Gorgeous personalized cutting boards that make excellent holiday gifts

Bridging the gap between decorative and useful, a personalized cutting board is an item your friends or family will enjoy for years. 

While some are more on the ornamental side, many personalized cutting boards are designed to be used, cleaned and cared for. Wood is a common material, but a few personalized cutting boards are made of marble or glass. From simple text engravings to intricate designs, there are a number of ways to customize your gift to suit its recipient.

In this article: Be Burgundy Personalized Cutting Board, Personalization Lab Store Personalized Cutting Board and NakedWoodWorks Personalized Cutting Board. 

Personalized cutting board materials

Due to how easily wood can be engraved, it is by far the most popular option for customized cutting boards. However, there are a few materials to consider. 

• Marble personalized cutting boards are typically more expensive and may use a combination of wood and marble. Marble engravings are subtler than wood, but this understated look is what some people are looking for. These cutting boards may work better as decorations than as cutting surfaces since marble quickly dulls most blades. 
• Glass cutting boards, usually made of tempered glass, are made to resemble marble or stone. Etched glass cutting boards are uncommon. Instead, most have printed designs in solid black or white lettering or even colored lettering and decorations. However, glass (even tempered glass) runs the risk of chipping, making it dangerous to use with food.
• Wood cutting boards are the most common, and they come in a range of types ranging from bamboo to dark walnut. Most wood personalized cutting boards can have delicate engravings while still working well for cutting, and they may have holes to use as a handle or for hanging. Since wood is porous, these require care to keep out liquids and remain bacteria-free.

Engraving style and personalization options

Cutting board personalization designs are just about limitless.

• Names and dates: Including the names of your recipient or recipients is a classic option most people will appreciate. Often, you can include a date — usually a wedding anniversary.
• Custom text: Some brands let you add custom text within a character limit, which could be a holiday greeting or a meaningful quote. 
• Monograms: A monogram of the first letter of a last name or the first letters of a couple’s names is a safe, classic design. The simplicity of most monograms also means they are easier to clean since there are fewer narrow grooves. 
• Additional details: Leaves, flowers and abstract borders can add emphasis to a name, date or quote.

Use vs. display

As with a nonpersonalized cutting board, consider how a personalized cutting board will be used. If it will just be displayed, you can focus on an elaborate engraving that will look good on a kitchen wall. If it will be used for food prep or serving, consider its thickness, size and ease of cleaning. Many cutting boards are actually charcuterie boards — identifiable by their handles and long, rectangular shape. 

If you hope your gift will actually be used in the kitchen, avoid engravings in the center. Not only do they make for an awkward cutting surface, but an engraving can also capture food and be difficult to clean properly. 

Best personalized cutting boards

Be Burgundy Personalized Cutting Board

With 11 designs including monograms, the elaborate lettering makes this affordable cutting board a budget option that will impress the recipient. The large, elegant engravings look good displayed on a wall. 

Sold by Amazon

Personalization Lab Store Personalized Cutting Board

With 12 designs, three shapes and three sizes, these cutting boards are easy to customize for your friend or family member. 

Sold by Amazon

NakedWoodWorks Personalized Cutting Board

A stand for display, gift-wrapping and handwritten notes make this cutting board easy to ship directly to someone’s home. There are multiple sizes, and you can add matching coasters.  

Sold by Amazon

Straga Engraved Cutting Board

The unconventional designs, such as a mason jar and a dandelion, help this cutting board stand out from the rest. The reverse side is designed to be used as a cutting surface, so this board can be both displayed and used in the kitchen. 

Sold by Amazon

Qualtry Personalized Cutting Board

With an impressive number of wood, board shape and design options, you can choose from purely decorative boards, serving platters or large cutting surfaces. Some of the designs only cover the bottom edge, so the board can actually be used in the kitchen. 

Sold by Amazon

Brd Gifts Personalized Glass Cutting Board

Unlike most boards, this tempered glass board has a printed design with a few highlights of color, including an elegant gold border. The glass is heavy and durable. 

Sold by Amazon

Wedding Collectibles Wooden Custom Recipe Cutting Board

This cutting board will stand out as a wedding gift, thanks to its handwritten engravings. An original family recipe or handwritten note is engraved onto the wood for a uniquely sentimental cutting surface. 

Sold by Amazon

Brew City Engraving Marble Cutting Board

Four classic designs can be engraved in the middle of this natural marble cutting board. Rubber feet are included to prevent sliding. 

Sold by Amazon

Etchey Bamboo Cutting Board

Simple and affordable, this bamboo cutting board features a shallow engraving that's unlikely to get in the way of a knife or trap food. It can be used as a serving tray or charcuterie board. 

Sold by Wayfair

Wedding Gift Boutique Personalized Cutting Board 

Wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council makes this a good gift for the environmentally conscious, and the range of designs means it can be decorative or used in the kitchen. It comes treated with mineral oil, and each board is handcrafted. 

Sold by Amazon

Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews. 

Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals. 

Peter McPherson writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.