We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. What to Buy Appliances Small Appliances The 5 Best Food Processors, According to Our Tests These indispensable machines are our go-to picks for chopping, shredding, slicing, and more. By Nick DeSimone Nick DeSimone Nick DeSimone is a pasta-obsessed vegetarian chef who spent nearly 10 years in restaurants before becoming a food writer. They review kitchen products for Food & Wine and love plant-based and Southern Italian cuisines. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 12, 2024 Photo: Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore The food processor is one of the most versatile tools in any home cook's collection of small kitchen appliances. We reach for our food processors every time we make homemade pesto or salsa fresca; the gadget can turn arduous knife work into a job finished at the push of a button. The best food processors will reduce prep time, so you'll spend less time making your signature spinach dip and more time enjoying it. Professional chefs are also fans of food processors. Juan Ocampo, the sous chef at Parc in Philadelphia, loves using his food processor both at home and at work. "Food processors are versatile and essential for any kitchen worth cooking in," he says. To find the best food processors, we put 20 top-rated models from brands like Breville, Cuisinart, and KitchenAid through various tests. We rated them across categories, including speed, blade sharpness, and cleanup. Our favorites might surprise you. Food Processors vs. Blenders If you already have a powerful blender, you might wonder why you'd need to spend the money on another appliance that does some of the same things. While there is some overlap between the functions of food processors and blenders, the truth is that they work very differently. A food processor has a large, sharp blade that spins comparatively slowly to cut ingredients into evenly sized pieces. The longer you run the motor, the smaller the pieces become, but a good food processor should keep the pieces even throughout the process. Food processors also often come with extras like a cheese shredder attachment or spiralizer for making zoodles. A blender, on the other hand, uses a smaller, duller blade that spins very quickly to break items apart rather than cut them up. It's meant to make smooth-textured mixtures without any chunks, such as a fresh smoothie or silky tomato soup. It's also good for crushing ice for frozen cocktails, as the rapidly spinning blades break large cubes into bits before they can melt. The truth is that you probably need both a food processor and a blender in your kitchen. If you want to rough-chop onion for salsa and also create velvety purees, very few appliances can do both effectively. A space-saving puree alternative could be a small personal blender or an immersion blender that doesn't need a dedicated pitcher. How We Tested Food Processors Food and Wine / Russell Kilgore To select our favorite food processors, we chose 20 top models to pit head-to-head in a series of tests. This included winners of previous rounds of food processor testing as well as new models we hadn't tried before. Setup test: We unboxed each model and attempted to put it together — without consulting the instruction manual if possible. Models that assembled and disassembled quickly and intuitively received high scores, while we dinged those with many confusing parts and procedures.Chopping test: We processed a peeled and quartered red onion in each machine for exactly 10 seconds using the standard chopping blade. We examined the results, looking for an even texture and clean cuts. Food processors that had trouble with chopping often had large pieces get stuck beneath the blade or a dull blade that crushed the onion rather than chop it.Slicing test: To test adjustable slicing discs, we sliced zucchini using the thinnest, thickest, and middle settings. We checked whether the slices came out in equal sizes and whether any didn't cut completely through. We also weighed the zucchini before and after slicing to measure the amount lost via crushing or getting trapped in the bowl.Shredding/grating test: We used each food processor's shredding blade to shred a 2-ounce block of cheddar cheese, weighing the results to see how efficiently they handled the entire piece. We also looked at the evenness of texture post-shredding. If a machine included a smaller grating blade, we repeated the test with a 2-ounce block of hard Parmesan cheese.Mixing test: Food processor blades aren't just for cutting; we used each machine to combine egg yolk and oil into mayonnaise to measure their mixing and emulsification ability. Poor blade design made some models unable to reach small amounts of ingredients, while others had clever features in the lid that helped drizzle the oil in slowly for proper emulsification.Cleaning test: In between each round of testing, we thoroughly washed the