I Tested 7 Silicone Spatulas to Find the Best Ones for Scraping, Stirring, and Mixing

A silicone spatula is something every home cook should own. While some may think of it as a baking utensil (and it certainly is!), a flexible spatula is an everyday kitchen tool. It's handy for lots of tasks, including scrambling (and flipping, if over-easy's your thing) eggs and scraping out the last bit of smoothie from a blender. Compare them with other top-tier stirring and flipping utensils and you’ll see how versatile they are: a metal spoon can stir, but can’t scrape a pan clean; a fish spatula can flip a pancake, but can't combine a batter.

If you don’t already own a silicone spatula, it’s time to change that. But before you add anything to your cart, read this review: I put seven popular models to the test to find the very best one. After scrambling dozens of eggs, stirring batches upon batches of cookie dough and brownie batter, and scraping out quite a few thick smoothies, I found the silicone spatulas worth investing in.

Whether it was stirring a pan of soft-scrambled eggs, mixing chocolate chips into thick cookie dough, scraping gloopy brownie batter into a pan, or scooping out the dregs of a smoothie from a blender, this spatula aced the assignment. Its beveled edge made quick work of every task.

With a nylon core, the Tovolo Flex-Core spatula proved itself as one of the strongest spatulas of the bunch. Its wider head (2.5 inches) helped it quickly and efficiently combine wet and dry components of brownie batter, as well as cookie dough mix-ins.

GIR’s spatula was the slimmest of the bunch, with a head just under two inches wide. Though it was slender, its fiberglass core made it very efficient and durable. Its smaller stature was a boon during our smoothie test where it easily fit the contours of the blender. It's also available in a wide range of colors and sizes.

The Tests

• Scrambled Egg Test: I used each silicone spatula to scramble eggs to see how agile the heads were. 
• Cookie Dough Mix-In Test: Cookie dough is tough, so in this test, I examined how strong and durable the spatulas were by mixing in add-ins (chocolate chips and walnuts). 
• Smoothie Test (Winners-Only): Once I had narrowed it down to the best silicone spatulas, I scooped smoothies from a blender to see how agile the spatulas were. I also noted if they could get into nooks and crannies (like the space between the blade and the blender jar's walls).
• Brownie Batter Test (Winners-Only): I mixed up a batch of brownie batter to see how effectively each spatula combined dry and wet ingredients. I also evaluated the spatula's ability to scrape the bowl clean.
• Cleanup Tests: I ran each spatula through a dishwasher multiple times to see if the spatulas that claimed (all did) to be dishwasher-safe were, indeed, dishwasher-safe.

What We Learned

Silicone Spatula Heads Should Be Wide and Flexible (to a Degree)

When scraping down the sides of a bowl, a wide head covers the most surface area at once, making it more efficient. The Our Table Silicone Pointed Spatula had the widest head of all the models tested (2.73 inches), which made it very effective for combining chocolate chips into cookie dough. However, it also made it slightly awkward to scramble eggs. In contrast, the Tovolo Flex-Core All Silicone Spatula Turner spatula (which was 2.5 inches wide) was just as capable of integrating mix-ins into cookie dough and scraping down bowls as it was of scrambling eggs. In the end, anywhere from 1.9 to 2.5 inches wide was best for maximum versatility, efficiency, and ease.

Should You Buy a Spatula Set?

We don't think most knife sets are the best buy, and we feel similarly about spatulas. You get more bang for your buck if you pick and choose each one individually. That way, you can choose the best nonstick food turner, metal turner, fish spatula, and so on.

Silicone Spatulas Should Be Semi-Flexible

When it came to mixing thick dough, a strong internal core was essential. While all of the spatulas successfully incorporated mix-ins into cookie dough, spatulas with nylon or fiberglass cores and an angled head performed best. They offered flexibility, while still being rigid enough for mixing, and their edges easily scraped and glided down the sides of the mixing bowl.

Look for a Lightweight, but Not Too Lightweight Spatula

As noted, the Our Table spatula performed especially well when mixing cookie dough—at first, it seemed this was primarily a result of its strong core and wide head; however, it soon became clear that weight was also a major factor. At 4.3 ounces, it was the heaviest model I tested. This meant that while the spatula struggled to deftly scramble eggs, combining stiff batter was a cakewalk. At 2.1 ounces, the lightest spatula (Rubbermaid) was the easiest to use in a small skillet while scrambling eggs. But it was so lightweight that it struggled with the hefty cookie dough. And at 3.5 ounces, the OXO silicone spatula again proved to be just right—it was heavy enough to tackle mix-ins with ease, but didn't feel unbalanced when used for a delicate task like scrambling eggs.

Silicone Spatulas Should Be Dishwasher-Safe

If you're a fan of spatulas with wooden handles, that's fine! However, I think spatulas should be dishwasher-safe to make cleanup as easy as possible. All of the spatulas I tested were dishwasher-safe and survived several trips through the machine without a hitch. OXO was the only model that specified top rack dishwashing (though, ironically, it was also one of three tested that could withstand up to 600ºF, and most dishwashers don’t go above 150ºF); the Rubbermaid (heatsafe to 500ºF) was the only spatula that specified it could handle commercial dishwashing. Still, even the lowest heat-safe models (Our Table, 428ºF; Zulay 430ºF) performed well in multiple runs through the dishwasher (and silicone isn't on our "no dishwashing" list, anyway). And for those who don’t have a dishwasher, no worries: all of the spatulas were also quite easy to hand wash—even the Rubbermaid, which was the only model that wasn’t a smooth, silicone-coated, one-piece tool. 

