The 3 Best Pepper Mills, Tested and Reviewed

Freshly ground pepper should not be a luxury, it should be the standard way you season your dishes—and the best pepper grinder can make that a reality. Why opt for the fresh stuff? Because pre-ground pepper or what you get from some random pepper shaker loses its flavor rather quickly (if it hasn’t lost it already by the time you get it off the grocery store shelf). The best pepper grinder will be one that’s versatile enough to season a whole roast or add a sprinkle of pepper to a finished pasta dish. It should be easy to refill and controlled enough not to spray pepper everywhere during or after using.

Despite the fact that it’s a kitchen tool you will use nearly every day, so many people choose chintzy pepper mills that dull quickly and are prone to breaking. That’s a mistake. We think grinding fresh pepper is so important that you shouldn’t just invest in a pepper mill, but another separate spice grinder as well. As you’ll see below there are some incredibly pricey pepper mills, which provide a veritable typhoon of black pepper. And while we do like them, there are several high-quality options at much lower price points.

With our eyes on a perfectly functional pepper grinder, we tested 12 models to find the best pepper mill for home use. Ahead, read about our top picks. For the specifics on how we tested each grinder and the criteria we looked for, scroll to the bottom of the page.

It is rare in a product test that one item outperforms its competitors so thoroughly that there is no debate as to a winner. The Pepper Cannon is aptly named: With only 10 easy-to-do full twists of the knob, a teaspoon of finely ground pepper shoots out, enough to season a lot of basic recipes. As a point of comparison, the PepperMate, which is also an excellent pepper mill, produces less than half that with the same amount of cranks.

While the Pepper Cannon can grind out a larger volume of pepper in considerably less time and with considerably less effort than anything else we tested, it is also suitable for adding just a dash of pepper to a finished plate, as long as you proceed with a very light touch; we’re talking a half grind.

In addition to the sheer amount of pepper you can get with minimal effort, this grinder also offers a lot of variation in grind size. We clicked through and counted 46 grind settings that Männkitchen says run from a fine size 8 through an incredibly coarse size 60. The powdery fine grind was as fine as any pepper mill we tested, and the coarsest was only rivaled by the powerful electric Black Rain grinder. The adjustment mechanism, located on the bottom of the mill, has an easy-to-grip winged shape, so you don’t struggle to flip through the settings.

Grinding with the Pepper Cannon is a clean process; there is a large ⅓ cup catch that attaches to the bottom of the mill to stop any flyaway pepper grinds. And refilling the Pepper Cannon was quite easy. A button on the top releases the lid and the opening is wide enough that when we poured carefully we didn’t spill, and we didn’t need any kind of funnel to direct the peppercorns.

The price tag is obviously the elephant in the room here. This is a $200 pepper grinder. Even if it is the best, that’s a lot. On the other hand, almost every savory dish you cook will involve ground pepper, so there’s an argument to be made that this will be one of the most frequently used items in your kitchen. The only other thing we didn’t love about the Cannon was attaching the catch cup to the grinder. It takes a bit of force to jam back on. With something that costs this much, it seems like they could figure out a way to switch to a magnetic catch like the best manual coffee grinders.

Size: 2.2" x 2.2" x 7.25"
Grind settings: 46 between 8 and 60 mesh
Pepper capacity: ½ cup

Unlike the previous category, this was a tough call. There are reasons to choose the Black Rain pepper mill, which has all the grinding efficiency of the Pepper Cannon put into a powerful electric package, as the winner here. We have more details on the Black Rain below, but it can grind the largest volume of pepper in the shortest amount of time—on its finest setting, it put out a teaspoon of pepper in five seconds. The Zwilling, by comparison, took 15 seconds. However the Zwilling takes the top spot here for two reasons: value and versatility.

The Zwilling is about a third of the cost of either the Pepper Cannon or the Black Rain and its price is more in line with what we think an electric pepper mill should cost. Instead of being battery-operated by a few AAs, the Enfinigy grinder is rechargeable, using a USB-C cord. After a couple of weeks that included periods of intense testing and regular cooking use, the battery retained a charge. It’s powerful enough to spit out a constant stream of pepper by holding down the single button on the plastic body.

