If you’re struggling to find the lids to your storage containers or that one egg pan that’s perfectly nonstick, it’s time to clear out the chaos and clutter and find the right kitchen cabinet organizers. Solutions like expandable racks, shelving that adds vertical storage, and mounted sliding drawers are great options for streamlining your space, but there are so many ways to keep a kitchen organized. It can be a daunting task to start shopping for these space-saving tools if you don’t know where to begin or what would work best for your kitchen.
We put several kitchen cabinet organizers to the test in our own homes and spoke with two professional organizers to help you determine the right options for keeping your cookware, cutting boards, dishes, and kitchen tools organized. Read on to find out which kitchen cabinet organizers are best for your needs.
It’s easy to see why the Simple Houseware Expandable Pan Organizer won us over during our tests. It has an extendable body with nine adjustable dividers to accommodate a wide array of kitchen items. It can easily adapt to lots of different cabinet heights and widths, but you’ll have to take into account the sizes of the items you’re storing to figure out the best place to put it.
During our tests, we found that the customizable powder-coated metal dividers felt incredibly sturdy with no wobbling, and the plastic base did not have any issues holding up heavy items since this is a stationary organizer. It nearly doubles in size when fully extended, making it an ideal choice for holding both larger and smaller cookware pieces. The versatility and value it provides make this pan organizer a clear best overall pick.
Dimensions: 9.5 x 12-22 x 8.5 inches | Material: Plastic, metal
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Multiple pots and pans can be hard to store efficiently, and it’s a real pain to pull out four other options before reaching the one you need. Enter this smart vertical storage solution by Cuisinel, which allows you to stack on five individual tiers and holds up to 50 pounds total. Standing just over a foot tall, it can fit easily into taller cabinets but can also work horizontally if you have less flexibility with height. But since this is not an adjustable option, taller pots will not fit on the bottom four shelves.
During our tests, we didn’t encounter warping or bending, even with multiple heavy-duty cast iron skillets placed on the rack. We also appreciated how it easily accommodated several pans, including large 13-inch options, without needing to stack them directly on top of each other. That’s great for preserving your cookware’s longevity because stacking them can cause pans to become scratched.
Dimensions: 8 x 12.2 x 10.5 inches | Material: Alloy steel
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While deep cabinets can be a gift, they can also lead to more disorganization the deeper you go. This 2-tier pull-out shelf by Rev-A-Shelf has a sleek chrome finish and utilizes slide-out baskets to make the most of the space. Each wire shelf can hold up to 50 pounds, perfect for storing heavy cookware, small appliances, or simply bulk food. The Rev-A-Shelf is offered in a range of sizes to mix and match options that work best with your specific cabinet configuration.
While the assembly was a bit difficult, the end result — a solid mobile shelving unit — was worth the effort. And the drawers continued to feel sturdy and hold up well throughout our tests, even when adding a rice cooker, medium pot, and multiple skillets to the shelves.
Dimensions: 18 x 8.75 x 19 inches | Material: Steel
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Mount this pull-out drawer into any cabinet to make accessing your favorite appliances and food items a smooth and simple task. Available in multiple size options, this organizer pulls out like a drawer to make your existing cabinet space more accessible. But since this is just a single sliding drawer and doesn’t take advantage of vertical storage, a riser shelf could be placed on top of this to add even more functional storage to taller cabinets. Or, simply use it for keeping tall items tidy and more visible.
During testing, this organizer easily fit larger half sheet pans and even a round pizza pan, with plenty of room for additional cookware inside. The installation process was also simple, and the final product felt sturdy and worthy of the price tag. We also appreciated that the instructions were clear on how to properly measure your cabinet to allow for full functionality of the drawer.
Dimensions: 21 x 11 x 4 inches | Material: Alloy steel
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Don’t sweat stacking this 8-tier rack full of your favorite pots and pans. With a weight limit of 80 pounds, this heavy-duty option allows for organization in your cabinets and is adjustable to your liking. In one configuration, there are three shelves on one side and five on the other, allowing for taller items to fit into the rack. It can also be adjusted to have four shelves on either side, or four on just one side.
During our tests, we appreciated how versatile this rack was because of the modular nature of the shelves and how sturdy it felt during use. The shelves easily click into place, which provides peace of mind that everything was assembled correctly. In their fully expanded forms, we did feel that the shelves were on the bulky side, especially for smaller cabinets or kitchens.
Dimensions: 7.87 x 18.89 x 15.94 inches | Material: Iron
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Gone are the days of stacking your cups sky-high inside your cabinet to try and work with limited storage space. These stackable shelves can double the amount of functionality in a cabinet, and they’re versatile enough to be placed next to each other, stacked, or used separately. Plus, since they’re available in multiple colors and two sizes, that means you can find the right look for your taste and the right fit for your space.
In our tests, these shelves worked well for maximizing storage in cabinets, and they can also work well on countertops or even under the sink. These can only hold a maximum weight of 33 pounds, though, so the top rack would not be ideal for larger stacks of plates or heavier food items. We also didn’t find the engineered wood to feel or look very high quality, but the shelves still provided a solid value for the price.
