Cuisinart vs KitchenAid – which food processor should you buy?

Cuisinart and KitchenAid dominate the home appliance market. They make some of the best food processors and most convenient food choppers that you can buy. It's brilliant to have choice and range, but how do you know which is better?

The Cuisinart vs KitchenAid food processor debate is hotly contested. Some people put KitchenAid at the top of their buying guides for the best food processors , prizing the iconic name, brand, and color scheme. Others opt for Cuisinart, choosing the simple, lightweight, and durable build quality.

I'll talk through the pros and cons of both KitchenAid and Cuisinart's food processors so you can decide which is best for you and your kitchen needs.

Is the Cuisinart food processor any good?

Cuisinart are well-known for making some of the best food processors on the market. Theirs come in all shapes and sizes. You can buy a mini one for small tasks, such as dips and sauces, or a professional 14-cup model that's up to the toughest of tasks.

Cuisinart's smallest offering is their 3-cup mini food chopper . This simple model comes with two functions: chop and grind. The chopping uses the sharp side of the blade to slice through ingredients. The grinding function reverses the blade, using the more blunt side to grind up spices and nuts as needed.

In the middle of the range, the Cuisinart 9-cup food processor offers simple functions. It has a low speed, high speed, and pulse setting. It comes with two reversible shredding and slicing disc, both for fine and medium textures. The universal S blade can mix, chop, and make dough too.

At the top end of the range is the Cuisinart 14-cup food processor . Even though the Core Custom 10-Cup food processor sits at the top of our buying guide for the best food processors, the 14-cup is perfect for bigger, tricker tasks. Aside from its immense, 14-cup capacity, the Cuisinart boasts some impressive power and an extra-large feed tube, which doesn't require any preparation. It comes with a slicing disc, shredding disc, chopping and mixing blade, as well as a disc stem and spatula.

Cuisinart's food processors have something to offer every kind of kitchen, but the three below are our favorites.

Best overall

Cuisinart Core Custom 10-Cup Food Processor

This is the best food processor on the market. It's simple, powerful, and easy to use. The range of attachments make it versatile for chopping, slicing, dicing, mixing and more.

Best chopper

Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus

Cordless and rechargeable, this mini chopper is ideal for a modern kitchen. Allowing you to quickly chop herbs, nuts and small vegetables, this compact design can chop or grind at the swift touch of a button.

Best professional

Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor

The 14-cup is bigger than most kitchens need, but if your home demands are close to commercial, you'll need one of these. It consistently slices fruits and vegetables and can mix dough expertly.

Is the KitchenAid food processor any good?

KitchenAid makes some of the most iconic, all-American appliances on the market. They're best known for their stand mixers, but they do also make some of the best food processors, food choppers, and blenders on the market.

If you're thinking about investing in a KitchenAid food processor, you have a few options:

The first is either an eleven or nine-cup food processor . This is exactly what you would expect from a food processor. It comes with S blades, grating and slicing discs, and more. It's durable, simple, and powerful. I can't really fault them.

The second option is a food chopper . If you asked any of our expert testers for a list of kitchen essentials, the food chopper is guaranteed a spot. It's a lot like a food processor, except this doesn't grate or slice. It makes good dips and purees, but, as you move onto doughs and tricker tasks, it isn't quite as good. One of the reasons we love this is that it's completely cordless, so you can use it anywhere in the kitchen, or even outside next to the grill.

The final KitchenAid food processor option is an attachment for your food processor. It might sound like they've gone mad, but this is actually very space and cost-effective if you already own (and love) one of their stand mixers. All you have to do is slot it onto the end of your stand mixer head and it will work away, powering through a range of food processor tasks.

KitchenAid 9 Cup Food Processor

The KitchenAid comes with all the attachments that you could possibly need. It can chop, shred, mince, slice, knead, whip, mix, and puree. It's popular amongst enthusiastic and versatile chefs.

KitchenAid Cordless 5 Cup Food Chopper

Our experts loved this for simple tasks, such as making dips and sauces. It's completely cordless, so can be used anywhere in the kitchen or outside by the grill.

Food Processor Attachment

You'll need a KitchenAid stand mixer to use one of these, but it's a great space-saving alternative. This comes with a slicing disc, shredding disc, and julienne disc, covering a range of needs.

Head to head: Cuisinart vs KitchenAid

Cuisinart Core 10 cup

We gave the Core the top spot in our buying guide for the best food processors because it's lightweight, versatile, and easy to store. Even though the two discs allow you to shred and slice, the simple controls can seem a little limiting if you're looking for something to cover every kind of kitchen need.

KitchenAid 9 Cup Food Processor

The KitchenAid is useful for its range of attachments. It has just one blade for grating and slicing but has paddles for meat grinding and making butter and more. It's smaller and cheaper, but heavier and the clutter might not suit all kitchens.

Cuisinart Mini Prep Pro

The Mini Prep Pro is a powerhouse for food processing. It chops and grinds, using alternate sides of the blade. Even though you need to be near a plug to use this, it's a better food chopper for bigger homes, since you get more capacity and power.

KitchenAid Cordless

If you want convenience and style, the KitchenAid cordless food chopper is a better bet. It's smaller and has a little less power, but we love how light and easy to clean it is. If you need a machine for smaller jobs, this is the one for you.

Alternatives to both KitchenAid and Cuisinart

If you want some other options to KitchenAid and Cuisinart, these are some of our other tried-and-tested food processors.

Best value

Nutribullet NBP50100

For a food processor that can do it all, we'd recommend the Nutribullet. The range of accessories is stored neatly in the lightweight bowl, so it's great for saving space too.

Best blender/food processor

Ninja Professional Plus

If you want your food processor to do it all, this is the one. It also comes with a 72 oz pitcher and single-serve cups to blend liquids, too.

Best budget

Magic Bullet Kitchen Prep

This is surprisingly great for a processor that costs under $100. It's far from perfect, but if you need something that does the job, this is the one.

FAQs

Is Cuisinart or KitchenAid a better brand?

Cuisinart and KitchenAid are both American brands that offer top-quality appliances. It's hard to say which is a better brand, because they have different offerings. Cuisinart's simple models are lightweight and straightforward to use. KitchenAid's tend to have more color and style options as well as more durable materials.

What are the best brands for food processors?

KitchenAid and Cuisinart are certainly two of the best brands for food processors. However, they're not the only people that make good food processors. Ninja, Nutribullet, Magic Bullet, and Vitamix all make some of the best food processors on the market.

Do I need a food chopper or a food processor?

We've gone deep into the details of the differences between food choppers and food processors in another article. Essentially, KitchenAid and Cuisinart's food choppers are good for light tasks, such as making dips and sauces. Their food processors are bigger, more versatile, more powerful, and more durable too.