Yahoo Finance These Top-Rated Food Processors Will Make Meal Prep a Breeze
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We’ve all been there: There’s a pile of diced onions to your right, a pile of sliced tomatoes in front of you, and a mountain of minced carrots to your left. You’re preparing to make a pasta sauce, you haven’t even begun, and you’re already exhausted from the chopping. Making homemade sauces, dips, and salsas can happen effortlessly in a snap—if you have the right tools.
From salsa and hummus to pie crust and pesto, hundreds of recipes become significantly easier with a little help from a food processor. But before you cram yet another single-use kitchen appliance into your crowded cabinets, consider all the power and features you need in a food processor to make your favorite dishes. Check out the quick reviews below of our top five food processors, or scroll deeper for more helpful buying info and full reviews of those models plus additional high-ranking options.
The Best Food Processors
What to Consider
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to picking the perfect processor. Keep the following in mind before you click “buy” and you’ll end up with one that suits your needs and kitchens to a T.
What will you be making?
Because food processors may come with a variety of attachments, you’ll need to determine the recipes you generally plan to make before you decide on a model. Every processor will chop and puree, but some have attachments for more niche needs, such as kneading dough. Depending on the features offered, a processor may even be able to replace a blender; however, dedicated blenders are better for smooth purees and fine grinds.
Capacity
Pay attention to the processor’s capacity and think about how big you realistically need the processor to be. Food processors range anywhere from 3.5 cups in capacity up to 16. Mini 3.5-cup food choppers may seem small, but are suitable for making salsa, pesto, and chopped nuts. For larger batches, 11 cups seems to be the average for home use, while 16 cups is considered a commercial size.
Dimensions
Pay close attention to the overall dimensions of any food processor before buying to ensure you have enough storage space in your kitchen—either on the counter or in your storage spaces.
How We Selected
We researched 10 expert sources such as The Spruce Eats, Consumer Reports, and Good Housekeeping, as well as tens of thousands consumer reviews to select the top 10 food processors of the year. Our Consumer Score represents the percentage of consumers who rated the product at least 4 out of 5 stars on retail and review sites like Amazon, Walmart, and manufacturers’ websites.
—Best Overall—
Breville BFP800XL Food Processor
Consumer Score: 87% gave it 4 stars or higher
Kneading, pureeing, and chopping, this food processor does it all with gusto.
Breville BFP800XL Food Processor
$443.93
amazon.com
Looking for the Porsche of processors? For the serious home chefs out there, the Breville is the answer to all of your mincing, pureeing, and kneading needs. It may be on the pricier side, but if you need something top-of-the-line, this is it. It has both a large and small bowl size, as well as the choice of a large or small chute to accommodate a variety of ingredients. In addition, it comes with three different S blades, a hook for kneading dough, and five slicing and shredding disks, including a julienne disk, a French fry cutter, and an adjustable disc to select the perfect width. No worries when it comes to storage—you can stow away all the attachments in an included storage container.
Perhaps one of the best features is the leakproof design that completely seals the bowls with a rubber lining, allowing you to fill it to capacity without worrying about making a mess. More than 87 percent of reviewers on Amazon give this processor 5 out of 5 stars.
—Hybrid Blender/Processor—
Ninja Blender/Food Processor
Consumer Score: 89% gave it 4 stars or more
Replace your blender and food processor with this multipurpose hybrid appliance.
Blender/Food Processor
$50.99
amazon.com
This wallet-friendly blender and food processor is a great option for small spaces. This Ninja appliance comes with three separate bowls: a pitcher for blending, a bowl for food processing, and a chopper bowl for chopping. Just because it’s multipurpose doesn’t mean it’s not successful at all its various jobs, though.
The main downfall is that you have to remove the whole power pod—where the motor is contained—instead of just removing the lid when you want to add ingredients halfway through mixing. And if you are married to the need to shred, this is not the appliance for you, since it lacks slicing and shredding disks. More than 89 percent of reviewers give this blender/processor 5 out of 5 stars.
—Best Value—
Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Stack & Snap
Consumer Score: 75% gave it 4 stars or higher
The large, adjustable KitchenAid makes meal prep more efficient.
Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Stack & Snap
$59.99
amazon.com
When you think about a food processor, chances are this is exactly what you’re picturing. The 450-watt motor, two speeds, and pulse control mean you can do just about anything you need to do with a blender, with no muss and no fuss. If you are looking for a basic food processor at an affordable price, this Hamilton Beach model is hard to beat. It has three blades for slicing, shredding, and chopping, and reviewers were impressed with how well it worked.
“This thing has come in handy so many times over the holidays,” wrote one reviewer. “I make a mac n’ cheese that I have to grate the cheese by hand, and it can take forever, with this it’s done in less than a couple minutes. I made a cheesecake at Christmas and used this to make the crust, then when I couldn’t find my hand mixer for the filling I decided to try this to mix it all up and it did just that!” It has four easy-to-use buttons for shredding/slicing, pureeing/mixing, and pulse, as well as an easy snap-on system for attaching and removing the bowl.
—Compact Chopper—
Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus Food Processor
Consumer Score: 85% gave it 4 stars or higher
This budget choice is simple with some serious power.
Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus Food Processor
$39.95
amazon.com
This tiny chopper offers big-time convenience. Humans are predisposed to think that most small things are cute, and this food processor is no exception. This lil’ guy can hold three cups, more than enough room to make guac for friends (or just yourself). While it may be small, it’s still fairly powerful. It purees, grinds, and chops with ease, though you need to hold down the button the entire time it’s in use. It may not be the most feature-packed processor of them all, but it gets the job done, and all of its parts are dishwasher-safe. The fun color option and affordable price are the icing on the cake that you will make with the help of this little appliance. Reviewers say this petite processor works “like a beast.”
