I tested KitchenAid's 3.5 Cup Food Chopper for a week — here’s what I learned

One of the best food processors is an essential piece of kit in any kitchen. They can help you slice, dice, and chop a multitude of fruits, vegetables, and proteins to save you time. And if fine chopping isn’t your forte, they’ll present you with consistent results in the fraction of the time you could do it yourself.

However, sometimes a standard-size food processor is too big for some tasks. Perhaps you want to chop up one onion, blend a small smoothie, or make a dip. These can all be achieved using a compact appliance, which handles smaller portions more easily than a large appliance, where ingredients will get lost in a spacious bowl.

With this in mind, I had the opportunity to test and review KitchenAid’s 3.5-Cup Food Chopper — the smallest food processor that KitchenAid produces — to discover whether it was up to the task.

KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper: Price and Availability

KitchenAid's 3.5-cup Food Chopper is normally available from Amazon for $59, although at the time of writing, it is reduced by 25% to $44. You can also buy it directly from KitchenAid for $59, which is also currently reduced to $44. This compact mini food processor sits with KitchenAid's other food choppers and processors, which range in capacity from 5 cups to 13 cups.

Although this product has a smaller capacity, it is similar in price to Hamilton Beach's Food Processor, available for $54, which has a 10-cup capacity.

KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper: Design

This mini food chopper has a neat and compact design and will sit well with any other KitchenAid appliance in your kitchen. The styling is consistent with KitchenAid's other small kitchen appliances, including its Classic and Artisan stand mixers and Artisan Espresso Machines.

With a choice of 11 colorways, you're bound to find a perfect match for your kitchen aesthetic. Although I tested the appliance in White, I quite like the look of the Pistachio version, but if you'd prefer a bolder colorway, you might prefer Empire Red or Onyx Black.

Befitting with the size of the food chopper, it is also lightweight, at just 2.7lbs, so moving it around your countertops and in and out of cupboards won't be a problem. This is far lighter than Cusinart's Elemental 8 Cup Food Processor, which we recommend as the best lightweight appliance in our buying guide. It also has a neat channel where the lead is stored around the base of the appliance, meaning you won't need to juggle with a cable when it's not in use.

Apart from having a small footprint, the unit's base feels heavy-duty and solid, with no issue of it moving around or becoming unstable when in use.

Unpacking the appliance
Unboxing the appliance is simple. It comes in a cardboard box measuring 6.75 (D) x 8(W) x 9.5 (H) inches and was compactly packed without an excess of packaging. However, this is made easier as there are no awkwardly shaped attachments to secure in place, and the blade is safely stowed in the bowl.

Set up
This is relatively simple as you only have one blade to choose from, which inserts easily within the work bowl. This is quite different to Breville's Paradice 16 Food Processor that comes with two boxes of attachments. However, I had an issue mastering how to properly secure the bowl onto the base, and I'll explain more about this under 'Ease of use'.

KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper: Functionality

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This food chopper is designed to chop raw fruits, vegetables, or nuts and herbs and garlic. It can also puree cooked fruits or vegetables for baby food and soups and sauces.

The work bowl has a 3-cup capacity and includes a pouring spout, which allows liquids to be poured easily — handy when blending smoothies and other liquids. The lid includes a drizzle basin, so liquids can be poured into your ingredients gradually without having to stop the appliance each time you want to add extra liquid.

However, it only comes with one blade, a chopping blade, so if you were hoping to whisk up mayonnaise, this particular appliance isn't for you.

Apart from the two-speed settings, operated by a lever at the base of the work bowl, you can press down the handle section on the lid to pulse the food, giving you a coarse or finer blend to suit whatever you require. And when it's in action it measured 75 dBA. It isn't the quietest food processor, unlike the Cuisinart 14 Cup Custom Food Processor, which registers at 65.2 dBA, but it didn't seem overly noisy, and even it you did find the noise level too loud, although won't have it running for long.

KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper: Performance

Unlike a standard food processor, which comes with multiple blades, I was limited in the food I could test. With just one chopping blade and no other attachments, I was unable to whisk or slice ingredients.

However, I still chopped walnuts, a medley of celery and onions, and blended flour and butter for a crumble mix. I also made hummus, which I could use to test the drizzle basin and pour in oil.

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Although I enjoy cooking, I've never been great at finely chopping ingredients, so I usually rely on a similar gadget to chop nuts and onions when I'm food prepping. What's great about this food chopper is its size. When you're dealing with small portion sizes, there's no need to drag out a large food processor to chop up one onion or a handful of nuts. The compact appliance also takes up less space in the dishwasher, which is always an advantage.

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I was impressed with the overall results. It chopped the nuts, celery, and onion medley very quickly and evenly, and it performed as I expected. It also blended a mix of flour and butter for a crumble topping, which I later tipped into another bowl to stir in the sugar. (It's a quick crumble-topping trick that I often do in my small food chopper, and it saves me having to use my KitchenAid stand mixer.)

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I then made some hummus, which requires blending a few different ingredients rather than a straightforward chop. I began chopping a can of chickpeas before adding some tahini and allowing it to blend. The next step was to add some lemon juice, which I poured through the drizzle basin on the top of the lid. This went relatively smoothly, and the lemon dripped through without any issue. However, when I started to add the olive oil through the drizzle basin, I came across a problem. It was too dense; it sat in the basin section and wouldn't drip through. So, I had to remove the lid and pour the olive oil in this way. However, this meant having to stop the appliance in between each addition.

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Since testing the KitchenAid Food Chopper I have continued to use it. I've blended red berries with Greek yogurt to make a fruity smoothie for one and also blended crackers to form 'breadcrumbs' to add to meatballs. There seems to be no end to what this little appliance can help you achieve in the kitchen.

KitchenAid 3-cup Food Chopper: Ease of Use

When I first got started, I felt that the owner’s manual that comes with the product was not worth having. It’s full of warnings rather than instructions on how to use the product. The only useful information was on care and cleaning. After some searching online, I did find a downloadable manual, which gives clear instructions on how to use the appliance.

There’s not a great deal to the appliance, and with one blade, you don’t have to keep swapping parts over. The lever to control the speed is also easy to use. However, I did find it a bit tricky to place the bowl onto the base in the correct position to be then able to start the appliance. And despite testing in on numerous occasions, I’ve never quite picked up the knack. In comparison, helpful guided on Breville's Sous Chef 12 Cup Food Processor, make it easy to align the bowl and lid.

The other issue I found was the drizzle basin. The space will let thin liquids pass through, such as water, lemon juice, and vinegar, but the olive oil was too thick. But despite these two issues, it’s still a relatively easy appliance to use.

KitchenAid 3-cup Food Chopper: Cleaning

This food chopper is relatively easy to clean. The work bowl, lid, and blade can be washed in the top dishwasher rack. Alternatively, all parts can be washed in hot, soapy water, rinsed, and left to dry. The base should be cleaned with a damp cloth, avoiding abrasive cleaners or scouring pads. I didn’t have any problem cleaning the food chopper after adding a multitude of different ingredients. However, if some food becomes stuck on the blade, I’d suggest leaving it in place within the work bowl and adding hot, soapy water and leaving it to soak.

KitchenAid 3-cup Food Chopper: The Verdict

I enjoyed using this KitchenAid 3-Cup Food Chopper, which works well for small portions. Although you won’t be making big batches of soup with this mini but mighty machine, it’s perfect for small batches when a standard food processor is too big. There doesn’t seem to be much point in using a normal food processor to chop up a few nuts or blend a dip. It would be ideal for pureeing baby food, although it’s been a long time since I’ve processed batches of fruit and vegetables to store in ice cube trays in my freezer!

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