Vegetable noodles have been trending lately. Whether you have seen them on Instagram or featured as a new menu item, you probably recognize this pasta alternative. From my personal experience, some people love them and some people could care less about them. If you are like me and love trying all the food trends then you may have found The Veggie Noodle Co. vegetable spirals in stores.
As a college student, I try to be conscious about my spending. When I found these noodles in stores, I was so excited to try them, but when I looked at the price, I put them back on the shelf. For 10.7 ounces of zucchini spirals, I was not about to pay $4.99.
Why are these spiralized veggies so expensive?
The price is raised since they are organic. Many factors go into the higher price of organic produce such as the demand being higher than supply, higher fertilizer costs, more labor costs and expensive post-harvest handling procedures. Not only are you paying for the organic vegetable, but you are paying for the convenience of it already being spiralized. Time is money, so they are making you pay more to save you the time.
Price Per Ounce
Buying non-organic zuchinni and spiralizing it yourself is much cheaper than buying the organic, pre-spiralized noodles. I find that the Veggetti spiral vegetable cutter gives almost identical results compared to The Veggie Noodle Co.’s. Although you are spending money on the Veggetti, if you make vegetable noodles often, it saves you money in the long run. Currently at my local grocery store, zuchinni is $1.69 per pound. Since there are 16 ounces in one pound, you are paying $1.69 for 16 ounces of zuchinni rather than spending $4.99 for 10.7 ounces.
DIY
To save money I recommend spiralizing your vegetable of choice yourself with a vegetable spiralizer. Some fancy vegetable spiralizers can be pricy, but if you are just wanting vegetable noodles such as zuchinni, cucumber or yellow squash the Veggetti is perfect! I bought my Veggetti at Bed Bath and Beyond for $9.99 over a year ago and still use it to this day. This hand held utensil is easy to use and gives you an option of thin or thick noodles.
There is nothing wrong with purchasing The Veggie Noodle Co.’s product, but if you are making vegetable noodles often and are wanting to spend less money on them I recommend spiralizing them yourself with the Veggetti! There are pro’s and con’s to either buying them or making them yourself, so ultimately the decision is yours.