Best Meat Grinder Reviews and Guide

The food and beverage industry is changing with higher demand for lower-calorie foods, vegan/vegetarian options, and consuming foods without genetically modified organisms (GMO’s), nitrites, steroids, or other preservatives.

Now people are becoming increasingly wary of the quality of the food we eat. One of the ways to best improve the quality of your food (specifically your meat) is to use a meat grinder. Meat grinders allow one to control the amount of salt, fat, spices, and consistency of their meals.

Meat is still an essential part of the Western diet, even with the recent increases in vegetarianism and veganism. According to the World Atlas, Americans eat almost 10 oz of meat each day as of the start of 2018. Beef consumption has gone down, pork has been stable, and chicken consumption has nearly doubled.

Instead of trusting Tyson or Hickory Farms to give you a quality product, it is in your best interest to select more wholesome pieces of meat from your store and then process the meat yourself using more controlled portions.

The Best Meat Grinders List of 2020

Last update on 2021-02-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

1. Gideon Hand Crank Manual Meat Grinder

If you are looking for a lightweight and simple to use meat grinder, this is for you. Gideon specializes in making a lot of great kitchenware that is safe and durable. This meat grinder will turn any meats or vegetables into a finely minced product.

This product comes in white and weighs about 2.5 pounds. It also very portable as you can easily disassemble it and take it to a pool BBQ or picnic.

It has a very sturdy design to allow both the safe and robust mincing of the meat. It also features two stainless steel grinder plates for coarse and delicate textures. As I said earlier, this is a very safe product to use as the blades are very protected, not to allow damage or injury to your hand.

It also has an excellent grip at the base and is safe for most kitchen services that could get wet.

Because this is mostly made of plastic, it is a very dishwasher friendly meat grinder except for the steel cutting blades. Those must be washed with warm soap and water.

Overall, this is an affordable and perfect meat grinder for amateur chefs at home. It is straightforward to clean and disassemble, as well as safe. It does lack power and speed compared to the electric meat grinders on the list.

Things we find good 

• Perfect for amateur chefs and cooks
• Very comfortable non-slip grip
• Easy to clean and dishwasher friendly
• Very sturdy base
• Grinds frozen meat and vegetables well
• Strong steel blades

2. kitchener electric meat grinder

The Kitchener Heavy-Duty Electric Meat Grinder uses 500 W of power to deliver remarkable speed and quality ground meat for sausages, kielbasa, and stews.

This meat grinder is capable of grinding over 1000 pounds of meat per hour! It has a large capacity aluminum meat pan that is  11″ x 8″ x 2″ inches with enlarged neck to allow for more meat to be ground.

It has a three-speed setting for grind, stuff, and reverse. It also comes with accessories, including sausage stuffing tubes, multiple grinding plates, and instruction manual.

This meat grinder is a very sturdy stainless steel product. Not only is it made of sturdy stainless steel, but it also has antimicrobial properties to prevent bacteria and fungus is from growing in it. This meat grinder comes in silver and weighs 15 pounds.

Overall, this is a heavy-duty electric meat grinder that can handle any challenge. It has a powerful motor, a remarkable speed good enough for any restaurant. This is a product that will make tasty foods like sausage, meatballs, and casserole dishes very easy. A little expensive but offers a lot of value and utility.

Things we find good 

• Use sharp steel blades to get the best grind
• Clean up is easy with a large removable pan
• Heavy-duty 500 W motor
• Rust and microbial resistant
• One of the fastest meat grinders
• Comes with one year warranty
• Three sets of stuffing tubes are provided along with the grinder

3. LEM Products Stainless Steel Big Bite Electric Meat Grinder

LEM products are known for their toughness and innovative features. The LEM Stainless Steel Big Bite electric meat grinder is one of the most elite meat grinders on the list. This product comes in silver and weighs under 30 pounds.

It features a .35 HP powerful motor that is very silent with multiple settings. It works at remarkable speed as it can ground over 10 pounds of meat in less than five minutes.

Along with the meat grinder, it comes with three stuffing tubes and a meat stuffer to get a better grind. The last unique part about it is that it has an extended aluminum tray that helps pull more meat through the grinder even quicker.

This grinder has the durability and efficiency for those who need to use it weekly. It is excellent for grinding dog food for a kennel of Huskies. It is also great for a hunter who needs to process his or her venison or elk.

