Raise your hands if you hate meal prepping – we do too! Even for some of the most basic meals, it seems like you spend more time chopping, shredding, and slicing than you do actually enjoying your dinner. As much as we’d all love to order takeout for every meal, our wallets (and our digestive systems) probably wouldn’t be too happy with us if we did. But, we have good news for you: there’s a better way to make healthy at-home meals with zero effort.
The magic word(s) of the day? Food processor. These small kitchen appliances are quickly going to become your best friend when you test out their full capabilities. They chop, mix, shred, slice, and puree with only a quick change of a blade or speed setting. Plus, they’re super affordable, easy to use, and painless to clean (we love dishwasher-safe parts)!
If all this has had you nodding along thinking, "where have you been all my life?", we understand! Since there’s plenty to think about while you shop (like price, capacity, functions, speeds, size, weight, and more), we wanted to give you a head start. That’s why we’ve prepared a great list of top options to consider.
This comprehensive guide will investigate the best food processors in Canada in 2024 and outline the criteria you should consider while making your purchase decision. Let’s dive right into our top five products.
The Best Food Processors Right Now
Top Pick: Cuisinart FP-8SVEC Food Processor
Compact Pick: KitchenAid KFC3516ER Mini Food Processor
Upgrade Pick: Breville BREBFP800XL Sous Chef Food Processor
Budget Pick: Black+Decker HC300BC Food Processor
Also Great: Hamilton Beach 70730 Food Processor
Our Top Pick for The Best Food Processor
Cuisinart FP-8SVEC Food Processor Review
What We Think of the Cuisinart FP-8SVEC Food Processor
We have a lot of great things to say about the Cuisinart FP-8SVEC Food Processor. Our favourite feature is the integrated feed tube. It lets you add ingredients to the bowl without opening the lid (huge time-saver alert!) and you don’t even need to pause the motor if you don’t want to. The buttons that control the speed and pulse are large and made of rubber—say hello to comfort and easy pressing.
With a disc for slicing and shredding and a blade for mixing and chopping, you’ll run out of produce before you run out of patience. Whether your recipe calls for slicing, shredding, liquefying, pureeing, kneading, chopping, or mixing, this machine has your back. An 8-cup capacity, dishwasher-safe parts, and a fairly compact design will leave you very satisfied with your choice.
As much as we’d all love to find a flawless food processor, it just isn’t possible. Luckily, this one only has one flaw. Because of the way the blade is designed, it isn’t very good at mixing your ingredients thoroughly. Unfortunately, this means you’ll have to whip out your spatula and do *some* manual labor—if you’re lazy like us, this might be a bit annoying.
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Cuisinart FP-8SVEC Food Processor
Reviewers have a really positive opinion of Cuisinart’s FP-8SVEC Food Processor. The capacity seems to be perfect for all of their needs, and the versatility of the two speeds is a big hit. Most people are able to use this food processor for all of their food prep tasks, and they love it. Some folks have trouble with even mixing, but a quick pause for a manual stir isn’t much of a dealbreaker.
Cuisinart FP-8SVEC Food Processor Specifications
Dimensions: 7.6” x 9.6” x 15.2”
Weight: 6.5 lbs
Colour: Silver
Capacity: 8 cups
Speeds: 2
Power (Watts): 350
Dishwasher Safe: Yes
Warranty: 2 years
Cuisinart FP-8SVEC Food Processor Pros and Cons
Pros:
Comes with a reversible slicing/shredding disc and a mixing/chopping blade
Speed and pulse buttons are large and made of rubber for ease of use
Integrated feed tube lets you add ingredients without opening the lid or stopping the motor
Can slice, shred, liquefy, puree, knead, chop, and mix most ingredients
Cons:
May need to manually mix ingredients since S blades are only on the very bottom
Our Final Thoughts on the Cuisinart FP-8SVEC Food Processor
Performance: 4.5/5
Usability: 5/5
Price: 5/5
Quality: 4.5/5
Overall, this Cuisinart Food Processor is our top recommendation for everyday use. Its mixing game may not be number one, but everything else about it packs it with value. No matter how many food prep tasks you’re ready to say goodbye to, this machine will give you your freedom.
Our Compact Pick
KitchenAid KFC3516ER Mini Food Processor Review
What We Think of the KitchenAid KFC3516ER Mini Food Processor
We understand that some people don’t love mini versions of anything, but the KitchenAid KFC3516ER Mini Food Processor may be the thing that changes your mind. Its adorably compact size and bright red exterior make it an eye-catching and portable food prep assistant. It’s easy to store in every kitchen, and it makes a great travel companion too (cottage season, anyone?).
One of its most unique features is the drizzle basin, and if you love making your own sauces and dressings, this food processor belongs in your kitchen—it slows down the addition of liquids to your bowl contents for better results. Since the blades are positioned at two different heights, you won’t need to waste any time mixing manually either. Who doesn’t love that?
Despite our wish to love absolutely everything about this food processor, it does come up short in a few areas. It’s no surprise that a machine this small can’t offer the same power as a regular-sized food processor, and you’ll need to keep this in mind when deciding which ingredients it should prep for you. Also, it can only chop and puree, so you’ll have to put in some elbow grease for the other chores.
