The 7 Best Carving Boards, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

J.K. Adams Maple Carving Board

$120 at Amazon $110 at Wayfair $145 at Sur La Table

This board offers high-quality design, functionality, and aesthetics, making it our top pick. It’s a great option for carving whole chickens or ribeyes, as well as larger poultry like turkey or duck. The board is reversible, and it features deep channels and a moat around the edge, which can hold 1/2 cup of juices. The opposite side is flat, and it’s designed for daily cutting and chopping. If you want steel spikes to help secure the roast while you carve, some retailers let you add those.

It’s made from edge-grain maple and withstands long-term use, holding up to cutting without sustaining too many knife nicks. We used the flat side for everyday vegetable chopping and the reverse side for carving a roast. Overall, we loved the design as well as the deep juice grooves, and even though there is no pouring spout, we were able to funnel the juices into a saucepan easily without spilling. When you’re not using it to carve meats, it moonlights as a serving platter for your next charcuterie board setup.

We think a cook who is very often making large cuts of meat would love this board since its spikes would help keep them in place and the large juice wells would keep their counter clean. The board is hand wash only—it will warp or crack in the dishwasher—but it's a worthy investment for its quality, durability, and design.

Dimensions: 20 x 14 x 1.25 inches | Material: Maple wood | Weight: 6.28 pounds

Best Budget

Royal Craft Organic Bamboo Cutting Board with Juice Groove

$20 at Amazon

Most carving boards are quite the investment, but if you’re looking to go a little easier on your wallet, this bamboo board is a great option. While it may not have the sleekest design or bells and whistles that some of the other boards have, it is very functional and durable. During testing, the 18-inch board offered plenty of space for our carving needs, but it’s not so big that you’d require lots of counter or storage space for it. Larger turkeys might not fit, but the board will handle medium turkeys, roasts, chickens, and meats from your rotisserie or roasting oven. If you expect to need more or less space, the board is also available in smaller and larger sizes as well as a rectangular or round option.

The board did its job well and didn't sustain any cut marks, though because bamboo does tend to wear more easily and dull knives more quickly, you may want to limit the amount of chopping you do on it. The built-in drip groove caught runaway juices, but it may be a bit shallow for the juiciest foods. While we appreciated the handles on the flat side of the board, which made it easier to lift, note that they do reduce the cutting space. When it comes to cleanup, the bamboo material is easy to wash by hand and non-porous, meaning it shouldn't absorb any excess juices or odors.

Dimensions: 18 x 12 x 0.7 inches (also available in other sizes) | Material: Bamboo | Weight: 3.2 pounds

Best Plastic

OXO Good Grips Carving and Cutting Board

$33 at Amazon $33 at Kohls.com View on Webstaurantstore.com

The OXO Good Grips board is a low-maintenance, lightweight plastic carving board. It's easy to move around and wash by hand, but if you’d rather put it in your dishwasher, it’s safe to do so. It’s made out of polypropylene, which means that it can resist warping, staining, and odors better than other plastic boards, and it does not require the diligent care and maintenance that wooden boards need.

The board is cleverly designed with a juice groove and easy-pour corners. These features are convenient for slicing juicy fruits and veggies, as well as chicken, roasts, and more. The non-slip rubber grip makes this board ultra-secure, so no need to worry about it sliding around as you’re using it. During testing, we also found that the grips make it easy to lift the board off the counter, which is not the case for some other handleless options.

Although it doesn’t have the same stunning visual appearance as some of the other boards on this list, it’s still a kitchen workhorse that will help you accomplish your cutting and carving needs. The nubby feet, non-slip side grips, flat and grooved sides, and durable surface are just a few reasons why we love this cutting board. All those features, wrapped in a very affordable price, make it a clear winner for hard-working kitchens. If you do opt for this board, consider buying a separate serving dish or platter so you don’t have to present meats on this for your guests.

Dimensions: 14.34 in x 21.11 inches | Material: Plastic | Weight: 3.43 pounds

Best End Grain

John Boos Maple Butcher Block

$296 at Amazon $252 at Walmart $258 at Wayfair

If you’re going to use the board for lots of prepping and cutting, it might be a good idea to go for an option with an end-grain design—a choice worth the splurge. This Boos butcher block is highly functional, offering a good amount of space for whatever you’re carving, and has a beautiful checker design. At nearly 20 pounds, the board is quite heavy and clunky, but we found that the handles cut into the sides make it easier to move. Not only can this be used as a cutting board, but it’s also durable enough for chopping with a cleaver. It’s sturdy, durable, and a true centerpiece that can be used for serving, too.

