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KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB Review: A Small Chopper Built to Last, With One Fussy Lid

The KitchenAid KFC3516OB is a small chopper built to last with one fussy lid, best for small households. Rated 4.5 out of 5 across 30,959 user ratings. The main drawback: the lid is the part most likely to break. We scored it 4.5 out of 5.

By Whimsical Pris, Kitchen Editor Published December 30, 2025 Updated September 26, 2026
4.5Our score
KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 2 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 3 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 4 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 5 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 6 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 7 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 8 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 9 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 10 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 11 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 12 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 13 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 14 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB, Onyx Black, view 15
Product gallery, 15 images
$69.95 Check price on Amazon

Prices shown were correct on September 26, 2026 and change frequently.

TL;DRThe Short Answer: Is the KitchenAid KFC3516OB Worth It?

Most mini choppers either leave half an onion whole or turn it to paste, and then give up long before they should. This KitchenAid does the small jobs properly: it chops evenly, cleans easily and takes up little room, and KitchenAid backs it with a nine-year limited warranty. It suits anyone who chops a little every day and wants a tool rather than a project. The catch is the lid, which takes a moment to learn and is the one part prone to breaking.

NoFussDeal rates the KitchenAid KFC3516OB 4.5 out of 5 at $69.95. Last updated September 26, 2026.

Key Facts

Bowl Capacity
3.5 cups
Product Dimensions
5.95"D x 7"W x 8.74"H
Wattage
240 watts
Voltage
120 volts
Material
Plastic
Color
Onyx Black

What Stands Out

  1. 240-watt motor with 2 speeds plus pulse, sized for a 3.5-cup bowl
  2. Locking stainless steel blade stays in the bowl when you pour
  3. Work bowl with a handle and pour spout, dishwasher safe
  4. Drizzle basin in the lid for adding oil to dressings and mayonnaise
  5. Nine-year limited warranty and a cord wrap in the base

Strengths and Drawbacks

What works

  • Chops small amounts evenly, which is its greatest strength
  • Drizzle basin makes mayonnaise, dressings and sauces easy
  • Pulse control gives fine control over texture
  • Easy to clean, with a dishwasher-safe work bowl
  • 2 speeds plus pulse cover coarse chopping through to puree
  • Compact and light enough to leave out or store easily
  • Noise is moderate for a chopper
  • Nine-year limited warranty from KitchenAid

What does not

  • The 3.5-cup bowl limits it to small batches
  • One chopping blade and no discs, so no slicing, shredding or grating
  • The lid is the part most likely to break
  • How to start the motor and remove the lid is not obvious at first

Features in Depth

01

A Nine-Year Warranty on a Kitchen Gadget

Warranty 9 Year Limited Wattage 240 watts Capacity 3.5 cup work bowl

KitchenAid puts a nine-year limited warranty on this chopper, and that deserves to be the headline because it is far longer than small kitchen appliances usually carry. A warranty term is one of the few honest signals a manufacturer gives about expected lifespan: it is a promise the company has to pay for if units fail. Nine years is a statement about the motor, and it is the clearest reason this costs more than the many cheaper choppers it sits beside. It also changes how you should judge the purchase. Measured on bowl size alone it is a lot of money for a small chopper; measured as a tool you may still own in a decade, it looks very different, and that is the difference between buying one appliance and buying several.

$69.95 4.5/5 Check price
02

A Chopper Is Not a Food Processor, So Know Which You Need

Recommended Uses Blend, Chop, Liquefy Product Dimensions 5.95"D x 7"W x 8.74"H Included Components Chopping blade, lid

KitchenAid calls this a food chopper, and the distinction from a food processor is real, so it is worth being clear before anyone buys the wrong tool. A full-size food processor has a tall feed tube and a stack of interchangeable discs for slicing, shredding and grating. None of that is here. This has one chopping blade in a 3.5-cup bowl, and what it does is reduce what is already in the bowl into smaller pieces: chopping, mixing and pureeing, in KitchenAid's words. That covers a great deal of everyday cooking: onions and garlic without a chopping board, herbs, nuts, salsa, a small batch of baby food from cooked fruit or vegetables, or a base for a soup or sauce. What it will not do is slice, shred or grate, and anyone buying it to shred a block of cheese will be disappointed. That is exactly where it excels: small chopping tasks in a compact size.

