Whether you need a post-workout protein shake or a frozen margarita for an evening with friends, the best blender can do it all.
We've compiled this guide to the best blenders after months of hands-on testing, comparing each great buy against another from top brands, including Ninja, NutriBullet, Vitamix, and KitchenAid. Our testing process covered more than an easy summer berry smoothie; we blended tough, fibrous kale, frozen fruits, nuts, ice, and much more, and with blenders that can handle hot ingredients, we made soups out of skin-on vegetables and chunky onions in order to see how creamy and smooth our finished results would be.
Some these blenders are compact enough to be stored in your kitchen cabinet between uses; others are countertop models that are good looking enough to show off. Just as in our listing of the best food processors on the market, we've got hands on with ever model to see if it stands up to testing.
The best blenders 2023, according to our experts
You can trust Homes & Gardens. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing the latest products, helping you choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Best blender overall
With five presets to choose from, the Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender is as high-tech as a blender can be. It also has a manual dial that can go up to ten different (noisy) speeds, and we love that the pitcher simply lifts away from the base with no twisting, meaning it can favor both left and right-handed users.
It's incredibly powerful, leaving no trace of fruit skins, seeds, or stems. In fact, the blades not only blend but even cook soups and sauces. We made an incredible hot tomato soup completely from scratch using the ten-minute preset soup mode. You should be aware that it can't cook firmer ingredients like potato or carrot, but it's still a suitable substitute for the best immersion blenders.
Included with the blender is an excellent recipe book, a quick start guide, and a tamper to reach down and make sure that more solid ingredients like dips are incorporated fully into the blades while the Vitamix works. The jug isn't dishwasher-safe, but it does have a self-clean mode that can finish the job in just 30 seconds.
Our full Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender review has more details
Best bullet blender
Available in a range of colors and with various attachments for drinking on the go or around the house, the NutriBullet Pro 900 Series Blender is perfect for smaller, individual servings. It's a brilliant personal blender that impressed us when we tried it for ourselves.
We found that the NutriBullet Pro 900 Series Blender made fantastic smoothies and shakes. They came out very green with no seeds or fibers left un-blended. Even kale and berries were pulverized. Although simple to operate, the bullet-style blender shape is perfect for reaching everything inside the cup. Simply twist on the lid and lock it into the powerful blending base to start your smoothie.
The blender comes with a screw-on handle and lids for sipping. Everything but the blades themselves can go through the dishwasher, and it's easy enough to clean the blades under running water after your drink is finished.
Our full NutriBullet Pro 900 Series Blender review has more details
Best family blender
This powerful blender has a big 64oz jug, so it's a great choice for families. It powered through kale and spinach for a delicious smoothie and it's heat-proof, so it's safe for blending smoothies. The five modes are Pulse, Smoothie, Cocktail, Ice Cream, Ice Crushing, and Cleaning. It is very powerful, with preset speeds and pulsing modes for making drinks and even sauces and dips.
Should you struggle to blend everything, you can use the pusher insert that goes into the top of the lid to stir safely. However, unlike other blenders, it has no pulse function, which is a little frustrating if you need to give a mix a final blast to get it just right.
Our full Zwilling Enfinigy Countertop Power Blender review has more details
With both a half and full liter capacity, the Beast Blender comes fully equipped for making drinks to-go or home blending. There's a carry lid, a removable blending lid (like that of the NutriBullet), and a diffuser insert that can be used to make fruit or cucumber-infused drinks, or even iced teas. Our smoothies were faultless, but we also made impressive crushed ice and delicious dips with this versatile blender. The removable parts are also dishwasher-safe.
Designed for complete hydration, the Beast Blender + Hydration System has a secure seal that keeps drinks fresh for up to a week. We tried this out on pancake batter and it really impressed us. No skin formed on the top of our batter and we were able to get the same results for breakfast two days after we blended the mix.
