The best food processors are versatile kitchen appliances designed to simplify food preparation tasks. These appliances typically feature a powerful motor and a variety of attachments to help users chop, slice, dice, and puree ingredients with ease. When choosing a food processor, consider its capacity, power, and the range of accessories included to ensure it meets your culinary needs.
A reliable food processor does much of the muscle-work for food prep, slashing time down that would otherwise be spent on things like chopping and pureeing. A new survey finds one-third of Americans can whip together an “ultra-fast” dinner in 10 minutes or less. Nearly half the poll claim to have special “cheat codes” to get a meal on the table lightning quick. Perhaps your new cheat code could be a quality food processor! Sometimes they can be viewed as an “extra” appliance, but even if you don’t make homemade dips, sauces, etc. on the daily, they can be great for making any level of cooking go quicker and more efficiently, especially when meal prepping.
You may find them useful for simple tasks, like evenly chopping garlic and onions, veggies for soups, or grinding meats for burgers and meatballs. There are also people who use them for more extravagant things like pie or pizza dough or making homemade flours. Whatever you’re throwing together, you can feel good about a recent study which finds cooking confidently can actually boost mental health. Instead of dealing with the stress from trying to perform all the functions of a food processor on your own, it turns out having this key tool by your side can do your brain good too!
That said, sous chefs and home cooks alike agree that food processors can make a great addition to your kitchen! As far as picking the right appliance for you, StudyFinds is here to help. For our findings, we visited 10 of the leading expert websites to see which are the best food processors that were given the thumbs up time and time again. Our list is ranked based on the most-recommended food processors across these sites. If we missed your go-to device, let us know in the comments below!
The List: Best Food Processors, According to Experts
1. Breville Sous Chef 12 and 16-Cup Food Processors
Breville takes first place, with their 12 and 16-cup food processors that are simple and easy to use, and take care of virtually any processing needs. They both exceed expectations, it’s just a matter of personal preference with the sizing differences.
“There’s no struggle to fit the work bowl onto the base or to figure out just the right angle to place the lid to get it to slide on. Everything clicks into place and disassembles with ease. Once the power button lights up, you simply choose between start and pulse,” Forbes writes about the 12-cup.
There is no shortage of positive things to say about the functionality of the 16-cup, either. “This is the Ferrari of food processors, almost as good as having an actual human sous chef in your kitchen. They thought of everything for this one — different-sized feed chutes so you can slice or shred thick or thin items easily, 24 slicing thickness options, 5 cutting disks so you can make anything from French fries to julienne vegetables, a timing function — even the caddy that holds all the accessories is thoughtfully labeled, so you know what everything is at a glance,” adds Food Network.
Both the 12-cup and 16-cup have steep price tags, but it’s worth it for those consistently in the kitchen thanks to their powerful motors. “This self-proclaimed ‘workhorse’ has a large-capacity 12-cup bowl and superior 1000-watt motor for powerful, speedy food processing,” Very Well Fit writes about the 12-cup. “Its 1,200-watt motor and smart design save you time in use and cleaning,” New York Times says about the 16-cup.
2. Cuisinart Elemental 13-cup Food Processor
Cuisinart took the food processor world by storm over 40 years ago, but it still clings near the top spot. It gives consistent results to help make cooking a smoother process. “The onion dices were uniform, the butter was evenly distributed in the pie dough and the carrot shred was fast and painless,” says Forbes.
It scores high for its versatility in overall design, sizing and available blades as well. “The 13-cup bowl is on the larger side, so you can go ahead and double that pie crust recipe — and the processor also comes with a 4.5-cup bowl to tackle smaller jobs. The slicing blade adjusts to 7 different thicknesses and the reversible shredding blade allows for fine or coarse grating. Even the manual is spiral bound to make it easier to use,” expls Food Network.
3. Ninja Professional Plus Food Processor System with Auto-IQ
Fitting 9 cups with a power of 1,000 Watts, this is a great option for those that are looking for a processors that does a bit more than a standard option, but won’t break the bank like a fancy one. “Our tester Camryn found it particularly good at shredding vegetables and used the double-layered dough blades to make cookie dough, which, she reports, came together a lot quicker than many of the best stand mixers (though she did have to scrape down the sides of the cooking bowl),” writes Homes & Gardens.
Ninja is well-known for its powerful blenders, and even this food processor can act as one. “The Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-IQ is a great option when looking for a food processor–blender combo. You can switch from blending a frozen margarita to chopping salsa just by switching the work bowl,” adds Good Housekeeping.
4. Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap Food Processor
For those starting out in the kitchen, this is a fantastic, budget-friendly option that has a full-size capacity. “Food processors are certainly an investment, so if you’re looking for a more affordable option, try the Hamilton Beach Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper. It has a powerful 450-watt motor featuring two speeds, plus a pulse option, for an economical price tag,” points out Very Well Fit.
It may not have a variety of options, but it’s reliable within its means and boasts no-hassle assembly or cleaning. “You only have one option for slicing thickness, but it works very well; it made quick work of a zucchini with nearly no waste. The same is true of the shredding blade — only one thickness, but very efficient. The buttons (one for slice/shred, one for puree/mix and one to pulse) offer different levels of power so each job gets done the way you want it to,” says Food Network.
5. KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor
With a 13-cup capacity, three settings (high, low, and pulse), and even a dicing kit, this food processor makes the list because it allows for optimal control of your recipe needs without much work. “This model from the trusted KitchenAid name has everything you’d expect from a high-quality food processor,” writes Food and Wine.
“One tester noted, ‘for regular everyday jobs, it is incredibly easy to use.’ The design is intuitive, and as a bonus, everything but the base can be tossed in the dishwasher.”
It’s also another great option for those learning their way around the kitchen and don’t want something too complicated. “Another particularly good value, our Lab tester found this food processor to be extremely user-friendly and self-explanatory. In addition to the regular blade, it comes with an adjustable slicing disc, a reversible shredding disc, a dough blade, and a storage caddy that allows you to store all the pieces compactly inside the bowl,” adds The Spruce Eats.
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Sources:
- Forbes
- Food Network
- Very Well Fit
- All Recipes
- Good Housekeeping
- Food and Wine
- The Spruce Eats
- Homes and Gardens
- Insider
- Delish
Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations.