After over 20 hours of research, spiralizing several pounds of vegetables, and consulting with multiple culinary professionals and chefs, we think the OXO Good Grips Spiralizer is the best for most people. The sharp stainless steel blades cut both firm and delicate vegetables with ease, creating long noodles that don’t break apart. It comes with the three most necessary blade attachments, and each can be safely stowed away in a covered compartment. The sturdy base and unique suction design means it won’t wobble while you work. Since it’s so easy to use, we’re confident it will get regular play in your kitchen.
The Spiralizer Tri-Blade Vegetable Slicer does a good job at cutting most vegetables, but its blades aren’t as sharp as the OXO’s, so some vegetables break into fragments. While we liked the suction feet on the Spiralizer Tri-Blade, it didn’t feel quite as secure as the OXO’s lever-activated suction. The Spiralizer Tri-Blade doesn’t have a separate compartment to store the blades, but two can be stored in slots beneath the base with another in the cutting position. Our testers liked the extended lip of the base, which helped to catch and guide the cut vegetable noodles onto a cutting board.
If you only want to spiralize vegetables occasionally, we recommend the OXO Good Grips Handheld Spiralizer. This handheld spiralizer only comes with one built-in blade and no other attachments, but it cuts sturdy noodles that hold their shape. It isn’t as easy to use as a standing model and requires more effort, but it takes up less space and can be conveniently stored in a kitchen drawer.
Table of contents
- Why you should trust us
- Who should get this
- How we picked and tested
- Our pick
- Long-term test notes
- Flaws but not dealbreakers
- A less expensive option
- A small handheld spiralizer for occasional use
- Care and maintenance
- The competition
Why you should trust us
Michael Sullivan has reviewed electric kettles, immersion blenders, and other kitchen gadgets for The Sweethome. He is a graduate of The International Culinary Center, where he also worked as an editor. For this guide, he spent over 10 hours spiralizing several pounds of vegetables.
We also spoke to food and restaurant professionals who regularly use spiralizers to see what they look for in an ideal model. This included Amanda Cohen, the chef and owner of Dirt Candy, and chef Leslie Bilderback, the author of The Spiralized Kitchen. We referred to a number of editorial reviews, including those of Cook’s Illustrated (subscription required), Bon Appetit, and Foodal.com, a site dedicated to food, gadgets, and drinks. Additionally, we looked at highly-rated models on Amazon.com.
Who should get this
Whether you’re looking for an alternative to traditional grain-based noodles like pastas or ramen or you simply want to incorporate more veggies into your diet, spiralizers are the best tools for transforming vegetables into noodles. If you plan to use a spiralizer several times a month, you’ll probably want to invest in a hand-crank standing model. Though hand-crank spiralizers are large and hog more space on a kitchen counter or in a cupboard, they quickly and efficiently create vegetable noodles.
Spiralized vegetable noodles are ideal for a quick sauté or a colorful garnish.
If you plan to make vegetable noodles only occasionally, or if you have a small kitchen and lack room for a hand-crank spiralizer, a handheld model is the way to go. While handheld spiralizers require a little elbow grease, they get the job done on the cheap and are small enough to be easily stored in a kitchen drawer. If you have hand mobility issues, we recommend choosing a standing hand-crank spiralizer, which is easier to use than a handheld model.
However, even if you’re an avid home cook, spiralizers may not be for you. Chef and author Leslie Bilderback feels that “there is a narrow market for this tool and this type of cooking—vegetarians, low-carb-ers, and the super-creative. It’s not a huge demographic, but what they lack in numbers, they make up for in enthusiasm.”
How we picked and tested
We spiralized several pounds of vegetables to test the cutting ability of the blade attachments. This one is a purple sweet potato. (Pictured above: The OXO Good Grips Spiralizer.)
Only spiralizers can produce a true spiral shape.All spiralizers perform the same basic task: they cut vegetables into spiraled noodles or ribbons. Regardless of the model, they operate similarly to an oversized pencil sharpener. Though you can use a mandoline or a julienne vegetable peeler to create long strands of vegetables, only spiralizers can produce a true spiral shape.
