The best food processors for fast and easy kitchen prep, tested and reviewed

CNN

17-07-2025

The best food processors we tested
Best food processor: Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor DFP-14BCNY
Best budget food processor: Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor If a recipe is your road map to the destination of a delicious meal, consider the best food processors shortcuts to getting there. Using one can seem like cheating — a motorized hack for chopping veggies, shredding cheese or pureeing dips — but don't feel guilty, because even the best blenders and kitchen knives can stop short of achieving the results you want sometimes. To invest in a food processor is to do yourself a major favor.
From a high level, using a food processor should be as simple as inserting your ingredients and turning it on, but my testing of four popular units showed it's not really that easy. Does one pull off a certain task better than another, or are they all worth a spot on your counter? After running them through a series of identical trials and assessing the pros and cons of each design, two food processors cut through the competition.
Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor
This Cuisinart food processor keeps it simple, but don't confuse basic with bad. It's a kitchen workhorse that can handle a heavy load of shredding, slicing and pureeing over the long haul.
Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor With Bowl Scraper
Though it looked and felt cheaper than the other models in our testing pool — because it was — the Hamilton Beach food processor put forth solid results across our slate of recipes. It's a fine choice for those who won't need a food processor often but want one for when they do. I'm a product testing writer who gets his hands on the latest kitchen appliances pretty often, so I've seen some newer bells and whistles that impress me and others that make me wonder who thought this would be a good idea. The Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor goes the opposite direction, sticking to a tried-and-true design that hasn't changed in years, because it doesn't need to.
While several of the other food processors I tested had different modes and power settings, the Cuisinart features just two buttons total. One turns it on; the other turns it off or initiates a single pulse. That's it. No worrying about what level is best for what task. Just feed your ingredients through the top, then go.
Simplicity in use led to results of sublime quality. I ran four tests for this round of evaluations: chopping vegetables such as celery, shredding cheese, pureeing a fresh salsa and making peanut butter. The Cuisinart won every task except for the peanut butter, where it was runner-up to only my budget pick.
I made restaurant-style salsa with each food processor, and the Cuisinart was best at achieving that smooth consistency you expect from your favorite Mexican joint. The celery it chopped was the most uniform of the group. The cheese was the most finely shredded. Both were done the fastest. Seriously, all you need is a few seconds and this thing will complete whatever you need prep-wise. At my house, it gets heavy use making pizza sauce.
When I made peanut butter in the Cuisinart Custom, I was amazed at how rapidly it advanced through the stages of the process. The low blade excelled at preventing buildup. The peanuts clumped into a ball, then melted down into a creamy consistency that was mouthwatering.
Powered by a 720-watt motor, which isn't as much juice as advertised on other models' spec sheets, the Cuisinart Custom still packed plenty of punch but didn't get as loud as the competition. Sure, its base is heavy at about 17 pounds, but with power and pace at just the right levels this is the kind of machine you park on your counter and never remove because it makes your life that much easier.
A 14-cup capacity made the Cuisinart the largest bowl I tested too. That extra size came in handy with larger, messier jobs like salsa. While more compact options could be beneficial to users who plan to lean on their food processor for the convenience of casual and infrequent chopping, at least every part here — the bowl, pusher, blade and two discs — is dishwasher-safe, so you won't have to grind through a heavy-duty hand-wash. I especially liked the included spatula for scraping the sides of the bowl because it was easier to clean and operate than the built-in paddles. There's no storage for the blades you aren't currently using, but options exist on Amazon for less than $30.
Though spending more than $300 at full price is no measly investment, Cuisinart backs your purchase with a full five-year warranty on the motor and a limited three-year warranty on the rest of the machine (the warranties on the rest of the food processors I tested ended at one year). And with performance and reliability far and away the best among the units I tested, you'll get your money's worth far longer than that.
If yet another $300 appliance isn't what your kitchen needs right now, the Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor came through with shockingly adequate results across all my tests despite having a cheaper build than the rest of the food processors in the group. It's what I'd buy if I knew my food processor was going to be used sparingly, only being called on for the occasional recipe.
The Hamilton Beach made the best peanut butter of the group: smooth, creamy and luxurious. Its flavorful salsa was also beloved by our testing panel, so much so that we ran out of chips with which to eat it. It could have done better shredding cheese, leaving behind a few small chunks above the disc that the feed tube never pushed through, but the results on that test were still better than buying pre-shredded cheese.
At 10 cups, the bowl on the Hamilton Beach is smaller than my top pick, but not by much. If anything, that trade-off in capacity is a plus for portability. This unit lends itself more to moving from the counter to the closet and back again.
