The Vitamix A3300 is a well-built, high-end Vitamix blender. Unlike similar models such as the Vitamix 3500, the numerous presets are only found on the companion app, and its physical controls are limited to a 19-setting speed dial, timer, and a start/stop button. It's part of the Ascent series, and is compatible with Vitamix's line of 'Self-Detect' accessories, like personal jars. The jar and lid are also dishwasher-safe.
Our Verdict
The Vitamix A3300 is outstanding for multi-purpose use. It has a large capacity and can do a great job with all kinds of recipes, including hot soup and silky smoothies, snow-like crushed ice for slushies and cocktails, as well as thicker mixtures like nut butter or hummus. It's very well-built, offers many speed settings, and its components are dishwasher-safe.
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Well-built and easy to clean.
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Makes smooth, spreadable nut butter.
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Snow-like crushed ice in under a minute.
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Can hot blend.
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No presets directly available on controls.
The Vitamix A3300 is fantastic for making single servings of smoothies. Even though it only comes with one jar with a 64-ounce capacity, it easily makes a very smooth blend with smaller amounts of fibrous ingredients. It's also very sturdy, dishwasher-safe, and not particularly loud. It has no onboard blending programs, and some blenders can process a single-serve smoothie faster.
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Well-built and easy to clean.
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No presets directly available on controls.
The Vitamix A3300 is fantastic for making multiple servings of smoothies. Its large 64-ounce capacity means you can serve several people with a single batch. It makes an exceptionally smooth puree with fibrous ingredients, so your drink won't have leafy bits of kale or specks of blueberry skin left over. It processes ingredients quickly and is easy to clean when you're done.
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Well-built and easy to clean.
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No presets directly available on controls.
The Vitamix A3300 is a fantastic ice crusher. It can make snow-like crushed ice in under a minute, so it's great for making frozen drinks like blended margaritas or slushies. It's very well-built and easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher.
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Well-built and easy to clean.
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Snow-like crushed ice in under a minute.
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No presets directly available on controls.
The Vitamix A3300 is superb for making soup. You can use it to blend hot ingredients, and it can make very smoothly-blended soups, sauces, and purees, even if your recipe includes fibrous leafy greens or broccoli. It's very easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher, and it has a very sturdy, durable design.
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Well-built and easy to clean.
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No presets directly available on controls.
The Vitamix A3300 is superb for professional use. It's very well-built, holds a lot of food, and is easy to clean, whether by hand or by a dishwasher. It's easy to use to make nut butter and snow-like crushed ice and makes a very smooth blend with stubborn, fibrous ingredients like kale.
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Well-built and easy to clean.
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Makes smooth, spreadable nut butter.
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Snow-like crushed ice in under a minute.
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Can hot blend.
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No presets directly available on controls.
- 9.3 Multi-Purpose
- 9.2 Smoothies (Single Serving)
- 9.4 Smoothies (Multiple Servings)
- 9.4 Ice Crushing
- 9.5 Soups
- 9.2 Professional Use
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Updated Oct 21, 2024:
We've updated the results to more accurately reflect the blender's performance. The score for Fibrous Ingredients (Small Batches) processing changed from 9.5 to 8.5. and the score for Fibrous Ingredients (Full Capacity) processing changed from 10 to 8.5 because of the blending time. The score for Crushed Ice preparation changed from 8.5 to 9.0, while the score for Nut Butter preparation changed from 7.5 to 9.0 as the process is easier than originally scored.
- Updated Dec 15, 2022: Revised text to match Test Bench 1.0 results.
- Updated Sep 16, 2022: Added a note that the Vitamix Professional Series 750 is an alternative option with automatic blending programs.
- Updated Aug 19, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Jan 25, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Jan 21, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Jan 14, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jan 13, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Jan 09, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
- Updated Jan 06, 2021: The product has won our suggestion poll, so we'll buy and test it soon.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Vitamix A3300 comes in three color variants: 'Black Diamond', 'Pearl Grey', and 'Brushed Stainless Finish'. We tested the Black Diamond variant, and you can see its label here. We expect all color variants to perform similarly to our model.
