Top 6 compared
The best teapots
Room for the leaves to open and a clean pour at the end, for tea for two or the whole table.
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The top 6 at a glance
A teapot keeps the leaves and the water together long enough to brew, then pours the tea out without the leaves. Porcelain is the classic choice for the table and holds its warmth for a second cup. Glass lets you watch the color deepen, so it’s easy to pour at the strength you like, and cast iron is heavy and slow to cool.
Most come with an infuser or strainer to hold the leaves; a pot without one is for tea bags or a separate basket. Some glass and cast-iron pots go straight on a burner to heat the water, while the porcelain pots here take water from a kettle. Electric and whistling kettles, which just boil water, are a different job and aren’t on this list.
What matters
- A stated capacity; about 8 fl oz makes a cup.
- A deep infuser rather than a shallow basket.
- A lid that stays on as you pour.
- A spout that pours cleanly without dripping.
#1Sweejar Royal Porcelain Teapot with Infuser (28 oz)
$20–$30
A rounded, pumpkin-shaped porcelain pot with a decorated border, in the style of a traditional afternoon tea, and a deep stainless steel infuser that sits the leaves well down in the water. It holds 28 fl oz, about three 8 oz cups.
What owners say: Owners are taken with the pumpkin shape and like the color of their pot, and say it pours two or three cups, keeps the tea hot and handles loose leaf well. It’s easy to clean and goes with the tea sets they already have.
A closer look: Boil the water in a kettle and pour it over the leaves, since Sweejar says the pot isn’t for heating elements. The deep basket gives large-leaf teas room to unfurl, and it lifts out with the leaves once the tea is ready. The rounded shape and fancy border suit a tray of cups and saucers at afternoon tea.
- Pumpkin shape, decorated border
- Deep infuser for large leaves
- Infuser lifts out when ready
Best for: Classic tea for two or three
- Material
- Porcelain
- Capacity
- 28 fl oz
- Infuser
- Steel
- Stovetop-safe
- No
- Dishwasher-safe
- Yes
#2Hario ChaCha Kyusu Maru Glass Teapot (24 oz)
$20–$30
A simple, rounded pot of heatproof glass with a roomy stainless steel strainer, so the leaves have space to open, and about 24 fl oz inside, three 8 oz cups. Hario has made heatproof glass since it was founded in Tokyo in 1921, and its name comes from the Japanese words for glass and king.
What owners say: Owners say it makes good tea, especially loose leaf, with a wide opening that’s simple to clean and a strainer that does the job of an infuser. Opinions split on size, as some find it smaller than expected, and on how delicate the glass is.
Heads up: Hario says it isn’t for an open flame, an induction cooktop or the oven, so boil the water in a kettle, and take the strainer out before warming the pot in the microwave.
A closer look: Watch the color through the glass and lift the strainer out once it looks right, which keeps the rest of the pot from turning bitter. Three cups a pot suits one tea drinker or a couple; for a table of guests, one of the bigger pots here is the better size.
- Glass pot made in Japan
- Microwave-safe without the strainer
- See the tea’s color
Best for: A glass pot for one or two
- Material
- Heatproof glass
- Capacity
- 24 fl oz
- Infuser
- Steel strainer
- Stovetop-safe
- No
- Dishwasher-safe
- Yes
#3Teabloom Celebration Glass Teapot (40 oz)
$30–$50
Pot, lid and infuser are all borosilicate glass, so nothing else touches the tea, and it can go on the stove, in the microwave and in the dishwasher. It brews up to five cups at a time, and two jasmine blooming teas come in the box to try first.
What owners say: Owners enjoy watching the blooming teas open up just as the pictures show, and say it brews good-tasting tea and cleans easily. Some found it holds less than they expected, and several say the glass broke too easily.
A closer look: For a blooming tea, leave the infuser out and drop the flower straight into the pot so it has room to open. For loose leaf, fill the glass infuser and lift it out once the tea is as strong as you like. Five cups a pot makes it a good one for guests and slow weekend breakfasts.
- Two blooming teas included
- Microwave-safe
- Extra-wide handle
- Non-drip spout
Best for: Blooming teas and weekend guests
- Material
- Borosilicate glass
- Capacity
- 40 fl oz
- Infuser
- Glass
- Stovetop-safe
- Yes
- Dishwasher-safe
- Yes
#4Teabloom One-Touch Glass Teapot and Kettle (27 oz)
$20–$30
Heat the water and steep the tea in the same pot: it goes straight on the stove, and a stainless steel filter built into the lid holds the leaves back as you pour. Teabloom sells it as plastic-free, in borosilicate glass with a 304 stainless steel lid.