We liked the ribbed vessel, but it can make make scraping dips and thicker liquids away from the inside tricky. The controls are minimal, with one button that automatically adjusts to achieve the desired consistency. Of course, you may want a specific consistency if you're making a chunky dip or crushed ice so a manual mode may have been useful. We enjoyed the internal temperature monitoring, which came in very helpful when it came to warm mixtures and soups.
Our full Beast Blender review has more details.
Best blender and juicer combo
We love the Breville The 3x Bluicer for its blending and juicing attachments, which double up to make a very capable machine for just about any drink. The blender has three modes: Smoothie, Ice Crush, and Cocktail. It makes a delicious smoothie bowl and could power through soup and sauces too. It's got a large capacity and the lid clamps on with a twist-out top to add more ingredients as you blend.
The idea is that you can then use the blender pitcher to catch the juice that comes out of your juicer and even add in strawberry or milk to then blend up fresh ingredients with your juice for an added kick of flavor. While it's expensive, it's actually an efficient way to double down on the combined power of the best juicer and an excellent blender.
Our full Breville The 3x Bluicer review has more details.
Best looking blender
Available in a smart range of colors to match the company’s best stand mixers, the KitchenAid K400 Variable Speed Blender makes a statement. However, it also has a very powerful blender that doesn't shy away from tough ingredients. It comes with a large 56 oz. jar, made out of robust and extremely thick glass. It may be a touch on the heavy side, but this gives you an impression of how long this blender will last.
A single dial on the front lets you choose from the five-speed settings and pulse, plus the special modes: smoothie, ice crush, frozen drink, and clean. In testing, we found that this was almost too smooth to turn, and it was easy to knock your setting out of place and accidentally set the blender off.
The pitcher's weight means there’s no need for a locking mechanism: drop the pitcher and integrated blades onto the base and you’re ready to go. The pitcher is also dishwasher-safe, and so is the lid. However, the lid does stick so firmly into place that we felt it needed some muscle to remove.
Nothing is a problem for this blender: ice is crushed into fine snow, hard fruits and vegetables are blended into smooth drinks, and you can whizz through dry ingredients thanks to the powerful 1200W motor.
Our KitchenAid K400 blender review has more details
Best blender and food processor combo
Many blenders just come with a standard pitcher, with accessories costing extra. If you want to expand the repertoire of what you can do, then the Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-IQ makes sense. As well as the 72 oz. pitcher, you get a 64 oz. food processor bowl (this has chopping and dough) and two 24 oz. blending cups for single-serve drinks to take away.
There are five Auto-IQ programs: smoothie, ice crush, extract, chop, and dough, but which ones are available depends on the accessory attached: you can’t crush ice, for example, when the food processor is connected, but you can with the single-serve cup and the pitcher.
Outside of the Auto-IQ programs, there are Low, Medium, High, and Pulse settings. With a powerful motor, the Ninja Professional can easily crush ice and blend smooth smoothies. However, we found it quite loud. The safety features are neat, and the accessories and lids have to be in place for the blender to operate. Every part is dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning.
Our Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-IQ review has more details
Best blender for ice
The KitchenAid K150 3 Speed Ice Crushing Blender is seriously good value. It has three speeds, a pulse setting, and a generous 48oz plastic pitcher. The price is great for the value for money with this blender. It's got three speeds, which are surprisingly powerful for the motor size, and a pulse mode that's designed to crush ice and offer complete control.
We were able to make a thick and creamy smoothie bowl in the KitchenAid K150, with frozen chunks of spinach and frozen strawberries. I can crunch through ice on even the lowest setting, and it worked through slices of lemon (skin, seeds, and all) with no trouble, although it took some pulsing and stirring to get every little piece of fruit.
While it comes with only one pitcher, you can buy add-on personal blender cups, and even citrus juicers to expand the functions of your KitchenAid K150. There is a removable insert in the lid that can allow you to add a stream of liquid or some extra ingredients to your smoothie or soup, and the pitcher slots in and out of the base with no need to screw it in.
