A blender is a mighty countertop appliance that will blend your favorite smoothie or crush ice for slushies. But these kitchen staples offer versatility, like whipping up lump-free blender pancakes, a batched watermelon margarita or homemade oat milk, in a matter of minutes. Some models even come with personal blending cups for portability, food processor attachments and a variety of settings and functions to make them a kitchen tool you reach for often.
Best Overall
Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender
Pros
- Superior performance
- Self-detect technology
- Pairs with Vitamix app
Cons
- Sounded noticeably loud while grinding ingredients
This best-tested Vitamix blender features include a touch interface, five program settings, a programmable timer, variable speed and pulse.
In our tests, this model produced the best-tasting kale and strawberry smoothie that completely went through a sieve without any flecks of kale or pieces of strawberry remaining. Milkshakes were creamy, frothy and had great body; homemade peanut butter was silky smooth without any peanut chunks remaining; and margaritas were restaurant-quality with a super fluffy consistency. Overall we were very impressed with this blender’s ability to break down even the toughest of ingredients.
It was noticeably loud while grinding tough ingredients and the self-cleaning function with soap and water wasn’t a complete match for sticky nut butter. But the overall results are unmatched by the other models we tested. Throw in a 10-year warranty and you’ve got extra security that you will get years of great use out of this blender.
| Weight | 14.9 pounds |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 11 x 8 x 17 inches |
| Jar Capacity | 64 ounces |
| Controls | Variable speed, pulse, timer, presets: smoothies, soups, dips & spreads, frozen desserts and self-cleaning |
| Accessories | Tamper and cookbook |
Best Value
NutriBullet Blender Combo
Pros
- Easy-to-read control panel with large buttons
- Produces kale smoothies without flecks of kale
- Personal-sized cups with lids for portability
Cons
- Must use caution when removing the cups to avoid messes
Well-priced, this high-powered blender comes with three (!) jars, making it super versatile and our pick for the best value. It includes a 64-ounce pitcher for large batches and two different personal-sized cups (32 ounces and 24 ounces with a handle).
Both cups have lids that make it easy to take your smoothie to-go. It features an “extract” button that blends smoothies at pre-programmed variable speeds. We blended kale smoothies in all three jars, and all were uniformly smooth with no flecks. It also blasted through frozen strawberries effortlessly to make a delicious, evenly processed daiquiri.
The base is not much larger than other NutriBullet models, and it has suction cups on the bottom that reliably prevent it from shifting around. The blades screw onto the top of the personal cups and then get inverted to be blended, so be careful to unscrew the personal blending cups from the base of the blender when you’re done blending. It’s easy to accidentally make a mess if you unscrew the cup from the blade instead.
| Weight | 10 pounds |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 8 x 8 x 17 inches |
| Jar Capacity | 64 ounces |
| Controls | Extract, low, medium, high, pulse |
| Accessories | 32 oz cup, 24 oz cup, (2) to-go lids |
Best Blender Food Processor Combo
Cuisinart Smart Power Duet Blender/Food Processor
Pros
- Great appliance for small kitchen
- Several blending options
- All parts except for base are dishwasher-safe
Cons
- Only 500 watts
A highly popular Cuisinart blender/food processor combo, it has a low-profile 40-ounce glass jar and seven blending and processing options that are clearly marked and easy to use. We love that it comes with a compact food processor bowl for chopping, stirring and shredding.
When blender testing, we found that this blender was very easy to clean and that it ground ingredients exceptionally well. We do recommend making berry and protein smoothies without tough kale though, since in our tests it didn’t blend kale very well. Once the food processor attachment was on, we were even more impressed with how this model minced parsley, shredded carrots and sliced pepperoni.
All parts, except for the base, are dishwasher-safe. Of note: At 500 watts, this is not the most high-powered blender, and if you do overwork the blender it will stop working temporarily until it cools down.
| Weight | 10.5 pounds |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 16 x 7 x 8 inches |
| Jar capacity | 40 ounces |
| Controls | Pulse, ice crush, food processor, stir, chop, mix, puree |
| Accessories | 3-cup food processor attachment with feed tube and pusher, slicing/shredding disc, stainless steel chopping blade |
Best Blender for Smoothies
Breville The Fresh and Furious Countertop Blender
Pros
- Green smoothie setting
- Carafe and lid are dishwasher-safe
- Great smoothie results in testing
Cons
- 50-ounce capacity
We were very impressed with how well this blender performed for its great price point. The green smoothie setting yielded a smooth and creamy texture with no sign of fibrous kale or spinach. This blender also has a regular smoothie button which will provide you with a juice bar-quality smoothie in one minute.