We tested spiralizers to see how well the blades could make sturdy vegetable noodles with an even thickness.
We searched for spiralizers that didn’t take up too much space, were easy to use, and could effectively produce evenly-shaped noodles that didn’t break apart. We looked at a range of standing and handheld models between $25 and $100, as well as the KitchenAid spiralizer attachment. Standing spiralizers operate using a hand crank that pushes and turns the vegetables towards the blade attachment to create the cut shapes. Most spiralizers come with removable blades that create a variety of cuts, such as thin or thick noodles or wide ribbons. Better models will have storage space to hold the extra blades while not in use.
Aside from testing hand-crank and handheld models, we also tried the KitchenAid KSM1APC spiralizer attachment.
Vertical models usually have less room to collect the cut vegetables below the base. While some vertical spiralizers include containers to hold the noodles, they fill up quickly and continuously need be emptied, creating an unnecessary step in the cutting process. Most of our testers, including The Sweethome test kitchen manager Lesley Stockton, prefer horizontal models. Horizontal spiralizers allow the vegetable noodles to pile up on a cutting board with no space limitations. Bilderback also prefers horizontal spiralizers, saying, “I know there are new vertical tabletop models now, but I have yet to try them. I don’t see the advantage.” However, depending on the task, Cohen says she uses both vertical and horizontal models at Dirt Candy. “In general, we probably use vertical more. We use the horizontal ones usually to do sheeting (cutting long flat, wide pieces of vegetables).” She explained that the blade attachment on her vertical spiralizer makes slightly sturdier, thicker noodles.
We also looked at cheap handheld spiralizers. These models require you to push and turn the vegetables towards the blade by hand. Handheld models typically only have one cutting option since their blades aren’t removable. Some handheld spiralizers come with vegetable peelers to create ribbons, but our testers found these to be cheap and unnecessary. Most people already own a good vegetable peeler, which works just as well, if not better. Though Bilderback would actually prefer a handheld spiralizer over a standing model, she admits they have limitations. “They just cannot accommodate many vegetables. [They] really work great with zucchini, and zucchini-like veggies. That’s about it.” Keep in mind that since the opening is smaller on handheld models, you can only spiralize vegetables that are between 1½ and 2½ inches in diameter.
Only the center core and end of the vegetables are left behind after spiralizing.
Most people will be happy with just three blade attachments: thin and thick noodle blades and one to cut long ribbons.In choosing our selection of spiralizers to test, we also took into consideration the cutting abilities of the blades. Some blades aren’t sharp enough or don’t have teeth that are long enough to cut all the way through certain vegetables, particularly butternut squash. Dull blades require more effort to push the vegetables towards them. Better models will be able to cut through the long end of a medium-sized butternut squash, but the large end is generally too big for most spiralizers. (Depending on the size, if you cut butternut squash into quarters, the noodles will fall apart while spiralizing.) For hand-crank models, choose cylindrical or round vegetables that are between 1½ and 3½ inches in diameter for best results.
Most people will be happy with just three blade attachments: thin and thick noodle blades and one to cut long ribbons. Bilderback says, “if it has too many parts, I’m out. I hate cumbersome kitchen gadgets.” She continued, “I really use only two blades—the thinnest holed ‘spaghetti’ blade, and the flat blade that makes spirals.” Cohen does a lot of delicate work with vegetables at Dirt Candy, so she finds she uses blades with thinner teeth most often. Cohen suggests looking for models with “enough variety in the blade attachments” but also notes that “durability and stability are very important.” We’ve found it’s better to go with a model that has fewer attachments and a sturdy base that doesn’t wobble on your counter versus one with a weak apparatus and a plethora of blades.
For this guide, we tested six hand-crank spiralizers (from left to right): the Paderno World Cuisine A4982799 Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer, the Brieftons 5-Blade Spiralizer, the Spiralizer Tri-Blade Vegetable Spiral Slicer, the Benriner Turner Slicer, the Müeller Spiral-Ultra 4-Blade Spiralizer, and the OXO Standing Spiralizer. We also tested the three handheld spiralizers (clockwise from top): the OXO Good Grips Handheld Spiralizer, the Premium Vegetable Spiralizer Bundle, and the Kitchen Supreme Spiral Slicer Spiralizer.
