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Best Zesters

Updated April 2025
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Pros
Cons
Best of the Best
Microplane Classic Zester/Grater
Microplane
Classic Zester/Grater
Customer Favorite

Professional-quality zester with super sharp grating edges that provides a narrow grating surface for precision zesting.

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Customer Favorite
Bottom Line

Professional-quality zester with super sharp grating edges that provides a narrow grating surface for precision zesting.

Pros

The durable construction stays sharp to enable smooth zesting. It's easy to store and comes with a convenient plastic cover to prevent it from getting dull in your kitchen drawer. Easy to clean and won't rust.

Cons

Some find it a little too long.

OXO Good Grips Zester & Grater
OXO
Good Grips Zester & Grater
Excellent Value

Excellent option for the home chef on a budget who still wants a quality tool. Produces a fine zest.

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Excellent Value
Bottom Line

Excellent option for the home chef on a budget who still wants a quality tool. Produces a fine zest.

Pros

Sturdy construction makes this a durable kitchen tool. An anti-slip handle makes it easy to hold, and grating or zesting requires very little effort. Dishwasher safe. Comes from a trusted brand in budget kitchen tools.

Cons

For those without a dishwasher, it's tough to thoroughly hand-wash.

Zeiss PRO Heavy Duty Zester & Cheese & Vegetable Grater
Zeiss
PRO Heavy Duty Zester & Cheese & Vegetable Grater
Trusted Brand

This is a highly effective zester and grater that comes with a manufacturer's warranty to protect your purchase.

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Trusted Brand
Bottom Line

This is a highly effective zester and grater that comes with a manufacturer's warranty to protect your purchase.

Pros

Features a durable blade that can easily zest citrus fruit, hard cheese, and more. The contoured handle feels comfortable in hand and has a slip-resistant coating that provides a secure grip. Backed by a lifetime warranty.

Cons

On the large side, which may be a deal-breaker for some. A few reports of the handle loosening over time.

Spring Chef Premium Lemon Zester
Spring Chef
Premium Lemon Zester
Simple Yet Solid

If you need a zester for hard foods, consider this budget-friendly model that comes in colors to fit any kitchen decor.

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Simple Yet Solid
Bottom Line

If you need a zester for hard foods, consider this budget-friendly model that comes in colors to fit any kitchen decor.

Pros

It's a lightweight tool that's easy to use. The strong blade can grate hard cheeses and chocolate with minimal effort. The handle is comfortable to hold. Dishwasher-safe. Comes in a choice of six colors and is available at a low price.

Cons

May not work well on citrus fruits with rough or dimpled skin.

OXO Citrus Zester With Channel Knife
OXO
Citrus Zester With Channel Knife
2-in-1 Design

You can turn lemons and limes into the perfect accents for your favorite beverages and recipes with this zester-channel-knife-combo.

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2-in-1 Design
Bottom Line

You can turn lemons and limes into the perfect accents for your favorite beverages and recipes with this zester-channel-knife-combo.

Pros

Unique model with holes and a channel knife for making garnishes, strips, and twists from citrus fruits. The handle resists slipping and is comfortable in the hand. A good choice for drinks. Easy to use while also being very affordable.

Cons

This is a short zester that isn't ideal for grating hard foods.

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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.About BestReviews 
HOW WE TESTED

We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.

First Reviewed
September 15, 2021
30
Models
considered
28
Hours
researched
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Buying guide for best zesters

Lauren Corona
Written by Lauren Corona

Updated April 2025

Ready to buy now? Shop the best: 

Citrus zest can brighten up a meal with its fresh tangy flavor or work its magic in a range of tasty baked goods. But first, you need a quality zester to remove the zest from the fruit without getting bitter rind in the mix.

When shopping for a zester, there’s more to consider than one would think. Do you want a model that can only be used for zesting, or do you want one that can grate other foods as well? Are you hoping for a very fine zest or something a little more chunky? Do you need one with an ergonomic handle for lots of zesting, or will a more inexpensive model work for you?

You can find a wide range of zesters out there, but not all are equally effective. So, how can you tell which will do the job properly and which will leave you frustrated? We have created an in-depth guide to everything zester-related. Check out our top recommendations or read on to learn more about how to pick out your perfect zester.

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You should drag fruit against a zester (or the zester against fruit) in one direction rather than rubbing it back and forth.

Key considerations

Traditional vs. grater-style

  • Traditional zesters have a single row of holes to separate pieces of zest from citrus fruit. They're specially designed for the job, making them near-perfect at getting all the zest without getting any of the rind.

