Comparison: Nyt Wirecutter Best Food Processor (Updated | Dec 8th)
Ready to upgrade your kitchen game but drowning in food processor options? Whether you’re a meal prep pro or just starting your culinary journey, we’ve sifted through the chaff to bring you the crème de la crème of food processors. From silky smooth soups to perfectly diced veggies, these kitchen workhorses will transform your cooking experience. Stick around as we break down why Wirecutter’s recommendations are worth every penny and how they stack up against the competition.
Editor’s Choice
Best for a specific purpose
- Best for smartest processing: Ninja Food Processor
- Best for professional choice: Cuisinart Food Processor
- Best for simple assembly: Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap Food Processor and Vegetable Chopper
- Best for compact convenience: Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor
- Best for compact chopper: Hamilton Beach Electric Vegetable Chopper & Mini Food Processor
- Best for dual bowl system: GANIZA Food Processors
- Best for budget friendly: BLACK+DECKER 3-in-1 Easy Assembly 8-Cup Food Processor
- Best for countertop compact: KitchenAid KFC3516ER 3.5 Cup Food Chopper
- Best for bowl scraper: Hamilton Beach Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper for Slicing
- Best for easy clean design: KitchenAid 7-Cup Food Processor – KFP0718
Product Comparison: Nyt Wirecutter Best Food Processor
Smartest Processing
Ninja Food Processor, Professional Plus, 1000 Peak Watts, 4 Functions for Chopping, Slicing, Purees & Dough with 9-Cup Processor Bowl, 3 Blades, Food Chute & Pusher, Silver, BN601
Ninja
- POWERFUL PERFORMANCE: Equipped with a 1000-peak-watt motor, this Ninja food processor effortlessly handles tough ingredients, ensuring smooth and consistent results every time.
- AUTO-IQ TECHNOLOGY: Features 4 Auto-iQ intelligent preset programs that take the guesswork out of food prep, providing one-touch control for chopping, slicing, pureeing, and dough making.
- LARGE CAPACITY: The 9-cup bowl is perfect for large batches, making it ideal for family meals, entertaining, or weekly meal prep, saving you time and effort in the kitchen.
- PRECISION BLADES: Includes stainless steel precision blades designed for optimal performance, ensuring even chopping, slicing, and pureeing of all your ingredients.
- DOUGH BLADE INCLUDED: Comes with a specialized dough blade that makes mixing dough for bread, pizza, and pastries a breeze, delivering professional-quality results at home.
- EASY TO CLEAN: All removable parts are BPA-free and dishwasher safe, making cleanup quick and hassle-free, so you can spend more time enjoying your culinary creations.
- MODERN DESIGN: Sleek silver finish and compact design fit seamlessly into any kitchen decor, while the sturdy construction ensures long-lasting durability and performance.
- USER-FRIENDLY: Intuitive controls and easy assembly make this food processor accessible for all skill levels, from novice cooks to experienced chefs, enhancing your cooking experience.
- SAFETY FEATURES: Built-in safety mechanisms ensure the processor operates only when properly assembled, providing peace of mind during use and preventing accidents.
- VERSATILE FUNCTIONALITY: Perfect for a wide range of tasks including chopping vegetables, slicing fruits, pureeing hummus, and mixing dough, making it an essential tool for any kitchen.
Professional Choice
Cuisinart Food Processor, 14-Cup Vegetable Food Chopper for Mincing, Dicing, Shredding, Puree & Kneading Dough, 720-Watt Motor, Stainless Steel, DFP-14BCNY
Cuisinart
- SUPERIOR FUNCTION: The Cuisinart Food Processor with 720-watt motor functions as a vegetable chopper, blender, and food processer in one. Make any kind of dip, puree soup, or sauce including hummus, salsa, guacamole, and more.
- MUST-HAVE FEATURES: The 14-cup food chopper has “on” and “off/pulse” buttons with an extra-large feed tube with bowl sleeve assembly designed for both small and large feed tube pushers. It also comes with a detachable disc stem for easy clean up.
- INCLUDED ACCESSORIES: This food processor comes with dishwasher-safe parts including a stainless steel standard slicing disc (4mm), medium shredding disc, and stainless steel chopping/mixing blade.
- NOTE TO CONSUMER: The shredding and slicing blades of this electric chopper are not adjustable. Please refer to the manual before setting up.
- LIMITED 3-YEAR WARRANTY: The Cuisinart Food Processor comes with a limited 3-year warranty on the entire unit and a full 5-year warranty on the motor.
