The 5 Best Spiralizers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

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You'll use this versatile tool for much more than just zoodles.

Sarah Karnasiewicz is an award-winning writer, editor, and cook. In addition to Food & Wine, she has contributed to Everyday with Rachael Ray, Epicurious, Food Network, and Cooking Light, among others. Sarah is the features editor for The Wall Street Journal's Off Duty lifestyle section.

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Food and Wine / Phoebe Melnick

The best spiralizers should do more than just crank out zucchini noodles; they should marry design and function so seamlessly that you find yourself looking for excuses to add spiralized vegetables to every meal. Aside from creating vegetable ribbons for stir-fries, salads, and crispy curly fry–adjacent potato strings, this powerful tool can also make quick work of basic prep tasks like slicing, grating, peeling, and shredding. Some can even pull double duty as a cheese grater. If you think a spiralizer is only for zucchini recipes, think again.

To find the best spiralizer for any kitchen, we tested nearly a dozen top-rated countertop and handheld options from brands including OXO, KitchenAid, and Fullstar. We evaluated each model based on its design, blade sharpness, sturdiness, smoothness, and ease of cleanup.

Everything about this spiralizer works just a little better than others.

Changing the blades requires extra care and attention.

We love this OXO option because it's durable and efficient. While the basic elements of the OXO spiralizer are the same as most of the other models we tested — molded plastic construction, a hand crank, suction cup stabilization, three blades for spaghetti, fettuccine, and ribbon cuts — when it came to function, it outperformed every competitor.

It was easy to assemble, the base felt sturdier, the suction grip held tighter, the crank held firmly to every sort of produce we threw at it, and it turned more smoothly and with less force. Rather than one small suction cup at each corner of the base, this OXO model uses one supersized, super-strong suction cup that attaches and releases using a lever. That makes for a much sturdier surface to work on.

The OXO blades are sharp — and color-coded, which makes it easy to know which blade you're grabbing. We just wish there was a safer way to release the blades; we had to use some force to pull the blade out of the machine, which sometimes felt dangerous. A small plastic case is provided for safely stashing the blades when not in use, though, and it tucks neatly inside the box if you're storing everything together. The body of the spiralizer is easy to wipe down after use, and the blades are dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning.

Dimensions: 9.75 x 6.25 x 8.25 inches | Weight: 3 pounds | Blades Included: 3

We loved the handy catch-all bowl included with this effortless electric spiralizer.

It generated a lot of waste, and the force required to start the machine felt dangerous at times.

The Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Electric Vegetable Spiralizer is an easy-to-use electric option. It stood out to us during testing due to its streamlined design, which resembles a juicer with its long chute and pusher tool — only this one is equipped with a metal grip to hold your vegetables in place. The design and electric motor make this a great pick for anyone concerned about hand strength or dexterity.

Aside from its electric motor, the included catch-all bowl made the Hamilton Beach a must-have for us. It can hold 6 cups of spirals and is dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning. For an electric model, this had a quieter motor than others we tested but still had the power and precision we were looking for to handle zucchini and other thin pieces of produce easily. The three included cutting cones — for spaghetti, linguine, and spirals — all created uniform noodles in all our tests. We were a bit concerned about how much pressure the motor needed to work through harder vegetables, especially as it just started up. That seemed potentially dangerous, though we never had any veggies go flying in testing.

After we finished slicing, we noticed this machine left behind more waste than other spiralizers. You usually wind up with a cylindrical core that can't be spiralized, but the Hamilton Beach leaves a cone-shaped core that was much larger than the other models we tested.

Dimensions: 7.8 x 6.7 x 9.5 inches | Weight: 3.3 pounds | Blades Included: 3

This model's space-saving design and comfortable grip stood out during testing.

You have to hold the spiralizer in the air while cutting, which makes it hard to apply consistent pressure.

The OXO Good Grips 3-Blade Hand-Held Spiralizer is ideal for small spiralizing tasks. If you don't have room for a bulky machine, this pocket-sized manual model can tuck easily into a drawer or the corner of a cupboard.