While the Cuisinart felt like a countertop titan, the Hamilton Beach lacks the same might. It's light and borderline flimsy, powered by a 450-watt motor with a plastic dial for switching between two levels. You can look at that as a downside, or you can admit that it makes sense, considering you're getting a fine food processor for just $70. It comes with one blade and one disc, the latter of which is reversible for shredding or slicing. A three-pronged scraper fits over the center column and turns via a simple knob to remove buildup on the sides of the bowl.
A food processor is meant to save time and simplify jobs in the kitchen, and the Hamilton Beach does that at a price that can't be beat. It's not a workhorse, but I doubt it'll let you down for those occasions when you do plug it in.
To see how each food processor stacked up, I put them through identical tests and assessments, evaluating them according to the following criteria along the way.
Performance
Salsa: Using identical proportions, I made this Food Network restaurant-style salsa recipe in each food processor, then had a panel of CNN Underscored editors taste test each. We noted flavor and consistency.
Chopping veggies: I sent several vegetables, including carrots and celery, through the feed tubes of each processor to see how effectively they chopped them down.
Shredding cheese: A proper food processor can save time and effort when shredding cheese, so I put a hunk of cheddar into each unit to compare results. The best food processor produced uniform shreds and didn't leave behind any chunks.
Peanut butter: Making peanut butter from scratch is actually quite easy, but using the same ingredients in each processor yielded varying results. I assessed the smoothness of each model's PB.
Design and specs
Bowl capacity: Being able to fit several ingredients in your food processor's bowl is essential if you want convenience to remain a signature reason you deploy this appliance. I noted any instances during testing in which the bowl of a particular unit seemed too small (salsa overflowing, for example) or too large (bothersome to hold and remove food).
Attachments and blades: I compared the included attachments and blades for how effective they were in processing different foods and for how comprehensive they were as an arsenal as a whole. Did it feel as if an extra attachment were missing? Were there so many pieces that deciding on which to use felt like overkill?
Feed tube: Every food processor had a chute atop the unit for safely inserting food to be processed. I assessed the design and use of each mechanism, identifying any frustrating snags or safety features that made the feed tube stand out.
Power: A strong and reliable motor within a food processor is what makes this kitchen upgrade worth it, so I evaluated the force behind each motor, which was usually measured in watts. It was apparent which machines packed more punch than the competition.
Noise: Being too loud is absolutely grounds for disliking an appliance, as the annoyance can limit where and when you can use it, so I kept the noise level in mind as I tracked performance.
Overall build: How heavy is the food processor? Does its heft make it hard to move around your counters and cabinets? Does it seem durable? Getting hands-on with all of these products gave me a feel for how they'd hold up over the long haul.
Care and maintenance
Cleaning: Food processors can get cruddy and crumby, so I appreciated when parts were easily removable and dishwasher-safe.
Storage and organization: Did all of the parts fit into the bowl when not in use? Was there a storage option available to purchase or included in the box? A food processor's blades are sharp, so it's important to be able to safely manage them.
Value
Features: Food processors are fairly simple machines, and because of that, most of my evaluations hinged on their design and performance in the recipes I tested. But any special features that made a tangible difference were weighed as well.
Price: How often you use your food processor determines what price point is worthwhile for you. That said, I looked at the range of prices in my testing pool and the performance of each model to ensure any recommendations merited their cost.
Warranty: The extent and duration of each food processor's warranty were considered in total value.
Use cases will guide your choice
If you're reading this, you're probably seriously considering buying a food processor. Why? Your answer will be the biggest contributor to which model will work best for you.
For example, are you buying one because you're sick of having to delicately chop every vegetable you need in a recipe? If that's the case, I'm not sure splurging on a top pick is a must for you. But if you're planning on making big batches of soups and dips that could splash around in smaller machines, you're going to want to get something big and powerful like my top pick from Cuisinart.
If you're not sure of your answer, that's OK too. Versatility, then, is something you'll need to prioritize. Luckily, all of the food processors I tested can handle more than one job. I'd take a look at each model's section in this guide to see where they shine that aligns most closely with your kitchen needs.
How key is capacity?
The size of your food processor will open up more possibilities. With the 14-cup Cuisinart in my kitchen, I know I'm prepared the next time I want to make salsa or hummus for a party. But the machine is so big that it can't stay out permanently because my counter space comes at a serious premium.
Conversely, if you live alone or rarely prepare food for more than a few people, you can get away with a smaller food processor, so long as it still has the power to do the job.
Ninja Professional XL 12-Cup Food Processor
Though I preferred the simpler controls on the winning models, this Ninja food processor lets you dial in on exact settings if you want. The included storage container (if it's in stock) is clutch for organization and safety. If you don't want to spend the money for the Cuisinart but feel you need more than what my budget pick from Hamilton Beach offers, the Ninja Professional XL 12-Cup Food Processor can handle most jobs. It didn't lead to the same results as I got with my top pick, but it was a capable machine for a fair price. Notably, its interface and controls are far more robust than the Cuisinart's basic on/off function.
