9 Ikea Kitchen Essentials To Snag For $5 Or Less

Ikea is like no other furniture store. The Swedish retailer launched in the 1940s and now has over 50 stores in the U.S., and each visit is an experience. Is Ikea furniture frustrating to put together? Absolutely. Will it survive a move? It's a 50-50 chance. Can you make it through the store in less than an hour? Definitely not. But it offers something consumers are craving: affordability (and really good Swedish meatballs). It's a great place for low-cost or starter furniture, and you'll also find plenty of household items for every room in your home, especially the kitchen.

You'll find an enormous selection of kitchen items at Ikea, everything from cookware and bakeware to pantry storage to basic kitchen utensils and dinnerware, all in the retailer's modern Scandinavian style. We've talked before about the great kitchen decor items at Ikea, but what about the essentials, the items you absolutely need? Whether you're moving out on your own for the first time, starting over, or just want a kitchen refresh, outfitting your kitchen with even just the basics can put a big hole in your wallet. Luckily, Ikea offers tons of kitchen items for $5 or less. Using reviews on the website, and a little bit of personal experience, I set out to find which of these affordable kitchen essentials are absolutely worth the buy.

Few items are as essential to a standard kitchen as a wooden spoon. Ikea's Rört spoon is exactly this: a sturdy, beech wood spoon perfect for mixing and stirring at an affordable price of $2.99. The spoon is robust, with a thick handle, and comes in two styles -– a standard spoon and an option with a flatter front lip, that's sort of a hybrid between spoon and spatula.

On the Ikea website, the Rört has 4.6 stars out of 1,744 reviews. Toward the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, several reviewers complained that their spoons were poor quality, but it seems that Ikea may have fixed its quality control issues, as recent reviews are almost entirely positive. Reviewers have called it durable, sturdy, lightweight, and easy to clean. They also love the price, with many mentioning that they have more than one of these wooden spoons in their kitchen.

Rört wooden spoons are designed to be gentle on nonstick pans and come treated with oil; you'll need to oil them regularly, similar to what you should do to avoid one of the common mistakes with cutting boards, to keep it in pristine condition. The spoon is hand-wash only and should be washed before your first use. A Rört beech cooking fork is also available.

A good-sized bowl is also a must-have for every kitchen. Even if you're not much of a cook or baker, these types of bowls are great for holding popcorn or Halloween candy for trick-or-treaters. And you certainly don't have to break the bank to get one; Ikea's Fikadags mixing bowl is only $1.49. The bowl holds 74 ounces and is made of translucent white polypropylene. It's microwave-safe, freezer-safe, and dishwasher-safe, meaning you can use it for a variety of purposes, and cleanup will be a breeze.

Ikea customers give the Fikadags mixing bowl 4.7 stars out of 422 reviews. They love the size, saying it's not too big, but not too small either. In addition to the low price, they also rave that the bowl is sturdy and lightweight. Reviewers mention that they use their Fikadags for mixing, storing, serving, washing vegetables, and more. Many say they have multiple or went back to purchase more. There aren't a ton of negative reviews; one person mentions they thought the bowl would be solid white instead of translucent, and a few say it wasn't quite as big as they had hoped it would be.

Whether you're growing herbs yourself or want a cuter way to display store-bought seasonings, Ikea offers an affordable solution with the Rajtan spice jar set. These jars are glass, allowing you to easily see what's inside, and have aluminum-colored plastic lids. They hold 5 ounces and can stand upright or on their sides, allowing you to store them seamlessly in your kitchen. A four-pack of these jars costs $4.99.

The Rajtan spice jars have an average of about 4.7 stars out of nearly 700 reviews on the Ikea website. Reviewers say they love the cute, simple design of the jars and that the design makes the jars incredibly easy to store. Many say the jars are great for keeping spices and herbs fresh, while others mention they use the jars to store other things, ranging from nuts and oats to craft supplies such as buttons. The biggest complaint about the Ratjan jars seems to concern the lids, as several reviewers say the lids aren't very sturdy and are prone to breakage.

The glass part of the jars is dishwasher safe, while the lids are hand-wash only; all parts should be washed before using the jars for the first time. The jars are safe for foods up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Ikea 365+ series is the retailer's line of simple, affordable kitchen products, including cookware and bakeware, dinnerware, food storage, and kitchen utensils. While not everything in this collection is under $5 -– a five-quart pot, for example, is $25 –- many things are. Most of the items in this line are also highly rated.

For example, the Ikea 365+ glass food containers are available for just $3.99 each. This includes a 34-ounce rectangular option and a 20-ounce square option. These containers are safe for the air fryer, microwave, oven, freezer, and dishwasher. They have 4.7 stars from over 2,900 reviews, and reviewers say they're durable and highly useful. Lids are available for an additional $2. Plenty of pantry storage is available from the collection as well, such as this plastic storage bin. Available in a frosted plastic, it's microwave safe, freezer safe, and dishwasher safe, making it perfect for storing food wherever you need to. It's got 4.7 stars out of nearly 650 reviews, with customers loving their durability and size. They hold 68 ounces and are $4.99 each.

Another affordable, highly rated item from the Ikea 365+ collection is a 6-inch white bowl. It's perfect for cereal, salad, and anything in between, costs only $3.99, and coordinates with plates and mugs from the Ikea 365+ collection. This bowl also has 4.7 stars, with nearly 2,500 reviews, and customers say that it's stylish, durable, and a great size. 