Simple Assembly
Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap Food Processor and Vegetable Chopper, BPA Free, Stainless Steel Blades, 12 Cup Bowl, 2-Speed 450 Watt Motor, Black (70725A)
Hamilton Beach
- STACK AND SNAP TECHNOLOGY FOR EASY ASSEMBLY: With this well-designed food processor, you can skip frustrating, awkward assembly. Stack & Snap technology provides easy assembly and removes the need for difficult twist-locking.
- 12 CUP SEALED BOWL: Most food processors are too small for large processing jobs. This 12 cup sealed bowl fits large volumes of food all at once, and since it’s sealed in the center, there’s no messy leaks or spills to clean up after processing.
- BIG MOUTH CHUTE: Fit a whole potato or tomato right into the chute. The Big Mouth chute of this Hamilton Beach food processor saves prep time by reducing the need to pre-cut food before processing.
- SLICE, SHRED, CHOP, MIX AND PUREE WITH 2 VERSATILE ATTACHMENTS: This large food processor and vegetable chopper includes a chopping/pureeing blade and reversible stainless steel slicing/shredding disc so you can tackle every job with ease.
- QUICKLY POWERS THROUGH TOUGH INGREDIENTS WITH 450 WATT MOTOR: Shred cheese and potatoes, slice cucumbers and tomatoes, chop onions and herbs. As you process, the suction cup feet prevent sliding for greater stability on the countertop.
- EASY TO CLEAN: All removable parts are dishwasher safe for effortless cleanup and all food zones are BPA-free for peace of mind
- 2-IN-1 CHUTE: Use the small chute and small pusher when you need to process thinner foods like carrots and celery — it holds them upright for better control and clean cuts. Use the Big Mouth chute and big pusher for larger, whole foods like potatoes.
- SIMPLE FUNCTION GUIDE: The simple function guide takes the guesswork out of food processing — you’ll always know which blade to use and which button to push.
- CONVENIENT POUR SPOUT: Simply pour ingredients from the processing bowl right into your serving bowl for mess-free pouring.
- WHAT’S INCLUDED: 450 watt processor base, 12 cup bowl, large food pusher with small chute, small food pusher, lid with Big Mouth chute, chopping/pureeing/mixing blade, reversible slicing/shredding disc, user guide
Compact Convenience
Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor, 24-Ounce Mini Food Processor to Chop Herbs, Vegetables, and Hard Cheese, 24-Ounce Work Bowl, Reversible Stainless Steel Blade, DLC-2ABC, Brushed Chrome
Cuisinart
- SUPERIOR FUNCTION: The Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor offers an efficient 250-watt motor and patented reversible stainless steel blade to quickly chop herbs, dice vegetables, and grind hard cheese
- CONVENIENT CONTROL: The 24-ounce food chopper with durable, lightweight plastic body features a push-button control panel and auto-reversing SmartPower blade for two powerful processing options—chop and grind (not recommended to grind beans as it chops)
- EASY CLEANUP: A dishwasher-safe bowl and lid provide for easy cleanup, while the motor base can be wiped clean with a damp sponge or cloth
- WHAT’S INCLUDED: The mini chopper includes a 24-ounce work bowl with handle, stainless steel blade with sharp blunt edges, spatula, and instruction/recipe book
- LIMITED 18-MONTH WARRANTY: The BPA-free Cuisinart mini chopper comes with a limited 18-month warranty
- 250-watt food processor with 3-cup plastic work bowl
- Chops and grinds with patented reversible stainless-steel blade
- Simple push-button control panel; durable, yet lightweight plastic body
- Dishwasher-safe bowl and lid for quick cleanup; spatula included
- Product Built to North American Electrical Standards
Compact Chopper
Hamilton Beach Electric Vegetable Chopper & Mini Food Processor, 3-Cup, 350 Watts, for Dicing, Mincing, and Puree, Black (72850)
Hamilton Beach
- Simply stack and press to chop: The patented stack & press design makes it easy to assemble and use. Simply press the lid to chop and release to stop. Since all you do is stack the lid on top of the bowl, no difficult twist-locking is needed.
- Perfect size for everyday use: Chop and mix up to 3 cups of ingredients every day of the week with this 3 cup chopper. It’s the perfect size for everyday use, yet small enough for easy storage.
- Easily chop, puree and emulsify with stainless steel blades: Durable stainless steel blades make easy work of a multitude of ingredients including onions, carrots and nuts. Oil dispenser on lid makes it easy to emulsify dressings, dips and sauces.
