Best Food Processors Under $100 – Top 7 Picks with Buyer’s Guide

The other day at a family get-together, knowing how much I cherish food, one of my cousins offered me a slice of a mushroom pie. Needless to say but I will say anyway that I really enjoyed the slice and, in particular, the flaky crust of the pie. And I immediately inquired about how the crust was prepared. Among everything that she told me what struck me the most was that she kneaded the pie dough in a food processor. This incident laid the basis for me to research more about the best food processors under $100 and share my reviews with you.

Before moving to food processor reviews, I am reminded of my previous article. In case you want to know the story behind it, check out the latest review on the best rice cookers for brown rice.

What can you do with a Food Processor: A beginner’s guide

Now, a food processor is an amazing kitchen appliance under $100 that comes in handy especially when you have to do monotonous and repetitive tasks in the preparation of food. If you are regularly into chopping, kneading, slicing, pureeing, and/or shredding different food items, basically yes, you should definitely go for a food processor.

These are a few of the things that you can do with a food processor at your home:

Chopping & Slicing: Can you tell me two words that would make you teary-eyed; that is right- Chopping Onions. I guess this could be the prime reason for which food processors came into existence since even the most basic of choppers can at least, get this job done. Apart from this, a food processor is a multi-purpose appliance that can easily replace your graters, vegetable slicers, and choppers (not the flying ones).

Making Nut butter & flour: If you are vegan or not, or a nut butter lover, this is a must-have appliance in your kitchen. No other device will be able to do better justice to turn nuts like almonds, peanuts, cashews, etc. into that amazing gluten-free flour or creamy butter for your morning toasts. You can also check: How to make butter in a blender.

Grinding & Mincing Meat: Okay, now if you are on the other side of the spectrum i.e. a meat lover, you too will fall in love with a food processor. Make your own meat patties and cutlets by slicing your favorite meat in a food processor. This will help you get the job done in minutes and will provide you with healthier alternatives since you will not need to buy the store-bought preserved and processed meats anymore.

Making Shakes & Smoothies: And even ice-creams. Why not throw in a few frozen berries or fruits and add water/ milk in this fabulous tool and make yourself some of the smoothest cold drinks. Add in some heavy cream and process the things together and re-freeze the mixture to make seasonal ice-creams. Check this out: How to quickly and easily make ice-creams using a blender.

Kneading dough for bread & pie crusts: As mentioned earlier, this is where it began for me. High RPM generated by the blades of food processors get the kneading job done in less than half the amount of time it takes to do things with hands. Also, since the high RPM generates heat, it keeps the dough warm and helps the dough to rise faster.

Makes Sauces & Purees:  Without even realizing what a food processor will do for you that it will improve your food eating habits. How will it do so? The main reason we head to a store to buy our favorite dips and sauces is that it is convenient and time-saving. Now, a food processor will make your life a lot easier and you can make your favorite sauces at home and within minutes. Frankly, now your health is in your own hands.

I can go on raving about the benefits and uses of food processor. But, I think I have said enough for you to get an idea that the possibilities are endless.

Time to get to business. We are here to look at the food processors for beginners and also for those who are searching for cheaper alternatives for multitasking appliances in their kitchen. Hence, here we are looking at the top mark of $100 for choosing the best food processors available in the market.

You may check out our recent reviews on Best Dishwashers for Wine Glasses.

The above review link may seem a little odd here but then this is how we function, no. Weren’t you supposed to check on the water that you were boiling, but you are here reading this review instead? Nevertheless, the above link is a great guide if you are seriously considering buying a dishwasher.

Summary- Top picks for the best food processor under $100

Based on ten different parameters that we will mention later, below are our top picks for the best food processor under $100.

1. NutriChef NCFP8 Multipurpose Food Processor – Best on amazon with minimal noise in motor.
2. Electric Food Chopper, 8-Cup Food Processor by Homeleader – Want to cook food in an easy way? Bring home this food chopper right away.
3. UUOUU Food Processor 8-Cup, Food Chopper – This processor will definitely provide you with a bowl full of finely chopped food.
4. Food processor Cuisinart FP-8 Elemental 8-Cup – In this food processor check everything is perfect with excellent running power. Hence, best food processor ever!
5. Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap 8-Cup Food Processor – This Hamilton beach food processor has everything you need to process your 8 cup food with premium quality.
6. Ninja BN601 Professional Plus Food Processor – Shop this processor and you will never regret your choice.
7. Goodful by Cuisinart FP350GF 8-Cup, Food Processor – According to quality, performance, and price, this processor is under budget.

Features to look for while choosing the best Food Processors

Power & Wattage: A good foundation is what defines a building. An appliance’s wattage and the power its motor generates do precisely that. This will also govern the choice of a food processor you will need. For example, if you are looking to use the food processor extensively for grinding purposes and/or for slicing and pureeing frozen fruits, you need a machine with more power.

Design & Ergonomics: This is certainly much more than the look and feels aspect of the appliances. This feature will define your relationship with the best food processor based on which you will understand how much time you have to pulse the processor or how long it takes to knead the dough for a flaky pastry, how easy it can make chopping food, etc.

Size & Capacity: For some people, bigger is better and this may not necessarily be the case. Good design and the right capacity of the jar go hand-in-hand. Also, if you are a small family, you don’t need extra-large processors as that would mean wastage of power and that will ultimately impact the durability of the product.

Durability: The quality of any product is defined by how long it lasts the test of time. This is what defines its durability. Durability depends on many factors which may include the kind of material a processor is made up of, the quality of components that go into its machinery, the compatibility of different parts with each other, and so on.

Extra Features: These are the value-added features that improve the versatility of any appliance. Extra scrapers, lids, chords, or a bowl, etc. make life easier as one doesn’t have to worry too much about maintenance and replacements. This definitely becomes a strong buying point for beginners.

