The 5 Best Salad Choppers

I got into the habit of making a salad most days for lunch, and one thing is undeniable: everything tastes better when well-chopped. A standard chef’s knife is up to the task, but a salad chopper makes quick work of breaking down your greens, and the results rival the prepared salads from your favorite grab-and-go spot. The best salad choppers will fit your space and budget — and they'll be a cinch to clean.

There are three types of hand-powered choppers to consider, as well as a high-tech electric option. Here's what you need to know about each:

• Mezzalunas: With a sharp, curved blade and a handle on top to rock the knife back and forth over food, these chop and mix ingredients simultaneously. Some come with two blades, which chop even faster but can be trickier to clean between the blades. Look for blade covers and cushioned handles for a safer, more comfortable pick.
• Salad choppers: This compact option rolls like a pizza cutter and is slimmer and easier to store in a drawer than a mezzaluna; they can also easily be used to cut salad directly in a bowl. Look for nonslip handle to maneuver with ease.
• Choppers with a pull-cord mechanism: This type takes some of the chopping pressure off of your hands. It's designed with a bowl and lid that reduces mess and creates a nice distance between you and eye-watering onions, though you can expect more pieces to clean.
• Electric Food Choppers — For the most power, an electric chopper is the fastest option that’s also capable of handling tougher ingredients; for its higher price, it'll do all the chopping work and comes with a bowl for a neater chopping session. Keep in mind, some parts may need to be cleaned by hand, and you'll need a free outlet and available storage space.

Keep reading for the five best salad choppers, and you'll soon be making your best salads yet. All of them have conveniently dishwasher-safe parts and are highly rated on Amazon.

1. The Best Mezzaluna Salad Chopper

With this mezzaluna salad chopper, you can make quick and clean slices through vegetables and other ingredients. The plastic handle across the top provides a comfortable grip, especially if you have any shoulder injuries, as a few reviewers noted, and it has a sharp stainless steel blade. This highly rated, dishwasher-safe knife comes with a protective cover for safe storage.

You might also like the double-blade salad chopper from this same brand to get the job done even faster if you have lots to chop.

A helpful review: “I purchased this mezzaluna after learning about this tool from a friend. It brings fun and functionality into making a chopped salad! It fits in my hand nicely, the blade is sharp, and the cover helps keep everyone safe while it is not being used. I thought about getting a double blade mezzaluna but another friend mentioned food constantly got stuck in the double blades. So I am very satisfied with this one. I like that it has a plastic handle instead of wood. There are no cons to this tool.”

2. The Best Salad Chopper & Bowl Set

If a joystick-like grip instead of a back-and-forth rocking motion sounds more comfortable for chopping, take a look at the best salad chopper and bowl set. A soft, non-slip handle holds two blades designed to roll over greens like a pizza cutter. The matching bowl is curved to fit those stainless steel blades comfortably, so you can slice through lettuce, cheese, fruit, and vegetables.

The dishwasher-safe bowl holds up to 5.5. quarts, so it contains everything in it even as you move quickly. With a 4.7-star rating and over 2,500 reviews, this is a favorite for salad prep.

A helpful review: “So simple, so easy to clean. This non-electric (non-gimmicky) salad chopper does exactly what it claims. You can chop an individual salad or enough for a family and guests. The end result depends on how long the user chops. There is no learning curve....you start chopping, you watch the salad, you flip it over a little with the side of the blade, you chop again and stop when you like what you see. You can chop lettuce only or throw anything and everything in the bowl and chop it at once. We now eat chopped salads at every dinner and it's never failed me. [...]”

3. The Best Pull-Cord Salad Chopper

The best pull-cord salad chopper is fun to use; pull on the cord a few times and watch as the stainless steel blades inside the lidded bowl move furiously to chop your vegetables, herbs, nuts, fruit, boneless meat, or even ice. With no need to plug this chopper into an outlet, it's still powerful enough to make pesto, hummus, or salsa to elevate your salad while also being portable.

The bowl's capacity is just shy of a quart and comes with a matching storage lid that seals your salad or ingredients if needed. The lid with the pull cord must be washed by hand, but the blades, bowl, and storage lid are all top-rack dishwasher-safe. Choose from cheery shades of green or red for this chopper backed by over 3,000 reviews.

A helpful review: “Everyone who uses this little chopper loves it!! We chop black olives, onions, lettuce, celery, avocados, tomatoes (yes, for salsa), pickles, etc. Want to make tuna salad, salsa, guacamole, etc., this is so handy! And, easy to clean!!"

4. The Best Salad Chopper That’s Also A Salad Spinner

This salad chopper also functions with a pull-cord mechanism, but it's unique for being a workhorse that prepares your salad from start to finish with one product. The strainer insert is useful for rinsing produce, and then you can dry it using the salad spinner function. Next, use the stainless steel blade attachment to chop vegetables, fruit, meat, and more into bite-size pieces. Use the main bowl, which reviewers noted holds about 3 quarts, to serve the salad. Any leftovers can be stored in the same bowl by sealing it with the matching lid.

All of the pieces can go in the dishwasher, except for the pull-cord piece, which is easily removed.

A helpful review: “I received this salad spinner today and couldn’t wait to try it out! The spinning mechanism works smoothly and one pull dried my lettuce easily. The quick chop is a great addition. The blades are sharp. Just took a several short pulls to chop some [veggies] nicely. It is compact. Clean up is easy. The bowl is good for serving. I am happy with this purchase!”

5. The Best Electric Salad Chopper

The best electric salad chopper with stainless steel blades shreds lettuce faster than any other chopper on this list and its power makes it incredibly versatile and convenient. Despite owning a large food processor, I was surprised by how often I instead turned to this chopper for daily kitchen tasks because it's easier to maneuver. And clearly, I'm not the only fan — this chopper has a 4.6-star rating and over 9,000 reviews.

Two speeds and a pulse option allow you to chop ingredients to a fine or coarse result or even purée them. Holding just over a 3/4 quart, this chopper's bowl can whip up hummus or guacamole as easily as diced carrots or sliced kale. Feel free to blitz tougher ingredients like whole nuts in here, too. The lid's drizzle basin is ideal for emulsifying a delicious salad dressing to top off your favorite salad; the bowl's pour spout lets you drizzle without spilling a drop. This pick's parts are dishwasher-safe.

Keep in mind this larger salad chopper will need to find a home on your counter or in a cupboard, though its cord does wrap underneath the base for a more compact fit. Pick your favorite color from more than a dozen options, including matte black, red, and white.

A helpful review: “ [...] I love salads, but never make them because of the labor required to chop up all my favorite veggies. So, I was willing to spend more money to get something quality and THIS IS IT!!! It is my kitchen game changer! Here are some of the things I've tried: onions, bell peppers, cucumbers, mozzarella and Swiss cheeses, extra firm tofu, frozen berries (for a smoothie), pork rinds (to make "breadcrumbs"), and a few other things I can't recall right now. This machine does everything quickly and effortlessly. [...] It's so FAST! And cleanup is a breeze. [...]”