Aside from models with sturdy bases, we searched for spiralizers that wouldn’t slide around on the counter. “Suction cups that let it grab the counter make it amazingly easy,” says Bilderback. Ideally, we wanted models that could suction securely but also release quickly without a struggle. Cohen, who has used spiralizers for about 15 years, points out that “ones that don’t have big bases or thin bases usually aren’t stable enough to do a lot of work.”
After researching nearly 20 spiralizers, we tested five standing models: the Paderno World Cuisine A4982799 Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer, the Spiralizer Tri-Blade Vegetable Spiral Slicer, the Müeller Spiral-Ultra 4-Blade Spiralizer, the Brieftons 5-Blade Spiralizer, the Benriner Turner Slicer, and the OXO Standing Spiralizer. We also tested the KitchenAid KSM1APC Spiralizer Attachment. Additionally, we tested three handheld spiralizers: the Premium Vegetable Spiralizer Bundle, the Kitchen Supreme Spiral Slicer Spiralizer, and the OXO Good Grips Handheld Spiralizer.
To determine the cutting ability of each spiralizer, we tested them using a variety of vegetables: delicate zucchini, fibrous carrots, awkwardly-shaped beets, tough butternut squash, and classic potatoes. We took note of how evenly the blades cut and whether the vegetable noodles were sturdy (and either held their shape or broke apart). For both the hand-crank models and the KitchenAid stand-mixer attachment, we evaluated how well the vegetables turned and whether they stayed in place or fell out of position while cutting. We also took note of how easy the extra blades were to store. For handheld spiralizers, we tested how much hand effort was required to cut each vegetable. We also evaluated how easy each model was to clean.
Our pick
Our pick, the OXO Good Grips Spiralizer.
The new OXO Good Grips Spiralizer outperformed every other model we tested due to its thoughtful design and ease of use. Though more expensive, the OXO’s sharp blades cut both firm and delicate vegetables with minimal effort, creating long noodles that don’t break apart. The three colorful blade attachments fit snugly in a separate covered compartment, which is safer and more convenient than models that come with stray blades and no storage options. Its wide base suctions securely to your work surface and doesn’t budge while spiralizing. The OXO’s compact size and collapsible side handle means it takes up less space when stored on your counter or in a kitchen cupboard.
Since the stainless steel blades are so sharp, our testers spiralized fastest and with minimal effort using the OXO.The OXO comes with the three most necessary blades: a ⅛-inch spaghetti blade, a ¼-inch fettuccine blade, and a ribbon blade. The vegetable noodles and ribbons are an appropriate thickness—not so thick that they are unpleasant to eat but still wide enough to hold their shape.
The OXO Good Grips Spiralizer has a separate compartment to safely store the blade attachments.
The unique suction mechanism on the OXO was more secure than any other model we tested.Since the stainless steel blades are so sharp, our testers spiralized fastest and with minimal effort using the OXO. It was the only model we tested that successfully cut butternut squash into noodles. We also found that the blades didn’t clog as much as other models we tested. Perhaps one of the best features of the OXO is the plastic compartment that safely stores the blade attachments. Perforated holes on the bottom of the container even allow excess water to drain off the rinsed blades. Other models, such as the Brieftons, have stray blade attachments that need to be stored separate from the spiralizer; that can be dangerous, especially if the blades are kept in a drawer.
The OXO Good Grips Spiralizer comes with three blade attachments (from left to right): a ⅛-inch spaghetti blade, a ribbon blade, and a ¼-inch fettuccine blade.
The unique suction mechanism on the OXO was more secure than any other model we tested. A small lever activates the wide rubber suction under the base, making it impossible to move, even while vigorously spiralizing. Some spiralizers, such as the Brieftons and the Mueller, repeatedly lost their suction, while the Benriner had no suction feet and slid all around the counter. The single rubber pull tab quickly releases the suction, unlike the four small tabs on the Paderno and Spiralizer Tri-Blade models that have to be released individually.
The OXO’s lever-activated suction mechanism was more secure than any other hand-crank spiralizer we tested.
