If social distancing taught us anything, it's how to get creative around the home. For many people stuck indoors, the kitchen has become a daily salvation. The more time you spend cooking, however, the more you may begin to realize what's missing.
A fantastic food processor can make all the difference when it comes to creating velvety soups, silky smoothies, and perfectly diced, sliced, and cubed veggies. We scoured the market, comparing and analyzing today's many options to find the very best food processors in 2022.
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The Breville Sous Chef 16-Cup Peel & Dice makes cooking easy with an included peeler disc to handle all of your peeling needs for that upcoming Thanksgiving meal. It has the ability to peel up to seven potatoes at a time for quick preparation. There is also a 12mm dicing attachment with a micro-serrated S-blade system that first slices and then dices to create perfect cubes each time. You can even control the thickness when slicing because the sliding disk allows for 0.3mm to 8.0mm based on your preference.
You can buy an optional kit to add both 8mm and 16mm attachments to your food processor for more versatility. The chutes come in three sizes with a 360-degree Dicing Grid that creates 10 cups of dicing without interruption. It does not skimp on power, either. The Breville Sous Chef 16 Peel & Dice is powered by a 1200W heavy-duty induction motor that allows for 24 different settings, including an oversized 16-cup bowl and a small 2.5-cup bowl to hold all of your creations. There is a convenient box to hold all attachments and cleaning utensils that come with your kit for easy storage.
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The Breville Sous Chef 12-Cup Food Processor is powered to handle heavy cooking with a strong, high-torque 1200W motor. A 12mm dicing attachment is included, and you have the option to add an 8mm and 16mm dicing kit for greater versatility. Either way, it incorporates a micro-serrated S-blade system with strong stainless steel to create a precision-based dicing and cubing system. There is the added ability to peel up to seven potatoes at the same time with a heavy-duty peeler disc that can also take on other veggies, like sweet potatoes and beets. Also simplifying the process is your choice of three chute sizes with Breville's signature 360-degree dicing grid that offers up to 10 cups of continuous dicing. The included bowl is oversized to accommodate 12 cups.
Despite its many features, the Breville Sous Chef 12-Cup Food Processor is simple to operate with a very user-friendly format. This processor comes with a one-year limited product warranty and a 10-year induction motor guarantee for greater peace of mind.
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Cons:
High price tag
Mediocre for slicing and shredding
A heavier machine at 20lbs
Warranty:
3-year limited
The Cuisinart Elemental 13-Cup Food Processor is powered by a 550W motor with a wide feed tube that includes small, medium, and large pushers for your produce. It comes with three different work bowls for you to choose from, with 13-cup and 4.5-cup bowls. The stainless steel blades include an adjustable slicing disc of up to 7mm, plus a dicing disc that includes a 10mm grid and a reversible shredding disc to offer medium-to-fine chopping. For even greater versatility, the Elemental includes a dough blade with both small and large s-blades. It uses its signature SealTight Advantage system, which has the dual responsibility of sealing the bowl and locking the blades using the patented Blade Lock system.
The food processor has electronic touchpad controls with blue LED lights and high, low, and pulse options. The entire set comes with cleaning tools to keep your food processor running smoothly. You can easily remove parts for individual cleaning with the added benefit of dishwasher-safe materials. After they are clean, you can store everything in the convenient storage case that's included.
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Warranty:
Limited 18-month warranty
The Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor is perfect for small spaces and yet still packs a 250W motor. It comes in a lightweight plastic build that is easy to move but still looks polished in a sleek brushed chrome and nickel finish. There's an easy push-button start on the control panel, which starts the reversible SmartPower stainless steel blades that chop and grind. The signature Auto Reversing Smart Blade design has two different settings, including a pulse setting to make it easier to handle both soft and hard foods. This mini food processor can also blend, puree, and emulsify foods for greater flexibility. However, you can only feed smaller bits of food into the machine, so larger items will need to be cut into pieces before you hit the start button.
Also included is a 24oz work bowl with a 3-cup capacity that is dishwasher-safe for easy clean-up. The set includes both a spatula and a recipe book to keep the creative juices flowing. Its small size and hidden cord storage make it an easy fit for countertops, shelves, and pantries without any need for disassembly. The Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor leaves a small footprint but delivers big results for those living with limited space.
