Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (2024)

Home Lifestyle Healthy Living Spiralizer Beginner’s Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize

by Lisa Bryan

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Updated Dec 26, 2020

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.

The spiralizer is one of my favorite kitchen tools. It’s the fastest, easiest and most fun way to get more veggies into your diet. Today I’m sharing my favorite vegetables to spiralize along with veggie spiralizer tips and recipes.

Creating spiralized vegetable noodles is not only fun, it’s a great way to boost the nutrient density of any meal.

Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (2)

Spiralizer Beginner’s Guide

If you just bought your first spiralizer, congratulations.You’ve purchasedone of my absolutefavorite kitchen tools. And if you’re reading this post because you’re wondering if a spiralizer is worth it (meaning, should you really splurge on yet another kitchen tool) – well, the quick answer is yes. But I hope the video and informationbelow will inspire you.

Most of you are well aware of my love for zucchini noodles. It’s the number one vegetable I spiralize. In fact, the most popular post on Downshiftology is all about making and cooking zucchini noodles. Yep, I’m smitten with zoodles.

But if you were to only spiralize zucchini noodles, you’d be greatly missing out. Because there are dozens of different vegetables that you can spiralize for salads, casseroles, appetizers, entrees and desserts. Spiralizing isan easy way to get more veggies into your diet and doing sowill save you time in the kitchen – always a lovely bonus.

If you’re celiac or gluten-free (as I am) or simply avoiding grains, vegetable noodles make for deliciousand nutritious meals replacing beige pasta with all the colors of the rainbow.

Learn How to Spiralize All My Favorite Vegetables

Want to learn how to spiralize and make delicious recipes? Watch the video below! And subscribe to my YouTube Channel for weekly cooking videos.

The Best Vegetables to Spiralize

Today, I’m sharing some of the best vegetables to spiralize and the ones I spiralize most frequently. Of course, there are many more options than these and I’d love to hear in the comments below what your favorites are. Below each vegetable I’ve also listed a little spiralizer recipe inspiration on Downshiftology to boost your creativity in using that spiralized vegetable.

If you’re wondering which spiralizer I use most frequently, it’s the Paderno Spiralizer. In my post and video on zucchini noodles I compare and contrast all thebest spiralizers, so if you’re still on the hunt make sure to check that out.

After you’ve watched thevideo above and have become an expert on spiralizing (it’s easy to do) have fun experimenting with all the different vegetables. I’m always adding new recipes so make sure to check back often for the latest or subscribe to my newsletter at the top of this page. That way you’ll never miss my newest spiralizer recipes.

My Favorite Spiralizer Recipes & Vegetables

Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (3)

Spiralized Zucchini

Zucchini is the go-to vegetable when it comes to spiralizing and that’s for good reason – it’ssoft and easy to spiralize with a neutral flavor that adapts well to many traditional pasta dishes. I leave the peel on for added nutrition (after giving it a good wash), but don’t forget to include yellow squash inyour zoodle repetoire as well.

Recipes:

  • Zucchini Noodles with Chicken, Spinach and Parmesan
  • Zucchini Noodle Caprese
  • Carrot and Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Cucumber Sauce
  • Zucchini Noodle Spaghetti Bolognese
  • Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Garlic Shrimp
  • Mexican Chicken Zucchini Noodles

Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (4)

Spiralized Cucumber

With cucumber I use the large spiral slicing blade (for added crunch) or the straight blade to create beautiful ribbons of cucumber. These ribbons are quite the show stopper and in just a few seconds you’ll have plenty of cucumber for your favorite salad.

Recipe:

  • Easy Cucumber Salad

Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (5)

Spiralized Bell Pepper

As a Cali girl some of my favorite recipes are Mexican-inspired and there’s no easier way to slice up a sweet bell pepper for fajitas or tacos. Use thestraight blade toeasily and quickly slice an entirebell pepper. Just remove the white pith and seeds when you’re done.

Recipe:

  • Steak Fajitas with Cassava Flour Tortillas

Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (6)

Spiralized Parsnip

Parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, celeriac and other root vegetables are a breeze to spiralize. The fine or mediumspiral slicing bladesare your best options for creating vegetable noodles that look strikingly similar to pasta. Just toss these in a pan for a quick sauté for the perfect al dente veggie noodle.

