4 Best Peelers of 2026, Tested and Reviewed
From potatoes to tomatoes, we peeled our way to find the best picks.
Tested by Jessica Harlan
Cooks owe their no-longer-aching hands to whoever redesigned the flimsy metal vegetable peeler to be sharper, more comfortable and more efficient. Today’s peelers come in a variety of ergonomic shapes, with grippy finishes that stay put in wet hands, and high-quality stainless steel blades that remain sharp.
A good peeler should quickly and easily remove the skin or rind from everything from a tough butternut squash to a delicate, soft tomato or peach. While this is a task that could be accomplished with a paring knife, using a vegetable peeler is safer, faster, and far easier, especially for inexperienced cooks. Every kitchen needs at least one peeler in its drawer to make short work of meal prep.
Our Top Vegetable Peeler Picks
Jessica Harlan
How We Tested
To choose the best vegetable peelers on the market, we consulted multiple buying guides and bestseller lists from a variety of online retailers including Amazon, Williams Sonoma and Walmart, scouring customer reviews for the most-loved brands and products. Our testers took into consideration price, opting for peelers under $25 more often than not, and style, to include Y-shaped peelers, serrated peelers and straight peelers. We looked for peelers from reputable brands that are widely available at most online and brick-and-mortar retailers, wherever possible.
From a roster of 13 finalists, we put each product through four tests: peeling apples, tomatoes, potatoes and lemons. With each test, our tester evaluated how well the peeler was able to cut into the skin, whether it was a smooth and efficient process, how the peeler navigated lumps and curves, and if the tool felt comfortable and secure in the hand, even when wet. Our tester checked to see if the peeler was sharp enough to slip under the delicate skin of the tomato without damaging the flesh, and if it would detach the peel from the fruit or vegetable at the end of each stroke. Finally, the tester hand-washed each peeler to see if it was easy to access crevices. For those that are dishwasher safe, she also ran them through a dishwasher cycle and checked whether they came out perfectly clean and undamaged.
Jessica Harlan
Jessica Harlan
Jessica Harlan
Jessica Harlan
Jessica Harlan
Our tester is a culinary school graduate and the author of nine cookbooks. She was determined to find the most comfortable and efficient peeler that wouldn’t make her hand ache whether she was prepping pound after pound of potatoes for latke night during Hanukkah or peeling fresh tomatoes for homemade marinara sauce.
- Very comfortable to hold
- Blade works well even on soft foods
- Eyer doesn't remove too much
- Hard to reach crevices when hand washing
Leave it to OXO to make a vegetable peeler that’s so comfortable, it could be used all day without complaint. This peeler is made with OXO’s hallmark grippy handle, and a row of grooves on either side create a soft, cushy grip that feels secure even with wet or greasy hands. Unlike OXO’s Y-peeler, which wasn’t sharp enough to peel a tomato, this peeler’s blade was razor-sharp, slipping easily under the skin of a tomato and pulling through the stroke with very little drag. It performed equally well on an apple and a potato, removing the skin effortlessly and efficiently. The eyer was just the right size to carve out a blemish without removing a too-big chunk of potato. The grippy handle was comfortable and ergonomic. This peeler passed all our tests with flying colors and would be a versatile and easy-to-use addition to any tool drawer.
- Style Straight swivel peeler
- Material Japanese stainless steel blade, plastic body
- Dimensions 1.8" blade, 4.5" handle, 2.43 oz
- Dishwasher Safe Yes
- Built-in cover won't get lost
- Self sharpening
- Bright red to see easily in drawers
- Cover design traps moisture
The smart design and many features of Sharple was what earned it a spot as the runner-up to the best vegetable peeler on the market. While many peelers either have an easy-to-lose removable cover or no cover at all, the Sharple has a clear cover that retracts onto the handle. What’s more, inside the cover is a tiny ceramic wheel that hones and sharpens the blade as the cover slides back and forth. And it’s a formidable blade to keep sharp: In the four tests, this sharpener performed very well. With the apple, the blade cut through the peel so effortlessly that our tester had to apply a little pressure to slow down its path through the skin, and it peeled the tomato as well as the serrated blades intended for this task, easily separating the skin from the body without bruising, and detaching the skin from the tomato at the end of the stroke, a feat that not every peeler accomplishes consistently. It also excelled at peeling a lemon, removing just the zest and virtually no pith. While the handle does not have a matte or grippy finish, it does have a series of raised lines on either side that help hands grip it securely even when wet. The handle shape is straight, without ergonomic curves, and could be uncomfortable over long periods of use for someone with mobility issues, but our tester didn’t notice any discomfort while working with the peeler. The potato eyer, a scoop built into the end of the peeler, was a little too big and gouged out more of the potato than necessary.
- Style Straight swivel peeler
- Material Japanese stainless steel blade, plastic handle, ceramic sharpener
- Dimensions 1.8" blade, 4" handle, 1.45 oz
- Dishwasher Safe Yes
- Brightly colored to stand out in drawer
- Shape is comfortable in palm
- Carbon steel blade for long-lasting sharpness
- Hand wash only
- Blade isn't quite as sharp as others
There’s a reason these tiny, colorful peelers are a favorite among chefs. At less than $4 apiece, they are painless to replace if they get lost or become dull. With a Y-shaped design and a wide, short handle, the peeler fits neatly into the palm of the hand, while a large loop is good for hooking a finger through for extra leverage. Our tester noted that this peeler did best with the potato, cleanly removing the peel in one long stroke. It was comfortable to hold and efficient to use, while the scoop-style eye tool was sharp enough to neatly remove a blemish without removing too much of the potato. It also performed well peeling the apple and lemon, requiring a little more effort than some of the pricier blades, but not so much to make the task onerous. The only shortcoming was when it came to the tomato; the peeler required a wiggling motion to work its way through the skin. While the manufacturer does not recommend cleaning this peeler in the dishwasher as carbon steel is prone to rusting, its open design made it easy to clean.
