In a hurry, here are our top pick, editor’s choice, and best value.
Top pick
DALSTRONG Gladiator Knife Set
This bundle offers style, value, and durability at a reasonable price. It has the basics: chef, paring, and bread knives.
Editor’s choice
TICWELL Kitchen Knife Set
If you want a versatile knife kit for all your needs, the TICWELL 19-piece set will do so without breaking the bank.
Best value
WÜSTHOF Gourmet Knife Block Set
Besides the regular utility knife, this kit has a serrated utility knife for anything from bread to fruits with waxy surfaces.
Do you run a kitchen where plant-based ingredients take center stage? You can take vegetarian or vegan cooking to the next level with the right knives. But how will you choose the best knife set for vegetarians and vegans?
There are various types of knives and knife sets for beginners, home cooks, and pros. But the set that can be useful in a vegetarian or vegan kitchen includes a chef knife, paring knife, utility knife, etc.
Today, we’ll give you a brief knowledge of the appropriate knives to cater to these needs. We will also tell you about our favorite knife sets! So read on!
Table of Contents
Types of Knives for Vegetarian and Vegan Cutting Needs
There are different types of knives – some of which are ideal for handling different plant-based items – and other foods that vegans and vegetarians consume. The following knives can make your job easier:
a) Chef Knife
The chef’s knife is the most important cutting device in a kitchen, whether you’re a pro or a home cook. It handles most of your cutting and chopping needs, making it ideal for prepping veggies, fruits, and other non-meat items.
b) Paring Knife
A paring knife is excellent for small food items and fine tasks. It can manage cutting and peeling. It caters to cutting, chopping, and slicing needs, whether it’s fruits or veggies that aren’t too hard, firm-to-hard cheeses, or boiled eggs.
c) Bread Knife
This type of knife has a serrated edge that can cut or slice through food items without bending them.
So it helps in slicing bread, fruits, and vegetables with a waxy or thick skin, semi-soft cheeses, seitan, and more.
d) Utility Knife
A utility knife is a small and slim chef knife for small food items, like shallots.
It is a multi-purpose knife that also slices fruits and cuts sandwiches with ease. It can handle intricate jobs and is perfect for tender foods.
e) Carving Knife
This long and slim tool has a sharp tip and is also referred to as a slicing knife.
It’s the longest knife in the kitchen that cuts through any food, making clean slices. It’s great for large and tough fruits and veggies.
f) Peeling Knife
As the name suggests, this knife is designed to handle peeling tasks.
It has a sharp and slightly curved blade that makes removing the skin of vegetables and fruits easy. It can also slice through tough skin types.
g) Tourne Knife
A Tourne knife is also called the bird’s beak knife because of its appearance. It has a pointed tip that curves upward. It is a smaller paring knife that can peel garlic, core tomatoes, or dig out potato eyes.
h) Tomato Knife
This is a specialized vegetable knife with a rounded blade and serrated edge. It is ideal for vegetables with delicate but slippery skin – and a soft center. It can cut and slice tomatoes neatly without crushing them.
i) Nakiri Knife
A Nakiri knife is often referred to as a Japanese vegetable knife. It’s rectangular and has a hollow ground edge. It can easily chop tough vegetables like potatoes – with just one hand motion. It can also shred and julienne.
j) Santoku Knife
Designed to cut, dice, and mince with precision and intricacy, the Santoku knife is a Japanese tool for fruits and veggies. It can also slice and chop nuts. The dimpled blade is great for slicing cheese and tofu without it sticking to the knife.
k) Cleaver Knife
Normally, a cleaver is used as a meat knife because of its large, heavy, and rectangular blade. But for a vegan or vegetarian cook, it is great for large and hard vegetables and fruits. Contrarily, it can cut soft foods like tofu smoothly.
l) Gyuto Knife
A Gyuto knife is a double-beveled Japanese cutter similar to a cook’s knife. It is another favorite in a vegetarian kitchen, used for tackling various fruits and vegetables with equal efficiency and delivering different cuts.
m) Steak Knife
With its small and slightly serrated edge, a steak knife is great for slicing burgers and sandwiches. It can cut vegan meats like seitan and tempeh, spit cherry tomatoes, cube cheese blocks, core apples, etc.
n) Yanagi Knife
A Yanagi is a long and thin Japanese butcher’s knife. And while it is not too common in a vegetarian kitchen, it can also be used as a utility knife. It helps chop vegetables – and even slice pizza smoothly!
o) Kiritsuke Knife
A Kiritsuke is an uncommon and specialized Japanese knife. Its long and angled blade is a combination of a Yanagi and a Gyutu. This is a sushi cutter that can chop vegetables and chiffonade herbs.
