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The next time you’re craving cannoli, don’t make a reservation. Make pizzelle cookies at home! In this guide to the Best Pizzelle Makers, we’ll not only help you sort through all of the pizzelle press competition, but we’ll also dish up tricks for how to make pizzelle cookies that taste just like what an Italian nonna might bake up for Easter or Christmas.
After researching multiple popular pizzelle makers, Meggan and I narrowed the list down to the four best kitchen appliances on the market, including Meggan’s personal favorite: the Cuisinart Pizzelle Press. Below, you’ll find more details on the pizzelle makers we love, as well as the qualities to look for while shopping for one.
Table of Contents
Our Top Picks
- What’s in Meggan’s Kitchen: Cuisinart WM-PZ10 Pizzelle Press – $46.99 at Walmart
- Also Great: Nordic Ware Krumkake Iron – $62 at Amazon
- Best for Mini Pizzelle: CucinaPro Piccolo Mini Pizzelle Baker – $44.95 at Amazon
- Best Petite Pizzelle Maker: Dash Mini Pizzelle Maker – $9.99 at Target
Reviews of The Best Pizzelle Makers
1. What’s in Meggan’s Kitchen: Cuisinart WM-PZ10 Pizzelle Press
Meggan owns and loves the Cuisinart Pizzelle Press. It’s the same one she used to develop her recipes for pizzelle cookies and mock Italian cannoli! The pizzelle maker features nonstick plates and several adjustable temperature settings. It’s also a treat to use, as it basically coaches you through the cooking process. Not to mention, it’s easy to clean. One of the best things about this pizzelle press is that it comes with a measuring spoon and dowel, which make the pouring and rolling process quite simple.
“When I buy small appliances, I prefer to have a brand name that I already know. I trust the Cuisinart brand,” Meggan says. “I’ve had my cookware from them since 2003, so I was so happy to find out they had a pizzelle maker. It works really well, heats evenly, and is perfect for the job. I’ve been using this same pizzelle maker since college, and it’s never failed me.”
The Specs:
- Five temperature settings
- Ready-to-eat light indicates when cookies are done
- Comes with a measuring spoon and dowel for pizzelle cookie shaping
- Easy to store at 7 ½” x 9” x 4 ½”
The Pros:
- User friendly
- Easy to clean
- Comes with extra tools that simplify the baking process
The Cons:
- Button to open is near the hot surface
- Plates can’t be washed separately
- Some users prefer to make thinner cookies
What Others are Saying:
The Cuisinart Pizzelle Press has a 4.7-star rating from more than 1,900 reviews on Amazon. Sur la Table and Allrecipes named it the best pizzelle maker for advanced cooks.
Where to Buy the Cuisinart Pizzelle Press:
2. Also Great: Nordic Ware Krumkake Iron
Calling all fans of the classics! The Nordic Ware pizzelle iron delivers maximum nostalgic vibes. Because it’s designed to be used on your gas, electric, or ceramic stove, it’s also cord-free. This lets users control the heat and use the pizzelle press far away from an outlet — which are two huge perks. You can only make one at a time, but that will ensure each pizzelle gets the care it deserves.
The Specs:
- Cast aluminum base
- Large well to capture any overflow
- Recipes and rolling dowel included
The Pros:
- Cord-free
- Intricate design
The Cons:
- Plates can get extremely hot
- Requires more manual dexterity than an electric pizzelle maker
- Not as intuitive to use
- The patterns don’t really press into the cookies
What Others are Saying:
The Nordic Ware Pizzelle Iron has a 4.5-star rating on Amazon from over 570 reviews. The Food Network also named it the best traditional pizzelle maker.
Buy the Nordic Ware Krumkake Iron:
3. Best for Mini Pizzelle: CucinaPro Piccolo Mini Pizzelle Baker
If you’re searching for a pizzelle press that makes multiple mini pizzelle cookies at once, the CucinaPro Piccolo is your best bet. It can crank out four cookies at once, as opposed to our top pick, the Cuisinart and the CucinaPro Pizzelle Maker, which only has room for two. Aside from a larger cookie capacity, mini pizzelle cookies are also more versatile, as they can be perfect for making mini ice cream cones or small cannoli.
