Food processors are important appliances that make every task easier in the kitchen.
The dough kneading by hand is a very boring and difficult process for many people and with the help of food processors, it’s much easier to make a delicious pie crust nowadays.
If you need a food processor particularly for this reason then you should take into consideration a few things.
Top 3 Food Processors for Pie Crust
4.9/5
[Best Food Processor for Pie Crust Overall]
A very popular 14 cup food processor with a decent 720 watts motor. Perfect for most kneading tasks.
We would like to start with the Cuisinart premium food processor. It includes every necessary feature required for the kitchen activities and especially for dough kneading.
4.8/5
[Best for the Money]
A highly affordable mid size food processor albeit with a weak 450 watts motor.
Hamilton Beach food processor costs way less than the Cuisinart one, but it has significantly low power and capacity. However, it’s still capable of providing decent performance, in our opinion.
4.7/5
[Best for the 1000-Watt Motor]
A premium grade food processor with a 12 cup capacity and a heavy duty 1000 watts motor for extreme kneading.
Breville food processor is the most powerful one in our list. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the demand is high on this one. However, you should not forget that the price is extremely high as well.
Usually, the ingredients should be processed continuously in the food processor, but when making a pie dough you have to always pulse them. This way the whole process is gentle and you have better control over it.
Another thing we want to note is that the ingredients always have to be cold before you start making a pie crust.
Make sure they are stored in the fridge until the start of the process. You need to keep these suggestions in mind in order to achieve successful results.
In this article, we will review the best food processors for pie crust and show you all the unique attributes each provides.
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Also Read: Best 14 Cup Food Processors
List of Best Food Processors for Pie Crust in 2023
We find the following options to be the best in this category
1. Cuisinart DFP-14BCNY – Premium 720 Watts Food Processor
2. Hamilton Beach 70725A – Affordable 12 Cup Food Processor
3. Breville BFP660SIL – Heavy-Duty 1000 Watts Food Processor
4. Braun FP3020 – Versatile and Unique Food Processor
5. KitchenAid KFP1466ER – Commercial Food Processor
1. Cuisinart DFP-14BCNY – Premium 720 Watts Food Processor
A very popular 14 cup food processor with a decent 720 watts motor. Perfect for most kneading tasks.
We would like to start with the Cuisinart premium food processor. It includes every necessary feature required for the kitchen activities and especially for dough kneading.
The first thing to take into consideration is power. Cuisinart food processor contains a heavy-duty 720 watts motor that is powerful enough to perform every basic food processing task. Power like this is considered above-average and it’s sufficient to knead the dough thoroughly.
This food processor is especially convenient if you are going to cook for a large number of people. The reason behind it is the size of 14 cups. The high capacity gives you an opportunity to process large amounts of food and you have enough space to knead the dough without making a mess.
As we have already mentioned, pulse control is an essential component for making a pie crust. This processor provides three speeding buttons – on, off, and pulse. You are able to better control the process with the help of them.
It should be noted, that although the food processor contains durable stainless steel blades, the slicing and shredding blades are not adjustable.
It's a very spacious size, so you'll have plenty of room for all your family entertaining, but it still has a small footprint, so you can use it every day.
It is really simple and easy to operate, making it an efficient way to chop up garlic and other items.
In conclusion, if you are searching for a large and powerful food processor that can knead dough and prepare pies, then this is the best option for making pie crust.
2. Hamilton Beach 70725A – Affordable 12 Cup Food Processor
A highly affordable mid size food processor albeit with a weak 450 watts motor.
Hamilton Beach food processor costs way less than the Cuisinart one, but it has significantly low power and capacity. However, it’s still capable of providing decent performance, in our opinion.
When it comes to power, this is not the best option. It contains a 450 watts motor, which is almost twice as low as Cuisinart’s. So, don’t expect it to operate extremely smoothly. However, it’s still effective to knead the dough for pizza, but not for very large-sized foods.