Although we didn’t love the weight when moving the board around, that weight kept it stable on the counter and helped make it a pleasure to use. The end grain is also a bit more gentle on knives, and when testing was done, we didn’t see any cut marks at all. Keep in mind that there are no grooves or spikes, but you can always place the board on a large baking sheet to collect juices that run off the sides. 

This board will cost you a pretty penny, but the extra money will be worth it if you find yourself cutting on it frequently. Your wrists and your knife blades will thank you since the end grain provides a nice give as your knife blades move through it. The board can also handle using a cleaver to whack chickens or other meats apart since it's tough, durable, and thick. With normal use, this should last long enough to pass down to the grandkids.

Dimensions: 20 x 15 x 2.25 inches | Material: Maple wood | Weight: 19.56 pounds

Best Set

Kikcoin Bamboo 3-Piece Kitchen Chopping Board

View on Amazon

If you’re in the market for a set of boards, this three-piece purchase will cover all your needs. The oil-treated bamboo is visually appealing and can handle plenty of chopping and washing, but of course, regular seasoning can be useful. For added strength, the boards are constructed with three layers of bamboo, which helps prevent cracking and warping.

Each board is designed with juice grooves around the edges, but they’re fairly shallow. Built-in handles make the boards easy to lift, but they also take away space on the smooth sides of the boards. The boards are 10 inches, 14 inches, and 17 inches, so you’ll have the right size for whatever it is that you’re carving or serving.

In testing, these performed well. We used the largest board for carving (the only one large enough for a turkey) and found the second and third boards helpful for arranging the food for serving. Note that bamboo is tougher than normal wood, so it doesn’t show wear as easily but may be less gentle on your knives. We think these boards would be great for beginners due to the size options, fair price, and decent durability.

Dimensions: 17 x 12 x 0.7 inches; 14 x 10 x 0.7 inches; 10x 7.1 x 0.7 inches | Material: Bamboo wood | Weight: 6.69 pounds

Best for Red Meat

Virginia Boys Kitchens Walnut Wood Cutting Board

$210 at Amazon View on Walmart View on Virginiaboyskitchens.com

Carving red meat can be difficult when your roast is too big for your basic cutting board, so it’s wise to have a large cutting board in the arsenal. Since red meat can stain, a dark board like this one can hide those stains better than lighter wood, but with any wooden board, seasoning with oil can protect it from stains of all kinds. While the walnut finish looks attractive, we found that it took multiple washes and oil treatments before we stopped seeing the wood stain on our cleaning cloth.

Once the board was seasoned, the deep walnut color looked quite attractive and much different than typical wooden cutting boards. The size is also noteworthy, with enough space to carve or serve, no matter what’s on the menu. The juice grooves along the perimeter of the board can collect plenty of liquids, while the flat side is handy for chopping herbs and vegetables. 

Dimensions: 24 x 18 x 1 inches | Material: Walnut wood | Weight: 8.8 pounds

Best for Gifting

Sonder Alfred Cutting Board

$160 at Amazon View on Sonderla.com

This elegant carving board from Sonder Los Angeles is a stunning piece of black walnut end grain. This sturdy material holds up well to sharp knives and intense chopping, and the board itself is handcrafted from sustainably-sourced wood. The dark color of the black walnut also helps to conceal any marks or stains that might linger.

The board comes equipped with ever-so-convenient juice grooves to collect any overflow of liquids from meats and fruits. We appreciated this feature but felt it could be a bit wider and deeper to properly contain all the juices from carving a turkey or chicken.

However, one of our favorite design choices about this carving board is the three built-in compartments. They slide right out from the underside of the board and can hold your prep ingredients, allowing you to clear your workspace and keep things organized. Or these compartments would work great to store items like olives and nuts for a beautifully presented charcuterie board.

Dimensions: 17 x 13 x 1.5 inches | Material: Black Walnut | Weight: 7.5 pounds