Most Powerful Food Processors for Fast Meal Prep

Best Large Capacity And Powerful Food Processor

Price at Breville: $449.95

If you're looking for the absolute best without any budget or space constraints, the Breville Sous Chef 16 Pro is the way to go. With various-sized feed chutes for easy slicing or shredding of thick or thin items, 24 slicing thickness options, and 5 cutting disks for everything from French fries to julienne vegetables, this food processor is a powerhouse.

It even comes with a timing function, and the accessory caddy is labeled for quick identification. If the 16-cup bowl is more than you need, there's a 2.5-cup mini-processing bowl for smaller tasks. Keep in mind, though, that this model is not ideal for small kitchens or those with limited counter space.

Best Cooking Food Processor

Price at Thermomix: $1,499

The Thermomix TM6 goes beyond the typical food processor capabilities with its touchscreen and large knob controls. While it covers chopping, mincing, grating, crushing, grinding, and milling, it also offers advanced culinary techniques like steaming and sauté functions. Unique features such as sous-vide and fermentation set it apart.

Despite having a steeper learning curve compared to most food processors, the Thermomix TM6 compensates with versatility. Additionally, it comes with the Cookidoo app, offering thousands of recipes tailored for Thermomix users. The bowl capacity is 9.3 cups.

Best Versatile Food Processor

Price at Amazon: $74

This food processor features a strong motor and sharp blades, making it ideal for achieving smooth hummus or quickly shredding sweet potatoes. Setting up, using, and cleaning it is a breeze.

What sets it apart is its versatility – it doesn't just have the usual blade, slicing, and grating discs; it also comes with a french fry disc, emulsifying disc, dough blade, mini-chopping bowl, and spatula. It can handle 12 cups of ingredients and runs on a powerful 550-watt motor.

Best Food Processor For Multi-Tasking

Price at Williams Sonoma: $449.95

The standout feature of the Magimix is its tiered bowl system, featuring three nested bowls in varying sizes—large, medium, and small. This design enables seamless transitions between steps without the need for frequent stops to clean.

The machine includes two distinctive attachments: a whisk for beating egg whites or cream and a BlenderMix for achieving smoother, creamier smoothies and soups. Adding to its convenience, the extra-large feed tube eliminates the necessity to pre-cut most ingredients.

Best Value Food Processor

Price at Amazon: $89.09

The Ninja Professional Plus, with 850 peak watts, stands out as the most powerful kitchen food processor under $200. It effortlessly tackles tough ingredients, thanks to its impressive processing capability (based on average selling price and rated wattage).

The double blades are a unique feature, ensuring even processing of larger quantities and avoiding the common issue of only the bottom of the mixture being pureed. Cleaning is a breeze, either by hand or in the dishwasher, as all parts are dishwasher safe.

With a 9-cup capacity, it delivers consistent results whether you're chopping a small batch or preparing ingredients for a large family or entertaining guests.

Best Large Capacity Food Processor

Price at Sur La Table: $249.95

This large-capacity food processor is a game-changer for cooking in large quantities. Whether you're whipping up a weeknight pizza or preparing ingredients for a dessert feast, the 14-cup work bowl can handle it all. Powered by a robust 720-watt motor, it effortlessly chops whole fruits and vegetables, kneads dough, or shreds cheese in no time.

The user-friendly paddle design of the buttons, wide and operated by pushing down, eliminates the hassle of dealing with a touchpad. Plus, the accessories are conveniently top-rack dishwasher safe, ensuring easy cleanup after your culinary endeavors.

Best Compact Food Processor

Price at KitchenAid: $84.99

With three speed options—high, low, and pulse—this processor offers versatile functionality. It can effortlessly chop, shred, slice, and puree a wide range of ingredients, from fresh veggies to cheeses, salsa, sauces, and more.

The snap-and-go, easy-clean work bowl boasts a twist-free, one-click assembly, and a latched lid for utmost convenience. Not only is it easy to use, but all accessories also neatly nest inside the 7-cup work bowl. Powered by 300 watts, this processor provides efficient performance for various kitchen tasks.

Best Mini Food Processor

Price at Cuisinart: $49.95

The Cuisinart 4-cup mini chopper is a speedy solution for chopping and grinding, featuring a patented auto-reversing stainless-steel SmartPower blade. It offers chop or grind paddle controls with an exclusive BladeLock system for precision.

