Healthy and tasty food should be the last thing we worry about especially when we have so much on our plate (excuse the pun). Just like our blender recipes, these food processor recipes are quick and easy to make. We have also tried to add a healthy twist to some of these recipes so that you can get a good meal and feel great for the rest of the day.
Of course, some of these healthy food processor recipes can be made in food processors and immersion blenders, but the change in the machinery often adds a change in texture, and sometimes, taste. So, are you ready to experiment with your handy dandy food processor? Let’s get started with the recipes:
1. Tahini Dressing
Homemade tahini can make your hummus or Baba Ganoush taste fresh and homely. The best part is, you get to do away with excess oil and preservatives. It’s so easy to make in a food processor that once you get the texture right, you wouldn’t want to buy it ever again.
Ingredients
- Sesame seeds – you don’t have to be exact with your measurements, just remember that a cup of sesame seeds will make half a cup of tahini. So, use the seeds as per your requirements.
- Flavorless oil – it can be avocado oil, olive oil; or anything that does not have a strong flavor.
- Salt – to taste
Method
- Roast the sesame seeds in a nonstick pan until they turn golden brown. If you have a bigger surface space they tend to brown quickly. Stir the dry sesame seeds in the pan because you will be surprised at how quickly they crackle and start to burn.
- Let the sesame seeds cool down before you pass them onto a food processor.
- Pulse the sesame seeds until they turn into a powdered texture. You might have to scrape the sides and bring the powdered texture near the blade for the next step.
- Start adding the oil slowly, one tablespoon at a time, or a thin stream, and continue blending. Usually, one cup of sesame seeds will require 3 to 4 tbsp of oil to bring it to a sauce-like consistency. Make sure not to add too much oil at once, it will make the mixture too watery.
- Add salt at the end to taste and you are ready to use it in other ingredients or eat it as a condiment.
2. Baba Ganoush
If you don’t like eggplant, try having it as a classic Lebanese dish. A Baba Ganoush plays to the eggplant’s strength – its texture. You’ll need the following ingredients to get started:
Ingredients:
- Eggplants – try looking for smaller eggplants as they are less bitter and have fewer seeds
- 4 large cloves of garlic – add more if you like the flavor of garlic
- Olive oil
- Tahini – You can make it from scratch or use the store-bought version. Homemade tahini elevates the recipe further.
- Lemon juice
- Salt – You can go for smoked fine sea salt for that extra smokey flavor. Otherwise regular salt is fine
- Paprika
- Parsley
Method:
- Start by poking small holes in the eggplants. You can use a fork and you don’t have to pierce deep into the eggplant, just enough to break through the skin. Place the eggplants on an oven tray along with the garlic.
- Bake them in a 400°F pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes or till the insides of the eggplants are soft and gooey. You can check with a knife after 20 minutes and let it cook further if required.
- Let the eggplant rest outside for 20 minutes or until it is cool.
- Scoop out the flesh of the eggplant and transfer it into a food processor. Peel the skin off the garlic before adding it to the food processor as well. Leave out the excess water that has dripped out of the eggplant and onto the oven tray. Usually, this water is bitter and makes the Baba Ganoush bitter.
- Add about half a cup of tahini into the food processor, you can increase or decrease the amount based on the size of the eggplant.
- Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon.
- Add salt, paprika and parsley to taste.
- Give it a good blend.
- Transfer it to a bowl and garnish with more parsley.
3. Salsa
The food processor is the best for salsa because it leaves chunky bits in the mixture while a blender makes it too smooth. The best part is, that the entire thing comes together in minutes.
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes – you can either use only fresh tomatoes or fresh and canned tomatoes
- Onions
- Jalapenos pepper or serrano pepper if you like the extra heat
- Lime juice
- Parsley
- Salt, pepper, cumin powder and paprika to taste
Method:
- Start by roughly chopping the fresh ingredients – the tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapenos and parsley. Optionally remove the seeds from the jalapenos.
- In a food processor, you can add canned tomatoes (don’t add the juice) along with the onions, garlic, and jalapenos. This step is optional.
- Pulse the mixture a few times until you get the desired consistency.
- Add the fresh tomatoes, parsley, and lemon juice to maintain the differences in the texture
- This is a good time to add all the seasoning and pulse a few times to bring it to the desired consistency
4. Broccoli Salad
This healthy salad makes for a great snack, or a meal depending on how much you make. Since all the ingredients are pulsed, they retain some form but are not overwhelmingly large. You can finish this bowl without feeling like you are eating a salad.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of Broccoli
- 1 ½ cups of cauliflower
- 1 cup of brussels sprouts
- ½ cup red onions
- 4 cooked pieces of bacon (optional)
- ½ Cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp kosher salt (or regular salt)
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese
- 3 tsp sunflower seeds
- 3 tsp pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup raw and sliced almonds
Method
- Roughly chop the broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and red onions.
