PROS
With one press, this little food processor will chop through almost any ingredients that you place inside the bowl. The light blue color adds a bright touch to your kitchen too.
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Best Food Processor
UPDATED December 2024
Shop For The Best Food Processors From KitchenAid, Ninja, and Cuisinart.
BEST FOOD
PROCESSOR 2024
BOTTOM LINE
Breville designed this food processor for home chefs who want to work like the pros. It has a large chute that can handle larger ingredient and comes with two different bowls.
PROS
You get both a larger 16-cup bowl and a smaller 2.5-cup bowl with this food processor. The chute on top is larger than those found on other models and lets you add ingredients without chopping them first.
CONS
The high price tag on this food processor may put it out of your budget. If you use it too often, you may overheat the motor.
BOTTOM LINE
Tons of parts and accessories come included with this food processor like two sets of pushers and a spatula. You can easily use the two push buttons on the front to start the machine and pulse ingredients.
PROS
The included 14-cup bowl can handle more ingredients than smaller models can. It comes with two pushers that help you get ingredients inside the bowl for even mixing and blending.
CONS
Some of the included discs and attachments aren’t strong enough to use on certain ingredients. A handful of customers also claimed that the plastic parts on this model broke from routine use.
BOTTOM LINE
Hamilton Beach made this food processor for chefs tired of fumbling with buttons and bowls. The bowl easily snaps onto the top, and you can use multiple buttons based on what you want to chop.
PROS
The simple design of this food processor lets you pop the bowl on top and start prep work right away. It has multiple buttons for shredding, chopping and doing other types of prep.
CONS
We saw a few reviews that claimed the food processor stopped working after six months to a year. Other reviews stated that some ingredients became trapped in the bottom of the machine.
BOTTOM LINE
With this food processor, you can choose the right color for your home and your kitchen. The smaller size and intuitive design make it a good choice for less experienced cooks.
PROS
When you need to chop ingredients, you simply fill the bowl on this model and press down on the lid. It comes in multiple colors that will match other appliances in your kitchen.
CONS
This food processor comes with a small bowl that may not accommodate all of your ingredients. It also has just one chopping setting.
BOTTOM LINE
Though only available in one color, this little food processor is suitable for prepping ingredients and making basic dishes in your kitchen. It has an intuitive design that lets you press down on the top to turn it on.
CONS
The blades on this one may not reach all your ingredients. It is also quite small and may not be large enough for your needs.
Shopping Guide for the Best Food Processor
Having a food processor can make your life a little easier. A food processor can help you want to prep some ingredients on the weekends to make quick meals in the middle of the week. You can also use one to make dinner any night of the week and whip up desserts too. When used alongside a Kitchenaid and Instapot, you can get food prepared for the whole family in less than record time!
The best food processor for 2024 is one that works quickly and efficiently. No matter what you put inside, you’ll have ingredients that come out the perfect size and shape. Food processors for 2024 can help you make chicken or tuna salad for lunch, whip up a dessert recipe in the middle of the week or prep ingredients for a big pot of soup.
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We know that all home chefs have different needs. While some want a small machine that lets them chop onions without crying, others want a professional model with a bowl large enough to prep ingredients for a crowd.
No matter what criteria you have in mind when looking at food processors, you’ll find a model on our list that does everything you want. As you keep reading, you can find out what to look for in a new food processor and how much you should pay for one.
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Selection Criteria
After a long day at work, coming home and making dinner might be the last thing you want to do. By the time you finish gathering and prepping ingredients, you might want to take a nap before you actually start cooking. When you have any of the food processors from our list in your kitchen, you’ll actually look forward to cooking again. These small appliances won’t take up a lot of space on your counter but allow you to do prep work faster than ever before. You can mix all ingredients in a recipe inside one or just prep some of the ingredients that you need for the dish you want to make.