$69.95 4.5/5 Check price
03

The Locking Blade and the Pour Spout

Blade Locking, stainless steel Bowl Handle, pour spout, dishwasher safe Special Feature Cord Storage

Two details on this bowl solve problems so common in cheap choppers that most people have stopped noticing them. The first is the locking blade. On a basic chopper the blade sits loose on a central spindle, so when you tip the bowl to empty it the blade slides forward with the food, into your hand, the pan or onto the worktop. It is an easy way to cut yourself, and it is a design failure rather than user error. A blade that locks to the bowl stays put while you pour, so you can empty it without thinking about where the sharp part is. The second is the pour spout, paired with a handle: a chopper without them is a bowl you decant from awkwardly, dribbling sauce down the side. Neither feature is glamorous and both get used every time. KitchenAid also builds a cord wrap into the base, which keeps the lead out of the way in a cupboard.

$69.95 4.5/5 Check price
04

The Lid: Its One Recurring Weak Point

Durability Mixed, lid most cited Care Dishwasher safe, hand wash Colour Onyx Black

Durability is the one mixed point in an otherwise strong showing, and it is specific: the lid can break. That specificity is useful, because it points at one component rather than at general unreliability. The lid on a chopper does more work than it appears to. It locks to the bowl, it carries the control you press to run the motor, and it has to seat properly before the machine will start. That load is carried by small plastic tabs, and plastic tabs under repeated stress are the classic weak point in appliances of this kind. The lid also takes a moment to work out, both how to start the chopper and how to lift the lid off, so forcing it while learning is an easy way to strain it. The encouraging part is that a lid is a replaceable part rather than the end of the appliance, and the motor, the part you cannot replace, is the part the long warranty is really about.

$69.95 4.5/5 Check price

How We Scored It

Based on
The manufacturer's published specifications and the product's live Amazon listing.
Owner rating
4.5 out of 5 on Amazon, recorded September 26, 2026
How we score
We score each thing that comes up most in owner feedback on the KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KFC3516OB. Eight things come up most in owner feedback: seven draw praise and one splits opinion. Its ratings average 4.5 stars (79% five stars, 10% four, 4% three and 7% one or two), so every score starts at 90, that average on a 100 point scale. Where opinion is split, we take off 6. Where it draws mostly complaints, we take off 12. Then we read six owner reviews in full (every one we found gave it four or five stars) and move the score up to 5 points either way depending on how the owners who mention it rated the product. Our overall score starts from the same 4.5 star average and loses 0.1 for each thing that draws mostly complaints, with 0.1 more when at least a tenth of ratings are one star, never more than 0.3 in all. Nothing comes off here, so it stays at 4.5. Read our editorial standards

Performance

Three of the six owner reviews we read mention it. All of them gave the product four or five stars. Score 95: we started at 90 and added 5 because the owner reviews that mention it are positive.

95Positive

Functionality

One of the six owner reviews we read mentions it. That owner gave the product four or five stars. Score 90: its 4.5 star average on a 100 point scale.

90Positive

Size

KitchenAid lists the product dimensions as 5.95"D x 7"W x 8.74"H and the bowl capacity as 3.5 cups. Five of the six owner reviews we read mention it. All of them gave the product four or five stars. Score 95: we started at 90 and added 5 because the owner reviews that mention it are positive.

95Positive

Ease Of Cleaning

KitchenAid lists the product care instructions as Dishwasher Safe, Hand Wash. Four of the six owner reviews we read mention it. All of them gave the product four or five stars. Score 95: we started at 90 and added 5 because the owner reviews that mention it are positive.

95Positive

Power

KitchenAid lists the wattage as 240 watts and the voltage as 120 volts. Two of the six owner reviews we read mention it. All of them gave the product four or five stars. Score 95: we started at 90 and added 5 because the owner reviews that mention it are positive.

