Best food processors of 2021: KitchenAid, Cuisinart and more – CNET [CNET]

November 6, 2021 Thomas Giboney technology

A high-quality food processor is one of the most versatile kitchen countertop appliances. Depending on the attachment, a good processor with a powerful motor can easily shred hard or soft cheeses, grind nuts into powder (or make a nut butter like almond butter or peanut butter), knead bread dough or pizza dough, make a pie crust, dice and slice fruits and vegetables or make butter and spreads. You can even make emulsions, soups and baby food right in the working bowl.

That said, not every electric food processor is created equal — as with anything, there are stark differences in cost, motor performance and overall durability. It’s hard to jump in and figure out the best food processor for your chopping, grinding, dicing and food prep kitchen task needs. From motor power to capacity, attachments and overall value, we’re here to help you find the best available options and show you that the best food processors aren’t always the ones with the biggest price tag.

phpthumb-generated-thumbnail — Food processors are one of the most versatile kitchen appliances.

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The other factor you might want to consider — beyond power and price tag — is how easy to clean the food processor is. Some or all of its components may be dishwasher-safe. Even if you have to hand-wash the chopping blade or slicing disk, being able to toss the feed chute or main container in the dishwasher may be a boon.

I tested seven food processors, representing major brands and best sellers according to Amazon, Target and Walmart buyer reviews. You can pick a food processor up for as little as $25 or splurge big on an expensive pro model for upward of $600. The food processors I tested are in the middle, mostly in the $100 to $200 range made for general home use. There are also mini models and extra-large food processors but the ones I tested are all average in size — between 10- and 14-cup capacities. You can also invest in a food processor attachment if there’s a particular kitchen task that you need it to perform.

Here’s how it all shook out and my recommendation for the three best food processors available, which we update periodically.

Best overall

Braun FP3020 12-cup (Update: Currently unavailable)

See at Amazon

Best value

Cuisinart FP-11SV Elemental

$150 at Crate & Barrel

Best for shredding and slicing

KitchenAid KFP1133CU 11-Cup with ExactSlice System

$289 at Amazon

Other food processors we tested

In addition to the three recommended above, we tested four other food processors in the $100 to $400 range.

Worth considering, but not as good as the top picks above:

Hamilton Beach Professional Dicing Food Processor: I was impressed by the design of the Hamilton Beach processor, but it wasn’t the winner in performance and I found the button labels and noise level to be a bit bothersome. At $350, I can’t recommend the Hamilton Beach Professional Food Processor over better-performing models.
Cuisinart DFP-14BKSY Custom 14-Cup Food Processor: This Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor model performed well enough, but you’ll only get one speed option and just one size of shredding disc. The food processors recommended above offer more for your money than this Cuisinart food processor model.

Not recommended:

Ninja Smart Screen Blender and Processor: This kit comes with a blending bowl, processor bowl and a travel cup. With a smaller (5-cup) bowl capacity, results were inconsistent and I would say it underperformed. The Ninja Smart Screen is a small food processor unit that I would avoid if your priority is food processing.
Oster Designed for Life 14-Cup Food Processor: This food processor just didn’t perform well. Hummus had multiple unchopped chickpeas in it and the gusty airflow out of the front of the machine was enough to blow around items on my countertop. Another food processor I would avoid.

Read more: Best Instant Pots of 2021

How we test food processors

While food processors can perform many different tasks, I chose tests that represented the core functions of a food processor. Most people use these kitchen appliances to blend, chop, puree and shred.

Having narrowed it down to these key kitchen tasks, I chose making hummus, pico de gallo, almond butter and shredded parmesan for the test recipes. Those recipes involve a mix of blending, chopping, shredding and pureeing that would give me a feel for the performance of each model.

Hummus was a good indicator of how powerful a food processor’s motor was and thus how well the appliance could blend ingredients together into one smooth substance. Pico de gallo tested how easy it was for the chopping blade to create a uniformly chopped dish made up of ingredients in varying textures and hardnesses.

Almond butter allowed me to test the food processor’s ability to puree something like a hard almond into a nut butter consistency. It also required me to run the processor for an extended period of time to see if there were problems with overheating or noise and vibration. I used 16 ounces of almonds in each test.

The shredding test called for a nice big block of parmesan, one of the hardest cheeses. This tests the grating disc performance as well as the usability of the mouth’s width and the food processor’s food pusher.

I repeated each recipe twice using each machine, with the same ingredients in the same amounts across all brands.

What to look for when buying a food processor

Picking the best food processor for you means considering all the features you’ll need for your favorite recipes and common home chef kitchen tasks.

Capacity

Food processors come in many different sizes and volumes. The size of the food processor is based on the size of the work bowl. I tested models ranging from 11- to 14-cup capacity, but you can get food processors that come with mini bowl and mini chopper options and bowls as small as 3 cups. For a household with two or more people, I’d recommend at least an 8-cup model rather than a mini food processor and, if you have the storage space, spring for a large food processor, just in case.

Speeds

Most recipes involving food processors specify mixing or chopping at either a high or low speed and for that reason, you’ll want a processor with at least two speeds and a powerful motor. The most common configuration is a low, high and pulse option. There are some food processors with just one speed, but that’s extremely limiting, so look for a food processor with at least some range of speeds.

My top food processor pick, the Braun FP3020, has 15 individual speeds on one dial. That’s many more than most people will ever need, but it permits real precision.

Attachments

While your food processor is primarily two spinning blades, there are a host of other attachments that can expand your processor’s capabilities. Some come with multiple attachments like discs for grating, shredding and slicing, dough blades for kneading bread dough and attachments for whipping cream, chopping nuts, juicing fruits or dicing vegetables. If you know what tasks you’ll do most often, be sure to check that your processor includes the blades and attachments you’ll need, such as the right mixing blade, chopping blade, slicing blade or citrus juicer. Some food processor models, like the Braun, come with a lot of these attachments while for others they must be purchased separately, so depending on your food processing needs this may be something to consider. Remember, attachments shouldn’t be difficult to clean and you should definitely check whether they can go in the dishwasher.

Materials

You may also want to consider the materials from which the food processor is made. If you plan to use it often and are perhaps not the most careful chef in the kitchen, consider a sturdy stainless-steel food processor, instead of one with a plastic base that may be less expensive but more prone to breakage. Most food processor bowls are made from a hard plastic that’s easy to clean and dishwasher-safe, but some are sturdier than others. If you have the opportunity to touch and hold the food processor before buying it, make sure the plastic bowl and its lid are tough enough to handle being knocked around without cracking.

Top food processors compared

	Braun FP3020 12-cup food processor	Cuisinart FP-11SV Elemental food processor	KitchenAid KFP1133CU 11-Cup Food Processor with ExactSlice System
Capacity	12 cups	11 cups	11 cups
Dimensions (depth, width, height)	14.9×11.3×15.4 inches	8.0×10.5×15.75 inches	10.17×10.04×16 inches
Number of speeds	15	2	2
Weight	9.8 pounds	11.5 pounds	12.4 pounds
Watts	600	550	360
Price	$180	$150	$239