We think that the most important criteria when it comes to choosing a small appliance is how it works. You don’t want to throw away money on a food processor that breaks down after a few uses or one that has a motor that burns out quickly. We looked at hundreds of reviews that shoppers posted after purchasing food processors to identify which ones are the best around. You can use our table of the top food processors at the top of this page and find out which ones are right for different types of users below.
Instead of just ranking all the best food processors on a list with the best at the top, we wanted to create a list that shows you which models are best for different situations. The Breville Sous Chef Food Processor ranks as the best food processor around (they also make the best espresso machine). This little appliance actually does everything a professional sous chef would do, which helps you get dinner on the table faster. It comes with five different cutting discs that let you easily shred or dice vegetables for a soup or salad. Each disc serves a different purpose, and each one will easily snap into place on the food processor.
You get two different bowls with this model, both of which are free from BPA and other toxins. One bowl allows you to prep up to 16 cups of ingredients at the same time, while the other bowl holds just 2.5-cups and turns the food processor into a mini chopper. Located right on the machine is onboard storage that makes it easy to keep all those accessories nearby for future use. This model has multiple settings and a countdown timer. That timer lets you know when the machine will finish prepping ingredients for you.
Types of Food Processors
Compact
Mini and compact are two words that manufacturers use when describing food processors that are smaller in size. You can use one of these machines to finely dice the onions and other vegetables that you need in a dish. Most come with a small plastic bowl that can hold between two and four cups of ingredients. These bowls usually snap or slide into place on the top of the appliance. While some have buttons that you can press to pulse the blade, others have a built-in motor that you hold down on to make the blade spin. Compact models usually have fewer settings than larger models do.
Food Choppers
If you watch late-night television, the chances are good that you’ve seen ads for food choppers before. Unlike food processors, food choppers look more like blenders. These models are often smaller in size and come with a piece in the center that spins. Multiple blades placed along this piece chop all ingredients thoroughly. Some of the more popular models come with bowls of different sizes. You can use those bowls to make smoothies and baby food. Some models also come with rings that act as lids, which let you store your dishes in the chopper without spilling a drop.
Full-Size
Whether cooking for a crowd or just your family, you might find a full-size food processor helpful. These models come with larger bowls that can hold more than 10 cups at a single time. You can use one to blend all the vegetables that you want to use in a soup to ensure that each one is the same size, or you can use one to whip up a batch of cake batter for a holiday celebration. Full-size models often come with multiple cutting discs in addition to a blade. The blade is powerful enough for fully blending and incorporating ingredients, while the discs let you shred and make other types of cuts.
Manual
You’ll also find manual food processors, though some manufacturers refer to these models as hand-operated processors or choppers. Instead of using a motor, you’ll use your own hands to chop one. These models usually come with a plastic bowl and a stainless-steel blade. You’ll insert the blade into the base and screw the lid on top after adding your ingredients to the bowl. A crank on the top lets you adjust the speed and strength of your cuts. While hand-operated choppers are good for those who want to make basic sauces and dishes, using one to prep other ingredients can take a lot of time and put a lot of pressure on your hands.
When cooking for a crowd, you can’t go wrong with this food processor from Cuisinart. Capable of holding and prepping up to 14 cups, this food processor comes with one of the largest size bowls on the market. All the included discs use stainless steel that will last for years. You get both a slicing disc for making thin and even cuts and a shredding disc that shreds vegetables into thin strips. Cuisinart also gives you a sharp cutting blade made from stainless steel that can cut through the toughest of meats and vegetables.
Using this food processor is incredibly easy because it has just two buttons on its base. Pressing down and holding one button pulses ingredients to ensure that each ingredient comes into contact with the cutting blade. The second button lets you turn on the machine and tell it to run until you shut it off. On the top of the processor is a larger food chute that lets you place bigger ingredients inside without doing any chopping or cutting first. This machine also comes with two pushers for pushing ingredients down the chute and scraping food off the side of the bowl.
Signs You Need a New Food Processor
- Frequent overheating: Frequent or constant overheating is a clear sign that you need a new food processor. As the motor wears down, it can stop working as well as it once did. You might notice that you need to shut the machine off to keep the motor from overheating.
