Best Blender Food Processor Combo – Updated 2020

Updated for 2020. We review a lot of blenders and noticed there has been a growing demand for blenders that not only puree but also offer food processing. Consumers like the idea of having an all-in-one blender food processor combo appliance that will save time, money, and take up less kitchen space.

In this blender food processor review we did find some solid choices after analyzing independent tests, user reviews, and industry reports to put together this guide to the top blender food processor combo appliances on the market.

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Important Criteria to Consider

Finding the best blender food processor combo can be a little confusing because every manufacturer has their own specially designed food prep attachments that perform different functions. This means that one blender might do well at dicing and chopping but can’t knead dough. Also, the various food processor blender models can vary dramatically in power, capacity, performance, and price.

The biggest factor when comparing 2 in 1 blender models is knowing your specific needs. Not all models provide the same blending and food processing capabilities.

1. Capacity – Capacity is really the first criteria we would consider because it will determine how much power you need and what you can do. Most of the countertop size blenders have large blending pitchers and the food prep capacity can vary from 3 cups up to 8 cups average which is equivalent to a small standalone food processor. (For comparison purposes, the popular Cuisinart full size food processor can handle 14 cups). The reason for the smaller capacity is that the blender food processor containers have a narrower base and shorter blades.

2. Power – Blending will typically require more power than food processing because of the horsepower needed to liquefy ingredients. You generally want to have at least 700 watts power to do both blending and more difficult food processing. For reference a small food processor will have 400-500watts so most food processor blender combination units have plenty of power for standard food prep.

3. Features and Functions – The majority of the 2 in 1 combo models with food prep will blend, dice, and chop. Some brands have extra attachments to knead dough and grate cheeses. The models will vary among pre-programmed settings, controls, and accessories.

All of the above criteria along with independent performance test results, consumer feedback and overall price were considered in selecting the following list of best blender food processor models on the market.

Best Blender Food Processor Combo Choices

#1. Ninja Mega Kitchen System – TOP PICK

Ninja has a LOT of blenders and it can be very confusing figuring out all the differences (see our Ninja blender brand review) . The Ninja Mega Kitchen System is their most popular blender and food prep combo model with a powerful 1500 watt motor and a variety of useful accessories. Ninja sells multiple versions of this model which includes different accessories but the BL770 is the most popular due to its low price.

Positives: The Ninja 1500 System continues to get very high customer reviews and performs well at both blending and food processing. The 1500watt motor is more than adequate for most users needs and the food prep accessories perform well for making cookie dough, nut butters, rice milk, milling flour, and dicing vegetables. Good Housekeeping tested this unit and gave it 4 out of 5 stars with high ratings for performance.  We like how this model also includes the single-serve Nutri Ninja cups and blades for making personal smoothies and small food prep jobs like making salad dressing.

Negatives: The food processor bowl has an 8 cup capacity which can be limited if you will be making larger batches of dough and breads, but it is the largest capacity among the blender and food processor combo devices. The total crushing blade that is used in the pitcher doesn’t always blend green smoothies as finely as a conventional blender blade but it works pretty well especially for iced drinks.

Overall Opinion: The Ninja 1500 Kitchen System blender is a good appliance for the price. It offers a lot of functionality and power that is hard to beat in this price range. It is our top pick because it offers a wide range of uses and adequate power for most users needs. For more details, see our Ninja Mega Kitchen System review

2. Oster BLSTVB-103-000 Versa Review

We like Oster blenders as they are a reputable blender brand that provides well-built blenders at a reasonable price. The Oster Versa Food Processor Blender is right in the middle of the Oster blender line in terms of power and price.

It offers 1100 watts of blending power and comes with a 64oz blending jar, two 20oz single-serve blending cups, and a 5 cup food processor with slicing/shredding dish, and chopping blade.

The user reviews are good about its blending capability and the results achieved using the prep accessories. One user had good results making smoothies, shredding cheese, chopping vegetables, making cauliflower rice, and cashew butter. Another user wrote about their experience using the Oster Versa 1100 compared to the Ninja Professional 1400 and discussed their results with the Oster food processor attachment.

Positives: Nice power and accessories for a good price. Works as 3 appliance: basic food processor, high speed blender, and personal size smoothie blender. CNET gave it a 7.6 out of 10 rating saying it offered good performance for the price compared to more expensive blenders. CNET’s only complaint was ease of use with the different components which isn’t an issue once you understand how to operate it.

Negatives: The 5 cup food processor bowl is smaller and can be limited with certain tasks. It is somewhat loud and there are some complaints about the plastic food processing components. (Note: Make sure to operate the food prep blades at the appropriate speed and NOT the high speed that is intended for blending or you can break the food prep)

Overall Opinion: The Oster Vera 3 in 1 food processor blender is a powerful blender and the processor is useful for small chopping and shredding tasks. This model is good for those whose main use will be blending and making personal smoothies but also like the ability to do simple food processing. While this is a good blender we prefer the design and food prep functionality of the more powerful Ninja 1500 Mega Kitchen system.

