These are the best manual and automatic peelers for quick and easy kitchen prep.
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Before you reach for the potato masher to make herbed mashed potatoes or a grater for potato latkes, you first need a potato peeler. The right peeler will make it a breeze to tackle a ton of taters, as well as an assortment of other ingredients, from apples, carrots and butternut squash to even unusual suspects like cheese and chocolate.
To put together this guide to the best potato peelers you can buy, our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances & Innovation Lab tested more than a dozen models to find the top-performing manual and electric potato peelers that will help fast-track your meal prep.
Our top picks all feature a sharp edge and are easy to maneuver, making it simpler than ever to remove the skin from bumpy russet potatoes, round apples and more. From a budget option to a trusty machine, these potato peelers have your back, whether you're whipping up Thanksgiving recipes for a crowd or just preparing an easy weeknight dinner.
We found this flat, non-slip peeler to be very comfortable to hold, and its sharp swiveling blade swiftly navigated bends and bumps to keep prep work speedy. The built-in eyer didn’t gouge produce, though it was sometimes a little too small for removing larger blemishes. Another element we love: It’s small and dishwasher safe for easy storage and clean-up.
This peeler is also sold as part of a three-piece set that we also recommend, which includes a stainless-steel serrated blade for tender and soft-skinned produce as well as a julienne peeler.
Don’t let the basic design fool you: Kuhn Rikon's peeler is a mainstay in professional kitchens — and a favorite in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, too. Plus there's a fun little bonus: It comes in a ton of colors.
In our tests, the super-sharp swiveling carbon steel blade and the lightweight design facilitated quick peeling. It also removed a thin layer of skin, which minimizes food waste. The eyer scoops out blemishes without gouging the produce, and the compact shape is easy to store. This affordable peeler was a close runner-up to our top pick from OXO, but there was one drawback that stood out to us: You must hand-wash and thoroughly dry the blade to avoid rust.
With over 39,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, OXO's simple yet practical peeler has many fans. The non-slip handle, designed to absorb pressure, is wide and slightly flattened, so it won’t spin in your hand while you work.
We found that the sharp stainless steel blade swivels well, which is helpful for navigating curves and odd shapes, and the eyer on this dishwasher-safe model removes imperfections without damaging the produce. One downside is that the plastic surrounding the blade is a little thick, sometimes making it hard to see as you are peeling.
On Amazon, this Spring Chef peeler has an average rating of 4.8 stars, with many reviewers praising its sharp, swiveling stainless steel blade that glides over bumpy produce. After testing it out ourselves, we agree: It navigated multiple types of produce with ease, producing thin peels for less waste. The non-slip handle is designed to be ergonomic, with a molded shape that helps your fingers stay secure — that said, the grooves may not fit all hands well.
Great for large or small batches of potatoes, this electric peeler is especially helpful for people with arthritis or for those who have less dexterity in their hands. Simply insert the potato onto the bottom prongs and then align the upper food holder so the top prong holds the spud in place. The arm peels from the top in one continuous motion, stopping automatically when the peeling is complete. (It’s so satisfying to watch it spin and peel!)
The accompanying thumb knife removes eyes and blemishes from potatoes. But this automatic potato peeler can handle so much more: Because it can adjust to accommodate any type of produce up to 5½ inches (you can trim or halve larger items to fit), it can also peel apples, citrus, mangoes, zucchinis, cucumbers and even tomatoes.
You can use the cord to power the peeler or operate it with batteries. The non-skid base keeps the unit secure, and it includes two replacement blades, though it's on the bulky side, so storage can be tricky.
This unique potato peeler has a built-in sharpener that sharpens the blade every time it's used. Our testers found that this feature kept the blade sharp, though they noted that it was important to use caution to prevent accidental cuts to hands or nails. While not in use, the cover protects users from scraping themselves when rummaging through a kitchen drawer and keeps the blade free of dust and dirt.
It's also nice and lightweight, which gave testers more control while peeling potatoes. In considering the longevity of the peeler, we've washed it in the dishwasher several times and still haven't noticed any rust or dulling on the blade.
In the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Kitchen Appliances & Innovation Lab, we tested more than a dozen potato peelers, peeling over 20 pounds of produce — potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and apples —in the process.
We evaluate eight data points including the thinness of the peeled skins and the smoothness of the peeling process. We also note whether the peeler was comfortable to hold and use as well as able to swivel around all shapes quickly and easily.
✔️ Style: There are two main types of potato peelers to consider: manual and electric. Within manual peelers, there are the traditional peeler and the Y-peeler. At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference: Either can be used for all types of peeling.
✔️ Blade: Potato peelers come with straight or serrated blades. After putting both to the test, we recommend straight blades for potatoes and most ingredients, and serrated blades for delicate items with thin skins, like tomatoes. Straight blades produce clean cuts, while serrated blades leave behind ridges that may not be ideal, presentation-wise.
✔️ Material: Blades are generally stainless steel or carbon steel, though there are ceramic-bladed peelers. Stainless steel holds a sharp edge and is also usually dishwasher safe. Carbon steel is very sharp but can rust over time if not washed and dried thoroughly. Ceramic blades are sharp but can stain.
✔️ Handle: While a non-slip handle is universally helpful — you don’t want the peeler to slip and cut you — the main advice is to find a peeler that’s comfortable in your grip. A peeler should sit comfortably in your hand and allow you to work quickly without fatigue.
✔️ Eyer: This small protrusion near the blade allows you to remove imperfections without gouging the potato.
Associate Food Editor Becca Miller is the most recent updater of this article. Since starting at GH in 2018, she has written about all kinds of food products and kitchen appliances. She particularly loves multitasking kitchen tools, like kitchen shears, potato peelers and kitchen knives.
This article was originally written by Sarah Gregory Wharton, a deputy editor for the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she tests products and covers the best picks across kitchen, tech, health and food. She has been cooking professionally since 2017 and has tested kitchen appliances and gear for several publications, including potato and vegetable peelers, grill thermometers and other handheld kitchen tools.
Sarah (she/her) is a deputy editor in the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she tests products and covers the best picks across kitchen, tech, health and food. She has been cooking professionally since 2017 and has tested kitchen appliances and gear for Family Circle as well as developed recipes and food content for Simply Recipes, Martha Stewart Omnimedia, Oxo and Food52. She holds a certificate in professional culinary arts from the International Culinary Center (now the Institute of Culinary Education).
Becca Miller (she/her) has been working in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen since 2018, where she researches and writes about tasty recipes, food trends and top cooking tools. She graduated from NYU with a liberal arts degree focusing on creative writing. She makes killer scrambled eggs, enjoys a glass of un-oaked chardonnay and takes pride in her love of reality television.
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