Powered by a 1,200-watt motor, the Ninja handled my salsa test with ease, though its batch wasn't a favorite among our taste tests. Feeding celery and cheese through its feed tube was also a smooth experience, as it has three nesting sizes suitable for different foods. Its peanut butter was not bad but also not nearly as smooth as what the Hamilton Beach extracted. I used the high setting for that task and didn't love that it automatically shut off after a minute. I had to reengage it three times to reach my desired consistency.
The complications during my PB test were likely the result of Ninja's Auto-iQ programming, designed to turn off once the food is done. Using one of four settings — chop, dough, puree, disc — on high or low is supposed to 'remove guesswork with the touch of a button,' according to the brand. For me, it took several touches of that button. Your experience may vary, and this approach could be desirable for anyone intimidated by the far simpler controls on the winning Cuisinart.
The Ninja I tested also came with a smaller 4.5-inch nesting bowl for smaller jobs, plus a lidded storage box for any blades you weren't using. It was a great addition, though it added to an already large footprint and was subject to availability. As of this writing, it was out of stock at Ninja and marked up significantly at Amazon.
NutriBullet Ultra Plus+ Compact Kitchen System
Shoppers short on counter space might appreciate the 3-in-1 aspect of this food processor that moonlights as a personal blender and a grinder … or is it the other way around? It's not a good sign that I can't tell which is the primary function of the trio. I knew the limitations of the NutriBullet Ultra Plus+ Compact Kitchen System when I considered it for this test, but I included it anyway because I thought the extra features would give it a boost in my rankings. In a way that happened, because its small size and versatility proved to be unique among the group. While it is a mini 2-cup food processor, the box includes the blades and bowls to also be a fully functioning personal blender and coffee/spice grinder.
The food processing of the Ultra Plus+ delivered mixed results. Our testing panel actually loved the salsa it produced, though I couldn't fit the entire recipe in the bowl, and the portion that did fit overflowed while the machine was on. It fared OK in chopping celery, leading to mostly uniform sizing, but left a large hunk of cheese unshredded above the disc. It couldn't make peanut butter at all, automatically stalling out with clumps of peanut stuck below the reach of the blade.
Most frustrating was the disassembly required for cleaning. The bowl and its handle are two parts that are supposed to come apart (and they must, since food and liquid fit between them), yet it took minutes of struggling to split them up almost every time.
These issues were understandable because I expected to sacrifice some top-notch performance to gain the ability to grind coffee or make a smoothie. But as someone who uses a burr grinder every morning at home, this bladed grinder simply didn't cut it. It made a guessing game out of grind size; when I wanted a coarse grind, the results were inconsistent and included a lot of finely ground coffee.
This NutriBullet, to borrow an overused term, is a jack-of-all-trades but master of none. It may only have utility for you if you don't need a specific grind size for your coffee or want all three appliances but lack the space to accommodate separate machines.
The following questions were answered by the writer of this guide, CNN Underscored associate testing writer Joe Bloss.
How is a food processor different from a blender?
How is a food processor different from a blender?
A food processor grants you far more control over what you put into it, allowing for precise chopping, slicing and shredding of things that would otherwise be turned to goop in a blender. This is because the blades in a blender typically move with more power than a food processor. Though the two can be used interchangeably for some tasks, anything with liquids is often better suited for a blender than a food processor.
How do I use a food processor?
How do I use a food processor?
There are two main methods of using a food processor. One is adding all your ingredients to the bowl and combining them, just as I did with salsa and peanut butter during my testing, or you can use it as a tool to chop, slice and shred ingredients piece by piece through the top feed tube. Before that, make sure the blade is inserted and the lid is properly attached, then turn it on. Engaging the motor can typically be done in pulses or in a steady setting.
What size food processor do I need?
What size food processor do I need?
It all depends on your expected uses. The 14-cup capacity of the bowl on my top pick from Cuisinart was plenty big enough for most, including those prepping meals for a group, while the 2-cup bowl on the NutriBullet was far too small. The 10-cup capacity of my budget pick from Hamilton Beach felt like the appropriate middle ground.
CNN Underscored editors thoroughly test nearly all the products we cover and provide full transparency about how we test them. We have an experienced team of writers and editors with several years of testing experience who ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when it makes sense to ensure we are testing each product accurately and speaking about the pros and cons of each item.
For this guide, associate testing writer Joe Bloss assembled a group of food processors from leading kitchen appliance brands to see which are truly worth your money. Bloss has years of experience testing products for CNN Underscored, including kitchen mainstays such as slot toasters and French press coffee makers.