Best Food Processors

Buying guide for Best food processors

Food processors are great for chopping, grinding, slicing, and pureeing a wide variety of foods. If you want a single tool that can juice fruits, knead dough, and mix thick batter, you will need to find a food processor with the right amount of power and types of accessories to handle food prep.

Choosing a food processor often comes down to your cooking needs and budget. Small processors, commonly known as food choppers, are good for light food preparation and smaller budgets. If you want a food processor that can handle more prep tasks, you’ll find that a full-size model is a better investment.

We have recommendations for the best food processors you should consider when you're ready to add this versatile tool to your cooking collection.

Do I need a food processor?

For anyone who regularly cooks at home, a food processor is a great investment.

When preparing meals with fresh vegetables or other ingredients that require chopping, slicing, mincing, or shredding, a food processor saves you valuable time. It’s also handy for making homemade salsas and dips.

A food processor grates cheese, too, so you can purchase blocks of cheese instead of more expensive pre-shredded bags. You can also use a food processor to mix your own mayonnaise, salad dressings, and gravies. In many cases, you can whip up cream-based fillings for desserts, too.

Food processors are great for chopping, grinding, slicing, and puréeing a wide variety of foods. We evaluate top-of-the-line food processors to find the best balance of quality and value.

You can use a food processor to make an array of dishes, from salads to dips. We look for models that can handle multiple types of dishes with ease.

Food processors typically come with different blades to handle different tasks, including an S-shaped blade for chopping, mincing, and puréeing. We appreciate food processors that come with several interchangeable blades for versatility.

Your food processor’s bowl size should be determined by the size of your household or intended crowd. We research food processors with various bowl capacities to cover an array of dining needs.

We appreciate food processors with touchpad controls that make the machine easy to use. Not all quality food processors have touchpad controls, but many home chefs find this feature worth the extra expense.

The motor of a food processor may put out 400 to 700 watts of power or more, and sometimes, noise output corresponds with wattage. We evaluate machine noise output whenever possible.

A food processor with a built-in chute allows you to add ingredients while the machine is running. We note the width of the chutes of the food processors we evaluate.

Some food processors include extras such as interchangeable blades, a grating disc, a whisking disc, and other accessories. When these extras are offered, we assess their quality to determine if they add value to the investment.

A food processor can be a useful alternative to using a knife or press to chop or dice vegetables. We value quality food processors that can handle small tasks as easily as large ones.

In addition to entry-level food processors, we investigate machines that allow you to perform tasks beyond the basics, such as kneading bread dough and juicing veggies and fruits.

Types of food processors

There are two main types of food processors: full-size food processors and small food choppers.

Food chopper

A food chopper has a smaller capacity and less power than a full-size food processor.

As a result, food choppers usually cost less and take up less space on your countertop.

Full-size food processor

A full-size food processor is probably what comes to mind when you think of a food processor.

It can easily chop and slice vegetables, grate cheese, and purée dips.

Some models have more advanced capabilities, such as kneading bread dough or juicing fruits and vegetables.

Some food processors can only chop food. However, others come with special attachments that can slice, shred, grind and more.

What should you look for when shopping for a food processor?

Bowl size

The best size for your food processor’s bowl or jar depends entirely on how large your household is or how many people you usually cook for. In general, it’s best to choose a bowl that holds at least nine cups.

However, if you routinely cook for groups larger than four, or if you like to make large batches of food that you can freeze, opt for a model with a bowl that holds 11 to 14 cups. In that same vein, if you’re only cooking for one or using the processor to make small amounts of food, a bowl that holds three cups is usually sufficient.

When you’re looking at food processor bowls, consider choosing a model with a maximum liquid line. This will keep you from adding too much liquid to the machine and causing leaks.

Motor wattage

When it comes to chopping, slicing, and shredding, a food processor doesn’t need major power to get the job done. However, if you plan to use the appliance for other tasks, such as kneading dough, you’ll need a motor that’s stronger.

If you only plan to use your food processor for basic tasks, a 500- to 600-watt motor has all the power you need. For kneading dough, grinding meat, and other heavy-duty jobs, look for a food processor with a 700-watt or higher motor.

Blades

Food processors typically come with different blades to handle different tasks.

Most include an S-shaped blade for chopping, mincing, and puréeing, as well as a slicing and grating blade.

If you plan to use your food processor to make dough, you’ll want a plastic blade for kneading.

Food chute

A food processor has a chute that allows you to add food to the bowl while the appliance is running.

Choose a model with a wide food chute. You can put large chunks of vegetables and other foods through a wide chute, and you won’t have to cut your ingredients beforehand.

Speeds

Most food processors have three settings: on, off, and pulse. The pulse setting allows you to turn on the machine for brief periods so you don’t over chop, purée, or grind your ingredients.

