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Bevel & Bone

HUB 02 · Sharpening

How to Sharpen a Serrated Knife

You can't do it on a flat stone — serrations need a tapered rod, one scallop at a time. Here's the method, and when replacing the knife is the smarter call.

By Stephen V.Updated How we choose
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Serrated knives — most bread knives— can't be sharpened on a flat whetstone, which is why so many people think they "can't be sharpened" at all. They can; it just takes a different tool and a little patience, working each tooth ("scallop") individually. First, an honest question: is it worth it?A cheap serrated knife is usually easier and cheaper to replace, because serrations last a long time and the sharpening is fiddly. For a good serrated knife, though, here's the method.

Step by step

How to do it

  1. 01

    Get a tapered sharpening rod

    You need a tapered round or oval rod — a ceramic honing rod or a tapered diamond rod — thin enough to fit inside the scallops. A flat stone won't work; it only touches the pointed tips, not the curved grooves that do the cutting. Find the rod diameter that best matches the size of your serrations.

  2. 02

    Identify the beveled side

    Look along the edge: on almost all serrated knives, each scallop is ground (beveled) on one side only, and the other side is flat. You sharpen from the beveled side. Sharpening the flat back instead will destroy the serration pattern, so confirm which side is which before you start.

  3. 03

    Match the rod to each scallop

    Lay the tapered rod into the first scallop and slide it along the taper until the rod's diameter fills the groove snugly. Tilt the rod to match the existing bevel angle of that scallop — you're following the angle the factory ground, not inventing a new one.

  4. 04

    Grind each scallop with a few strokes

    Push the rod through the scallop toward the edge in a few light strokes, rotating the rod slightly to match the curve, until you feel a small burr form on the flat back side. Then move to the next scallop and repeat. Work along the whole edge, one groove at a time, keeping the stroke count consistent so every tooth gets equal treatment.

  5. 05

    Deburr the flat back

    Sharpening raises a burr on the flat, unbeveled side. Remove it by laying that flat side against a fine whetstone or a fine diamond plate and making a few very light passes, keeping the knife flat so you don't grind a bevel onto the back. This is the only place a flat stone touches a serrated knife.

  6. 06

    Test, and know when to replace

    Test on a tomato or a crusty loaf — it should bite and saw cleanly. If a scallop is chipped or the pattern is worn out, or the knife was inexpensive to begin with, replacing it is the sensible move. Serrations are a place to spend little and swap rather than fuss over.

Questions

Frequently asked

Can you sharpen a serrated bread knife?

Yes, but not on a flat stone — you use a tapered ceramic or diamond rod on each scallop individually, sharpening from the beveled side and then deburring the flat back. It's fiddly, so for a cheap serrated knife most people just replace it instead.

Why can't I sharpen a serrated knife on a whetstone?

A flat stone only contacts the pointed tips of the serrations, not the curved scallops between them that do most of the cutting. You need a tapered rod that fits inside each groove. The only time a flat stone helps is deburring the flat back afterward.

Which side of a serrated knife do you sharpen?

The beveled side — on almost all serrated knives each scallop is ground on one side only, with the other side flat. Sharpen the beveled side with the rod, then lightly deburr the flat back. Never grind a new bevel onto the flat side.

Is it worth sharpening a serrated knife or should I replace it?

For a cheap bread knife, usually just replace it — serrations last a long time and sharpening them is fiddly, so a new one is often the better use of your time. For a good serrated knife it's worth doing with a tapered rod. See chef knife vs bread knife on why serrated is a place to spend little.

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Sources

We do not run a test kitchen, and we do not pretend to. Specs are the manufacturer's published figures, attributed as such; where we could not verify something, we say so on the page rather than quietly leaving it out. Read our full method.