In terms of grinding versatility, the Enfinigy uses a simple dial on the bottom of the ceramic grinder to adjust the grid size; it’s not as convenient as the winged adjustment of the Pepper Cannon, but it did turn freely. And it could produce a finer grind than the Black Rain by a fairly wide margin. Its coarse grind was not the kind of large, cracked pepper you might want in, say, a stock, but it could still deliver something plenty coarse for a rub or or some cacio e pepe.

Testers also liked the clear viewing window that let us see if we were running out of pepper. That’s not a feature we dinged the Pepper Cannon for lacking, but it’s certainly a nice addition here.

Finally it’s designed to be a salt and pepper grinder set, so you can have a matching modern look if that’s your thing.

We wish Zwilling would make the adjustment mechanism either winged like the Pepper Cannon or just larger and easier to handle. And while we could see downsides to making the grinder wider, it was a little challenging to refill; an opening with a larger diameter might be nice. Finally, the plastic body feels a little cheaper than the metal or wood grinders we tested, but you’re getting a nice electric pepper grinder at a much lower price than the Pepper Cannon, so the trade-off has to happen somewhere.

Size: 1.89" x 1.89" x 8.39"
Grind settings: free turning adjustment knob
Pepper capacity: ¼  cup

If you are not going to spend $200 on a pepper grinder (and we don’t blame you if you won’t), you’ll still be quite happy with the PepperMate. Its design is quite different from most other mills we tested. It’s long, narrow, and squat instead of tall, and the grinding lever resembles a plane propeller. A plastic catch attaches to the bottom and can easily accommodate the amount of pepper you’d need for any dish.

This is another high-volume grinder and, though it can’t produce a teaspoon of pepper with as little effort as the Pepper Cannon, it still grinds much more than the standard chess piece-style mills you might be used to from Italian family restaurants.

This was the easiest pepper mill to fill because the extra-wide opening is as close to spill-proof as you can get, and the grind adjustment is on the top and much easier to use than the bottom knobs on other grinders.

The limited lifetime warranty on the ceramic grinder is also nice in case it gets worn down (but note that the warranty doesn’t cover anything besides the actual grinder–no damage to the body or adjustment mechanisms).

There is actually nothing we don’t like about this mill; it just isn’t as powerful as the Pepper Cannon.

Size: 1.6" x 3" x 5.5"
Grind settings: free turning adjustment knob
Pepper capacity: ⅓ cup

As you can guess, the test was pretty straightforward—we ground a lot of pepper. We first used each mill to grind piles of pepper together. We continued using the grinders at home over the course of several weeks to see how they held up after extended use. Still, this wasn’t a totally comprehensive way to test longevity, so we did external research about how these models held up, based on user reviews on Amazon and tests done on other sites. We also refilled each mill to compare the ease of filling up the machines with peppercorns—aiming for minimal spilling. If available, we tested the adjustable coarseness settings to see how effective they were.

We wanted a mill that effectively ground pepper straight out of the box. Pepper mills typically have either metal or ceramic grinding mechanisms. After preliminary research and testing, we found that a metal mechanism is sharper and leads to a more even grind. Metal is also more durable and less prone to dulling than ceramic.

It was important to us that the pepper mill had adjustable settings that allowed for both coarse and fine grinds—and options in between. Sometimes you want crunchy flecks of pungent pepper. Other times you want a smooth grind that blends well with salt and disappears into a dish. A good pepper grinder will allow for a range of coarseness, with each setting producing a uniform grind.

Lots of traditional mills adjust with a twist of a metal knob at the top. We found this to be an imprecise way of making an adjustment because it’s hard to tell exactly how far to twist forward and backward to get your desired grind. Many new pepper mill designs have labeled adjustable settings on the bottom section of the mill. We found pepper mills with this functionality to be preferable and easier to figure out because you just twist the bottom of the mill to land on one of the settings, which range from coarse to fine.

