Kenwood MultiPro Compact Review: Can One Small Processor Really Do It All?

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If you’re short on kitchen space, buying a food processor can feel like a bit of a gamble. The smaller ones are easier to live with, but they also often lose the features that make a good food processor in the first place.

The Kenwood MultiPro Compact+ FDM312SS gives you everything you need in a compact size.

You get an 800W motor, 2.1L food processor bowl, 1.2L blender, built-in digital scales, a glass multi-mill, and two smoothie-to-go cups, all using the same compact base.

After looking at what it can do, where it works well and where the compromises are, the Kenwood MultiPro Compact+makes a lot of sense for everyday cooking, especially if you’d genuinely use the blender and built-in scales.

In this article

The quick answer

Best for: smaller kitchens, couples and families wanting one appliance to cover lots of everyday preparation jobs.

Not ideal for: very large batches or anyone who only needs a basic processor and won’t use the extra attachments.

Biggest advantage: food processing, blending, weighing and smaller grinding jobs from one motor base.

Main downside: two speeds plus Pulse means control is relatively basic.

Power: 800W.

Processor bowl: 2.1L, with a 1.2L liquid working capacity.

Blender: 1.2L.

Extra features: built-in weighing scales, glass multi mill and two Blend-Xtract 2GO cups.

Included: knife blade, dough tool, dual metal whisk and three slicing/grating discs.

Worth buying? Yes, particularly if you’re short on space but don’t want to buy separate appliances for every job.

Check the latest Kenwood MultiPro Compact+ FDM312SS price on Amazon UK.

It’s genuinely compact

The clue is in the name, obviously, but the Kenwood MultiPro Compact+ does make a real attempt to keep its footprint manageable.

The FDM312SS measures approximately 20cm wide, 23cm deep and 36.5cm high. That’s useful if your kitchen worktop is already playing host to a kettle, toaster, coffee machine and air fryer.

The more important point, though, is how much functionality that relatively small base supports.

Rather than having separate motor units for a blender, food processor and smoothie maker, several attachments share the same base.

You’ll still need somewhere to keep those attachments, of course. Compact doesn’t mean they’ve discovered how to make a blender jug disappear.

What can the Kenwood MultiPro actually do?

Honestly, a fair bit.

The main processor handles chopping, slicing, grating, kneading, whisking and mixing. Kenwood supplies three discs: a reversible 2mm slicing/grating disc, a reversible 4mm version and an extra-fine grating disc.

Need onions chopped? Easy.

Carrots grated for coleslaw? Covered.

Pizza dough? There’s a dough tool.

Cream or egg whites? The dual metal whisk takes over.

The 800W motor offers two speeds plus Pulse, with the higher setting intended for tougher ingredients such as root vegetables.

It’s less a specialist appliance and more a jack of all trades.

The 2.1L bowl hits a useful middle ground

Capacity is where compact food processors can become awkward.

Too small, and preparing dinner means processing ingredients in several batches. Too large, and you’ve replaced your knife with something approximately the size of a microwave.

The MultiPro Compact+ uses a 2.1L bowl, with Kenwood specifying up to 1.2kg working capacity for dry ingredients and 1.2L for liquids.

For ordinary household cooking, that’s a useful compromise.

There’s enough room for vegetables, dips, sauces, mixtures and moderate amounts of dough without giving the processor an unnecessarily huge footprint.

Large families and serious batch cooks may still prefer a 3L-plus machine, but for normal day-to-day preparation, the capacity makes sense.

The built-in scales are genuinely useful

This is where the Compact+ starts to separate itself from simpler processors.

The motor base includes an integrated digital weighing scale with an LCD display, allowing ingredients to be weighed directly into the processor bowl or onto the supplied weighing tray.

It sounds like a relatively minor feature until you’re making dough or following a recipe and realise you’ve removed another bowl and separate kitchen scales from the washing-up pile.

For baking in particular, this could become one of those features you don’t think you need until you have it.

Having a blender included is even more useful

The food processor is only half the story.

The FDM312SS also includes a 1.2L blender, giving you a separate setup for smoothies, shakes and soups.

Then there are the Blend-Xtract 2GO cups.

Kenwood lists two smoothie-to-go cups with this model, meaning smaller drinks can be blended without using the full jug and then taken with you afterwards.

If smoothies are a regular part of your routine, that’s considerably more useful than simply throwing in a blender attachment you’ll use twice a year.

We’ve compared different blending setups in our Personal Blender vs Jug Blender: Which Should You Buy for Smoothies? guide.

And if you need something to put in it, our 10 Easy Smoothie Recipes You Can Make in 5 Minutes should help

Don’t overlook the glass multi mill

Another useful extra is the glass multi mill.

It’s intended for smaller jobs such as grinding coffee beans, crushing nuts, chopping herbs and preparing things like pesto and dips. Kenwood also points out that using glass helps prevent stronger flavours transferring between ingredients.

That’s a better solution than putting three tablespoons of herbs into a 2.1L processing bowl and watching them desperately try to avoid the blade.

Where does it fall short?

Its biggest strength also creates its main weakness: there’s a lot included.

If you’re only interested in chopping vegetables, buying a processor with scales, a blender, smoothie cups and a mill may be unnecessary.

The two-speed control is also quite basic compared with more expensive machines, and although the base combines metal and plastic construction, you’ll naturally still have several plastic bowls and accessories to store.

And despite the “Compact” name, the complete accessory set still needs cupboard space.

Then there’s the price

This version should be treated differently from the cheaper basic MultiPro models.

You’re not simply buying a 2.1L food processor. You’re also getting the blender, integrated scales, multi mill, smoothie cups, weighing tray, whisk, dough tool and three slicing/grating discs.

That makes direct price comparisons with basic processors slightly misleading.

Amazon prices also change frequently, so rather than judging it against one temporary sale price, the better question is whether you’ll actually use those extra functions.

If the blender, scales and mill replace appliances you’d otherwise buy separately, the package starts to make considerably more sense.

If they’ll remain untouched in the cupboard, you’re paying for features you don’t need.

See the latest Kenwood MultiPro Compact+ FDM312SS price on Amazon UK.

Who should buy the Kenwood MultiPro Compact+?

Buy it if:

Your kitchen or worktop space is limited.
You regularly chop, slice or grate ingredients.
You would genuinely use an included blender.
Built-in weighing would make cooking easier.
You make smoothies or shakes regularly.
You like the idea of one motor base handling several appliances.

Skip it if:

You regularly prepare very large batches.
You only want a basic food processor.
You need lots of precise speed control.
You already own a good blender and kitchen scales.
Storing multiple accessories is a problem.

The verdict

The Kenwood MultiPro Compact+ FDM312SS gets the most important part of “compact” right: it reduces the number of separate appliances you need without becoming so small that its usefulness disappears.

Its 800W motor and 2.1L bowl cover everyday processing well, but the built-in scales, 1.2L blender, glass multi mill and smoothie cups are what make this particular model stand out.

It isn’t the simplest or cheapest option, but for smaller kitchens where versatility matters, it’s a convincing all-rounder.