  • Grater-style zesters are much like a slender cheese grater but with smaller holes. These are generally a bit quicker to use and more versatile. But you're more likely to get some rind with your zest, especially if you try to zest too quickly. Grater-style zesters can also finely grate other foods, such as nuts, chocolate, or cheese, making them the more popular option.

Hole size

You can find zesters with a range of different hole sizes. Although the holes on zesters are always smaller than those on cheese graters, some are extremely small whereas others are mid-sized. Of course, the smaller the hole, the finer the zest will be, so you'll need to think about how you like your zest. Some people like it as fine as possible, so it will blend into the dish seamlessly, while others prefer a bit more texture. If you simply can't decide, you may need to buy two zesters with different hole sizes to cover all your bases.

Ease of cleaning

Zesters can be a pain to clean, especially since zest sticks fast when it dries, so any leftover shreds need a good scrubbing to remove. Zesters with hard-to-clean nooks and crannies can trap old food and breed bacteria over time. Many zesters are dishwasher-safe, which makes cleanup that much easier.

"Zesters with a larger zesting surface are best for zesting large fruits, such as oranges or grapefruits, because you get more zest with each pass."
STAFF
BestReviews

Features

Handle

A quality zester should have a comfortable, ergonomically designed handle that won't leave you with a hand cramp after a long zesting session. It might not matter that much when you only need a small amount of zest, but if you're making something like a lemon meringue pie that requires the zest of six or eight lemons, you'll thank yourself for choosing a well-designed, comfy handle. If you can find one with a rubberized grip, that’s even better.

Hanging loop

If you'd like to hang your zester, rather than put it in a drawer, a hanging loop is handy. Some people prefer to hang zesters, since you can easily nick yourself on the sharp zesting blades while rooting around in a drawer. They're also less likely to get knocked or damaged when safely hung out of harm's way.

Cover

Some zesters come with a protective cover or sheath that you can use to cover the blades when you're not grating or zesting. If you do choose to keep your zester in a drawer, a cover can help prevent accidental injuries. The cover also helps keep the zester sharp when stored in a drawer, since other utensils rubbing up against it can dull the zesting blades over time, which means you'll probably need to replace your zester sooner rather than later.

Channel knife

You can find traditional zesters that feature a built-in channel knife. A channel knife lets you create strips or swirls of citrus peel commonly used as a drink garnish or a decorative flair for certain recipes.

Zester prices

Inexpensive: For less than $5, you can find zesters made from cheap materials that don't have comfortable handles. In general, it’s best to avoid these models.

Mid-range: Between $5 and $10 are middle-of-the-road grater-style zesters, plus some of the best traditional zesters.

Expensive: High-end grater-style zesters cost between $10 and $15. These tend to be made from the highest quality metals, with super-sharp blades and a comfortable action.

Tips

  • The best zesters will be made from super-strong 18/10 stainless steel, which stays sharper for longer and is more resistant to corrosion. Zesters usually can't be sharpened, so low-quality stainless steel will dull quickly and won't be as effective.

  • If you'll be zesting or grating other ingredients daily, choose the best zester you can afford. On the other hand, there's no point spending too much if you plan on using it only a few times a year.

  • Find out the length of the zesting blade on grater-style zesters. Longer blades can grate or zest more in a single pass, but they can be unwieldy to use and take up more storage space.

  • Some zesters come with containers for catching zest as you grate. While this is a nice addition, you can simply zest into your own containers, so not including a container isn't a deal breaker for us.

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Some zesters have cleaning accessories included, such as brushes or squeegees, to help clean in tight corners or get rid of wet zest from the blade before it dries and sticks.

FAQ

Q. What can I use my zester for other than zesting citrus?
A.
Traditional zesters are best suited to zesting only, but grater-style zesters are much more versatile. This isn't an exhaustive list, but you can also use a grater-style zester to grate hard cheeses for pasta dishes, make chocolate shavings for desserts, grate garlic or ginger for when you want extremely fine pieces in a recipe, or finely grate nuts to sprinkle over oatmeal or add to other recipes.

Q. Is there anything I need to do to keep my zester in good condition?
A.
Zesters don't need much maintenance, but you should thoroughly wash and dry them before storing to avoid rust. It's also best to avoid scrubbing them with metal scourers, which could damage the finish or dull the blades.

Q. How can I avoid getting the rind when zesting?
A.
It takes a bit of practice to zest citrus fruits effectively without getting any of the bitter rind. Our best advice is to take it slowly and use gentle pressure.

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