Best Wok for Induction and Electric Stoves: 4 Picks Compared

Disclosure: I earn a small commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

For most people the Yosukata 13.5-inch is the best wok for an induction or electric stove: best wok overall at Serious Eats, Food & Wine and Allrecipes, with 4.2 stars across 5,516 ratings at $62.99. If you want to spend about $25 less, the Souped Up Recipes wok is Serious Eats’ pick for induction, with 4.5 stars across 9,827 ratings at $37.99.

The three tests agree on the top pick and split on weight, heat and the cheaper woks, so this guide sets out where. Every price and rating below was read from Amazon.com on 12 October 2026.

Quick Comparison

What Three Tests Picked

Why a Flat Bottom Matters on Electric and Induction

A classic wok has a round bottom that sits in a high-output gas burner. Serious Eats tested only flat-bottomed carbon steel woks because round-bottomed ones need a wok ring or other support, and flat bottoms suit home cooks on gas, induction or electric burners. Allrecipes says flat-bottom woks are easier to use on most home stoves, and Food & Wine found the flat base of its top pick gave different heat zones, about 500°F on the bottom and 200 to 250°F on the sides.

The size of the flat part is what to check. Serious Eats found its slowest woks had the smallest flat bottoms, between four and five and a half inches, and took more than 12 minutes to boil water. A warped base is the other risk: Serious Eats’ Craft Wok sample was slightly warped and so not induction compatible.

Where the Tests Disagree

• Souped Up Recipes: Serious Eats weighed it at 2.4 pounds with a six-liter capacity and called it quick and even. Food & Wine found it a hefty 5 pounds and rather shallow, and it reached only 209°F after about 14 minutes. Allrecipes’ tester could toss food one-handed. The tests may have used different sizes, since the maker sells 12.5- and 13.4-inch woks.
• Joyce Chen: Serious Eats boiled water in 8 minutes 50 seconds, the second fastest, and got clean eggs from it. Food & Wine found the steel thin, with no crispy edges and 14 minutes to boil. Allrecipes found it heated quickly with no hot spots.
• Yosukata: Serious Eats boiled six cups in 9 minutes 30 seconds, while Food & Wine took about 11 minutes and saw some factory seasoning strip at high heat. Both still named it best overall.

1. Yosukata 13.5-Inch: Best Overall

4.2 stars | 5,516 ratings | $62.99 | sold by Yosukata

This is the pick for most people. Serious Eats called it a fast, heat-responsive pan that performed well in nearly every test, with the thinnest gauge in its lineup, 16 gauge or 1.6 mm, and a 6-inch flat base. Food & Wine liked its tapered wooden handle and the roughly 35-degree sides, which made tossing easy, and Allrecipes praised the welded handle and how steady it sat on the burner.

It is not trouble-free. Serious Eats found the first few eggs stuck and the factory oil film had to be scrubbed off, and Food & Wine saw some pre-seasoning strip in its high-heat test. The 4.2-star listing carries 11% one-star ratings.

Pros:

• Best overall at Serious Eats, Food & Wine and Allrecipes
• Pre-seasoned, with a welded wooden handle and a helper handle
• Induction compatible per Serious Eats and Allrecipes, and the Amazon listing names induction, electric and gas
• A 6-inch flat base, the second widest of the four

Cons:

• Serious Eats found the first eggs stuck and the oil film needs scrubbing off
• Food & Wine saw some pre-seasoning strip at high heat, with little maintenance guidance
• Serious Eats and Allrecipes both note it is heavy for some, and Allrecipes found the helper handle not very useful
• 14% one or two star share, with 11% one-star, across 5,516 ratings

Check Price on Amazon

2. Souped Up Recipes 12.5-Inch: Best Value

4.5 stars | 9,827 ratings | $37.99 | sold by Souped Up Recipes Products

This is the pick if you want to spend less and have an induction or electric stove. Serious Eats named it the best wok for an induction cooktop, praising its stability and tall sides, and Allrecipes picked it for beginners. The Amazon listing includes a stainless steel spatula and a wooden lid, and says it works on electric, induction and gas stoves.