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Silicone Spatula

The best silicone spatulas have a flexible (but not floppy!) head, preferably with an angled, beveled edge. The ideal spatula is lightweight and has a grippy handle that isn’t longer than your forearm. It should be durable enough to sit in a hot pan for a minute or so between stirs, as well as survive regular trips through the dishwasher. What do you use your spatula for? If you scrape a smoothie from the blender into your to-go cup every morning and rarely mix up cookie dough, consider a slimmer model with an angled head; if you’re constantly mixing up cake batters and scraping frosting into piping bags, look for a more heavy-duty, wider spatula with a beveled edge.

Our Favorite Silicone Spatulas

What we liked: I especially loved this spatula’s slim, 2.1-inch head, which is not only tapered and angled to help stir efficiently, but also has a beveled edge, which helps scrape bowls and pans super-clean. It’s heatproof up to 600ºF, so it could rest comfortably in a hot skillet for a minute or so without running any risk of melting. It had a rounded, comfortable handle.

What we didn’t like: Not much, but if you're looking for a heavier spatula that really excels at handling thick doughs with ease, I'd recommend the Tovolo model below.

Key Specs

• Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Product dimensions: 12.5 x 2.1 x 0.7 inches
• Materials: Nylon core, silicone
• Heat resistance: Up to 600ºF
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe (top rack specified)

What we liked: Its wide-but-not-too-wide head and slightly heavier makeup made for efficient batter-mixing and pan-scraping. Heatproof up to 600ºF, neither hot pans nor the dishwasher gave this model trouble.

What we didn’t like: The larger width and less-tapered edge of the head meant this one struggled with scraping tight corners. I found its handle to be a bit long, but still grippy and comfortable to hold.

Key Specs

• Weight: 3.55 ounces
• Product dimensions: 12.75 x 2.5 x .75 inches
• Materials: Nylon core, silicone
• Heat resistance: Up to 600ºF
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe

What we liked: This spatula from GIR really proved itself during the smoothie test, when it was able to scrape all the way around the bottom corners of a blender, nimbly avoiding the blades. Its skinny and strongly tapered head did the best job in tight spots of all the models I tested. Heatproof up to 500ºF, it held up to hot pans and the dishwasher, and I found its rounded, grippy handle comfortable to hold. It's available in a lot of colors and sizes, too.

What we didn't like: It was slightly less efficient at cleanly scooping and scraping (compared with the OXO’s beveled edge).

Key Specs

• Weight: 3.25 ounces
• Product dimensions: 11 x 1.9 x 0.7 inches
• Materials: Fiberglass core, silicone
• Heat resistance: Up to 500ºF
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe
  

The Competition

• DI ORO Seamless Series 11.2 Inch Large Silicone Spatula: This spatula’s rigid head was great for incorporating batters, but since it didn't have a strong angle on it, it struggled to uniformly scramble eggs and neatly scrape pans clean.
• Our Table Silicone Pointed Spatula: Its very wide, heavy head was ultimately too awkward to control when stirring lighter batters or scrambling eggs, but proved useful when combining stiff batters. It appears to be available only in a large set now.
• Rubbermaid Commercial Products High Heat Silicone Spatula: Though it didn’t have a strongly angled head, the ultra-flexible Rubbermaid was great for scrambling eggs and scraping pans clean. But because it was so lightweight, it required more work when combining a thick batter.
• Zulay Silicone Spatula: This spatula scrambled eggs easily and had a decent angle for scraping corners, but ultimately failed to really stand out when completing any task compared to my three favorite models.
  

FAQs

What's the best "buy it for life" silicone spatula?

Any silicone spatula is a good investment because silicone is heatproof; these spatulas are really tough. But our favorite one, the OXO silicone spatula, is exemplary in that department. It can handle temperatures up to 600˚F. Many of our editors have owned this spatula for years.

What do you use silicone spatulas for?

Silicone spatulas are used to scoop, scrape, stir, and smooth ingredients like sauce, batter, and frosting. If relatively flat, they’re also sometimes used as tools for flipping items like fried eggs or pancakes. They’re also very regularly used for evenly scrambling eggs, as you can both stir the beaten eggs and scrape the surface of the pan clean in one motion.

Are silicone spatulas safe?

As long as silicone spatulas are made of 100% food-grade silicone, they’re regarded as safe for use. It’s best to look for spatulas labeled BPA-free, as those are made without bisphenol A, an industrial chemical used in some plastics.

Which is better: a silicone or rubber spatula?

Rubber and silicone spatulas both scoop and scrape efficiently, but considering that rubber spatulas can melt when accidentally left in a hot pan, silicone spatulas win in our book.

What is a spoonula?

A spoonula is just what it sounds like—a mix between a silicone spatula and a spoon. Spoonulas tend to have broader, concave heads that are a tad flatter than a typical spoon to achieve a hybrid of the two functions. They can do many of the same things as standard spatulas, though spoonulas are obviously a little better at scooping up food, and a little worse at scraping out pans and bowls.

Why We're the Experts

• Rebecca Firkser is a writer for Serious Eats and has written for The New York Times, Eater, TASTE, and Bon Appetit. She's an editor and recipe developer who has worked as a food and prop stylist.
• For this review, Rebecca tested a lineup of silicone spatulas by making scrambled eggs, mixing cookie dough and brownie batter, and scraping smoothies out of blenders. Her favorites had just the right amount of flexibility and were dishwasher-safe.