The Specs:
- Makes 3 ¼-inch cookies (instead of 4-inch)
- Four cookie wells
- Indicator light to signal when preheated
- Sold with recipes
The Pros:
- Cooks four pizzelle cookies at one time
- Bakes cookies quickly
- Steam guard protects you from heat
The Cons:
- Difficult to tell how much batter to use per pizzelle cookie
- Heat distribution can be uneven
What Others are Saying:
The CucinaPro Piccolo Pizzelle Baker has a 4.2-star rating from over 2,500 reviews on Amazon. It was also named the best mini pizzelle maker by All Recipes and the best piccolo pizzelle maker by Food Network.
Buy the CucinaPro Piccolo Mini Pizzelle Baker:
4. Best Petite Pizzelle Maker: Dash Mini Pizzelle Maker
We love the Dash Mini Pizzelle Maker because it’s extremely budget-friendly, and it doesn’t take up too much counter (or cabinet) space at all! While it might not be the most powerful pizzelle press, and it might only cook one pizzelle cookie at a time, it’s a great option if you plan to use the tool just once or twice each year. Not to mention, people are obsessed with Dash products. For example, the brand’s waffle maker has a cult following on the internet. Dash appliances are tiny yet trustworthy, and the pizzelle maker is a terrific example of that.
The Specs:
- Recipe book included
- Light alerts when the surface is preheated
- Non-slip feet
- Nonstick aluminum plates
The Pros:
- Lightweight
- Easy to store
- Poppy red color
The Cons:
- Only makes one cookie at a time
- Can deliver uneven heat
What Others are Saying:
Allrecipes awarded it Best Compact in their best pizzelle maker roundup.
Buy the Dash Mini Pizzelle Maker:
Other Pizzelle Makers We Researched
Chef’s Choice Pizzelle Maker
People love the Chef’s Choice Pizzelle Maker for its high power and ability to be ready for the next batch immediately after the previous one. (Translation: No temperature recovery time is needed.) Some users noticed the surface’s nonstick-ability degrading after several uses and washes, though. The Chef’s Choice Pizzelle Maker is available at Amazon for $46.50.
Palmer Pizzelle Maker Classic
Although it has high ratings for good temperature control and ease of use, the main reason we didn’t rank the Palmer Pizzelle Maker higher is because of its fairly long preheat time (15 minutes) and challenging cleaning process. The batter shouldn’t stick if you follow the instructions, but if it does, the tight metal crevices are hard to clean. The Palmer Pizzelle Maker is available at Amazon for $104.99.
Why You Can Trust Us
My name is Karla Walsh, and I have more than 12 years of experience covering health, food, fitness, and more across a number of print and digital publications such as Allrecipes, Runner’s World, Shape, and more. I also worked at Better Homes & Gardens as a digital food editor. There, I worked closely with the Test Kitchen experts to develop new recipes and try out new equipment.
I worked on this roundup of the best pizzelle makers with Meggan, the Executive Chef and head of the Culinary Hill Test Kitchen. She and the Culinary Hill team have tested and perfected thousands of recipes over the years, including ones involving one of Meggan’s favorite things: Pizzelle!
For this guide, Meggan and I scoured the web and our own kitchens to find the top pizzelle makers for every home cook and budget. Based on trials with our own equipment at home and reviews from trusted online retailers, we came up with this list of the best pizzelle makers available right now.
Everything to Know Before Buying a Pizzelle Maker
What is Pizzelle?
Translated from Italian, pizzelle means “round” and “flat.” That’s exactly the shape you’ll make while following a recipe for these classic Italian waffle cookies. Pizzelle cookies are made with flour, eggs, sugar, butter, or vegetable oil, and flavor boosters like anise or vanilla. Ranging from soft and chewy to crispy and crunchy, pizzelle can be molded into shapes like tubes (for cannoli) or cones.
What to Consider Before Buying a Pizzelle Maker
- Does it have an indicator light? This will tell you when the press is preheated and ready to bake, as well as when the cookies are finished. If you open the press too early, you might sabotage the quality or break your cookies. We favor pizzelle makers that have this feature.