bowls, blades, and other parts following the included directions. We ran dishwasher-safe components through the dishwasher and looked for any wear and tear, and we hand-washed all the other items, noting features that made sharp parts safer to handle. We also looked at whether any parts held onto water and needed extra shaking out or drying before we could reuse them. Our final ratings also took into account size and capacity, and the quantity and usefulness of extra functions, blades, and other attachments. After rating the food processors on all other categories, we revealed the retail prices to consider value for money. At the time of testing, the 20 models ranged in cost from $37 to $753, with an average of $244. Our Top Picks Best Overall Food Processor: Cuisinart Food Processor at Amazon $250 Jump to Review Best Value Food Processor: SALE Ninja Professional Plus Food Processor at Amazon $120 $100 Jump to Review Best Multifunctional Food Processor: SALE KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor with Dicing Kit at Amazon $200 $150 Jump to Review Best Mini Food Processor: SALE KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper at Amazon $60 $45 Jump to Review Best Splurge Food Processor: SALE Breville Sous Chef Peel & Dice Food Processor at Amazon $550 $377 Jump to Review Best Overall Food Processor Cuisinart Food Processor PHOTO: Amazon $250 at Amazon $250 at Target $250 at Williams Sonoma Pros Two simple buttons and practical attachments make this large, powerful model easy to use. Cons Its shredding and slicing blades aren't adjustable and don't offer much versatility. We love this model from Cuisinart and continue to give it excellent marks across the board every time we re-test food processors. It's quick, efficient, powerful, and, perhaps most importantly, straightforward. There are only two buttons, so there's no fussing with confusing settings — the on button keeps the blades spinning, and the off/pulse button runs them only while you hold it down. During testing, we got evenly chopped onion, shredded cheese, and sliced zucchini with the Cuisinart's attachments, and we got them safely thanks to a large plunger for pushing food down the chute. There's also a little hole in the plunger that we think is perfect for slowly drizzling oil into homemade mayonnaise and other emulsified sauces. Blades, bowl, and lid can all go in the dishwasher, making cleaning easy. Our big complaint about this model is that when we were testing its shredding and slicing blades aren't as versatile as other processors. The shredder lacks smaller grating holes, and the slicer isn't adjustable. With that said, we think the price is very reasonable, at almost exactly average among the models we tested for excellent performance and durability. You'll find the Cuisinart food processor in many of our editors' home kitchens. "I've had this more for years," says Dana Fouchia, Food & Wine's associate editorial director. "It's beyond durable, reliable, and up for just about any challenge I've thrown at it." Dimensions: 11 x 7.9 x 14.8 inches | Capacity: 14 cups | Power: 720 watts | Includes: Chopping blade, medium shredding disc, slicing disc | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes PHOTO: Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore PHOTO: Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore Best Value Food Processor Ninja Professional Plus Food Processor PHOTO: Amazon $120 $100 at Amazon $120 $100 at Target $100 at Wayfair Pros Multiple speed settings and attachments make this low-priced food processor a versatile tool. Cons The blades struggled with small amounts of food. Despite its budget price, the Ninja Professional Plus can do quite a lot. It includes the standard chopping, shredding, and slicing tools, along with a dull plastic blade for dough. It also offers three different speed settings: slow kneading, medium for coarse chopping, and high speed for fine mincing or even pureeing soft foods. On top of that, everything but the base is dishwasher-safe. However, we felt this machine wasn't the most efficient during testing. Small amounts got stuck beneath the high-mounted blade, especially when we tried to whip up egg yolk and mustard before starting to add the oil for mayonnaise. The shredding blade also could only shred about half of the 2-ounce blocks of cheese we put in before the rest got lodged in the lid. But we got clean, even cuts with larger pieces of onion and zucchini. Dimensions: 7.76 x 9.88 x 16.02 inches | Capacity: 9 cups | Power: 1,000 watts | Speed Settings: 3 | Includes: Chopping blade, dough blade, reversible shredding/slicing disc | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore Best Multifunctional Food Processor KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor with Dicing Kit PHOTO: Amazon $200 $150 at Amazon $220 at Williams Sonoma $159 at Walmart Pros This inexpensive, easy-to-use model did a great job with uniform