34 Baking Recipes to Make the Most of Your Food Processor (2025)

A stand mixer may be the workhorse of my kitchen, but the food processor might be its unsung hero. While stand mixers excel at aeration, such as foaming eggs and sugar for a chiffon cake or creaming butter and sugar until fluffy and light for classic chocolate chip cookies, food processors are uniquely suited to an entirely different range of kitchen chores that make it just as vital to my work.

Thanks to its powerful motor and blade, a food processor is a remarkable tool for grinding chunky ingredients into a fine powder, giving stiff doughs a workout in record time, keeping fats cold as they're worked into flour, and blending toasted nuts into creamy butter.

Because some of those chores can be done with other tools, I don't want to focus on all the pastry projects a food processor can technically do; I want to focus on the jobs it does best. These are the kinds of chores that are accomplished faster, more easily, and more efficiently with a good food processor.

It's important to note that I'm talking about sturdy, large format machines, and not mini-choppers or "prep assistants." For more on what makes a good machine tick, see our guide to the best food processors.

I have a Breville Sous Chef at home, but enjoy using the Magimix and Cuisinart models we have in the Serious Eats kitchen, too, so there's plenty of brands (and price points) that can work for everyone.

Keeping Solid Fats Cool

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Quick breads, like biscuits, muffins, and scones, are traditionally made by combining the butter and flour up front. It's a common approach to making shortbread and other types of tender, crumbly cookies as well. This method coats the flour in fat, making it more difficult for gluten to form when the liquid ingredients are added later on.

It's a lengthy process when done by hand or with a pastry knife, which allows the butter to warm over time. This can often make doughs sticky and difficult to handle—hence why so many recipes include a step for chilling the dough before it's rolled and cut. Put a food processor on the case, though, and these chores can be done with cold butter in a few seconds flat, keeping the finished dough cool and easy to handle (and your hands clean).

It's my preferred approach for making delicate lemon scones, tender blueberry skillet cake, pumpkin coffee cake, and fluffy pancakes, as well as any cookie or cracker meant to have a crumbly, shortbread-like consistency.

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That category of cookies includes lemon meltaways, Mexican wedding cookies, digestive biscuits, Tate's-style thin and crisp chocolate chip cookies, and even Carr's-style whole wheat crackers.

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Working cold, solid fats into flour is also the underlying principle in Kenji's super-easy pie dough, and the crust for my silky lemon bars.

Promoting Gluten Development

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Not all types of bread dough do well in a food processor, but it's a powerful tool for those that require more structure than the average home baker has the skill to develop by hand. Think crusty dinner rolls and homemade bagels (whether plain or cinnamon-raisin), as well as chewy pizza crust, à la Kenji's famous Sicilian-style pizza (a weekly endeavor at my house).

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My yeasted pumpkin bread relies on a food processor to turn a dry mess of flour and pumpkin purée into a soft and supple dough, and my 100% whole wheat bread and multigrain loaf use a food processor to develop gluten even with grainy formulas that aren't inclined to do so on their own.

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I also use my food processor to provide structure in crackers that need a crisp but sturdy texture, like homemade Wheat Thins or even beautifully blistered cannoli shells (yup, they're a type of cracker!).

Grinding

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A food processor is essential for working with freeze-dried fruit, as it quickly reduces the crispy pieces to a fine powder for making bright pink strawberry layer cake, fruit-infused whipped cream, no-bake cheesecake with freeze dried fruit, and fruity, no-churn ice cream.

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Plus, no other tool can pulverize dark chocolate finely enough for homemade brownie mix (traditional or vegan) and hot chocolate.

Wet Grinding/Puréeing

Not only can a food processor whip up run-of-the-mill purées, they're powerful enough to purée dried fruit—the secret to my homemade Fig Newtons—and they make short work of fibrous winter squash in bulk, for a silky-smooth pumpkin pie.

I also use my food processor to wet grind fresh herbs into sugar, as when I make basil mousse.

Wet grinding is also crucial processing nuts until they express their oils, a key step in made-from-scratch pistachio paste and homemade Nutella, as well as the creamy hazelnut butter used in my favorite hazelnut cookies.

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Perhaps dessert alone couldn't make the case for owning a food processor to anyone but a pastry chef, but, combined with its utility in savory applications, it's a tool that's worth the investment for serious home cooks.

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While it may not be an appliance for everyone, my food processor has more than earned its keep in the kitchen, making old techniques faster and less messy, while helping me discover new techniques altogether.