If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Blenders
The Vitamix A3300 is on the higher end of Vitamix's price range. As an 'Ascent' blender, it comes with a dishwasher-safe jar, has a companion app, and works with 'Self-Detect' containers, like personal-size blending jars, sold separately by Vitamix. It performs similarly to other models like the Vitamix 2500 and Vitamix A3500, but its controls don't include automatic blending programs unless you use the companion app.
If you're looking for more blenders, check out our recommendations for the best Vitamix blenders, the best blenders, and the best blenders for frozen drinks.
The Vitamix A3500 is slightly better than the Vitamix A3300. The A3500 delivers a slightly better performance for blending fibrous ingredients, making nut butter, and crushing ice. It's much quieter when it's running, and its controls include a programmable timer.
The Vitamix A3300 and the Vitamix A2300 have a similar design and performance, but the A3300 is slightly better. It's much quieter when it's running, and its controls include a programmable timer. It also blends fibrous ingredients like kale in less time.
The Vitamix A3300 and the Vitamix 5200 have different strengths. If you like extra features like blending programs or a digital display, the Vitamix A3300 is a better option. It's quieter, comes with a dishwasher-safe jar, and does a better job crushing ice. It processes fibrous ingredients faster. On the other hand, you may prefer the Vitamix 5200's simpler design. It's also easier to use for thicker mixtures like nut butter and hummus.
The Vitamix A2500 and the Vitamix A3300 are quite similar overall, but the A3300 is a bit better. The A3300 is quieter and performs better for some purposes, like making nut butter and processing small batches of fibrous ingredients, like for a single-serve smoothie. Its controls include a programmable timer. However, the A2500 has a few automatic blending programs.
The Vitamix A3300 is a bit better than the Vitamix Explorian E310. The A3300 has a bigger capacity and is a little better for ice-crushing. It's also much quieter when it's running and has a few automatic blending programs and a programmable timer. On the other hand, the Explorian is better for processing small batches of fibrous ingredients, like for single-serve smoothies.
You might prefer either the Vitamix A3300 or the Vitamix 7500. They perform similarly overall, but the A3300 is better for small batches of fibrous ingredients, so it can make silkier single-serve kale smoothies. It's marginally quieter, and its components are dishwasher-safe. It also has more extra features, like automatic blending programs. On the other hand, the 7500 has simpler controls you might prefer.
The Vitamix Venturist V1200 and the Vitamix A3300 have different strengths. The Venturist has a slightly better build quality. It's a little easier to use to process tough ingredients like nuts. However, the A3300 is significantly quieter and does a better job of processing fibrous ingredients for recipes like smoothies and soups, especially in smaller batches.
You may prefer either the Vitamix A3300 or the Vitamix 5300 depending on what you're looking for. The 5300 has a simpler design and a somewhat better blending performance overall since it's better for ice-crushing and making nut butter. It also has a much longer power cord. On the other hand, the A3300 has more extra features, like a digital display with a programmable timer and automatic blending programs. Its lid is made of clear plastic, so you can see down into the blender, and the jar, lid, and blades are dishwasher-safe.
The Vitamix A3300 is better than the Blendtec Classic 575. The Vitamix is much quieter and sturdier. It makes a smoother puree with fibrous ingredients like kale, and it's much better for making thicker recipes like nut butter. However, the Blendtec's blunt blade design helps make it easier to clean by hand.
The Vitamix A3300 is better for most purposes than the Blendtec Designer 725. The Vitamix makes a smoother blend with fibrous ingredients like kale and broccoli. It's much easier to use to make nut butter. It's better built and much quieter when it's running. However, the Blendtec blender has some features that you might find helpful. It comes with a personal jar and to-go lid for making single-serve smoothies. Its controls include six automatic blending programs, and it's easier to clean, thanks to its blunt blade design.