The economy is rough, and keeping food fresh so it lasts as long as possible is imperative. While you can close up items like bagged potato chips using clothing clips or binder clips, and there's even a hack to close a potato chip bag with no clip, Ikea's Bevara clips are an inexpensive way to keep your food fresh. Ikea currently sells two sets of these clips: a six-pack of large clips in dark gray and golden yellow for $1.99, and a set of 26 small and large clips in pink and green for $3.99. These are freezer safe, so they can be used on frozen items, and they are also dishwasher safe.

When my husband and I moved away from home to the Twin Cities metro, we made a trip to Ikea for starter furniture and some odds and ends. I picked up a couple of packs of these clips as an impulse purchase, and though some have been lost by my husband or kids (never me, of course), the ones we have are still working great after over a decade. Reviewers love them as well, giving the six-pack 4.8 stars from nearly 500 reviews and the 26-pack 4.7 stars out of nearly 1,100 reviews. Customers say that the clips are a great value, easy to use, and are excellent for sealing food bags. Complaints for these clips are rare, but a few users say they have trouble closing the clips or that these don't work as well on thicker bags.

Ikea's Uppfylld collection is a line of colorful, affordable kitchen utensils. Although not everything in the series is under $5, most items are, and there's currently nothing in the collection for over $10. They provide a great way to outfit your kitchen with the basic tools you need in vibrant colors while on a budget.

One favorite from the Uppfylld series is a 9-and-a-half-inch colander in a bright, kelly green. This colander has handles on the sides for easy lifting, whether you're straining pasta or rinsing produce, and costs only $1.99. Reviewers give it 4.8 stars out of nearly 600 reviews, saying they love the color and size and believe it's sturdy and well-made. The colander is dishwasher safe and designed to nest within the Vispad mixing bowl ($9.99 for a set of two).

The Uppfylld line includes a variety of other highly rated items. Check out the bright yellow funnel for $0.99, which has 4.7 stars out of 365 reviews; customers say it works great and is a cheery color. Or try the equally vibrant yellow and green lemon squeezer for $2.99. It's got 4.6 stars out of over 350 reviews, with customers stating that it's perfect for removing seeds and collecting juice. Items like ice pop makers, peelers, and paring knives are also available in the Uppfylld series.

Like a wooden spoon, a rubber spatula is another utensil that is absolutely essential to even the most basic kitchen setup. Spatulas allow you to scrape ingredients from bowls, pots, and containers, and they are also great for folding and pushing items like scrambled eggs. Ikea's Gubbröra rubber spatula is a fun, sturdy, and affordable option for a spatula, costing only $1.49. It's made with a plastic handle and silicone rubber head, and is primarily white with a colored wave down the handle in your choice of black or green.

Nearly 900 reviewers rate the GUBBRÖRA rubber spatula an average of 4.8 stars. One reviewer says they've bought multiple, and the spatulas tend to last a long time. Others add that the spatulas are durable — they don't tear easily and don't stain. A few who got the green mention the color makes them smile. There are only a handful of negative reviews, with one reviewer saying they wish the rubber end was stronger and one saying their spatula melted when it got too hot.

The Gubbröra rubber spatula can withstand temperatures up to 158 degrees Fahrenheit and is safe to use on nonstick surfaces. It's also dishwasher safe, making it easy to clean up whatever batter, frosting, or other foods you've been using it on.

If you're a frequent cook and baker, you probably know that it's wise to keep a few different types of baking dishes in different sizes and materials around your kitchen. One of the most basic types of baking dishes is a 2-quart glass dish. Glass dishes are great for a variety of foods and are one of the best dishes for making casseroles, and 2 quarts is a standard size for many dishes. Ikea's Följsam baking dish is a 2-quart glass option that costs only $4.99. It offers handles on the sides and is microwave safe, dishwasher safe, and oven safe up to 536 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Följsam baking dish has 4.8 stars out of nearly 1,100 reviews. The handles are a much-loved feature, but users also say that it's a great size, easy to clean, and versatile. Several say it's a great, durable dish for an awesome price, with a few wishing they had bought more than one. There aren't many negative reviews, but a couple of people mention that their dish broke before it reached the upper heating limit. This can happen even to well-known brands like Pyrex, and it is often due to a sudden change in temperature, like taking a dish from the fridge and putting it straight into a hot oven.

Resealable plastic storage bags, like those popularized by Ziploc, are another tool that can be immensely helpful for keeping your food fresh (they're also great for a range of storage uses, like keeping puzzle pieces or craft supplies contained). Ikea offers its own version of these bags, called the Istad resealable bags, in different colors and sizes. These bags are airtight, leakproof, and freezer safe, and best of all, they can be reused as long as you avoid food safety mistakes.

You can grab a multipack of 60 black and yellow 34-ounce and 14-ounce resealable bags for just $2.99. These have an average of 4.9 stars from over 200 reviews, with customers saying they love that there are two sizes in the pack and that the bags are sturdy and seal well. For $3.99, Ikea offers a multipack of 50 Istad 3-quart and 1-quart bags, with your choice of a combination of pink and red or black and gold. These packs have 4.9 and 5 stars respectively, with users echoing that they're sturdy and great for larger uses. For even bigger storage needs, a multipack of 30 green, 6-quart and 5-quart bags is available for $4.99. These bags also have 5 stars, and customers love them for their size and durability.

I have several Ikea kitchen items in my home, but I don't have enough that were under $5 or that could really be considered "kitchen essentials" to fill out a full list. So, to figure out which items to include, I turned to the internet. I started by narrowing down what types of items qualified for this list: under $5, of course, but also, items that are essential to even the most basic kitchen. After that, I used the Ikea website to narrow my search and find the highest–rated items that met those requirements; an item had to have a minimum of 50 reviews to qualify. I curated the list with the highest-rated essential items from across the various kitchen categories that were $5 or less.