10 Best Tried and True Japanese Ice Cream Spoons in 2022 (Takata Lemnos, Asahi, and More)

Here are the results of each of our tests and a ranking of the top 20 Japanese ice cream spoons to buy online!

The wooden spoons introduced at the end were only rated for how easy they are to use since they have no thermal conductivity. Japanese prices for some of the products are given, but they've been converted into US dollars to make it easy for you.

And why they didn't. 

SORI YANAGI's Ice Cream Spoon (11) ranked very similar to number 12 by SUNAO but was a little bit easier to grip because of its longer handle and greater width. And the curve of the handle fits the hand more nicely. 

Although it ranked low in thermal conductivity, the thin head proved effective at easily scooping out ice cream. The head is also a perfect size for the mouth. 

Tsubame Shinko's SUNAO Ice Cream Spoon (12) may look exactly like SORI YANAGI's spoon we saw come in at 11, but the thinner shaft of this one makes it more difficult to grip. 

The stainless steel rated low in thermal conductivity and the head is a bit more concave than what we saw earlier. The width of the head will without a doubt allow you to get more ice cream out of a single scoop.

Marutatsu's Melty Ice Cream Spoon (13) is just like many other melting ice cream spoons in that its small size makes it difficult to hold. 

It rated quite well in thermal conductivity among all the spoons we tested. However, the thickness of the spoon didn't give us a good feeling when put it in our mouths. It also left a slight metallic (aluminum) taste in our mouths. 

Kai Corporation's Melty Ice Cream Spoon (14) rated highly in thermal conductivity because of its aluminum body. In just 30 seconds, we noticed our body heat was completely transferred to the spoon itself. 

However, the lack of smoothness on the bottom of the spoon didn't feel too nice in our mouths and it was difficult to use overall. The sharpness of the edges also wasn't pleasant. 

DAISO's Aluminum Ice Cream Spoon (15) melted the ice cream nicely for us to enjoy. 

However, the head is not as thin as we had hoped, making it difficult to penetrate the ice cream. The edges were also not very well made and the design is rather cheap. 

SUSgallery's Spoon Vanilla (16) is a great, smaller-sized spoon for those with smaller hands but may prove difficult to grip for those of you with bigger hands. It was also surprisingly heavier than we expected considering its small size. 

The stainless steel prevents you from melting your ice cream but the head is nice and thin, letting you cut right into your ice cream with ease. It also has a nice, smooth feeling when you put it in your mouth. 

Hokua Aluminum's Speed Ice Cream Spoon (17) is a bit on the larger side and even though it's made of aluminum, it's rather thick, taking away from its thermal conductivity. 

The long handle is easy to grip but we weren't too impressed with the grooves. The head of the spoon is thick as well, making it difficult to penetrate your ice cream. 

Seria's Ice Cream Spoon (18) is the same size as the DAISO one we saw earlier and although we found it to be a little bit better in terms of usability, it was in our worst three for thermal conductivity. 

And not only that, we found the head too thick to penetrate the ice cream easily. It may be difficult to tell this spoon apart from ones made out of aluminum, but you'll know from the weight of it that it's made of stainless steel. 

SABO STUDIO's Ice Cream Spoon (19) has a cute shape and design to it, almost like the wooden spoons that come when you buy certain ice creams, but the head wasn't designed well for cutting into harder ice creams. 

Its low thermal conductivity doesn't let you melt the ice cream as you eat it, and the spoon itself doesn't feel good when placed in the mouth. At first glance, it may seem like it has a smooth surface, but you can feel the sharpness of the edges as you put it in your mouth. 

ALESSI's Big Love Ice Cream Spoon (20) was the longest of all the spoons we tested. The length is good for being able to hold the spoon itself, but the curve in the handle was a bit too much, making it difficult to use. 

The stainless steel lacks thermal conductivity and the head of the spoon is weirdly-shaped, making it difficult to scoop out harder ice cream. 

Since the thermal conductivity of wooden spoons cannot be measured, we decided to make a separate list specifically for those ice cream spoons and rank them accordingly. 

We purchased the top 20 best-selling Japanese ice cream spoons from Japanese websites like Amazon and Rakuten and put them to the test!

We tested each product for the following criteria.

①： Ease of use
②： Thermal conductivity

First, we tested each ice cream spoon for how easy they are to use and handle. 

For the test, we took ice cream directly out of the freezer, scooped out a mouthful and ate it. We then rated the spoons based on how easy they were to hold, how easily we were able to scoop out the ice cream, and how the spoon felt in our mouths. 