grating, slicing, dicing, and mixing. Cons It chopped onion pretty unevenly in our test. KitchenAid is perhaps best known for its stand mixers — the brand makes three of our six favorite models — but we trust it for all kinds of appliances. Its 13-cup food processor has everything you'd expect in a quality machine, plus the bonus of a dicing kit, all at a competitive price. The design is intuitive, and operation was simple and straightforward. There are also two speed choices, a rarity in lower-cost machines. We saw an even grate on the cheese, uniform zucchini slices, and silky-smooth aioli during testing. But when it came time to test its chopping ability on onions, it was a bit of a letdown. The super-powerful blade worked quickly but not evenly. While some of the onion was chopped perfectly, other bits were almost pureed. By adjusting the speed and using the pulse mode carefully, you can probably get more even results, but other food processors don't need as much fine-tuning. Dimensions: 8.7 x 10.25 x 17.43 inches | Capacity: 13 cups | Includes: Chopping blade, dough blade, reversible shredding disc, adjustable slicing disc, dicing kit | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore Best Mini Food Processor KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper PHOTO: Amazon $60 $45 at Amazon $60 $45 at Target $65 at Walmart Pros This food processor is small, quick, efficient, and inexpensive. Cons The capacity is quite limited, and you get only a chopping blade. While this model wasn't part of our full-size food processor tests, it took the top spot when we put mini food processors head-to-head. The design of the KitchenAid 3.5-Cup Food Chopper is simple, and its powerful blades can do a lot. During testing, we liked how precise this machine was — a slower chop and a faster puree allowed us to have more control over our recipes. There's even a "drizzle basin" in the lid that slowly adds oil for a classic recipe like basil pesto; it was super handy during testing and set this food processor apart from the others. If you have a small kitchen or usually cook small portions, it's worth the cabinet space. Of course, the downside to a small food processor is that it's...small. Two large tomatoes could fill the bowl to the brim, which isn't optimal if you plan to make a big batch of salsa. You also don't get a shredding or slicing blade, or any accessories. But for a low price, you get a basic food processor perfect for small spaces and small projects, and you can even choose from several bright color options to match your kitchen personality. Dimensions: 5.6 x 7 x 8.7 inches | Capacity: 3.5 cups | Power: 240 watts | Speed Settings: 2 | Includes: Chopping blade | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes PHOTO: Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman PHOTO: Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman PHOTO: Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman PHOTO: Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman Best Splurge Food Processor Breville Sous Chef Peel & Dice Food Processor PHOTO: Amazon $550 $377 at Amazon $500 at Williams Sonoma $420 at Walmart Pros An extra-large capacity and multifunctional accessories make this an all-in-one food-prep all-star. Cons It's quite expensive, and there are a lot of different parts to keep track of. The Breville Sous Chef lives up to its name, with an array of attachments and accessories for all kinds of food-prep tasks. It has the chopping, slicing, and grating blades you'd expect in almost any food processor, but it also includes a dough-kneading blade, a tool for dicing, a disc specialized for perfect French fries, a rotating peeler, and even a whisk disc for whipping egg whites in its 16-cup bowl. Plus, you get a separate mini-bowl with a tiny blade for small jobs. We got even slicing, shredding, and dicing throughout our tests, and we appreciated the timer mode and adjustable slicing blade for precise chopping texture. Our onion was completely uniform, and we loved that almost none of the cheese was left unshredded. Cleanup was also simple — after testing, we just popped all the parts into the dishwasher and wiped the base clean with a damp cloth. However, with a price more than double that of the Cuisinart above, the Sous Chef could be overkill for the average home cook. But if you're willing to drop the cash and want an upgraded machine, this food processor is the most luxurious of all the models we tested. Dimensions: 11 x 8 x 18 inches | Capacity: 16 cups (large bowl), 2.5 cups (small bowl) | Power: 1,200 watts | Includes: Chopping blade, dough blade, reversible shredding disc, adjustable slicing disc, peeling disc, julienne disc, French fry disc, whisking disc, dicing kit, mini blade | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore Our Favorite Food Processor The Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor is our favorite for its simple design and consistent