The 13 Best Salad Spinners, Tested by Allrecipes

Best Overall: Cuisinart Salad Spinner

Type: Manual, knob

Capacity: 5 quarts

A plethora of great features make this all-plastic salad spinner a winner. The lid has a hole and a strainer, so you can fill the whole thing with water, use the spinner to agitate the greens, then pour the water out through the hole, while the strainer keeps everything inside. This is especially helpful for very dirty or sandy greens, such as spinach, and it's the only spinner we tested that had this feature.

Two sturdy clamps keep the lid in place for storage and while you're pouring water out. The spinning action is initiated by a knob that you turn, which is comfortable to hold and can be turned in either direction — nice for lefties.

It wobbles a little on the counter, despite a grippy base, but not enough to travel very far. And it's super effective: Of all the spinners we tested, this one left the least amount of water remaining on the greens. The sleek, clear plastic bowl is attractive enough to use as a serving bowl. The only downsides? It's not dishwasher safe and, with the big knob sticking out, it's bulky to store.

Buy It: $25; Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, or Target

Best Budget: IKEA TOKIG Salad Spinner

Type: Manual, knob

Capacity: Up to six servings of lettuce/spinach

Count on IKEA to make a super-cheap salad spinner, great for folks on a budget or for outfitting a second home or rental unit. It's less than $5, and although it's compact, it's big enough for four to six servings of lettuce or spinach.

This spinner uses a rotating knob mechanism and has to be operated with both hands — the other hand holds the lid down or it'll tip. It's a little arduous to crank, but the operation is quiet, and although it's not the most effective spinner in our bunch, the greens are dry enough to use. The bowl can be used for serving, but it's got a fairly basic design and is made of filmy clear plastic that makes it look like the base of a food storage container. This spinner has to be hand washed.

Buy It: $5; Ikea

Best Design: Dreamfarm Spina

Type: Manual

Capacity: 3 quarts

Dreamfarm is known for its clever designs and tongue-in-cheek names. So it's no surprise that Spina, the company's two-in-one salad spinner and colander, would be our favorite for design. This gadget is basically a colander with a handle that rotates on a frame. Rinse the greens while the handle is in the side position, then rotate the handle to the top, set the base in the kitchen sink (there's a rubbery foot that holds it steady), and push down the handle, which is on a threaded column like a top. The colander basket starts spinning, and you can watch the water spray out of your greens — satisfying!

This was by far one of the most effective spinners, leaving very little water clinging to the greens, so we'll forgive this spinner for not coming with a bowl that can be used for serving. It's even dishwasher safe, and the handle retracts inside the colander, so it can nest in a bowl for storage.

Buy It: $30; Amazon

Best Pump-Operated: Farberware Pump Salad Spinner with Bowl

Type: Pump-operated

Capacity: 6.65 quarts

This model was one of the most effective ones we tried, wicking away more water than most of the other spinners on this list. We particularly loved its curvaceous design; the lid is rounded, sleek and shiny, and the bowl is crystal-clear plastic, with an attractive curve and a bright-green grippy ring at the base… nice enough to bring your freshly dried salad right to the dinner table.

The spin basket had an unusual pattern of cutouts; some are horizontal while others are angled upwards and downwards, which might account for how thoroughly the water was able to pull away from the greens.The spinning action works with a pump mechanism, and the pump handle has a comfortably rounded shape made of grippy plastic. It feels great in the hand and doesn't require much effort to operate, for lefties and righties alike.

When not in use, a lock slides in place to keep the lid retracted, though the top of the knob still protrudes a little from the lid, which might make it hard if you need to stack other items on it for storage. There's a brake button, too, but it has to be pushed down pretty hard before it stops spinning. Possibly the only issue with this cheap and cheerful spinner is that it's hand wash only.

Buy It: $20; Amazon or Walmart

Best Pull Cord Salad Spinner: Zyliss Easy Spin Salad Spinner

Type: Pull cord

Capacity: 5 quarts

This updated version of Zyliss' classic salad spinner has a redesigned spin basket that's designed differently from other spinners. Instead of being perfectly round, it has wide ribs, and is designed to "fluff" the salad when you hit the brakes on the spinner. We're not sure if this design is any more effective than a traditional round bowl, but overall the spinner performed well, yielding greens that were fairly dry.