Those spoons that were easy to hold and whose heads were thin enough to penetrate easily into the ice cream tended to get the highest ratings, even if they didn't have good thermal conductivity. 

Spoons that are made of materials high in thermal conductivity melted the ice cream, making it easier to scoop out, but spoons with shorter handles proved difficult to hold, causing stress. So, if you're looking for an ice cream spoon that's easy to use, don't only look at what it's made of but also the size and design. 

Next, we tested each spoon for its thermal conductivity. 

We held each spoon for three minutes and used a thermal camera to see how well our body heat transferred. Those that retained the highest amount of heat rated the best. 

The wooden spoons, of course, were not tested in this category. 

Smaller, thinner aluminum spoons proved to have the best thermal conductivity with our body heat completely transferring to the entirety of the spoon within 30 seconds. 

Yet, larger, thicker aluminum spoons were found to have lower thermal conductivity and gave us trouble when attempting to scoop out our ice cream. So, if you're looking for a spoon capable of easily melting ice cream, choose one as thin and small as possible. 

Before deciding on which ice cream spoon is right for you, we would like you to consider the following three points.

Ice cream spoons tend to be made of the following four materials: aluminum, copper, stainless steel, and wood. Understand the characteristics of each material and choose the one that's best for you. 

The best characteristic of aluminum ice cream spoons is their ability to transfer heat. By transferring heat to the tip of your spoon, you'll be able to melt your ice cream easily with each scoop. 

Conversely, the coldness of the ice cream may easily be transferred to your hand, chilling your hand if used for an extended period of time. Also, aluminum is more easily subject to scratches than other metals so be careful not to drop your spoon or bang it against other hard objects. 

Stainless steel is one the main materials used for not only ice cream spoons but cutlery in general because of its high resistance to rust. With a number of different designs and high durability, it makes for the perfect material for household ice cream spoons.

However, stainless steel spoons have a lower thermal conductivity when compared to aluminum or copper, making them less than ideal for those of you wishing to melt their ice cream. We recommend stainless steel ice cream spoons for those of you into design or those who would like to match their current set of cutlery. 

The best characteristic of wooden spoons is the warmth you feel, not only in your hand, but in your mouth. And each type of wood comes with a different texture and aroma, allowing you to add to the decor of your dining room table. They're also recommended for those with allergies to certain metals. 

However, wooden spoons should not be used if your priority is melting your ice cream. 

The shape of the tip of the spoon affects how easy they are to use. Here, we'll introduce each different kind so you can get a better understanding of each and choose the ice cream spoon that best suits your needs. 

The head of these spoons tend to be flat with angular edges. Since they perfectly fit the bottoms of most ice cream cups, you'll be able to enjoy your ice cream all the way to the last bit without any trouble. 

These spoons are used at most formal dining establishments so you know they come in a number of different, wonderful designs. 

Here we have the orthodox egg-shaped spoon. Since this shape is rather common when it comes to spoons in general, it's easy to use and can be used for a number of different sweets other than ice cream, like pudding or yogurt. 

It has smooth curves, allowing it to control the amount of ice cream you scoop and feeling nice to eat from.

The spork type has a serrated head, making it great for eating things like sorbet or gelato as well as ice cream that contains fruit. It's also perfect for chipping away and eating sherbet. 

We recommend the spork type ice cream spoon for anyone interested in parfaits or other desserts with toppings other than ice cream. 

The flat type ice cream spoon has an interesting and fun look to it, almost like that of a wooden spatula. With an individual, high-class design, they make for perfect presents. 

Although it's not ideal for people who like giant spoonfuls of ice cream at one time, you'll be able to cut right into even hard ice creams without having to exert too much power. The thin, linear shape is easy going in and out of the mouth as well. 

The ideal ice cream spoon fits to your hand for easy handling. Especially when scooping out harder ice creams, you'll need to apply a bit of force so it's worth having a spoon you can easily hold onto. 

Since most ice cream spoons tend to be smaller than normal spoons, it's important to check the size before purchasing. Since spoons too small for your hand are difficult to use, we recommend using ones with a length of at least 3 inches (80mm).

There are also spoons with curves that contour to your hand. We promise you won't regret choosing one of these. 

Here are some other articles to check out if you love sweets as much as we do! 

Author: Kano Ichiyama/Translation: Andrew J. Tinkler/Photos: Koichi Miura, Saana Iwakami

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