A classic pepper grinder operates by twisting the top portion, which activates the rotating blade at the bottom via a metal rod. The pepper gets pushed down and rotated through the blade. However, some models we tested operated by twisting a metal crank or by pushing down on a lever.

Some pepper mills have a narrow opening that can only accommodate a few peppercorns delicately placed in the hole at a time—any more risks major spillage. Needless to say, adding three peppercorns at a time is not an efficient method. We leaned toward pepper grinders with wider openings so you can pour a steady stream of peppercorns in at once.

This pepper grinder has six distinct coarseness settings that we could adjust easily via a rotating piece of metal at the base of the mill (that was much better than the tiny knobs on other grinders). In our tests, each setting produced a distinct and consistent grind, from very fine to course. The grinding mechanism, which stayed sharp after heavy use, is made of sharp stainless steel and the settings are easy to adjust, unlike mills that adjust via the metal knob at the top of the mill.

This grinder is fairly traditional in appearance, but the metal ring on the bottom makes it slightly less classic than a uniform wooden pepper mill, like a Peugeot. It’s comfortable to twist at the top and not bad to refill because the top pops off instead of requiring any twisting. This is a fine standard pepper mill, and if you want a more classic look, it could be for you. It just doesn’t produce the same kind of pepper as the Pepper Cannon or PepperMate.

The Black Rain is a remarkable pepper mill that is only kept out of our top recommended spot because, considering its $200 price tag, we’d expect to be able to grind more finely. Now, this was a choice by the designers: It has five settings they believe are the most commonly useful, and by keeping it to just five, the Black Rain is simpler to use and adjust. But, ultimately, we found ourselves wanting maximum versatility for that much money. It is incredibly powerful, though, grinding a teaspoon of pepper on the finest setting in five seconds. It also has a useful LED light to let you know when the rechargeable battery needs charging and when it is fully charged. The Black Rain also has a light on the bottom of the grinder so you can always see how much pepper you’re putting into your workspace. If you don’t think you’ll ever need pepper ground as finely as espresso and you don’t have an issue with the price tag, this is the most powerful grinder you can get.

The Unicorn Magnum has legions of enthusiastic fans across the internet, and comes recommended by test kitchen head Chris Morocco. It produces a huge amount of pepper with every crank, that’s for sure, and it’s stylish on the countertop. But it could not compete with the Pepper Cannon or the PepperMate when it came to adjustments. The thumbscrew on the bottom of the grinder that changes the coarseness of the pepper is clunky and takes some time to get used to.

The Peugeot Paris U’Select pepper mill is classic as it gets: The French brand didn’t invent the contraption, but its pepper mills were certainly some of the earliest designs on the market. The mill is made of quality wood and has a stainless-steel pepper grinder. It only has six settings, like the Cole & Mason, and on top of that, opening the pepper mill required unscrewing a piece on the top, which is far from the convenience of the PepperMate.

This performed well in our tests and is one of the prettiest models we tested, made of sleek cherrywood with a nice hourglass shape. And if a pepper mill for the table is your priority, this could be the move. The major knock against this model though is that its adjustable grind settings can only be changed via the metal piece on the top. It’s imprecise and difficult to know what grind you’re getting. Still, it’s pretty, functional, and made of quality materials.

We liked that the Oxo Good Grips Pepper Grinder  has a large opening at the bottom to refill. The lid twists off easily and the wide mouth means that it’s easy to pour peppercorns in without the use of a funnel. However, it’s made of a combination of plastic and metal that just feels a little cheap.

Because it’s a ratchet grinder—it uses a lever you crank back and forth—the Kuhn Rikon can grind more pepper than the average traditional-style with every pull, though still not as much as our top manual picks. It’s got a little side door for loading that is a bit narrow but still quite easy to use. The two issues we had were with the adjustment knob, which has a narrow range of coarseness settings, and with the fact that there is no lid or catch cup that attaches to the bottom. That means there will always be a tiny sprinkling of pepper left on the counter after grinding.