In our tests, this blender pureed soup to a silky smooth texture and produced a mighty fine margarita as well. The Fresh and Furious is easy to clean, and the jar and lid are dishwasher-safe. In our tests, we found very few flaws, though the jar is just 50 ounces and became stained a little from tomato sauce.
If you’re on the hunt for a hand blender instead of a full-sized blender we also recommend the Breville Control Grip Immersion Blender which tested best in our immersion blender Lab tests with a nonstick blender arm and perfectly emulsified mayo.
| Weight | 9 pounds |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 7 x 8.5 x 17 inches |
| Jar Capacity | 50 ounces |
| Controls | Five speed settings, presets: green smoothie, smoothie, ice crush |
| Accessories | Inner measuring lid |
Best Personal Blender
Ninja SS101 Foodi Smoothie Bowl Maker & Nutrient Extractor
Pros
- Blender base suctions firmly to your counter
- Produces super smooth smoothies
- Built-in tamper
Cons
- More pieces to store
We’ve tested a lot of personal blenders over the years and this one surprised us with the amount of presets it offered, compared to many personal blenders that only feature a pulse button. We especially loved the smoothie bowl maker cup which features a built-in tamper and doesn’t need as much liquid to blend ingredients to a smooth, very thick consistency. In our tests, we loved how the margarita was rich and creamy and there was absolutely no grit from the super fine sugar used. Don’t forget the homemade peanut butter that was smooth and creamy in under three minutes.
This model suctions firmly to your counter, which keeps it completely in place for its pulse-style auto-smoothie setting. In addition to the 14-ounce smoothie bowl jar, this model comes with two 24-ounce blender jars with travel lids, which are all dishwasher-safe.
| Weight | 6.5 pounds |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 7 x 7 x 11 inches |
| Jar Capacity | 24 ounces |
| Controls | Pulse, extract, smoothie, spread, bowl |
| Accessories | (2) 24 oz cups with lids, 14 oz smoothie bowl maker with storage lid |
Best Powerful blender
Wolf Gourmet Pro Performance Blender
Pros
- Sleek design
- Produces creamy shakes and smoothies
- Four pre-programmed options
Cons
- Blender jar is not dishwasher-safe
The Wolf Gourmet Pro Performance Blender stood out to us in many ways with its sleek design, featuring its signature red knob and lightweight jar with a comfortable handle. There are 10 speed settings on the blender and four pre-programmed options: soup, puree, ice crush and smoothie. This blender produced a very smooth, thick milkshake and a smoothie that was creamy and homogenous.
In our tests, this super powerful blender produced great frozen drinks. It also has a unique emulsion cap that allows you to add oil to the blender at an optimal pace to get a great emulsion in sauces and dressings. This pick is also sized to fit under most cabinets. The blender jar is hand-wash only.
| Weight | 16 pounds |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 9 x 7.5 x 20 inches |
| Jar Capacity | 64 ounces |
| Controls | Variable speed, clean puree, ice crush, smoothie |
| Accessories | Tamper and emulsion cap |
Best Blender for Crushing Ice
KitchenAid K400 Variable Speed Blender
Pros
- Self-clean cycle
- Sleek design and many colors to choose from
- Easy-to-use presets
Cons
- Start button is on the small side
Claiming to blend “even the toughest ingredients, from kale to almonds,” this sleek blender passed our test with flying colors. We couldn’t taste the kale in our smoothie, it crushed ice into snow-like consistency and it even blended chia seeds smoothly.
It features easy-to-use presets for crushing ice, smoothies and icy drinks. Plus, a little soap and water added to the self-clean cycle makes sure no food bits are left behind in hard-to-reach spots. In our tests, we noticed that the “start” button is a little small and sometimes needed to be pressed several times to activate. We love its sleek design and that you can pick from a variety of fun colors.
| Weight | 12 pounds |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 9 x 8 x 16 inches |
| Jar Capacity | 56 ounces |
| Controls | Pulse, variable speed, presets: ice crush, frozen drink, smoothie |
| Accessories | Tamper and 16 oz cup with lid |