The package includes a 4-cup work bowl with a handle, spatula, and an instruction manual. For your peace of mind, it comes with a limited 18-month warranty—refer to the user manual for troubleshooting steps and information on warranty policies. Importantly, this product is BPA-free, ensuring safe food preparation.

Better Slicing Food Processor

Price at Cuisinart: $249.95

The Cuisinart Core Custom 13-Cup outshines our top pick in slicing and comes with more frills. It's a slightly more modern food processor with added bells and whistles, although both perform quite similarly.

The simple control paddles seamlessly switch between high, low, or pulse, and there's even a dedicated Mix speed for flawlessly smooth gentle mixing and emulsification. The Tritan Bowl and Lid with seal add durability and convenience.

Its sleek, modern design enhances kitchen decor, and a removable hub allows the accessories to nest together for convenient, all-in-one storage.

Best Food Processor For Small Kitchens

Price at John Lewis: £49.99

For those seeking a no-frills food processor, this compact Kenwood model excels at the essentials. With an express serve bowl attachment for easy ingredient transfer from the bowl to the pan, it keeps things simple. The wrap-around cord storage minimizes its footprint on your countertop.

Despite its small size, it boasts a powerful motor for effortless slicing, dicing, and grating. With a wattage of 650W and a working capacity of 1.3 liters, this food processor features a single speed and pulse function to handle various kitchen tasks efficiently.

Best Budget Food Processor

Price at Hamilton Beach: $59.99

This budget-friendly food processor has a simple and user-friendly design that easily snaps into place. Its main blade handles chopping, pureeing, mixing, and emulsifying, while an attachment disc offers slicing on one side and shredding/grating on the other.

The four clearly labeled buttons allow you to choose between different functions, and the blades neatly store inside the machine. With a powerful 450-watt motor, it ensures efficient performance. The sealed bowl with a pour spout is designed to prevent leaks, adding to the convenience of this affordable and practical food processor.

Best Attachment Food Processor

Price at Amazon: $259.99

This product is a food processor attachment designed to be used with a Vitamix base, eliminating the need for a separate appliance. Its intuitive and user-friendly design can be easily adjusted to different speeds. Any existing Vitamix base allows for pulsing or setting a persistent speed of your choice.

While it comes with a higher price tag, if you already own a Vitamix, it stands out as the top choice. With multiple blade attachments and the signature Vitamix base that provides excellent speed control, there's practically nothing this product can't handle in the kitchen.

Best Manual Food Processor

Price at Sur La Table: $42.95

Ideal for meal prep, salsas, chutneys, and more, this muscle-powered food processor efficiently blends,  chops, and purees ingredients with just a few simple pulls. Operating without electricity, this model relies on the easy pull of a handle.

Two blades spin in opposite directions, focusing on chopping rather than circular movement, while stationary arms at the top and bottom guide food into the blades. Its portable design is enhanced by an angled ergonomic handle and non-slip feet that work on multiple surfaces.

Best Design Food Processor

Price at Amazon: $139.24

Offering excellent value, this user-friendly food processor is easy to use. Alongside the regular blade, it includes an adjustable slicing disc, a dough blade, a reversible shredding disc, and a convenient storage caddy that allows for compact storage inside the bowl.

While cleaning may require a bit more attention due to the plunger having an oil drip, the design minimizes nooks and crannies for food to get stuck. With a 13-cup capacity, it's well-suited for various occasions, from whipping up a quick salsa for Taco Tuesday to handling major slicing tasks for a pizza night on Friday.

Best Overall Food Processor

Price at Walmart: $199.95

Speed up your meal preparation with the Cuisinart Elemental 13-Cup food processor. Powered by a robust 550-watt motor, this appliance includes a 13-cup main bowl and a smaller, nested 4-cup inner work bowl for powerful food prep performance.

It's large enough to handle chopping ingredients for a party-sized portion of salsa. The processor features a dicing disc with a 10mm grid, along with a cleaning tool for added convenience. The electronic touchpad controls—High/Low/Off/Pulse—with illuminating blue LED lights make operation easy and intuitive for efficient and precise food processing.