As with all OXO products, the spiralizer is backed by a “satisfaction guarantee.” If for some reason you aren’t happy with it or the blades become dull, you can contact OXO for repairs, replacements, or a refund.
Long-term test notes
After several months of regular use, we’re very happy with the OXO Good Grips Spiralizer. The blade attachments have remained sharp and effectively cut a variety of vegetables with ease. Though the suction mechanism is very secure on most countertops, we’ve noticed that it has some trouble catching on wood surfaces. That said, we still recommend the OXO spiralizer for most people.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Like all spiralizers, it is no easy task to clean the OXO. While the OXO blades clogged less than other models we tested, there are crevices in the blade attachments that make cleaning a chore if washing by hand. However, all of the OXO spiralizer parts and blades are dishwasher safe (except for the blade container). We found that soaking the attachments immediately after using made them easier to clean.
If you want to make carrot noodles, we recommend using wide “horse” carrots that are at least 1½ inches in diameter. Small to medium carrots aren’t capable of making long noodles using the OXO, though this was the case with every spiralizer we tested.
A less expensive option
Though we liked the OXO spiralizer best, if you prefer something less expensive, we recommend the Spiralizer Tri-Blade Vegetable Slicer. It does a good job at cutting most vegetables, but unlike our top pick, carrot noodles fell apart more often. (However, as with most spiralizers, large “horse” carrots will produce better results compared to medium or small carrots.) Its carbon stainless steel blades clogged less than the Paderno and Brieftons spiralizers, but unlike our top pick, the blades couldn’t cut all the way through butternut squash. On fibrous vegetables, such as carrots and potatoes, we noticed the blade attachments on the Spiralizer Tri-Blade sometimes wiggled out of position.
The Spiralizer Tri-Blade Vegetable Slicer is our runner-up pick.
If you prefer something less expensive, we recommend the Spiralizer Tri-Blade Vegetable Slicer.Also, the Spiralizer Tri-Blade doesn’t have a separate compartment for holding the blade attachments like the OXO. However, two blades can be stored in slots beneath the base with another positioned in the cutting slot. Like the OXO, all of the blade attachments are dishwasher safe.
Two of the Spiralizer Tri-Blade Vegetable Slicer’s blades can be stored in slots beneath the base with another positioned in the cutting slot.
While we prefer the simplicity of the OXO’s suction capability, the Spiralizer Tri-Blade’s four suction feet remained secure while working. However, the small rubber tabs on the feet that release the suction didn’t seem as strong as the single large tab on the OXO.
The Spiralizer Tri-Blade looks almost identical to the Paderno and the Brieftons models except for the extended lip on the base below the blade. Our testers found that the lip was a nice feature that did a good job of catching and guiding the cut vegetable noodles onto a cutting board or into a bowl.
Our testers liked the extended lip on the Spiralizer Tri-Blade’s base because it helped guide the cut vegetable noodles into a bowl.
The Spiralizer Tri-Blade comes with a “satisfaction guarantee” and lifetime replacement warranty. If a piece breaks or the blades become dull over time, you can call 888-739-4172 ext. 201 or email support@spiralizer.us for repairs or a replacement.
A small handheld spiralizer for occasional use
The OXO Handheld Spiralizer cranks out sturdy noodles that hold their shape.If you only plan to make vegetable noodles about once a month or don’t want to invest in a more expensive hand-crank model, the OXO Handheld Spiralizer is the way to go. It had the sharpest blade of the handheld models we tested and produced sturdy noodles that didn’t break apart. It’s also made from thicker plastic that seemed more durable than the competition. The OXO Handheld Spiralizer requires more elbow grease than hand-crank models because you have to push and twist vegetables against the blade by hand, but it takes up less space and can be conveniently stored in a kitchen drawer.
The OXO Handheld Spiralizer is small enough to fit in a kitchen drawer.