Dimensions: 7.7 x 11.7 x 6.2 inches | Material: Engineered wood, metal
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Your only solution for storing pans, baking sheets, cutting boards, plates, and even the best cookbooks doesn’t have to be stacking them on top of each other. This adjustable organizer by Brightmaison, which can extend up to 28 inches, is a much better option. Made from stainless steel with no assembly required, this organizer can easily free up more space in your cabinets or drawers. No weight limit means that even heavy cookware can be placed within the adjustable slots, and rubber bumpers on the bottom keep it in place.
We found in our tests that this rack was very sturdy and capable of handling the weight of pots, pans, baking sheets, and more without any damage or issues while in use. The thick stainless steel design felt well-made and sturdy, even when extended to fit larger items.
Dimensions: 4.84 x 28 x 6.5 inches | Material: Stainless steel
Our Favorite Cabinet Organizer
The Simple Houseware Expandable Pan Organizer is our top pick for its superior functionality and expandable design. If you have deep cabinets and need a better way to utilize your space, the Lynk Professional Roll Out Cabinet Organizer is available in multiple sizes.
How to Organize Your Cabinets
There are so many ways you can organize your kitchen cabinets, but it’s important to find a system that works for you. That being said, there are some tried-and-true methods that can get even the most cluttered space into better shape. We spoke with professional organizers to get their tips on the best way to organize your kitchen cabinets, and their advice proved to be simple but effective.
- Assess your space: “When organizing your kitchen cabinets, be sure the area is appropriate for whatever you’re storing. If your coffee mug cabinet is overflowing, you probably need to do one of two things (or both) — edit ruthlessly or figure out a better area for the coffee mugs to live,” says Sarah Dunn, founder of Ready Set Organize.
- Take advantage of vertical space: “Use risers or shelf inserts to double your vertical space — especially for stacking plates, bowls, or pantry goods,” recommends Sarah Schier, founder of Beautiful Life Creative Organizing.
- Label everything: “Label bins and baskets so everyone in the household knows where things go, and can help keep it that way,” says Schier. This is great for pantry goods, small items like handheld kitchen tools, things like meat thermometers, and even measuring cups. You could also try labeling shelves or even the interior of the cabinets themselves.
- Organize items by category: “Group ‘like’ items together and put them in one place,” suggests Dunn. It’s easier to find items when you know exactly where to look, and keeping things like dishes, drinking glasses, small appliances, and other kitchen items organized and stored according to their use helps eliminate unnecessary confusion and clutter.
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How We Tested Kitchen Cabinet Organizers
To find the best kitchen cabinet organizers on the market, we tested a number of models, assessing them on factors including style, size, and materials. Our top choices scored high in all categories across the board.
- Style: We factored in design elements of each organizer, including how versatile it is and whether or not it is mobile or stationary.
- Size: During our testing, we examined the size of each organizer and how well it fit into a cabinet. We also tested out how each organizer functioned once items were inside it, noting if its effectiveness was impeded at all when in full use.
- Materials: We evaluated the materials used in each kitchen cabinet organizer we tested, noting if it felt sturdy or flimsy, and if it was durable enough to handle the weight of pots and pans without wiggling.
During our tests, we also took note of any favorite or less favorable attributes of each organizer. After completing our testing, we revealed the retail prices of the tested organizers to consider their overall value. At the time of testing, they ranged from $18 to $85, with an average price of $38.
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Factors to Consider
Type of Organizer
Just as there are many different items in your kitchen, there are just as many types of organizers to consider. While shelving can be a great way to maximize storage for cups or dishes and even some lightweight cookware, it may not be the best option for larger or heavier items.
Schier says, “My number one piece of advice when it comes to buying organizing products: measure first, then look for organizers that maximize visibility and access.” Pull-out shelves or baskets can be ideal for utilizing deep cabinets that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to easily dig through, while expandable racks or stackable options will keep pots and pans easily visible.
Size and Available Storage Space
Dunn says that the best organizer is “one that is functional and fits the space the best.” That means not only should you be correctly measuring your space to see what type of organizer will fit in your drawer or cabinet, but you should also be decluttering before organizing.
“Too often, we see clients buy products without measuring their spaces first. The other mistake we see is purchasing products before editing down what you own. You want to make sure you’re only storing what you want to keep, so edit, edit, edit… and then measure your space so you can purchase the right-sized organizer for the space and contents,” says Dunn.
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Organizer Material
All of our top kitchen cabinet organizer picks are made from metal, plastic, wood, or a combination of materials. These can each have a place in the kitchen and can work great in a variety of different uses.
“For dishes and cookware, sturdy materials like bamboo or metal often hold up better over time,” Schier says. “Turntables, tiered shelf risers, and pull-out drawers are great tools, but the material should always support durability and ease of cleaning, especially in high-use areas like the kitchen.”
Installation Type
Depending on the type of organizer you are using, there will be different installation types, or possibly no install needed. Most drawer organizers will have an installation process that includes screwing the base into a cabinet, which increases stability so the drawer and base do not slide out together.
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Our Expertise
- Jacqueline Weiss is a professional food writer with over eight years of experience and a lifelong passion for working in the kitchen. Her writing has appeared in Eat This Not That, EatingWell, AllRecipes, Simply Recipes, and more.
- For this article, she took testing data into account to determine the best picks and spoke with Sarah Schier, founder of Beautiful Life Creative Organizing, and Sarah Dunn, founder of Ready Set Organize, to get more information about the best attributes for kitchen cabinet organizers.
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