- Grinding noises: Food processors should make some basic noises when using one, which lets you know that the motor works. You shouldn’t hear a sharp grinding sound though. That noise can indicate a serious motor problem.
- Limited capacity: The old food processor that you bought in the past might not work as your family grows. Upgrading to a newer model lets you choose the bowl capacity that you need.
- Cracked bowl: Another sign that you need a new food processor is when you see cracks and chips in your old bowl. Plastic won’t last forever, and the more you use that appliance, the more wear and tear the bowl goes through. You can purchase a new model that comes with a better bowl that will last longer.
WARNING
Do not use a food processor that smokes when you turn it on or when you use it. That smoking can indicate a motor problem and may cause the appliance to either catch on fire or explode.
When you look at some of the more popular food processors on the market, you might find yourself shocked at how much some models cost. We found models that retail for $400 or more. Budget shoppers can get the same help at home without spending as much money when they invest in this Hamilton Beach model. With a bowl that holds up to 12-cups, this food processor lets you prep all the ingredients that you need for a family dinner or a special occasion. The stainless-steel blade inside uses an S-shape that ensures all ingredients touch the blade and that you don’t find any large chunks at the bottom.
Simple images on the front of the food processor show you what each disc looks like and what each blade does. This makes it easy to pick the one you need. It also features several buttons on the front that you can use with each blade. A stop button brings the spinning blade to an immediate stop to prevent accidents too. We like the Stack & Snap design on this model also. Unlike other machines that require you wiggle the bowl in place, this one lets you stack the bowl on top and snap it onto the machine.
Tips for Using Your Food Processor
- Scrape the bowl: Use the tool that comes with your food processor to carefully and gently scrape down the sides. This helps you evenly incorporate all ingredients.
- Fill the bowl first: Before you do anything else, fill the bowl with the ingredients that you want to use. You can then see whether the appliance can accommodate all of your ingredients or if you should work in smaller batches.
- Choose the right blade and/or disc: Always make sure that you use the right blade and disc for the job. When cutting nuts and harder ingredients, you need a steel blade. Using the wrong blade can cause the motor to overheat or the blade to wear down.
- Pulse slowly: A pulse setting lets you grind and chop foods to the consistency that you need. Once you start working, pulse for just a few seconds at a time. You may even want to use one-second intervals. Keeping an eye on the food from outside the bowl lets you know exactly when to stop.
- Start with wet ingredients: When whipping up muffins or a sweet dessert, always mix your wet ingredients first, including eggs, milk and butter. You can then slowly incorporate any dry ingredients that you mixed in a separate bowl.
WARNING
If you need to chop ice or make blended drinks, use a blender instead of your food processor. Chopping ice in your food processor can dull the blade.
Not everyone needs a food processor that can chop and shred 10 cups of ingredients or more, which is why we recommend this KitchenAid chopper. Perfect for small homes, it comes with a 3.5-cup bowl. You can snap the bowl onto the top of the processor and give it a sharp twist to lock it in place. When you need to remove it, simply adjust the switch on the side and it should pop right off. KitchenAid offers this model in many different colors that match to the other appliances that it makes, but you can also pick a color that matches your counters or kitchen decor.
Though this chopper only lets you choose between two settings, you can select between a coarser and a finer option. The steel blade, plastic bowl and the lid that fits on that bowl are all dishwasher safe. When you finish chopping, you can toss all those parts in your dishwasher to remove the finest of ingredients stuck to the inside. It also comes with a short power cord that you can wrap right around the base to save space when storing it in your kitchen.
Most Important Considerations As You Shop
- Speed: The speed at which the food processor operates will tell you how quickly it will work in your home. You should consider both the general speed it hits when the blade spins and the speed it reaches when you use a pulse setting.
- Accessories: Many models today come with accessories like different blades and discs. In addition to an S-blade that you can use with vegetables, you may get blades for grinding meat or working with dough. Some models come with multiple discs for different types of prep work too.
