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Food processors are one of the best investments you can make to turn your monotonous meal prep into a fun, quick process. These handy kitchen appliances only take seconds to chop, dice, puree, and slice your food so that you can enjoy delicious home-cooked meals easier than ever before. This guide will provide all the information you need to make an informed purchase while also giving you a few of the best food processors in Canada to choose from, depending on your needs.

Why trust us?

We take pride in providing accurate and honest reviews of products, so we dedicated more than 21 hours to researching food processors and choosing the best options in the Canadian market. We’ve analyzed these products on more than a dozen factors to ensure that they are high-quality, reliable, easy-to-use appliances.

Best Food Processors for Canadians

Best overall: Cuisinart Custom 14-cup Food Processor

The Cuisinart custom 14-cup food processor is a high-end choice with user-friendly features and an excellent capacity for batch cooking. This Cuisinart model can chop, mix, knead, slice, emulsify, puree, and shred all types of foods efficiently and precisely. Its 720-watt motor makes it capable of getting through harder foods like coconut and carrots just as easily as soft fruits. A 14-cup bowl provides enough capacity for batch cooking, large families, and parties. The main bowl has a handle that makes it easier to hold when pouring out puree or scooping out your foods. This unit also has a safety interlock and a pusher to keep your fingers well away from the moving blades.

This model is very user-friendly, with a single-touch control system for powering on and off the appliance, plus a pulse command for slow and even control over the machine. The feed chute is extra-large to accommodate whole fruits and vegetables for minimal prep beforehand. Shredding and slicing discs are included for greater versatility and ease of changing between functions for full meal prep in one setting. The dough cup capacity is 4.5 cups for all of your bread-making kneads, and the stainless-steel blades, bowl, and other components are dishwasher safe for simple cleanup. This machine can definitely qualify as a workhorse and will make your next meal prep so much easier. However, durability is a little less than optimal with plastic pieces.

What sets the Cuisinart Custom 14-cup Food Processor apart?

The Cuisinart food processor is one of the most well-made food processors on the market. It can perform 7 different functions – including mixing and kneading bread – that make it one of the most versatile on the market as well. This is also a very user-friendly machine since the controls are simple, and there are multiple safety features included for your protection. This food processor has a large capacity that makes it the ideal choice for large batches of food. It can also be considered a professional appliance thanks to the combination of these high-performance features.

What could be improved on?

This food processor scores highly all across the board, but we would have liked to see a couple of different speed options for greater control over how the machine operates. Adjusting the speed of the blades would be particularly helpful when pureeing or emulsifying foods since you can leave lumps in your mashed potatoes or achieve a perfectly fine consistency for homemade baby food. Since the bowl and other components are plastic, there is an issue with durability, so another possible improvement is switching to a more durable material for these pieces. Other than that, there are no improvements necessary on this Cuisinart food processor.

Performance of the Cuisinart Custom 14-cup Food Processor

Versatility

We are happy with the versatility of the Cuisinart 14-cup food processor. It can perform 7 different functions – chop, slice, mix, knead, puree, shred, and emulsify. These tasks make it easy for you to achieve every step of your meal prep using this machine.

Ease of use

This food processor is incredibly easy to use. It is very safe, has an extra-large feed chute, simple controls, and a powerful motor that can handle tougher foods with ease. All in all, this is a great machine for beginners and experts alike.

Capacity

The Cuisinart 14-cup food processor is an excellent size. This large capacity makes it easy for you to prepare a week’s worth of meals at once, prep for a party, make dinner for a large family, and any other batch cooking you may find yourself prepping for. This capacity is larger than average, making it a great choice if you aren’t satisfied with smaller options.

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Best Value: Cuisinart 8-cup Food Processor

The Cuisinart 8-cup food processor is the ideal choice for households with a medium-sized family or smaller. With an 8-cup bowl, it can handle some of your larger cooking needs, but it can’t handle larger batches of meal prep that you may want to do. The blades are stainless-steel and are durable enough to stay sharp over years of use, adding extra value to this more affordable Cuisinart model. It is not as strong as some of its higher-end brethren, but 350 watts is still plenty to get through the harder vegetables like carrots. The top of the bowl is outfitted with an extra-large feed chute, so you’ll face only minimal prep time to make your larger fruits and veggies small enough for this wide chute.