- Style Y-shaped straight peeler
- Material Carbon steel blade, plastic body
- Dimensions 1.75" blade, 3" handle, 0.46 oz
- Dishwasher Safe No
- Comfortable handle
- Very precise at removing a thin layer of skin
- Red for easy finding in a drawer
- A little heavy
A little more expensive than the others on this list, this peeler seems worth the investment based on its durable construction and super-sharp blade. Our tester was able to easily peel an apple in nearly one continuous spiral motion, and the serration grooves were virtually imperceptible. The peeler also performed well peeling a tomato, biting into the skin and working in long strokes that detached the peel from the tomato every single time. When peeling a lemon, the tester felt like there was just enough resistance to be able to control both long or short strokes, and the zest came away with very little white pith attached. With a matte finish and a slightly bulbous design that features facets for the fingers to grip, the peeler was comfortable to hold and offered a secure, confident grip. While it’s dishwasher safe, the curved design of the housing that holds the blade also made it easy to reach behind the blade when hand washing.
- Style Serrated swivel peeler
- Material Stainless steel blade, plastic handle
- Dimensions 1.75" blade, 4.5" handle, 3.74 oz
- Dishwasher Safe Yes
What to Consider Before Buying a Peeler
Ease of Use
A peeler with a sharp enough blade to easily slice into the skin of a delicate fruit like a peach or a tough rind like a lemon will also require less effort and will be easier to maneuver and control. The handle design should also allow the user to feel like they have leverage.
Comfort
Just like with buying a chef’s knife, it’s always best to hold a peeler in your hand and even test-drive it if possible, to make sure it will be comfortable for you to use.
Easy to Clean
Not every vegetable peeler is dishwasher safe, as some blades may rust or pit in the dishwasher. A peeler with enough room to run a sponge behind the blade will be eaiser to clean thoroughly.
FAQs
Are Y-shaped peelers best?
Y-shaped peelers, where the blade is perpendicular to the handle, are preferred by many cooks as the wider, shorter handle can fit snugly into the palm, feeling almost like an extension of the user’s hand. This gives the user more leverage and control than traditional peelers.
What’s the best Y-shaped peeler that’s not Kuhn Rikon?
Our tester liked the Rösle Crosswise Swivel Peeler a lot. Its razor-sharp blade maneuvered well over the curved surface of fruits and vegetables, and although it has a long handle rather than the shorter, flatter handle, a cook’s hand can choke up on the handle as they would a knife, for control.
What type of peeler do chefs use?
Because of their low price point, carbon steel blade and comfortable short handle, many chefs like the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Y Peeler, our budget pick. It’s particularly efficient for peeling potatoes directly over a trash can or compost bin. Our Food Network test kitchen chefs also opt for this peeler. "Our standard peeler in the Test Kitchen is the Kuhn Rikon peeler. It is the same one most of us have used for years here and in restaurants we have worked at. We are pretty married to Y-peelers in general. They are easier to use on a variety of fruits, vegetables and cheeses and the Kuhn Rikon is light, small and easy to clean," says Ginevra Iverson, the test kitchen director.
What’s the difference between a julienne peeler and Y-shaped peeler?
A julienne peeler is not actually meant to remove the peels from fruits and vegetables. It has a toothed blade designed to slice off thin strips of fruit and vegetables for salads and garnishes. While some models come in a Y-shaped design, you can also find straight-shaped julienne peelers.
Do you need a serrated peeler?
In our tests, we found that the serrated peelers outperformed most of the straight blades at peeling soft, delicate tomatoes, and they worked well with the other peeling tasks as well. A serrated peeler’s teeth help the blade slice into the skin with less resistance. As with serrated knives, a serrated peeler may feel sharper for longer than a straight blade. If you peel a lot of tomatoes and peaches, a serrated peeler would be a useful addition to your kitchen.
Other Peelers We Tested
We tested 13 peelers from a variety of well-known brands. Our tester found that some models did not perform as well as others within the same brand. For instance, the OXO Good Grips Prep Y-Peeler mangled a tomato and struggled a little when peeling an apple, but the OXO Swivel Peeler worked far better. And while the serrated Microplane peeler earned a spot as our favorite serrated peeler, Microplane’s straight-blade version could not even pierce the skin of a tomato and required too much effort dragging it through the peel of a lemon. We are big fans of most of Misen’s products, but its peeler didn’t seem as sharp or as effective as the others we tested, giving a lot of resistance when peeling a lemon and squishing the tomato. Our least favorite was the KitchenAid Y-shaped peeler, which had a straight, slick handle that seemed like it would get slippery, a dull blade that required a lot of effort to use, and no hanging loop or potato eyer.
Why You Should Trust Our Tester
A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, Jessica Harlan has been a cooking equipment reviewer and recipe developer for more than 20 years. She has written nine cookbooks.
