33 Must-Have RV Kitchen Accessories

Many RV kitchens can be small, basic, and lacking in some key areas versus traditional kitchens. Fortunately, there are some very innovative RV kitchen accessories that help bridge the gaps and turn your RV kitchen into a great place to whip up some great food! We’ve pulled together a list of must-have RV kitchen gadgets that’ll enhance your camp cooking experience.

Constraints Of An RV Kitchen

There are some obvious differences between a regular house kitchen and an RV kitchen. Many of which are because of the RV’s overall smaller size. This means that cupboard space is more limited, and you might also run into issues with cupboard shape. If you have a big appliance, it might not fit the width or height of your RV kitchen cabinets.

Counter space is a luxury that few RVs have. The kitchen gadgets and accessories that once lived on your home counter will need to be smaller or find another location. We went so far as to determine which RV we purchased based on the counter space and layout of the RV kitchen!

RVs are all constrained by weight carrying capacity, so heavier items should be avoided. Quantities and heavier materials should also be considered – just think of all the pots, pans, and glass containers you have!

Finally, you’ll have to consider the size of the RV kitchen sink and stove you have. Many RV kitchen sinks are also smaller, and sometimes oddly shaped to fit the limited counter space (or for style). You’re going to have a hard time washing a big kitchen countertop appliance or oven pan in a tiny circular sink! Similarly, large clunky pots and pans might not be able to fit.

What To Look For In The Best RV Kitchen Accessories

Because of the aforementioned constraints of an RV kitchen, you must get a little creative in which RV kitchen accessories you choose. Fortunately, there are lots of great gadgets that will ease or completely overcome the hurdles presented by your smaller RV kitchen size. So when looking for the best RV kitchen accessories, keep your eyes out for the following characteristics:

Multi-purpose – The more functions a single instrument can perform, the fewer of them you’ll need! This saves weight, saves space, and makes the gadget you need closer at hand.

Lightweight – Look for RV kitchen accessories made from materials that are lighter-weight than their standard counterparts. Think plastic, silicone, or aluminum over glass or ceramic.

Space-saving – Believe it or not, there are a lot of really cool collapsible kitchen accessories out there! It can be big when you need it, and break down small for storage when you’re done. We’ve pulled together the best ones in the list below to save you the searching!

Durable (not fragile) – Besides being heavier, glass and ceramic are also fragile. When you’re in and out of the RV or driving down the road, you don’t need all of your dishware and wine glasses breaking.

Doesn’t take up much counter space – If you have a counter-top appliance you love, you might be able to find a smaller version. Look for ways to attach other items to walls or otherwise get them off the counter itself. Otherwise, you’re going to end up moving them a million times!

Functionality – Most importantly, it has to get a food preparation job done, and done well.

33 Must-Have RV Kitchen Accessories

We’ve compiled a list of RV kitchen accessories that fit these criteria. Most of these we have had personal experience with over our years of full-time RV living:

1. Collapsible Kettle

The collapsible kettle is personally one of my favorite RV kitchen gadgets. I use this kettle every single day, often multiple times. When it’s not in use, it collapses down and easily stores in a cabinet or drawer. This model also works with induction cooktops (see item #4).

2. Instant Pot

While large and clunky, the Instant Pot is a perfect RV kitchen accessory because of its multi-purpose functionality. It is a rice cooker, pressure cooker, slow cooker, sauté pot, and more all in one – eliminating the need to bring multiple large single-function appliances!

Not only does it combine functions, but performs them better than the very instruments it replaces. It makes pressure cooking easy – which speeds up cook time and saves energy.

3. Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid

Instead of having a separate Air Fryer, just add the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid to your arsenal! Yes, it is big and clunky, but not as big as getting a whole separate unit. This not only turns your Instant Pot into an Air Fryer, but we have also baked bread with this! It is much more energy efficient than our convection oven for small baking needs.

4. Portable Induction Cooktop

Most RV ranges are propane. When you are hooked up to electricity, you have to continue to use propane, unless you have an electric cooking element like this one.

We’ve been using a countertop induction cooktop for years and love how fast and easy it is. It also is easier to clean than wiping down between the stovetop rails. When we are making big meals, it gives us an extra burner anywhere we have an electric plug.

5. Magic Bullet

Blender, coffee grinder, and smoothie machine all in one. It’s also small and the containers double as cups!

6. No-spill ice cube tray

Have you ever filled your ice tray and then moved your RV? Water can slosh all over the place and create a big frozen mess in your RV freezer. This ice cube tray is simply designed to keep from spilling before it freezes. Since you don’t have to get this tray level, you can be a bit more creative with your freezer packing practices, too.

7. Knives with Sheaths

“With sheaths” is important. If you have knives loose in a drawer that is shaken up while going down the road, the last thing you want is to reach in there and accidentally cut yourself on a misplaced knife. These knives are also multi-purpose, serving as cutting knives or steak knives.

