The 7 Best Rolling Pins, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

J.K. Adams French Tapered Rolling Pin

$23 at Amazon $17 at Food52 View on Jkadams.com

A staple in many restaurant kitchens and in the home kitchens of professional chefs, the French-style rolling pin made from a single dowel with tapered ends and no handles is gaining popularity among cooks of all types. Why? Because the lack of handles gives you more control over the pin and makes it easier to get a feel for the texture of the dough.

This French-style model from J.K. Adams is made of maple and is handcrafted in Vermont. It’s the same brand as our best overall rolling pin since J.K. Adams knows a thing or two about rolling pins, thanks to more than 60 years in business in New England. Available in two thicknesses, the 2-inch-thick FRP-1 and the thinner FRP-2, this rolling pin is one of the longest on our list, measuring more than 20 inches. That means you can roll out a full rectangle of cinnamon roll dough without having to work in sections and worry about getting everything even.

In testing, we liked it for cookies, but even more so for pie dough, where the handle-free design and tapered ends made it easy to change directions to get a circular dough to fit a pie pan. This pin should be hand-washed and treated with mineral oil occasionally. If the surface gets too rough, you can sand it lightly and then wash and apply oil again to restore the finish.

Length: 20.5 inches | Style: French | Weight: 11.2 ounces

Runner-Up, Best Overall

Muso Wood Wooden French Rolling Pin for Baking

$10 at Amazon

The slight taper of the Muso Wood rolling pin makes it easy to maneuver while rolling out dough but isn't so extreme that there will be a steep learning curve for those new to using a French rolling pin. It's made from sapele wood, a hardwood similar to mahogany that's endemic to tropical African regions. The dense wood is hand-polished three times, and finished with food-safe mineral oil to protect the pin from additional moisture and sticking to dough.

We found that the Muso rolling pin was a pleasure to use while testing. It rolls a nearly perfect round of pie dough, without any dough sticking to the pin. The only issue that we noticed was that the pin is slightly shorter than some of the other rolling pins we tested, making it a little more difficult to use the pin to transfer dough from the counter to a pie plate. The slightly smaller length, diameter, and weight make this pin ideal for smaller hands and anyone who might need a lighter rolling pin.

We found it was very easy to clean by hand, although some flour sticks in the name embossed on the end of the rolling pin. Since rolling pins can be tough to store, given their length, we like that this rolling pin has a hanging hole drilled in the end.

Length: 15.75 inches | Style: French | Weight: 7.8 ounces

Best with Handles

J.K. Adams Maple Wood Gourmet Rolling Pin

$30 at Amazon $27 at Walmart $33 at Target

This style of rolling pin, also called a "baker’s" or "American" rolling pin, is most likely the one you are familiar with. It has a wooden barrel that rotates around a dowel attached to two handles, usually wooden as well. This is by far the most common style you’ll find in home kitchens.

This pin is a large one, with a 21-inch overall length and a 12-inch barrel. It’s made in Vermont of solid maple, and the barrel is waxed to prevent sticking when you’re rolling out your dough. The rolling pin is easy to care for, thanks to the steel axle that runs through the middle. To clean it, scrape off as much dough as you can, and then wash it with warm soapy water and dry it immediately.

In home testing, this was a solid favorite due to the size and heft. It was great for rolling out larger doughs, since it covered more area, and it handled a dense pie dough with ease, thanks to the weight. It rolled smoothly, making it a pleasure to work with.

The one complaint from consumers has been that J.K. Adams puts a sticker on the rolling pin, and it can sometimes be challenging to remove all the residue. We didn’t have that problem with the test pin, but sticker residue is usually easy to remove with a bit of vegetable oil or an adhesive remover like GooGone. If anything does go wrong with your rolling pin, you’ll be happy to know it’s covered by a lifetime warranty.

Overall Length: 21 inches | Style: American | Weight: 1.2 pounds | Barrel Length: 12 inches

Best Budget

Befano French Rolling Pin 18 Inch

View on Amazon

If you're the kind of person who doesn't find yourself rolling out dough very often, but you still want to be prepared for a baking project with more than just a wine bottle, it wouldn't hurt to pick up one of these budget-friendly rolling pins. The Befano French rolling pins are available in either acacia or beech wood, with the beech wood option costing less than $10.