As for the capacity, it is an average-sized 12 cup food processor. This means it can deal with a significant amount of dough. The sealed bowl and large feeding tube also contribute to process the food thoroughly.
We have to mention, that one of the important features of this food processor is blades. The stainless steel S-blades and reversible discs make it possible to easily cut even the thick pieces of dough.
I am pleased to say that I already own this food processor and have been enjoying using it. In fact, I am planning to order another one as a Christmas gift for a family member soon.
Finally, we want to emphasize, that this is not the most powerful food processor. However, the price is affordable for everyone and it provides significant features, so it’s still one of the best food processor for pie crust.
3. Breville BFP660SIL – Heavy-Duty 1000 Watts Food Processor
A premium grade food processor with a 12 cup capacity and a heavy duty 1000 watts motor for extreme kneading.
Breville food processor is the most powerful one in our list. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the demand is high on this one. However, you should not forget that the price is extremely high as well.
The reason why Breville food processor is the most powerful one in the list is a heavy-duty 1000 watts motor. With such a high power every task becomes a lot easier including the dough kneading. It contains a direct drive control which ensures smooth and thorough processes.
I particularly appreciate the big, wide feed chute of this unit, which sets it apart from other food processors that often have narrow chutes that can be frustrating to use.
Additionally, the Breville food processor and the Hamilton Beach food processor both have a 12-cup capacity, but the Breville model has an advantage with its three feeding tubes - a 1 ½” mini chute, 2 ¾” medium chute, and 5” large chute.
One of the unique aspects we have to highlight is an adjustable slicing disc. You can control the thickness of the food with the help of it, as it provides 24 different settings ranging from 0.3mm to 8mm.
I recently bought this model, and I am absolutely loving it! It's been 16 years since I last had a decent food processor (which was also a Braun machine), and I had forgotten how sharp the blades of a high-quality machine can be.
The only downside of this food processor is its price, as it is quite expensive. Therefore, it's important to make a careful decision before investing in it.
In conclusion, we can say that the unique attributes and powerful motor outweigh the high price and it’s definitely the best food processor for pie crust.
Food processors come in various size. Generally, the larger the food processor, the more powerful it will be. Plastic blades are recommended for kneading dough4. Braun FP3020 – Versatile and Unique Food Processor
A decent mid range 12 cup food processor with an average 600 watts. Suitable for low key dough kneading tasks.
The Braun food processor is not as powerful as the Breville one, but it’s versatile and features a juicer attachment. Therefore, it helps you to prepare not only delicious food but also your favourite juices.
The first thing we have to mention is a 600 watts motor. It’s less than some of the above-mentioned products, but it’s more than enough to perform simple processes in the kitchen. When you push it to the limit it can reach 900 watts, which is absolutely sufficient to thoroughly operate with the dough.
Another feature we want to highlight is several blade attachments and variable speed adjustment. The different blades ensure to cut the food easily and pulse mode lets you control the speed of the process in order to get even results.
The juicer attachment is what makes this food processor exceptional from the others. You are able to make your favourite juices easily with the help of it.
It should be noted, that Braun food processor contains dishwasher-safe parts, so you can clean them without any difficulty.
Finally, we can conclude that it includes a powerful motor and versatile features required in the dough kneading, so it’s the best food processor for pie crust.
5. KitchenAid KFP1466ER – Commercial Food Processor
An expensive, yet powerful, 14 cup food processor suitable enough for commercial application.
KitchenAid KFP 1466ER is a commercial food processor that contains a lot of unique attributes. However, it’s very expensive which is a major downside.
We would like to begin with a commercial-style dicing kit. This innovative feature is capable of slicing the food first and then dicing. This way all the processes regarding the food take place precisely.
The KitchenAid food processor boasts an externally adjustable ExactSlice System, which allows you to easily adjust the thickness of your slices with just one slide of the lever.
This feature provides optimized speeds and an external lever for quick and convenient thickness control.
