay out all of the pieces in order by number so they’re easy to find and grab while assembling. It took a long time, but we didn’t find it DIFFICULT. Just time consuming.)
If you only have a small amount of space available, this play kitchen may be a bit too big.

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Step2 Elegant Edge Kitchen

Step2 Elegant Edge Kids Kitchen Playset, Indoor/Outdoor Kitchenette, Interactive Play with Lights and Sounds, Made of Durable Plastic, Includes 78 Piece Toy Accessories, For Toddlers 3+ Years Old

LEARN & PLAY: Year-round entertainment for toddlers ages 3+, outdoor in the backyard or inside a playroom, multiple kids can play

SENSORY PLAYSET: 70+ piece kit, allows toddlers to engage in activities, develop skills, and acquire important abilities for development
REALISTIC FEATURES: Functional knobs that turn and click, working oven, refrigerator lights, blender and popcorn maker stovetop attachments
EASY ASSEMBLY: Effortless assembly process, assembled dimensions: 50″ H x 65.75″ W x 14″ D

DURABLE: Built to last, double-walled plastic construction, years of use with colors that won’t chip, fade, crack, or peel

If wooden play kitchens aren’t your thing, this Step2 Elegant Edge Kitchen is a great choice!

It comes with tons of accessories and the detail in this kitchen is really impressive! There is tons of built-in storage options including upper storage bins, windowed cabinets, spice rack, single-serve coffee maker, under-sink storage area, hanging hooks, and shelving! Not only does the storage space give your toddler or young child lots of play options, but it’s also a “win” for mom and dad because it ensures there is a place to store all of the accessories when it’s time for clean up.

Speaking of accessories, another reason why this makes the list for best play kitchens is because it comes with an accessory pack! The kitchen accessories include: dishes, utensils, play food, coffee pot with single-serve pods, pretend cutting board, realistic copper serving utensils and cookware, and realistic blender and popcorn maker stovetop attachments too! What more could you want?

BREAK DOWN

PROS:

Strong plastic material makes it indestructible and totally toddler proof

Tons of accessories
All of the “appliances” your little one needs for hours of play
Detailed design

Lots of storage space

CONS:

It is not a very sleek design (won’t blend into home décor)

Higher price
Not a compact size, so you’ll want to sure you have space for it before purchasing

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Temi Play Kitchen Playset

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TEMI Play Kitchen Playset Pretend Food – 53 PCS Pink Kitchen Toys for Toddlers, Toy Accessories Toddler Set w/Real Sounds and Light, Toddler Outdoor Playset for Kids, Girls and Boys

Temperature Sensing Kitchen Sink Sets: Some food accessories will change color when in ice water. Children can easily remove their utensils from the hanging storage hooks. The…
Function Spary and Vivid Lights: Electronic stovetop burner with working fire-inspired lights and sound cooktop adds to the role play fun! When the food is cooked, the lid will…
Water Circulation and Storage: The water sink toy adopts an water circulation system to save water. When the cooking is done,chef can clean dishes in the sink Storage bins and…

Numerous Accessories: The kids kitchen table includes play stove, cooking utensil, spray, play sink with running water, kinds of kitchen accessories, stickers and extra counter top…

Getting your child a play kitchen doesn’t mean you have to totally break the bank. While the big “fancy” kitchens are awesome, there are also some REALLY cool affordable play kitchens as well! This Temi Play Kitchen is a perfect example!

For under $100 ($67.99), it includes an oven, dishwasher, stove top, sink and plenty of storage. It comes with an accessory pack, and some of the foods even change color in ice water! The stove makes sounds and lights up.

This toy kitchen also has two additional functions that I haven’t seen elsewhere. It has a “Steam Cooker”, and you can actually have water come out of the sink faucet!

BREAK DOWN:

PROS:

Affordable

Compact Size
“Functioning” Sink
Steam Cooker

Easy Assembly

CONS:

Not as detailed as the other kitchens

Pink color makes it less gender neutral
Kids will outgrow this quicker due to it’s small size
Less sturdy than the more pricey kitchens

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Melissa & Doug Wooden Chef’s Pretend Play Toy Kitchen

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Melissa & Doug Wooden Chef’s Pretend Play Toy Kitchen With “Ice” Cube Dispenser – Charcoal Gray – Kitchen Play Set For Toddlers And Kids Ages 3+

COMPLETE WOODEN PLAY KITCHEN: The Melissa & Doug Wooden Chef’s Pretend Play Toy Kitchen includes oven, stove, microwave, sink, refrigerator with working “ice” dispenser, and freezer
DURABLE PRETEND PLAY KITCHEN: The Melissa & Doug Chef’s Kitchen is a durable, wooden play kitchen with ample storage space for easy cleanup

INNOVATIVE TOY KITCHEN FOR KIDS: The innovative ice maker dispenses two included “ice” cubes, dials turn, microwave plate spins; includes grocery checklist, movable hooks, and doors that open and close
EASY TO ASSEMBLE: Our toy kitchen with “ice” cube dispenser is roomy enough for multiple kids to play at once. This kids play kitchen is ideal for kitchen accessory play sets, pretend food collections, and play pantry products

Similar to the KidKraft Corner Kitchen, this Melissa & Doug Wooden Toy Kitchen has a super sleek and modern look. The nice thing about this one though is it doesn’t take up as much space, so it will fit nicely into most spaces.

It features an oven, stove, microwave, sink, refrigerator with working “ice” dispenser, and freezer. It also has a cute little “Grocery list” that hangs by the refrigerator.

The dark cabinets, “stainless steel” look appliances and backsplash give this kitchen a nice high-end look.

BREAK DOWN:

PROS:

Sleek and Modern Design
“Functioning” Ice Dispenser
Fairly Easy Assembly (Still allow yourself a couple hours)

3 Color Options (Charcoal, White and Pink)
Resembles a real grown up kitchen

CONS:

Some reviewers felt that it isn’t as sturdy as other play kitchens
Not a lot of counter space
No accessory pack included

Not a lot of storage space

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Hape Gourmet Kitchen

Hape Gourmet Kitchen Toy Fully Equipped Wooden Pretend Play Kitchen Set with Sink, Stove, Baking Oven, Cabinet, Turnable Knobs & Spice Shelf, White

Fully equipped gourmet kitchen: This wooden play kitchen has all a little cook needs with a sink, stove, oven with window, cabinet, spice shelf, and…

Master chef dreams: Hope gourmet kitchen stimulates creative thinking and storytelling, your little chef will be enchanted as they cook up a storm
Real life kitchen: This kids play kitchen encourages kinesthetic development with its realistic features of clickable, turn able knobs and switch,…
Durability: Hope kitchen and grill Playset is made from durable wood, child safe materials and non-toxic water-based paint

Get more out of your kitchen: to get the most out of this pretend play kitchen, fill up your kitchen cabinet and combine it with other Hape play food…

If you’re looking for a simple play kitchen, this is about as simple as it gets! It doesn’t take up a lot of space, but it’s still equipped with a sink, stove, oven with window, cabinet, spice shelf, and turn-able clicking knobs.

It’s not as “modern” and realistic looking as some of the other play kitchen options, but it totally gets the job done and your child will love it!

It’s made of wood and is built to last a while, so it should last for future siblings.

This is a great space saving play kitchen, which is part of why it makes the list for “best play kitchen” for toddlers and young kids, but keep in mind that this kitchen is on the smaller side. If your child is very tall, you may want to go with one of the other play kitchens mentioned earlier.