In a Hurry? Quick Look at our Top Picks:
Just in case you don’t know already, there’s a machine out there that’s going to make your time in the kitchen a whole lot easier. I’m talking about an appliance that an awful lot of people – but not everyone – knows the true value of.
Food processors. You’ve probably got one in the back of cupboard somewhere, am I right?
Well get it out of storage and make a home for it on your countertop. You have no idea just how many uses that food processor actually has. Including homemade hummus!
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Best Food Processor for Hummus
Breville BFP800CBXL
First thing’s first, this thing is powerful. It’s probably the most powerful food processor that you’ll find with a very strong motor and great blades too.
And you can tell just by looking at it how sturdy it is. The base is nice and big and there’s very little chance of it moving much while it’s in action. It’s also built to last in every aspect and it has huge bowls. It’s a 16-cup processor, which means it’ll produce plenty of hummus.
And it’s got a whole host of other cool features too. It’s got a silicone seal, so nothing is going to be leaking out of it no matter how minced up it gets.
It’s got a fancy LCD display system too and a safety feature that will prevent the motor from running while the lid isn’t in place. Though not necessarily directly connected to hummus, these are great features and you will definitely find ways to put them to use.
Downsides here are pretty few and far between. You do have to wash the bowls and does take up more space than other options.But those issues are just nit-picking really. If you want homemade hummus, the Breville is your best option.
Cuisinart DFP-14BCNY
Cuisinart. The ever popular, ever reliable original food processor. It was always going to be on this list, and it was always going to be pretty close to the top.
There isn’t a huge drop in quality here from the Breville either. It’s got a less powerful motor, the bowl isn’t as big and there’s no real extra features of note.But it is a bit less expensive too so the disadvantages are somewhat balanced out by that.
With a 14-cup bowl as opposed to the Breville’s 16-cup, it will make less hummus but it’s definitely still big enough to be sufficient.
You also won’t need to worry about this one toppling over. Again, probably not as sturdy as the Breville but still sturdy enough so that you won’t need to worry.
And a big plus with this is that the bowls are actually dishwasher friendly. The blades and lid are too so there’s no hand-washing at all here besides the motor.
So while I still give the edge to the Breville, if you can’t afford the more powerful, versatile option, the Cuisinart is still perfect for hummus.
Braun FP3020
Cheaper than the other two by a bit, this is a really good choice overall.
Despite the reduced price, it’s actually not that much smaller than the other two machines. It’s 12-cup and that’s still enough for sizable helping of hummus.
Unlike most other processors, the Braun has seven different blade options and eleven speed settings. This is great for making soft mixes. Not so much the blades, although it is nice to have that variety, but by God can you control the smoothness.
You have eleven different options here for how fast these blades whirl. This makes it so much easier to gauge whether your hummus is smooth or still has some thickness to it.
So while that’s a great feature, this is a pretty oddly built machine. It’s not slim like the others. It’s wide, clunky and takes up an unnecessary amount of space. And despite this, it’s actually pretty prone to rattling around the place while its running.
It probably won’t fall off the counter, but it doesn’t have a seal like the Breville so you could be looking at some spillage here. Still good value for money overall. And definitely worth considering on account of all those extra speed settings.
Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor
Pretty solid choice here, especially since it’s so affordable, but we’re entering the smaller territory here with this one.
The bowl is 10-cup, as I’m sure you guessed from it’s decidedly not vague name, so you’ll just get a decent helping of hummus. But despite its reduced size, it still has a powerful motor. In fact I wouldn’t worry at all about not sufficiently mincing your hummus with this.
The motor is more than powerful enough to make good smooth hummus and the blades are pretty good quality too.
And although it doesn’t exactly have a sturdy base, it comes equipped with suction cups on the base to ensure that it doesn’t topple. And of course it takes up very little space.
Like the Cuisinart you can also put everything but the motor in the dishwasher, which is fantastic. It doesn’t quite have guaranteed longevity. It’s not as well-designed as the other and as such it might not last as long so that’s worth considering.
It’s ultimately a nice affordable option that you can probably rely on to make decent hummus.
KitchenAid KFP0722CU
Definitely the cheapest option here and so unsurprisingly it’s the weakest one too.
But it’s popular because it’s cheap, not because it’s high-performance and if you’re on a budget then you could do a whole lot worse. It’s got a 7-cup bowl, which means not a whole lot of hummus and it’s got a weaker motor, which means it might not be so smooth.
But it is durable, it takes up virtually no space at all, is easy to clean and it does actually last. Your hummus might not be top top notch, but you can still make it.
So if you don’t want to splash out, you can stick to the KitchenAid. It will do the job just fine.
Best Food Processor for Hummus Buying Guide
There’s quite a few different options here. Any food processor you buy will be capable of making hummus but each brand has its advantages.
With that in mind, there’s a number of things that you should think about before making your final decision.
Power
Depending on what you are making with the food processor, power isn’t always something that you need to concern yourself with.
There are quite a few different recipes that you don’t necessarily need a high-powered machine for.
For hummus, it’s probably in your best interest that you go for one of the more powerful options. Even at its most basic, hummus has quite a few different ingredients so there’s an awful lot of mixing, especially if you want to include some of the tougher ingredients like walnuts or almonds.
So make sure you choose a machine that has a good strong motor. And also make sure you’re getting high quality blades.
If you get a great motor but the blades are insufficient you’ll still end up with a pretty shoddy mix.
Durability
Durability is something that’s especially important when you have a food processor with a strong motor.
I know it might sound ridiculous, but trust me it’s a real problem. Badly built food processors have been known to topple off the counter while the motor is running.
What you need is one that is strong and sturdy, preferably with a nice, weighted base.
The ideal food processor will also have long-term durability. You don’t want one that’s going to give up after just a year of making tasty hummus. The sturdier the product, the less likely this is to happen so don’t shy away from the bigger models.
You might get away with a small food processor for some less taxing recipes but for mixing good hummus it’s best to go strong.
Size
And on that note, let’s talk a little bit about choosing between large and small machines. The thing about hummus is that it’s a healthy alternative to various other spreads and dips.
Once you get a taste for it, you’ll probably want it pretty regularly. So you need to have a food processor that can produce enough of it to suit your needs.
This means picking one that has a larger work bowl. Otherwise, you’ll have to either make your hummus in several different batches or just eat it less regularly – not an option in my household!
Make it convenient and get a food processor with a big bowl. Of course this will take up more space in the cupboard and the countertop but it’s worth it for the end result.
Cleaning
Yep, I know. This the part that everyone hates. The part that almost makes it not worth cooking at all. Well maybe that’s an exaggeration but nobody likes cleaning up, that’s no secret. And so that’s why I advise doing what you can to minimize the work.
In some cases, the bowls and blades of a food processor can be placed straight into the dishwasher, which is pretty handy.
But for some of the models, even some of the better ones, this isn’t always an option. It’s pretty likely that you’ll at least have to clean the work bowls by hand.
Best case scenario to limit the amount of elbow grease, is to get a machine that has dishwasher friendly blades and discs. That way you will just have to hand-wash the bowls, the lid and the motor.
Like nut butter, which is another popular food processor recipe, hummus does get pretty sticky, so you definitely don’t want to be hand washing everything.
Conclusion
There’s definitely no shortage of options when it comes to making hummus.
Whether you’re short on space, looking for something that will last, or you just want to find the cheapest option, there’s a food processor out there that will do the job for you.