—Most Versatile—
Braun FP3020
Consumer Score: 90% gave it 4 stars or higher
11,000 reviewers couldn't get enough of this compact kitchen pal.
Braun FP3020
$229.99
amazon.com
Though made by a German company, the Braun is truly the Swiss Army Knife of the kitchen. From your typical functions like shredding, pureeing, and slicing, to its more novel abilities, like whipping, kneading, and juicing, this is truly a do-it-all addition to your team of appliances. And unlike most food processors that boast a slew of abilities, this one is reasonably priced at only $180. It has 11 different speed settings and a particularly quiet motor despite being a relatively powerful 600 watts.
Customers loved the ease of assembly and the well-fitting lid, which keeps your food in the processor and makes for easy cleanup when you are done. More than 90 percent of reviewers on Amazon give this 5 out of 5 stars.
—Best Manual—
Zyliss Easy Pull Food Chopper and Manual Food Processor
Consumer Score: 92% gave it 4 stars or more
A processor that does everything you want and more.
Zyliss Easy Pull Food Chopper and Manual Food Processor
$39.95
amazon.com
If you want to be able blend on the go, snag this little number. This wallet-friendly option doesn’t have to be plugged in, and works surprisingly well. The three-cup bowl features two blades that spin in opposite directions to chop food quickly. To get it to work, you simply have to pull on the handle—like starting a lawn mower, but with tastier results. Just a few pulls will give you a chunkier texture, while more will fully puree.
“I use my chopper almost every day—mincing onions for chili, vegetables for salads, even mixing eggs for omelettes,” said one rave reviewer. “It’s the best thing ever. Incredibly easy to use, and with a little bit of experience, you know exactly how many pulls you need to get the size of pieces you want.” It’s dishwasher-safe, and the two dual acid-etched blades finely chop all ingredients. Booster arms keep the food from sticking. More than 92 percent of reviewers on Amazon give this blender 5 out of 5 stars.
—Most Powerful—
Cuisinart Elemental Small Food Processor
Consumer Score: 93% gave it 4 stars or more
This hand-powered chopper is fast, compact, and cord-free.
Cuisinart Elemental Small Food Processor
$185.37
amazon.com
Cuisinart is a household name for household appliances for a reason. This food processor, like many of Cuisinart’s products, is priced to sell, with plenty of bells and whistles to make it even more competitive. The 550-watt motor has solid slicing and dicing power, and the 13-cup capacity with the 4-cup insert for smaller jobs, offers nice flexibility.
The processor features a patent-pending SealTight system that locks the bowl and blade in place, and provides a wide-mouth feed tube with small, medium, and large pushers, plus convenient electronic touchpad controls, and high, low, off, and pulse speed options. The processor comes with a 10-millimeter grid and cleaning tool, a stainless steel chopping and mixing blade, small and large S-blades, a stainless steel reversible shredding disc, and a stainless steel adjustable slicing disc. The Cuisinart comes with a limited 3-year warranty.
Reviewers love how versatile this “amazing” processor is, with a “great motor,” and a storage-friendly footprint.
—Most Beloved—
Ninja Professional Plus Food Processor
Consumer Score: 95 percent gave it 4 stars or more
This BPA-free model is dishwasher-safe and ideal for bakers.
Professional Plus Food Processor
$99.99
amazon.com
This small but mighty Ninja has earned 4.8 out of 5 stars from more than 7,590 reviewers on Amazon. The 1,000-watt motor can process even the toughest ingredients, and the range of blades that chop, slice, mix, dice, and blend deliver restaurant-worthy results. The processor features four Auto-IQ preset programs to make prep a snap, with three speeds to choose from.
The powerful dough mixer has the torque to fold ingredients quickly and consistently, making up to two pounds of dough in 30 seconds. The processor is BPA-free and dishwasher-safe.
One reviewer calls this one of their “favorite purchases ever,” while others marvel at its “oomph” and impressive power.
—Best for Big Chop Jobs—
AICOK 12-Cup Food Processor
Consumer Score: 99% gave it 4 stars or more
Fast, affordable, and dishwasher-safe, buyers love this model's powerful motor.
AICOK 12-Cup Food Processor
$59.99
walmart.com
This 12-cup compact food mixer is a wonderful asset if you need big chopping jobs done on the fly. This processor features four speeds, with an interlocking safety design, and offers versatility with a dough blade and a disc that slices and shreds items. The large feed chute makes prep easier and faster, and the capacity makes it big enough for most jobs, but reasonably small for storage purposes. The easy-to-detach parts are dishwasher-safe.
Reviewers love how powerful the motor is, and praise its overall functionality, especially considering its wallet-friendly price. This processor earns a 5/5-star rating from all but six reviewers on Walmart.
—Sleekest Design—
KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor
Consumer Score: 90% gave it 4 stars or more
This stylish food processor has a petite footprint ideal for smaller kitchens.
KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor
$199.95
amazon.com
Hey, good-lookin’! This sleek silver food processor gets the job done and looks fabulous enough to give up a little counter space for if cabinet storage is at a premium. (It also comes in four other colors).
You’ll be able to adjust slicing thickness with the exact slice disc, and slice/mince/shred to your heart’s delight with the multipurpose blade, reversible shredding disc, and dough blade. The snap-and-go work bowl and latched lid make prep a breeze, and the 3-in-1 feed tube allows you to process a variety of ingredients without changing the setup. Reviewers say the product performs "extremely well" given its affordability, adding that it’s “easy to use and easy to clean.”
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