Our full KitchenAid K150 3 Speed Ice Crushing Blender review has more details
Best value premium blender
The Vitamix blender we listed at #1 is an exceptional blender, but that quality comes with a hefty $600 price tag. Enter the Vitamix E310 Explorian: Vitamix's cheapest, most basic blender. Made in the USA, this powerful blender doubles as a soup maker, so you can make delicious hot soup right in the pitcher. That's no gimmick - we loved the corn soup it made on test.
It breezed through every one of our assessments, making perfect smoothies, delicious fro-yo, and a tasty nut butter. However, it really stands out when crushing ice, turning 10 ice cubes into perfect slush in seconds. We were also really impressed when we made hummus. You don't even need tahini — this thing is so powerful it minced sesame seeds on the spot.
However, bear in mind that our expert tester Helen wasn't a fan of the safety features on this blender. You can run the blades with the lid off, which could lead to accidents, and it's also still pretty pricey for a blender.
There's more information in Helen's full Vitamix E310 Explorian blender review.
Best budget blender
The Nutribullet Smart Touch is the best budget blender you can buy. It has a simple, bright, clear interface, and did pretty well with all the recipes we tested. It was particularly good at processing powdery ingredients like protein and creatine, and it made fantastic smoothies. Unlike some other blenders, it was fairly easy to clean, and it's fast, especially on smoothies.
However, while no blender is quiet, it's relatively loud, and there's a lot of exhaust from the back of it which will blow paper off your fridge if you're got anything stuck on with magnets. The lid is a little bit stiff, and we also found that the purée setting is too short, making lumpy hummus. The frozen drinks setting could also be a little stronger. That said, it's a good choice if you're on a budget.
There's more detail in our full Nutribullet Smart Touch review.
Best retro blender
The retro Smeg BLF01 50s blender is not only a joy to look at, but it's also lovely to use. For a start, a range of colors are available, from red to baby blue, and all come with the same high-quality Tritan jug and die-cast aluminum base.
While the look may be retro, the performance is all-modern. We used it to make a light and lump-free smoothie using frozen ingredients, where the frozen setting came in very helpful.
The pitcher is not advised to use hot ingredients so we had to wait for our soup to cool before use, but we were impressed with just how creamy the result was. It was also easy to pour in the cream while the blender worked thanks to the lid, which has a stopper for measuring and adding as you blend.
Not all parts can be placed in the dishwasher, but the pitcher can. It cleans a treat and doesn't require screwing into the base, instead just slots into place. Not the best blender for versatility, but it certainly delivers on aesthetics and delicious results.
Our full Smeg Blender review has more details
How we review the best blenders
How we test blenders
Every blender in our best blender guide has been tested hands-on and reviewed by members of the Homes & Gardens team. When we test blenders, we crushed ice, blended frozen fruit into thick smoothie bowls, and made green smoothies from fibrous kale and spinach.
Where a blender claims to be safe for use with hot ingredients, we also made soups to put this to the test. When making soups we typically include ingredients that are prone to staining such as turmeric, taking into account if the pitcher was left stained by this.
Cleaning a blender is a very important part of the user process, so we give props to blenders that can be cleaned in a dishwasher. However, some also come with self-cleaning settings that can prevent ingredients from sticking to the blades of the pitcher. We cleaned every blender by hand to see how easy this was, and if it felt safe.
Our review and testing guidelines provide more insight into our process.
Meet our expert testers
Millie is our Reviews Editor, and has been testing product and writing for Homes & Gardens since the beginning of 2021. Millie specializes in small appliances, but as a lover of al fresco dining, she's also always on the hunt for the best grills and pizza ovens for entertaining friends and family.
Midwestern product tester and writer Courtney Irwin is a working mom of three who loves nothing more than a good deal. Equal parts entrepreneur and family-gal, she can often be caught in her kitchen testing products for Homes & Gardens. Courtney has spent years curating home content and loves trying the latest and greatest things for home. For this blenders buyer's guide, she tested the Beast Blender.
How to choose a blender
A blender is a great tool for cooking and making drinks, such as smoothies, keeping the pulp of fruit and vegetables as well as the juice.
