While a quality knife and cutting board are considered essentials for the home cook, a quality food chopper is a wise investment for any kitchen.
Not only do food choppers and dicers save precious time during food prep, they are also safe tools for families with young children who cannot yet use a knife, as well as people with arthritis or other conditions that might make traditional knife-work difficult or painful.
We’ve scoured the market to find the best food choppers to meet your needs. For those looking for a manual unit that does not require electricity, the Chef’n VeggiChop is an ergonomic, easy-to-use tool with a capacity large enough for families and larger dishes.
For those opting for an electric model, the Ninja Express Chop can’t be beaten – affordable and powerful, this chopper can tackle a variety of foods, including vegetables, nuts, and even ice!
While these two products take our top spots for best food choppers, there are tons of options out on the market.
Read below for a comprehensive look at things to consider during your purchase, as well as our thoughts on several other models.
Article NavigationFood Chopper Buying GuideManual vs. ElectricDishwasher SafeBlade TypeCapacityBPA-FreeWarrantyBest Manual Food ChoppersChef’n VeggiChop Food ChopperZYLISS Food ChopperThe Pampered Chef Cutting Edge Food ChopperBest Electric Food ChoppersNinja Express ChopProctor Silex Durable Food ChopperGourmia Multi-Purpose Power Dicer PlusThe Verdict
Food Chopper Buying Guide
When purchasing a food chopper, there are several things you’ll want to consider that will lead you to your perfect product. Be sure to read each section as they will help you make the best decision for you and your family.
Good luck!
Manual vs. Electric
Food choppers come in two varieties – manual and electric.
A manual chopper is perfect for campers, RVs, travel, and those who don’t want to rely on the power grid, while electric choppers are a good choice for those looking for a convenient tool to keep on the countertop.
Manual choppers don’t tend to take too much effort but can prove to be difficult for people with arthritis or people who have limited strength in their arms and hands. A manual chopper with a pull-cord can be simple and easy to use, but for people who might have difficulty pulling the cord, a push-plunger style model may be the best way to go.
To eliminate all difficulty, opt for an electric model – it’s easy for children and adults to use, and requires less work in general to achieve the texture you need.
Dishwasher Safe
If a product isn’t easy to clean, you’ll be less likely to use it, knowing that it will be a project in itself to get the thing spotless again. That’s why opting for a dishwasher-safe model is your best bet – what could be more convenient than disassembling the tool, placing the parts in the dishwasher, and pressing a button?
In addition to convenience, products that can be placed in the dishwasher are also safer. Since you’re letting the machine do the work, you’re reducing the chance of injury from trying to scrub soapy, slippery stainless steel blades.
At the least, look for choppers whose blades are dishwasher safe, but if you find a model where you can put both the blades and bowl into the dishwasher, you’ll thank yourself later.
Blade Type
Stainless steel is a popular material for food chopper blades and with good reason. First, it makes the blades more resistance to rust and corrosion, which is especially helpful when you’re chopping watery foods like tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions.
On the whole, stainless steel requires little to no maintenance, which piggybacks off the “ease” factor we mentioned in the dishwasher-safe category.
Secondly, stainless steel is highly durable and strong – not only will the blades last for a long time, but you’ll also decrease the risk of chipping or cracking, which could result in dangerous metal shards in your food.
Lastly, stainless steel doesn’t require any coating for use with food – it’s suitable for coming into contact with edible ingredients all on its own. It leaches little to no metallic taste into your food, which keeps your ingredients tasting fresh and pure.
Capacity
Most food choppers tend to have a smaller capacity than its larger, more powerful cousin, the food processor, coming in anywhere from 1-4 cups total.
When considering capacity, think about what you’ll be using your food chopper for most.
Someone who is only looking for an efficient way to mince garlic, herbs and a few toasted nuts won’t need as large a capacity as someone looking to make big bowls of salsa or heaps of ingredients for a chili.
It’s important to pick the right capacity tool for the function you’re looking for – a large capacity bowl may just rotate finely chopped ingredients, while a container that’s too small will require you to add your ingredients in batches. Think about how you’ll most be using your chopper, and choose accordingly.