What Reviewers Are Saying About the KitchenAid KFC3516ER Mini Food Processor
Reviewers are really happy with their KFC3516ER Mini Food Processor from KitchenAid. The bright red colour brings people joy every time they take it out of their cupboard, and it’s the perfect size to take up to the cottage. This is their go-to for all of their dip-making and dressing prep, and the lower speed does a great job of chopping up small batches of ingredients.
KitchenAid KFC3516ER Mini Food Processor Specifications
Dimensions: 6” x 7” x 8.7”
Weight: 2.7 lbs
Colour: Red
Capacity: 3.5 cups
Speeds: 2
Power (Watts): 240
Dishwasher Safe: Yes
Warranty: 1 year
KitchenAid KFC3516ER Mini Food Processor Pros and Cons
Pros:
Drizzle basin is perfect for sauces and dressings
Highly portable and easy to store
Can customize texture with 2 speed settings and pulse feature
Blades are positioned at different levels for better chopping performance
Cons:
Can only chop and puree
Not powerful enough for all ingredients
Our Final Thoughts on the KitchenAid KFC3516ER Mini Food Processor
Performance: 4/5
Usability: 4/5
Price: 5/5
Quality: 5/5
All in all, we love this KitchenAid Food Processor the most for tiny kitchens. You’ll have to make some allowances for its limitations, but its affordable price tag and easy-to-use features make it stand out in its class.
Our Upgrade Pick
Breville BREBFP800XL Sous Chef Food Processor Review
What We Think of the Breville BREBFP800XL Sous Chef Food Processor
No matter what you’re looking to get out of your food processor, the Breville BREBFP800XL Sous Chef Food Processor has it and so much more. Where do we even start? Its attachments include a dough blade, a julienne disc, a French fry disc, a shredding disc… the list goes on. A storage case will help you keep track of all of the attachments (trust us, you’ll need it), and there are even cleaning utensils!
A fancy timer can be set to countdown to an auto shutoff, or it can count up to keep track of your processing time. The slicing disc is incredibly versatile: 24 different settings are available, can you believe it? The ridiculously powerful motor guarantees it will cut through every ingredient like butter no matter which thickness you choose. There is nothing you can’t do with this food processor.
Clearly, we are blown away by this machine. It exceeds our expectations in pretty much every possible way. Aside from the expensive price tag (and we mean really expensive), the only problem you may run into is the height. Its extra tall design means great things for its performance, but not-so-great things for its ability to fit inside your cupboard.
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Breville BREBFP800XL Sous Chef Food Processor
Reviewers are absolutely wowed by their Sous Chef machines. After using it, they will never go back to a simpler food processor ever again. The main complaint people have is about the size: it is pretty heavy and quite large, so it isn’t the easiest thing to store. However, its ability to tackle literally every food prep task they throw at it makes it an easy favourite.
Breville BREBFP800XL Sous Chef Food Processor Specifications
Dimensions: 19” x 8.3” x 10.2”
Weight: 26 lbs
Colour: Silver
Capacity: 16 cup and 2.5 cup bowls included
Speeds: 2
Power (Watts): 1,200
Dishwasher Safe: Yes
Warranty: 1 year
Breville BREBFP800XL Sous Chef Food Processor Pros and Cons
Pros:
Comes with a case for attachments and cleaning utensils
Timer can count up or count down
24 slice settings with variable slicing disc can cut widths between 0.3mm and 8mm
Comes with a julienne disc, a French fry disc, a whisking disc, a reversible shredding disc, micro-serrated universal SS blades, a dough blade, and a mini blade
Cons:
Tall design will not fit in all cabinets
Extremely expensive
Our Final Thoughts on the Breville BREBFP800XL Sous Chef Food Processor
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 5/5
Price: 2/5
Quality: 5/5
Overall, the Breville BREBFP800XL Sous Chef Food Processor is an out-of-this-world machine with functionality you won’t find in any other product. If you’ve got the budget for it (and the storage space), you’ll never go back to a run-of-the-mill food processor again. It’ll change your life.
Our Budget Pick
Black+Decker HC300BC Food Processor Review
What We Think of the Black+Decker HC300BC Food Processor
Food processors aren’t known for being pretty, but this one wowed us. Because of its ultra-sleek design, it’s the perfect choice if it’s going to be sitting on your counter 24/7. It’s just nice to look at. Its ease of use is also on point—it won’t give you any trouble when you’re putting it together or taking it apart to clean.
By far, the best feature is the oil holes in the groove of the lid. These holes will evenly distribute any oil or water that needs to be added to your mixture, so every recipe turns out just right. We love its stay-sharp blade too. Its cutting performance stays the same for its entire life, so you won’t witness it dying a slow death as its replacement date rolls around.
Unsurprisingly, a budget-friendly option like this is bound to come with some low points too. A 3-cup capacity won’t get you very far for big meal prep tasks, so you may wish to focus on dips and dressings. Also, there isn’t any slicing or shredding happening with this one. Its smaller motor won’t be suited to tougher ingredients, so soft vegetables will be your friends.
