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The 6 Best Blenders - Winter 2024 Reviews

Updated
Best Blenders

Although blenders are often associated with smoothie making, they're versatile and handy tools in any chef's kitchen. The best blenders can help with all sorts of recipes, from silky pureed soups and smoothies to spreads like nut butter and frozen drinks like slushies. If you make a lot of pureed soups and sauces, you probably want something that can process hot ingredients. Features like a two-part lid, a tamper, and a wide range of speed settings also help make a blender versatile enough for any recipe. Plus, good blenders aren't extremely loud and don't make clean-up difficult. Some even come with additional accessories, like extra personal jars for blending single-serve smoothies.

We've tested over 95 blenders, and below are our recommendations for the best models you can buy. If you don't see what you're looking for here, you might want to check out another type of blender. The best personal blenders and best bullet blenders are mainly intended for making smoothies to-go and tend to be smaller and cheaper. If you make a lot of soups and sauces, the best immersion blenders are meant for blending hot ingredients directly in a pot or pan but usually aren't as good for other recipes.


  1. Best Blender

    Current Deal: The Vitamix 5200 has dropped in price by $140 at Amazon.com. Get Deal

    If you're looking for a sturdy blender that can handle almost any recipe, check out the Vitamix 5200. This blender has a premium build and a long seven-year U.S. warranty, and it does a fantastic job with a variety of blends. However, it's a cheaper option among high-end blenders, and you're not paying for extra features you might not use. Its controls are straightforward, with a wide range of speed settings available on the dial, a switch for pulse mode, and an on/off switch. Its 64oz main jar has a narrow base that helps it blend small volumes of ingredients with less splashing. It makes an extremely smooth blend with fibrous fruits and vegetables, easily crushes ice cubes into snow-like ice, and blends recipes like nut butter and hummus with ease. You can use it to blend hot ingredients for soups and sauces.

    However, since it lacks blending programs, you always have to manually stop the blender. Automatic blending programs don't necessarily make for a better blend, and the 5200 is more affordable than some similar options without sacrificing performance. However, you might prefer the pricier Vitamix Propel 750, which performs similarly but has a few automatic programs on its dial. Or, if you want all the bells and whistles, check out the Vitamix A3500, which has even more blending programs in its companion app. The A3500 also has 'Self Detect,' meaning it's compatible with the widest variety of extra accessories sold separately by Vitamix.

    See our review

  2. Best Upper Mid-Range Blender

    The KitchenAid K400 is a worthy option if you want something cheaper. It's not quite as well-built as the Vitamix 5200 and has a slightly smaller 56-ounce capacity. Its one-year U.S. warranty is much shorter. However, it delivers a similarly versatile performance since it can process hot ingredients, blend silky smoothies, and make snow-like crushed ice. Unfortunately, making something like nut butter or hummus is a longer, more difficult process since it doesn't come with a tamper, and you'll need to stop the blender to scrape the sides of the jar. Otherwise, its design is well-suited for most recipes. It has a good range of speed settings, so you can adjust the blending speed to suit whatever you're making.

    There are a few automatic blending programs on the speed dial, so you don't always have to stop the blender manually. Like the Vitamix, it only comes with one jar, but you can buy a personal jar for smoothies from KitchenAid. The jar and lid are dishwasher-safe, but unfortunately, if you're cleaning them by hand, the lid and non-removable blades take some time to get completely clean.

    See our review

  3. Best Mid-Range Blender

    If you want to avoid pricier options, the best kitchen blender we've tested in the mid-range is the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender. This blender has an unusual design with some downsides, but it's a great option for making soups, sauces, and other hot recipes. The main jar has a heating element built into its base, so it can not only hot blend but also heat and cook raw ingredients like onions or tomatoes. While it makes a somewhat less smooth blend with fibrous ingredients than the KitchenAid K400, it still does a fantastic job. The included tamper makes it easier to use for thick recipes like nut butter. However, because of the heating element, you can't put the jar in the dishwasher or immerse it in water, so it's not easy to clean by hand.

