Need to cut a lot of cucumbers quickly, or want to spare your hands from the strain of chopping with knives? A cucumber slicer can make life easier and spare you tons of prep time in the kitchen.
But with so many different cucumber slicers, how do you decide which one to buy?
We shopped around to find the best options and sorted them by their best features to make it easy to choose which one is right for you.
Keep reading to see our top picks and a buyer’s guide to picking out the perfect cucumber slicer!
Our Top Picks
Best Overall:
Mueller Multiblade Slicer
The Simplest One:
OXO Good Grips Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer
Best Adjustable Slicer:
Prepworks by Progressive Adjust-A-Slice Mandoline
Best Overall
Mueller Multiblade Slicer
The Mueller Multiblade Slicer is a top-reviewed, highly versatile, and durable mandoline slicer.
A standing model known for being stable and easy to use, it comes with super sharp blades that can make perfectly even slices.
This slicer’s freely adjustable V-blade grabs food from both sides, so it moves through the blade evenly, giving you consistent cuts at a width of your choosing. It can cut straight or wavy slices and also features dicing and julienne settings.
This cucumber slicer also comes with a container for storing your processed food and can be secured over a bowl for even more capacity. It’s also dishwasher safe and comes with a box for storing the blades away safely.
All mandolines pose some safety risks and need to be operated carefully. But the shape and sharpness of the blade on the Mueller Multiblade slicer can make it particularly dangerous, especially for those without experience handling sharp kitchen tools.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Durable and dishwasher-safe
- Variety of slicing options
Cons
- It needs to be used carefully
- Sharp blades can cause serious injury
Best Value
OXO Good Grips Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer
If you want to make thin cucumber slices but don’t need many other special features, the OXO Good Grips Hand-Held Mandoline should do the trick.
A sturdy and durable handheld cucumber slicer, this is the best one you can find for under $20.
This slicer is named for the excellent grip on its handle, which gives you the most stability you can find in a handheld mandoline. It’s also known for being simple to use and having a sturdy cutting surface that won’t bend as you use it.
This cucumber slicer is also dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning and compact storage.
The OXO Good Grips Hand-Held is pretty small, so while it’s great for slicing cucumbers, it’s not the right choice for cutting larger vegetables or other food items.
Pros
- Under $20
- Durable and dishwasher-safe
- Compact for storage
Cons
- Too small for use with larger foods
Best Adjustable Slicer
Prepworks by Progressive Adjust-A-Slice Mandoline
Another great option under $20 is the Prepworks by Progressive Adjust-A-Slice Mandoline, which is best for making paper-thin cucumber slices.
This handheld mandoline has a sharp-angled blade and can be adjusted to three different thickness settings. Ridges on the bottom can secure it over a bowl to catch your slices while you work.
The blade locks into place for safe storage, and the slicer fits easily into a drawer. It also doesn’t come with any loose parts you’ll need to keep track of.
It’s recommended to hand wash this slicer, and it doesn’t disassemble for easy cleaning.
This product’s main appeal is its effectiveness for thin slices, but its main downside is that thicker slices often come out uneven. And while it’s perfect for softer items like cucumbers, it doesn’t work as well with harder foods.
Pros
- Under $20
- Great for thin slices
- Compact for storage
Cons
- Tricky to clean
- Slices come out uneven on thicker settings
Dash Safe Slice Mandoline
The Dash Safe Slice Mandoline is the best cucumber slicer for beginners. Its design features a chute you push food into using a plunger, keeping your fingers completely clear of the blade.
Since the risk of injury is one of the biggest downsides to using a mandoline slicer, this model is the best choice for home chefs concerned about safety.
This slicer is also adjustable, with additional options for dicing, matchstick, and julienne cuts.
It’s not the best for making perfectly even slices since cucumbers will drop through the chute at inconsistent angles. Pushing food with the plunger instead of your hand also prevents you from applying the consistent pressure you’d need to keep the pieces uniform.
And while the size of the chute may work perfectly for cucumbers, the slicer is limited in its capacity for processing larger food items.
Pros
- Safest mandoline for beginners
- Variety of slicing options
Cons
- Difficult to make uniform slices
Buyer’s Guide to the Best Cucumber Slicers
Which cucumber slicer will be best for you depends on how you plan to use it, how much room you have to store it, and your level of experience with handling sharp objects in the kitchen.
