When I was little, I often requested my mom brew English Breakfast tea in her ceramic teapot instead of pouring hot water into a mug with a tea bag. The addition of a teapot turns your brewing method into a luxurious ritual — akin to pressing the handle down on your French press. To use a teapot, simply add loose-leaf tea or a tea bag and then hot water. Close the lid and let your tea steep for around five minutes.
I teamed up with experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab to find the best teapots currently on the market, taking into consideration heat retention, ease of use, material and more. Any one of these top-tested teapots will make you feel like you are attending high tea — but in the comfort of your home.
1
BEST OVERALL
The Tea Spot Satin Teapot
Dimensions: 8″ x 6″ x 4.5″ (7″ with handle) | Material: Ceramic | Capacity: 34 ounces
Our best overall teapot with a tea infuser, the Satin Teapot’s infuser has fine holes that separate leaves and sediment from your drink. The infuser is also large enough for tea to bloom nicely and thus brew a better taste and aroma. You do have to remove the infuser after a few minutes, though, to prevent over-steeping.
Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab Reviews Analyst Eva Bleyer owns a 20-ounce version of this teapot and loves using it. “I was using it just yesterday and my tea stayed warm for way over an hour,” she reported. Bleyer also says it cleans well and looks brand new after a run through the dishwasher.
During Lab testing, we found the handle easy to hold while pouring. You can use both loose-leaf tea and tea bags with this teapot. When not in use, the ceramic stoneware will look lovely on display thanks to its satin finish.
2
BEST VALUE
Bodum Assam Glass Tea Press with Stainless Steel Filter
Dimensions: 5.88″ x 6.38″ x 7.5″ | Material: Glass | Capacity: 34 ounces
If you are looking to buy your first teapot, you don’t have to spend more than $25 thanks to the Bodum Assam Glass Tea Press. Our kitchen pros found it came equipped with user-friendly features at an affordable price. Besides a comfortable handle and good heat retention after five minutes of steeping, our favorite feature is the tea press which allows you to stop the steeping process. This way, you don’t have to remove the infuser.
During our evaluations, we found the teapot produced tea with a sweet aroma and clean taste — and also noted minimal sediment in our cup. One thing to note, though, is that the glass pot is fragile and should be handled with care while using and cleaning so it doesn’t break.
3
BEST LUXURY
Wedgwood Sheila Bridges Picnic Teapot
Dimensions: 4.61″ x 10.24″ x 3.82″ | Material: Bone china | Capacity: 33.8 ounces
Established in 1759, Wedgwood designs timeless fine bone china — some of which have appeared in the homes of royals and political figures. This particular teapot was made in collaboration with artist and interior designer Sheila Bridges, and features her most famous design, Harlem Toile de Jouy.
In Lab testing, the Picnic Teapot produced a pot of full-bodied tea with a rich color and no sediment. Even after we let the tea steep for five minutes, the teapot kept the tea at temperature. We found that the pot was comfortable to hold (even when full) and felt sturdy.
It is, however, the most expensive teapot on our list. That is expected with fine china, but the Sheila Bridges Picnic Teapot is certainly a worthwhile piece to invest in.
4
BEST STAINLESS STEEL
Bredemeijer Santhee Double Walled Teapot
Dimensions: 7.09″ x 7.09″ x 4.72″ | Material: Stainless steel | Capacity: 16.9 ounces
This stainless steel teapot has a sleek design that will go with most kitchen aesthetics. Our pros found it lightweight and easy to hold and appreciated that its lid fit snugly so you don’t have to worry about holding it down while pouring. The lid can, however, get hot after steeping.
Even though this teapot is made from stainless steel, we observed minimal fingerprints or smudges left behind. It features a double wall interior which helped retain the hottest temperature after steeping compared to the other teapots we tested.
5
BEST LARGE
Fiesta Teapot
Dimensions: 9″ x 5.25 (or 7.125″ with lid) | Material: Ceramic | Capacity: 44 ounces
If you have more than one tea drinker in your household, you’ll want a teapot that can brew enough tea in one go. The Fiesta Covered Teapot has the largest capacity in our guide — although we did find that it felt quite heavy when filled to the max. Still, the teapot felt durable and we appreciated the thick handle that was also comfortable to hold and didn’t get too hot.The teapot performed well in our heat retention tests and is available in an array of bright colors including turquoise (pictured), scarlet, daffodil yellow and more.
6
BEST LIGHTWEIGHT
MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Check Teapot
Dimensions: 9″ x 7″ | Material: Stainless steel | Capacity: 32 ounces
When I walked by the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab and saw the array of teapots we were testing, I was taken aback by this adorable black-and-white checkered pattern. MacKenzie-Childs is known for its Courtly Check collection, which is having a moment on TikTok and includes our top-tested Bialetti moka pot.
Even though this teapot can brew 32 ounces of tea, it is still lightweight enough to comfortably hold and pour when at capacity. Our kitchen pros appreciated that its lid stays on snugly. The teapot is the second most expensive model on our list, although if you want a unique and easy-to-handle teapot, this is it.
How we tested teapots
To measure heat retention, we steeped the same amount of tea for the same length of time in each pot and recorded the heat retention once steeping was complete. We also recorded the temperature of the handle to see if it was too hot to hold.
After the tea was brewed, we evaluated the clarity and color of the tea as well as noted if there was any leftover sediment or particles. We conducted a taste test to determine whether the tea tasted full-bodied or watery. Our pros also commented on whether the tea had a light, medium or heavy and sweet aroma.
To evaluate ease of use, we weighed each teapot when empty and at capacity to note whether it was too heavy to comfortably hold. We also poured tea to note how the handle felt and whether or not it got too hot. Lastly, we checked the user manual to see if the teapot is dishwasher-safe and how easy each model was to clean.
What to look for when shopping for teapots
✔️ Size: Consider how many tea drinkers will be using the teapot. You may want a smaller size if it’s just you and your roommate, versus a larger teapot if everyone in your family enjoys a hot cup of tea. Since you can’t leave most teapots on the stovetop when not in use, you also want to make sure you have enough room to store your teapot safely so it won’t break.
✔️ Material: Most teapots are made from ceramic, glass, steel or cast iron. Cast iron and steel tend to have the best heat retention, but you want to be careful when holding the handle of a cast iron teapot as it can get hot.
✔️ Infuser: Think about how you prefer to brew tea: Do you use tea bags or loose leaf tea? If you fall in the latter category, a teapot with an infuser may make the most sense, but you can also purchase an infuser separately if you fall in love with a teapot that doesn’t include one.
✔️ Handle: The handle of a teapot will either be made of the same material as the rest of the pot, or something different. In our testing, thicker handles offered more stability and control while pouring. Ceramic handles were also comfortable to hold and didn’t get hot like cast iron.
What is the difference between a teapot and a kettle?
“Normally a kettle is designed to boil water for tea, while a teapot is designed to steep hot water and tea leaves,” explains Bleyer. While a tea kettle can go on a stovetop, that is not true for most teapots, she adds. Kettles are typically designed to go on the stovetop or are electric, while usually only cast iron teapots can be placed directly on the stove.
How to clean teapots
As with all cleaning questions, our first piece of advice is to consult the user manual. Some teapots may be dishwasher safe, but others like those made of fine china will most likely need to be hand washed. Bleyer recommends using a sponge and warm, soapy water to hand wash your teapot. Make sure to get the spout too! You can use a straw cleaner for this step if needed. If the teapot has a built-in tea infuser, that will also require extra scrubbing.
For hard water stains, We recommend spritzing the teapot’s interior with full strength white vinegar and then let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before scrubbing.