Compact food processors and mini choppers (2026)

Values come from the maker pages listed under Sources. "No" means the maker's list of what's in the box has no dough blade; "Not stated" means the maker page doesn't say.

A mini chopper has a small bowl and a blade, and it does one job: chop, mince and puree small amounts. You press a button or the lid and it runs. A compact food processor adds a feed chute and a disc, so it can also slice and shred, but takes a little more space. Of the two 4-cup models here, the Braun is a chopper and the Hamilton Beach 70510 is a small processor with a disc.

• If you only chop herbs, garlic, nuts and onions → the Braun EasyPrep 4 Cup Chopper.
• If you want to slice and shred too, in the smallest machine → the Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap 4 Cup (70510).
• If you want a full-featured first food processor at a low price → the Hamilton Beach 8-Cup (70450): an 8-cup bowl with a slicing and shredding disc.
• If you bake bread or pizza in small batches → the Ninja PrecisionPro (BZ601), the one model here with a dough blade.
• If you like to prep ahead and store food in the bowl → the Ninja PREPi (PN301), with two bowls that take storage lids.

• Bowl size. Of the 19 food processors and choppers in our finder, 2 have a bowl of 4 cups or less, 9 have 5 to 9 cups and 8 have 10 cups or more.
• Price. 4 of the 5 models here are under $150 on their maker's store (Ninja prices re-read October 27, 2026); the Ninja PREPi is under $200. We use the price on the maker's own store, which can change.
• Dough. Among the mid-size models in our finder under $200, the Ninja BZ601 is the one with a dough blade; the Hamilton Beach 70450 has none in the box.
• Blender combinations. Ninja also sells blenders with an 8-cup food processor bowl on the same base (Detect Professional and UltraCrush). They are in the finder under mid-size; we left them off this list because they are full blenders as well, and this list is about small, single-purpose machines.

• Counter and cupboard space. The PREPi comes with two bowls and two storage lids, and the 70510, 70450 and BZ601 each add a disc to store. A chopper with one bowl and one blade has the fewest parts.
• What you will slice. If you plan to slice or shred, skip the chopper and pick a model with a disc in the box; four of the five here have one.
• Cleanup. Hamilton Beach and Ninja state that the 70510, 70450 and BZ601 parts are dishwasher safe; Braun and Ninja don't say for the chopper and the PREPi.

See mini choppers under $150 · Mid-size food processors under $150 · Mid-size food processors under $200 · Large food processors, 10 cups or more · Food processors with an adjustable slicing disc · Buying guide

Of the 19 food processors and choppers in our finder (as of October 22, 2026), 11 have a largest bowl of 9 cups or less, and 6 of those sell for under $200 on their maker's own store; the two 8-cup BLACK+DECKER models have no price on their maker's site, so they cannot meet the price criterion. We picked five that cover each step from a 4-cup chopper to a 9-cup processor with a dough blade, and ordered them by bowl capacity and then by store price. The other one under $200 is a Ninja blender and food processor combination (the UltraCrush), covered in the buying guide; see also how we choose.

Written with AI assistance from manufacturer specifications; reviewed and approved by the site owner. We don't test products hands-on. How we choose

Sources:

• Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap 4 Cup Food Processor (70510)
• Braun EasyPrep 4 Cup Chopper (CH3012BK)
• Hamilton Beach 8-Cup Food Processor (70450)
• Ninja PrecisionPro Food Processor and Dough Mixer (BZ601)
• Ninja PREPi 5-in-1 Prep System (PN301)