Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor Review

A mini food processor is one of those pieces of kitchen equipment you might not think is necessary — and might never even consider purchasing — but once you own one, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without it. Never again will I mince a dozen cloves of garlic at once, make a small batch of pesto in the blender (where it will lose all texture if I let it go for a moment too long), or finely chop a bulk quantity of herbs by hand. 

My Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor lives on my kitchen counter because I use it so much. It could easily fit into a drawer or cabinet if I ever wanted to store it away, though. Standing at less than 10 inches high, it’s a small machine for small tasks. But I can personally attest that the rewards are enormous — especially if you are someone who experiences hand fatigue when doing tedious chopping work. There’s no job too little for this Cuisinart, which means my overworked appendages get to do less. Plus, this mini food processor takes care of the work in a fraction of the time.

The Mini-Prep Plus has become a staple in my kitchen, and I love that it requires such a minimal investment for what you get out of it. As a private chef, the same mini processor has lasted me through my pickiest clients (including one who wanted absurdly small portions of various constructed food items, like veggie or fish burgers and cauliflower tots) and well beyond. I’ve used this tiny appliance over the course of many years. And while it has struggled at times when I’ve run it for too long at once, it’s never given up, and the motor has never burned out.

How I Use the Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor

While it can handle a surprisingly decent quantity of ingredients, thanks to its three-cup capacity, this little guy thrives on small batches. As a result, the most common items I make in it are dressings and sauces. It’s rare that you’d need more than a cup or two of something like a salad dressing, meaning the Mini-Prep Plus works nicely for standard family-sized batches of things like that, with its 24-ounce capacity.

When it comes to sauces, I’ve found this mini food processor to be a great fit for applications including pesto, mayonnaise, gremolata, remoulade, and chimichurri. I place all the dry ingredients inside first and start the chopping function, then I slowly drizzle oil in through the top. When adding oil that way, you can incorporate the exact amount needed to get the texture you’re looking for, and you don’t have to worry about anything ending up too oily or wet.

While it isn’t a blender, the Mini-Prep Plus does mince pretty finely, and it gives you solid control over how broken down you want your ingredients to be. It has two settings, each of which is appropriate for particular functions. I use the “chop” setting when I want to fully break down ingredients like garlic and fresh herbs, and the “grind” setting for when I still need bigger pieces left behind, like with nuts.

What I Love About the Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor

The blade on the Mini-Prep Plus is reversible, which enables it to perform a variety of functions. It has one sharper side and one that is more blunt. I like to use the blunt side to get the machine unstuck if a large piece of an ingredient gets jammed in there during processing.

But while I adore the reversible blade, the lid of this mini food processor is my favorite part. It allows you to add a steady stream of liquid through the recessed drizzle basin. That means you can add oil sufficient to fill the recess of the lid, let it process through, then decide if you want to add more or not, and refill it if so. 

The fact that it’s so easy to clean is also a winning point with this Cuisinart mini food processor. All the parts are dishwasher-safe, and I’ve run them through countless times to prove it. It takes years to dim the plastic of the bowl and lid, and even then, they’re still fairly translucent. And I have yet to replace the bowl or the blade.

The Caveats

As you would expect, the blade on the Mini-Prep Plus is very sharp, so you need to exercise caution when cleaning it. Some people don’t love that the machine won’t work unless the blade is perfectly aligned, but since that’s a safety feature, it doesn’t bother me too much.

I’ve learned to always do a test run with the mini processor empty to make sure all parts are firmly in place first. After that, I remove the lid, fill it, replace the lid, and run it. That might be considered an ordeal for some people, but it only takes a few seconds and is worth it in the end. Lastly, if you run it for too long at one time it might smell funny briefly, which may indicate that the motor is overworked. I don’t love that aspect, but it also wasn’t meant to be used as intensely as I was using it at the times I’ve had that happen to me. 

Tips and Tricks

• Run the parts through the dishwasher, as the interior edges can be hard to clean by hand.
• Before starting, make sure all parts (especially the blade) are perfectly aligned.
• Be careful when dealing with the blade — it’s sharp, and it can be difficult to manage when wet. 

How It Compares

The KitchenAid 3.5-cup Mini Food Processor is slightly larger in capacity than the Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus, and it costs just slightly more. The KitchenAid also has a drizzle basin for slowly adding liquids like oil or water. However, it can be difficult to get the lid to latch properly, but that’s the only complaint I’ve heard about it. 

The Ninja Express Chop is another option in this category, and it’s often available at a lower price. The Express Chop works well, but it can be tricky to get the exact consistency you want; ingredients transition pretty quickly from chopped to blended. It does have one advantage that Ninja is known for, though: It comes with a lid that you can place directly on the container after using it, so you can store what’s inside without dirtying more dishes. 

The Verdict

I’m a fan of both Cuisinart's full-sized 14-Cup Food Processor and the Mini-Prep Plus. The brand offers consistency and longevity in their processors, and I’ve never had an issue with either. I use my Mini-Prep Plus frequently, and it continues to last well over the years, so I wouldn’t change brands now if I needed to buy a new one. I’ve used food processors from other brands in the past as a private chef in client homes, and I was never more impressed with one than I have been with Cuisinart’s food processors.