15 Surprising Things to Make in a Food Processor (2024)

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Cauliflower pizza crust has been making waves as a tasty grain-free option — and the key to its smooth and hearty texture is the food processor. Processing cauliflower gives it a finely shredded, almost flour-like texture, and when mixed with cheese and fresh herbs yields a delicious and healthy base for a homemade pizza.

Perfect Coconut Macaroons

Macaroons are light, sweet, chewy bites that will have guests coming back for seconds and thirds. But if the ingredients aren't mixed evenly before baking, parts of the treats can come out crunchy or burnt. In this version, the coconut, flour, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract are blended together in the food processor before the egg whites are folded in. The result: 18 identical, chocolate-dipped goodies.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Ricotta Cheese

Blending the baked sweet potato with creamy ricotta cheese, brown sugar, ginger, and sage in the food processor gives this side dish a dreamy smooth texture. For a more Italian flavor, some home cooks replace the brown sugar, ginger, and sage with oregano, thyme, and rosemary.

Cheesy Thumbprint Appetizers with Hot Pepper Jelly

The food processor makes quick work of the three-ingredient dough for these savory thumbprint "cookies." To jazz up the flavor, home cook curlietop adds a bit of brown mustard, garlic powder, and a couple drops of hot sauce to the dough, while other home cooks recommend using sharp cheddar for the best cheesy taste.

Vegan Black Bean Quesadillas

Mixing whole black beans and diced tomatoes into a bean, tomato and spice mixture that's been blitzed in the food processor yields a thick and flavorful quesadilla filling that won't spill out of the tortilla on its way to your mouth. Serve it with guacamole and fresh pico de gallo.

Coconut Date Bars

If you try to make these bars by hand, the coconut, nut, and date mixture will be thick, sticky, and difficult to mix. But toss the ingredients into a food processor and you'll have smooth, uniform, and tasty snack bars ready to enjoy in 30 minutes.

Black Bean and Chickpea Chili

Without a food processor, this bean and turkey chili would be plenty delicious. But pureeing some of the mixture and then adding it back into the chili gives it an even thicker and more satisfying texture. Omit the ground turkey and replace the chicken broth with veggie for an equally filling vegetarian option.

Paleo Chocolate Frosting

You may have used the food processor to make frosting in the past, but it likely didn't have avocado in it, like this better-for-you paleo version. The food processor's sharp blades transform the superfood into an ultra-silky base that pairs surprisingly well with cocoa powder. Home cook Tami Chesnut says: "I don't think I'll EVER make chocolate frosting any other way again."

Steamed Mashed Cauliflower

"I like this recipe for a quick easy way to cook cauliflower and get to pretend I'm eating mashed potatoes," says home cook memphismary. "This is less fattening and contains less cholesterol AND is very filling." Herbed goat cheese makes for a one-stop flavor booster and the food processor ensures a smooth, heavenly mash.

Foolproof Potato Latkes

Using a food processor to grate the potatoes for latkes takes a typically labor-intensive process and makes it easier than ever. Plus, pulsing in two rounds ensures that the latkes stay together but still contain larger pieces of the spuds. The payoff: crispy, savory goodness.

Fabulous Homemade Bread For the Food Processor

Baking bread from scratch can be an intimidating process for an inexperienced baker — but when you have a food processor to do the kneading for you, you can kiss that stress goodbye. This recipe utilizes a dough blade in a food processor and makes a white bread perfect for spreading with butter or jelly or making sandwiches.

Blueberry Squares

This dessert delivers a secret serving of fiber, thanks to the chickpeas hidden in the crust by the skillful blending of the food processor. Top with a sweet blueberry mixture (or sub in your favorite fresh fruit) and an oat crumble, and you have a summer-perfect dessert you can feel good about inhaling.

Avocado Peanut Butter Brownies

"These brownies are fudgy and don't have to bake long because the first step is to cook the chocolate peanut butter mixture on the stove like candy," says recipe creator aboutfish. Add in an avocado, milk, and oil mixture that's been pureed in the food processor and you have a yummy chocolate treat.

Edamame Dumplings

To make the filling for these unique dumplings, cooked edamame beans are processed with sour cream, green onion, garlic, and lemon juice and then folded into wonton wrappers.

Quiche with Leeks, Mushrooms and Sweet Potatoes

You can skip the whisking for this crustless quiche, mixing the eggs, sour cream, salt, and heavy cream in the food processor instead before adding it to the filling. The best part: This recipe is a cinch to modify, as you can change up the veggies, herbs, and cheese to fit your tastes and cravings.

More Inspiration

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