- The next step is optional, but if you are afraid of pests in your cauliflower and other greens, take a bowl of warm water, add regular salt, and mix well. Add the roughly chopped broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts and let it soak completely under the water for at least 20 minutes. Transfer the vegetables into an ice-cold water and rinse. Remove the excess water.
- In a food processor add the broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, red onions, and bacon. Pulse the mixture until it’s chunky and well-mixed.
- In a separate bowl add the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, honey, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper and mix well until it reaches a dip-like consistency
- Now, transfer the blended vegetable mix to a bigger bowl. Add cheddar cheese, all the seeds, almonds, and the dip you prepared earlier.
- Mix it all together and your salad is ready to eat!
5. Hummus
You can make hummus in a blender as well, but a food processor does it just as well. Make sure you use a food processor with a powerful motor because there’s going to be a lot of blending involved in this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 can of chickpeas – you can also use fresh chickpeas, just make sure to cook them well before using them in the hummus
- ¼ cup of tahini
- 3-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- salt to taste
- Cumin to taste
- 2 tbsp of ice cold water
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- Parsley to taste
- Paprika to taste
Method
- Take your 1 can of chickpeas or 1 cup of cooked chickpeas and add it to the food processor
- Add the tahini to the food processor. Sometimes the oils in the tahini separate even if it is a good batch. So make sure to mix it well before adding it to the chickpeas.
- Add the lemon juice, garlic, salt, and cumin powder
- Blend the mixture for a few minutes or until everything comes together.
- Once everything has come together, you can stop the blender and scoop down the sides
- Start the blender again and slowly add in the ice water. The ice water emulsifies all the ingredients together, bringing it to a smooth spread-like consistency
- Let the mixture blend for a few more minutes. Feel free to scoop the sides whenever required. Remember that a powerful food processor is necessary for this step. The motor must be strong enough to run for a few minutes without overheating. Something like the Ninja Professional Plus Food Processor is excellent for making hummus in this manner.
- Add in the olive oil, and blend for a minute more
- You are ready to serve with some more olive oil, parsley, and paprika
6. Pizza Dough
I know a pizza dough is not an entire meal but making the pizza dough is the most time-consuming part of the pizza-making process. A food processor reduces your kneading time to a matter of minutes, so you can use this time to prep the pizza toppings and spend time with your family.
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 ⅓ cups lukewarm water
- 4 tsp white sugar
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Method
- Add the sugar to the lukewarm water and mix well. Add the yeast to the mixture and mix. Let the mixture rise.
- In a food processor add the flour and salt and pulse the mixture for a few seconds or until combined.
- Add the oil, followed by the yeast mixture, from the top in a thin stream while pulsing the mixture.
- The dough should combine into a slightly sticky consistency.
- Knead it separately if the dough is too sticky, by dusting a little flour on your kitchen counter.
- Once the dough is not sticky to the touch, you can let it rest.
- Take a bowl and coat it with olive oil. Add the dough to the bowl and make sure the dough has also been coated in the olive oil.
- Let it rest for at least 2 hours or till the dough has risen to double the original size. Your dough is now ready. You can cut it in half, roll it out, add your favorite toppings, and start baking!
7. Chia seed pudding
Who doesn’t love finishing off a meal with a dessert? Both tasty and healthy, this chia seed pudding has a super easy food processor recipe.
Ingredients
- Milk
- Frozen berries
- Lemon juice (optional)
- Vanilla extract
- Honey/maple syrup
- Chia seeds.
Method
Now this is a simple recipe that comes together in 1 minute! All you have to do is add all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until everything is combined. Pop it in the fridge for some time and serve cold.
Although you can add the chia seeds and start blending immediately, a food processor is not good at handling liquids like milk. So, to make sure the mix is a little more solid, you can soak the chia seeds in the milk for 5 – 10 minutes or until the chia seeds have become larger. This will give the mixture a pudding-like consistency.
8. Banana and Berry Ice Cream
Speaking of delectable desserts, this one is an ice cream with no cream in it!
Ingredients
- 2 bananas (frozen)
- 1 cup of frozen berries
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- A dash of milk
Method
- If you are using fresh fruits, I would suggest chopping them roughly and storing them in the deep freezer until they are hard. This will give the ice cream a sorbet-like consistency
- In a food processor add all the ingredients and blend until you get a smooth consistency, blend until smooth, and voila your creamless ice cream is ready!
9. Chocolate Avocado Pudding
The great thing about avocados is that they take the flavor of other ingredients (in this case chocolates). And while it makes everything super creamy, it is really good for the heart and does not add extra calories.
Ingredients
- 2 Avocados
- ½ a bar of melted chocolate
- 3 tbsp dark cocoa powder
- A dash of milk
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Method
- Simply add all the ingredients in a food processor and mix until combined
- Store the mixture in the fridge and serve cold
Conclusion
So here is a list of simple recipes you can make in a food processor. I would argue they are some of the best food processor recipes because they are healthy and delicious, both at the same time. Would you like to try any of them? Tell us if you’ve tried any of them.
