Vitamix vs Food Processor

by Kelly Duncan
(St. Clair Shores, MI)

In some of your recipes you use a food processor & some a Vitamix. I don't have a food processor & I've only had my Vitamix for 6 days so I'm still learning what I can do with it & always follow recipes for it. With the Raw Vegan Macadamia Ricotta Cheese can I use my Vitamix instead of the recommended food processor?

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Sassy Sez: Hi Kelly! A very good and fair question. Can a Vitamix sit in for a food processor? Well, it might help to first chat about how these pieces of kitchen equipment work.

What does a food processor do? It chops, slices, shreds, grinds, and purees. Which is why it works so beautifully when making foods such as that Vegan Macadamia Ricotta Cheese - because it first coarsely chops the macadamias, and then it purees it (along with the remaining ingredients) into a smooth "cheese". Then you remove the processor container and blade from the base, and use a spatula to easily and smoothly get every last drop into a bowl.

Now, a Vitamix has two different containers that are each shaped a bit like a V; larger at the top and smaller at the bottom. And there are two container options, one is a "Wet Container" and the other is a "Dry Container". And just as the names suggest, one is made for beautifully whipping up "wet" foods such as smoothies and soups and whole-food juices, and the other container is for "dry" foods such as grinding nuts and seeds, and making grains into flour.

But making this "cheese" (or something like hummus)? It is not exactly liquid and not exactly dry; it falls in between. So while it might work to blend it (with a bit of work and using the tamper to continually push the food back down to the blades), your cheese would be quite thick and in the end a bit difficult to remove completely from the bottom of the container.

Does this mean you cannot or should not give it a go with your Vitamix? No way! Experiment! You might find a way to do it (such as perhaps more liquid?) that I haven't figured out yet. It wouldn't be the first time. ;)

Best wishes, Kelly! xo





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