Overall, this is a great stainless steel electric grinder for home purposes. It cannot compete in terms of speed and quality as other grinders on the list. Still a great product made by a great company that offers excellent customer service support.

Things we find good 

• Silent yet powerful motor
• 5-year warranty
• Clean up is easy
• Stuffs meat easily without a stomper
• Comes with 3 stuffing tubes
• Sturdy design
• Comes in .5 and 1 HP for a faster grind

4. Gourmia GMG525 Electric Meat Grinder

Here we have a very affordable and efficient meat grinder made by Gourmia, who makes a variety of kitchen products, including air fryers, coffee makers, and food dehydrators, among other things. They pride themselves on affordable and quality kitchenware.

The GMG525 electric meat grinder weighs just under 7 pounds and uses 500 W of electricity to deliver an efficient grind. It is made of a very sturdy stainless steel as well as a copper motor. Three sharp blades ensure the best grind making sausage, veggies, or ground meat.

This product is ETL certified safety approved.

It has a three-way safety switch, which makes it very safe to operate. What I like most about it is that it has its own cookbook, which includes delicious recipes like chicken apple sausage, chicken basil patties, and many other delicious and healthy foods.

Clean up is easy as all parts clean easily in soap and water. All standard accessories like sausage tubes, meat stuffer, and interchangeable grinder plates are included.

Overall, this is an affordable, safe, and easy to use electric meat grinder for home use. Definitely not made for restaurants, but it can definitely help you make many delicious healthy meals for your family.

Things we find good 

• Very affordable
• Energy efficient
• Very durable stainless steel
• 3 sharp steel cutting blades
• 1-year warranty
• Comes with a recipe book
• Clean up is easy

5. Cuisinart MG-100

Here we have one of my personal favorites for a home electric meat grinder. I like the Cuisinart MG-100 because it can grind up to 3 pounds of meat or vegetables per minute. It can do this because if it’s a powerful 300 W motor and large neck to allow the meat to flow easier down the throat.

The motor also features a reverse function to unclog food products stuck in it. The grinder also offers two grinding plates for medium and coarse textures as well as two sausage attachments for making breakfast and regular sausages.

I like how this is a very no-nonsense meat grinder. This meat grinder weighs about 8.5 pounds, but it is very compact. It should fit comfortably on any kitchen space.

Overall, this is an efficient meat grinder that will get the job done at home, especially for making sausages. The only main concern is that parts are not dishwasher friendly and slightly underpowered compared to other electric meat grinders. Otherwise, it can grind up anything, including soft bones, and creates very little mess.

Things we find good 

• Can grind up to 3 pounds of meat per minute
• Best meat grinder for making sausages
• Simple clean up
• Made of a durable stainless steel
• Rustproof and microbial resistant
• Has a reverse switch for unclogging trapped food

6. Sunmile SM-G31

Sunmile, for decades, has made a variety of quality kitchen products. The Sunmile SM-G31 Electric Meat Grinde is a seriously heavy-duty machine made to work on any chicken, venison, seafood, vegetable, and anything you need to process except for hard bones like a cow.

This product has three different grinder plates for coarse, medium, and fine textures. The low-speed screwing auger ensures both a quiet and efficient grind and tenderization of the meat.

The machine uses a powerful 800 W copper motor to get the best grind. It can grind up to 150 pounds of meat per hour. The aluminum meat tray can hold a generous amount of meat. Clean up is relatively easy as all you need to do is running water with soap to get rid of most leftover meat and then dry it after use.

It has the right amount of accessories including stainless steel cutting blade, three various stainless steel cutting plates, one plastic food pusher, and one sausage attachment

Overall, this is a very powerful whole meat grinder that is great for serving large people. The only thing is that you must install the lock knob before using it to make sure the grinder is stable.

Things we find good 

• The emergency cutoff switch makes it very safe
• Can handle large amounts of meat/vegetables at a time
• Potent motor
• Easy to clean
• Comes with 3 different stell cutting plates for coarse, medium, and fine
• Very sharp blades

7. Upgrade Electric Meat Grinder

Are you looking for a safe and efficient home meat grinder? If you are, the Upgrade Electric Meat Grinder is perfect for you. This is a meat grinder not only capable of grinding meat and vegetables but also has purposes as a juicer.

