The 7 Best Food Processors of 2024, Tested by Experts

Our Top Pick: Cuisinart Elemental Steel 13-Cup Food Processor

For the serious meal prepper or busy home cook, this heavy-duty appliance doubles as your own personal sous chef. It features a 13-cup capacity—large enough to produce a double batch of hummus and salsa. Plus, a separate chopping compartment allows individual ingredients to be processed, speeding up the prep process.

This is truly the do-it-all option: It features an adjustable slicing disc, a reversible shredding disc, a chopping/mixing blade, and a dough blade, all of which can be stored in the attached accessory storage tray. However, the storage tray adds considerable bulk to the base, making this one a little more difficult to store. And though all the parts are dishwasher safe, we found the sheer quantity to be a little overwhelming to clean.

But when it comes to performance, the Cuisinart can't be beat. Although cleaning and storage were not ideal, the performance of the Cuisinart was the best in class. Hummus came out super smooth, and the top smaller compartment was excellent for chopping garlic and individual salsa ingredients.

The Details: 13 cups; 11.25 x 21.75 x 17.5 inches; high, low, pulse; includes dicing disc, cleaning tool, dough blade, reversible shredding disc, adjustable slicing disc

Best Budget: KitchenAid 7-Cup Food Processor

For half the price of the Cuisinart, this mid-sized (7-cup) food processor from KitchenAid is a great value. The sleek design and finish will make you proud to display this on your countertop.

This unit features a bowl, lid, and food pusher—all of which are dishwasher safe (the slicing/shredding accessory is hand wash only). During our tests, we were incredibly impressed with this appliance's blending power. The hummus was very smooth, and the salsa was appropriately chunky.

The Details: 7 cups; 7.87 x 9.65 x 15.35 inches; high, low, pulse; includes multi-purpose blade, reversible medium slicing/shredding disc

Most Versatile: Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System

If you've ever wished you could get an appliance with full blending and food processing capabilities, Ninja has answered with its Foodi Power Blender & Processor System. This processor is a total workhorse. It can blend, chop, and mix dough, and it includes three different attachments with to-go cups.

The 9-cup Power Blender and Processor Pitcher can easily make two batches of most recipes. During our tests, we could only describe the hummus from this unit as "super dreamy." However, its sheer power can take some getting used to, and you can easily overprocess the salsa if you're not using the right function (we recommend the pulse function for salsa).

The removable parts—which include the pitcher, smoothie bowl maker, nutrient extraction cup, lids, and three separate blades—are all top-rack dishwasher safe. An included cleaning brush can be used to get to the hard-to-reach places in the pitcher. It's hard to beat the value of this all-in-one machine, especially compared with some competitors like Vitamix.

The Details: 72 ounces; 8.19 x 8.43 x 14.17 inches; extract, smoothie, bowl, chop, dough, pulse; includes crushing/chopping blade, bough blade, cleaning brush, (2) 24-ounce cups with lids, 14-ounce smoothie bowl maker with lid, hybrid edge blades

Best for Dough: Ninja Professional Plus Food Processor with Auto-iQ

The Ninja Professional Plus has four specialized presets: chop, puree, dough, and disc, in addition to the standard low, high, and pulse settings. It has a 9-cup capacity, which allowed us to make a full batch of hummus and salsa with plenty of room to spare. The automated dough preset allows you to easily mix pizza dough or cookie dough with the touch of a button.

When it comes to cleanup, all the accessories can be tossed in the dishwasher, and the base of the unit can be wiped down easily.

We love how attractive and quiet this unit was during testing, along with its added dough capabilities and extensive adjustments. Although it did not process the hummus quite as smoothly as some of the competition, the unit was sturdy and highly capable. Overall, this multi-functional appliance is an excellent investment.

The Details: 9 cups; 7.76 x 9.88 x 16.02 inches; chop, puree, dough, slice, low, high, pulse; includes quad chopping blade, dough blade, reversible slicing and shredding disc

Best Mini: KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper

Don't be deceived by its looks—this 3.5-cup capacity processor is both adorable and efficient. For the college student, single person, or anyone looking to save on counter space, this is a great option at a great price.

The removable attachments include a bowl, lid, blade, and whisking accessory, all of which are dishwasher-safe. The controls are somewhat limited, as would be expected for a processor of this size. It features two speeds and a pulse operation, which you can adjust using the toggle switch on the base. And in classic KitchenAid fashion, it's available in over a dozen different color options.

We found this food processor to be perfect for a single person who's cooking in small volumes, or even an efficient cook looking to make shortcuts with roughly chopped veggies during prep work. Keep in mind that there won't be enough room to make large quantities. If you rely on this for a dinner party, for example, you'd be stuck preparing food in smaller batches.

The Details: 3.5 cups; 5.95 x 7 x 8.74 inches; chop, puree, pulse

Best Cordless: Cuisinart Evolutionx Cordless Mini Chopper

Is the future of kitchen appliances cord-free? Cusinart's EvolutionX Mini Chopper was released as a part of their new line of cordless, rechargeable appliances, and it boasts up to 20 minutes of continuous runtime, as well as a quick charge time of two hours to fully charge, making it ideal for on-the-go use (thinking camping, road trips, etc.).

The EvolutionX features two speeds, chop and grind, both of which must be held down to stay on (similar to the KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper). It has a 4-cup capacity, enough to make a half batch of most recipes. It has no added accessories, which only adds to its portability. The three removable parts—the lid, blade, and bowl—are all dishwasher safe, although it is recommended you clean the blade by hand.

During testing, we particularly appreciated the decent battery life and basic chopping/grinding power, which was highly capable considering its small stature.

The Details: 4 cups; 6.85 x 7.4 x 9.42 inches; chop, grind

Best Attachment: Vitamix 12-Cup Food Processor Attachment with SELF-DETECT™

If you already have a well-stocked kitchen, the last thing you want to do is add another clunky appliance to the mix. For you lucky folks with a Vitamix (specifically a Vitamix Ascent or Venturist series blender), this attachment snaps on the base of your blender, eliminating the need for another stand-alone appliance.

With a 12-cup capacity, all the ingredients easily fit inside the bowl—and it has the highest sides of all the bowls tested, making it ideal for pureeing liquids.

We found this processor to make the silkiest, smoothest hummus out of all of those tested, and it processed the salsa in just a few seconds! The exceptionally wide chute and high-reaching blades makes this a smartly designed, efficient processor.

The work bowl, snap-on lid, multi-use blade, and discs are all dishwasher safe, but you can also clean the bowl by dropping some dish soap and water into it and using the self-cleaning setting.

On the downside, the attachment is somewhat limited in its compatibility (it's only compatible with select Vitamix models), and the total cost of the system (blender plus attachment) can be upwards of $900. So, while the cost is prohibitive, it is a professional all-in-one system that would be best suited for a more advanced home cook.

The Details: 12 cups; 8.5 x 11.75 x 12.75 inches; small shred, thin slice, large shred, thick slice, chop, knead; includes multi-purpose blade, (2) reversible slice/shred discs, disc storage case