Additionally, the food processor comes equipped with a Multipurpose Blade, Multipurpose Blade for 4-Cup Work Bowl, Dough Blade, Dicing Kit, Clean Out Tool, and Storage Case, making it a versatile and comprehensive kitchen tool.
As we have already mentioned, the dough kneading requires a pulse button. This food processor includes three speeding options – high, low, and pulse. They contribute to properly deal with hard ingredients.
Another new attribute is an ultra-tight seal, which provides a locking system in order to avoid leaking the liquid out of the bowl.
It should be noted, that one significant drawback of this food processor is the price. It’s extremely expensive and not everyone can afford it.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a food processor with a lot of unique features and willing to pay a lot of money, then it’s absolutely the best food processor for pie crust.
FAQ
What Do You Need to Look for in a Food Processor for Pie Crust?
As we have mentioned above, there are several features you should take into consideration before buying the food processor for pie crust. Below, we are going to show the significant components of them and describe why they are necessary.
Pulse Control
If you want a food processor to make a pie crust you always have to make sure there is onboard pulse control. As we have said pulsing the ingredients is much easier and you are able to control the process closely.
This way you can also prevent over-mixing the dough and shredding the gluten strands.
Power
Power is one of the most important aspects to consider when it comes to kneading the dough.
It’s a complicated task and in order to get successful results, we recommend using the above 500 watts motor. However, you need to know that the motor should be operated at a certain speed in order to mix the ingredients smoothly and avoid over-kneading the dough.
Size
You have to choose the size of the food processor depending on the people you are going to cook for. Generally, there is not much capacity required for making a pie crust.
We have to note that, the 3 cup food processor is absolutely sufficient to make one or two pies. However, the more pie crust you need the more capacity is necessary.
Blades
Blades are definitely an essential part of any food processor, especially if it’s intended for kneading the dough. You need to look for the food processor that contains various blade attachments in order to ensure smooth performance.
We strongly recommend the blade made of plastic when it comes to kneading any kind of dough.
Conclusion
In this article, we have reviewed the best food processors for pie crust. As we have said earlier, the dough kneading by hand can be an extremely tedious process and the invention of food processors has definitely solved this issue.
We want to repeat that you have to pulse the ingredients instead of processing continuously in order to make the process gentle and easier.
Therefore, if you want a food processor for making a delicious pie crust look for onboard pulse control. Also, everyone should take into consideration power, capacity, and different features when it comes to the dough kneading.
FAQs
1. What is the best food processor for making pie crust?
List of Best Food Processors for Pie Crust that we can recommend.
1. Cuisinart DFP-14BCNY - Premium 720 Watts Food Processor.
2. Hamilton Beach 70725A - Affordable 12 Cup Food Processor.
3. Breville BFP660SIL - Heavy-Duty 1000 Watts Food Processor.
4. Braun FP3020 - Versatile and Unique Food Processor.
5. KitchenAid KFP1466ER - Commercial Food Processor.
2. What size food processor do you need?
Which size is optimal for you is determined by the number of people you usually cook for and the types of recipes you'll create. For example, if you typically cook for a family of four or prepare doughs in small batches, an 11-cup processor should adequate.
3. Is a blender or food processor better?
Simply put, a blender is a better alternative for liquid-heavy products such as smoothies and soups. On the other hand, a food processor is appropriate for solid items that require more labor-intensive processing, such as chopping and slicing.
4. Is pie crust better with butter or shortening?
Butter has the best flavor and contributes to creating light, airy, flaky layers in pie crust.
Because butter has a lower melting point than lard or shortening, it might be more challenging to work with, and the dough temperature must be precisely correct. If it becomes too warm, it becomes too soft to handle and quickly tears.
5. How do you make a pie crust from scratch without a food processor?
Directions.
- Fill a 12-cup measuring cup halfway with water and add a couple of ice cubes.
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing basin.
- Toss the cold butter and shortening in the flour with your hands.
- Pour 4 tbsp of ice water into the mixture and gently whisk with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.