Presets, smart features, and extra cups are only a few of the extras that come with today’s blenders. Not everyone needs a premium blender with 17 speeds and the ability to make nut butters. The best blenders are made in different types to fit everything from professional to single-serving needs.
Best overall: Vitamix E310 Explorian BlenderBest blender/food processor combo: Oster Blender Pro 1200Best personal: Ninja Personal BlenderBest immersion: KitchenAid KHBV53IC Variable Speed Corded Hand BlenderBest powerful: Hurom Hexa Power High-Speed BlenderBest budget: NutriBullet NBF50520 Touch Combo Blender
How we chose the best blenders
I’ve researched and tested kitchen products for years. My search for the best blenders began with evaluating performance consistency and reliability. Next, I considered the quality of the construction and materials. For example, glass and stainless steel last longer than plastic. With blenders, there’s also a balance between premium features and performance. I looked for those that leaned toward performance over fancy touchscreens and long lists of preprogrammed buttons. Premium features add to the price, but the performance often is the same as less expensive models with manual controls.
Best blenders: Reviews & Recommendations
With so many blenders on the market—and even more with tons of features—picking a new blender can be a challenge. We’ve scoured the internet to find the best blenders that crush the competition as easily as they can demolish ice. Some of these best blenders can even heat up soup. One of these should make all of your milkshake or margarita-making dreams come true.
Best overall: Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender
Why it made the cut: The E310 has the power and durability of more expensive Vitamix blenders, but simple controls keep the price more reasonable, making it our choice for the best blender. Specs
Dimensions: 11 x 8 x 18 inchesContainer size: 48 ounces Speeds: 10, plus pulse feature
Pros
10 manual speed controls, plus pulse featureTamper included to loosen thick mixesHeat blending in six minutes
Cons
NoisyMixes can get stuck in the container
The Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender brings quality to the kitchen. Vitamix is well-known for its industrial-strength blenders, and the E310 meets their high standards. This pick has impressive power and high-quality materials and construction, but it doesn’t have some of the premium features available on other models, such as a touchscreen and vacuum sealing. That keeps the price slightly lower on this model with all of the power you’d expect from a Vitamix blender. A manual dial controls the 10 speeds, and a switch operates the pulse feature when it’s time to loosen thick mixes. The stainless-steel blades actually create heat, which allows users to create warm soups in about six minutes. The 48-ounce pitcher holds enough for two or three people, so it might not work for large families or groups.
Best blender/food processor combo: Oster Blender Pro 1200
Why it made the cut: The Oster acts as a kitchen multitasker with a food processor attachment that works just as well as the blender. Specs
Dimensions: 7.25 x 8 x 14.25 inchesContainer size: 50 ounces (blender)/40 ounces (food processor)Speeds: 7
Pros
Includes food processor attachment and bladeBlends in two directionsThree pre-programmed settings and pulse control
Cons
Some units have been known to leak
The Oster Blender Pro 1200’s 50-ounce glass pitcher, 24-ounce cup, and 40-ounce food processor container and blade provide versatile options for smoothies, food processing, and blending. Both the blender and food processor blades work in both directions to reduce suction. The blender blade is designed to push food downward to keep food moving into the blades for smoother results. The Pro 1200 offers seven speeds, including pulse and three presets for the most popular foods—smoothies, salsa, and milkshakes. And all of the parts, except for the base, are dishwasher safe.
Best personal: Ninja Personal Blender
Why it made the cut: This model’s manual pulse that powers through shakes and smoothies combined with its personal-size cups with to-go lids make it our pick for the best personal blender. Specs
Dimensions: 4 x 4 x 13 inchesContainer size: 16 ouncesSpeeds: 1
Pros
Blend-and-go design of cups and lidsSimple to use and cleanPowerful motor and blades break through frozen ingredients
Cons
Does not provide continuous power
This Ninja blender can easily blend protein shakes and smoothies every day without slowing down. It comes with two 16-ounce cups and two to-go lids. You can blend directly into the cups, attach a lid, and you’re good to roll with a blend-and-go meal or snack. This model has the power to break up frozen ingredients even though it’s equipped with only a single speed. However, that single speed only activates when you press on the cup; there is no continuous power. This design works well for smoothies and protein shakes, especially when using frozen fruit, the pulsing action prevents food from over-thickening and creating suction. However, without a continuous speed option, it doesn’t work for much else.
Best immersion: KitchenAid KHBV53IC Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender
Why it made the cut: The KitchenAid’s performance and quality stand out as it blends through all kinds of mixes, rising as our choice for the best immersion blender. Specs
Dimensions: 2.5 x 3.56 x 16.3 inchesContainer size: N/ASpeeds: Variable speed trigger
Pros
Can be used in bowls of various sizesRemovable blending armIncludes a pan guard to protect nonstick surfaces
Cons
Variable speed is hard to control
Available in 11 colors, the KitchenAid KHBV53IC Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender features an eight-inch removable blending arm with a stainless-steel blade. The motor provides enough power to make protein drinks, smoothies, milkshakes, soups, hummus, and other dishes made possible thanks to handheld immersion blenders. This KitchenAid blender comes with a three-cup container that doubles as a measuring cup. There’s also a pan guard included for use when mixing in nonstick cookware or other delicate containers. At cleaning time, the arm detaches from the base and goes in the dishwasher, along with the measuring cup and pan guard. The only part of this immersion blender that is not dishwasher safe is the motor unit. A variable speed button provides some speed adjustability. However, it’s fairly difficult to control. Most people find that the blender is either on or off with very little variability in between.