BPA-Free
Bisphenol-A, or BPA, has been a hot-button issue in the food appliance world. Found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, BPA has been used in containers, appliances, and water bottles since the 1960s.
However, some research has shown that BPA can seep into food or beverages and cause health concerns related to the brain, behavior, prostate gland, and increased blood pressure. While the FDA has declared BPA to be safe at low doses, families are, understandably, still concerned about the side effects it can cause.
If you’re worried about BPA and want to avoid it in your containers and appliances, choose a food chopper made entirely from metal, or which uses BPA plastic.
At the very least, choose a chopper that has BPA-free “food areas,” which means BPA plastic may be present in parts of the chopper, but all areas that come into contact with food are free of the chemical.
Warranty
Whenever you’re looking for a tool or appliance for your kitchen, knowing that that product has a warranty on it can build confidence in your purchase.
In case the product breaks, malfunctions, or has some other issue that affects the operation of the tool and/or the final product, many companies note that they will repair or replace the product within a particular time frame, or for certain problems that might come up.
If you’re spending a larger amount of money on your purchase, or you want to be protected in case something happens, opt for a model that includes an unlimited warranty, or somehow has a way for you to replace your purchase within a reasonable window of time.
Best Manual Food Choppers
Looking for the perfect chopper to keep in your camping equipment, RV, or emergency kit? The three manual choppers below are our top picks for power-free chopping.
Chef'n VeggiChop Food Chopper
Our Top Pick for Manual Food Choppers
Our top pick for best manual food chopper, the Chef’n VeggiChop is the perfect size for small countertops and campers, but with a 3.9-cup bowl capacity, it can still chop ingredients for families or large-batch dishes.
As the name suggests, the VeggiChop is perfect for all kinds of vegetables, including onions, garlic, and tomatoes, but it also makes quick work of herbs, fruits, and nuts. You can easily control the texture of the ingredients – just pull the string a few times for a rough chop, or keep pulling to puree beans, make pesto, or create smooth hummus.
While reviews are overwhelmingly positive, even praisers of the product note that these blades are extremely sharp – great for chopping food, but makes it all the more important to take extra care when removing blades from the product, or when taking them out of the dishwasher.
What We Liked
- Easy to use
- Large capacity
- Includes sealing storage
- Dishwasher safe
What We Disliked
- Has trouble with small pieces of food
- String can break if pulled too hard
- Difficult for arthritic/weak hands
ZYLISS Food Chopper
Affordable and effective, the ZYLISS food chopper is the perfect choice for those looking for a handy tool around the kitchen, but don’t have a big budget to devote to the purchase.
In addition to being affordable, this hand held food chopper is also a good option for people with arthritis or limited hand strength – the chopping blades are activated with the press of a plunger at the top of the tool.
A clear plastic cover protects fingers while the stainless steel blades power through a variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and herbs.
The chopper is extremely convenient, from its compact design to its ability to be cleaned in the dishwasher to the convenient cover that allows the chopping cup to be used as storage. For maximum confidence, the unit comes with a five-year warranty.
What We Liked
- Good for arthritis/limited hand strength
- Affordable
- Comes with five-year warranty
- Blade cover protects fingers during use
- Dishwasher safe
What We Disliked
- Food can stick to blades
- Small capacity
- Difficult to disassemble for cleaning
The Pampered Chef Cutting Edge Food Chopper
The Cutting Edge food chopper from The Pampered Chef is a high-quality tool with a price tag to match. However, in this case, you truly get what you pay for – the Cutting Edge chopper can power through nuts, garlic, onions, and nearly any other ingredient you add to it with ease.
The push plunger mechanism means easy chopping for those with arthritis, limited hand strength, or small children, and the protective blade cover keeps fingers away from the action.
Cleanup is easy, too – just disassemble the tool and pop it onto the top rack of your dishwasher.
The blades can also be rinsed under warm water (just watch your fingers), and the clear plastic cover allows you to monitor the progress of the food chopping so you can stop when the ingredients are as coarse or fine as you need them.
If you have the room in your budget for this tool, it won’t disappoint, but it may be cost prohibitive to those with leaner wallets.
