The 7 Best Bread Knives of 2023 | Tested by PEOPLE - PEOPLE

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Whether you’re slicing up a crusty sourdough boule or digging into your attempt at Lizzo’s vegan ice cream bread, it helps to have a sharp knife at the ready — but not just any sharp kitchen knife will do. The tool you need to cut even slices easily is a serrated bread knife.

“Serrated knives are better suited for some delicate items, like bread and tomatoes, as you don’t want to smush or crush the insides,” says Mat Schuster, chef and owner of Canela, a restaurant and wine bar in San Francisco. “A knife with teeth grabs the skins and crusts better than a smooth blade.”

Our PEOPLE Tested team tried out 20 bread knives, pitting those long blades against the tough crust of sourdough boules, the slimmer loaf of a baguette, and the more delicate skin of tomatoes. We evaluated the performance of the blades to see which ones could slice with ease and accuracy, along with scoring them on their design, size, value, and ability to clean up easily. Note that while some of the utensils on our best of bread knives list are billed as dishwasher safe, it is better to hand wash serrated knives to protect their blades.

Here are the best bread knives that PEOPLE Tested.

Zwilling

Pros

• Unique serration pattern that slices bread easily

• Lightweight but sturdy

• Dishwasher safe, although hand-washing is recommended

It’s usually the bread itself, not the bread knife, that foodies get excited about. However, we never thought we'd be this excited about a bread knife — which is why it took the top spot on our list.

We found that this knife did a great job on everything we tested — including cakes, chicken, and turkey in addition to different loaves of bread — though at 9 inches long, the blade may be too long to cut smaller items. Still, it did cut the tomato like it was whipped butter. Since it's lightweight and comfortable, it feels balanced in your hand.

The knife has a unique serration pattern of scallops and points which make for a clean cut through the bread without tearing. Aside from excellent performance, the Zwilling Pro is also easy to clean. It’s billed as dishwasher safe, as are some others on this list, but hand-washing is always recommended for serrated bread knives to protect the blade.

Price at time of publish: $139.95

Blade length: 9 inches | Handle length: 5 inches | Weight: 0.44 lbs. | Material: High-carbon stainless steel and polyacetal handle

PEOPLE / Jeanne Clayton

Amazon

Pros

• Incredible value for its performance

• Performs great for food like softer bread loaves, tomatoes, sandwiches, and squash

Looking for a bread knife that you don't have to spend too much bread on? The TOJIRO bread slicer fits the bill. The high quality of this bread knife for its approachable price is why we sing its praises.

This knife feels extremely lightweight, nimble, and balanced. The TOJIRO is nearly 15 inches long in total, but we don't think it feels unwieldy. In fact, it’s already been a staple in our tester’s kitchen for a while, noting that they have used this bread knife for years and would buy another one in a heartbeat.

According to our testing, the TOJIRO is a great go-to knife for a variety of kitchen tasks, from peeling butternut squash, slicing tomatoes and sandwiches, and sawing into baguettes. It’s also good for use with softer bread loaves, though if you're attempting to cut through a boule, you might want to try a heftier knife on our list.

Price at time of publish: $38.45

Blade length: 10 inches | Handle length: 4.75 inches | Weight: 3.87 oz. | Material: High-carbon stainless steel blade and natural wood handle

PEOPLE / Vicky Wasik

Amazon

Pros

• Lightweight and ergonomic, with a comfortable thumb rest

• Also cuts foods like tomatoes citrus fruits really well, too

We were impressed by this gorgeous knife that not only takes on bread, but tomatoes, citrus fruits, and any other tough-to-cut ingredients with ease.

During testing, we found it ergonomic and very comfortable to hold, and though it's super lightweight, it is by no means flimsy. We liked the thumb rest for additional comfort it took on the large sourdough boule with no tearing, and it created incredibly thin tomato slices, too.

While it received top marks across the board as far as its effectiveness and ease of use, it is indeed in our splurge category for a reason. If you don't need a serrated knife often or simply don't want to spend a ton on cutlery, it's understandable that you would want to look elsewhere on our list. Despite the high price tag, we don't hesitate to recommend its quality, durability, and impressively beautiful design.

Price at time of publish: $189.95

Blade length: 9 inches | Handle length: 8.5 inches | Weight: 12 oz. | Material: Molybdenum, vanadium, and chromium steel blade

PEOPLE / Mary Hoban

Amazon

Pros

• Ergonomic and easy to use, keeping your knuckles raised

• Great for slicing both soft and tougher breads, as well as tomatoes

An offset knife is one where the blade is lower than the handle, resulting in a more ergonomic experience while cutting and slicing while elevating your hand so it doesn't touch the cutting surface. Despite other options, we chose the Shun Classic Offset as the best in this category.

The knife feels balanced with a sturdy blade and handle that will fit comfortably in your hand. However, even though the offset style is meant for easier cutting, you might like a more traditional serrated bread knife. In terms of effectiveness, we never sliced tomatoes with such little effort, and when it came to bread, it sliced through that baguette and sourdough boule quite easily without tearing.

Overall, we would absolutely recommend this knife to anyone for its high quality and aesthetically pleasing qualities, though we admit it is rather pricey for someone who doesn't need to use a serrated knife that often.

Price at time of publish: $164.95

Blade length: 8.25 inches | Handle length: 7.25 inches | Weight: 8.8 oz. | Material: Damascus steel blade and pakkawood handle

PEOPLE / Cameron Beall

Milk Street

Left-handed home chefs, rejoice! There’s a knife made just for you, though right-handers will also find this knife to be superb for slicing into sourdough loaves. If you typically reach for the presliced bread at the supermarket, knowing how hard and even dangerous it is to crack that delicious crust without the correct knife, feel free to grab those sourdough boules from now on when you’ve got the Suncraft.