It has a very durable stainless steel design with aluminum meat tray and a powerful copper motor that runs up to 2000 W. This is a machine perfect for making ground meat and stuffing conveniently.

Also, there is has plenty of accessories like meat stuffer three different steel cutting blades, coarse, medium, and fine texture grinding plates. Even with the machine, you can add in spices like turmeric, cumin, garlic to add extra flavor to your food.

 Also, this is an FDA approved product and ETL safety approved. Not only is it safe, but the stainless steel is made to prevent rust and corrosion. The button is easy to operate with three settings for on/off/reverse. This machine is incredibly easy to disassemble and to clean with just soap and water.

Overall, this is a super reliable meat grinder that does everything you need. It comes with a lot of cool accessories. The only negative is that the parts cannot be placed in the dishwasher, or they will stain/rust. One of the more powerful electric meat grinders on the list.

Things we find good 

• ETL safety and FDA approved
• Strong copper motor
• Useful as a juicer as well as a meat grinder
• Non-slip rubber base
• Elegant storage box design to store accessories
• Excellent customer support staff
• 3 exchangeable steel cutting plates for coarse, medium, and fine
• Very easy to clean

8. kitchen basics 3 n 1 manual meat and vegetable grinder

This is the meat grinder I would tell all college students to get. I would even recommend it to those living in small apartments. The Kitchen Basics manual meat grinder is a cheap yet sturdy manual handheld meat grinder that not only does meat and vegetables but pasta as well. You can make excellent looking spaghetti and rigatoni pasta with ease.

This device weighs just under 2 pounds and is very compact. It is made of durable plastic with the blades made fo stainless steel.

The device uses stainless steel blades to give it a good grind and also has a durable hard plastic base that has a suction cup to attach to the surfaces on kitchen counters firmly. What makes this awesome is that this is 100% dishwasher safe, as there is no aluminum in it. It also comes with all accessories you need including sausage funnels, meat stuffers, and two stainless steel grinding plates for coarse and fine textures.

Overall, this is a tremendous value and a very compact meat grinder. It is definitely not as flashy as others on the list but will get the job done if you have a small kitchen space.

Things we find good 

• Perfect for dorms or small apartments
• Can make spaghetti and rigatoni pasta
• Sturdy suction cup base to prevent slips
• Best price value on the list
• Dishwasher safe
• Very compact

9. Norpro Meat Grinder

If you want to try two-step your pasta game up and cook like Mario Batali or Emeril Lagasse or Nadia Santini, this is the pasta maker I recommend you buy.

This is one of the most affordable meat grinders on our list. The Norpro Manual is lightweight weighing less than 2 pounds yet can crank out meats, vegetables and pasta as efficiently. It has five pasta attachments to make over five different types of pasta.

It has all the necessary accessories, including two stainless steel grinder screens, sausage funnels, and stainless steel blades.

Also cool is that it has a recipe book to help give you some fresh ideas on how to take your cooking to the next level.

Overall this is a super affordable meat grinder and pasta maker that anyone can afford. The biggest problem is that it must take care of this as it may not be as durable as other expensive grinders on the list.

Things we find good 

• You can make Penne, Tagliatelle, Spiral, Rigatoni & Spaghetti pasta
• Very affordable
• Compact design
• Recipe and Instruction book included
• Makes little mess and cleanup is easy
• Assembly is easy
• Suction cup base to prevent slips

10. STX Turbo force

This last electric meat grinder has all the bells and whistles and is for those who think they’re going to need a lot of meat to be ground up.

The STX Turboforce II Platinum has a unique quad air cooling system to prevent overheating overall, giving this product a longer life. It has a mighty 2000 W copper motor with 3 different speeds (high, low, reverse).

It has more accessories than any other grinder on this list as it has three sets of sausage stuffing tubes, a meat pusher, five different size steel grinding plates, three stainless steel blades, a polished aluminum grinding head, and a foot pedal as well.

This machine is built to handle the volume, and it has a large size aluminum feeding tray that can quickly grind any meat, vegetables, and even soft bones into the desired size.

Overall, this is a fantastic machine, and you will get a lot of use in life out of it. It is one of the more expensive ones on the list, and the price tag is reflected in all it can do. Definitely for those who have to feed a lot of pets or people at home.

