Food Processors
We compared the most-recommended food processors on chopping consistency, slicing and shredding quality, dough performance, and ease of cleanup to find the machines that actually earn their cabinet space.
A good food processor is the closest thing to a prep cook you can buy: it chops onions without tears, shreds a block of cheese in seconds, slices a pound of potatoes evenly, and brings pie dough together before butter has a chance to soften. A bad one chops unevenly, leaks from the bowl, and ends up in the back of a cabinet. Reviewers at Wirecutter, America's Test Kitchen, Serious Eats, and The Spruce Eats keep converging on the same short list of machines — and so did we.
Below are our picks for 2026. Each was judged on chop uniformity, slicing and shredding results, motor power under real loads like dough and nut butter, bowl and lid design, and how painful (or not) it is to clean.
Wirecutter's top pick since 2013 and an America's Test Kitchen winner, the Sous Chef pairs a powerful 1,200-watt motor with an adjustable slicing disc that goes from paper-thin to 8mm thick. It chops evenly, kneads dough without straining, and the micro-serrated S-blade stays sharp for years. The machine serious home cooks graduate to.
A Serious Eats recommendation for seven straight years, this is the definition of a kitchen workhorse: a 720-watt motor, a big 14-cup bowl, and exactly two buttons — on and pulse. No gimmicks, nothing to break, and it handles everything from silky hummus to double batches of pie dough. Often found well under half the Breville's price.
The best all-rounder at its price: a 1,000-watt motor, a 9-cup bowl, and preset programs for chopping, pureeing, slicing, and dough that take the guesswork out of prep. Testers found it chops nearly as evenly as machines costing twice as much, and every removable part is dishwasher safe. The smart pick for most first-time buyers.
The rare under-$100 processor that includes a real slicing and shredding disc alongside the S-blade, plus a big-mouth feed tube that swallows whole potatoes without pre-cutting. It won't knead heavy bread dough like the premium picks, but for everyday chopping, salsa, and shredded cheese it delivers far beyond its price tag.
For garlic, herbs, dressings, and small-batch pestos, this 3-cup chopper is faster to pull out, faster to run, and faster to clean than any full-size machine. The clever dual-direction blade chops with the sharp edge and grinds harder items with the blunt one. Not a full-size replacement — the perfect sidekick to one.
The right food processor comes down to bowl size, motor strength, and which attachments you'll actually use. Here's what we weigh most.
An 11–14 cup bowl is the sweet spot for most households — big enough for dough and double batches without overflowing. Couples can live happily with 7–10 cups, and a 3–4 cup mini chopper is a supplement for quick jobs, not a substitute. When in doubt, go a size up; a big bowl handles small jobs, but not the reverse.
Any machine can chop an onion. The difference shows when you knead bread dough, grind nut butter, or shred a pound of mozzarella: underpowered motors stall, walk across the counter, or overheat. Look for roughly 700 watts and up in a full-size machine — both Cuisinart and Breville clear that bar comfortably.
A quality S-blade plus slicing and shredding discs cover nearly everything most cooks do. Adjustable slice thickness (the Breville's party trick) is genuinely useful; a box of single-purpose discs usually isn't. Also check that the bowl, lid, and blades are dishwasher safe — cleanup is where processors win or lose daily use.
Building out your prep station? A food processor handles solids while one of our best blenders covers soups and smoothies — most serious kitchens end up with both. Bakers should pair theirs with a pick from our stand mixer roundup, and everything you slice deserves a decent board and one of our favorite chef's knives for the finishing work.
A blender excels at liquids: smoothies, soups, sauces. A food processor handles solids: chopping vegetables, shredding cheese, slicing, kneading dough, making pesto and hummus. If you cook more than you blend, the processor earns its space first.
An 11–14 cup bowl covers most households and is the sweet spot for doughs and big batches. A 7–10 cup model suits one or two people, and a 3–4 cup mini chopper is for quick jobs like garlic, herbs, and dressings — not a replacement for a full-size machine.
Not necessarily. Most cooks use the S-blade, a shredding disc, and a slicing disc for 95% of tasks. A huge accessory kit adds cost and drawer clutter; adjustable slicing thickness and a quality S-blade matter far more than a dozen attachments.
One short email a week: the best kitchen sales, new reviews, and cooking tips. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Join thousands of home cooks shopping smarter.