You may not find all of them in all knife sets curated for home kitchens. But you can start with an elementary kit and keep collecting more knives.
A good knife kit may also have a pair of scissors that can be quite helpful in trimming chives, spring onions, coriander, etc.
Best Knife Set for Vegetarians and Vegans: Our Top 7 Recommendations
Now that you know of the most important knives required in a veg/vegan kitchen, it’s time to check out our list of the top knife sets curated for this purpose. Let’s take a look!
| Rank | Product | Key Features |
| 1 | TICWELL Kitchen Knife Set | Best Budget Buy |
| 2 | WÜSTHOF Gourmet Knife Block Set | Best Quality |
| 3 | Ozeri Stainless Steel Knife Set | Best In-Drawer Storage |
| 4 | Opinel Les Essentials Small Kitchen Knife Set | Best Starter Kit |
| 5 | BergHOFF LEO Knife Block | Best Non-Stick Knife Set |
| 6 | Global Kabuto Knife Block Set | Best Appearance |
| 7 | DALSTRONG Colossal Gladiator Series Knife Set | Best Overall |
1. TICWELL Kitchen Knife Set
Specifications:
- High carbon stainless steel blades
- Anti-slip, textured handles with streamlined lines
If you want a versatile knife kit for all your needs, the TICWELL 19-piece set will do so without breaking the bank. At less than $50, you don’t just get the essential chef, bread, and paring knives. Santoku, carving, utility, steak, and tomato knives are also included.
That’s not all, though! This set also comes with a pizza knife and a cheese knife. Plus, there’s a peeler and a pair of scissors.
You can keep the knives sharp with the honing tool that comes with it. And we love the stylish and compact acrylic knife storage block.
The kit hardly takes any space on the countertop – and you can see the knives easily while they’re in the block. The knives are long-lasting and engineered to achieve a cutting angle of 17 degrees with excellent precision – and without tiring the wrists.
2. WÜSTHOF Gourmet Knife Block Set
Specifications:
- High carbon stainless steel blades
- Triple-riveted handles made of synthetic polypropylene
WÜSTHOF is a knife brand trusted by home cooks for its quality and durability. For your vegetarian/vegan kitchen, we suggest this brand’s 7-piece set. This starter kit has all the basic tools to cater to your cutting, chopping, dicing, and slicing needs.
Besides the cook’s knife, you’ll enjoy using the spear-point paring knife while piercing and cutting fruits and veggies with precision.
Besides the regular utility knife, this kit has a serrated utility knife for anything from bread to fruits and veggies with waxy surfaces.
The high-quality knife blades are resistant to corrosion and blunting – and their sharpness is mindblowing. Plus, the handles are crafted to last long. The blade and the handle won’t come apart, and you won’t have to experience fading or discoloration.
3. Ozeri Stainless Steel Knife Set
Specifications:
- Stainless steel blade and handle
- Single-piece forged design
Do you have children at home? Or is there limited countertop space in your kitchen? If storage is a concern for you, we suggest the Ozeri Stainless Steel Knife Set. This kit is underrated and yet fabulous! The flat, slotted block can fit into a drawer seamlessly!
Thus, you don’t have to worry about kids getting hold of them or wasting space on the kitchen counter.
The steel knives with a one-piece design, too, are stylish and convenient – and the set is one of the best for any vegetarian and vegan kitchen.
We love that besides the regular chef and paring knives, the kit has specialized cutting tools. The slicing, beak, and serrated paring knives are extremely helpful for regular but precise work. Unlike many sets at this cost, this set has the Santoku and Nakiri knives.
4. Opinel Les Essentials Small Kitchen Knife Set
Specifications:
- High carbon stainless steel blades
- Double-riveted wooden handles
Are you new to cooking? Have you recently shifted to a plant-based diet? The Opinel Les Essentials Small Kitchen Knife Set can be a great cutting buddy for you.