Best powerful: Hurom Hexa Power High-Speed Blender
Why it made the cut: From smoothies to soup, the Hurom Hexa High-Speed Blender tackles it all, making it our pick for the best powerful blender. Specs
Dimensions: 8.2 x 8.2 x 19.6 inchesContainer size: 68 ouncesSpeeds: Variable speed dial with three preset speeds and pulse feature
Pros
Auto-shutoffStainless steel shell Thorough and customizable blending
Cons
Not cheapLoud
Hurom has earned props for manufacturing some of the best juicers on the market, allowing you to make your own healthy concoctions from the comfort of your home. The first high-speed blender from the company lives up to the hype of its countertop siblings. Unlike most blenders on the market, which have plenty of presets built-in, our powerful pick includes a manual dial that adjusts the blending speed from 16,000 to 30,000 revolutions per minute, or RPM. If you’d like to take the guesswork out of blending, there are three speed presets—smoothie, ice crush, and soup—along with a pulse switch. Thanks to its 1,600-watt motor, ice cubes, frozen fruit, and nuts don’t stand a chance against this high-powered blender. However, the power translates to a noisy blender, with some reviews noting its loudness.
If safety is a priority, the power shuts off when the motor reaches its heat limit. If the container is lifted off the base while in usage, the blender immediately stops.
Best budget: NutriBullet NBF50520 Touch Combo Blender
Why it made the cut: The NutriBullet has serious power and functions as a personal and conventional blender, providing excellent bang for your buck. Specs
Dimensions: 18.5 x 17.5 x 11 inchesContainer size: 64 ouncesSpeeds: 7
Pros
Four preprogrammed speeds64-ounce pitcher, 32-ounce cup, 20-ounce cupEasy-to-clean smooth buttons
Cons
Lid can be difficult to remove
The NutriBullet Touch Combo Blender is a versatile appliance that comes with three container options—a 64-ounce pitcher, a 32-ounce cup, and a 20-ounce cup. They’re part of what makes this NutriBullet blender such a great buy. It can function as a conventional blender with the pitcher and as a personal blender with the cups. Four preprogrammed buttons help you through the most common blender mixes. Plus, you get three speeds and a pulse button too. Overall, this model provides the power of a premium blender with the versatility and price of a conventional model. It may cost more than a Walmart blender, but you get far more functionality and power with the NutriBullet.
What to consider when buying the best blenders
There’s more to blenders than meets the eye. You could purchase the most popular blender on the internet, but it might not be the best fit for your needs. For example, soup lovers might benefit from an immersion blender rather than a traditional countertop blender. Smoothie makers and frozen beverage-havers will benefit from a powerful high-speed blender that can demolish ice with ease. There are plenty of considerations to make when choosing a good blender.
Blender type
One of the four blender types may be more efficient, cost-effective, or productive for you based on how you want to use it. The four types include:
High performance/premium: These blenders come with a premium price that matches their high-performance status. They have powerful motors and do far more than blend protein shakes and crush ice. High-performance blenders can create fine blends like nut butters and soups and make ice cream. They may also include vacuum attachments and sound guards for greater versatility and comfort of use. Conventional: Conventional blenders crush ice and frozen fruits, though the results may be chunkier than those of a high-performance blender. Its motor might not be as powerful as a premium model’s, but for most household needs, a conventional blender can do the job at a more affordable price. Personal: Personal blenders make single- or double-serving smoothies and shakes. Their containers look more like mugs or cups than a conventional blender’s pitcher. These personal-size blender cups also include to-go lids with drinkable openings. A personal blender can handle a little ice but not hard-core ice-crushing every day. Immersion: Immersion blenders are different from the other types in that they don’t have their own pitcher. Instead of the food going into a container, the blender goes into a pot or bowl that contains the food that needs blending. Immersion blenders are the best portable blender option because they’re lightweight and compact.
Speeds and controls
Blenders have anywhere from 1 to 17 speeds, though most people really need only three. A pulse setting is also helpful, as it allows you to manually turn the motor on and off to break up the suction in thick mixes. Touchscreen controls are easy to keep clean because of their flat, even surfaces. However, they’re not the easiest to use, as you may have to scroll through several screens to access certain functions. Buttons and manual dials are easier to use, but they often don’t provide the same range of functions as a touchscreen.
Container material and design
The blender’s pitcher shape affects how well the food rotates in the blender. Grooves and indentations direct the food. Wide pitcher openings make it easier to add ingredients. As far as materials, plastic and glass are the two pitcher options. Plastic is lighter and less likely than glass to break if dropped. However, it can also absorb odors and discolor. Glass may break more easily and be heavy, but it tends to last longer and resist odors and discoloration.
Blades
Most household blenders feature 2-8 blades set at different angles in a wing, star, or X-shape. However, the number of blades depends on the blender type and model. For example, immersion blenders feature a smaller, wing-shaped blade at the bottom. More blades equal more contact between the food and the blade. Additionally, the blade-style affects how the blender performs. X-style blades are good for food cutting and chopping. Wing-style blades are better suited for crushing ice.
Wattage
Countertop blenders can range anywhere from 500-750 watts. However, the wattage can dip as low as 300 watts, and go all the way up to 1,500 watts. The higher the wattage, the more powerful the blender, and the easier it will be to cut through frozen fruits and veggies.
Final thoughts on the best blenders
We chose the Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender as the best overall for the power and durability it provides. The simplicity of the controls and speeds makes it easy to run too. However, if versatility and budget are more important, the NutriBullet Touch Combo Blender functions as a personal and conventional blender for far less dough than the Vitamix. There’s much to be grateful for when it comes to a good blender. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to make chilly boozy slushes, slurpable smoothies, and scrumptious soups.