Its no-frills, compact design has a non-slip grip for comfortable control over the spirals, which also protects your hands from the blades during testing. This was the most straightforward and simplest spiralizer we tested: You push and twist whatever you're cutting against the blade, and your noodles or spirals flow out the other end. There's also a food holder with spikes on one side to hold smaller or harder items, with a handle on the other to help you twist safely and efficiently. (The handle also serves as a cover and stacks up with all three blades for efficient storage.)

Though this spiralizer offers a stable grip, you get the best spirals when applying firm, even pressure on veggies. You have to hold this model up in the air as you cut, without anything to brace against. It's harder to get consistent thickness than if you use a spiralizer that sits on the countertop. If veggie spirals wind up varying in thickness, they can cook inconsistently and wind up mushy.

Dimensions: 5 x 3.5 x 3.4 inches | Weight: 0.5 pounds | Blades Included: 3

This attachment is effortless to use and offers more blade options than other spiralizers.

You need an expensive KitchenAid stand mixer to use it.

This spiralizer is the priciest option on this list, and that's not counting the fact that you need a pricey KitchenAid stand mixer to use it at all. But if you already have a KitchenAid (and we say most kitchens need one), this attachment makes spiralizing as easy as flipping a switch. And in our tests,the results were clean and consistent. Its five blades let you slice, spiralize, and peel produce of various sizes, with two spiral blades, slicers for fruits with small or large cores, and a specialized peeler you can use by itself or in combination with the other blades, all of which are dishwasher-safe. (You can also opt for a seven-blade set that adds an extra-fine spiralizer and extra-thin slicer.) If you're processing lots of produce or just want the benefit of incredibly low-effort spiralizing, this attachment is for you. It will likely change the way you peel apples and potatoes.

Dimensions: 12.4 x 12.4 x 2.9 inches | Weight: 2.2 pounds | Blades Included: 5

This inexpensive spiralizer is an excellent manual option with a convenient design and fewer pieces to store.

It's rather confusing to swap between blades.

Unlike many of the other spiralizers we tested, the Fullstar doesn't have separate blades that need to be changed out. Instead, buttons at the top choose from four available options. During testing, the included cup came in handy for catching our spiralized veggies, but we also liked that it was easily detachable for cutting right over a cutting board or pan. The sharp blade meant we didn't have to use as much pressure, and quick spiralizing was easy. For the price, this spiralizer blew us away with how handy and smartly designed it was.

The controls are just kind of weird. There are three buttons for four blade setups: Pressing the reset button gives you thick ribbons, button 1 gives thin ribbons, button 2 gives medium-sized ribbons, and buttons 1 and 2 together gives spaghetti-style noodles. It's easy to pick the wrong setting and waste food in the process.

Dimensions: 3.74 x 3.74 x 10.16 inches | Weight: 0.5 pounds | Cutting Options: 4

Our pick for the best spiralizer overall is the OXO Good Grips Tabletop Spiralizer because it's durable and efficient. For a labor-saving electric option, our test winner was the Hamilton Beach Electric Vegetable Spiralizer.

To find the best spiralizers, we used seven models to slice our way through a variety of fruits and vegetables, including tender zucchini and squash, harder carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes, plus Granny Smith apples. With all the models, we paid close attention to the smoothness of the cutting action, the sharpness of the blades, the size and sturdiness of the overall apparatus, and cleanup.

To determine the value of each spiralizer, we revealed the price after testing to weigh it against performance. The prices of the models we tested ranged from $13 to $130, with an average of about $45.

At first glance, many spiralizers look nearly identical. Most machines fall into two general categories: countertop models and handheld models. Countertop models are about the size of a large shoebox and operate like an old-fashioned apple peeler, with a toothed grip on the produce and a crank handle that guides the fruit or vegetable against the blade.

Some countertop models are electric, which work basically the same but have a motor to turn the food rather than a hand crank. Electric spiralizers take the elbow grease out of spiralizing and can be particularly helpful for anyone with mobility issues or concerns with strength. They're also great when working through large amounts of produce for big cooking projects. However, they are more expensive than manual models, so they may not be worth the investment for more casual users.

