5 Best Balloon Whisks of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
We whisked eggs, cream and pancake batter to find the best balloon whisks.
Our Top Balloon Whisk Picks
- Best Overall: OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Balloon Whisk
- Best Silicone: Rosle Stainless Steel & Silicone 10.6-Inch Balloon Whisk
- Best Budget Buy: Winco Stainless Steel 10-Inch Whisk
- Best Batter Blender: Topenca Supplies 11-Inch Balloon Whisk
- Solid and Sleek: Sur La Table Stainless Steel Balloon Whisk
Tested by Michelle Warner for Food Network Kitchen
If you only have room for one whisk in your kitchen, get yourself a balloon whisk. Shaped like a hot air balloon, the versatile balloon whisk hits all the curves of your bowl or pan and gulps in air to lighten whatever you’re whisking. These whisks make the most of whipping eggs, cream and any batter. We tested more than 10 different whisks to find the ones to stock in your kitchen.
Michelle Warner
What To Look for in a Balloon Whisk
Rounded balloon shape. You need that elliptical shape to really move air through your mixture — especially when it comes to whipping cream and eggs. Even if you’re whisking a little salad dressing, it’s nice to impart air into your whisk to really blend the oil and vinegar.
Does the tip of the whisk hit the bottom of a bowl almost flat? It’s helpful to have the tines of your whisk meet evenly at the tip of your whisk so you are able to move batter from the bottom and edges of your bowl.
Balance is key: Having the handle of your whisk slightly heavier than the tines of your whisks helps move the whisk so your hand and arm don’t get tired and to assist moving evenly through a mixture.
Making sure the tines sturdy and evenly spaced is important to evaluate how easily it will move through the bowl. If the tines are too flimsy you’ll be working twice as hard.
Michelle Warner
How We Tested
After careful research from reputable consumer buying guides, we purchased 11 of the highest rated whisks and gave them each a full evaluation. To get started, we noted how each was packaged and what kind of literature was included, and then we took down general information like weight and dimensions. We evaluated the trueness of their balloon shape and how flat it sat in a bowl.
Next we ran the balloon whisks through three major use cases for a balloon whisk in the kitchen. In the same bowl with each whisk, we whisked three eggs to see how quickly each whisk achieved an even yellow color of the eggds. We also tested how quickly each whisk whipped heavy cream and blended pancake batter, using the same amount of food in the same bowl each time.
Finally, we cleaned each whisk by hand and in the dishwasher, if dishwasher-safe. We noted which method cleaned each whisk most easily and effectively.
This article has been reviewed since its original publish date for accuracy, pricing and availability. We stand by our list of top balloon whisk picks.
OXO is a trusted kitchen tool brand and this is yet another outstanding tool to make the most of your kitchen whipping a cinch. This whisk has a great balance of weighted handle to whisk ratio. The silicone handle that curves in the middle, makes for a comfortable non slip grip. The wire tines are sturdy and close enough to blend a dry mixture into a wet. The balloon shape creates good air when whipping cream and eggs.
If you're whisking in a nonstick pan or pot, it's important to make sure the tines on your balloon whisk are covered in silicone so as not to scratch the pan. This handle had decent weight to balance the whisk tines. The tines are arranged in a stacked spiral pattern, which is unique as most just criss cross. This shape really scoops batter and leads to less clogging of the whisk. It’s decent at whipping cream, but there’s nothing as powerful as a metal whisk for quickly whipping cream.
This whisk has a classic restaurant-style handle that is big, cylindrical and sturdy. This whisk can take a lot of abuse without losing its shape, but we wish it did move around a bowl or pan a bit more efficiently. It does come with a ring looping the tines together which does speed up the whisking process. This ring just looks like a key ring and you can add it and remove it as you see fit.
This curious shaped balloon whisk has a unique egg shape which really grabs what you're whisking and imparts air as well as moves the batter around in a helpful way. The egg shape also makes for a flatter end when whisking in a pan or bowl, which is helpful for getting all the edges. The handle has a nice half round shape that fits really comfortable and has a good length. We wish it was a touch heavier to help with ergonomics, but overall this is a great buy.
For having a smaller modern handle, this whisk has a great balance. It's an almost ideal shape, and makes for a fast whip of heavy cream. The tines are well spaced and move through cream and eggs with ease really making them light and smooth. This whisk is a littler cleaner in style and it’s a little more expensive, so it’s a classy splurge.
