We Tested the Best Pizzelle Makers for Making Nonna-Approved Cookies at Home

Our Top Pick

Cuisinart Pizzelle Press

$100 at Amazon $51 at Walmart $50 at Sur La Table

The Cuisinart Pizzelle Press is the most user-friendly and consistent pizzelle maker I tried. A relatively compact machine, this Cuisinart makes two 4-inch pizzelle at a time, which means you can make batches of pizzelle fairly fast. The Cuisinart has a green light that goes on when you plug it in, indicating that it is heating up. Once heated, the green light turns off, letting you know it’s hot and ready to make your pizzelle!

This was also the only pizzelle maker I tested that had a heating dial you could adjust for a hotter or cooler press. This means you have more control over making the pizzelle hard and crispy, soft and chewy, or somewhere in between. The pizzelle pattern is also deeper than some of the other pizzelle presses I tested, which resulted in a slightly thicker pizzelle cookie with more texture and crunch. The slightly raised textured area meant pizzelle cookie batter tended to stay a little more in place, resulting in better-looking pizzelle as well.

The press also comes with a small rolling dowel as well as a scoop, so you know exactly how much dough to use. Likewise, the nonstick coating meant minimal need for oiling ahead of time, and clean up was a simple wipe down with a damp cloth after the press cooled to room temperature.

The Details: Stainless steel with nonstick coating; 9 x 7.5 x 4.5 inches; 4 pound 1 ounces; makes (2) 4-inch cookies

Best Budget

Dash Mini Pizzelle Maker

$23 $17 at Amazon $10 at Williams Sonoma $10 at Sur La Table

If you have limited storage space or don’t make pizzelle very often, the Dash Mini Pizzelle Maker is a great option. The compact machine is small but still produces 4-inch pizzelle—the same size as the Cuisinart model, only one at a time. This small compact model has a light on top that turns on when it is heating up and turns off when the iron is hot and ready for the pizzelle dough.

Making pizzelle with the Dash is easy. A typical pizzelle takes about 2 minutes, but you can cook it less if you want them to be soft and chewy, or a little longer if you prefer them to be crispy and hard. The texture is a little less pronounced than the other models I tested, with one side a more traditional snowflake pattern and the other side a Japanese-inspired semi-circle seikai ha pattern. The model features a nonstick surface, so minimal initial oiling and a dish towel are all you need to set up and clean up.

The Details: Red Bakelite cover, nonstick aluminum plate; 6.5 x 5 x 3 inches; 1 pound 3 ounces; makes (1) 4-inch cookies

Best Mini

CucinaPro Piccolo Pizzelle Baker

$45 $34 at Amazon

If you want smaller pizzelle, the Cucina Pro makes four mini pizzelle all at once. The nonstick iron is easy to use, with a simple plug that turns it on. Let the iron heat up, lightly brush the surface with cooking oil, and then add small amounts of pizzelle dough. Close the iron and let the pizzelle cook until golden brown. 

There’s a slight learning curve with this maker because you need to figure out exactly how much batter goes into each pizzelle mold; otherwise, the pizzelle will bake into each other. But even if they do bake up as one batch, they break off from each other fairly easily, or you can cut them apart with kitchen scissors. The nonstick coating means the pizzelle slide off easily, and cleanup is simple with a damp cloth.

The Details: Nonstick aluminum plate; 10 x 10.25 x 5 inches; 3 pound 3 ounces; makes (4) 3-inch cookies

Best Large

Cucina Pro Pizzelle Maker

$45 at Amazon $43 at Wayfair $79 at Macys

If you like large pizzelle or you plan on rolling them into cannoli shapes or ice cream cones, the Cucina Pro Pizzelle Maker makes two 5-inch diameter pizzelle at a time. Like the Piccolo version, this pizzelle maker is pretty intuitive to use; just heat it up, add the dough, press down, and bake until golden brown. 

In tests, the thicker metal plates produced an even and consistent heat, though there was a little bit of a learning curve when it came to figuring out the right amount of batter to use in the maker. But the nonstick coating helped the pizzelle slide right off, and clean up was a breeze with just a gentle wipe down once the device had cooled.

The Details: Nonstick aluminum plate; 10 x 10.25 x 5 inches; 3 pound 5 ounces; makes (2) 5-inch cookies

Best Stovetop

Nordic Ware Krumkake and Pizzelle Iron

$61 at Amazon $62 at Wayfair $63 at Home Depot

Part of the fun of making pizzelle is the nostalgia of making them on the stovetop, and the Nordic Ware iron offers just that. It makes both pizzelle and krumkake, a traditional Norwegian waffle cookie shaped like a cone (a wooden cone mold is included with the iron). Unlike the other models I tested, there’s no plug or nonstick coating. Instead, you place the iron and its metal well on top of a stove and let it heat up. Once heated on both sides, brush some melted butter or oil on the inside of the iron, drop on some pizzelle dough, and press down. Cook on medium-low heat for about a minute, then flip the iron and cook for another minute or so until both sides are golden brown. 

The Nordic Ware iron did produce the least textured pizzelle of all the makers that I tested. Still, the pattern was very pretty, with intricate flowers and leaves. Due to the nature of the design, the pizzelle near the back of the iron was always slightly thinner than the front. 

Stovetop irons aren’t as convenient as their electric counterparts. But, like buying a real Christmas tree versus a fake one, there are some things that just can’t beat nostalgia. The learning curve is definitely steeper with the stovetop iron, but the satisfaction and fun of flipping and cooking the pizzelle is irresistible. Made of heavy-cast aluminum, the iron is a durable heirloom that you can pass down to your kids and loved ones.

The Details: Cast aluminum; 13 x 11.5 x 2.5 inches; 2 pound 9 ounces; makes (1) 5-inch cookie