However, some food processors have additional speed settings to accommodate heavy-duty tasks. If you plan to use your appliance for more than chopping, puréeing, and grating, look for a model with extra speeds.

Controls

Food processors either have levers, buttons, or digital touchpads for controls.

Levers and buttons are easy to use, though they can be difficult to clean if spills occur.

A touchpad is just as user-friendly, and it’s extremely easy to wipe clean after use. For this reason, it may be worth the extra investment.

Accessories

Some food processors come with work bowls in several sizes, so you can process different ingredients without having to stop and wash the bowl. Depending on how you plan to use your food processor, you may want a model equipped with a juicer and/or whipping attachment.

Cleaning

After you've used your food processor, having to carefully hand clean lots of little nooks and crannies on your machine can be a real drag. Choosing a model that you can clean easily will make life a lot easier.

Extra features

For the most versatile food processor, choose a model that has special settings to do blender jobs like making smoothies and crushing ice.

Food processor prices

Food processors are available at a variety of price points, depending on the size and power of the appliance.

Top-tier food processors

A full-size food processor that can chop, slice, and shred large quantities of food will set you back between $99 and $380.

Mid-range food processors

You can purchase a mid-size food processor for $50 to $99.

Budget food processors

For a small food chopper, expect to pay between $30 and $40.

Hands-on: food processors

Tips and tricks for using your food processor

• Don’t fill up the food processor’s bowl before placing it on the base. The blade won’t fit properly. Set the bowl on the base with the blade in place, then fill the bowl.

• Always cool any cooked foods before placing them in a food processor. If the ingredients are hot, they can discolor and melt the plastic section of the blade.

• Never fill the food processor more than half full with liquid. If there’s too much liquid, it can seep or splash out the sides when you turn the processor on.

• For consistency and even blending of foods, roughly chop up food items before putting them in the food processor’s bowl.

• Remember to scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl when you’re puréeing or chopping. Ingredients can stick to the sides and not get puréed or chopped with the rest of the food, leaving you with uneven results.

• While you may think mainly of chopping and slicing veggies in your food processor, don’t overlook it when you need help with sweets. A food processor can break up cookies and graham crackers into crumbs for pie crusts and toppings, whip up cheesecake batter, and chop nuts quickly and effectively.

• Don’t fill a food processor’s bowl all the way to the brim. Ideally, you should fill it to three-fourths of its capacity and then process.

• For the best results, choose a food processor with stainless steel blades. They are the most durable and offer the best performance.

With a food processor, you can shred cheese, knead dough, grind hamburger, blend spreads, purée baby food, make soups, churn butter, whip mayonnaise, and even grate chocolate — to name a few functions.

FAQ

Q. Do I need a food processor if I already have a blender?

A. While there’s some overlap between what a food processor and a blender can do depending on what models you have, a blender is typically meant for blending recipes that contain a significant amount of liquid. A food processor is meant for chopping, slicing, and grating solid items. You can’t replace a food processor with a basic blender.

Q. What determines how well a food processor chops?

A. A food processor’s pulse speed plays the biggest role in how well it chops. The pulse needs to be strong enough to move the ingredients around the bowl but short enough that it doesn’t completely pulverize the food.

Q. How can I tell if a food processor will be easy to store?

A. For convenience, it’s best to keep your food processor on your countertop. However, if you plan to stash it in a cabinet, the size of its base and bowl are the biggest factors in how easy it will be to store.

Mini food choppers are usually the easiest to store. With full-size models, look for one that comes with a case for its blades and attachments so you don’t have to store them loose in a drawer or cabinet.

6 surprising things you can make with a food processor

• For pie crust and other pastries, cut butter into flour with ease with the pulse function and regular blade.
• A small bowl (like the 2.5-cup bowl of the Breville) is perfect for chopping smaller amounts of food without getting the larger bowl dirty.
• Use the special french fry blade attachment to make whole potatoes into fries in seconds. A whole potato can fit inside the extra-large food chute.
• The Breville's julienne disc can "zoodle" veggies for a salad or slaw without killing your wrist with a manual zoodler.
• Shred a huge block of cheese (and not your fingers) with the grating disk. The Breville's extra-large chute means no more pre-cutting, either.
• Use the emulsifying whisk disk to whip up whipped cream or butter in a flash.

Cut butter into flour with ease with the pulse function and regular blade

The small 2.5-cup bowl of the Breville is perfect for chopping smaller amounts of food without getting the larger bowl dirty.

Use the special french fry blade attachment to make whole potatoes into fries in seconds. A whole potato can fit inside the extra large food chute.

The Breville's julienne disc can

Shred a huge block of cheese (and not your fingers) with the grating disk. The Breville's extra-large chute means no more pre-cutting, either.

Use the emulsifying whisk disk to whip up whipped cream or butter in a flash.