Different Kinds of Cucumber Slicers
Not sure if a standing or handheld slicer is right for you? Each has some useful features and some downsides.
Read on for details about which kind of cucumber slicer will work best in your kitchen.
Countertop Slicers
Because they’re designed for stability, standing slicers allow you to focus all your attention on precision and safety as you move food into the blade.
Countertop models tend to have wider cutting surfaces than handheld slicers, so they can also process a wider range of foods.
Handheld Slicers
Handheld cucumber slicers are compact and easy to store, and there are some affordable options that work very well.
They’re smaller than the standing models, but if you are mostly slicing cucumbers with your mandoline, the narrow blade will work just fine.
Handheld slicers also require more skill and dexterity to operate safely than their standing counterparts, so they’re best suited for those with experience working with kitchen tools.
Make the Most of Your Cucumber Slicer
Follow these steps to get the best results out of your cucumber slicer.
Prep Cucumbers Before Slicing
Before you start slicing, cut off the rounded end of the cucumber to make a flat surface that you’ll place flush against the blade of the slicer.
Cutting your cucumbers into smaller pieces, around two to three inches long, is also a good practice. This allows the safety hand guards to hold onto the food better and move it through the blade more smoothly.
How to Make Clean, Even Cucumber Slices
When you’re ready to start slicing, stand with your hips squared to the countertop so you are perpendicular to the slicer, and push forward. This gives you the most control.
For even slices, apply consistent pressure as you move the cucumber through the blade.
When slices start to pile up, pause to move them, so you keep the underside of the blade clear. And if the blade looks dirty, stop and clean it before you continue.
How to Use A Mandoline Safely
While cucumber slicers make quick work of kitchen prep, they do require you to push food directly into a very sharp blade.
Here are a few things to remember when using any cucumber slicer, no matter how many safety features your model might have.
1. Pay Attention
Any time your hands are near a sharp blade of any kind, keep your eyes on what you are doing. Focusing on your task is the best way to prevent accidents in the kitchen.
2. Change Out Dull Blades
A dull blade on your cucumber slicer increases the risk of injury since it tempts you to exert more force on the cutting surface than it is meant to withstand.
If it starts to feel more difficult to push food through your cucumber slicer than it used to, it’s probably time to replace or sharpen the blade.
3. Use Protective Equipment
Try using a cut-resistant glove for added safety. This can be especially helpful for beginners.
Just remember that you’ll still need to be cautious with a mandoline, even while wearing a safety glove. They are cut-resistant, not cut-proof.
And whether or not you wear a cut glove while operating a cucumber slicer, it’s highly recommended you wear one on each hand when cleaning it or switching out the blade.
Common Questions about Cucumber Slicers
Keep reading for answers to some common questions about using a mandoline to slice cucumbers.
Should you peel a cucumber before slicing it?
Garden-fresh and farmer’s market cucumbers are ready to eat. Cucumber skin is not only edible, but it’s also one of the most nutrient-dense parts of the fruit. Just rinse fresh cucumbers in cool water and give them a light scrubbing to remove dirt before you slice and enjoy them.
Some supermarket cucumbers, however, are coated in wax to extend their shelf life. While that wax is technically edible, it’s advisable to peel a waxed cucumber before slicing and eating it.
Which cucumber varieties are best for slicing?
Cucumbers categorized as slicing varieties are cultivated to be eaten raw. They’re longer than those used for pickles and perfect for snacking and salads.
Check out this list of the best slicing cucumbers to look for at your local farmer’s market, or start growing at home.
Can you refrigerate cucumber slices?
If you need to prep your cucumber slices ahead of time and store them in the fridge, you can keep them crunchy and tasting fresh for days after slicing them if you prep them correctly.
To get the longest shelf life out of your cucumber slices, follow the simple steps outlined in our post about how to store cucumbers.
Now You’re Ready to Pick Out the Perfect Cucumber Slicer
Now that you’ve reviewed the best cucumber slicer options and their features, you’re ready to make your selection and get to slicing.
Ready to continue discovering these funky fresh vegetables? Then learn more about cucumbers by checking out my planting guides, recipe tips, brand suggestions, and more!