6 Best RV Bulbs For Kitchen Task Lighting That Nomads Swear By

You’re trying to chop vegetables for dinner, but the overhead dome light casts a perfect shadow from your head right onto the cutting board. You angle the knife, squinting, hoping you’re slicing an onion and not your fingertip. This is the reality of poor RV kitchen lighting—it’s not just an inconvenience; it’s a safety issue and a major source of daily frustration. Upgrading your galley’s task lighting is one of the highest-impact, lowest-cost improvements you can make to your rig.

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Upgrading Your RV Galley: Task Light Essentials

Task lighting is exactly what it sounds like: focused light directed at a specific area where you perform a task. In the galley, this means your countertops, stove, and sink. It’s different from the ambient light provided by a central ceiling fixture, which is designed to illuminate the whole room generally. Without good task lighting, you’re working in your own shadow.

The single biggest leap forward has been the switch from old-school incandescent bulbs to modern LEDs. Incandescents waste 90% of their energy as heat—a real problem in a small, enclosed RV kitchen on a warm day. LEDs, on the other hand, run cool, use a fraction of the power, and last for tens of thousands of hours. For anyone who boondocks, that energy efficiency is not a luxury; it’s a necessity for extending your time off-grid.

Before you buy anything, you need to know the three key variables: brightness (lumens), color temperature (Kelvin), and the type of fixture you’re working with. A bulb that’s too dim is useless, but one that’s too bright will create blinding glare on your countertops. Getting these details right is the difference between a frustrating install and a perfectly lit workspace.

RecPro RV LED Puck Light: Focused Brilliance

Puck lights are the classic solution for targeted task lighting, and for good reason. They mount directly above your key work zones, casting a clean, focused cone of light right where you need it. The RecPro model is a workhorse—a direct, surface-mount replacement for the cheap, inefficient fixtures that come standard in many RVs.

Installation is usually straightforward. Most are surface-mounted with two screws and connect to the existing 12V wiring, making it a quick job for most DIYers. Their focused beam is perfect for illuminating a cutting board or a stovetop without flooding the entire living area with harsh light. This is about precision, not just raw power.

The main consideration here is coverage. One puck light will illuminate a small circle, so for a long countertop, you’ll need a series of them spaced out. Think of them as spotlights. They excel at creating bright, distinct work zones but aren’t designed to light up the entire galley on their own.

Kohree 12V Double Dome: Bright and Efficient

If your main problem is a dim, yellowy galley, the Kohree Double Dome is your sledgehammer. It’s designed to replace the large, rectangular ceiling fixtures found in the center of millions of RVs. Swapping out the old, energy-hogging incandescent fixture for one of these LED versions can feel like the sun just came out inside your rig.

These fixtures typically put out a massive amount of light, often with two separate sides controlled by individual switches. This gives you a simple high/low setting—use one side for general light and both when you’re deep into meal prep. The sheer brightness makes the entire space feel bigger and cleaner.

However, it’s still a ceiling light. Because the light source is behind you, it can still cast shadows on your counter, just much brighter ones. This is a fantastic upgrade for overall ambient light, but for true, shadow-free task lighting, you’ll likely want to pair it with an under-cabinet solution. Think of it as the foundation, not the final piece.

Acegoo Dimmable Puck Light: Total Ambiance Control

In a small space, every area serves multiple purposes. Your kitchen prep space at 6 PM becomes your partner’s reading spot at 10 PM. This is where dimmable lights, like the Acegoo pucks, become invaluable. They offer the focused power of a task light with the flexibility to create soft, ambient mood lighting.

The magic is in the control. Most Acegoo models feature a simple touch-sensitive surface; just tap to turn it on or off, and press-and-hold to dim or brighten. This allows you to dial in the exact amount of light you need, from full-blast surgical brightness for cleaning to a warm, low glow for a midnight snack run. This level of control makes your small space feel much more versatile and luxurious.

The tradeoff is often a slightly more involved installation. Many of these high-end pucks are designed for a recessed, flush-mount look, which requires cutting a hole in your cabinet base. It’s not a difficult job with the right tool (a hole saw), but it’s more permanent and requires more precision than a simple surface-mount fixture.