Food & Wine is the dissenter: it named it best value but found it heavy, shallow for its size and slow to boil. Its 4-inch flat base is the smallest of the four by Serious Eats’ measure, and Allrecipes noted the handle is riveted rather than welded.

Pros:

• A 7% one or two star share across 9,827 ratings, the lowest of the four
• Pre-seasoned, with a lid and spatula in the box, per the listing
• A spout and a hammered surface that helps hold food on the sides, per Food & Wine and Allrecipes
• Induction pick at Serious Eats, beginner pick at Allrecipes, value pick at Food & Wine

Cons:

• Food & Wine found it a hefty 5 pounds and slow to boil, against 2.4 pounds at Serious Eats
• Serious Eats says some people may not like the hammered texture, and there is no helper handle
• A 4-inch flat base, per Serious Eats
• Allrecipes says the handle is riveted, not welded, so watch it for loosening

Check Price on Amazon

3. Joyce Chen 14-Inch: Cheapest, With Caveats

3.8 stars | 1,775 ratings | $36.95 | sold by Amazon.com

This is the pick if price is the only thing that matters. It is the budget pick at Serious Eats and Allrecipes and the beginner pick at Food & Wine, and Serious Eats found it the only wok that produced clean, unstuck fried eggs. Allrecipes called it a keeper after deep-frying wings and boiling ravioli in it.

Owners are less sure. The listing sits at 3.8 stars with 22% one or two star ratings, the weakest of the four, and Food & Wine found the thin steel held too little heat. Joyce Chen also sells a round-bottom version, so check that the listing says flat bottom before you buy.

Pros:

• Budget pick at Serious Eats and Allrecipes, and beginner pick at Food & Wine
• Serious Eats got clean fried eggs and its second-fastest boil, 8 minutes 50 seconds
• The widest flat base of the four at 6.5 inches, per Serious Eats
• Sold by Amazon.com

Cons:

• Food & Wine found thin steel, no crispy edges and 14 minutes to boil water
• Serious Eats found the handle narrow and slippery and the bowl slightly bent near the handle
• It is not pre-seasoned, so it needs scrubbing and seasoning before use, per Serious Eats
• A 22% one or two star share across 1,775 ratings, the highest of the four

Check Price on Amazon

4. Mammafong 14-Inch: Lightest and Fastest to Boil

4.2 stars | 680 ratings | $88.80 | sold by Mammafong Aus

This is the pick if you want the lightest of the four. Serious Eats called it a pleasure to use and its fastest wok to boil, at 7 minutes 6 seconds, and found it light at 3.1 pounds. Allrecipes named it best splurge for heating quickly and evenly. Both found some egg sticking at first.

Check the flat base before you buy. Serious Eats measured it at 4.25 inches and Allrecipes at 4.5, and Allrecipes says the 16-inch size has a 7-inch flat surface. The Amazon listing says it suits gas and electric cooktops and does not mention induction, although both tests list it as induction compatible.

Pros:

• Fastest boil of the four at Serious Eats, 7 minutes 6 seconds
• Lightest of the four at about 3.1 pounds
• Pre-seasoned and available in three sizes, per Allrecipes
• A 14% one or two star share across 680 ratings

Cons:

• Serious Eats and Allrecipes both found some sticking at first
• A small flat base, 4.25 to 4.5 inches in the 14-inch size
• Serious Eats found the metal helper handle warm during cooking
• The priciest of the four, and only 680 ratings, with the listing silent on induction

