Mini food processors are great for small food processing jobs. They’re easy to use and clean, and they do a great job chopping and grinding good. Find some of the best ones to choose from here!
They are typically a little less powerful than a bigger food processor. But they can do anything a bigger food processor can do, sometimes with a little prep chopping on your part.
Top Picks
Check out our favorites here. Or scroll down for in-depth reviews. You can also read more about how we choose products.
- Best Overall: CUISINART Mini Prep Plus Food Processor, 3 Cup
- Best Splurge (with lid chute): SHARDOR 3.5-Cup Food Processor
- Easiest to Use: Ninja Express Chop Professional
- Budget Choice: Hamilton Beach Electric Vegetable Chopper & Mini Food Processor
- Budget Choice with Reversible Blades Feature: Mueller Electric Food Chopper
What to Look For in a Mini Food Processor
Mini food processors come in different sizes, so consider how much food you’ll be processing and how much counter space you have.
Check out the power of the motor. You can’t expect these units to handle entire veggies like some of the really fancy machines, but you should be able to do things like make smoothies from pre-chopped ingredients.
Do you want blades and attachments? Some mini food processors just come with one blade and work much like a blender. Others have interchangeable blades and attachments for slicing, chopping, shredding and pureeing.
It should be easy to use and easy to clean. These don’t need lots of bells and whistles. Some only have two settings – on or off. Most of the unit should be dishwasher safe.
You may want to choose a reputable brand that offers a warranty or guarantee for their products. Price is also important, since you can get a good mini food processor for not a lot of money.
Best mini food processor
It looks like they no longer make this cute little red model I bought at Target years ago, but the gray one should work just as well.
This is the handiest food chopper! Grab it. Take the lid off, insert food, put lid back on. Push the pulsing button and either pulse or hold it down until you're happy with the level of chopping it's done. Enjoy food. Wipe off the top and the blade and put the rest in the dishwasher.
It's so quick and easy to use.
WHAT'S GREAT:
- You can mince, chop, dice, chop, blend or even puree.
- No settings, Just hold the button until you're happy with the results.
- Very quick. Most foods only need a few seconds.
- 200W power pod is strong enough to chop most foods
- 2 cup chopper bowl is a good size for many food processing jobs
- The removable parts are dishwasher-safe. Everything else wipes clean easily with a dishrag
- BPA free
WHAT'S NOT SO GREAT:
- Some reviewers found they needed a larger unit
- Because it only has one blade, some foods may not chop into as regular a consistency as others. You can work around this - but you may prefer not to.
This Hamilton Beach mini food processor is has a bigger capacity and more power than the Ninja. It works roughly the same way. You just press the lid to start processing and let it up when you're done.
Most of this one is dishwasher safe, too.
WHAT'S GREAT:
- 3 cup capacity and 350 watts is a lot of power and capacity for these units
- Chop, mince, dice, puree
- Just press the lid to start and let up on it to stop
- Oil dispenser on lid makes it easy to emulsify dressings, dips and sauces.
- Easy to clean, with most parts being dishwasher safe
WHAT'S NOT SO GREAT:
- Some reviewers complain that it's too loud
- While the size will be an advantage for some users, it might be too big for others
You can get this one in chrome too if you don't like red. This Cuinsinart has a higher capacity than the Hamilton Beach, but with a less powerful motor.
What's special about this one is the autoreverse feature. Every time you start it up, it runs runs the blades in the other direction, which is surprisingly useful in food processing.
WHAT'S GREAT:
- Autoreverse means every time you start it, the blades reverse direction, going from the sharp side of the blade to the blunt side. Reviewers rave about how this helps them chop food better.
- Easy to use with a two-button control panel for "chop" for soft foods and "grind" for hard foods
- Holes in lid allow you to add oils and other liquids without spewing food all over the place
- Works very quickly
- Easy cleanup and mostly dishwasher safe
- Includes a 4 cup work bowl with handle, stainless steel blade with both sharp and blunt edges, a spatula and an instruction book with some recipes
- BPA free
- 18 month warranty
WHAT'S NOT SO GREAT:
- Some reviewers find it too loud or high-pitched. I recommend you watch the manufacturers video on the Amazon page to hear it for yourself.
- If you have small hands, you may find this processor harder to handle than some
- Some complaints about leaking around the lid
Mueller is a trusted brand for many - I have one of their toasters and have been very happy with it. Their food chopper has the same high quality as the rest of the brand.
You'll notice it has a less powerful motor than the others, but most reviewers report it getting the job done.
WHAT'S GREAT:
- Chop, dice, grind and blend quickly with the push of a button
- 3 cup capacity with 135 watt motor
- Dual speed pulse buttons (like the autoreverse feature from Cuisinart)
- Mostly dishwasher safe
- 24/7 live telephone customer support - reviewers who have needed it rave about it
WHAT'S NOT SO GREAT:
- Despite it being mostly dishwasher safe, some people find it hard to clean
- It can be difficult to get the lid on
This food chopper is powerful and it has the reversible blade feature included with several other models. But instead of it being automatic, you change directions with the press of a button, whenever you want.
It also comes with a lid chute and a disc for shredding and slicing, which makes it more versatile.
WHAT'S GREAT:
- Lid chute for adding cucumber, cheese, etc.
- Powerful 350 watt motor
- 3.5 cup capacity
- Has more functions than most mini choppers because in addition to the blade, this one also includes a disc. One side of the disc shreds and the other slices. Chop, grind, puree, slice, shred - it does it all.
- Easy to use
- Mostly dishwasher safe and easy to clean
WHAT'S NOT SO GREAT:
- Some complaints that the chute doesn't work that well and makes cleanup more difficult