The OXO Handheld Spiralizer only comes with one built-in blade and no other attachments, but it cranks out sturdy noodles that hold their shape almost as well as our top pick, the OXO Spiralizer. The OXO Handheld Spiralizer also cut the most consistently-shaped noodles compared to other handheld models like the Kitchen Supreme and the iPerfect Kitchen, which produced uneven noodles that broke apart. Also, since the blades are so sharp, we didn’t have to apply as much force while pushing and turning vegetables. The OXO Handheld Spiralizer evenly cut zucchini and horse carrots. It was even able to cut smaller beets that fit the circumference of the spiralizer, which wasn’t possible with the other handheld spiralizers we tested.
The food holder cap has sharp teeth that hold vegetables securely in place and make twisting easier.
Our testers preferred the thicker, sturdier plastic on the OXO Handheld Spiralizer, compared to the thinner, cheaper plastic of the Kitchen Supreme and iPerfect Kitchen models. The food holder cap has sharp teeth that holds vegetables securely in place and make twisting easier. The top even locks onto the base so the two pieces stay together and you don’t have to fish for them separately in a drawer. The locking lid also keeps the blade covered when not in use. Both the base and top cap are dishwasher safe (top rack recommended).
Like the OXO Spiralizer, the OXO Handheld Spiralizer comes with a “satisfaction guarantee.” If you aren’t happy with the spiralizer or the blade becomes dull, contact OXO for a replacement or refund.
Care and maintenance
All of the spiralizers we tested were tedious to clean, especially crevices in the blade attachments and the teeth in the vegetable holders. Chef and cookbook author Leslie Bilderback suggests, “as soon as you’re done, take the spiralizer apart and soak all the pieces in water. If they can sit a few minutes like that, the final clean-up is an easy rinse.” Some vegetables, such as beets and carrots, can discolor the plastic slightly, so it’s best to rinse the spiralizer and any attachments immediately after using it.
Spiralizer blade attachments are sharp and jagged, making them difficult to clean.
The spiralizers we recommend have solid warranties, so if the blade attachments become dull with prolonged use, contact the manufacturer directly for replacements.
The competition
The Paderno World Cuisine A4982799 Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer is a highly-rated model on Amazon that’s recommended by Cook’s Illustrated (subscription required), but it clogged more than the Spiralizer model and is only covered by a one-year warranty.
Our testers found the Müeller Spiral-Ultra 4-Blade Spiralizer to be overly complicated, with too many attachments that weren’t necessary. The straight blade cut ribbon noodles that were too thick, while the thin noodle blade cut inconsistently.
The Brieftons 5-Blade Spiralizer looks similar to the Paderno and Spiralizer models, but we felt five blades was overkill. This model could only store up to three blades, an inconvenience.
The small blade on the Benriner Turner Slicer made zucchini noodles that were too delicate and fell apart. The model has no suction mechanism, which caused it to slide across the counter.
We had high hopes for the KitchenAid KSM1APC Spiralizer Attachment, but its blades produced noodles and ribbons that were too thick. Zucchini noodles cut on the thinnest blade were slightly uneven. This attachment is better suited for making large volumes of vegetable noodles.
The WonderEsque Spiralizer Tri-Blade Spiral Slicer was out of stock at the time of testing.
The vertical Cuisinart Food Spiralizer CTG-00-SPI has a large compartment to catch the vegetable noodles below the base. However, vegetables have to be cut to a specific length to fit inside the the protective cover, so we opted not to test.
The Brieftons Vertico Spiralizer doesn’t leave much room below the base for the cut vegetable noodles. Other vertical models allow more space, so we decided not to test.
The GEFU Spirelli Spiral Cutter was not recommended in a previous review by Cook’s Illustrated.
The Joyce Chen Saladacco Spiral Slicer was recommended with reservations in a previous review by Cook’s Illustrated, so we opted not to test.
The Kitchen Supreme Spiralizer Complete Bundle produced unevenly shaped vegetable noodles. The blades didn’t seem sharp, and our testers felt they had to apply more pressure than with the OXO Handheld Spiralizer.
The iPerfect Kitchen Vegetable Spiralizer Bundle was identical to the Kitchen Supreme model we tested. Three of our testers inadvertently impaled their hands with the sharp nail on the cap, so we dismissed it.
The Premium Vegetable Spiralizer Bundle looks similar to the other handheld models we tested but only comes with a 60-day return policy.