The best blenders are great for liquids like smoothies, shakes and soup, and food processors are great for almost everything else: As appliance experts, we often get asked about the difference between a blender and a food processor. They chop, puree and mix — some even make dough — and they often come with accessories to slice, shred and maybe juice. Blender-food processor combos typically have one base and multiple accessories, including a blender jar, food processor bowl and several food processor accessories.
1
Best Overall Blender–Food Processor Combo
Cuisinart Duet Blender/Food Processor
Pros
- Sturdy design
- Food processor is great at chopping and pureeing
Cons
- Blender required a longer run time
- Food processor is more of a mini food processor
In our tests, this blender–food processor combo stood out for its sturdy feel with a glass blender jar and strong chopper attachment.
It has a 700-watt motor, which means it’s powerful (but it’s not the highest-power blender you can find; some have more than double the power). The three-cup food processor attachment is great for small tasks like chopping and pureeing. It was able to achieve a fine mince on parsley quickly, and it blasted through parmesan chunks to create powdery results, according to GH Institute Lab Analyst Eva Bleyer.
The shredding and slicing attachments worked acceptably: Mozzarella shredded evenly, but hard carrots were a little less even. We had to process our smoothies, milkshakes and margaritas longer than with other blenders we tested, but this model was amongst the highest scoring in terms of ease of use.
Through both performance and design, it delivers on the appeal of multifunctional appliances: It takes up less space than two separate appliances and has an approachable price point.
| Blender jar material | Glass |
|---|---|
| Blender jar size | 48 oz |
| Attachments | 3-cup food processor attachment with feed tube and pusher, slicing/shredding disc |
2
Best Value Blender–Food Processor Combo
Ninja Master Prep Pro Mixer System
Pros
- Compact design
- Includes both a large and a small chopping cup
Cons
- Multiple pieces to store
We’ve tested numerous blenders from Ninja and they’ve performed well. This compact blender–food processor combo brings the pronged blade design Ninja blenders are known for to a smaller, more compact appliance.
It works by placing the interchangeable motor on top of the desired attachment. This design eliminates the need for a bulky base. Both the 48-ounce blender cup and the 40-ounce chopping cup have large handles to help make blending and chopping easier and more controlled.
We like that this unit comes with a small chopping cup, too, for ingredients like garlic, half an onion or a few herbs. And the two included storage lids feel like a bonus. This model is great for people with limited space who are still looking to make smoothies, dips and more, but there are multiple pieces to store.
| Blender jar material | Plastic |
|---|---|
| Blender jar size | 48 oz |
| Attachments | 16- and 40-oz processing bowls |
3
Best Vitamix Blender–Food Processor Combo
Vitamix A3500 Gourmet SmartPrep Kitchen System
Pros
- The blender is our top-tested Vitamix blender
- Makes excellent smoothies, milkshakes, frozen drinks and more
- Powerful food processor attachment with the most accessories we’ve seen
Cons
- Food processor attachment is bulky for storage
- Food processor attachment didn’t excel in lab tests but was average
This Vitamix blender is the best Vitamix blender we tested. Both the blender and the food processor can be purchased separately or in the bundle pictured here.
The blender has several preset settings that allow you to make a smoothie, shake, hot soup or nut butter (as well as to clean) with the touch of a button along with 10 different speed options and additional half increments in between. In our tests, smoothies came out thick and smooth with no flecks of kale. Milkshakes and margaritas were also thick and homogeneous — qualities that are difficult for many blenders to achieve. When we tested the food processor attachment, we were impressed with its 12-cup bowl size. It aced challenging tasks like grating parmesan but was better at roughly chopping parsley than it was at finely chopping it.
This kit comes with the widest variety of slicing discs that we’ve seen, including two slicing/shredding discs, a multi-use blade, a julienne disc, a veggies disc and a storage case, which we highly appreciate. The discs don’t produce the neatest cuts we’ve ever seen, but they scored average or above in all of the tests we conducted, except for slicing tomatoes, which can be difficult for many slicers since they’re so delicate.
| Blender jar material | Plastic |
|---|---|
| Blender jar size | 64 oz |
| Attachments | 12-cup food processor bowl, 2 food pushers, 2 slice/shred discs, 1 multi-use blade, 1 julienne disc, 1 veggie stick disc, disc storage case and Stack-and-Store extender |
4
Most Versatile Blender–Food Processor Combo
Ninja SS401 Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System
Pros
- Thoughtful design
- Includes portable blending cups
Cons
- Smoothies didn’t come out as smooth as they did in other blenders we’ve tested when using the big blending jar
- Many parts to store
The design of this blending system is intriguing. The big, 72-ounce container can be used as a blending jar or food processor work bowl, which can accommodate slicing and shredding as well. It’s also unique that this unit comes with a plastic blade that’s designed to be used with dough — a unique feature in the blender-food processor category.
In our blender tests, smoothies and margaritas got average scores, but peanut butter came out better than it did with other Ninja blenders we tested. We particularly like the portable blending cups, which make breakfast easy, especially with the inclusion of the Twisti blending system that allows you to stir ingredients by turning the tamp from the outside. While quite versatile, all of the parts can be cumbersome to store.
| Blender jar material | Plastic |
|---|---|
| Blender jar size | 72 oz; plus,18- and 24-oz portable cups |
| Attachments | 72-oz blender jar doubles as food processor bowl, crushing and chopping blade assembly, reversible slicing/shredding disc, grating disc, dough blade, hybrid edge blades assembly |
5
Best Compact Blender–Food Processor Combo
Hamilton Beach Power Elite Blender with 40-Oz Glass Jar and 3-Cup Vegetable Chopper
Pros
- Great pricepoint for a high-powered blender
- Chopper is small and great for small tasks
Cons
- Does not accommodate slicing/shredding disc
If you’re looking for a blender that can perform basic food processor tasks like chopping and making small batches of salsa or hummus, this Hamilton Beach pick offers a good, affordable solution. It has a large 40-ounce glass jar and 700 watts of power, which matches our best overall pick. The jar is sturdy with a wide handle, and the base is lightweight but stable. The buttons are reminiscent of “old-school” blenders and are easy to use with markings that indicate what each speed is designed for.
While we haven’t tested this specific blender–food processor combo from Hamilton Beach, the tapered shape of the chopper attachment reminds us of the brand’s coffee grinder, which we’ve tested and recommend. Our testing experience leads us to believe it can handle small amounts of food like garlic cloves and that it would chop food evenly, especially if you pulse the ingredients (because the bottom part will process first and the top items will then shift to the bottom).
| Blender jar material | Glass |
|---|---|
| Blender jar size | 40 oz |
| Attachments | 3-cup chopper |
