We analysed the Amazon.co.uk subcategory Mortar & Pestle Sets and kept only products with at least 200 reviews and 4.3 stars. Ranked by estimated monthly revenue, the ten below run from a £6.79 porcelain mini bowl to a £38 granite set with a bamboo lid — and the material of the grinding surface, not the brand, is what separates them.
The runaway revenue leader with over 1,100 sets a month at £19.99, after the price came down by a fifth during the observed period.
Check the price on AmazonThe runaway revenue leader with over 1,100 sets a month at £19.99, after the price came down by a fifth during the observed period.
The cheapest set here at £6.79 and by far the smallest — a 7 cm porcelain bowl holds a teaspoon of peppercorns, not a curry paste.
The newest entry in this ranking with 298 reviews — a solid stone set at £17.95 that has climbed into the top three on volume rather than history.
Listed as non-porous granite, which is the point of the specification — and its price fell 28%, the steepest drop in this comparison.
£9.25 buys a glazed white stoneware bowl of 12.5 cm — smooth rather than abrasive, so it bruises herbs more happily than it cracks peppercorns.
The most reviewed set in this ranking at 5,299 ratings, and the metal alternative — brushed 18/8 steel absorbs nothing, which is why it is also sold as a pill crusher.
The most expensive set here at £38, and the only granite bowl in this list with a lid — designed to stay on the worktop rather than in a cupboard.
The same Silk Route set as rank 1 in white marble instead of granite — the review counts sit one apart because the two listings share a pool.
The listing leads with an unfinished interior rather than a polished one, which is the single detail most buyers of stone mortars actually care about.
The second steel bowl in this top ten, and the only set of any material here that combines a lid with an anti-slip base.
| Product | Score | Stars | Reviews | Feature | Material | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. Silk Route Classic Granite Pestle & Mortar Best seller Silk Route Spice Company · Silk Route Spice Company |
9.3 | 4.6 ★ | 4,148 | granite · classic | Granite | £19.99 | Amazon › |
| 02. Glamza Mini Porcelain Pestle & Mortar, 7 cm Lowest price Glamza · Glamza |
8.4 | 4.3 ★ | 784 | 7 cm · porcelain | Porcelain | £6.79 | Amazon › |
| 03. Zuvo Natural Stone Pestle & Mortar Set Zuvo · Zuvo |
8.6 | 4.6 ★ | 298 | natural stone | Natural stone | £17.95 | Amazon › |
| 04. MasterClass Granite Mortar & Pestle, 12 cm MasterClass · MasterClass |
8.8 | 4.5 ★ | 1,169 | 12 cm · granite | Granite | £16.90 | Amazon › |
| 05. Premier Housewares Stoneware Mortar & Pestle Premier · Premier |
8.7 | 4.4 ★ | 1,367 | stoneware · 12.5 cm | Stoneware | £9.25 | Amazon › |
| 06. Bekith Stainless Steel Mortar & Pestle, 18/8 Bekith · Bekith |
9.2 | 4.5 ★ | 5,299 | 18/8 steel bowl | Stainless steel | £13.99 | Amazon › |
| 07. Joseph Joseph Dash Granite Mortar, Bamboo Lid Joseph Joseph · Joseph Joseph |
8.6 | 4.6 ★ | 399 | granite · bamboo lid | Granite | £38.00 | Amazon › |
| 08. Silk Route Classic White Marble Pestle & Mortar Top rated Silk Route Spice Company · Silk Route Spice Company |
9.3 | 4.6 ★ | 4,149 | white marble | Marble | £16.99 | Amazon › |
| 09. Kaizen Casa Black Granite Mortar, 9.5 cm Kaizen Casa · Kaizen Casa |
8.5 | 4.3 ★ | 1,085 | granite · unfinished | Granite | £11.99 | Amazon › |
| 10. Sopito Stainless Steel Mortar with Lid, 11.7 cm Sopito · Sopito |
9.0 | 4.5 ★ | 2,305 | steel · lid · 11.7 cm | Stainless steel | £15.69 | Amazon › |
A mortar grinds because the bowl is abrasive. Unfinished granite bites into peppercorns and cardamom pods; polished marble, glazed stoneware and brushed steel are smoother, so seeds skate around the bowl and you end up bashing rather than grinding. Two listings here name the unfinished surface explicitly, and that is a specification worth reading.
The spread here runs from a 7 cm porcelain mini to a 12.5 cm stoneware bowl. Under about 9 cm you are limited to a pinch of dry spice; a wet paste with garlic, chilli and lemongrass needs the wider bowl or it climbs over the rim on the first push.
Untreated granite and marble hold onto garlic, chilli and cumin oils, so a mortar used for curry paste will flavour the next batch of aromatic seeds. Stainless steel and glazed stoneware rinse clean instead. If you only want one mortar for everything, the non-porous options are the safer buy.
Stone works partly because it is too heavy to shift. Lighter porcelain and steel bowls need something under them — one steel set here ships with an anti-slip base for exactly that reason. On a hard worktop, a bowl that skids is a bowl you grind in with one hand pinning it down.
A fresh granite or stone mortar sheds loose grit from the cut surface. The standard remedy is to grind a handful of dry rice until the powder comes out white, then repeat and wash. It takes ten minutes and it is the difference between fragrant spice and gritty spice.
The pestle has to reach the curve of the bowl wall, not just the middle, or you leave a ring of whole seeds. A rounded, heavy head crushes with its own weight; a thin, light pestle asks your wrist to supply the force. Sets are sold as a pair for this reason — mixing bowls and pestles rarely fits.
Granite is the workhorse: abrasive, heavy and forgiving, but porous unless the listing says otherwise. Marble looks better and is smoother, which suits soft herbs and garlic more than hard spice. Stainless steel absorbs nothing at all and is the choice if the same bowl has to handle curry paste on Monday and cardamom on Tuesday. All three types appear in this top ten.
Yes for granite and other cut stone. Grinding dry rice until the powder stays white removes the loose grit left by cutting, and two or three passes are usually enough. Porcelain, glazed stoneware and stainless steel need nothing more than a wash before first use.
Ranks 1 and 8 are the same Silk Route set in granite and in white marble, listed under separate ASINs. Their review counts differ by one, which is what a shared review pool looks like. We show the listings as Amazon publishes them rather than merging them into a single entry.
The products are ordered by estimated monthly revenue per ASIN, not by star rating and not by bestseller rank. Only products with at least 200 reviews and an average of 4.3 stars were included, out of 161 that met the filter in this subcategory. Revenue shows which mortar households actually buy, which in this category means the mid-priced granite sets rather than the design pieces.
The score is not our own hands-on test. It is calculated transparently from public Amazon data: 75% from the average star rating and 25% from the number of reviews, weighted logarithmically. The ranking order itself comes from estimated monthly revenue per ASIN. Prices, ratings and review counts were retrieved from Amazon.co.uk on 22 July 2026 and can change at any time.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. All links are affiliate links. Prices are snapshots taken on 22 July 2026; the current price is shown live on Amazon. Product images and details come from Amazon or the manufacturers.