Crank, Handheld or Mixer? How to Choose the Best Spiralizer

A spiralizer is a one-job tool, but it does that job far faster than a knife. Crank a zucchini through a countertop model and you get long, even strands in seconds; run a jícama or a carrot through the ribbon blade and you get wide, thin curls for a salad or a plate garnish. In a restaurant prep line the same work happens on mandolines and with a sharp chef’s knife, and it takes much longer. At home, a spiralizer turns that prep into something you will actually do on a weeknight.

This guide covers the three kinds worth considering: countertop hand-crank models, small handheld spiralizers, and the KitchenAid stand-mixer attachment. It names eight from Brieftons, OXO, KitchenAid, Inspiralized, Zyliss and Fullstar, and explains which features matter: blade count, blade storage, the base, and how easy each one is to clean.

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Quick verdict: which spiralizer to buy

Five spiralizers at a glance

Our five standout spiralizers, one for each kind of cook. All eight are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Blade counts and features are as the makers or listings state them.

Our picks for the best spiralizer

The eight spiralizers below include four countertop crank models, three handheld ones and one stand-mixer attachment. Each review gives the maker’s or listing’s specifications, the produce it suits, and one honest reason to skip it. A spiralizer makes long strands and ribbons; for fine shreds of carrot or cabbage, a box grater is still the faster tool, and our best box grater guide covers those.

Countertop, handheld or stand-mixer attachment?

Countertop crank models

These are the workhorses. The vegetable is held on a spiked plate and pushed into the blade while you turn a crank, so you get long, even strands with little effort and the most choice of cuts. Their weak points are size and the base: a crank model needs a smooth counter for its suction to hold, and it takes up a cupboard shelf.

Handheld spiralizers

Handheld models are cheap, small and simple to clean, and they are fine for one zucchini or a cucumber. They are slower, the strands are shorter, and twisting a firm vegetable takes real wrist work. Food Network found its handheld pick best for small jobs.

Stand-mixer attachments

KitchenAid’s attachment uses the mixer’s motor, so it suits large batches and cooks with sore hands. It makes sense only if the mixer is already on your counter.

How to choose a spiralizer

Blades you will use. Most cooks use a thin noodle, a thick noodle and a ribbon. More blades are useful only if you want curly fries, crinkle chips or extra widths, and each extra blade is one more sharp thing to store.

Blade storage. Spiralizer blades are very sharp. Look for a model that gives every blade a place, as the Brieftons models do, or one that builds them in, as the Inspiralizer does.

The base. On a countertop model, the suction base decides whether the machine stays put while you crank. Lever-operated suction pads and clamps hold best on smooth stone, tile or glass, and less well on wood or a textured laminate.

Produce size. Makers ask for firm vegetables at least 1.5 inches across with no seeded core or hollow center. Thin carrots, celery, eggplant and soft, seedy produce do not spiralize well. For those, use a knife or a grater.

Cleaning. Check whether the blades and body are dishwasher safe, and clean the blades straight away; vegetable fibers dry hard in the teeth. A small brush helps. A good colander is handy for draining zucchini noodles once you salt them to draw out water.

Spiralized vegetables in a Mexican kitchen

The obvious use is zucchini noodles, but the ribbon blade is the one a Mexican kitchen gets the most from. Thin ribbons of jícama, cucumber and carrot make a crisp salad dressed with lime juice, salt and chile powder, in the spirit of the street-cart fruit cups sold all over Mexico. Spirals of carrot and radish make a quick garnish for tostadas and tacos. If you would rather cut those vegetables by hand, a sharp chef’s knife on a solid cutting board does the job, more slowly.

Peeling usually comes first. Jícama’s skin is thick and fibrous and should come off before you spiralize; a good Y-peeler or a paring knife removes it quickly.

How we picked these eight spiralizers

We looked at countertop, handheld and stand-mixer spiralizers from Brieftons, OXO, KitchenAid, Inspiralized, Zyliss, Fullstar, Paderno, Mueller, Veggetti and others, and kept only models showing as in stock on Amazon when we checked. We chose a range of types and sizes rather than eight versions of the same crank machine. Specifications come from the Amazon listings, the makers’ information and, where the listing was thin, retailers.

We read Food Network’s spiralizer review and cite it for four of these models. We also read Food & Wine’s older spiralizer test, republished by Sunset, and cite it for one observation about an earlier Brieftons. America’s Test Kitchen’s spiralizer reviews are no longer available on its site, so we do not cite them, and we did not read Serious Eats or Wirecutter for this guide. OXO’s 3-blade tabletop spiralizer was not in stock on Amazon when we checked, and Paderno’s showed only limited stock, so neither is on this list. We have not used these spiralizers for this guide.

Spiralizer questions, answered

What is the best rated spiralizer?

Among reviews we read, Food Network named the Brieftons 10-blade its best overall, the OXO 3-blade handheld its best handheld, and the KitchenAid attachment its best mixer attachment. All three are on this list.

What is the best simple spiralizer?

A handheld model. The OXO single-blade handheld is the simplest; the OXO 3-blade handheld adds two more cuts for little extra bulk.

Which spiralizer does America’s Test Kitchen recommend?

We could not confirm a current recommendation: the spiralizer review pages on ATK’s site now redirect elsewhere, so we have not cited ATK in this guide.

Is a handheld or countertop spiralizer better?

Countertop models are faster, steadier and make longer strands, and are better for hard vegetables. Handheld models are cheaper and smaller and are fine for a zucchini or two.

What vegetables can you spiralize?

Firm, solid vegetables at least 1.5 inches wide with no seeded core: zucchini, cucumber, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, potatoes, radishes, turnips and jícama. Makers say celery, thin carrots and eggplant do not work well.

Where to start

Mostly making zoodles? See our guide to the best zucchini spiralizers.

On a budget? See our guide to the best cheap spiralizers.

Spiralizing carrots, beets or sweet potatoes? See our guide to the best spiralizers for carrots and other dense vegetables.

Related guide: Best julienne peeler.

Related guide: Spiralizer alternative.

Buy the Brieftons 10-blade if you will spiralize often, the OXO 3-blade handheld if you will not, and the KitchenAid attachment only if the mixer is already yours. For more of the tools that handle vegetable prep, see our guide to Mexican cooking tools. And on nights when nobody wants to crank anything, see our menu or call to order.