Things we find good 

• 3-speed settings and safety circuit breaker
• Grinds up to 200 pounds of meat per hour
• Made of reinforced stainless steel
• 5 different sizes of tempered stainless steel grinding plates
• Can grind down soft bones like chicken
• Built to handle a large volume of meat with its powerful 2000W motor and large feeding tray

Buying Guide

Budget

This should probably be the first thing you should determine before buying a meat grinder. I don’t know about you, but I just do not have money to throw on expensive kitchenware. I wish I could spend like Congress, but I have to be frugal. I would say there are three main price ranges of meat grinders.

Low, $50, and under: Meat grinders that are under $50 are usually gonna be your smaller handheld meat grinders (Northpro, Kitchen Basics) or lower-powered electric ones (Gourmia). While these cheaper grinders do you lack power and speed, they make up for its price, portability, and versatility. Also, since they do not have as much stainless steel or aluminum, they are more dishwasher safe.

Medium, $50-$175: Most of the grinders on the list will fall in this category. In this price range, you can get yourself an excellent electric meat grinder with all the accessories. These grinders are most likely to be made of stainless steel, which adds more durability and overall shelflife.

Premium, $175, and above: These are premium electric meat grinders that are not only meant for home but commercial use or for large scale events. These meat grinders are usually used by professionals, and depending on how much you’re going to use, it will definitely be an asset to your kitchen. I would say our best premium grinder on the list is the STX Turboforce Platinum II.

Material

The quality of the material to directly lead so how durable it is. The spectrum will usually feature harder plastics for cheaper meat grinders and then goes up to stainless steel for the more expensive ones. As far as the individual components go, including the cutting blade and grinder plates, they are usually also made of either carbon steel or stainless steel. Carbon steel is not as durable as stainless, but it does not rust as quickly nor is as heavy.

There are also can be aluminum components of meat grinders like most meat trays. Just like with your kitchen knives and cutlery, you should not be placing the steel components of your meat grinder in the dishwasher as it can lead to earlier rust and dullness compromising the grinder.

Type of Grinder Electric vs. Manual

Electric- The benefits of having an electric grinder includes being able to process meat and vegetables into a ground product faster. They usually have larger meat trays and motors that go up to 1 HP to get the job done. This is why they are more pricey, and they are prone to overheating.

Manual- These are going to be your cheaper grinders made of a harder plastic or carbon stainless steel. What these meat grinders lack in terms of speed and power they make up for in versatility. Smaller meat grinders can better make fresh pasta as well as juice. Also, manual meat grinders are slightly easier to clean as they have less stainless steel parts overall.

Grinder Size

The most common grinder screen sizes for home uses are 5, 8, 12, 22, and 32. The hole size determines how fine or coarse the final ground product is going to be.

The texture should match with the product you are trying to make, and here is a quick and dirty guide from the very fine to the coarse.

Fine- Pasta, breakfast sausages or hamburgers.

Medium Coarseness- Sausages, Polish sausages, Klebassa, hamburgers, and vegetables

Very Coarse- Ground meat, soft bones (chicken, duck), or large chunks of meats like for making dog food.

How Often Will You Use It?

If you are a casual chef like me who likes to make his own meals. I think a smaller electric grinder or a manual grinder will work fine.

For anyone who is going to use this one to two times per week, these grinders will get the job done. However, if you are continually making sausages, hunting, and storing your food or have to process large amounts of animal meat and bones for dog food, then you have to go to one of the larger electric grinders like the STX or LEM.

There is no way that smaller electric or manual grinders can keep up, and you will find yourself grinding for hours to get the same results, but you could get in a fraction of the time.

What Will You Be Grinding?

Not all meat grinders are created to handle tougher pieces of meat like elk or bison. Game meat or animals found in the wild tend to be more robust because they have more muscle and less fat. Because of this, you would need a powerful electric grinder like the LEM to get the job done efficiently.

A smaller electric grinder or manual one can get the job done, but again, you will be working a lot harder. Also, you were risking breaking those machines as well to do the excess strain.

All grinders can handle simple things like chicken, fish, and vegetables just fine, but if you’re an avid hunter or outdoorsman, it will benefit you to invest in one of the more premium grinders.