The knife itself is comfortable to handle, though we did note the handle feels too small; if you've got larger hands, this could be a problem. Still, it did feel balanced during use. The knife is serrated using big and small waves. The big ones toward the tip of the blade are good for tougher crusts, while the smaller waves towards the handle are better for slicing tomatoes and other smaller items.

During testing, we made quick work of a baguette without having to saw through it. Again, it’s all about having the right tool for the task. We truly never expected to fall in love with a bread knife, but we really do love this one. And at a mid-level price, we think you might, too.

Price at time of publish: $69.95

Blade length: 8.7 inches | Material: Molybdenum Vanadium stainless steel blade and pakkawood handle

PEOPLE / Katherine Polcari

Misen

Pros

• Slimmer handle than other knives, which felt comfortable while testing

• Available in four different colors

A bread knife just for French baguettes? Bien sûr! We know it’s easy enough to slather on some butter or brie and bite into a baguette, but if you’re sharing or just want a slice, this serrated knife from Misen is key for cracking through that crust.

We were impressed with the quality and functionality of this knife; whether you're experienced or a beginner in the kitchen, and have tiny or large hands, this is going to be a knife you will reach for again and again for various tasks.

While the handle does feel hefty, the Misen is indeed slimmer and sleeker than other knives we tested, creating a comfortable feel for your hand the blade is shorter than others on our list. So while that makes for easier handling, especially when it comes to baguettes and other narrow breads, you might find it harder to cut through longer loaves. But if you’re all about those baguettes (or tomatoes!), know that you'll get clean, even slices without a lot of effort.

If you don’t already have a serrated bread knife in your kitchen, we think you would be more than pleased with the quality and functionality of this option, especially if you always have a fresh baguette in your pantry.

Price at time of publish: $70

Blade length: 8 inches | Handle length: 5.75 inches | Weight: 7.6 oz. | Material: High-carbon steel

PEOPLE / Mary Hoban

Amazon

Artisanal loaves are as delicious for the eyes as they are for your appetite, but if you’d rather keep those loaves looking attractive for your charcuterie board, you can’t hack or tear at them with a subpar knife. This Tojiro ITK Bread Slicer is the one you’ll want on hand for slicing up those loaves.

The long blade might cause the knife to feel unbalanced in your hand at first, but when you get to work on those long loaves, it works very well. It created such lovely sourdough slices during our testing. The long blade certainly makes this knife better for bread, so you might want another serrated knife if you're planning to cut tomatoes or other smaller items.

Price at time of publish: $63.95

Blade length: 10.6 inches | Handle length: 5.5 inches | Weight: 5.1 oz. | Material: Molybdenum vanadium steel blade and reinforced black wood handle

PEOPLE / Page Mullins

Things to Consider Before Buying a Bread Knife

Size

When it comes to using sharp knives, it’s important that you use one that’s not too small or big for your hands so that you feel comfortable and safe using it. “As with any knife, you want to make sure it feels good in your hand,” Schuster says. “It should be comfortable and weighted well to your taste.” You’ll want a sizeable handle that feels good whether you’re right- or left-handed, have big hands or smaller ones — for example, the Suncraft Seseragi Bread Knife is billed as a top choice for lefties. You’ll also want to choose a suitable blade length. Schuster says the size and thickness of the bread loaves you buy will determine whether you need a longer or shorter bread knife.

Price

“Better-made serrated knives lend themselves to a longer life, hold their blades better, and have better success at the knife sharpener,” says Schuster. Understandably, some of these bread knives might give you sticker shock. Good news: It is possible to purchase effective and budget-friendly models like the Tojiro F-737 Bread Slicer or the Tojiro ITK Bread Slicer.

PEOPLE / Mary Hoban

How We Tested

Our PEOPLE Tested team tried out 20 bread knives on baguettes, sourdough boules, and tomatoes. With the baguette and sourdough boules, we cut half-inch and inch-thick slices, respectively, observing how easily the knife cut through the thick crusts without tearing and without much effort. For the tomatoes, we cut thin slices to see how well the serrated blades cut through the skin without tearing. We also evaluated how easy the bread knives were to clean after the work was done. Note that even though these bread knives might be marketed as dishwasher safe, handwashing is always recommended.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Whether you’re used to sharper cutlery or this is your first time out, a serrated bread knife is likely to be one of the longest knives in your kitchen. “Remember, with a serrated knife you use a sawing motion,” Schuster says. “Start slowly, applying even but driving pressure. Make sure you position whatever you are cutting flat side down on a cutting surface. You don’t want to chase round things all over the kitchen.” And above all, protect those fingers. “Make a claw with the hand that is holding the ingredient you are cutting,” so that you are curling your fingers in to protect them, Schuster advises.

• “Serrated knives aren’t typically sharpened as much as chef's knives, but you will be able to tell the difference between a sharp and dull serrated knife easily,” Schuster says. How often to sharpen your bread knife, however, really depends on how much you use it, though Schuster does say, “After you establish how much easier a sharp knife cuts, you will be hooked.”

  
  Schuster recommends letting the pros do the work for you, though. “Many farmers markets, cooking stores, and hardware stores offer knife sharpening,” he says.

What Is PEOPLE Tested?

We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs.

But we don’t stop there: We also regularly re-review the categories in which we’ve awarded the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval — because the best product of today might not be the best of tomorrow. And by the way, companies can never buy our recommendation: Their products must earn it, fair and square.

In short, PEOPLE Tested provides recommendations you can trust — every day, every purchase.

Want more product recommendations? Check out all of our PEOPLE Tested content.

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