A Salt Cellar or Salt Pig Is the Kitchen Essential You've Been Missing—Shop Our Top Picks
Salt is the seasoning we can't live without. Stash yours in a salt cellar, right next to the stovetop, so you never have to search for a pinch. Whether you're a salt fiend or a less-is-more kind of cook, chances are that you reach for a pinch of salt at least once or twice while prepping and preparing a meal. Salt, after all, is an absolute must for bringing out each ingredient's natural flavors. The best way to store that precious seasoning, be it sea salt flakes or Himalayan pink salt, is in a salt cellar, salt pig, or salt box.
What distinguishes salt pigs from all the rest? They're typically ceramic and feature wide openings for easy hand access (Note: Skip the spoons that come with some options—you'll find that your fingers are more precise). Salt boxes and cellars, made from wood, glass, marble, ceramic, or stoneware, often come with lids to keep oil splatters or household grit from sullying the salt, but sometimes they're lidless, doubling as ramekins or tiny bowls. In the Middle Ages through the Renaissance, when salt was a commodity, huge, fancy salt cellars took pride of place at the table. Over the centuries, as salt became less expensive, the receptacles diminished in size. Today, they come in multiple configurations. Whichever one you choose, steer clear of metal since it's prone to salt damage or discoloration.
- Best Classic Salt Pig: Emile Henry Modern Classics Salt Pig
- Best Handcrafted Option: Williams Sonoma Olivewood Salt Box
- Best Budget Option: Crate & Barrel Ceramic Salt Cellar
- Best Retro Glass Option: Home-X Depression-Style Pink Glass Salt Cellar with Lid
- Best Salt Cellar Dishes: Art et Manufacture Salt Cellar
Looking for other salt cellar, salt pig, and salt box options? Check out these 14 stellar options— from large to small, stoneware to marble to wood, there's at least one here that will be exactly what you've been looking for to add to your countertop.
Stoneware Salt Crock
With its wide side opening, this high-fired 10-ounce stoneware salt crock has the easy-access appeal of a salt pig. A knob on top makes it easy to carry from stovetop to table, while the non-porous enamel finish resists staining, chipping, and cracking. It's available in three colors—cerise, marseille, and white (or red, blue, and white)—which means you can find the option that best suits your kitchen's overall color scheme.
Shop Now: Le Creuset Stoneware Salt Crock, $35.95, amazon.com.
Ceramic Salt Cellar
This budget-friendly pick is made in Portugal. We like that the rustic stoneware cellar is embossed with the word "Salt" to ensure that no one in the family will mistake your kosher salt for sugar. Grab what you need and secure the lid to keep the contents free of dust and sundry kitchen splatters.
Shop Now: Crate & Barrel Ceramic Salt Cellar, $9.95, crateandbarrel.com.
Olivewood Salt Box
Holding up to 11 ounces of your favorite salt, this handcrafted olivewood salt box swivels open on its magnetic latch, letting you nab a pinch of salt with your free hand (while the other one keeps stirring!). The oil finish lends a rich sheen to the grain pattern, which is easily maintained with an occasional once-over of food-safe mineral oil.
Shop Now: Williams Sonoma Olivewood Salt Box, $29.95, williams-sonoma.com.
Porcelain Salt Cellar
This delicate porcelain salt cellar set boasts scalloped edges and a rounded, ridged shape. Each dish is made in Canada and painted with a dapper little blue anchor, which feels like a salute of sorts to salt's seawater origins.
Shop Now: Art et Manufacture Salt Cellar, $30 for two, food52.com.
Glazed Clay Salt Pig
Made from Burgundy clay using French construction techniques, then finished with a lead- and cadmium-free scratch-resistant glaze, this Gallic charmer features a large "mouth," making it the perfect kitchen companion. It's available in three colors: rouge, twilight, or sugar (maroon, navy, or cream).
Shop Now: Emile Henry Modern Classics Salt Pig, $39.95, surlatable.com.
Stoneware Salt Box with Olivewood Lid
Spicing up your countertop in the most charming way, this glazed stoneware salt box is made in Umbria, Italy, renowned for its centuries-old tradition of handcrafted pottery. It's decorated with bands of stylized leaves inspired by Italian maiolica (tin-glazed earthenware produced in Renaissance Europe). The smooth olivewood lid protects your sea salt from spills and splatters.
Shop Now: Williams Sonoma "Sicily" Spice Box, $39.95, williams-sonoma.com.
Beehive Salt Cellar and Spoon
Wheel-thrown by a Vermont studio specializing in farm-to-table pottery, this beehive-shaped stoneware salt cellar keeps your flakes fresh and dry while storing them in the cutest way imaginable.
Shop Now: Farmhouse Pottery "Beehive" Salt Cellar and Spoon, $75, anthropologie.com.
Pink Glass Salt Cellar with Lid
Keep your salt moisture-free in this lidded pink glass salt cellar. Inspired by the collectible Depression glass mass-produced during the late 1920s and 1930s, the container's vintage-y vibe and rosy color perfectly complement retro-style kitchens.
Shop Now: Home-X Depression-Style Pink Glass Salt Cellar with Lid, $17.95, amazon.com.
Stoneware Condiment Bowl
From a pottery studio located just across the Hudson River from Manhattan comes this artisan-crafted stoneware condiment bowl. Choose from a white- or moss-colored glaze and fill the wee container (or two) with your favorite salt or condiments.
Shop Now: John Pandolfi "Coupe" Condiment Bowl, $15, jonopandolfi.com.
Marble and Wood Salt and Pepper Set
Polished black marble meets acacia wood, creating one gorgeous tableside server that holds both salt and pepper. The hexagon-shaped cellars and gold-finished spoon make it fancy enough for dinner parties—especially when filled with artisanal sea salt and freshly ground peppercorns.
Shop Now: Hayes Marble and Wood Salt and Pepper Set, $24.95, crateandbarrel.com.
Ceramic Condiment Jar with Natural Bamboo Lid
The perfect receptacle for salt or sugar, this shiny white ceramic condiment jar in a cute clamshell design has a hinged eco-friendly bamboo top that flips open, a flat back that fits neatly against the counter, and a ceramic spoon for anyone who prefers scooping with an implement.
Shop Now: TIANGR Ceramic Condiment Jar with Natural Bamboo Lid, $13.59, amazon.com.
Marble Salt Cellar
Cool to the touch and easy on the eyes, this lidded white marble salt cellar adds a soupçon of style to your French farmhouse kitchen. Use it for storing fine or coarse sea salt or kosher salt.
Shop Now: French Kitchen Marble Salt Cellar, $16.95, crateandbarrel.com.
Wood Salt Box with Removable Swivel Lid
It's an open-and-shut case: This sturdy, lightweight salt box handcrafted from acacia wood has a removable swivel cover that seals your salt securely. It can do double duty, storing other spices or even a stash of coffee beans, plus it barely makes a dent in your wallet.
Shop Now: Juvale Handcrafted Wood Salt Box with Removable Swivel Lid, $11.99, target.com.
Ceramic All-Purpose Salt Cellar
Small yet mighty, this cream-colored ceramic salt cellar with imprinted inch measurements rules as a multitasker, functioning as a nut bowl, a tiny pitcher, or a salt or condiment holder.
Shop Now: HomArt Small White Ceramic All-Purpose Salt Cellar, $34.99, walmart.com.