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It’s worth investing in the best mini food processor even if you already have a full-size model in your kitchen. The small versions are a home cook’s best friend, making the time-consuming process of finely chopping vegetables a breeze and blitzing together just the right amount of blended sauce or dressing. They’re small enough that you don’t have to dedicate any prized counter space to them and can instead pull yours out of the drawer or cabinet whenever you want to make your dinner prep a little easier. We’d even venture a guess that if you try out one of our favorite models below, you might find you’re reaching for this compact appliance multiple times a day.
We tested five of the leading mini food processors and food choppers to find the very best and ended up with winners in two categories: overall and a top budget pick. To learn about the winning models and why we like them so much, read on—and for more details about how we tested and what we looked for specifically, keep scrolling all the down.
The best mini food processor: Cuisinart Elite 4-Cup Chopper/Grinder
This model is a scaled-down version of our winning full-size Cuisinart food processor, both in appearance and in power. It features a locking-in lid and mechanized base just like the larger version and a four-cup capacity that feels roomy enough for most prep tasks. The Chop and Grind buttons spin the stainless-steel blades either clockwise or counterclockwise to provide a blunt or sharp edge, and all detachable pieces are dishwasher-safe for very easy cleanup.
In testing, we found this machine to be the fastest and most powerful. It finely chopped an onion blindingly fast, and puréed the smoothest hummus of the bunch. If you often spend time finely chopping produce or only need single batches of pesto or romesco, it’s the ideal tool to add to your collection.
The best budget mini food processor: Ninja Express Chop
The Ninja differs from most of the other mini food processors we tested because it doesn’t have a mechanical base; instead, it’s the top that you plug in, which actually feels both slightly safer and easier to use. It’s a more simplified model as well, as there is just one button to press at the top (a comfortable handle built into the lid) that can pulverize produce, nuts, herbs, and dressings with equal success.
We found the Ninja to be intuitive, versatile, and effective. While it didn’t produce the smoothest hummus of our test, it passably puréed, and the very speedy and even onion chopping made up for it. It’s also slightly skinnier than the other models we tried, which ultimately made it easier to store in a drawer or cabinet. For one third the price of the winning Cuisinart, it’s an awesome alternative that will get the job done.
How we tested
Mini food processors are sometimes called food choppers; they’re built to break down produce and other ingredients into everything from a rough chop to a smooth purée. We tested each model’s range by first using the Chop feature to finely dice a small onion, timing how long it took and how even the finished pieces were in size. Then we made a one-can batch of hummus to see how quickly and smoothly each machine could purée chickpeas, whole garlic cloves, and thick tahini. Finally, we disassembled and washed every mini food processor by hand.
What we looked for
We limited the products in our review to those with three- to four-cup capacities—big enough to handle a full batch of hummus but not so enormous that you’d have to clear out a whole cabinet to store it. That said, the exact size and shape of the five models we tested varied, so we paid attention to their countertop footprint and height. We also factored in how efficiently the interior space of each model could be utilized; if the blade fits at the bottom of the vessel, for instance, it is difficult to fill the container to capacity because the top section won’t be reached.
The whole point of a food processor it to make ingredient prep work easier—that’s doubly true for a mini version. The tool should be simple to pull out, plug in, operate, clean, and put away. It should never require a literal or figurative heavy lift. We tracked how intuitive each model was to assemble and use right out of the box and to disassemble and clean.
We took note of any special features on the various mini food processors we tested, but overall they had to prove more than just a kitchen one-trick pony. By chopping and puréeing, we witnessed the full range of each model’s capabilities and could determine which would make the best addition to a home cook’s equipment arsenal.
Other mini food processors we tested
The Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus ($40) is the simplified version of the winning Cuisinart model; it’s slightly pared down, less expensive, and smaller, with only three-cup capacity. It made quick work of most of the onion we added, but some of the larger pieces got stuck and needed adjusting, which didn’t happen with any of the other models. Also, it had a difficult time getting the hummus smooth, requiring a long blending period—which isn’t very pleasant to sit through, given the machine’s high-pitched mechanical sound.
The Cuisinart EvolutionX Cordless Mini Chopper ($80) was the only cordless mini chopper we tested, which was intriguing. At full charge (which takes two hours to complete), the model can run for 20 minutes, and because you’re not tethered to an outlet, you can complete your ingredient prep anywhere in the kitchen. But it felt a little spooky not to have the final hurdle of the plug in place to keep the machine from randomly starting to spin—and because it has to run off a charge, it’s not very powerful either. This was the most expensive model we tested, and in our opinion, not worth the cost.
The KitchenAid Mini Food Chopper ($50) has a handled prep bowl like the winning Cuisinart and a two-speed motor; it chopped onions with ease and made a decent hummus. What’s special about this model in particular is that it’s the only one with an opening in the lid to allow you to slowly stream in oil for emulsifying—common among full-size food processors but not among minis. Overall, we found it just didn’t match up against the winning Cuisinart in terms of effectiveness and power and was twice the cost of our budget pick.
The Philips Multi-Chopper ($35) was another plug-in top model, as opposed to the Cuisinarts, which plug in at the base. It features a special purple “chop drop” net, which keeps ingredients in the top chamber until they’re small enough to fall through the net, at which point they drop into the bottom chamber. This is a good idea in theory but isn’t very effective in practice, especially with lighter-weight ingredients that aren’t inclined to fall through the net even when very finely chopped. It was the slowest chopper we tested, and without the net added in, created a pretty rough chickpea mash rather than a smooth hummus. NOTE: This product is no longer available.
The takeaway
Cuisinart is the biggest name in food processors, so it should come as no surprise that the brand makes our winning model in the miniature category. The Elite 4-Cup Chopper/Grinder ($60) is fast, versatile, and just big enough—you can use it to tackle ingredient prep and then stow it away easily in a cabinet or drawer. The Ninja Food Chopper Express Chop ($20) is a great budget option; for a third the price, you get a top-powered mini processor that can blitz onions and blend hummus in a flash.