What owners say: Owners find it brews well on the stove, with a lid strainer that keeps the leaves in the pot, and like that the glass handle stays cool enough to hold. It’s the right size for two, though a few had it crack within weeks.
A closer look: Bring the water to a boil in the pot, take it off the heat, then add the leaves and give them a few minutes to unfurl. Pour through the filter lid and they stay behind; afterward, tip them out and rinse the mesh under the faucet. One vessel instead of a kettle and a pot suits a small kitchen.
- Plastic-free
- Silicone ring holds the lid
- Leaves stay behind when pouring
Best for: Boiling and brewing in one pot
- Material
- Borosilicate glass, steel lid
- Capacity
- 27 fl oz
- Infuser
- Steel filter lid
- Stovetop-safe
- Yes
- Dishwasher-safe
- Yes
#5Sweese Porcelain Teapot (40 oz)
$30–$50
A plain, cream-white porcelain pot that holds about five regular mugs, the classic family-size pot for the table. The D-shaped lid has a catch so it stays put as you pour, and a lip on the spout helps stop drips.
What owners say: Owners describe it as well made and sturdy, keeping the tea warm for a second cup, with room for four or five. The usual complaint is drips from the spout, mostly when it’s filled to the brim.
Heads up: There’s no infuser with this size, and Sweese says it’s a pot, not a kettle: keep it off the stove and brew with tea bags or a basket infuser.
A closer look: Fill it to just below the lid rather than to the brim, which is when most of the drips happen. A cold porcelain pot takes heat from the tea, so swirl some hot water around it first and the second cup stays warmer. Its soft, creamy white sits well alongside most china and mugs.
- Lid stays put when pouring
- Spout lip helps stop drips
- Microwave-safe
- Creamy white suits most china
Best for: Family-size pots of tea
- Material
- Porcelain
- Capacity
- 40 fl oz
- Infuser
- No
- Stovetop-safe
- No
- Dishwasher-safe
- Yes
#6Ufine Koi Cast Iron Teapot Set with 4 Cups (26 oz)
$30–$50
A heavy Japanese-style cast-iron pot with a koi fish pattern and a black enamel lining against rust, sold as a set with a fine mesh steel strainer, a trivet, a lid holder and four 2 oz cups. Ufine says it can be heated on a gas, electric or wood stove.
What owners say: Owners find the set beautiful and fairly priced. The one gripe that comes up is that the small cups get very hot.
A closer look: The strainer comes out while the water heats on the stove and goes back in with the leaves. Iron cups take on the heat of the tea, so give it a minute before passing them around, and stand the pot on its trivet at the table. Afterward, rinse it with warm water and let it dry with the lid off.
- Koi fish pattern
- Four iron cups included
- Trivet and lid holder included
Best for: Serving tea in cast iron
- Material
- Cast iron, enamel-lined
- Capacity
- 26 fl oz
- Infuser
- Steel mesh
- Stovetop-safe
- Gas, electric, wood
- Dishwasher-safe
- –
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1Sweejar Royal | #2Hario ChaCha Maru | #3Teabloom Celebration | #4Teabloom One-Touch | #5Sweese porcelain | #6Ufine Koi set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | Best cast iron | ||||
| Picked Rating | 9.6 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Price | $20–$30 | $20–$30 | $30–$50 | $20–$30 | $30–$50 | $30–$50 |
| Material | Porcelain | Heatproof glass | Borosilicate glass | Borosilicate glass, steel lid | Porcelain | Cast iron, enamel-lined |
| Capacity | 28 fl oz | 24 fl oz | 40 fl oz | 27 fl oz | 40 fl oz | 26 fl oz |
| Infuser | Steel | Steel strainer | Glass | Steel filter lid | No | Steel mesh |
| Stovetop-safe | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Gas, electric, wood |
| Dishwasher-safe | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | – |
| Best for | Classic tea for two or three | A glass pot for one or two | Blooming teas and weekend guests | Boiling and brewing in one pot | Family-size pots of tea | Serving tea in cast iron |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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