If you’ve ever chopped onion, you may have felt a stinging sensation in one or both eyes, possibly accompanied by tears.
This is the result of a chemical called syn-Propanethial-S-oxide, which onions release when cut. This chemical is an irritant, which is why it might make your eyes water. Not only can this be very painful, but it can also obscure your vision and present a hazard when you’re using a sharp knife.
Besides that, chopping an onion the right way can be quite difficult and time-consuming. If you cut an onion in the wrong direction, the entire vegetable can begin to fall apart, making it more difficult to dice evenly.
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Both of the above issues can make chopping onion a real chore, but luckily, they can both be rectified by an onion chopper!
Onion choppers are devices and appliances designed for dicing onions and other vegetables. They can be manual or electric and use a variety of different mechanisms to dice onions quickly and efficiently while reducing your exposure to irritants.
Bestsellers
We’ve selected 5 highly-rated onion choppers to recommend you today, so let’s take a look!
Comparison Table
Key Criteria
If you’re not sure which criteria to judge onion choppers by, don’t worry! We’ve done all the research so you don’t have to!
Read on to find out which criteria to keep in mind when shopping for onion choppers.
Chopper Type
The biggest decision you’ll have to make before you purchase an onion chopper is what type of chopper you’re looking for.
You’ll need to choose between a manual and an electric chopper. Manual choppers are typically (but not always) cheaper, but electric choppers get the job done quicker and with less effort.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that many electric choppers, such as our pick for best electric onion chopper, are actually food processors that are designed to be able to dice food items.
If you choose a food processor as a chopper, you’ll have to remember not to hold the button down for too long, or your onion will end up pulverized instead of chopped.
Manual choppers work using a variety of mechanisms, from simple push-down units that require you to exert pressure on the lid to rope-pull designs.
Please be aware that while push-down mechanisms are intuitive and effective, they usually require a fair bit of force to operate.
Size/Capacity
It’s also important to consider the size and capacity of your new onion chopper before purchase.
Most onion choppers range from 1 cup to 3 cups in terms of capacity, so you should select the capacity of your onion chopper based on how much-chopped onion you are likely to need on a regular basis. For reference, 1 cup is roughly equal to 1 large onion.
The physical dimensions of your onion chopper are also useful to consider because this will determine how portable the chopper is and how much space you’ll need to dedicate to it in your kitchen.
If you want to be able to easily store your new onion chopper in your kitchen and take it with you wherever you go, we recommend a container size no larger than 10 x 5 inches.
Construction
Before you finalize your purchase, make sure you know what materials your onion chopper is made of.
The most important things to verify are whether the materials are food-safe and how durable they are.
Most onion choppers will have a plastic body, so it’s important that this plastic is BPA-free and strong enough to withstand heavy use. This is especially true if you’re looking at the type of onion chopper that requires downward force for operation.
You’ll also need to look at the construction of the blades. These should be made of stainless steel to ensure durability, easy cleaning, and effective cutting action.
Sometimes, onion choppers will come with multiple blade inserts so that you can adapt your onion chopper for a specific task. This is a huge plus because it helps to make your onion chopper more versatile.
Ease of Use
If you’re buying an onion chopper, it’s probably because you want to minimize the amount of time and effort you need to put into chopping onions. Therefore, an onion chopper should be as easy to use as possible.
We’ve selected our best overall and best electric products (see below) partly on the basis that they are the easiest to operate. Both feature a simple push-down button that drops the blades and cuts through the onion without requiring much effort.
Rope-pull units, where you pull on a rope to active the blade mechanism inside the chopper, also don’t require much force, but they can feel inconvenient to use because you often have to hold the body of the chopper place while pulling on the rope.
As we’ve already mentioned, manual push-down container-style choppers require more physical strength and effort than other types, but they are often budget-friendly and practical because they can double as food storage containers.
Before and after cleaning (more on this below), you may need to disassemble and reassemble your onion chopper. Therefore, we have also selected units that are easy to put together and take apart, where possible.
Cleaning
If you want an easier time cleaning your onion chopper, choose a model that is dishwasher-safe.
Please note that where an electric chopper is advertised as dishwasher-safe, this refers to specific detachable components and not to the entire unit.
Plastic and stainless steel components should also be prioritized for this reason because they are corrosion-resistant and easy to wipe clean when you’re in a hurry.
Best Onion Chopper
1. Best Overall: Vivaant Food Chopper
The best onion chopper on the kitchen appliance market is the Vivaant Food Chopper.
Vivaant is a wonderful small business, run by a mother and son, that manufactures food graters and choppers. The brand is known for its outstanding customer service as well as its highly functional kitchenware.
The first thing we noticed about this onion chopper is how easy it is to use! It’s a manual chopper with zigzag blades that you can push down using the button on top of the chopper. As you press down, the blades do all the chopping work.
