Spiralizers
How we tested
Spiral vegetable cutters, or spiralizers, cut fruits and vegetables into long noodles and ribbons for “pastas,” salads, and side dishes. Since we last tested these devices, many more models have come on the market, and the manufacturer of our favorite machine released a more advanced version. Deciding that it was time to revisit these gadgets, we tested six countertop models (handheld models tanked in our previous testing) priced from $24.99 to $48.46, plus a spiralizing attachment for KitchenAid stand mixers ($99.95).
The countertop spiralizers are constructed like old-fashioned apple peelers: one end has a vertical slot to hold the blade, and the other has a pronged food holder with a crank handle. With one hand you turn the crank to feed the produce through the blade while you push a lever to exert pressure on the produce with your other hand. Every machine comes with blades to make 1/4-inch-thick noodles, 1/8-inch-thick noodles, and accordion-pleated “ribbon slices.” Some of the machines had additional blades for grating or for making even thinner noodles, which we appreciated but found inessential.
We knew we wanted a spiralizer that could accommodate fruits and vegetables of different sizes, shapes, and densities and that would be stable and easy to set up, use, and clean. A good spiralizer should also create long, unbroken noodles and generate little waste. We spiralized zucchini, apples, beets, potatoes, and butternut squash, weighing each item before and after spiralizing to calculate how much was wasted and how much was turned into long noodles.
None of these machines worked perfectly. A few of them mashed softer apples into pulp, and most of them struggled to cut the butternut squash; for those that could produce noodles from the hard squash, we had to choke up on the turning handle to muster the requisite power. After three rounds of cutting squash, even our top model developed a stress fracture on its handle from the extra exertion. Although none of the manufacturers say to avoid winter squash, we recommend caution when attempting to spiralize hard, dense vegetables.
With the zucchini, beets, and potatoes, only one machine consistently produced long, even noodles and ribbons. The reason for its success: stability. The base of the machine had a low profile, keeping it relatively grounded over the suction cups that anchored it to the table and preventing it from slipping forward quite as frequently as with other models. More important, it had a large food holder that allowed us to attach the produce more securely and a long pusher handle that let us provide the steady, constant pressure necessary to create consistent, unbroken noodles.
We did have two quibbles with these gadgets: One, left-handed cooks are at a bit of a disadvantage. Older spiralizers were built for righties; newer models, like the Müeller Spiral-Ultra, the KitchenAid attachment, and the Paderno World Cuisine Spiralizer Pro, are ambidextrous but have other issues that make them less efficient than our righty-oriented winners. And two, none of the spiralizers (save the KitchenAid attachment) were easy to clean, as they must be hand washed—little shreds of produce get everywhere, forcing us to dismantle the machine to get all the loose bits.
Our top performer turned out to be our old favorite, the Paderno World Cuisine Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer ($33.24). It is simple to set up and intuitive to use. It produced even, consistent noodles and ribbons out of the greatest variety of produce, with very few short or broken strands. But if you’re a lefty, we suggest buying our third-place spiralizer, the slightly more expensive (and less stable) Paderno 4-Blade.
The Results
Note: America's Test Kitchen continuously updates our equipment reviews and taste tests. The written content below is the most up-to-date information available and may not match what appears in the video segment.
Paderno World Cuisine Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer
Paderno World Cuisine Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer
Simple, intuitive, inexpensive, and stable, the winner of our previous test easily spiralized apples, beets, potatoes, and zucchini with relatively little waste. Better yet, the Paderno Tri-Blade was able to turn almost all of the produce into even, consistent noodles and ribbons. It was one of the only machines capable of spiralizing butternut squash into long, regular strands—although the stress of this endeavor caused the handle to crack on its last round of testing.
Spiralizer Tri-Blade Vegetable Spiral Slicer
Spiralizer Tri-Blade Vegetable Spiral Slicer
Nearly identical to the Paderno Tri-Blade in both appearance and performance, the Spiralizer Tri-Blade was just a bit more awkward and less secure; its vegetable holder rocked from side to side slightly during use. It was also prone to staining from vegetable juices. Although the noodles weren’t always pretty, it did manage to process all of the produce we threw at it, and it produced little waste.
Paderno World Cuisine 4-Blade Spiralizer Pro
Paderno World Cuisine 4-Blade Spiralizer Pro
This upgraded version of the Paderno Tri-Blade is ambidextrous, similarly efficient, and more compact. But the design changes—including a smaller vegetable holder and pusher handle—introduced new problems that made the machine fussier, less stable, and more awkward to use. The machine also took some experience to set up. Still, the Paderno 4-Blade was able to cut all of the produce we put in it, and it includes a handy angel-hair slicer blade and a skewer for making accordion cuts.
KitchenAid Spiralizer with Peel, Core, and Slice
KitchenAid Spiralizer with Peel, Core, and Slice
This lefty-friendly KitchenAid attachment lets the stand mixer’s motor do the hard work, effortlessly making long noodles out of zucchini, beets, apples, and potatoes. It was the easiest machine to clean, and its extra blades were handy. But it was fussy to use and generated a lot of waste. With butternut squash, the machine’s powerful motor was all for naught since the tiny vegetable holder couldn’t stabilize the squash enough to produce even a single noodle.
Veggetti Pro Tabletop Spiral Vegetable Cutter
Veggetti Pro Tabletop Spiral Vegetable Cutter
Stabilized by a single large suction cup with a release valve, the Veggetti Pro was surprisingly secure on the countertop. But produce larger than 6¾ inches had to be cut to fit inside the holders, increasing waste. This model couldn’t handle butternut squash at all and made somewhat uneven noodles with the other produce.
Müeller Spiral-Ultra 4-Blade Spiralizer
Müeller Spiral-Ultra 4-Blade Spiralizer
The Müeller Spiral-Ultra claimed to make spiral cuts, grate, slice like a mandoline, and even juice citrus. Unfortunately, it didn’t perform any of these functions well. Poor design made setup and use tricky. The vertical handle made the Spiral-Ultra ambidextrous but was awkward for both lefties and righties. A collection bin under the blades seemed handy but was badly positioned, catching only one-third of all spiralized produce. Worst, the two suction cups did not fully stabilize the machine, which rocked back and forth dangerously while spiralizing.
Benriner Cook Vertical Slicer
Benriner Cook Vertical Slicer
The simple, supersharp Benriner makes noodles and ribbons, but they’re fine and paper-thin—better suited for garnishes than for the pasta-like noodles and side dishes most people expect to generate from a spiralizer. It’s got a small capacity—produce must be under 4 inches long to fit under the handle, thus generating a lot of waste. And with no suction cups or clamps to secure it to the counter, it’s highly unstable, rocking back and forth on its plastic feet while in use.