- Are there nonstick plates? We recommend sticking with a pizzelle maker that has nonstick plates. This will make the equipment easier to clean—and it will decrease the risk of cookies sticking or breaking.
- The temperature settings. Having the ability to adjust temperature settings will allow you to control the heat so you can create different types of pizzelle cookies—whether they be soft, crispy, light, or dark.
- The brand. It’s always best to turn to a brand that has a tradition of high-quality products.
- If it comes with a rolling tool. While this isn’t a major deal breaker, we prefer pizzelle makers that come with a dowel for rolling the cookies into tubes or cones. Hardware store dowels probably aren’t food-safe, so your best bet is to get it with the product.
Can You Make Pizzelle Cookies Without the Iron?
You might be wondering if you even really need a pizzelle maker to make the festive cookies at home. There are a lot of pizzelle baking hacks floating around on the internet, so we compiled the most popular ones and tried them out.
- Can You Make Pizzelles in a Waffle Maker? Meggan tried making pizzelle in a waffle maker, and it didn’t work. She found the height of the grooves to be too tall to get a crisp cookie. “You end up with pizzelle-flavored waffles,” she says. “They are soft, chewy, puffy, and look exactly like a standard waffle, which are not bad, but they are not pizzelle.”
- Can You Make Pizzelle in the Oven? Legend has it that you should be able to bake pizzelle in the oven. Instructions online say to sandwich the cookie batter between two pieces of parchment and two rimmed baking sheets and press down to flatten. After this, you’re supposed to weigh down the batter with heavy objects, such as a cast iron skillet, and then bake at 375 degrees. However, after trying it, Meggan found that it didn’t work. She said that you just end up with pizzelle-flavored pancakes.
- Can You Make Pizzelle on a Stove-Top? Another popular idea promoted on some websites involves cooking pizzelle batter in a piping-hot skillet. You’re supposed to press down with either a panini press or another flat object, like a metal measuring cup weighed down by a heavy skillet. After trying it, though, Meggan found it also led to another pizzelle-flavored pancake. Another fail!
Based on our findings above, we can’t recommend making pizzelle cookies without the iron. Meggan says, “No one who wants thin, crispy pizzelle will be satisfied by the soft, puffy pizzelle-flavored breakfast foods that these other tools yield.”
How to Clean a Pizzelle Iron
Cleanup will be easier if you use nonstick spray before making the cookies. When you’re finished making pizzelle cookies and the press has cooled down, wipe it clean with a damp kitchen towel or paper towels.
The Best Pizzelle Maker Recipes
After you’ve invested in a pizzelle maker, break it in by whipping up Meggan’s tried-and-true Pizzelle recipe. This is an ideal base for the Mock Italian Cannoli with Pizzelle that is the perfect way to conclude any Italian Feast!
Pizzelle makers can also perform other tasks, Meggan says. Try the tool to crisp up mini ice cream cones or form warm pizzelle into a bowl for desserts like ice cream sundaes, Fruit Salad bowls, puddings, and beyond.
You can also make ice cream sandwiches by layering store-bought or homemade ice cream between two pizzelle. And if you miss the freezer aisle Choco Tacos like me, you can recreate them at home with a pizzelle maker! All you have to do is fold the still-warm pizzelle cookies into taco shell shapes, then stuff with ice cream and dunk in Chocolate Glaze and crushed peanuts.
Pizzelle also make a fun substitute for graham crackers when making s’mores. You can also slice still-warm pizzelle into triangles to use as a “chip” to scoop up fruit salsa or other sweet dips.
Prices were accurate at time of publication.
Your recipes for pizzelle are so nice. I am waiting on a triple pack of the holiday print Dash mini maker. So excited! I was discouraged with cannoli shells being sold out everywhere and I love pizzelles! The price was so good! Now I can make three at a time! I will use your recipes. Thank you so much. Can I try cocoa in the batter for chocolate ones? Happy Holidays.
Hi Auntie Di, thank you so much! I would replace 1/4 cup of the flour with cocoa powder to make chocolate ones. I hope you have a great time making them with your new mini pizelle maker! – Meggan
Such an interesting article! Love your blog. Really it’s a great article. keep it up.
Thank you so much, Jack! I’m glad you loved it! Take care! – Meggan