KitchenAid Spiralizer Review

We purchased the KitchenAid Spiralizer so our reviewer could put it to the test in her kitchen. Keep reading for our full product review.

Whether you’re dressing up a salad or tricking your kids to eat more veggies with zoodles, this spiralizer attachment from KitchenAid can change the way you approach veggie and fruit preparation. It can also help you limit your kitchen appliances and expand the use of your KitchenAid mixer. To see how it really works, we took it home and tested it ourselves, evaluating everything from its performance to how it measures up to the competition. Keep reading for our insights.

Setup and Design: Built for versatility

KitchenAid mixers have a power hub that connects their motors to other attachments (including food processors, ice cream makers, cheese shredders, and more). The spiralizer attachment, which we tested here, lets you spiralize, slice, and peel fruits and veggies without the need for a separate device.

There are four blades included with this model: a fine spiralizer blade, a medium spiralizer blade, a small core spiral slicer, and a large core spiral slicer. There’s also a peeler and a skewer for fruits and vegetables. The blades can be used with or without the peeler, and the peeler can be used on its own. Each blade has a maximum speed that’s noted in the instruction manual, though, so make sure to read through carefully.

On the topic of this manual, we felt that its setup instructions were straightforward and included helpful illustrations. It also included tips for food preparation, like cutting off one end of your vegetable (so the flat end fits most easily against the skewer) and limiting the length of the food so that it fits in the attachment. 

To install the blades, slide them into the blade carrier from above. It’s simple and easy—as is installing the peeler, which slides in from below. The peeler has a release lever and comes out without a problem, but the blades were much harder to remove; we had to pull them so hard that leftover food flew out of them. Of course, you don’t want a blade to come out accidentally while the spiralizer is running, but we think the removal mechanism could be improved.

More blades are available for separate purchase, but the four that are included are a great place to start. Do note, though, that the ones that core and slice have to be lined up with the fruit’s core before you turn on the spiralizer. Sometimes it takes some repositioning to get it right.

The main spiralizer attachment is made almost entirely of metal, which means it’s both heavy and durable. The only plastic components are the blade carrier and release lever. The blades are metal with a plastic handle that attaches to the blade carrier. Each handle has a symbol that coordinates with a chart in the manual for quick identification. The chart shows the kinds of foods the blade can be used with, if it can be used with other attachments (like the peeler), and its maximum speed. 

The fruit and vegetable skewer holds the food in place while the attachment is running. We found it easiest (and safest) to skewer the fruit or vegetable before attaching it to the main piece. Once the skewer is attached, you use the release lever to move the blade carrier into position. Once the mixer is turned on, the blade and peeler move toward the skewer and the magic happens.

Performance: Effective and fun with a few issues 

In our testing process, we tried every blade and found some universal truths. First, they’re all very sharp. On the one hand, that’s a good thing—they were all effective at cutting—but make sure to be careful. We tried the blades on everything from carrots and potatoes to sweet potatoes and apples. None of the blades had trouble with any of the foods—even the sweet potatoes, which were hard and dense. 

We also made apple crisp—actually, we made two! One had apples that had been spiralized and the other incorporated ones that were sliced. We installed the peeler, too, so we could get two things done at once. 

Overall, the spiralizer and slicer blades worked beautifully. There was a bit of trial and error at first—we ended up switching out the small core slicer blade for the large core slicer blade to remove more apple core—but once we did this, the machine created uniform pieces that were easy to remove. We thought using this product was much faster than spiralizing and slicing by hand. We also tested each blade at its maximum speed, and all of them performed as well at their maximum as they did at the minimum.

The peeler wasn’t quite as effective, however. It’s spring-loaded to create pressure, but that pressure doesn’t kick in unless the fruit or vegetable is the right circumference. When we tested this function, it missed the very top and at least one section in the middle of every apple. 

From our observations, the peeler’s effectiveness really depends on the shape of the fruit or vegetable. Irregular shapes caused the peeler to skip certain sections. That wasn’t too much of a problem in our apple crisp, but if you’re making something that absolutely shouldn’t have any skin or peel, it might be. The same thing happened when we used the peeler on a regular potato and a sweet potato—it regularly skipped certain areas. We hoped that the peeler would work on carrots, but they’re too narrow for it to reach. 

Ease of Cleaning: Easy enough but no brush included

The main body of the spiralizer can only be hand-washed. It doesn’t get that much food on it, though, so it’s not hard to keep clean. The blades, peeler, and skewer can all be washed on the top rack of the dishwasher. We also used a scrub brush (our own) to remove food from the holes of the spiralizer before washing. Some spiralizers include a special scrub brush for this purpose, which would have come in handy with the KitchenAid model, but if you have a basic kitchen brush, that should do the trick, too.

Price: Expensive but worth it

This spiralizer attachment is originally priced at $100, though you can often find it on sale for less at online retailers like Amazon. Regardless, it’s a fairly pricey product, but here’s the upside: By using the motor of the KitchenAid, you avoid adding another kitchen appliance to your collection. If you regularly peel, slice, and spiralize fruits and vegetables, this machine can save you time, labor, and storage space.

Competition: Specialized is better, but add-on expands KitchenAid use

Spiralizer Ultimate 7: This $30 specialized spiralizer (view on Amazon) performs its function better and is less expensive than the KitchenAid attachment. It doesn’t have the durable body, but might be a better choice if you want to make spiralizing a frequent part of your cooking routine. Also, if you don’t have a KitchenAid mixer, this could be a great pick.

Paderno World Cuisine 3-Blade Vegetable Slicer: This option from Paderno World Cuisine (view on Amazon) can spiralize better and more consistently than the KitchenAid attachment—plus, you don’t need a KitchenAid mixer to use it. The $25 plastic tool probably won’t hold up as well, though. 

KitchenAid Fresh Prep Slicer/Shredder Attachment: If you’re looking for another KitchenAid option, this one (view on Amazon) doesn’t spiralize, but it can slice and shred. It’s less expensive at $35, and it performs well. You will be missing out on zoodles, however. 

Need some help finding what you’re looking for? Read our list of the best KitchenAid attachments.