- Controls: Looking at the location of the controls and the type of buttons used will tell you how easily you can use that machine. You may prefer push buttons and controls located next to the bowl instead of a model that have buttons on the base.
- Bowl design: As you look at the bowls that come with different models, you should consider the overall design of each one. Those that you can clean in your dishwasher are better than those you must clean by hand. Some bowls will also come with a line that shows you how high you can fill it too.
Shoppers looking for food processors often want one that they can easily use. If the appliance requires a lot of work to use and clean, you might go back to using an ordinary knife. We recommend this POSAME food processor for those looking for one they can easily use at home. This model doesn’t come with a lot of fancy bells and whistles or even a lot of settings. It’s so easy to use though that you might feel comfortable letting your kids do a little prep work before dinner.
This model has a unique design that features a motor chopper built inside its lid. You’ll remove the lid, put your ingredients inside and then snap the lid back on top. When you need to chop, simply press down on the lid with your hand, which causes the motor to spin. As soon as you let go, the motor stops, which will make it easy to see whether you need to keep chopping. Many customers also like that this food processor comes in a light blue color because it adds a bright splash of color to their kitchens.
What Bowl Size Do You Need?
Bowl size is one of the more important things worth considering as you look at food processors. The models that we picked come with bowls that can hold between 3.5-cups and 16-cups. You need a size that can accommodate all the ingredients you use on a regular basis.
- A larger bowl size is best for those who do a lot of prep work and those who cook for a crowd. The Breville model comes with a 16-cup bowl, while the Cuisinart model comes with a 14-cup bowl. Breville gives you a second bowl for prepping fewer ingredients too.
- Hamilton Beach gives you a 12-cup bowl with its food processor, which gives you enough space for prepping for a family dinner. This size bowl can also accommodate more ingredients for a larger recipe.
- Mini food processors and choppers come with smaller bowls. The POSAME processor comes with a four-cup bowl, while the KitchenAid Mini comes with a 3.5-cup bowl. Smaller models are best for small homes and families and for nights when you need to prep and chop just a few ingredients.
16-cup
14-cup
12-cup
3.5-cup
4-cup
WARNING
Do not put your hands inside the food processor until you turn it off and unplug it from the wall. If the blades spin while your hands or fingers are inside, you can injure yourself.
How Much Should a Food Processor Cost?
Many couples receive food processors as wedding gifts. If you have an old one you got for your wedding and need to replace it, you might find yourself surprised at how much these appliances now cost.
The Breville model is easily the most expensive because it retails for around $500. It is quite similar to the professional models used in commercial kitchens though. It comes with two bowls that you can use based on how much chopping you need to do.
Cuisinart, which is a major name in the appliance industry, makes a similar food processor that costs around $160. If you spend between $100 and $200 on one of these appliances, you’ll get a chopper that you can use for years when making both sweet and savory dishes.
You can also purchase a food processor from a reputable brand like KitchenAid for less than $100. Some of the models on our list actually cost less than $50. If you don’t mind doing some of the work yourself, you can get a manual chopper for less than $30. Mini choppers are available for between $10 and $20, but these models can only hold and chop a small number of ingredients.
Frequently Asked Questions
A: As both blenders and food processors can do many of the same things, you might think that you only need one or the other. A blender is a tool with a blade in the bottom that is perfect for making blended drinks. If you cook often though, you’ll want a food processor that can do more.
A: When using a food processor, you might feel tempted to fill the bowl all the way to the top. You should actually leave a few inches between your ingredients and the top of the bowl. This ensures that the blade can cut all those ingredients without leaving behind any whole pieces.
A: Food processors often come with a number of discs that you might leave in the box because you aren’t sure what they do. A slicing disc is one that lets you use your food processor to make thin slices and cuts in meats and vegetables, while a shredding disc shreds those ingredients into thin strips. You can also use different types of blades like a dough blade, which will fully incorporate wet and dry ingredients together.
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