We Tested Four Different Tools for Making Zoodles — The Winner Was Not What We Expected
published NowI’m on a never-ending quest to eat more vegetables. And while I like a good side salad, a cauliflower steak , and fries made out of eggplant , I really love zoodles. As in, “noodles” made of straight-up zucchini. (I especially like to eat them with meatballs , sautéed in olive oil, or raw in a salad with cilantro, lime, and pistachios.)
You can find zoodles, ready and waiting for you in the grocery store, either in the refrigerated part of the produce section or in the freezer aisle. Of course, you’ll pay up for the convenience of having that prep work done for you. To save money, and have a bit of fun, I prefer to noodle-ize the zucchini myself. Which calls for a special tool: a spiralizer, if you will. (I didn’t make up the word; it’s actually a brand name like Kleenex, but it’s become so mainstream, people use it generically.) There are a few options: You can use an attachment on your stand mixer, a handheld model, a countertop version, or even a peeler. Some spiralizers can be used to spiralize other produce, too — like summer squash, sweet potatoes, beets, apples, butternut squash, cucumbers, and more.
Which type of gadget works the best? I did some testing to find out! Here’s how it went.
How I Tested the Zoodle Tools
To test each spiralizer, I bought a lot of zucchini! (Yum.) I used each tool to noodle-ize a few zucchini each. I paid attention to note how easy it was to use each option, how well each one worked, and how easy they all were to clean.
The ratings : Each method received an overall rating, with 1 being my least favorite and 5 being the best. Like the rest of our showdowns , this one considered the final results, ease, cleanup, and price. Keep reading — along with the rating, you’ll find more detailed notes.
Zoodle Tool: Julienne Peeler
- Ease : 2
- Zoodles : 1
- Price : 5 ($9.99 — I bought this one )
- Cleanup : 5
- Rating : 2
This isn’t technically a spiralizer, but a julienne peeler is often suggested as a way to make zoodles without having to buy a specialized gadget. While the peeler did successfully make strands of zucchini, it didn’t produce the twirly noodles I was after. What I got was more like matchstick fries than spaghetti. It also took the longest to use, and there was a good bit of leftover wasted zucchini that I just couldn’t peel. However, it cleaned up easily with just a quick scrub and rinse. Overall: Not bad, but not great. Onto the next tool, I say!
Zoodle Tool: Stand Mixer Attachment
- Ease : 4
- Zoodles : 5
- Price : 1 ($74 for the attachment )
- Cleanup : 5
- Rating : 3
This stand mixer attachment (that pops into the hub of a KitchenAid stand mixer) is super easy to use. The mixer’s motor does all of the spiralizing work for you! It makes beautiful, long zucchini strands. And if you own a KitchenAid stand mixer and want to spend the money, it’s a good option. It comes with lots of different blades for different sizes and shapes of spirals and can accommodate a wide variety of fruits and vegetables — like apples and sweet potatoes. It’s also top-rack dishwasher-safe. All that said, it is pricey . It also didn’t fit a whole zucchini at once (I had to chop it in half).
Zoodle Tool: Countertop Spiralizer
- Ease : 4
- Zoodles : 4
- Price : 4 ($24.99 — I bought this one )
- Cleanup : 4
- Rating : 4
This is, for the most part, a fantastic standalone spiralizer . It has suction-cup feet that keep it from skipping along on the countertop while you work. To spiralize zucchini, you simply affix the zucchini in the machine and crank the handle. I found that it worked best when I halved the zucchini and spiralized it in two parts. (When I did a full zucchini, there were lots of little half-moon-shaped zucchini pieces along with the beautiful, twirly zucchini strands.) It does come with several different blades and can accommodate both soft foods (zucchini) and hard fruits and veggies (like beets!) and breaks down into a compact, storable cube. Because it has more parts, though, it is harder to clean. That said, if you want an affordable standalone spiralizer and plan on spiralizing more than zucchini, this is the tool for you.
Zoodle Tool: Handheld Spiralizer
- Ease : 4
- Zoodles : 5
- Price : 4.5 ($14.75 — I bought this one )
- Cleanup : 5
- Rating : 5
I’ve used a lot of sub-par handheld spiralizers that don’t actually work well. This one , however, was a delightful surprise! To use it, you place the zucchini in the center, hold the zucchini in one hand and the spiralizer in the other, and apply pressure while twisting the zucchini clockwise. It’s sort of like sharpening a pencil. (Remember pencils?) When you get towards the end of the zucchini, simply use the spiralizer’s food holder to keep your fingers away from the blades and keep on twisting. The end result: Beautiful strands of zucchini with very little effort. (And lots of fun!) It doesn’t come with extra blades and can’t accommodate, say, an apple or a beet. However, if you’re interested in just spiralizing zucchini, summer squash, or even cucumbers, this is the ideal, not-too-expensive, easily storable gadget. I didn’t expect to love a handheld spiralizer so much, but, hey, here we are! And I couldn’t be happier with my zoodles.
Do you have a favorite zoodle tool? Tell us in the comments below!
Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
Lifestyle Editor, Tools
Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the Tools Editor at The Kitchn. A professional kitchen equipment tester, she's worked for America's Test Kitchen, EatingWell, and Food52. Her goal: to find the best gear for your kitchen so you don't waste time or money on anything else. She lives in Boston, MA with her two dogs.
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