The Derwent performed well, but we disqualified it because of its entirely clear body. A small window that can show you when the pepper is getting low is okay, but to have all the peppercorns exposed to the light can cause them to lose flavor more quickly.

We had high hopes for the Menu pepper grinder set because its wide mouth and twist-off top make it easy to refill, but its grind settings are tough to figure out and they don’t work that well. Plus, it’s only available as part of a set that includes a salt grinder, which ups the price for something that not everyone will want.

In terms of manual pepper grinders, there is just nothing on the market like the Männkitchen Pepper Cannon. It can crank out a ton of pepper with minimal effort for the widest range of uses, from powdery fine for blending into sauces to coarse cracking for last-minute seasoning. If the Pepper Cannon is just too expensive, the PepperMate Traditional Pepper Mill is another high-volume manual grinder that we love. If you want an electric grinder (and one that costs much less than the Pepper Cannon), Zwilling’s Enfinigy Grinder is easy to use and versatile.

Pre-ground pepper saves time, sure, but freshly ground pepper yields so much more flavor. Buy whole peppercorns and grind them yourself whenever possible. The flavor of a peppercorn is contained within its walls. Once you bust down those walls by grinding it, all those volatile oils come rushing out and are subject to losing flavor over time (just like coffee).

The longer ground pepper sits, the more flavor slips away, which explains the lackluster quality of a typical supermarket jar. “Who knows how long ago they ground that stuff,” says Tom Erd, co-owner of the Spice House.

Peppercorns are the berries of the piper nigrum plant, which is native to India, the world’s top producer (and consumer) of pepper and the source of what spice experts like Erd consider the best peppercorns around. The other tropical regions where peppercorns thrive include Indonesia, Brazil, and Vietnam, which leads in exports.

Peppercorns grow in clusters on vines like tiny grapes and ripen at varying rates, so harvesting them is tricky and time-consuming. But, oh, the payoff.

Black, green, and white peppercorns are just different versions of the same fruit. Like any berry, they all start out green and turn red as they ripen. The longer they stay on the vine, the more flavor they develop.

Black peppercorns are harvested just before they’re fully ripe. They darken as they dry, developing that deeply aromatic pepper flavor.

Green peppercorns are picked early, while still green. To retain their color, they’re either blanched and dried, pickled in brine, or freeze-dried. They taste fresh and vibrant or, as Erd says, “young.”

White peppercorns are black peppercorns with the shells removed, either by soaking in water or rubbing dry. Neither method is cheaper or necessarily better than the other, but your nose can tell them apart. The water-soaked method produces a white peppercorn with a distinct fermented flavor after drying. It’s not for everyone, but it’s favored for certain dishes where the pepper flavor is wanted but not the color.

Pink Peppercorn Bacon

Get This Recipe

While the three varieties above all come from the same plant, pink peppercorns are the dried berries of a shrub native to South America. They have a sweet, delicate flavor and are used as much for their looks as for their bite.

Sichuan or Szechuan peppercorns are also not technically “pepper.” Famed for their numbing effect on the tongue, these aromatic seed husks come from the Chinese prickly ash tree. They’re actually not hot on their own but are often combined with chiles in Sichuan cooking.

Steer Clear of Five-Peppercorn Blends

Don’t buy a peppercorn blend that contains allspice–it might jam your mill.

Black, white, green, and pink peppercorns are often sold as a blend, which looks nifty if you have a clear spice mill. But Erd cautions against what’s sold as a five-peppercorn blend because of that fifth element: allspice.

“Allspice berries are too big to fall in between the grinding burrs, so they’ll jam up your mill,” he says. “It’s silly, and it’s the spice companies trying to cut costs.”

Store Peppercorns in Dry, Airtight Containers

Dry and airtight—that’s the key to keeping whole peppercorns around. They’ll last for several years that way. If you have extra freshly ground pepper around, use it up within a week.