95Positive

Durability

KitchenAid lists the warranty description as 9 Year Limited. Two of the six owner reviews we read mention it, and those owners gave the product four or five stars, so the complaints come from the wider group of buyers. None of the reviews we read say what goes wrong, so this score rests on the buyer ratings. 11% of all ratings are three stars or fewer, which is where complaints like this usually s…

Read the full note (471 characters)

KitchenAid lists the warranty description as 9 Year Limited. Two of the six owner reviews we read mention it, and those owners gave the product four or five stars, so the complaints come from the wider group of buyers. None of the reviews we read say what goes wrong, so this score rests on the buyer ratings. 11% of all ratings are three stars or fewer, which is where complaints like this usually sit. Score 84: we started at 90 and took off 6 because opinion is split.

84Mixed

Owner Satisfaction

79% of ratings are five stars and 10% are four. 4% are three stars and 7% are one or two. The spread skews positive, but enough ratings sit low that the drawbacks below are worth reading. Score 90: its 4.5 star average on a 100 point scale.

90Positive

Specifications

Size and weight

Bowl Capacity
3.5 cups
Product Dimensions
5.95"D x 7"W x 8.74"H

Power

Wattage
240 watts
Voltage
120 volts

Materials and warranty

Material
Plastic
Color
Onyx Black

What Buyers Say

Based on 30,959 Amazon customer ratings, averaging 4.5 out of 5, recorded 12 September 2026. See the reviews on Amazon

5 stars 79%
4 stars 10%
3 stars 4%
2 stars 2%
1 stars 5%
★★★★★

Amazing. Finally a machine that chops even chunks as small as you want. Love it.

I honestly didn’t expect to love this little chopper as much as I do. I hesitated at the price because $69 felt high for something so small, but after using it, I get it.It just works. Onion… Read it on Amazon
Elizabeth Palmer · January 3, 2026 · Verified
★★★★★

Good chopper for the value.

Great little chopper. It is not a full food processor, but for chopping veggies for like pico in the summer and salads and stuff, it works fantastic. I just did not have the time to chop thi… Read it on Amazon
Kayla G · December 16, 2025 · Verified
★★★★★

Works like a charm, but...

My old mini chopper was giving me headaches and throwing me into fits of swearing and gnashing of teeth. Despite it being made by a premier small appliance company and stipulated to have sta… Read it on Amazon
Ann · August 17, 2024 · Verified
★★★★★

Perfect size

This little food processor is the perfect size . There is many many times when you need to chop or dice a small amount or blend a small amount this does the trick. I took a ripe banana and a… Read it on Amazon
gail shelton · April 14, 2026 · Verified
★★★★★

I totally recommend it

I have been using this little red devil for at lease two years and I absolutely loved it!!! Very easy to use. Big enough for my small family. Strong little machine. I can chop vegetables, gr… Read it on Amazon
Sunshine · August 29, 2026 · Verified
★★★★★

Tiny but mighty!!

If you love to have salads then this is a must in your kitchen. This is a perfect appliance for making your salad dressings, dips, sauces and much more. This is small but packs a punch, the … Read it on Amazon
Shreya Jay · July 6, 2026 · Verified

Setting It Up

  1. Position Base Unit

    Stand the base on a dry, level worktop near a socket and unwind as much cord as you need from the wrap underneath. The chopper plugs in; it does not run on a battery.

  2. Attach Work Bowl

    Set the 3.5-cup work bowl on the base and turn it until it clicks into place. The chopper will not run unless the bowl has clicked home, so if nothing happens later, check this first.

  3. Insert Blade Assembly

    Drop the stainless steel blade onto the centre post in the bowl so it sits fully down. Handle it by the central hub, never by the edges.

  4. Add Ingredients

    Cut larger items such as carrots or onions into chunks that fit loosely in the bowl, and do not pack it full. A loosely filled bowl lets food fall back onto the blade and gives a more even result.

  5. Secure Lid with Drizzle Basin

    Place the lid on the bowl and lock it in place. The drizzle basin sits on top of the lid, so for dressings or mayonnaise you can pour oil into it while the chopper runs.

