Best Small Food Processors (2026)

The FP-5 is the only machine in this group that does two jobs: a universal chopping blade for salsa, crumbs and quick mixes, and a shredding disc for cheese and vegetables. That second job matters, because a chopper that cannot shred leaves you grating cheese by hand.

The five-cup bowl is the largest in the lineup, a step above the KitchenAid 3.5-cup and nearly double the Mini-Prep Plus. It handles a batch of salsa or a pound of cabbage for slaw in one go. Blade and disc nest inside the bowl, so the whole thing stores as a single package instead of a bag of loose parts.

The compromise is power and cleanup. This is not a 14-cup Cuisinart, so dense loads such as a hard cheese block should be cut small and fed in stages. Wash the bowl and lid on the top rack and hand wash the blade to keep the edge. Treat it as the machine for people who want a processor in a chopper footprint.

This is the strongest small motor in the roundup at 400 watts, well above the 250-watt Mini-Prep Plus and the 175-watt BLACK+DECKER. The extra power shows when you chop raw onions, carrots and cooked meat, where the smaller units pause and need shaking. It uses four stacked stainless blades in two levels, which cut more of the bowl's volume on each pass than a single blade.

Two speeds add some control, so you can pulse for a coarse chop and run high for a puree. The four-cup bowl splits the difference between the KitchenAid 3.5-cup and the Cuisinart 5-cup. The brand is less established than Cuisinart or KitchenAid, so factor in a thinner parts and service network.

Ownership is simple. Bowl and lid are removable for washing, the blade assembly should be hand washed, and the motor base wipes clean. Do not run it empty or on dry thick loads for long, since a small motor is built for short bursts.

The KFC3516 is built like a small appliance rather than a gadget. The bowl has a handle and a pour spout, the blade locks in place so it does not fall out when you tip the contents into a pan, and the cord wraps into the base. Those details are what separate it from cheaper plastic choppers.

Two speeds and a pulse let you choose between a coarse pico de gallo and a smooth puree, which the single-button BLACK+DECKER models cannot do. Capacity is 3.5 cups, smaller than the Cuisinart 5-cup but larger than the Mini-Prep Plus. Like all choppers at this size, it chops and mixes only; there is no shredding disc.

Ownership is easy: the work bowl is dishwasher safe, the base wipes down, and the footprint suits a corner of the counter. Because it is a premium choice among choppers, it makes the most sense if you will use it often and want it to last years.

The Mini-Prep Plus has been a standard small processor for years. The 250-watt motor sits under a 24-ounce bowl with a reversing blade: one side is sharp for chopping, the other is blunt for grinding hard items like cheese or spices. That reversing action is the one real idea here, and it works with the pulse and grind buttons rather than a speed dial.

It costs more than the BLACK+DECKER 3-cup but offers a stronger motor at 250 watts versus 175 and a sturdier locking bowl. It will not match the Shardor's 400 watts on raw vegetables. Dense hard cheese is better done in short bursts.

The bowl and lid go in the dishwasher, the base wipes clean, and the body is lightweight plastic that sits on the counter without fuss. For herbs, garlic, nuts and small dips, it is a tried-and-true choice.

This is the entry-level pick for people who want to chop herbs, onions or nuts without spending much. A 175-watt motor and one-touch pulse make it about as simple as a kitchen appliance gets. Hold the lid down and it chops; release and it stops.

The oil holes in the lid let you drizzle oil while the blade runs, which helps with hummus, aioli and vinaigrette. The bi-level stainless blades cut at two heights to catch more of the load. Compared with the Mini-Prep Plus at 250 watts, it is slower on dense items, so cut food small.

Parts are dishwasher safe, which keeps cleanup easy. Treat it as a light-duty chopper: the 175-watt motor does not like long runs, and anything stiff such as a block of parmesan should be broken into small pieces.

The Express Chop is the smallest machine here, with a 16-ounce bowl, which is about two cups. It minces garlic, chops a single onion and grinds a handful of nuts, and it does so with a single one-touch pulse. For a person cooking for one or two, that is often all that is needed.

The small bowl is both its strength and its limit. A single onion fits; a full family batch of salsa does not. Compared with the Cuisinart 5-cup, it holds less than half, and compared with the Shardor's 400 watts, it is lighter duty.

It is easy to store and easy to wash. Treat it as an add-on to a larger machine or a first tool for tiny kitchens, dorms and RVs.