It has all the basic tools you’ll need as a new cook – even if you don’t intend to be a home chef. The paring knife with small serrations will efficiently cut anything with thick or waxy skin. And the regular paring knife will tackle everything small.
What we love most is the bird’s beak knife, i.e., a curved veggie cutter to do anything – from coring to peeling. This set can be a great addition to your kitchen, assuming you already have a chef’s knife.
The set also has a peeler for longer veggies like carrots and radishes. We also love that the knives have colored handles for a fun way to color-code the tools.
5. BergHOFF LEO Knife Block
Specifications:
- Stainless steel blades with non-stick coating
- Polypropylene handles for a firm grip
While cutting veggies, fruits, tofu, cheese, eggs, etc., sticking is a common problem. It can slow you down for cleaning – and damage your food. The BergHOFF LEO set can solve this problem – thanks to its stainless steel cutting tools with a non-stick coating.
The bundle contains four different knives, i.e., a small chef’s knife, a paring knife, a serrated utility knife, and a paring knife.
They will take care of cutting, chopping, slicing, mincing, dicing, and coring any vegetable or fruit – and any other non-meat food item.
Plus, the vegetable knife is designed with a zester and stripper. The heavy-duty knives have sturdy handles that won’t exhaust your hands even after several hours of cutting and peeling. Plus, with no block, you’ll find it easy to store or carry this knife set.
6. Global Kabuto Knife Block
Specifications:
- Cromova 18 high carbon stainless steel structure
- Molded handles with dimples, made of stainless steel
Who said style cannot be a part of your everyday kitchen tasks? The Global Kabuto Knife Block can make your countertop look chic – thanks to the fine-looking knives and storage block. We love the one-piece knives with appealing dimpled handles.
It will also be difficult to take your eyes off the storage block. The walls are transparent and have a thick black border.
The top is lined with stainless steel. The combination of colors and textures, along with the sleek and compact design, makes it quite a vision!
But it’s not just about the appearance. The set has a paring knife, utility knife, bread knife, Nakiri vegetable knife, chef’s prep knife, and a chef’s knife. These will make your life easy in the kitchen if you and your family follow a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.
7. DALSTRONG Colossal Gladiator Series Knife Set
Specifications:
- High-carbon German steel blades
- Full-tang, triple-riveted ABS Polymer handles
One of the highest-rated knife kits you’ll find online, the DALSTRONG Colossal Gladiator Series Knife Set, has various combinations of cutting tools. But we recommend the 18-piece kit if you want the best knife set for vegetarians and vegans.
This bundle offers style, value, and durability at a reasonable price. It has the basics: chef, paring, and bread knives.
Then you’ll find serrated utility, peeling, slicer, utility, boning, and steak knives. Finally, the Nakiri, Santoku, and Kiritsuke knives offer an extra edge!
The block with 18 slots is perfect for storing the knives and keeping them within your reach. They are made of premium materials to prevent corrosion – and the honing steel helps maintain the sharpness of the tools. You’ll love the luxe touch the kit adds to the space!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best knife for cutting vegetables?
One of the most important knives for vegetables is the paring knife. It can cut small fruits and veggies and perform peeling tasks.
A chef’s knife is a multi-purpose cutting tool that can handle veggies. Don’t forget the trusted utility and bread knives, either!
What knives can cut tofu?
Tofu has a soft texture and can fall apart easily if you are not careful while cutting it, especially while handling silken tofu.
A Santoku knife is an excellent choice to slice tofu beautifully. You can also use a meat knife like a cleaver to cut tofu using a light, gliding motion.
Can you use a regular kitchen knife to cut cheese?
If you’ve just started a vegetarian/vegan knife collection, you may not yet own cheese knives. So use a paring knife for firm or hard cheeses and a thin knife for soft cheeses. You can also use a chef knife for hard cheeses and a serrated knife for semi-soft cheeses.
Final Words
As a vegetarian or vegan cook, choose your cutting kit according to the fruits, veggies, grains, and non-meat animal products you’ll eat.
The best knife set for vegetarians and vegans should include cutters to handle different textures. So pick your knife set wisely!