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Warranty:
1-year limited
The Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Snack & Snap Food Processor is a great fit for households of all sizes and boasts a simple assembly and effortless operation with a 450W motor. There is no need to precut or prep foods with the Signature Big Mouth feed tube that can accommodate larger items. The bowl simply snaps into place without any twisting, using the built-in locking clips. The included bowl is also perfect for liquids with a 12-cup capacity and easy pour spout when sealed. With a reversible S-blade system, the attached chopping blade locks while you are working. It also makes for easy storage, locking right into the bowl, so it requires less space. This processor includes convenient cord storage and parts that are dishwasher-safe.
Hamilton Beach includes a helpful guide to help you navigate the different settings. Its disc attachments are also labeled, so you can find the right fit quickly.
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Warranty:
1-year full
The KitchenAid 3.5-Cup Food Chopper may be small, but it still performs all of the major functions needed in a food processor. There are two speeds with a pulsing function for greater versatility, allowing for mixing, chopping, mincing, and pureeing. It uses a multi-purpose locking blade of stainless steel, but where it stands apart is in its signature spout design. It uses a bonus drizzle basin that is perfect for all of your homemade sauces and condiments. However, because it is a smaller machine, its work bowl only accommodates 3.5 cups.
The 3.5-Cup Food Chopper is easy to store, thanks to its smaller size. You'll spend less time cleaning up with dishwasher-safe parts, including the bowl, lid, and blade. For extra flair, there are many different colors available to match your kitchen, like Guava Glaze, Ice Blue, and Green Apple.
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Warranty:
1-year full warranty
The Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ is built with features that the serious home chef will appreciate. Available in your choice of either black or stainless steel, it's powered by a robust 1200W motor that combines the power of a food processor with the convenience of a blender. If you have a big group to feed, you can prepare large quantities at once with the 72oz Total Crushing Pitcher that uses Stacked Blade assembly. The 64-ounce Precision Processor Bowl includes both chopping and dough blades. The set also includes two 24-ounce cups with Pro Extractor Blades and spout lids for an all-in-one product that has everything you need.
To help guide you in the kitchen, there are five automatic programs with four manual options. Ninja also includes its convenient Recipe Inspiration Guide, Quick Start Guide, and Instruction Booklet.
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There are many food processors available today with multiple versions and models available. To find the best food processors of 2022, we considered several popular brands. We also looked to real consumer reviews for invaluable user experience and satisfaction feedback.
Based on these factors and more, we were able to determine 2021's best food processors for the chef in your household.
Product | Best for... | Watts | Dimensions (in.) | Capacity |
Breville Sous Chef 16-Cup Peel & Dice Food Processor | Best professional food processor | 1200 | 11 x 8 x 18 | 16-cup large bowl; 2.5-cup small bowl |
Breville Sous Chef 12-Cup Food Processor | Best juicer-combo food processor | 1200 | 8.5 x 15.5 x 16.5 | 12-cup bowl |
Cuisinart Elemental 13-Cup Food Processor | Best versatile food processor | 550 | 11.25 x 21.75 x 17.5 | 13-cup large bowl; 4.5-cup small bowl |
Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Processor | Best mini food processor | 250 | 9.25 x 7 x 5 | 3-cup bowl |
Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Snack & Snap Food Processor | Best budget food processor | 450 | 16.25 x 9.55 x 8.76 | 12-cup bowl |
KitchenAid 3.5-Cup Food Chopper | Best chopping food processor | 240 | 5.6 x 7 x 8.7 | 3.5-cup bowl |
Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ | Best combo food processor | 1400 | 7.38 x 9.63 x 18 | 72 oz. pitcher; 64 oz. bowl; two 24 oz. single-serve cups |
A food processor is a type of kitchen appliance that can break food down in several ways. It automates food preparation with popular functions that can include chopping, shredding, blending, and emulsifying -- depending on the model you choose.
The best food processor is the Breville Sous Chef 16-Cup Peel & Dice Food Processor. It was the most capable in terms of power, capacity, and features, but it does come at a higher price.
The cost of a food processor can vary significantly, depending on the model you choose. The best 2022 food processors range in price from around$40 to about$400, but you may be able to find models that are cheaper or more expensive.
Our picks for 2021's best food processor are among the industry's best, so they are a great place to start when you begin shopping for your new processor. However, the best food processor for you will ultimately depend on a number of factors, such as features, budget, and warranty.
These are some of the other popular models that we considered:
Black+Decker 8-Cup Food Processor : A solid, affordable model
Braun 12-Cup Food Processor : Recommended for its attachment features
Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor : Good for families
GE 12-Cup Food Processor : Best user-friendly model
KitchenAid Cordless 5-Cup Food Chopper : Best cordless model
Shopping for more kitchen products? Take a moment to check out 2021's best blenders and our gift guide for home cooks!