If you want to continue to dice your onion smaller, all you need to do is keep pushing! The mechanism is strong enough to work on a range of vegetable products in addition to onions.
Vivaant’s onion chopper has a capacity of 8 oz, which translates to 1 cup. Using this chopper, you’ll be able to prepare large quantities of onion in no time at all.
Something else about this onion chopper that makes it superior to others on the market is its use of a rotating scraper system which ensures that onion pieces won’t remain stuck to the sides and that everything is cut evenly.
Chemical contamination isn’t something you’ll need to worry about with this onion chopper since it’s made from BPA-free plastic and stainless steel.
In addition to being easy to use, the Vivaant onion chopper is easy to clean! The structure disassembles so that each piece can be cleaned individually.
Reassembly is a little more complicated because you have to line the blades back up before clipping the unit back together, which requires precision and patience.
Pros
- Push-down zigzag blades: Easy to operate
- 8 oz capacity: Chops 1 cup of onion
- Rotating scraper: Even cutting with minimal waste
- BPA-free: 100% food safe
- Disassembles: Easy to clean
Cons
- Complex reassembly: Not the easiest to put back together
- FEATURES YOU NEED - 1 cup (8 oz) capacity. Rubberized button + non-skid base improve grip. Sharp, stainless steel zigzag blades slice cleanly and evenly. Rotating scrapers keep food off sides for even cutting. Easy disassembly for fast cleanup and storage.
- REDUCE PREP TIME - Don’t use a monster food processor for a small job! Chop, dice and mince food faster than a knife for small meals! Use directly on cutting board or with included non-slip base. Rinse and throw in dishwasher top rack for easy cleanup.
- OUTSTANDING QUALITY - You won’t find a better chopper on the market today. FEEL the difference in our durable build quality and design. This hand cutter chops with ease and is made to last. Say hello to your newest favorite kitchen appliance!
- SAFETY FIRST - We design and build all our products to the strictest standards and use the highest quality BPA free and approved materials. Feel confident that your food and your health are safe from unwanted chemicals and toxins.
- A FRESH APPROACH - Lifetime satisfaction guarantee! If it breaks or you're not totally thrilled with your purchase, we’ll replace it or issue a full refund at no cost to you! EPIC customer service is our #1 priority! We’ll go out of our way to make sure you’re happy!
2. Best Electric: Hamilton Beach Mini 3-Cup Food Processor
Our best overall pick was a manual onion chopper, but you can also find onion choppers that operate electronically. We think that the best electric onion chopper on the market is the Mini 3-Cup Food Processor from Hamilton Beach.
Hamilton Beach is an established brand, founded in 1910, that manufactures all manner of home appliances. This is an award-winning company that is known for being innovative when it comes to making your home life easier.
The Hamilton Beach Mini 3-Cup Food Processor operates at 350 watts, which is powerful for its size.
This chopper works using a press and release mechanism that requires no exertion and barely any time. Just press down on the top button, and the machine will do the rest.
Hamilton Beach’s Food Processor has a capacity of 3 cups, so you can use it to dice all the onions you need for large meals or food portions.
Because the external components of this food processor are dishwasher-safe, this unit is easy to clean. Just detach the relevant parts and put them on the top shelf of your dishwasher.
The compact design of this chopper makes it easily portable and suitable for storage in smaller kitchens.
A word of caution: although this food processor makes an excellent onion chopper, using it for this purpose requires that you only hold the top button down very briefly. Otherwise, your onions may progress from chopped to pulverized.
Pros
- 350 watts: Small, but powerful
- Press and release: Easy to work with
- 3-cup capacity: Suited to large portions
- Detachable, dishwasher-safe components: Easy cleaning
- Compact design: Storage-friendly and portable
Cons
- May pulverize if held too long: Use in short bursts
- Simply stack and press to chop: The patented stack & press design makes it easy to assemble and use. Simply press the lid to chop and release to stop. Since all you do is stack the lid on top of the bowl, no difficult twist-locking is needed.
- Perfect size for everyday use: Chop and mix up to 3 cups of ingredients every day of the week with this 3 cup chopper. It's the perfect size for everyday use, yet small enough for easy storage.
- Easily chop, puree and emulsify with stainless steel blades: Durable stainless steel blades make easy work of a multitude of ingredients including onions, carrots and nuts. Oil dispenser on lid makes it easy to emulsify dressings, dips and sauces.
- Easy to clean: The bowl, lid and removable blades of the Hamilton Beach chopper are all dishwasher safe.
- Power through tough ingredients: This small food chopper has a 350 watt motor to provide all the power you need to prepare all types of food including onions, nuts, herbs, hummus, dressings and homemade baby food.