Handheld spiralizers are much more compact, designed to fit in your palm. Instead of using a crank, you push and turn the veggies through the blade yourself, either using your bare hands or a protective gripper. This requires more muscle, which is fine when working with tender produce like zucchini or cucumbers, but can be tough with veggies like butternut squash, turnips, or beets. Handheld models take up much less room, so they are a great option for cooks with limited storage space.

All the spiralizers we tested included the three most common blades: a flat one designed for wide ribbon slices and vegetable chips, plus both small and large julienne blades, capable of producing delicate spaghetti-type noodle shapes and wider linguini/fettuccine. Some models we tested include additional blades for coarse and fine shredding, and others allow you to purchase other blade styles separately.

Considering that a spiralizer's central element is a sharp blade, stability and sturdiness are prime considerations. Most countertop spiralizers rely on a system of suction cups to affix to a work surface for wobble-free cranking. Models that dislodged during our testing were automatically downgraded. We found that fewer, larger suction cups were preferable to more, smaller ones. Another factor that is essential to stability is the weightiness of the base: Models with smaller, lighter bases tended to feel off-balance compared to their heftier counterparts.

With a spiralizer, you can achieve pasta-like shapes, such as extra-long julienne spirals to ribbon curls, and peel vegetables for everyday use, according to Melissa Ledbetter, director of marketing and e-commerce at Kuhn Rikon, a Swiss kitchenware brand. "Spiralizers are small in size, easy to store, and affordable," she says. "The major con is that a spiralizer doesn’t work on all fruits and vegetables."

"Many foods can work well with a spiralizer. Hand-held versions tend to work best with smaller and softer veggies, like zucchini and summer squash,” says Ledbetter. Larger countertop spiralizers with stabilizers can work on hardier produce, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and other root vegetables, as well as firmer fruits like apples and pears. Your spiralizer should come with some basic instructions on the best produce to use.

Veggies with thin skins like zucchini don't need to be peeled before spiralizing. Others, like butternut squash, have thick skins that are unpleasant to chew on and should be peeled first.With some ingredients, it's up to personal preference; apples and potatoes don't need to be peeled before being spiralized, but some recipes might work better without the texture of the skin. A general rule is that if you normally like to peel a vegetable when you cook it, you should peel it before spiralizing.

Most people who say they don't like zucchini cite its soft, mushy texture as the reason why. But zucchini and zoodles made from it don't have to be soggy. Zoodles are very thin pieces of zucchini, so they can get overcooked very fast, especially before they've had time to give up their water.

For better texture, put zoodles in a fine mesh strainer atop a large mixing bowl after cutting and toss them with a few pinches of salt. Vigorously mix them around, making sure to work the salt into the zoodles. After 20 to 30 minutes, press the zucchini noodles in the strainer — you should see a good amount of greenish liquid drip out. Pat the zoodles dry with a dish towel or paper towels.

The second most important tip for non-soggy zoodles is a properly preheated pan. Set a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat and let it heat up as you press your zoodles. Once preheated, add a small amount of oil, followed by your zucchini noodles, and let them cook undisturbed for a few minutes. Give them a good stir and continue cooking for just a minute or two; you want them to have a little bit of firmness when you cut off the heat, as they'll continue to soften after they're out of the pan. You can cook zoodles in a nonstick pan, but the lower heat you have to use can make for softer zucchini texture.

Veggetti Veggie Slicer ($15 at Amazon)

We liked this slicer's simple and ultra-compact design, but it was tough to use and not particularly comfortable to hold. It produced adequate spiralized veggies and took up minimal storage space, but for just a few bucks more, there are other spiralizers we liked better.

Brieftons 5-Blade Spiralizer ($30 at Amazon)

Though very similar in appearance to other models, the Brieftons 5-Blade Spiralizer fell short in performance. The toothed grip on the handle tended to lose hold on firmer vegetables, resulting in uneven cuts and the inconvenience of repeatedly stopping and starting. In addition, the blades were sometimes hard to change. Toward the end of testing, one became so stuck in place that we eventually just abandoned it for our safety.

Unfortunately, we tested a few spiralizers that we really loved, but they have since been discontinued or are tricky to reliably find in stock, so we couldn't include them. Others didn't meet our standards for ease of use and safety; anything that required us to press really hard or force the veggies into the spiralizer presented a risk with the blades.