8. Adjustable Cupboard Bars

We consider these as required RV accessories. After arriving at your campsite, the next step is to go around to all the cabinets and make sure items that shifted don’t come flying out. These adjustable cupboard bars save you from that chore, and from whenever you forget and get dive-bombed by the olive oil.

Tip: these also work great in residential-style fridges that don’t come with the RV fridge ridges or bars to keep the pickles from spilling out onto the floor. (Speaking from experience)

9. Collapsible Dish Drying Rack

Most RVs have to do dishes by hand, and that means needing a drying rack. This one collapses down for easy storage.

10. Collapsible Mixing Bowl

Mixing bowls take up a lot of space in an RV, and can be difficult to maneuver around. This one collapses down to stay out of the way when not in use.

11. Collapsible Salad Spinner

Bonus: This one doubles as another collapsible mixing bowl!

12. Squish Colander

Thanks to these collapsible colanders, we can store these in a slender drawer instead of taking up coveted real estate in a taller cabinet.

13. Collapsible Measuring Cups & Spoons

These nesting RV kitchen accessories make it so you don’t have to live with minimal denominations of measuring tools. You can still have them all!

14. Space-Saving Prep Tools

Think of the big versions of these tools, and then check out how small and space-saving they can be!

15. Adjustable Cutlery Tray

Specially made for smaller RV drawers, this tray will expand to fit whatever size drawer you want your cutlery in.

16. Collapsible Funnel

We went years without a funnel due to space in our utensil drawer. We no longer have to, and we find all kinds of uses for this thing!

17. Collapsible Leftover Containers

While we love the glass Pyrex and Anchor leftover containers, they are extremely heavy and take up a lot of space. These silicone containers get the job done just as well, and take up a fraction of the space in the drawer.

18. Square Pantry Storage Containers

RV pantry space is precious, so don’t waste space with cylindrical and uneven-height containers! These square, stacking containers will help you get the most out of your limited pantry real estate.

19. Collapsible Cutting Board/Wash Tub

Another one of the collapsible RV kitchen accessories that has multiple functions. We told you there were some cool ones!

20. Plate Rack

Plate racks keep your plates and shallow bowls from sliding around during travel. They also save space and easily grab your desired dishware.

21. Travel Spice Rack

Compact and space-saving. If you’re RVing on the weekends, you don’t have to skimp on the spices! If you’re RVing full-time, you don’t have to sacrifice the space to cylindrical spice containers.

22. Govino Wine Glasses

One of the best solutions for RVers out there – wine “glasses” that don’t break! We’ve gone through our fair share of wine glasses and have learned that it’s really not worth the work of cleaning up shards when this is a perfectly acceptable solution. We also like the insulated wine cups as mentioned in #27.

23. Insulated Chaser Mug

Traveling through hot weather just isn’t as bad when you’ve got a reliably cold drink to sip!

24. Contigo Auto-Seal Travel Mug

Never spill your coffee again! These Contigo mugs close and stay closed – perfect for the weekend or full-time traveler.

25. Tervis Insulated Tumblers

They don’t break easily and they keep your drink cold. When you’re chasing 70 degrees or higher, this is a must-have RV kitchen accessory.

26. Insulated Coffee Mug

We love our insulated coffee mugs that keep our drinks warmer for longer. Bonus: they are lighter than ceramic coffee mugs and don’t break!

27. Insulated Wine Tumbler

Insulated wine tumblers are awesome for RV life because they are durable, are multi-purpose (not just for wine!) and are stylish.

28. Collapsible Pourover Coffee Maker

For RVers who drink one or two cups of coffee a day, you might not need a whole coffee pot taking up space on your limited counter space. Pourover coffee makers are not only a more compact solution, but this one collapses down even further!

29. One-Cup Keurig Coffee Maker

Okay, so maybe you’re not a pour-over type of person. You can still get away with a smaller, more compact coffee maker like the one-cup Keurig Coffee Maker.

Outdoor RV Kitchen Accessories

Let’s talk about some of the outdoor RV kitchen accessories! If you’re looking for the great camp food experiences, here are the gadgets you’re going to want to get:

30. Dutch Oven for Camping

You might also want to pick up a copy of The Camp Dutch Oven Cookbook for some great recipe ideas!

31. Marshmallow Roasting Sticks

Who can go camping without roasting a marshmallow?!

32. Camp Cookers

Great for making sandwiches and personal pies over the fire. Who knew cooking could be so much fun?

33. “Life is Better at the Campsite” Apron

If you’re going to be working over a campfire, you’re at risk of getting dirty. Grab one of these cute camp-themed aprons to stay clean and crisp in your cooking efforts!

Make Your Kitchen Functional and Fun With These RV Kitchen Accessories

While the challenges of preparing food in an RV can been daunting, we hope these recommendations help you find ways to fully utilize your RV kitchen. We’re a big fan of innovative RV kitchen accessories, so if you find others that work for you, we’d love to hear about them in the comments section below!

Happy RV Cooking!

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