During testing, we noticed that the rolling pin stuck to the dough more often than the other rolling pins we tested. To cut down on the amount of sticking, we'd suggest generously flouring both the rolling pin and the dough you're rolling out. You may also consider seasoning the rolling pin with mineral oil to prevent wet dough from sticking as much.

The Befano rolling pin is a comfortable 18 inches in length but is noticeably lighter than other rolling pins of the same length. The lighter pin may mean you'll have to do more work to roll your dough out, but it's easier to handle for those with reduced hand strength. But even with it's flaws, it's worth it to have a rolling pin on hand when you need one, even if you don't invest in a more expensive option.

Length: 18 inches | Style: French | Weight: 8.4 ounces

Best for Measuring

Joseph Joseph Adjustable Rolling Pin

$30 at Amazon $22 at Walmart $25 at Target

For bakers who like to be precise, but who might not be the best at eyeballing how wide or thick their dough is, the Joseph Joseph Adjustable Rolling Pin is the ideal solution. The barrel of the pin has engraved measurements so you can tell just how long your pastry is without having to break out the ruler.

Even better, this solid-beech pin helps you roll your dough to a precise thickness, so your cookies with bake evenly. Simply put one set of the colorful plastic rings on the ends of the pin, and you’ll roll the dough to that depth. The rings have US measurements on one side and metric on the other. They measure 1/16 of an inch, 1/6 of an inch, 1/4 of an inch, and 3/8 of an inch. In testing, those measurements came in handy when making cookies, but we found it puzzling that 1/6 inch was included, but 1/8 inch was not. Still, it was easy to use a thicker measure and then roll just a bit more with the rings removed. 

When we were less concerned about precise thickness, we removed the rings and used it as a straight dowel or Shaker-style rolling pin, which is similar to the French-style, but without the tapered ends. The barrel nicely long, making it great for our wide doughs. Finally, be sure to hand wash the rolling pin to keep it in good condition.

Overall Length: 17 inches | Style: Straight dowel | Weight: 1.23 pounds | Barrel Length: 13.6 inches

Best Marble

Fox Run Marble Rolling Pin

$21 at Amazon Orig. $32 $27 at Walmart $25 at Target

Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, a marble rolling pin has a couple of major benefits. First, unlike wood, a marble pin can be chilled in the fridge or freezer, which is ideal for working with temperature-sensitive laminated doughs like puff pastry or pie crust. Second, marble pins are generally heavier than their wooden counterparts, so they can help flatten a stiff dough with ease.

This model from Fox Run has a 10-inch pin with 4-inch wooden handles on each end. It also comes with a matching wooden base to make it easier to store in a cabinet or on your open shelving. No more worrying about a heavy 5-pound marble pin rolling off the shelf and on to your toes.

During initial testing, we thought that the pin didn’t spin at all—that’s how tight the handles were. After some use, we felt the pin spinning, but it was still quite stiff, which made rolling harder than it should have been. Perhaps it will loosen even more with extended use, but it can also be used like a dowel-style pin, ignoring the handles altogether. If you're willing to overlook that, the weight, and the price, this is definitely a great rolling pin to have in your tool kit.

Overall Length: 18 inches | Style: American | Weight: 4.6 pounds | Barrel Length: 10 inches

Best Straight Rolling Pin

J.K. Adams Dowel Rolling Pin

$32 at Amazon $34 at Walmart $32 at Wayfair

If you’re making large pizzas, or you need to roll out large sheets of pastry or cookie dough, a long rolling pin makes it easier to get an even thickness. This straight rolling pin is 19 inches long and has no handles to get in the way. It’s made by hand in Vermont, from sustainably grown maple wood from local trees.

The pin is 2 inches in diameter and weighs just under 1.5 pounds, so it’s heavy enough to handle dough, but not so heavy to make it difficult to use. It is not dishwasher-safe and should be washed with warm, soapy water and dried immediately. Since this pin is so long, you might not be able to fit it into a standard-sized kitchen drawer.

In testing, I loved using this pin. The long length was great for working with larger pieces of cookie dough, and it let me rest my hands anywhere along the length of the pin to provide pressure where it was needed. Since it had no handles to worry about, it was also quite handy for thwacking a super-cold pie dough to get it ready for rolling.

Length: 19.25 inches | Style: Straight dowel | Weight: 1.43 pounds