What We Liked
- Durable
- Works on a variety of foods
- Dishwasher safe
- Easy to use
- Good for arthritis/weak hands
What We Disliked
- Expensive
- Plastic cover scratches easily
- Not good for tomatoes
Best Electric Food Choppers
The three electric choppers below are our favorites for being easy-to-use, convenient and gentle-on-hands.
Ninja Express Chop
Our Top Pick for Electric Food Choppers
Our top choice for best electric chopper, the Ninja Express Chop is the perfect balance between quality and affordability. The chopper effortlessly chops, minces, grinds, and blends, and its compact design means it takes up little counter space and stores easily, even in crowded cabinets.
The three-cup capacity can handle many types of foods, including fruits and vegetables, but performs especially well on crunchy foods like nuts, seeds, chocolate, and coffee beans.
The containers are BPA-free and dishwasher safe.
The unit is also gentle on hands, with an ergonomically designed power pod that allows for easy, one-touch power pulsing. The protective splash guard doubles as storage when covered with the included lid.
What We Liked
- Able to chop food finely
- Great customer support
- Works quickly
- Compact design
- Gentle on hands
What We Disliked
- Goes from “dice” to “liquefy” quickly
- Food sometimes gets caught below blades
- Not good for dried fruits
No products found.
No products found.
Simple to use, the Proctor Silex Durable Food Chopper is a great affordable choice for those looking for electric choppers. Using the pulse speed control, you can easily get a rough chop on vegetables and fruits, or let the blades run to get a smooth, creamy puree with nuts, seeds, and legumes.
The bowl, lid, and blades can all be placed in the dishwasher for easy and convenient cleanup. The bowl is made from BPA-free plastic, and the blades are food-grade stainless steel.
Considering the price, this model is an extremely affordable option but doesn’t sacrifice durability or ease of use. However, some reviewers do note that the bowl capacity is perfect for singles, but is on the small side for groups or large dishes.
What We Liked
- Affordable
- Easy to use
- Most parts are dishwasher safe
- Pulse speed control
- Chops well
What We Disliked
- Small capacity
- Difficult to remove container
- Difficult to mince foods
No products found.
Gourmia Multi-Purpose Power Dicer Plus
At the top of our price range, the Gourmia Power Dicer stands out from the rest of the food chopper crowd. With changeable blades, this chopper allows you to dice, chop, shred, and julienne ingredients with little time and effort.
The Power Dicer is a good choice for people who don’t want to be limited by the sometimes small capacity of other food choppers – simply place the bowl of your choice under the blades to catch an infinite amount of chopped, diced, and shredded vegetables, fruits, and cheeses.
While this is more expensive than other models, it is one of the only products that can create a perfect dice.
The Gourmia lends itself well to a multitude of dishes, including salads, stir-fries, chilis, soups, and canning recipes. It shreds cheeses and cabbage just as efficiently as it cuts perfect French fries – the versatility is really what makes this unit stand out.
What We Liked
- Prep large quantity of ingredients at once
- Works with hard veggies like carrots and beets
- Easy cleanup
- Reduces odor from onions and garlic
- Can make a perfect dice
What We Disliked
- Does not come with a bowl
- Hard to clean motor area
- Flimsy, considering price
The Verdict
When you’re hoping to save some time during food prep, or health conditions limit the strength of your hands, a food chopper can prove to be a handy tool in the kitchen.
Able to dice, chop, puree, shred, and julienne, these products can help save you time and energy during cooking when a knife and cutting board just won’t do.
While there are plenty of great, quality products available on the market, two products stand out to us as the perfect blend of affordability, quality, and ease of use.
For those who require a manual food chopper, the Chef’n VeggiChop delivers on so much more than just vegetables. The large container and easy-to-use pull cord make it a perfect addition to your kitchen arsenal.
For those looking for a simple electronic food chopper, the Ninja Express Chop is our top pick, crushing through produce, nuts, and even ice with little to no effort on your part as the chef. The ability to use it on everything from tomatoes to coffee beans makes it the perfect, convenient sous chef in your kitchen, from chopping and grinding, all the way to easy dishwasher-safe cleanup.
For the times when a knife won’t get the job done, but it’s too inconvenient to pull out your heavy-duty food processor, consider adding a handy food chopper to your kitchen arsenal. Save your time, strength, and energy for the things you love most – leave the chopping to these tools!