34 Baking Recipes to Make the Most of Your Food Processor (2025)

FAQs

How do I get the most out of my food processor? ›

Tips for Doing It Right
  1. Always insert the blade before adding food. ...
  2. Use the pulse button. ...
  3. Let hot liquids cool down. ...
  4. Purée soup ingredients without stock. ...
  5. Partially freeze meats and cheeses. ...
  6. Be patient when making nut butters. ...
  7. Avoid “mashed” potatoes.
Jul 12, 2020

What to do if a recipe calls for a food processor and you don t have one? ›

In addition to blenders and stand mixers, Here are 9 more ways to perform food processor jobs:
  1. 1.) FOOD CHOPPER. ...
  2. 2.) HAND MIXER. ...
  3. 3.) GRINDER. ...
  4. 4.) GRATER. ...
  5. 5.) FOOD MILL. ...
  6. 6.) MORTAR & PESTLE. ...
  7. 7.) COOKING/MASHING. ...
  8. 8.) KNIVES.

What should you not put in a food processor? ›

5 foods you should never put in a food processor
  1. Whole spices. (Image credit: Shutterstock) ...
  2. Frozen meat. (Image credit: Magimix) ...
  3. Large, hard items. (Image credit: KitchenAid) ...
  4. Citrus zest. (Image credit: Shutterstock) ...
  5. High hydration doughs. (Image credit: Magimix)
Aug 23, 2024

Can I cream butter and sugar in a food processor? ›

You can also use a food processor to cut butter into flour or cream butter with sugar. Fold chocolate chips into your cannoli cream or mix up some delicious sauces and dressings.

How do I get the most out of my processor? ›

Change Processor Power Management Settings

For Intel CPUs, one way of improving CPU speed is lowering the maximum processor state to 99%, which can make sure the process works well at a lower temperature with the best performance.

What is the life expectancy of a food processor? ›

The average cost, energy consumption and lifespan of the most popular kitchen appliances
ApplianceAverage life expectancy of an item (years)
15Food processor8.5
16Oven13
17Juicer10
18Pressure cooke3.5
22 more rows

What are the disadvantages of using a food processor? ›

On the other hand, a food processor may not be the best choice for certain tasks, such as making smoothies or pureeing hard vegetables like carrots or potatoes. Some models also produce more noise than blenders when operating, so this may also be worth considering.

Is it worth it to buy a food processor? ›

Using the food processor will encourage you to cook from scratch because it's much easier than me dirtying a whole sink full of dishes. It's 110% worth the investment if you don't already have one. The most important thing to remember is that you have to use your food processor.

Can you make ice cream in a food processor? ›

The base is frozen for several hours, whirred in a food processor to break up the chunks, then returned to the freezer to firm up into a creamy, spoonable treat. Vanilla is the perfect backdrop for chocolate chunks, chopped candy bars or crushed cookies.

Can you mix baking ingredients in a food processor? ›

Magimix Food Processors are famous for their 'all in one' baking method, and are able to blitz up a cake batter in as little as 7 seconds. Instead of following multiple separate steps of adding in each ingredient at a time, you simply add both of the wet and dry ingredients together and mix them in the Food Processor.

What is the first thing you should do if a food processor isn t working? ›

Ensure the chopper is plugged in. Check your outlet. If your food processor does not turn on, try another outlet and make sure the breaker has not tripped.

What to use if you have no food processor? ›

A blender is the most versatile tool in your kitchen. It can blend, chop and puree almost anything. A blender with a small capacity (less than 1 liter) is not as good at chopping things like onions as a food processor would be. But larger blenders will do just fine with onions and other vegetables (just add water).

What are the three advantages of using food processor? ›

5 Reasons to Invest in a Food Processor
  • Saves time and labor. It is no secret that dicing several bags of tomatoes or onions will take some time (it might even make you cry). ...
  • Consistent cuts. ...
  • Better food quality. ...
  • Versatility. ...
  • Saves money. ...
  • Sources: ...
  • About the Author.
Jun 15, 2023

What does a food processor do that a blender doesn't? ›

Unlike blenders, which typically come with only one blade attachment, food processors can come with a large assortment of blade attachments that can perform all sorts of tasks: shredding, slicing, grating, chopping, mixing, and more.

Can a food processor do everything? ›

A food processor is a versatile kitchen appliance that can quickly and easily chop, slice, shred, grind and puree almost any food. Some models can also assist the home cook in making citrus and vegetable juice, beating cake batter, kneading bread dough, beating egg whites and grinding meats and vegetables.

What can a small food processor do? ›

Most mini food processors are good for mixing salad dressings, sauces, and condiments; making fresh salsas; dicing onions, peppers, garlic, and other small vegetables; chopping fresh herbs; and grinding coffee, roasted whole spices, and nuts.

References

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