The Vitamix A3300 is better than the Vitamix ONE. The A3300 has a much better build quality and a more versatile performance since it can handle tougher ingredients like nuts and ice cubes. It's quieter and comes with a dishwasher-safe jar and lid. On the other hand, the smaller ONE is intended for making drinks like smoothies, and it's very well-suited for that.
The Vitamix A3300 and the Wolf Gourmet Pro-Performance have different strengths, and you may prefer either. The A3300 is a bit better for crushing ice and making nut butter. It has a digital display with a programmable timer. On the other hand, the Wolf is somewhat quieter when it's running and easier to clean by hand.
Test Results
The Vitamix Ascent A3300 is a large blender. It's about the same size as the Vitamix A3500 and Vitamix A2300. It's best stored on your kitchen counter or in a large cupboard.
This blender has a fantastic build quality. It has a metal transmission base covered by a plastic casing, which makes it feel premium. The jar is also made from plastic and seems sturdy. The motor body is elevated off the ground by four small rubber pads.
The jar has a big 64-ounce capacity.
The jar and lid are made of plastic and are dishwasher-safe.
The Vitamix A3300 has four sharp blades that are fixed to the jar. There's a warning in the manufacturer's manual that specifically states not to attempt to remove the blades or retainer nut. Luckily, the jar and attached blades are dishwasher-safe.
The lid is clear and has two clips that hook underneath the lip of the jar to create a seal. You can also remove the middle part if you want to add ingredients, use the tamper to mix in food, or use it as a small measuring cup.
The Vitamix A3300 has a long, thick power cord that's long enough to reach most outlets. There's also a stowaway compartment underneath the blender that can store the cable when not in use.
- Motor base
- User manual and cookbook
- Tamper
- 64 oz blender pitcher and lid (with a removable center)
It's fantastic for processing small batches of fibrous ingredients. When you're working with smaller amounts of ingredients, they can splash up the sides of the jar, but blending for a little longer takes care of unprocessed bits and pieces, resulting in a nearly perfectly smooth blend. Some blenders can process small batches faster, however.
It does a fantastic job of processing fibrous ingredients at full capacity. Even if you're working with a big batch, it easily and quickly makes an extremely smooth puree with tough ingredients like kale. However, the Vitamix A3500 can do it a bit faster with its 'Smoothie' preset.
It's fantastic for crushing ice. If you use the highest speed setting and the pulse button, it doesn't take long to make very uniform, snow-like crushed ice.
This blender is excellent for making nut butter. It doesn't take long to make very smooth, spreadable nut butter. It's an easy process since, aside from using the tamper to push the ingredients from the corners of the jar toward the blades, you don't need to do anything but ramp up to high speed and blend for a few minutes.
It's not particularly loud for a full-size blender. Some models from this manufacturer are much louder, like the Vitamix Professional Series 750 and Vitamix 5300.
There's a dial with 19 incremental speed settings, so you have lots of options for fine-tuning the blending speed. There's also an on/off switch located on the bottom right side of the blender.
There are two buttons: '+' and '-', which raise and lower the blender's timer. You can also start and stop the blender by pressing the 'start/stop' button. This blender is Bluetooth-compatible, and can be connected to the Vitamix Perfect Blend app if you want to access pre-programmed presets like 'Smoothies', 'Hot Soups', 'Frozen Desserts', 'Spreads', 'Dry Chopping', 'Nut Butters', 'Cold Skim Milk Foam', 'Dressings', 'Spice Grinding', 'Baby Food', 'Marinades', 'Frozen Cocktails', 'Nut Milks', 'Thick Dips', 'Batter', and 'Acai Bowls'. However, it doesn't have any blending programs unless you use the app. If you want a blender with a few onboard blending programs for different recipes, the Vitamix Professional Series 750 is worth considering.
The Vitamix A3300 is very easy to clean. You can clean most food debris with a quick water rinse and then running it on high with soap and water. If you're dealing with stickier food like almond butter, you may need to increase the time it blends with the soap and water mix. There's also a cleaning preset via its companion app, and you can put the jar in the dishwasher for even easier cleanup.