Handheld, Crank or Electric? Choosing the Best Zucchini Spiralizer

Zucchini is the vegetable most people buy a spiralizer for, and it is also the easiest one to spiralize. It is soft, straight and evenly shaped, so it feeds through a blade without much force. That changes what you need from the tool. A machine built to push through sweet potatoes and beets is welcome, but for zucchini the things that matter more are the blade sizes, how the noodles are caught, and how easily the whole thing comes apart for the sink.

In a Mexican kitchen, calabacita turns up in soups, in tacos and sautéed with corn and chiles, and zucchini noodles take a spoonful of salsa verde or a quick tomato and chipotle sauce well. This guide covers seven spiralizers chosen for zucchini, from handhelds that fit a drawer to a food processor that spiralizes a whole squash at once.

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Quick verdict: which zucchini spiralizer to buy

The table below compares our five standout spiralizers for zucchini. All seven are reviewed in full after it, followed by how to choose one and how to get better zucchini noodles.

Five spiralizers for zucchini at a glance

One pick for each kind of cook, with the type and cuts each maker or listing states.

Product images from Amazon. Cuts and features are as stated by each maker or listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best zucchini spiralizer

Our main best spiralizer guide covers spiralizers for every vegetable, including hard roots. These seven are different models chosen with zucchini in mind: easy to load with a soft squash, sensible noodle sizes, and easy to clean. Each pick says who it suits, what the maker or listing states, and one honest reason to skip it.

How to choose a spiralizer for zucchini

Pick the noodle sizes you will eat. Zucchini is watery, so very thin angel-hair strands can turn limp quickly once sauced. Most cooks use a spaghetti cut of about 3 mm or 1/8 inch for everyday noodles and a wider fettuccine or ribbon cut for baked dishes and heavier sauces. Seven blades are only useful if you will use them.

Handheld, tabletop or electric. A handheld is cheap, small and fine for one or two zucchini. A tabletop crank model is faster and more even for a family meal. An electric food processor with a spiral blade does the most volume with the least effort, but takes the most storage.

Look at the base. Wet zucchini makes a light machine slide. Suction bases, such as the Brieftons 7-Blade’s oversized pad and the QuickFold’s locking pad, keep a tabletop model in place. Handhelds rely on your grip, which is why a container base like the Spiro’s helps.

Decide where the noodles go. A catch container saves cleanup and, with a lid, doubles as storage. Without one, set a bowl or sheet pan under the blade.

Think about cleaning. Zucchini skin and seeds lodge in corer teeth. A stated dishwasher-safe rating or an included cleaning brush makes a real difference, and so does blade storage that keeps sharp edges out of the drawer. A good cutting board helps too, for trimming the ends flat before loading.

Getting better zucchini noodles

Choose firm, straight zucchini that are an even width from end to end. Trim both ends flat so the squash sits square on the holder, and stop when you reach the last stub rather than chasing it into the blade.

Zucchini holds a lot of water. Many cooks spread the noodles on a towel or toss them in a colander for a few minutes before cooking, then pat them dry; our best colander guide covers that step. Cook them briefly in a hot pan, just long enough to warm through, and add the sauce at the end so they do not stew. A bright salsa verde, a chipotle tomato sauce or simply lime, chile and cotija all suit them; see our guide to salsa roja vs salsa verde for the difference.

How we chose these seven spiralizers

We started from what zucchini asks of a spiralizer: steady feeding of a soft, wet squash, sensible noodle sizes, a way to catch the strands and easy cleaning. Our parent best spiralizer guide already reviews eight models, so we deliberately chose different ones here, including different models from the same makers where they suited zucchini better. We looked for spiralizers sold on Amazon in the United States from identifiable makers, and checked each one’s stock with Amazon’s product data before writing. Blade sizes, materials, care and warranties come from each listing; where a listing does not give a figure we say “not stated”. We passed over models that were nearly sold out when we checked, and unbranded spiralizers with thin listings. We did not use these spiralizers for this guide, and we have not cited published reviews from Wirecutter, America’s Test Kitchen or Serious Eats, because we did not read them for this page.

Zucchini spiralizer questions, answered

What is the best spiralizer for zucchini?

For most kitchens, a tabletop crank model with a suction base, like the Brieftons 7-Blade Spiralizer. Zucchini is soft enough that a handheld such as the Joseph Joseph Spiro also works well for small amounts.

Is a handheld spiralizer good enough for zucchini?

Yes, for one or two zucchini. It takes more effort and gives less even strands than a crank model, so it is better for occasional use.

Which blade makes the best zucchini noodles?

A spaghetti cut of about 3 mm or 1/8 inch is the everyday choice. Wider fettuccine or ribbon cuts hold up better in baked dishes and under heavier sauces.

Can I spiralize zucchini in a food processor?

Only with a spiral blade. Hamilton Beach’s 70735 includes spiral and ribbon blades, and its feed chute takes a whole zucchini.

How do I keep zucchini noodles from getting watery?

Let them drain briefly, pat them dry, cook them fast in a hot pan and add the sauce at the end.

Our final pick for zucchini noodles

Buy the Brieftons 7-Blade Spiralizer if you make zucchini noodles regularly and want a steady machine that catches and stores the noodles. Choose the Brieftons QuickFold if storage is tight, the Joseph Joseph Spiro for small amounts, the Hamilton Beach food processor if you want no cranking, and the KitchenAid attachment if you already own the stand mixer. For hard vegetables as well as zucchini, see our main best spiralizer guide, and the Mexican cooking tools guide for the rest of the kit.

And if you would rather let someone else cook tonight, see the menu or call to order.