Leisure LED 921 Bulb: The Easiest Fixture Upgrade

This is the fastest, cheapest, and easiest lighting upgrade you will ever perform. If you have existing overhead puck lights or directional fixtures, chances are they use a 921 "wedge" style bulb. The Leisure LED 921 is a direct replacement that you can swap in about 30 seconds with no tools.

You simply pull the old, hot-running glass bulb out and push the new LED panel in. The difference is immediate and dramatic. You get significantly more light, a cleaner color, and a massive reduction in power consumption. If you’re hesitant to start rewiring fixtures, start here. You get 80% of the benefit for 10% of the effort.

The limitation, of course, is that you’re working with the fixture you already have. If your light fixture is poorly placed, a brighter bulb won’t move it. It won’t fix a design that creates bad shadows or glares. But for turning a dim, useless fixture into a bright, functional one, nothing beats the value of a simple bulb swap.

Dream Lighting LED Bar: Under-Cabinet Solution

For the ultimate, no-compromise task lighting, you need to get the light source under the cabinets and in front of you. This is the only way to completely eliminate shadows cast by your body and head. The Dream Lighting LED Bar is a perfect example of an under-cabinet solution that solves this problem permanently.

These slim bars mount discreetly to the underside of your upper galley cabinets. They cast a wide, even sheet of light across the entire countertop. Chopping, cleaning, and cooking become infinitely easier and safer when your work surface is brilliantly and evenly illuminated. This is the setup you’ll find in high-end residential kitchens, and it makes just as big a difference in an RV.

This is more of a project than a simple swap. You’ll need to run a 12V wire from a power source, which might involve drilling small holes through cabinet walls to hide the wiring. While it requires more effort, the payoff is immense. For anyone who spends significant time cooking in their rig, an under-cabinet light bar is a non-negotiable, game-changing upgrade.

Facon Pancake Light: Low-Profile Illumination

Sometimes you need a bright, wide spread of light in a spot with very little headroom. That’s where the "pancake" light shines. These fixtures, like the popular ones from Facon, are incredibly thin—often less than an inch thick—making them ideal for mounting under shallow cabinets or on ceilings in low-height slide-outs.

Unlike a puck light that creates a focused spot, a pancake light uses a frosted lens to create a soft, diffuse, and very wide circle of light. This reduces harsh glare and provides a more even illumination across a broader area. It’s a great middle-ground between a focused task light and a wide-angle dome light.

The installation is a simple surface mount, just like a standard puck light. Because of its low profile, it blends in seamlessly and won’t snag on clothing or get bumped in tight quarters. It’s an excellent choice when you want the benefit of a dome light’s spread but need to place it in a tight spot, like directly over the sink area.

RV Bulb Buying Guide: Lumens, Color, and Base

When you’re shopping, ignore the watts and focus on lumens. Lumens measure actual brightness. For kitchen task lighting, aim for fixtures or bulbs that produce between 250 and 500 lumens each. More isn’t always better; an extremely bright light can create painful glare on a stainless steel sink or glossy countertop. It’s better to use multiple, moderately bright lights than one single, overpowering source.

Next is color temperature, measured in Kelvin (K). This determines if the light appears warm and yellowy or cool and blueish. For a kitchen, you want to see the true color of your food.

• Warm White (2700K-3000K): Very yellow and cozy, like an old incandescent bulb. Great for living areas, but can make food look unappealing.
• Natural White (4000K-4500K): The sweet spot. It’s a clean, neutral white that renders colors accurately without feeling sterile or harsh. This is the best choice for galley task lighting.
• Cool White (5000K+): Has a distinct blueish tint. It can feel very clinical and intense, like a garage or hospital. Most people find it too harsh for a living space.

Finally, if you are just replacing bulbs, you absolutely must match the base. RVs use a variety of 12V bulb types, and they are not interchangeable. Before you order, pull out an old bulb and identify it. The most common are the T10/921 wedge base and the BA15s single-contact bayonet base. A quick photo with your phone is all you need to ensure you buy the right one the first time.

Ultimately, the best RV kitchen lighting isn’t about a single perfect bulb, but about building layers of light. Combine a bright overhead dome for general illumination with focused, under-cabinet task lights to eliminate shadows. This strategic approach transforms your galley from a frustrating workspace into a functional and inviting heart of your mobile home.