3. Ninja Nutri Bowl Review

The Nutri Ninja Bowl Duo is a nice compact blender food processor combo that works great for someone who wants an all-in-one single serve blender for smoothies and a small food prep appliance.

It offers a powerful 1200 watt motor with two 24oz Nutri Ninja personal smoothie cups, blending blade, 4 cup capacity food processing bowl, dough blade, and food prep blade.

1200 watts is a lot of power for a 4 cup food processing bowl especially in comparison to the popular Cuisinart 4-cup Mini Prep processor that only has 250 watts.

Positives: A lot of power to handle any blending or food prep task. One of the strongest personal blenders. Customers really like the pre-programmed Auto-iQ tasks for hands off performance. Very high customer reviews and satisfaction. Compact and easy to store.

Negatives: The only real negative is the 4 cup capacity will really limit the amount of food prep tasks that you can do. It is ideal for small jobs like making dips, salsa, grinding spices or coffee, dicing vegetables, etc..

Overall Opinion: The Ninja Bowl Duo is a great 2 in 1 small appliance especially if you will be making personal smoothies. It can easily handle green smoothies and food processing. We only ranked this lower on our list of best blender food processors because of the size limitations but it is a top choice if you want a compact blender and food processor in one device.

4. Hamilton Beach Power Elite Multi-Function Blender Review

The Hamilton Beach Power Elite blender has been one of our picks for best cheap blender and affordable glass blender as it offers decent blending power for the low price. Model #58149 is the same blender but includes the 3-cup chopping bowl and blade for small food processing jobs.

Decent 700 watt motor that can blend difficult ingredients like frozen fruit and ice but might struggle with difficult blending tasks like making nut butter. It offers simple preset blending controls and a nice glass container with easy pour spout.

Positives: Very low cost blender that works fine for blending tasks like fruit smoothies, frozen drinks, and milkshakes.. This blender has 1000’s of customer reviews and it offers decent performance for the price.

Negatives: While the blender is low priced, the food chopping blade has mediocre reviews. The 3 cup capacity for the food prep chopping bowl is small and limited in its uses but fine for simple tasks.

Overall Opinion: We chose the Hamilton Beach Multi-Function combination blender because of the low price and decent blending performance. It is best suited for those that mostly want a basic blender with the added ability to do small food prep tasks like dicing and chopping.

5. Ninja Master Prep

The Master Prep QB1004 is kind of unusual in that the blender motor is on top and works like an immersion blender.

It comes with a 48oz blending pitcher, 40oz food and meal prep bowl, 16oz chopping bowl, multiple blades, and a 450 watt blender.

Positives: Despite the 450 watt motor which is weaker than our other top picks, the Ninja Master Prep does a really great job. It has over 9,000 user reviews with very strong ratings. It also scored well in independent tests like Consumer Reports. Well priced for all the accessories that it offers.

Negatives: Don’t have any big negative about this product except that it is made of mostly plastic. The other negative is that the blades are mounted onto the top so consumers complained about the risk of cutting themselves.

Overall Opinion: We really like the Master Prep and we would have ranked it higher but it works a little differently than a conventional blender and the motor is a little weaker. It was a top choice for best baby food maker because of its ability to work like a blender and a food processor.

See our complete Ninja Master Prep review for more details.

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Models That We Didn’t Choose

The Oster Pro 1200 is one of our top picks for best low cost blender because it is well built and blends well. It can be purchased with a 3-in-1 Food Processor Attachment and 5-cup food processing bowl. Unfortunately, there are too many users complaints about the food processor not performing well and it seems limited in its food prep capabilities. It is a terrific blender for the price but we would avoid the food processor component.

We really wanted to include a Cuisinart model higher up in our rankings as Cuisinart is known for having the most popular line of food processors. In 2015 they introduced their newest Blender food processor combo appliance (replaced the discontinued BFP-703CH SmartPower Duet) called the Cuisinart BFP-650GM Velocity Trio.

The Velocity Trio offers a 1 horsepower(745 watts) motor, 66oz blender jar, 16oz personal smoothie cups and 3 cup capacity food processor bowl.

The problem is that the user reviews are very mixed with many complaints about this unit breaking. Priced over $100 price we would expect this blender to have better quality and stronger components. Our top choices that we listed above offer better performance, reliability and value than the Cuisinart Velocity Ultra blender.

We evaluated the feedback on this blender and food processor combo from Black and Decker but the user feedback is too mixed to pick this as our one of favorites . We like that is offers 500 watts and a large 10-cup food prep bowl but there are a too many complaints about the parts not lasting for us to feel comfortable recommending it.

Final Thoughts

We spent a lot of time evaluating independent tests, user reviews and performance when deciding on our choices for best blender food processor combo.

While there is a growing number of 2 in 1 appliances in the market, we feel that many are still lacking in quality and design.

The models that we chose offer a nice balance of performance, utility, and price. We will continue to update this guide as new models are introduced into the market.

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