3. Best Budget: Vinipiak Manual Food Chopper
Vinipiak’s Manual Food Chopper is an excellent onion chopper for those on a budget. It’s a chopper for various foods, including vegetables, nuts, and fruit, making it a versatile kitchen aid.
Vinipiak is a relatively new company, founded in 2016, that caters to the kitchenware market. This brand has products for every culinary endeavor, from chopping vegetables to baking, but the Manual Food Chopper is one of its best and most affordable products.
This manual food chopper is made from non-toxic plastic, meaning it is free from BPA and other potentially harmful chemical substances. This means that the product is safe to come into contact with food. The strength of the plastic itself is impressive and holds up against wear and tear very well.
The Vinipiak Manual Food Chopper has a 2-cup capacity, so you can dice a decent amount of onion at one time. It works using a pull mechanism, which is very simple to use and doesn’t require a lot of effort.
One thing we would say, however, is that it’s best to pre-cut your onion slightly before putting it into the chopper. Because this chopper is so compact, it may struggle to cut through a whole onion.
Therefore, we recommend slicing your onion into 4 pieces immediately before putting it into the device. This will still limit your exposure to syn-Propanethial-S-oxide and reduce the need for manual cutting.
Pros
- Non-toxic plastic construction: Durable and safe
- 2-cup capacity: Yields sizeable portions
- Pull mechanism: Intuitive and easy to use
- Works for onions, vegetables, and nuts: Multipurpose
- Compact: Portable and suited to small spaces
Cons
- Might require pre-cutting: Whole onions may be too large
- TIME SAVING AND MUTI-FUNCTIONAl : This speedy manual food chopper will help you cut vegetables, fruits and nuts.The garlic chopper will save much time in the kitchen. Putting the food into the bowl and pulling the rope once can chop food 15 times. Even the onion will not make your eyes watery. You can also make dips and chutneys in it .This hand pull chopper not only chops vegetables and fruits, but also can be as mincer and grinder to mince boneless meats and cottage cheese.
- STRONG & SAFE : The material of the hand pull chopper is nontoxic plastic .The sharp stainless steel blades are fast to chop and mince. The bowl is BPA free and safe for containing food. You can make foods for your baby.No electricity required.
- SAPCE SAVING & PORTABLE : First of all,easy to store.This manual food chopper has advantages of simple structure, economy, practicability, compact volume and convenience. 2 cup capacity is good for small kitchens, RVs, travel and camping.
- EASY TO CLEAN : The bowl and the blades can be separated, so the onion chopper is convenient to be washed.The lid can be wet,it has 3 outlets on the lid. Keep your kids away from the blades.
- WARRANTY: Although the quality of the garlic grinder is good,We still offer MONEY BACK within 30 days after you order it.And we also offer all life FREE EXCHANGING if it is broken.
4. Best Premium: Bellemain Vegetable Chopper Pro
If you chop onions or other vegetables very regularly and want to make this task as easy as possible for yourself in the future, you may wish to invest in a more high-end onion chopper.
In this case, we recommend the Vegetable Chopper Pro from Bellemain.
Bellemain has been an established U.S. kitchenware brand since 2007. The brand has received 99% positive feedback since launching its products through Amazon, and the quality and functionality of this onion chopper demonstrate why.
This onion chopper is very easy to use, relying on a simple push-down mechanism. By pushing down on the lid, you’ll force the onion through the blades, resulting in neatly diced onion pieces. It does require more elbow grease than some of the other models in our top 5, but it’s very quick and high-quality to compensate for that.
The blades are made of German stainless steel, which is very sharp and highly durable. Meanwhile, the BPA-free plastic ensures that the onion chopper is both wear-resistant and food-safe.
Bellemain’s Vegetable Chopper Pro measures 10.71 inches long and 4.8 inches wide, so it’s very compact for easy storage. It’s also highly portable, so wherever you might want to chop onions, you can take your onion chopper!
Pros
- Push-down operation: Intuitive and uncomplicated
- German stainless steel blades: Strong and sharp
- BPA-free plastic: Wear-resistant and safe for food
- 10.71 x 4.8 inches and 1.72 lbs: Lightweight and portable
- Dishwasher safe: Effortless cleaning
Cons
- Lid requires some force to push down: Takes more strength than other models
- CUT YOUR PREP TIME IN HALF: Tired of inferior dicers and slicers leaving fruits mush and vegetables half-cut? From carrots and other dense veggies to over-ripe tomatoes, our high-grade steel blades cuts veggies perfectly every time, in half the time.
- STRONGEST AND HIGHEST QUALITY BLADES, GUARANTEED: Our German Stainless steel blades are guaranteed not to rust or lose sharpness over time. Our dicer uses the toughest BPA-free plastic, and everything is DISHWASHER SAFE, as well as compact and easy to store.