- Easy to clean: The bowl, lid and removable blades of the Hamilton Beach chopper are all dishwasher safe.
- Power through tough ingredients: This small food chopper has a 350 watt motor to provide all the power you need to prepare all types of food including onions, nuts, herbs, hummus, dressings and homemade baby food.
Dual Bowl System
GANIZA Food Processors, Electric Food Chopper with Meat Grinder & Vegetable Chopper – 2 Bowls (8 Cup+8 Cup) with Powerful 450W Copper Motor – Includes 2 Sets of Bi-Level Blades for Fruits/Meat/Nuts
Ganiza
- 【Indispensable Kitchen Helper】GANIZA BPA-FREE food processor features 2 sets of blades and paired bowls (8-Cup glass bowl and 8-Cup stainless steel bowl). Easily chop meat, fish, vegetables, nuts, frozen fruit, or make a salad, guacamole, etc, the food chopper is ideal for multiple kitchen tasks!
- 【Efficient Motor & Safety Insurance】The Full-copper motor supports a 3 times longer service life than regular motors. Adopting patented automatic stopping design to protect your family and child, and blades are spring-loaded and stop rotating immediately once you pop the motor out of the way.
- 【Please Note】Ganiza food processor is equipped with an overheating protection system. If the machine stops working, please wait a few minutes for the machine to cool down before starting it. Overheating protection system is built to ensure quality & lifetime, and also makes the food processor safe.
- 【Unlock Versatility with Two Bowls】Your food hygiene, we care. The Mixing Bowls are made from different materials (glass and sus 304 stainless steel) to avoid confusion between bowls for different uses, meat chopper and vegetable chopper, food processor.
- 【2 Speed – Great Time Saver】450 watts motor certified for professional use combined with upgraded two levels of “S” stainless steel blades, a few seconds is enough to turn any vegetable or meat into tiny bits. 2 cutting speeds to meet different needs of foods or texture.
- 【Make an Exhausting Job a Breeze】Still struggling about daily handling of onions or meats? Just an electric food chopper is all you need to make cooking fun. The GANIZA chops, mixes, blends, whips, grinds, and more, all with a simple push to start. Easy to clean with removable blades. Powerful veggie chopper made thanksgiving prep a breeze.
Budget Friendly
BLACK+DECKER 3-in-1 Easy Assembly 8-Cup Food Processor, Stainless Steel S-Blade, Easy-Clean, Touchpad Controls Black
BLACK+DECKER
- EASY ASSEMBLY: The smart design lets you set the work bowl onto the base, and uses the lid as the locking mechanism. No more struggling to lock the bowl into place.
- 8-CUP WORK BOWL: The large capacity gives you plenty of room to work with when creating salsas, nut butter, hummus, and so much more. The possibilities are endless.
- STAINLESS STEEL S-BLADE: The stainless steel blade quickly chops and mixes for fast, consistent results.
- REVERSIBLE SLICE/SHRED DISC:The reversible metal disc lets you slice veggies quickly or shred cheese without tiring your forearms.
- EASY-CLEAN TOUCHPAD CONTROLS: Easy-Clean Touchpad Controls feature low, high, and pulse settings.The powerful 450W motor takes care of food quickly and easily.
Countertop Compact
KitchenAid KFC3516ER 3.5 Cup Food Chopper, Empire Red, One Size
KitchenAid
- Convenient 3.5 cup work bowl features a locking blade, handle and pour spout for easy serving,and dishwasher-safe for quick clean up
- With its small, countertop friendly footprint and simple cord wrap, its easy to store, neatly tucking away when you’re finished prepping
- 2 speeds and pulse for coarse or fine results for anything from chunky pico de gallo and salsa, to a creamy hummus, smooth sauce or tasty dressing
- Easily incorporate liquid ingredients for sauces and dressings while processing with the drizzle basin
- Precisely chop or puree with the stainless steel multi-purpose blade that locks in place for convenient pouring.
Bowl Scraper
Hamilton Beach Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper for Slicing, Shredding, Mincing, and Puree, 10 Cups + Easy Clean Bowl Scraper, Black and Stainless Steel (70730)
Hamilton Beach
- BUILT-IN BOWL SCRAPER SAVES TIME: Quickly process ingredients without pausing to use a spatula. Simply move the scraper from side to side to scrape the bowl while the electric food processor is running or the power is off — no need to remove lid.