Meat Grinder Key Terms and Parts

• Feeding Tube– This is the chute where the meat is passed from the tray into the machine to be ground by the auger and cutting blades. The size of the feeding tube is directly related to how fast a meat grinder can process its product. For instance, those with larger feeding tubes like the STX and the Upgrade have a larger diameter as well as having a strong motor to help mice over 200 lbs of meat/vegetables per hour.
• Auger–  Like an auger drill, the auger of the grinder grabs hold of the meat or vegetables and forces it down to the main cutting blades. The auger is a corkscrew shape and helps tenderize the meat as well.
• Meat Tray– Pretty straight forward, this is the tray that sits on top of the grinder where you will feed your product into. It is crucial first to chop the meat into sizable pieces, so the grinder does not get jammed up. Also, most meat grinders are not made to handle hard bones like cows or pigs. Most meat trays are made of either some form of steel or aluminum, and their diameters vary; however, the larger meat trays will belong to electric meat grinders like the LEM and STX.
• Meat Pusher or Stuffer– This is the tool that helps feed the meat/veggies into the grinder.
• Cutting Blade– This is the main blade that minces/grinds up the food in the meat grinder. They are usually made of carbon or stainless steel and are super sharp, so be careful when cleaning or changing them out.
• Grinder Plate– This is the flat steel plate that is at the base where the final ground product comes out. Depending on the size of the holes on the grinder plate determines the texture of the ground meat/veggies.  There are also different grinder plates for making pasta as well as ground meat. Most products on the list will have 3 primary settings of fine, medium, and coarse except for the STX and Norpro, which has five separate grinder plates for pasta.
• Handle- This is only for manual grinders where you must manually churn the auger into the rotating cutting blades to grind your meat/veggies.

What are the Main Accessories that Come with a Meat Grinder?

• Multiple cutting blades
• Multiple grinding plates of different sizes
• Sausage stuffing tubes
• Meat stuffers
• Instruction manual
• Recipe guide
• Kubbe attachment ( a middle eastern dish made of ground meat, wheat, chickpeas that is really tasty)
• Warranty (depending on the company)

How Should I Prep the Meat Before Grinding it?

The first thing you should do is make sure the meat is cut into chunks to make it easier to pass into the grinder.

Second, you should make sure the meat has been adequately cleaned. This means removing any bones and cleaning it with water or vinegar to remove some of the gamey taste to allow the spices and herbs to give a better flavor profile.

The last thing is to keep your meat at a colder temperature rather than room temperature. The connective tissue and fatty components of meat get stretchy and tougher when warmed up.

What is HP or Horsepower when Talking About the Motor?

Horsepower (HP) is defined as the power needed to move 550 pounds a distance of one foot in one second. Back in the day, this is how people could convert the force a horse can exert and convert it into engine power.

Most electric meat grinders will have a motor that provides somewhere between .25 and 1 HP. The higher the HP, the faster and more powerful the meat grinder is. On our list, the Sunmile and the STX can achieve 1 HP with STX having its own cooling system.

How Do I Take Care of my Meat Grinder?

1. Clean your grinder after each use- A meat grinder should be treated as a good kitchen knife. After every use, it should be disassembled, cleaned with warm soapy water, and dried. None of the parts should be placed in a dishwasher unless they are carbon stainless steel because aluminum will stain, and stainless steel will rust (which happens right away if you have ever put a stainless steel knife in the dishwasher).
2. Keep your grinder and its parts in a dry place- Some meat grinders have their own storage containers for its accessories like the Upgrade. Anyways, wherever you store it, make sure all parts have their own dry space where they are not banging into other items.
3. Be careful to avoid overheating an electric meat grinder-  Usually, most electric meat grinders will need to cool down 10 minutes after each use. This is to prevent the machine from short-circuiting and to put to much strain on the internal hardware.

Conclusion:

Finding the perfect meat grinder for you can difficult with so many products and opinions online.

A good starting point is to determine how much you are willing to pay, how often you think you will use it, and what you will be cooking. Based on these facts, it can make shopping a heck of a lot easier.

Remember that smaller handheld meat grinders are cheaper and best suited for those with smaller kitchen spaces who want to use it once or twice a week.

Larger electric meat grinders are more costly but can grind meat, vegetables, and bones a lot quicker while having a lot more accessories. These are for people who are processing more copious amounts of meat for storage or consumption.