- IT DOES EVERYTHING: Slice those potatoes, dice those tomatoes, and julienne those celery stalks—all with the same kitchen sidekick. All cutting parts have a locking mechanism for true safety, rather than snapping into place like most dicers.
- HEALTHIER EATING MADE SIMPLE: Whether you or your family and guests opt for low-carb, Paleo or Gluten Free, you’ll have the easy answer in the palm of your hands! Bellemain’s excquisite slicer and dicer helps you fit more vegetables, less carbs, and healthier options every day.
- THE DICERS WITH STYLE: Our best Bellemain blades handle pressure like a pro, resisting bends and warps while serving up the very best veggies and more!
5. Highly Commended: Mueller Austria Pro-Series 8
The Mueller Austria Pro-Series 8 is another vegetable chopping device that you should definitely consider buying to chop your onions.
This is a food chopper designed for both vegetables and eggs. Therefore, it’s a versatile product that is perfect as an onion chopper.
The chopping is done using stainless steel blades, which are very strong and have sharp edges that slice through food easily.
Mueller’s onion chopper comes with multiple blade sizes, which you can switch to adapt the chopper to your current needs.
Once you’ve selected your preferred blade arrangement, you’ll need to press down hard on the top of the lid to force the onion through the blades. This does require some force, but it’s definitely manageable and much faster than chopping onions entirely by hand.
The unit is dishwasher-safe, so cleaning it after use is very easy and doesn’t require any effort on your part.
Plus, the compact design of the Mueller Austria Pro-Series 8 allows for plenty of counter space, meaning you won’t be scratching your head trying to figure out storage. Its size also makes it portable for extra convenience.
While most customers have reported high levels of satisfaction after purchasing the Mueller Austria Pro-Series 8, we have noticed some reports of premature damage.
This indicates that there have been some quality control lapses in Mueller’s manufacturing process, which we hope to see rectified in the future since this is, otherwise, an excellent product.
Pros
- For vegetables and eggs: Versatile
- Stainless steel blades: Rigid and sharp
- Multiple blade sizes: Adaptable
- Dishwasher-safe: Easy cleanup
- Compact design: Portable and ideal for storage
Cons
- Some reports of premature damage: Potential issues with quality control
- Unmatched Quality – Chop, Dice, Slice or Grate with our newest Multi Chopper and Slicer by Mueller! This functional kitchen gadget will alleviate your prep time to just a couple of minutes. Made with premium materials like grade 420 stainless steel blades and food-grade bpa-free materials, it's the perfect tool to make home cooked meals easier and faster.
- 8 Diverse Blades - Three different sized chopper blades and 5 interchangeable blades for slicing, julienne, grating & shredding offer the functionality of multiple kitchen tools in just one, highly versatile, kitchen gadget. The high-quality stainless-steel blades will create perfectly chopped onions, tomatoes, and peppers for salsa, or shred an entire cabbage for coleslaw in no time.
- Innovative Design - Free-up countertop space with the Food Container. Use the Food Holder while cutting small vegetables and fruits. This prevents food from slipping while slicing it. It also makes it clean, safe, and easy to work with. No more hassles of washing and wiping. Dismantle it and just put it in dishwasher. Cleans easily in minutes with the complementary scrubbing fork. Its compact size allows you to store it almost anywhere.
- Improves Your Health And Saves Time – Busy lifestyles make us fall into the fast-food trap. It can take a lot of time and effort to dice, chop and slice the ingredients of a desired dish. Do not despair. Our multi-functional tool makes this process less time-consuming making it easier to add vegetables to your meals. That being said, you’re less likely to reach for unhealthy options. From now on, enjoy having more time for your family without missing out on any of the important nutrition.
- Live Customer Care – Talk to us via out toll-free number or live chat, not by email like our competitors. Mueller believes in making life easier, better and more enjoyable in all that we do. In the unlikely event that you don’t love your Chopper/Slicer, we will give you a replacement or a full refund. Our unparalleled 24/7 live telephone customer support is ready and waiting to assist with anything you need!
Frequently Asked Questions
An onion chopper may not be an absolute essential in your kitchen, but it can certainly make a difficult task much easier.
If you struggle to chop onions without eye irritation or without the entire onion falling apart, an onion chopper may be the best bet for you. Having the onions chopped inside a container will minimize the crying effect that onions have on many of us, and will also take a lot of time and energy out of the equation.
Yes, many onion choppers are also suitable for cutting up or dicing other types of vegetables, including carrots and tomatoes.
However, you should always check the product guidelines to make sure that this is the case. Not all onion choppers are durable enough to cut through certain vegetables, and attempting to do so may damage the product.
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