Top 7 Must Have Airbnb Kitchen Essentials

Want to know the best airbnb kitchen essentials every host should have in their listing? These are the top 7 kitchen essentials every host should stock in their listing’s kitchen.

As a host, it can be overwhelming as you are planning and budgeting for furnishing your airbnb. And when it comes to the kitchen, there’s a huge variety in items that people deem necessary when staying in a vacation rental, so how do you best prioritize what items to stock?

Let me help you! These 25 items below are things we have researched and stock in our airbnb kitchens for our guests. This will give you airbnb kitchen ideas for the best experience for your guests that are looking to heat up a quick take out meal all the way to cooking a gourmet meal during their vacation.

This post is all about the top airbnb kitchen essentials every host needs to consider purchasing and why it will bring the best 5 star experience for your guest.

Best Airbnb Kitchen Essentials

1. Quality Pots & Pans

Pots and pans are essential to cooking almost anything in the meal that involves a stove. And nothing is worse than when you go grab the pan you need at an airbnb and it’s scratched from improper use or because it’s cheap! I would recommend having a quality set of pots and pans that guests will enjoy using and something that is friendly to all levels of cooks in the kitchen. These are the pots & pans we put in all our properties and they have lasted for years without needing to be replaced!

2. Sharp Knife Set

A knife set has to be on your airbnb essentials list but they MUST be sharp! Even better, have a basic but effective knife sharpener next to your knife set. Not only is it super frustrating when you go to chop something and the knife you are using is dull but it can be super dangerous. This is the knife set I would recommend and have in our properties.

3. Stove, Oven, Dishwasher, Microwave & Refrigerator

If you’re advertising a full kitchen experience in your listing, it’s likely that these came with the house when you purchased the investment. If your space is smaller, a way to add these items to your listing is getting a countertop oven, 2 burner hot plate, apartment size fridge (or even a mini fridge) and the dishwasher may just be left out like my listing pictured below. This will still allow your guests to cook meals and will make your smaller space more attractive to prospective guests. This listing is typically rented out to long term stay guests so these guests are doing a lot of cooking and are happy with these items!

Refrigerator | Oven | Microwave | 2 Burner Hot Plate

4. Cooking Utensils & Cutting Boards

I recommend having at least 3 cutting boards in your kitchen. I find when prepping a meal that this number is what I personally use and allows for your guests to have multiple prep surfaces and other people helping. Typically, I will have one wood cutting board that doubles as decor on the counter (think charcuterie board!) and two other cutting boards stored in the cabinets (P.S. Do not use white cutting boards as those stain SUPER easy!). Below are links to a few of my favorites. Having a variety of cooking utensils for your airbnb kitchen is crucial for a quality guest experience in the kitchen. Something else to keep in mind is the type of pots and pans you have in the house. These silicon and wood utensil set is one of my favorites because they’re cute, dishwasher safe and won’t scrape up my pans!

Cutting Boards | Similar Wood Cutting Board | Cooking Utensils

5. Dishes & Silverware

Unless you’re doing a themed airbnb, I would recommend doing a classic color dish set (white, grey, etc) where it would be easy to replace if something got broken. As for silverware, simple but quality is going to be your best option! It’s easy to make sure they’re clean (for both the plates and silverware) which is what matters to your guests when they’re eating anyway. Cups can be fun but I’d definitely suggest having a variety. We always do at least a small and large size drinking glass and then wine glasses. Finally, if you’re catering your listing to families, provide kids dinnerware. This is a small touch that will go along way with the families you host! Here are a few of my favorites below:

Dishes | Silverware | Cups

Serving Dishes | Kids Dinnerware

6. Salt, Pepper and Cooking Oil

Providing these basic cooking essentials to your guests is something you can mark on your airbnb listing and will be well received by your guests. I’d recommend making these cute and decorative to feature in the kitchen.

7. Airbnb Coffee Station

A coffee station is one of my favorite things to put in an airbnb. Below are a couple examples of the coffee stations at my properties and the two types of coffee makers I think are best. For a more luxurious experience, you could put an espresso maker and all the things that go along with that but we keep it to Keurigs and K-Cups for the most part with sugar for sweetness!

Ninja Coffee Maker

Keurig Coffee Maker

Bonus Items

The list below is what I would make sure are on your airbnb essentials list if you have a full size kitchen in your listing. Most guests will expect to have these kitchen items available when making a full meal so this will help create a better experience and therefore a better review for your property!

• Mixing bowls & strainer
• Measuring cups
• Baking dishes and pans
• Peeler and juicer (think cocktails!)
• Extra hand towels and a drying rack (even if there’s a dishwasher)
• Oven mits
• Plastic wrap, foil, parchment paper & storage containers
• Spice rack
• Wine and beet bottle opener

This is all about creating the best experience for your guest so make sure the items you stock are high quality and clean for every guest that checks in! Also, while having everything would be nice, make sure you do not have a cluttered kitchen. Take inventory of your space and plan accordingly. It will be hard to keep organized and clean if there is too much stuffed into every available space. Remember that your guests will need space in the kitchen to store groceries so having some empty cabinets is not a bad thing!

This post was all about top airbnb kitchen essentials hosts need.