performance. For a machine that packs lots of power and multiple functions into a smaller and less-expensive package, consider the Ninja Professional Plus Food Processor instead. Factors to Consider Capacity Pesto for one or an assortment of party dips? The size of the food processor that will best suit your needs depends on the type of project you want to use it for and the size of your household. Small and inexpensive models might hold only a few cups, while large models are big enough for a gallon (16 cups) or more. Consider a larger model for big batches if you're into meal prep. If you fill a food processor bowl all the way to the brim, you're likely to get spillage, so you should always leave a little bit of room. However, a huge machine won't effectively chop or mix tiny amounts, which can get stuck underneath the blades or against the walls of the bowl. Plus, a bigger food processor takes up more space on the counter and in the cabinet. Food & Wine /Russell Kilgore Power (and Power Source) Most food processors use an electric motor to spin their blades, with a higher wattage indicating more power. But different sizes and blade designs can be more or less effective with the same amount of power, so you can't just look at the number of watts. A sharp blade can make a weaker motor more effective, so maintaining your blade is just as important as power. There are also some manual food processors, which use muscle power to turn the blades, often via a crank, pull-cord, or simply by pushing down on the top. These models are often tiny and very cheap. We've tested a few manual models and found that the cost savings simply aren't worth the amount of effort required, especially compared to small electric models that sometimes cost just a few bucks more. Features and Accessories Beyond the standard chopping, shredding, and slicing, food processors can offer all sorts of additional functions. Shredding blades often flip over to offer a coarse and fine side, and some slicing blades can adjust their thickness for different kinds of slices. Other common accessories include a dull plastic dough blade for kneading bread or pizza dough, a julienne slicer for French fries, and a dicing blade that can cut uniform cubes. Food processors that include more of these tend to cost more and might not be worth it if you won't use all the extras. Another feature to pay attention to is the control panel. The simplest food processors have only a pulse mode, where you have to hold down a button to run the machine, while others have an on setting that keeps the blades going by itself. Higher-end machines can even have automatic timers. Multiple speed settings can also increase a food processor's versatility: Slow speeds are good for kneading dough and controlled chopping of large pieces, and fast speeds can mince garlic or puree fruit with ease. Food & Wine /Russell Kilgore Cleanup Nobody likes to do the dishes, but some food processor models make things easier than others. Some machines have dishwasher-safe pieces, especially plastic bowls and lids. Blades can be dishwasher-safe, too, but harsh detergents and high temperatures might dull and damage them. It's good to note if a brand says parts are dishwasher-safe but recommends hand-washing; this can indicate that you should keep metal components out of the dishwasher. The motor base of an electric food processor should never be put in the sink or dishwasher. Water immersion can short out the motor and ruin the machine. If there are spills on the base, unplug it and wipe it down with a sponge or paper towel. FAQ Frequently Asked Questions What is a food processor used for? It's an almost endless list. Food processors can make quick work of cumbersome cutting tasks like chopping nuts, making breadcrumbs, and DIY cauliflower rice. You can mince onion, carrot, and celery for a classic Italian Bolognese sauce in the time it takes to heat the pan!A food processor can also replace a box grater, mandoline, and even a chef's knife for many kinds of slicing tasks. It is also a handy tool for sauces like homemade aioli, pesto, and vinaigrette that require high-speed emulsification.Thicker, paste-like items (think every kind of homemade hummus) also come together quickly in a food processor, whereas a blender might struggle to incorporate everything fully without extra liquid. Many food processor models also include a kneading blade for pizza dough and other bready items. Where the food processor might fall short is in making perfectly smooth purees out of chunky produce; those are tasks that a blender or a food mill can handle better. What's the difference between a food processor and a food chopper? A food processor is essentially a larger, motorized version of a manual food chopper. A food chopper is usually very inexpensive and great for simple tasks like rough-chopping carrots and potatoes or prepping ingredients for a salad. But it's not the best for quickly reducing ingredients