The bowl has a sturdy stainless-steel handle for pouring or scooping with ease, but that’s not all that makes this food processor so easy to use. The controls are intuitive and very clear, with individual buttons for low, high, off, and pulse. We’re very pleased with the 3 speed options on this food processor since that gives users better control over how the appliance tackles their food prep. You’ll be able to chop, mix, slice, shred, and more with multiple blade attachments. A pusher is included for the feed chute to achieve consistent slices and safe operation. The components of this food processor are easily removable, and dishwasher safe for easy cleanup – and are backed by a 2-year warranty.

What sets the Cuisinart 8-cup Food Processor apart?

The great price is the most notable difference between this Cuisinart model and its cousins or other brands, but a few things pop up when we look at performance specifically. First of all, this food processor has a low, high, and pulse setting for greater control over how your food is prepped in this machine. Though many others do have a pulse setting, it is much rarer to find speed options on a unit at this price point. We are also very pleased with the portability of this food processor since it is les bulky and much lighter than others of similar size – this is due to a smaller motor, but makes it much easier to take camping or store in a cupboard in a small kitchen. The performance of the blades is also impressive since they can shred cheese or slice pickles better than competitors.

What could be improved on?

Given that this is a more affordable Cuisinart model, we aren’t surprised to note a few drawbacks in its construction and performance. It is made a bit more cheaply than others at higher price points, so you won’t have the same durability as other models, particularly when it comes to the attached handle. An improvement in this area would be expected on any future models. We also noticed that the design of the blade/collection bin area is a bit harder to clean than some other food processors, so this could be another area of investigation to improve the end-user experience.

Performance of the Cuisinart 8-cup Food Processor

Versatility

The versatility of the Cuisinart 8-cup food processor is about average, though we are still pleased with the number of task options offered for the price. You can mix, chop, knead, slice, shred, emulsify, and more with this reliable kitchen appliance. The only task missing is a spiralizer, but this isn’t a loss for most households.

Ease of use

We are impressed with how easy this food processor is to use, even if you’ve never used one before. The controls are incredibly simple, with separate buttons for the speeds, pulse, or off settings. Plus, it is safe to use with a blade lock and pusher for the extra-wide feed chute. Beginners won’t have a problem learning and using this food processor right away.

Capacity

The bowl on this food processor holds 8 cups of food, which is about average for food processors in general. It sits comfortably in the middle of the scale and is an ideal choice for medium-sized families or individual meal-prep, though it can’t handle larger batch-cooking in one session. Of course, you can just empty the bin and continue with your tasks if you want to save money on this more affordable model.

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Best mini: KitchenAid 3.5-cup Mini Food Processor

The KitchenAid mini food processor is an affordable option designed for individual meal prep. It holds only 3.5 cups of food but is still powerful and high-quality – small does not mean less useful in this case. At 240 watts of power, this compact food processor is strong enough to tackle harder fruits and vegetables without trouble. With dishwasher-safe parts and a low noise level during operation, this is the best food processor pick in Canada for daily cooking tasks. An easy-pour spout and comfortable ergonomic handle on the bowl make it easy for users to pour their sauces or scoop out their pastes without making a mess. This model is available in 12 different colours to spice up your kitchen countertop and match your other appliances.

We are pleased with the safety features of this food processor since it has a locking blade to keep you safe during use. For excellent control over the results of your prep, this appliance has 2 speeds to choose from as well as a pulse option in case you need just a little extra oomph at the end. We recommend this food processor for elderly users and others who struggle with large appliances since it is incredibly lightweight and very compact. Its portability makes it a great choice for camping and other travelling since it can pack up easily. This food processor is shaped differently in that the feed chute does not extend above the top of the bowl and does not have a pusher. For simplified experience making sauces and dressing, the drizzle spout will come in handy when adding liquids a bit at a time. This mini food processor is just as useful as any full-size model.

What sets the KitchenAid 3.5-cup Mini Food Processor apart?

Of course, its small, compact size sets this KitchenAid mini food processor apart from the average model on the market, but there are a couple of other differences as well. The drizzle basin is incredibly helpful for making sauces and dressing and is something you won’t commonly find on average food processors. We’re also pleased to see two-speed options with this appliance since this is not as common either. The shape of the food processor is also a bit different since the feed chute does not stick up and does not require a pusher, which makes the user experience a bit different than some are used to. We also appreciate the addition of a non-skid bottom so that it will never vibrate and tip itself over.

