Cutting onions can be quite a pain to your eyes and fingers—the latter if you’re not watching the knife. It can also be time-consuming when you’re trying to whip up a meal while figuring out how to stop the tears.
What you need is a quick and efficient way to cut your onions. By using an onion chopper or onion dicer, you can prepare your food faster and escape those sulfurous fumes.
Read on to learn about our top five picks for the best onion chopper and onion dicer!
Our Top Picks
Best Overall:
Mueller Onion Chopper 4-Blade Pro Series
Best Design:
OXO Good Grips Vegetable Chopper
Budget Performance:
Cambom Manual Food Chopper
Best Overall
Mueller Onion Chopper 4-Blade Pro Series
Whether you use this as an onion chopper or onion dicer, you’re guaranteed a quality performance when pressing the lid down. The Mueller Onion Chopper is made of food-grade ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic, providing break resistance and long-lasting durability.
This heavy-duty device holds up to 4 cups of onions or other food and comes with four stainless steel blades. Each blade lets you cut your onions to whatever sizes you desire. And if you have food stuck to the blades, the included cleaning brush will save you from potentially cutting yourself.
Besides a lifetime warranty, live telephone customer support is available if you encounter any device problem!
Pros
- Chops and dices the hardest vegetables
- Dishwasher-safe
- Lifetime warranty
Cons
- Sometimes requires a firm press
- Small cutting surface
- No specific storage for three extra blades
Best Design
OXO Good Grips Vegetable Chopper
The manufacturer of the BPA-free OXO Good Grips Chopper thought of everything when designing this onion chopper. It has a removable grid that will gather any onion remnants so there’s no struggle in trying to clean the device. After cleaning the grid, you can easily snap it back on.
The best feature of this chopper is the easy-pour opening. You won’t have to scrape food off cutting boards or scoop food out of the container. Instead of removing the lid after chopping and dicing the onions, just tilt the device and pour from the back!
Pros
- Dishwasher-safe
- Comes with a scraper to clean the blades
- Base’s grip provides stability
Cons
- Only one size cutter
- Easy-pour opening may let out onion vapors
- Disassembly requires some effort
Budget Performance
Cambom Manual Food Chopper
If you’re looking for a fast-performing onion chopper but want to save money, try the Cambom Manual Food Chopper. Its three stainless steel blades will efficiently cut your onions, vegetables, and other food products.
Pull on the nylon drawstring and the blade will cut your onions depending on how many times you pull it. A rough cut only takes five seconds if you pull the string five times! Its increased wear resistance makes for a lasting food-chopping device and will pull back soon after the first chop.
This onion chopper holds 2 cups of chopped food, and the body is dishwasher-safe. It’s designed with an anti-skid rubber strip so you have a stable grip as you pull the drawstring.
Pros
- Choice of two other sizes
- More controlled chopping
- BPA-free
Cons
- Water gets into the drawstring if not hand-washed properly
- Smaller-size chopper will require pre-cut onions
- Food remnants can get stuck in the linings
Budget Manual
Brieftons Express Manual Food Chopper
Another money-saving option for cutting onions is Brieftons Express Food Chopper. It only takes a few pushes on the easy-pump handle to chop your onions. If you like cleanliness and prefer an onion chopper or onion dicer that’s quiet and less messy, this is your device!
Before going on the market, this device was stress-tested, guaranteeing to last over hundreds of thousands of uses. A durable chopper such as this will provide you with up to 2 cups of onions for a good long time.
Its collapsible handle makes for great compact storage. Best of all, with this onion chopper, you’d get a printed manual and receive five exclusive recipe ebooks via email. As a bonus, if there’s a problem with this item within 12 hours of purchase, Brieftons will help you solve it.
Pros
- Blades concealed during use for safety
- Options for 6.8 cups and 8.5 cups
- BPA-free
Cons
- Doesn’t specify dishwasher safety
- Smaller size chopper requires cutting onions to fit them inside
- Blades may rust if not dried
Best Electric
Ninja Food Chopper Express
For less effort and faster onion-chopping time, try the 200-watt-powered Ninja Food Chopper Express. The bowl’s non-slip base and easy-to-handle motorhead make this chopper easy to operate. Just press and hold the pulse button on the motorhead for precise cuts of up to 2 cups of onions.
The chopper express has four stainless steel blades that don’t just chop and dice onions. With these blades, you can also mince, grind, and blend them and other ingredients like a processor. Its splash guard also comes in handy for keeping chopped food fresh and out of the motor head.