  6. Select Speed and Process

    Choose a speed, then press down on the top of the lid over the handle to run the motor; let go and it stops. Short presses give a coarse chop, longer runs a finer one. With dense vegetables such as carrots, you may need to steady the base with your other hand.

Common Questions

How do I stop the lid breaking?

Three ordinary habits wear it out and all three are avoidable. Seating the lid at an angle and forcing it into place puts the whole load on one plastic tab, so set it flat, then turn. Levering it off before you know the release strains the same tabs, so learn how it comes off first. And overfilling presses on the lid from below every time the motor runs, which is a good reason to leave room in the bowl.

If the lid does break, is the machine finished?

No. Look for a replacement lid before replacing the appliance. A lid is a separate component, and a brand confident enough to offer nine years on this chopper is likely to keep supplying parts. That is also the right way to read the warranty: limited warranties generally cover the motor and manufacturing defects rather than plastic parts that get dropped, and the motor is the part you could not replace yourself.

What do I need to do to keep the nine-year warranty usable?

Register the product if KitchenAid offers registration, and keep the proof of purchase somewhere you will actually find it years from now. A long warranty is worth little without a receipt, so photograph it and store the image somewhere safe on the day it arrives.

Why choose a 3.5-cup bowl over a bigger machine?

Because small jobs often fail in a full-size processor: the quantity is too small to reach the blade, and half an onion in a big bowl sits around the edge while the blade spins in the middle. A small bowl keeps the food where the blade is, which is why this gets used instead of a big processor for most everyday tasks.

How do I get an even chop instead of mush?

Pulse rather than holding the control down. Short bursts let the contents fall back onto the blade between them, which gives an even result instead of a puree at the bottom and whole pieces on top. Worked this way, it gives a genuinely even chop.

Can the blade go in the dishwasher?

KitchenAid lists the work bowl as dishwasher safe, and ease of cleaning is one of its biggest strengths, partly because with one blade and no discs there is very little to take apart. Washing the blade by hand is still the kinder choice for its edge, and it saves fishing a sharp blade out of a full dishwasher basket.

On Video

6 videos

Worth It? | KitchenAid 3.5 Mini Food Processor Review

The Average Kitchen
All videos
  1. Worth It? | KitchenAid 3.5 Mini Food Processor Review The Average Kitchen
  2. How to Use the KitchenAid® 3.5 Cup Food Chopper KitchenAid Canada
  3. KitchenAid 3.5-Cup Food Chopper | QVC QVCtv
  4. KitchenAid 3.5-Cup Food Chopper on QVC QVCtv
  5. KitchenAid 3.5 Food Chopper | Our Point Of View WTI
  6. REVIEW // KitchenAid KFC3516OB 3.5 Cup Food Chopper, Onyx Black Quick Amazon Product Reviews

The Verdict

4.5Out of 5

The KitchenAid KFC3516OB does the everyday jobs a mini chopper is for, and does them well. It gives an even chop, cleans easily and takes up little space, and the 240-watt motor with 2 speeds plus pulse gives enough control to keep nuts granular or take cooked vegetables to a puree. The locking blade, handle, pour spout and drizzle basin are small design decisions that make it pleasant to use, and the nine-year limited warranty is far longer than choppers usually carry. It is not a food processor: there are no discs, so it will not slice or shred. The weak point is the lid, which takes some learning and is the part most prone to breaking.

Who should buy it

  • Small households who chop onions and herbs daily
  • Cooks with limited counter or cupboard space who want a compact chopper that stores neatly
  • Home cooks who make their own dressings, mayonnaise and sauces and will use the drizzle basin
  • Buyers who would rather pay more once for a chopper with a long warranty than replace a cheap one
  • Parents making small batches of baby food from cooked fruit and vegetables

If you want a small, dependable chopper for everyday prep, this is an easy one to recommend, as long as you know it is a chopper rather than a food processor. Learn how the lid comes off before you need to, treat it gently, and the long warranty covers the part that matters most.

Check price on Amazon

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