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A food processor is a handy tool for any home cook, but it can be especially useful for vegans looking to transform everyday natural ingredients into sumptuous dishes. The best food processors for vegans will effortlessly turn beans, nuts, and veggies into creamy dips and spreads — and they can cut down on manual food prep by grating and slicing ingredients for you. They can even grind whole grains into flour or knead your dough for pastries or bread.
A food processor’s power, or wattage, is hugely important if you plan to use it to break down harder ingredients like raw carrots or nuts (nut butter, anyone?), or if you’ll be mixing dough with it. The higher the wattage of your food processor’s motor, the less likely it’ll be to overheat on the job.
The general rule of thumb is that a food processor should have at least 600 watts of power for a full-size machine with a capacity of 8 cups or more. But for vegans who will be working with lots of veggies, beans, and nuts, I’d suggest looking for a machine with at least 700 watts of power and an 11- to 16-cup capacity so that you can avoid both the annoyance of processing food in batches and the nuisance of overheating the motor. But there's one notable exception to this recommendation: mini food processors. If you're looking for a small 3- or 4-cup machine that's ideal for little tasks like mincing garlic or making small quantities of dips or dressings, you should be fine with 300 to 400 watts of power.
There are a few other features to look out for as you shop. Large feed chutes can process bulkier veggies without requiring you to stop the machine and remove the lid. A pulse function will give you more control over how finely the machine processes the ingredients. Some machines will also come with a variety of interior attachments, ranging from slicing disks to dough blades, and they can be particularly helpful with cutting down on food prep time.
With all that in mind, I’ve combed Amazon for the best food processors for vegan home cooks. From a large-capacity food processor to a compact chopper, here are the best food processors for vegans.
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1The Overall Best Food Processor For Vegans
Power: 1,200 watts
Capacity: 16 cups
What it comes with: Variable slicing disc, reversible shredding disc, julienne disc, french fry cutting disc, whisking disk, micro-serrated universal S blade, dough blade, mini blade, cleaning brush, plastic spatula, and storage box
The Breville Sous Chef food processor is a top-of-the-line machine that has all the bells and whistles you could want. Its strong 1,200-watt motor can handle both hard vegetables and dense dough with ease. The front of the machine features an LCD display with a built-in timer to help you keep track of processing time.
This pick comes with two processing bowls — a large 16-cup bowl and a small 2.5-cup bowl — that you can swap out depending on how many ingredients you're working with. You also have a choice of using either the narrow feed chute or the super-wide 5.5-inch one. The wide chute can save you time by allowing you to process most fruits and vegetables without having to cut them up first.
It also includes five different disks (including a variable slicer that can be adjusted from a thickness of 0.3 to 8.0 millimeters) and three blades, plus an accessory storage box to wrangle the extra parts. All of the food processor's plastic parts that come in contact with food are BPA-free and the metal blades are made of stainless steel. It comes with a one-year limited product warranty and 25-year induction motor guarantee. Choose from a stainless steel, red, or black finish.
It's worth reiterating that this is a big machine with a large accessory box, so you may want to opt for a smaller model if you’re limited on space.
Enthusiastic Amazon review: “Just 20 seconds to process two large potatoes into french fries. A few pulses to chop vegetables into ‘stir-fry’ size. A few more pulses for smaller uses. And turns nuts into creamy vegan cheese. Amazing and worth it if your kitchen is plant-based. It is surprisingly quiet.”’
2The Best Mid-Range Food Processor For Vegans
Power: 720 watts
Capacity: 14 cups
What it comes with: Standard 4-millimeter slicing disc, medium shredding disc, chopping/mixing S blade, large pusher, small pusher, and spatula
The 720-watt Cuisinart 14-Cup Custom Food Processor doesn't come with as many attachments as the above Breville, but it's really simple to use and a reliable go-to for food processing. It has a single-touch operation with large control "paddles," including pulse functionality, and both a large and a small feed chute. It doesn't come with a dough blade, but it's strong enough to knead if you purchase the Cuisinart DLC-019ATX Dough Blade separately.
The Cuisinart's removable parts are BPA-free and dishwasher safe, making cleanup a breeze. The machine comes with a three-year limited warranty for the whole unit and a five-year warranty for the motor. Choose from eight sleek colors, all of which will look nice sitting on your counter. And if 14 cups is a bit too big for your daily needs, you can also opt for the Cuisinart 7-Cup Food Processor instead.
Enthusiastic Amazon review: "The motor is STRONG. It's quiet. I use it to make vegan meat and to knead bread. It's made my life so much easier and less messy! LOVE IT!!!!!!”
3The Best Mini Food Processor For Vegan Food Prep
Power: 350 watts
Capacity: 3 cups
What it comes with: Chopping/mixing blade
The Hamilton Beach Stack & Press 3 Cup Chopper may be tiny, but its 350-watt motor sure is mighty when it comes to tackling smaller jobs. Food processors don't get much easier than this one: simply place the bowl and blade on the base, then put the lid on top and press on it to activate the machine and pulse your ingredients. The lid's "press" feature would probably be inconvenient if the processor were larger, but with such a small capacity, chopping ingredients won’t take very long and being (literally) hands-on gives you a lot of control.
The lid has a tiny built-in oil dispenser that allows you to add liquids while it’s processing, and the bowl, lid, and stainless steel blade are dishwasher safe.
Enthusiastic Amazon review: “I honestly wasn't expecting much because of some of the reviews commenting on the small size; however, I thought it was the perfect size! It's easy to clean, the blade is sharp and I can make so many vegan recipes. I love making hummus and riced cauliflower. GREAT VALUE for a powerful little food processor! Love it. Highly recommended.”