The handle is wide and comfortable; even someone with limited mobility would have no trouble getting a grip on it. The handle retracts even when it's purposefully kept pulled out, so there's no need to ever rewind it manually. The shape of the basket makes it annoying to clean, but the outer bowl is dishwasher safe. The whole thing can double as a serving bowl or storage container, and the spinning mechanism fits flat into a holder on top of the lid so it doesn't stick out when it's stored.

Buy It: $35; Amazon

Best Fabric Salad Dryer: Mirloco Salad Sling

Type: Fabric

Capacity: Holds a whole head of iceberg or romaine (30x30 inches)

We couldn't resist adding this fun and unique twist on a salad greens dryer to our list, even though it's not technically a salad spinner. The Salad Sling is a double-layered piece of bright green terry cloth fabric (made of polyester, nylon, and polyurethane). It's shaped in a large square, with elongated corners.

To use, place the wet greens in the middle of the square, gather the four corners together in one hand, and swing them around (It's a fun kitchen task for kids!). The absorbent material wicks up the water as it's being pulled out of the greens via the same centrifugal force that's used in traditional spinners, and a waterproof barrier between the two layers prevents that water from spraying all over your cabinets and floor.

Afterwards, you can use the dry parts of the towel to pat any excess water drops off the greens. In our testing, the amount of water remaining in the greens was a little more than the most effective salad spinners on this list, but it performed just as well as some of the others. And because big droplets were patted away at the end, the greens seemed dry enough.

If you have a second batch of greens to wash, you can reverse the sling and use the dry side, but after that you'll have to wait for it to dry before using again. The sling can be cleaned in a washing machine and dryer, and it takes up very little space — about as much as a dishtowel (there's also a loop on one corner to hang it from a rack or hook). The main downsides we saw with this clever innovation is that you need to use a bowl or colander to wash the greens first, and that, unlike transitional salad spinners, it doesn't double as a serving vessel.

Buy It: $20; Amazon or The Grommet

Best for Serving: OXO Steel Salad Spinner

Type: Pump-operated

Capacity: 6 quarts

The bowl of OXO's Steel Salad Spinner is just beautiful: Crafted of brushed stainless steel, it has a beautifully rounded shape and a grippy underside. We'd buy it on its own as a serving bowl…vthe fact that it comes as part of a salad spinner is just a bonus.

The spinning mechanism is pretty much the same as OXO's classic Good Grips salad spinner. A center hand pump, when pushed down, rotates the inner basket — comfortable to operate one-handed and with either hand. The more you push, the faster it goes. A brake stops the spinning gradually, and a lock keeps the spinner knob depressed for storage.

This spinner did a fairly good job at drying greens, although it wasn't among the top performers on our list. Like all OXO products, this product has a comfortable grippy handle and base; the spinner doesn't wobble or travel at all on the countertop. It's top rack dishwasher safe, but its bulky size means it might be a space hog in the cabinet.

Buy It: $50; Amazon, Williams Sonoma, or Bed Bath and Beyond

Best Stainless Steel: Williams-Sonoma Stainless Salad Spinner

Type: Manual, knob

Capacity: 4 quarts

The salad spinner from Williams Sonoma features sleek lines, a smooth, quiet operation, and a beautiful, seamless design. The outer bowl is made of clear plastic; it would work well as a serving bowl, although there are half-circle cutouts on either side where the lid fits in place. The inner spinning basket is made of stainless steel, with smaller cutouts than some of the other spinners. It'll likely quickly become your favorite colander as well, because boiling water won't warp the shape like it might with plastic, and the fine holes will keep small foods like grains or sprouts contained.

This spinner uses a crank-style handle on the lid to get the spinner going. The crank ratchets so you don't actually have to turn it a full rotation, but it only goes in one direction, which might be awkward for a left-handed person to use. The crank is hard to turn at first, but gets easier once the basket begins turning. The brake stops the spinning in an instant. This spinner is dishwasher safe, but storage might be an issue: The knob sticks up and tacks more than an inch of height onto this model.