- SLICE, SHRED, CHOP, MIX, & PUREE WITH 2 ATTACHMENTS: This Hamilton Beach food processor and veggie slicer has 5 processing functions using a stainless steel food processor slicing/shredding disc and reversible chopping/pureeing blade
- POWERFUL 450-WATT MOTOR: Make healthy salads, homemade salsa, hearty acai bowls, and more with this food processor and veggie chopper. The 450-watt motor easily powers through the toughest ingredients, so you can spend less time processing.
- PRECISE CONTROL WITH 2 SPEEDS PLUS PULSE: The low and high speeds plus pulse give you the control you need for a variety of recipes. Use the high speed when you need more power and select the low speed for processing or mixing delicate foods.
- 10 CUP BOWL CAPACITY: The generous 10 cup bowl fits a large volume of food. The large 3″ x 1.75″ feed chute saves time by reducing the need to pre-cut food – making it an essential electric vegetable chopper and slicer tool in your kitchen.
- EASY TO CLEAN: All removable parts are dishwasher safe for easy cleanup, and all food-contact zones are BPA-free for added peace of mind.
- 1 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY: Built for lasting performance, this electric kitchen processor is backed by a 1-year limited warranty from Hamilton Beach.
- SUCTION CUP FEET: This electric food slicer and processor has suction cup feet to prevent sliding and provide greater stability on the countertop.
- WHAT’S INCLUDED: The electric food processor comes with a 450-watt processor base, 10 cup bowl, lid with large feed chute, food pusher, built-in bowl scraper, reversible slicing/shredding disc, chopping blade, and user guide.
Easy Clean Design
KitchenAid 7-Cup Food Processor – KFP0718
KitchenAid
- All-in-one storage solution stores all blades and discs directly in the bowl
- Snap-and-go, easy-clean work bowl with a twist-free, one-click bowl assembly and latched lid; Add warm water and 1-2 drops of dish soap in the leak-resistant bowl to quickly clean bowl and blades
- Chop, shred, slice and puree everything from fresh veggies to cheeses, sauces, salsa and so much more with the included multi-purpose blade and reversible slice/shred disc
- Reduce prep time with the 2-in-1 feed tube and process a variety of ingredient shapes and sizes – tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes and more
- Simple controls with 3 speeds (High, Low and Pulse) to handle a variety of ingredients with precision. The easy-press paddles and illuminated LED controls make operation simple
- Model KFP0718 includes (1) 7 cup work bowl, (1) Lid, (1) Multi-purpose blade, (1) Reversible medium slicing/shredding disc
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Buying Guide
FAQs
What should I look for when buying a food processor?
Consider capacity based on your household size, with 8-14 cups being ideal for most users. Look for a powerful motor (at least 600 watts) and multiple speed settings for versatility. Check for durable blades and easy-to-clean parts, especially dishwasher-safe components.
How do the top food processors compare in performance?
The best models excel at chopping, pureeing, and kneading dough with consistent results. Higher-end options offer quieter operation and more precise controls, while budget models may struggle with tough ingredients. Always compare warranty coverage and customer reviews for long-term reliability.
Which features are most important for everyday use?
A wide feed tube reduces prep time by accommodating larger ingredients. Multiple blade options, like shredding and slicing discs, add versatility. Pulse control and a simple interface make operation intuitive for all users.
Are expensive food processors worth the extra cost?
Premium models often offer better build quality, more accessories, and superior performance. If you cook frequently or need advanced features, the investment pays off. For occasional use, mid-range options provide excellent value without compromising essential functions.
How do I clean and maintain a food processor?
Most parts are dishwasher-safe, but hand-washing blades extends their sharpness. Avoid soaking the base or motor housing—wipe it down with a damp cloth instead. Regularly check for food residue under the blade to prevent buildup.
Can a food processor replace other kitchen appliances?
It can handle tasks like chopping, blending, and even dough kneading, but may not replace a high-speed blender for smoothies. Some models also function as graters or mixers, reducing clutter. Assess your cooking needs to determine if it can streamline your kitchen tools.
What’s the difference between a food processor and a blender?
Food processors are designed for dry or solid foods, excelling at chopping, grating, and mixing. Blenders work best with liquids, making smoothies and soups. Choose based on whether you prioritize texture control (processor) or liquid blending (blender).
How loud are food processors during operation?
Noise levels vary, with higher-end models often featuring quieter motors. Budget processors may be louder but still manageable for short tasks. If noise is a concern, look for models with sound-dampening features or check user reviews.