Check Price on Amazon

Left Out

• Craft Wok: Allrecipes’ best round-bottom wok, but Allrecipes lists it as not induction compatible, and Serious Eats found its sample warped, uneven and heavy.
• GreenPan Kyoto: Food & Wine’s best carbon steel wok, with a 7.7-inch flat surface. The Amazon listing I found is a 12-inch model at 3.2 stars across 39 ratings, with 37% one or two star ratings, so I did not recommend it.
• Lodge Bold cast iron wok: Food & Wine’s best cast iron wok at 11.5 pounds, round-bottomed with a flat ring for standard stoves. Serious Eats rejected cast iron as too heavy for a wok.
• Smithey and Zhen San Huan: Smithey is $325 and Food & Wine said it only reached 205°F when boiling water; Serious Eats found the Zhen San Huan too heavy to toss at more than seven pounds.
• Misen, Made In and Helen Chen: Serious Eats’ splurge pick Misen is sold at Misen.com, Made In was sticky and cramped, and Helen Chen’s handle looked prone to loosening.
• Stainless and nonstick woks: Food & Wine’s best stainless wok, the GreenPan Valencia Pro, boiled water fastest but lacked wok hei. The BBC Good Food test, a UK guide, picked a nonstick Kuhn Rikon as its induction wok at £74.95, which I did not check on Amazon.

Seasoning and Care

Most woks arrive with a protective coating or a light factory seasoning that needs scrubbing off before use. Serious Eats says to rub a thin layer of neutral oil on the wok and heat it until it smokes, or to bake it at 500°F for 45 minutes if the handle is oven-safe, repeating a few times. A wooden handle that cannot be removed rules out the oven, as Serious Eats found with the Joyce Chen.

After cooking, wash the wok and dry it at once, then wipe on a thin coat of oil to prevent rust, as Food & Wine advises for its lightweight carbon steel pick. If you are weighing carbon steel against cast iron, my carbon steel vs cast iron guide covers care and heat behavior, and my induction cookware guide covers which cookware types work on induction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need a flat-bottom wok for an electric or induction stove?

In practice, yes. Serious Eats says flat bottoms suit home cooks on gas, induction or electric burners, because round-bottomed woks need a wok ring or other support to stay stable. Allrecipes likewise calls flat-bottom woks easier to use on most home stoves.

Does carbon steel work on induction?

Yes. Serious Eats lists carbon steel as suitable for induction burners, and all four woks here are listed induction compatible by Serious Eats or Allrecipes. A warped base can still fail: Serious Eats found its Craft Wok sample was not induction compatible.

How do you season a carbon steel wok?

Scrub off the factory coating, rub on a thin layer of neutral oil and heat until it smokes, per Serious Eats. Alternatively bake it at 500°F for 45 minutes if the handle is oven-safe, and repeat a few times. Each cooking session then builds more seasoning.

Why is my wok slow to heat on an electric stove?

Contact area matters. Serious Eats found its slowest woks had the smallest flat bottoms, four to five and a half inches, and took more than 12 minutes to boil water. Thick steel also slows heating, which is why Serious Eats favored thinner gauges.

What size wok should you buy?

Most of the tested woks measured 12 to 14 inches across. A bigger wok does not always mean a bigger flat base: Allrecipes says Mammafong’s 14-inch has a 4.5-inch flat surface and its 16-inch has 7 inches. Check the flat base as well as the width.

Is a cast iron wok good on an electric or induction stove?

It can work but is awkward. Serious Eats calls cast iron too heavy for a wok. Food & Wine’s Lodge Bold weighs 11.5 pounds, is round-bottomed with a flat ring, and browns well but responds slowly. It suits slow browning rather than tossing.

How These Picks Were Chosen

This is a research-based guide, not a hands-on test: I have not cooked in these woks. Each pick rests on its Amazon listing, read on 12 October 2026, its star breakdown, and the Serious Eats, Food & Wine and Allrecipes tests, with the BBC Good Food consulted for induction options.

Several things could not be established. The tests report different weights and boil times for the same woks, and sizes may differ between them. I did not read Wirecutter’s wok guide, which would not load for me, and Joyce Chen sells flat and round-bottom woks under one brand. Induction compatibility comes from the tests and listings, not from my own cooktop.

The Verdict

For most people the Yosukata is the pick: best overall at all three tests, with a 6-inch flat base. The Souped Up Recipes wok is the cheaper induction pick and the better-rated of the budget woks, and the Joyce Chen is the cheapest if you accept its 3.8-star rating. The Mammafong suits you if weight matters most.

For more, see my best frying pan for an electric stove and the cookware hub.