Recipe:

  • Parsnip Noodle Chicken Alfredo

Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (7)

Spiralized Carrot

Spiralized carrots are a great alternative to shredding or slicing for salads or stir fry and let’s be honest, they look way fancier. Grab the largest carrots you can find for easier spiralizingand use a fine or medium spiral slicing blade.

Recipe:

  • Grilled Fish Tacos with Citrus Carrot Slaw
  • Carrot and Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Cucumber Sauce

Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (8)

Spiralized Sweet Potato

If you want to whip up fast food-style curly fries at home (in a much healthier incarnation) then you’re in luck.Just peel the sweet potato and spiralize away. Of course, you can easily spiralize white potatoes as well. I opt for the largest spiral slicing blade when making my curly sweet potato fries.

Recipe:

  • Curly Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic Aioli
  • Spiralized Sweet Potato Egg Nests
  • Sweet Potato Noodles, Cabbage and Lentil Salad

Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (9)

Spiralized Red Onion

Red onion may just be my favorite vegetable to spiralize – want toknow why? No streaming tears! My eyes are hyper-sensitive to onions and I’ve never been able to cut one the traditional wayand walk awaywithout crying. But with the spiralizer I can slice an entire onion and never shed a tear because it’s so darn quick. Love that.

Recipes: Any salad you want to top with onions. Also perfect for pickledred onions or caramelized onions.

Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (10)

Spiralized Cabbage

Whether you use green or redcabbage, you can slice an entire cabbage for coleslaw or braised cabbage in mere seconds.If your cabbage is extra-large you may need to cut it in half, but if it’s average-size just pop on the straight blade and twirl away.

Recipes:

  • Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro, Lime, Bacon Slaw
  • Sweet Potato Noodles, Cabbage and Lentil Salad

Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (11)

Spiralized Beet

My love for beets has increased as I’ve gotten olderand I’m now extremelyfond of these nutrient-packed veggies.Spiralize either golden or red beets for a vibrant addition to any salad. Pro tip: use gloves when handling beets so you don’t stain your hands.

Recipe: Spiralized Beet Salad (coming soon)

Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (12)

Spiralized Apple

To finish off this list I’m swapping a veggie for a fruit because why not end with something sweet – apples.Use any of the spiral blades for curly apple noodles, perfect for salads, oruse the straight blade to quickly slice your apple for apple chips.

Recipes:

  • Apple Chips
  • Braised Red Cabbage with Apples (coming soon)

Vegetable Spiralizer Tips

  • Play around with the different blades. You may like your slices thicker or thinner depending on the vegetable and recipe.
  • Orange and red/purple colored veggiesare packed with nutrients and get their color from beta carotene and anthocyanin – but these colors can also stain your tool. Remember to immediately wash your spiralizer (and cutting board) after slicing brightly colored veggies.
  • When it comes to carrots, parsnips and other “narrow” vegetables,grab the largest you can find. The wider the better.
  • While not on this list (because it’s the middle of summer and I couldn’t find one), my favorite winter vegetable to spiralize is butternut squash.
  • Many spiralized veggies make for great healthy meal prep. Slice zucchini, carrot, onion and beets on the weekend and store in a ziploc bag or glass storage container in the fridge for various recipesthroughout the week.
  • Again, I use the Paderno Spiralizer (the one you see above), but if you have a KitchenAid Stand Mixer, you may love the KitchenAid Spiralizer. Watch my video on zucchini noodles where I compare and contrast five different spiralizers.
  • And if you’re ready for the next evolution in spiralizing, make sure to check out the new Vegetable Sheet Cutter. Your veggie recipe repertoire will grow exponentially.

Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (13)

What’s your favorite vegetable to spiralize? Let me know in the comments below!

Originally published July 2017 and updated December 2019.