Okay. Now that we are done with the introductory part, let us get to the real reason that has brought you here.

Best 7 Food Processors under $100

Now, here we are going to talk about 5+ cup-sized best food processor that is priced under $100 available on amazon. Thus, it will not include a mini food processor. This will surely limit our options but we will be left with some of the best in the category. Also, I will try to focus on the pros and cons of each food processor and give my ratings based on the various reviews by the users across the internet platforms.

1. NutriChef NCFP8 Multipurpose 12 Cup food Multifunction Food Processor

At under $100, this is one of the best food processors available on amazon. Known for its powerful motor that has minimal noise, this multi-purpose appliance has even one of the largest capacities of processing jar to work with. Reviewers on Amazon have given an overall rating of 87 to this best food processor.

Pros:

• Comes with 6 attachment blades
• Handy pre-set speed function
• Easy to use and versatile
• Good built quality processor
• Powerful motor with sturdy base
• For all types of food

Cons:

• Little complicated locking system
• On the expensive side

2. Electric Food Chopper, 8-Cup Food Processor by Homeleader

This user-friendly food processor comes with a two-layered-twin blade chopping and an effective slicing system. Good output power is generated by the motor and this processor is worth every penny that you spend for it. I would say that it is the best food processor under $100 with excellent running power.

Pros:

• Good Power
• Easy to Use and Clean
• Good Value as per the price

Cons:

• Limitation of 15 seconds continuous run-time
• Capacity of processor needs to be improved

 

3. UUOUU Food Processor, Food Chopper Electric

A relatively unknown, but extremely handy UUOUU food processor makes use of the easy stack & assembly method. Good quality material used makes the appliance sturdy. The power rating is low but is enough to complete an entire range of tasks with ease. Overall reviews on amazon are praising its performance.

Pros:

• Powerful and convenient processor
• Great for mincing meat
• Good value as per price

Cons:

• Relatively unknown brand
• Durability is yet to be tested

4. Cuisinart FP-8 Elemental 8-Cup Food Processor for best food

One of the strongest brands when it comes to the arena of food processing, Cuisineart gets you the FP-8 Elemental model that makes a strong case for itself. This is one of the best appliances that you should go for in order to save your time and make your kitchen work hassle-free.

Pros:

• Reversible shredding and slicing discs – medium to fine
• Easy to use and clean
• Under budget processor
• Good blade quality

Cons:

• Light-weight makes it a little unstable when in use
• Low on power at this price

Now that we are halfway there, you may be interested in learning about:The Best Carrot Juice Machines.

5. Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap 8-Cup Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper

Brand Hamilton Beach never fails to disappoint when it comes to food processors. Even though it has an entire range of products in this category, we have chosen this particular processor for its robustness and performance.

Pros:

• Quick processing operations
• Easy to use and clean
• Fairly large feeding tube
• Under budget processor

Cons:

• The quality of material could have been better
• Noisy for some operations

 

6. Ninja BN601 Affordable food processor, Professional Plus Food Processor

Clearly, Ninja BN601 has the most powerful motors of all the food processors in the list. It also can be termed as the smartest since it comes with a few pre-set automatic features that make your life simpler.

Pros:

• One of the most powerful motors in its category
• Good capacity
• Fair price processor
• Comes with 4 automatic and 3 manual program options

Cons:

• The food tube feeder is narrow
• Cleaning is a bit of a hassle
• Replacement parts may be hard to find

 

7. Goodful by Cuisinart FP350GF 8-Cup Snap food processor, Best Food Processor

A versatile food processor that performs various operations in a matter of minutes. Even though there is a scope of improvement in many departments, but at <$100, we get a lot more than we expect. Certainly, one of the top sellers that won’t disappoint.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Lightweight but sturdy processor
• Great for making smoothies and shakes

Cons:

• The design could have been better
• User Instructions Manual is limited
• Not ideal for making ice-creams

An interesting story on the maker of the first food processor: Forbes

FAQS

Q: Can the food processors churn butter and make nut flours?

A: These powerful machines are ideal for any kitchen as they can shred, chop, slice, puree, knead, and even mince. These are the ideal appliance when it comes to making nut butter (such as almond butter, peanut butter, cashew cheese, etc.) and also when it comes to grinding into flour (such as chickpea flour, almond meal, rice flour, etc.).

Q: Is the food processor a good replacement for a blender, juicer, and shredder?

A: In case you don’t want to invest in multiple appliances for your kitchen and if you are not looking for dedicated devices, then surely, you should go for a food processor. Even though a dedicated device will give you multiple options and presets which may come in handy, a food processor is still good enough to get the job done, and that too is quite satisfactory.

Q: Can you mix Cake batter, Cookie dough, and Pie crust dough in a food processor?

A: I would like to say yes but then when it comes to baking a lot depends on the air content in the batter. This can be best judged using hands or using industrial/premium open lid food processors which let you knead at variable speeds. Since the under $100 processors are multi-functional, the motors are designed to be powerful. These may not exactly solve your purpose but surely they can knead the dough for your regular bread.

Think you know it all: Take the Britannica Electronics & Gadgets Quiz.

Conclusion

Food processors are one of the most recommended items by me. The key to any happy house is a happy stomach and that requires a good amount of time to be spent in the kitchen. Now, if one has to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, they should focus on cooking rather than prep work. This is where a food processor is extremely important. Considering they perform a large number of tasks very quickly, they save a lot of time and effort which enhances the cooking experience. Thus, I would suggest that you should promote a food processor Hamilton higher up in your bucket list of products to buy for the kitchen. An investment of under $100 will bring you good dividends and make your life simpler.