into tiny mince, or for emulsifying sauces.A food processor also has the added benefit of accessories. Unlike food choppers, food processors can shred, grate, slice, and more with their many interchangeable blades. Plus, you won't work up a sweat using one. Is there anything that shouldn't be prepped with a food processor? Food processors are very versatile, but their blades aren't meant to handle hard bits. Spices and coffee beans are major no-nos that can dull or even chip the blade. (You want a spice grinder or coffee grinder for these.) Frozen foods, meat with bones, and anything with a pit or tough seeds shouldn't go in the food processor, either. When it comes to stirring or scraping, stick to plastic, wood, or silicone kitchen tools to keep from scratching the blade and bowl.It's also a bad idea to process very hot foods. Roasted nuts fresh from the oven or a pot of soup destined to be pureed can warp the plastic or, worse, build up pressure inside the sealed bowl and cause dangerous spatters. And you should never fill a food processor bowl more than about three-quarters of the way: Always leave some room for ingredients to mix and slosh around. How do you clean a food processor? It's always best to defer to the user manual. There, you'll find specific instructions for your model, including which parts (if any) are dishwasher-safe. But as a general rule, you should start by unplugging the machine and disassembling all its pieces. You can generally hand-wash everything but the motor base with warm, soapy water and then rinse clean. It's important to let all the parts air-dry completely before putting the food processor back together, as moisture can get trapped in small nooks and crannies and lead to mold or damage.To clean off the base, just wipe down the surface with a dry or slightly dampened cloth. Make sure to give careful attention to crevices around buttons and other areas where parts connect, as these can collect bits of food. Other Food Processors We Tested Strong Contenders GE 12-Cup Food Processor ($159 at Amazon) This GE model was straightforward and intuitive, with attachments that easily snapped on and off. However, we noticed some inconsistencies in how it chopped some of our veggies and found it pretty easy to accidentally nick yourself on the sharp blade and attachments while washing. Cuisinart Elemental 13-Cup Food Processor ($229 at Amazon) We found this unit straightforward and user-friendly, with all the basic features and performance you'd expect from a standard food processor. It probably would have made our list of winners if it had a lower price, but it's a little expensive for what you get. Vitamix 12-Cup Food Processor Attachment ($250 at Amazon) Vitamix is known for its high-end blenders, with sky-high prices to match. If you already own one, this attachment makes your existing blender into an all-purpose chopping machine. But if you don't, it's not worth buying a Vitamix blender just so you can use the brand's food processor attachment. Black & Decker Power Pro Wide-Mouth 10-Cup Food Processor ($80 at Amazon) We loved how well the value-priced Power Pro emulsified everything we tried without even having to scrape down the sides. However, we did have some issues with uneven cuts and food items getting stuck under or shredded by the blade. Breville Sous Chef 12-Cup Food Processor ($300 at Amazon) This cheaper cousin of the 16-cup Sous Chef we named our best splurge is not only smaller but also has less versatility. In addition to the lower capacity, you get fewer accessories, and it doesn't include the mini-bowl we liked in the 16-cup version. If you're going to drop the money for a high-end Breville, we say you should go for the gusto with the top-of-the-line version. Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore What Didn't Make the List Food processors can span a wide variety of price ranges and features, and the same goes for all the models we tested. A few were simply too expensive to make it onto our list with just average performance, while others lacked functionality and features we felt were necessary to make them worthwhile. A few cheaper models simply did a poor job of cutting anything. Others had design flaws that caused food to get stuck under the blades, not fully push through the chute, or crawl too far up the sides. Finally, some didn't offer enough versatility in terms of accessories and settings, while others included other blades, but they didn't perform well enough to compete with our top picks. Our Expertise Writer Nick DeSimone wrote and compiled this piece. They have spent nearly a decade working in professional kitchens and have used nearly every brand and model of food processor during that time. Nick also used data collected by our Food & Wine professional product testers. Our testers are dedicated culinary professionals who are committed to unbiased, thorough testing. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit