The kitchen is the most appliance-dense room in a home, and it's the room where a shortage of outlets shows up fastest — no outlet for the fridge without an extension cord, no spot above the counter for a kettle and a mixer at the same time. Kitchen outlets get planned during the rough electrical stage, before tiling and cabinetry go in, so it's worth counting them properly once, with some margin, rather than after the walls are finished.
Count outlets by appliance, not by guesswork
The most reliable method is to write down every appliance that will live in the kitchen and give each one its own outlet, rather than relying on power strips. A typical list for an average kitchen: fridge, oven and/or cooktop (if electric, these need a dedicated circuit — covered in a separate article), dishwasher, range hood, microwave, kettle, toaster or food processor on the counter, and a phone or tablet charger in the dining area. That's already 7-9 outlets, before even counting the 2-3 outlets usually needed on the counter for rotating small appliances.
A practical rule: count not "how many appliances I have now" but "how many I'll have in 3-5 years" — kitchen appliances get upgraded and added over time, and relocating an outlet after a renovation costs far more than planning one extra outlet up front.
Outlets for built-in appliances: one dedicated outlet each
The fridge, dishwasher, and oven should each have their own outlet — accessible for servicing, not buried permanently behind the cabinet with no way to unplug the appliance if needed. If the oven and cooktop are high-power, they need a dedicated circuit from the panel — covered in more detail in the article on outlets for heavy appliances. The fridge and dishwasher don't strictly need a dedicated circuit, but their outlets should stay accessible and not shared with other appliances via a power strip.
Outlets above the counter: the work zone
Above the countertop (the backsplash area), plan for a cluster of 2-4 outlets for every 60-90 cm of counter — enough for a kettle, toaster, mixer, and charger at once, without unplugging one appliance to use another. Mounting height is usually 100-130 cm from the floor, just above the counter surface, so cords don't dangle into the cooking area or catch splashes near the sink.
- Near the sink, outlets should sit off to the side rather than directly above the tap, for moisture protection.
- If the counter will host a heavy appliance like a stand mixer or a multicooker, it's more convenient to give it its own outlet rather than sharing a cluster.
- The range hood's outlet is often tucked inside the cabinet above the stove — that's fine as long as it stays accessible for servicing.
A sample layout for a 10-12 m² kitchen
Here's a rough layout that covers most standard kitchens — adjust the counts for your specific floor plan and appliance list.
| Zone | Outlet count | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in appliances | 3-4 | Fridge, dishwasher, oven/cooktop |
| Counter (work zone) | 4-6 | Kettle, toaster, food processor, small appliances |
| Range hood | 1 | Usually inside the cabinet above the stove |
| Dining area | 1-2 | Charger, floor lamp, laptop |
That adds up to 9-13 outlets for an average kitchen — a margin that often feels excessive during the renovation, but it's exactly the shortfall people notice within a year or two of moving in.
Common mistakes when wiring kitchen outlets
Outlets get planned strictly around the furniture and appliance layout at the time of the project, then the layout changes — and an outlet ends up stranded behind a cabinet with no access. Another common mistake is running several heavy appliances off a single outlet, which pushes people toward power strips and extension cords — a direct path to overload and cable heating. A third is skimping on counter outlets to save money, even though that's exactly where the shortage is felt hardest within the first month of cooking.
If the kitchen is already finished and outlets are short, re-channeling the whole wall isn't always necessary — sometimes an extra outlet can be tapped off a nearby circuit, but that depends on the specific wiring layout, so it's worth checking with an electrician rather than guessing.