There will probably be a lot of chopping involved in any cooking. Of course, a chef’s knife works great for this, but a vegetable chopper may save a ton of time and effort. Vegetable Choppers are reasonably priced, easy to use, and come in both manual and electric versions. They’re a great, safer option for anyone with dexterity issues or young children who are just beginning to cook, and they can be used to chop up everything from onions to apples to peanuts (they work especially well for preparing salsa). To determine our best choices, we evaluated over a dozen models.

Overall Vegetable Choppers

Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor

• Dimensions: 5 x 7 x 9.3 inches
• Weight: 2.5 pounds 
• Capacity: 3 cups
• Power: 250 watts

This small gadget fits precisely on the boundary between a food processor and a vegetable choppers. With a chopping mode that employs the sharp side of the blade and a grind mode that spins it in the other way, allowing the flat edge to crush and purée, it’s surprisingly multipurpose for such a small, low-cost gadget. As the blades only spin when the chop and grind buttons are depressed, they also function as separate pulse modes.

We tested the Mini Prep with onions, peppers, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, and garlic, and it made short work of all of them. It chopped everything cleanly, though the size of the bits was somewhat uneven, especially when we wanted to keep things in larger pieces. Grind mode was surprisingly effective, creating smooth tomato purée and even peanut butter. You could use it to emulsify salad dressings or make fresh baby food.

In addition, the bowl, blade, and lid can all be easily cleaned in a dishwasher. Additionally, a wide variety of base colors are available for selection (check numerous merchants for more alternatives). A tiny little spatula is also included to scrape down the bowl mid-chop.

Pros:

• Bowl and blade safe for the dishwasher
• Multiple color options
• Can chop or grind

Cons:

• Uneven chopping texture

Presto Professional SaladShooter

Professional SaladShooter

• Dimensions: 11 x 4 x 1 inches
•  Power: 114 watts
• Weight: 3.9 pounds

The machine’s name, SaladShooter, is aptly chosen: simply fill the chamber, aim the barrel into a bowl, and pull the trigger to produce a continuous stream of slices. With a huge chute that can hold entire vegetables of all types and a plastic pusher to keep your fingers well away from anything dangerous, it rotates a cone-shaped blade against the food. As long as you have enough space to store the completed slices, it can handle an endless stream of components.

The SaladShooter’s multifunctionality lies in its interchangeable blades, which come in four different sizes: two for shredding, a normal slicer, and a ripple slicer that adds a sophisticated touch to crisp vegetables like cucumbers and carrots. Of course, it’s a blessing for salads, but the attachments also allow you to shred cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches, potatoes for hash browns, and apples for tarte Tatin. Furthermore, all of the components aside from the motor base are dishwasher safe, including the blades.

If anything, someone who won’t be using the salad shooter frequently or with a lot of food may find it to be an excessively huge chopper. It’s a bit heavy and large, requiring a wall outlet, so it’s not really worth taking out for a few garlic cloves or a single cucumber. In comparison to some of the other items on this list, it is also somewhat pricey.

Pros:

• Multifunctional
• Dishwasher-safe
• Powerful

Cons:

• Bulky
• Expensive

KitchenAid3.5 Cup Vegetable Choppers

KitchenAid3.5 Cup

• Dimensions: 9 x 6 by 7 inches
• Capacity: 3.5 cups
• Operation: Electric
• Dishwasher Safe: Yes

This KitchenAid Vegetable Chopper is ideal if you want the features of a food processor but don’t want to use a big, bulky gadget. Compared to some of the other things on our list, it is a bit more expensive, but it is well worth it. With its two speeds and pulse feature, this compact yet powerful appliance minces food and can even create purees. You may gradually pour liquids into the bowl using the drizzle basin, such as olive oil for emulsifying aioli or preparing salad dressing. Its 3.5-cup capacity makes it spacious enough to accommodate a large amount of veggies, and its lightweight design makes it simpler to use and store than a full-sized food processor.

We tested the Mini Prep Plus by chopping a variety of components, such as garlic, onions, and chilies, and we discovered that it is a reliable and user-friendly device. To prepare your ingredients, simply chop them into smaller pieces to fit within the bowl. Then, with a single button push, the Vegetable Choppers will slice and dice your food. However, this might not be the best tool for you if you want components that are consistent. We discovered that this is a better choice for tasks like chopping garlic or preparing salsa because you have less control over the final product’s size.

We took a few minutes to get used to the lid, which needs to be locked in before the engine starts, but once we did, we really liked how strong and simple this model is to use. We were particularly fond of the handy lever that lets you adjust the motor’s speed for more accurate cutting. In addition, the S-shaped stainless steel blade, bowl, and lid can easily be cleaned in the dishwasher. To clean up any spills, we just gave the base a quick wipedown with a wet towel.

Pros:

• It functions similarly to a full-sized food processor but without the bulk, and controlling the motor’s speed for more exact slices is made simple by a handy lever.

Cons:

• The lid requires some getting used to; before it turns on, it must click into place.