What could be improved on?

Since this is meant to be a mini food processor, it is not fair to suggest that the bowl’s capacity is an issue. However, we do find a problem with the lack of attachments since this machine does not come with any extra blades or attachments for other cooking tasks. The design of the blades (rather than discs) makes it difficult to slice precisely or perform other time-saving tasks. This would be the only area of improvement we would like to see with this mini food processor since it is otherwise a high-quality, easy-to-use appliance.

Performance of the KitchenAid 3.5-cup Mini Food Processor

Versatility

Unlike most other food processors, this KitchenAid 3.5-cup food processor does not come with any extra blades or attachments. As a result, you cannot make dough, spiralize food, or perform several other cooking tasks. This is the least versatile model on our list with its single blade. 

Ease of use

We have no complaints regarding ease of use with this KitchenAid food processor. It is very safe to operate with locking mechanisms for the blades and bowl. Since it doesn’t have as many functions and does not have any interchangeable discs, it is easy to operate due to its simplicity alone.  

Capacity

As a mini food processor, this KitchenAid model can’t compete with average processors in terms of capacity since it is designed to be compact for smaller tasks.

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How to choose the best Food Processor in Canada

Price

Setting a budget early is a good idea since food processors range from more affordable mini/basic options to high-end, luxury models. If you’ll use your food processor nearly every day, or have a large family to cook for, a more expensive model is probably a worthwhile investment for the time it will save you. If you don’t use it quite so often, you’ll be able to get away with a more affordable option or smaller size. Just be careful when trying to save money that you don’t mistakenly choose a low-quality, ineffective product – reliability is worth paying for. 

Versatility

A food processor is designed to help you with numerous kitchen tasks, but not all food processors do the same things. They can always be used to chop and puree, but many models also have features like grating, spiralizing, slicing in a variety of widths, kneading, and more. The more versatile the machine, the more complicated recipes you can make without endless hours of prep time. 

Ease of use

If you’ve never used a food processor before, it is crucial that the controls are clear and intuitive so you can learn the machine quickly. Locking mechanisms help prevent you from making a big mess, and simple assembly and disassembly make it easier to change out attachments/blades and keep things clean and tidy.

Size

The size of the food processor you choose determines the volume you can prep at one time. If meal prep is your style, a larger capacity will make that task easier since you can prepare everything in one batch instead of several. You must also consider how much storage space you have to spare since food processors can be bulky and tall. Smaller sizes are equally efficient in terms of speed when chopping or dicing, so they are a great choice for smaller daily tasks like salad prep or creating dressings. When choosing the size of food processor that fits your kitchen best, the last thing to consider is the number of functions you’ll need it to perform; some tasks, like kneading dough or grating foods, require a larger work bowl only found on larger models. For flexibility, a larger capacity is better if you’re not sure what you need specifically.

Ease of cleaning

Since you’ll most likely be using your food processor for multiple foods in one setting at least once in its lifetime, ease of cleaning is super important if you need to wash between food types. It also comes in handy if you use the machine daily and don’t want a painful cleanup process – the whole point of a food processor is to save you time in the kitchen, after all. For the easiest time cleaning up after use, you’ll want to choose a food processor that has easily removable parts that are safe to be cleaned in the dishwasher.

Speeds

When using a food processor for meal prep, you won’t always want to use the same speed. Most models have a low, high, and pulse setting for greater customizability during processing. These are helpful to cater the machine’s performance to the type of foods you’re processing – soft foods and hard foods require a different approach.

Performance

The real indicator of the quality of a food processor, aside from the number of functions it can perform, is the blade quality and performance. The best models have blades that are sharp enough to chop hard vegetables smoothly and precisely without any trouble. They should achieve small pieces without pureeing, and the best blades can finely chop to an exacting standard. They should also be able to remain sharp over years of use, and any attachments should be equally durable to achieve consistent results.

Feed tube width 

Most food processors in Canada are shaped with a feed tube at the top that allows you to drop food through the blades into the bottom bowl. Some food processors have tubes as large as 3” in diameter that allow for larger pieces to be inserted for slicing and dicing at once. Still, some higher-quality models even have adjustable feed chute widths that make it easier to add larger or longer ingredients without pre-chopping anything. It is also beneficial for the chute to have a mechanism for adding liquids while the machine is processing so that you don’t need to stop or open the unit to add further ingredients in the process.