A single carrot for a salad may be handled by almost any potato peeler, but when you need to peel a bushel of tomatoes for homemade tomato sauce or a large butternut squash, a specialist vegetable peeler comes in handy.

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A vegetable peeler is similar to a potato peeler, although it can vary in size and blade design to suit varied cuisines. Tomatoes, for example, are significantly easier to peel with a serrated blade due to their thin skin and sensitive flesh. A broader blade is useful for large veggies with harder skins, such as butternut squash and eggplant. Asparagus, on the other hand, may be peeled more effectively with a smaller, more curved blade.

Once you have a useful tool, you may come up with a plethora of inventive new applications for it. Continue reading for our reviews, and at the bottom of this article, you'll find additional information on how we evaluate vegetable peelers and what to look for when looking for a new peeler.

1
BEST OVERALL VEGETABLE PEELER

Tovolo Magnetic Tri-Peeler (Set of 3)

Both the straight and serrated Y peelers from Tovolo handled our produce tests with ease. They’re sharp stainless steel and swivel to handle corners and curves. So we recommend buying them as part of this set of three, which includes a julienne peeler to round out common vegetable prep tasks.

The lightweight trio is comfortable and dishwasher safe, and they’re magnetic to stay stacked for compact and easy access. One caveat: None of the peelers has an eyer, which can be a detriment for potatoes and apples. But for vegetables like carrots, cucumbers and zucchini, it’s a versatile set that gets you peeled and sliced lickety-split.

2
BEST VALUE VEGETABLE PEELER

OXO Good Grips Prep Y-Peeler


With a silicone handle that's comfortable to hold, we love that this non-slip peeler has a sharp, swiveling blade that smoothly navigates bends and bumps to keep vegetable prep speedy.

During testing, we found its built-in eyer didn’t gouge produce — though it was sometimes a little small for going at larger blemishes. We also appreciate its compact size and that's it's dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup. Note that this peeler is also sold as part of a three-piece set that we recommend, which includes a stainless steel serrated blade for tender and soft-skinned produce as well as a julienne peeler.


3
BEST PEELER FOR SOFT FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Kuhn Rikon Piranha Y Peeler

If you’ve ever had a straight blade slip right off a tomato, you’ll appreciate the ease with which you can remove thin strips of skin with this peeler. While the brand's straight-blade Y peeler is one of our favorites for potatoes and most vegetables, this version stood out for its sharp, stainless steel serrated blade that let us peel tender foods, like tomatoes, peaches and pears, without tearing the skin or squishing the fruit. It also tackled thin-skinned, slick butternut squash skin and thick-skinned, smooth eggplant with ease. Toss it in the dishwasher when you’re done.

4
BEST VEGETABLE PEELER FOR ARTHRITIS

Chef'n PalmPeeler Vegetable Peeler

This reimagined peeler was comfortable in the palm — it has a finger holder to help keep it in place — and performed well with a variety of fruits and veggies. It’s a great choice if you have arthritis or dexterity limitations. It also keeps fingers away from the stainless steel blade, if you have younger kids helping with prep.

One caveat: The peeler can clog with the peeled strips, and you can’t immediately see that due to the design, so you will sometimes have a misfire when attempting to peel a new strip. It comes with a cap for safe storage and is dishwasher safe.

5
BEST ELECTRIC VEGETABLE PEELER

KitchenAid Spiralizer Plus Attachment

If you keep a KitchenAid stand mixer within reach, this makes a great vegetable peeler. The attachment plugs into the power hub on the front of the mixer and makes peeling a variety of vegetables as easy as flipping a knob. You slide your produce onto the attachment’s skewer mount and then insert the peeler blade and align it with the food. It peels your potato, zucchini, cucumber, and more quickly and with little waste.

This attachment is handy if you are prepping, say, a whole pie’s worth of apples, and it’s also helpful for those who have trouble using standard peelers. It works with produce up to 5 ½ inches in length, so long veggies will need to be trimmed. Bonus: It can also be used as a corer, slicer and spiralizer, so there’s a little extra incentive to leave it set up.

6
BEST CORN PEELER

OXO Good Grips Corn Prep Peeler

We don't often recommend single-use tools, but this one proved to be worth it. Corn, with its rounded shape and separate kernels, can be cut with a knife, but can be dangerous and wobbly to stand the ear upright. And traditional peelers are often too shallow, which means you sacrifice the sweet kernels.

But this peeler makes taking corn off the cob a pleasure. The curved design allows you to maintain contact with the cob, so you don’t damage the kernels, and leaves you with a very smooth cob. Plus you can work with the ear on a flat surface, which keeps the task safe.

The blade is Japanese stainless steel, so it won’t rust and is dishwasher safe. And OXO, well-known for its ergonomic design, maintains its record with the non-slip handle. The Corn Prep Peeler is part of a collection of other specialized vegetable peelers from Oxo, including an assorted set that tested well all-around, a large peeler that proved useful for cabbage, and more.