Buy It: $60; Williams Sonoma

Best Space-Saving: Prepworks by Progressive Collapsible Salad Spinner

Type: Manual, knob

Capacity: 3 quarts

Small kitchen owners, this one's for you. The Prepworks Collapsible salad spinner is designed to flatten down to half its size (only three inches) while not compromising capacity or performance. A wide band of flexible, silicone-like plastic spans the middle of the bowl as well as the colander insert, folding on itself for storage.

The lid, too, is designed with space-saving in mind. While other lids have a protruding knob or are domed, this one has a knob that's flush with the flat top, so that other things can be stacked on it in storage. To use, you grip the embedded turning knob, and rotate it around the top of the lid, a motion comfortable for both left- and right-handed users.

The mechanism is smooth, relatively quiet, and doesn't require much effort, although you do have to hold the bowl with your other hand for stability. To stop the spinning motion, squeeze the flexible part of the outer bowl. The spinner bowl is great for serving; the bowl is clear and the flexible center band, as well as the grippy ring on the base, are a cheerful bright green. The lid fits snugly on top and would work nicely to cover what's inside for storage or transporting, and we like that you can collapse the bowl afterwards if you're taking a big salad to a picnic or potluck.

Buy It: $20; Amazon or Target

Easiest to Operate: OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner

Type: Pump-operated

Capacity: ~5 quarts

We'll forever have a soft spot for how OXO designs products that are easy and comfortable to operate. The company's Good Grips salad spinner uses a similar design as its Steel spinner, but the bowl is clear plastic and can double as an attractive serving bowl.

Like its sister product, the spinning is initiated by pushing the pump, and in this model, the brake works even better, immediately freezing the basket's motion. We liked that the pump handle is comfortable and grippy, that it can be used with the right or left hand, and that the whole thing is relatively lightweight.

It's easy to operate with only one hand, and although it wobbles a bit when the spinner is going at full tilt, it doesn't move around much on the counter. The lid is relatively flat, so stacking it under items in a storage cabinet shouldn't be an issue. Add in ease of cleaning — it's dishwasher safe and the lid easily comes apart if needed — and this spinner has it all!

Buy It: $30; Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, or Target

Other Salad Spinners We Tested

Here's what we thought of the rest (just not the best).

Leifheit Signature Salad Spinner

Type: Pull cord

Capacity: 5 quarts

The salad spinner from Leifheit uses a rip-cord mechanism to spin the basket. Like a yo-yo, the cord wraps back on itself, and the next pull will send it spinning in the other direction. Also like a yo-yo, if something interferes, the cord won't retract properly and you'll have to wind it back up by hand.

We liked the attractive design of this product: The bowl is frosted plastic, and it has a pretty flared shape that makes it a nice serving piece. The colander basket is bright green, matching the cord handle, and the company says it's heat resistant so it can double as a colander for hot foods, like pasta and potatoes.

Buy It: $33; Amazon

Westmark Vegetable and Salad Spinner with Pouring Spout

Type: Manual, knob/crank

Capacity: ~5 quarts

Westmark's take on the salad spinner uses a rotating crank to spin the colander inside. The crank is easier to turn than some of the other models on our list, but if you don't turn it just right, it tends to skid over the basket.

The spinner is also pretty loud, and it doesn't have any sort of grips to hold it on the counter, so unless you hold it tight, it might skid right off the counter. In our testing, the spinner didn't drain quite as much water from our greens as the other spinners. The bowl has a decorative frosted design on the side and can be used for serving, and we liked that that the lid can be inverted for storage so the knob won't stick out.

Buy It: $21; Amazon or Walmart

Zyliss Swift Dry Salad Spinner Large

Type: Pump-operated, push lever

Capacity: 5.75 quarts

The SwiftDry Salad spinner uses the same plastic bowl and unusually shaped spin basket as its pull-cord model. But this version has a lid with a lever that pops up. Pushing the lever down will activate the spinning motion through a series of gears that you can actually see through the translucent green plastic housing if you look underneath the lid.

The lever takes some force to push it down, but once the bowl gets spinning the lever is easier and easier to push, and it can be done with one hand. The brake stops the spinning immediately, which the company says will help "fluff" the greens. We did feel like the rapid momentum that the lever motion was able to achieve, coupled with the sudden braking, helped shake every bit of water off the leaves, making this a very effective salad spinner. And the flat design of the lid makes it ideal for storing the greens right in the spinner.

Buy It: $35; Walmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, or Amazon