Pros
- Easy to assemble
- Has good blending power
- Splash guard functions as a storage lid
Cons
- Pricey
- Motorhead isn’t dishwasher-safe
- Cord is a little too short
Onion Chopper and Onion Dicer Buyer’s Guide
The images of an onion chopper and an onion dicer look straightforward and promising. However, there’s always more to them than when you first see them. Before you purchase your means of cutting onions, let’s go over certain features and qualities to help you decide.
Manual or Electric
Perhaps you prefer putting in less work with cutting onions or you prefer being in control of the chopping process. With manual choppers, you’ll get either uniform pieces or customized cuts, while electric ones just cut in random shapes.
Noise preferences are another factor when comparing an electric and non-electric onion chopper and onion dicer. You can either flip a switch, resulting in white or undesirable noise, or manually commence quiet chops.
What really sets the two types apart is a matter of location. Electric onion choppers and dicers require a location with an outlet, but manual ones can work anywhere. The choice is yours!
Ease of Use
You want to be able to use an onion chopper or onion dicer without any difficulty. Perhaps you want one that isn’t so hard to use the first time you chop or dice. A device that has a non-slip base is a bonus since stability is factored into chopping and dicing with ease.
Capacity
How many onions do you usually prepare for your meals, depending on the recipe or the number of people eating? Or how many onions are you planning to chop and store for when you plan future meals?
Most containers where the cutting takes place or that hold the pieces after being cut range from 1 to 4 cups. You want a chopper or dicer that will hold as many cut onions as necessary. But you’ll also want to consider the storage space when looking at the cup size.
Easy Cleanup
Your onion chopper or onion dicer should be easy to wash or simply clean up after using it. The last thing you want is to be unable to remove leftover remnants from the blades for fear of cutting yourself.
Being dishwasher-safe is a bonus, as you wouldn’t have to dodge the blades as you’re handwashing the chopper or dicer. If your chosen product comes with a cleaning brush, that will ensure an easier wash whether it’s dishwasher-safe or not.
Blade Quality and Number
Sharp, durable blades are necessary for chopping and dicing onions. Stainless steel is the blade material to look for. You don’t want them to become rusty or dull after only a few uses.
When evaluating onion choppers and dicers, try finding one that includes more than one size of blade. You’ll have more ways of cutting onions if you purchase a device that lets you decide the sizes of the pieces.
Onion Chopper and Onion Dicer Frequently Asked Questions
How can I fit a whole onion under an onion chopper or onion dicer?
You can’t just put a whole onion in and press down or pull a drawstring. You’ll need to prep it for a good fit. It requires at least three cuts, but the chopper will do the rest of the work.
Chill an onion for 30 minutes in the refrigerator to slow the vapors’ release when it’s time to cut it. After removing the onion from the fridge, cut off the nodes on each end and throw them away.
Peel off the skin and wash the onion. Then cut it in half, place one half on the chopper, and proceed.
What does BPA-free mean for certain onion choppers and dicers?
If you see a feature that says BPA-free, it’s important to note what this acronym stands for. BPA means bisphenol A, a chemical used for certain plastics in commercial products that hold food and drinks. Unfortunately, this chemical has health risks as it touches the food you chop.
BPA is even more of a risk for your food and drink if the plastic is exposed to heat. People who are trying to avoid BPA exposure will likely purchase an onion chopper or onion dicer that’s labeled BPA-free.
If the devices’ blades become dull, can I sharpen them?
When knife blades dull over time, we have the ability to sharpen them so we’re not struggling with making a smooth slice. As for blades on an onion chopper or onion dicer, attempting to sharpen them could likely damage them.
Most of the choppers have stainless steel blades, which are designed to be sharp and durable. If they dull over time, it’s safer to order more blades from the manufacturer.
Can food processors chop and dice onions too?
That depends on the number of times you use them to chop and dice the onions. It also depends on the setting you put them on if they’re electric and come with other preparation options.
It may not matter to some people, but with a food processor, your onions won’t be cut in uniform shapes.
Chop and Dice Onions Without the Tears!
Besides learning the hacks to tear-free onion cutting, save yourself time by purchasing an onion chopper or an onion dicer. Food preparation doesn’t have to be a lengthy task, let alone make you cry while you’re doing it.
We highly recommend the durable Mueller Onion Chopper. It’s easy to use, holds a good capacity of chopped onions, and offers injury-free cleaning.
Would you like to learn more ways to prepare your onions? Visit our Onions page, and take a look at other onion varieties you can add to your meals!