The 8 Best Salad Spinners
Updated by · How we research
Pump, crank, steel and glass salad spinners compared on drying, capacity and cleanup. The OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner leads with a one-hand pump and brake. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
No salad spinner gets greens completely dry, and in one big kitchen test a pricier stainless bowl dried no better than plain plastic. What a good spinner does is fling off most of the water, so dressing clings and leaves keep longer in the fridge. If you wash lettuce, herbs or berries every week, a spinner earns its cabinet space.
Editor's Notes
November 1, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Editors:
The OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner now leads this list. It was the one earlier pick that still holds up, and it came out on top in more independent kitchen tests than any other spinner we looked at. The Mueller Smart Lock and the Prepworks by Progressive Collapsible are currently unavailable, so they're gone. We also dropped the Savant Kitchen Jumbo, LovKitchen 4 Quart, Dynamic International, Cave Tools Set, Good Cook Deluxe and Ikea Tokig, which we couldn't find for sale as described, and the Rosle Stainless Steel, which asks a lot for what it does.
The page still covers spinners for home kitchens. Three kitchen labs measured how much water each model left on spun greens, and they don't always agree: the Farberware Pro Pump drew praise from one and a shrug from another, so we say so. The OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel and OXO Good Grips Glass are here as serving pieces, not because steel or glass dries better. Restaurant-size and electric spinners are out of scope now.
Earlier notes
April 9, 2020, by Melissa Harr:
To save you from soggy salad, we've kept a range of models that include both plastic and metal components. Coming out on top is the popular Mueller Smart Lock, which has plenty of usability features, including a brake button that can help save your valuable time. Guaranteed for life, it's crafted from robust plastic that will last, and it holds up to five quarts. The Savant Kitchen Jumbo has a similar capacity, despite its name, while the LovKitchen 4 Quart is a bit smaller. Both are fine plastic models for day-to-day use. As for metal options, there's the Rosle Stainless Steel, which has a metal outer salad bowl that will look elegant on any table. It's rather expensive, though.
For those who need something a little different, we've kept the Dynamic International, for commercial kitchens, and the Prepworks by Progressive Collapsible, for tiny ones. The latter collapses to about half its size for storage, but some usability is lost, making it a bit finicky. You might consider this model for occasional use only, sticking to heavier duty choices, like the Good Cook Deluxe, for daily service.
Finally, a word about the popular Oxo Good Grips Large. This sleek model is not without flaws, including a rather slow spinning rate that does not dry as well as could be hoped. For fans of the brand, and for those who are patient, it can be worth it, but if you're the type who is always in a hurry, you might want to give it a pass.
Special Honors
Zyliss Swift Dry Salad Spinner Zyliss makes a one-hand pump spinner with a stop button and a clear bowl that doubles as a serving dish, in small and large sizes, plus a stainless version. Reviewed named it the best overall salad spinner in its roundup. The maker sells it directly in the U.S. us.zyliss.com
Pump, Crank Or Pull Cord
Five quarts or more handles a family salad or a whole head of lettuce in one go.
How you spin matters more than the bowl. A pump spinner has a big knob on the lid that you press down with one hand while the other holds nothing. Most pump models add a stop button, which brings the basket to a halt so you can lift the greens out sooner. America's Test Kitchen ranked a pump model first and found pull-cord spinners tiring to use and less consistent from batch to batch.
Crank and turn-knob spinners cost less and have fewer parts to break. They take more arm work, and many have no brake, so the basket coasts to a stop. TechGearLab noted that crank handles can struggle to stay put at speed. Collapsible silicone spinners save cabinet space, but they dried worst in that same group of tests.
Capacity is the other choice. A basket of about two and a half quarts suits herbs, berries and salads for one or two. Five quarts or more handles a family salad or a whole head of lettuce in one go.
Plastic, Steel Or Glass
Clear plastic is light, cheap and lets you see how much water has collected under the basket. It can scuff and cloud over years of washing. Stainless steel and glass bowls look better on the table and double as serving bowls, but they don't dry greens any better. In America's Test Kitchen testing, OXO's steel and glass versions left leaves slightly wetter than its plastic one, and the glass model was heavy to handle.
Steel hides the water, so you can't see when to pour it off. Glass shows it, but it can break if it slips from wet hands. If the spinner will live in a cabinet and never see the table, plastic is the practical pick.
Check the base too. A rubber or silicone ring keeps the bowl from walking across the counter while you spin, which matters most on pump models that you press hard.
Getting Greens Drier And Keeping Them Fresh
No spinner gets leaves completely dry. Reviewed saw no model remove all the water, and found the brake button didn't change how dry greens came out. It's still handy for stopping the basket quickly.
Don't overfill the basket. Leaves packed tight trap water between them. Spin, pour the water out of the bowl, then spin again; TechGearLab measured its results after two spins. Rinse gritty greens like spinach or leeks in a full bowl of water first, lift the basket out, and let the dirt settle.
For cleaning, most pump lids come apart, and OXO says its pieces can go on the top rack of a dishwasher. Some pump lids, including the Farberware, should be washed by hand. Watch for sharp edges on the plastic basket slots when you scrub. Dry greens stored in the closed spinner in the fridge tend to keep longer than wet ones.
How we researched this
We compared 18 salad spinners, read three independent kitchen-test roundups from America's Test Kitchen, Reviewed and TechGearLab, studied makers' specs and owner feedback for the 8 finalists, and checked every brand against the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's recall records. No salad spinner recalls turned up.
Frequently asked questions
Do stainless steel salad spinners dry better than plastic ones?
No. In side-by-side kitchen tests, steel bowls dried greens about the same or slightly worse than a good plastic spinner. Buy steel or glass because you want to serve from the bowl.
Will a salad spinner get lettuce completely dry?
No model removes every drop. Spinning twice and pouring off the water in between gets greens dry enough for dressing to cling.
What size salad spinner do I need?
About two and a half quarts suits herbs, berries and salads for one or two. A five-quart or larger basket handles a family salad or a whole head of lettuce.
Is a brake button worth having?
It stops the basket quickly so you can get to your greens sooner. One test found it doesn't make greens any drier.
Can a salad spinner go in the dishwasher?
Many can, on the top rack. OXO says its spinners are top-rack safe, while some pump lids, like Farberware's, should be washed by hand. Check the manual before the first wash.
Are collapsible salad spinners any good?
They save cabinet space, but a collapsible silicone model dried worst in one independent test, and its crank felt flimsy. A small rigid spinner is a better bet for tight kitchens.