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Black+Decker HC300BC Food Processor
Reviewers are very happy with the performance of their Black+Decker HC300BC Food Processors considering its price tag. There are still tasks that users need to do manually because of the lower power, but the oil holes are a huge hit. People love how easy it is to make things like hummus with really even distributions of oils and water.
Black+Decker HC300BC Food Processor Specifications
Dimensions: 7.9” x 4.6” x 6.7”
Weight: 2.3 lbs
Colour: Black
Capacity: 3 cups
Speeds: Pulse only
Power (Watts): 175
Dishwasher Safe: Yes
Black+Decker HC300BC Food Processor Pros and Cons
Pros:
Sleek design looks great on any counter
Oil holes let you add oils to dips evenly and without making a mess
Very easy to put together and take apart
Stay-sharp blade maintains performance over time
Cons:
Capacity is fairly small
Quite low in power; best for dips, dressings, and easy chopping tasks
Can’t slice or shred
Our Final Thoughts on the Black+Decker HC300BC Food Processor
Performance: 4/5
Usability: 4/5
Price: 5/5
Quality: 4.5/5
All in all, this Black+Decker model is the best you’ll find for budget-friendliness. No matter what state your finances are in, or how many other kitchen appliances you’ve bought this year (it’s addictive, we know), this one is sure to come in under budget and still provide tons of value for your meal-prepping.
Also Great
Hamilton Beach 70730 Food Processor Review
What We Think of the Hamilton Beach 70730 Food Processor
We really like this Hamilton Beach 70730 Food Processor for a few key reasons. This is one of those rare options that comes with an integrated chute, meaning you can ingredients without taking off the lid. Hello, convenience! We especially like the bowl scraper addition—you’ll never bite into a chunk of uncut produce or get a mouthful of mushed/powdered ingredients.
This is a great choice if you’re looking for all-around versatility, too. Its 10-cup capacity is perfect for just about every type of meal prepping, and the motor is powerful enough for any ingredient you’re tired of processing by hand. Dishwasher-safe parts, two types of attachments, and its dual-speed plus pulse control system round out this product beautifully.
As much as we’d like to rave about this product some more, we do have to balance things with the downsides. There are some spots that are tricky to clean, so if you don’t have a ton of patience for hand-washing, this might not be your perfect fit. Also, the bowl scraper legs have a small chance of being hit by the blade—this is a major safety risk if you don’t catch it right away.
What Reviewers Are Saying About the Hamilton Beach 70730 Food Processor
Reviewers are quite pleased with the Hamilton Beach 70730 machine. The bowl scraper is a great addition that keeps things mixing evenly, although some people have had a less-than-stellar experience with the blades chopping off the legs of the scraper; user beware! The large capacity and large integrated chute make this food processor really easy to use and highly versatile in the kitchen.
Hamilton Beach 70730 Food Processor Specifications
Dimensions: 10.25” x 8.4” x 15.5”
Weight: 4.7 lbs
Colour: Silver and black
Capacity: 10 cups
Speeds: 2
Power (Watts): 450
Dishwasher Safe: Yes
Warranty: 1 year
Hamilton Beach 70730 Food Processor Pros and Cons
Pros:
Has a bowl scraper for thorough mixing
Reversible disc can shred and slice, S-blade mixes, purees, and chops
Large chute makes it easy to add extra ingredients without removing the lid
Has a pulse setting in addition to two speeds
Cons:
Some areas are a bit tricky to clean
Scraper legs may get cut off by the blade; can be a major safety hazard if it isn’t noticed immediately
Our Final Thoughts on the Hamilton Beach 70730 Food Processor
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 4.5/5
Price: 5/5
Quality: 4.5/5
All in all, this Hamilton Beach Food Processor is a well-rounded product that has more than earned its place in our top five. It isn’t a perfect product, but its powerful motor, versatile functions, and large capacity make it a useful addition to just about every household.
How to Properly Choose Your Food Processor
Price
With a price range from $25 to over $600, everyone will be able to find an option that fits their budget.
Capacity
If you’re whipping up large batches, we recommend a 10-12 cup food processor. If you’re into making your own dips, sauces, and dressings, a 4-cup (or smaller) food processor will do the trick.
Integrated Chute
An integrated chute isn’t the most common feature to find in a food processor, but if you’ve ever used one, you likely aren’t going back. They add a ton of convenience to your meal-prepping routine, and if you choose one with a larger chute, you can feed bigger pieces of food into the food processor.
Versatility
If you want your food processor to work harder than you do, you’ll want to look for things like extra speed settings, attachments, bowl scrapers, etc.
Size & Weight
Storage space is a hot commodity no matter how big your kitchen is, and if you’ve already got a bunch of other small kitchen appliances and gadgets, your counter space may be in short supply too. Make sure you find an option that will work in your (limited) space.
Disclaimer: The prices displayed are accurate at the time of publication. We’ll do our best to keep them as up-to-date as possible, but you may see slight changes. The products in this list are ranked by independent third parties. Rankings are based on both reviews and independent testing.