The type of blender you buy really depends on how often you want to use it and what you mostly want to use it for. All blenders are capable of making smoothies, particularly blending softer fruits.
Motor
If you want to make frozen fruits or desserts or deal with harder fruits or vegetables, then you may need a machine with a more powerful motor, so that it can crush ice into fine snow.
Programs
Look out for a blender that has automatic programs for the kinds of drink or action that you want, as this takes the guesswork out of using a blender.
That said, manual controls are important if you want finer control over the results, say blending a soup that still has some chunks in it.
A pulse function is a great way to get fine control: the blender runs while you press the button but stops the second that you release it.
Features
Move up the price scale and you’ll find that you get additional features. Some of the most powerful blenders, for example, can use friction to heat raw ingredients, delivering hot soup in just a few minutes.
Capacity
Look out for the total capacity of the blender: go for a larger one if you’ve got a big family to feed. Accessories can also be important, either in the box or as additional extras: self-serve cups let you take a drink on the move, and grinding cups can be a handy way of dealing with herbs and spices in smaller volumes.
If you want something that can blend directly into a pot or pan, one of the best immersion blenders we've reviewed will be more appropriate.
How much does a blender cost?
Budget really comes down to how much you’ll use the blender. If you’re only an occasional user, then a budget model ($100 to $150) makes sense. At this price, you’ll get decent controls but you may find that your results aren’t quite as smooth.
If you use a blender every day, then you need to move up the scale. Spend over $200 and you’re likely to get more accessories and programs.
If you want the best results then you’re looking at spending $400 or more. At this price, you’ll get the fastest motors, more control, and, often, a wider range of automatic programs to make your job easier.
For those who just want a personal-sized blender, one of the best portable blenders we have reviewed will suit you better.
Who makes the best blender?
Vitamix is well known for its high-end, powerful blenders. These machines are a great choice for those that blend daily and that want the absolute best results. Controls can be rather basic on some models, so these choices are ideal for experienced users.
Ninja products tend to be cheaper, and may not produce quite as smooth results. However, you’ll generally get more automatic programs and the overall value is usually very good, with many sets coming with a lot of accessories to expand what the blender is capable of. We have a complete Vitamix vs Ninja guide that goes into more detail, and you can also take a look at Ninja vs NutriBullet and Vitamix vs Blendtec for more comparisons.
Are glass pitchers better than plastic?
Most blenders come with a hardened plastic pitcher, but you’ll find the odd model that has a glass one. Strictly speaking, glass is harder wearing and won’t scratch as easily as plastic. This can make a difference if you regularly crush ice, as the sharp edges can scratch cheaper plastics. Plastic can also get tainted by ingredients staining.
The downside of glass is that it’s much heavier and if you drop it, you’re likely to end up cracking or breaking the pitcher.
Modern plastics are much better, particularly on high-end machines, so you shouldn’t notice scratching. And, plastic is lighter and less likely to break if you drop it.
Which blender is best for smoothies?
In our testing process, all our blenders performed well on smoothies. However, our top pick, the Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender, our second pick, the NutriBullet Pro 900, made particularly faultless smoothies.
Which blender is best for juicing?
We found that the Breville The 3x Bluicer, which has been designed as a blender and juicer in one was the best blender for juicing.
Which blender is best for crushing ice?
We found the best blender for crushing ice was the KitchenAid K150 3 Speed Ice Crushing Blender.
Which blender is the quietest?
Typically, the smaller, less powerful blenders we featured on our list are quieter than larger or more powerful blenders. Also, the ingredients you are blending will affect noise. So, while our best blender, the Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender is judged to be very noisy, it does produce the best results, so you may need to sacrifice peace and quiet for those few seconds your blender is in action.
-
-
Best coffee maker for Americano: expert tests and advice
We spoke with baristas to establish the best coffee maker for the perfect at-home Americano and gleaned a few tips of the trade too
-
When is it antisocial to grill? The rules from the experts
Being a good neighbor doesn't cost anything, and under the terms of HOA, being a bad one could be pretty expensive