About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

Read More About Me

Spiralizer Beginner's Guide: 10 Vegetables to Spiralize + Spiralizer Recipes | Downshiftology (2024)

FAQs

What vegetables are good for Spiralising? ›

What are the best vegetables to spiralise? There are a few vegetables that were born to be spiralized according to Cassie: ''The firm texture of root vegetables makes them perfect for spiralizing, but you can also use cucumbers, squash or pumpkin, or firm fruits such as apples and pears.

What are the top 5 spiralize vegetables? ›

Start Spiralizing with These 10 Vegetables
  • Butternut Squash. ...
  • Carrots. ...
  • Potatoes. ...
  • Sweet Potatoes. ...
  • Summer Squash & Zucchini. ...
  • Turnips. This often-overlooked vegetable is one of the easiest to spiralize. ...
  • Cabbage. Spiraling cabbage is the fastest way to prep slaw. ...
  • Onions. Thank you, spiralizer.
Sep 4, 2022

Are spiralizers worth buying? ›

If you just bought your first spiralizer, congratulations. You've purchased one of my absolute favorite kitchen tools. And if you're reading this post because you're wondering if a spiralizer is worth it (meaning, should you really splurge on yet another kitchen tool) – well, the quick answer is yes.

How do you cook zoodles so they're not soggy? ›

You don't boil them that would make them soggy. To cok zucchini noodles you toss them in a frying pan, with a little butter, oil or cooking spray, just long enough to heat. Add your sauce and it's done.

Can you spiralize an onion? ›

Spiralizing onions is great for a few reasons: It's easy and quick, Onions don't leave much residue on the spiralizer, so it's a breezy cleanup, It uses more of the onion, so there's less waste, and.

Can you Spiralise cucumber? ›

Save time and spiralize crisp cucumber instead of chopping it for this easy, healthy vegetable side inspired by Greek salad. Want to make it a meal?

What fruit is best to Spiralize? ›

Veggies aren't the only produce that can be spiralized. Certain fruits, like apples and pears, can also be easily transformed into noodles, says Maffucci. Apples and pears are great sources of fiber.

Can you Spiralize cheese? ›

Spiralized cheese is basically grated cheese. Which is apropos, because the Vegetti is essentially a handheld grater—and a pretty good one. The Vegetti is faster than using a box grater and yielded a good grate for topping chili.

What else can I use my spiralizer for? ›

Spiralizer recipes
  • Ham & mushroom potato nests with fried quail's eggs. ...
  • Baked carrot & nigella seed bhajis with raita. ...
  • Mini butternut squash frittatas. ...
  • Lime, sesame & coconut courgette carpaccio. ...
  • Beetroot & avocado nori rolls with wasabi dipping sauce. ...
  • Quick pickled cucumbers. ...
  • Roasted beets, plum & pecan salad.

Why is my zucchini rubbery? ›

How to Tell If Zucchini Has Gone Bad. Bad zucchini will feel rubbery or slimy to the touch. It may also have an off-putting smell and dark or fuzzy moldy spots. The interior of bad zucchini may be off-white to brownish with stringy, mushy flesh and large, hard seeds.

Why is my zucchini so slimy when I cook it? ›

This, the outlet asserts, is due to zucchini's high water content: If it cooks too slowly, it will release its moisture before it sears, becoming soggy and sodden. Over high heat, on the other hand, zucchini becomes caramelized on the outside but retains a meaty, firm texture within.

Should you salt zoodles before cooking? ›

Add zucchini noodles. Toss with tongs and let the zucchini cook for just a minute or two. Remove from heat and add to sauce or add some salt and eat as is. Note: Don't salt the zucchini before you saute it; the noodles will release more water and they'll end up limp.

What vegetables do athletes eat? ›

Green vegetables like kale, spinach, broccoli, swiss chard, brussels sprouts and asparagus are some of the best vegetables for athletes because they are high in nutrients, vitamins, plant proteins and fiber. They are nutrient powerhouses that will help improve your blood flow, heart rate, energy level, mood and more.

Which vegetables are good for weakness? ›

Spinach. Spinach is a great source of vitamin C, folate, and iron. Adequate amounts of these vitamins and minerals are essential for energy production. Lower levels of iron in particular can cause major fatigue.

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