    Unlike the previous picks, it doesn't offer a wide range of speed settings. The manufacturer doesn't sell additional jars, so you can't buy personal jars for smoothies. You may prefer the Ninja Mega Kitchen System if you want smaller jars for single-serves. The Ninja can't hot blend, but it has a 72oz main pitcher and at least one 16oz personal jar. You can always buy more if you have a lot of smoothie lovers at home. There's also a food processing bowl included for chopping and slicing vegetables.

    See our review

  4. Βest Budget Blender

    If you're looking for a budget-friendly blender with a good, versatile performance, check out the Oster Pro 1200. This cheaper, smaller blender has a small 48oz capacity and feels less well-made than the previous picks. However, unlike the more expensive blenders listed here that only come with one jar, it also comes with a 24oz personal jar for single-serves. You can use either jar to make well-blended recipes with fibrous ingredients like kale, broccoli, and fruit, similar to the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender.

    However, the smaller price tag comes with some drawbacks. It struggles a little more with hard ingredients compared to previous picks. It can crush ice for cocktails or frozen drinks, but only in batches of about six ice cubes. It can also make smooth dips and spreads like hummus and nut butter, but if your recipe has less liquid, you need to stop the blender to stir. It can't heat ingredients like the previous pick, but you can use it to blend hot food for pureed soups and sauces. You also have fewer options for fine-tuning the speed compared to more premium blenders like the KitchenAid K400. The design of the gears doesn't feel very durable. However, the removable blade assembly makes it easy to clean by hand.

    If you're looking for a budget-friendly blender, you can find more recommendations on our list of the best budget blenders.

    See our review

  5. Best Cheap Blender

    The Black+Decker Quiet Blender with Cyclone Glass Jar is the best cheap blender we've tested. This inexpensive blender shares many of the same features as the Oster Pro 1200: a 48oz glass jar, a 24oz personal jar, and a resealable lid for single-serves. While some of its components feel flimsy or plasticky, it delivers a solid overall performance, and you can get it for well under $100. It's best for recipes like smoothies since you can use either jar to make a mostly smooth blend with fibrous ingredients like fruit and leafy greens.

    However, other aspects of its performance leave something to be desired. Its minimum blending speed is quite fast, and if you're making something thicker, like nut butter or hummus, ingredients tend to get flung to the walls of the jar, and you have to use a spatula to scrape everything back toward the blades. It can only handle about six ice cubes at once and still leaves behind some unprocessed chunks when making crushed ice. Aside from the glass jar, it doesn't feel very well-built, and the main jar lid feels particularly flimsy.

    See our review

  6. Best Quiet Blender

    No blender is exactly quiet, but the roar of a super loud blender makes it much less appealing to use. The Wolf Gourmet Pro-Performance is quieter than the quietest Vitamix blender we've tested (the Vitamix A3500) and offers a comparable performance. It comes with a 64oz main jar, a two-part lid, and a tamper to help stir your recipes. An 'emulsion cup' also fits into the lid's center opening and helps you gradually add liquid ingredients, like melted butter for hollandaise sauce. It's fantastic at processing fibrous ingredients like kale, broccoli, and fruit for smoothie, soup, and sauce recipes.

    However, compared to the Vitamix blender, it makes less uniform crushed ice and less smooth nut butter. While it's very quiet for a blender, it's not as quiet as the Black+Decker Quiet Blender with Cyclone Glass Jar, so if you're okay with a cheaper, less powerful, and less versatile blender, you might prefer that model. It has a few blending programs but lacks high-end features like a timer or stopwatch. Wolf doesn't currently sell any accessories besides replacement parts, so you can't buy differently-sized jars, which is disappointing for such a pricey blender.

    If you're looking for a quieter blender in a different price range, check out our full list of the best quiet blenders.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • Breville The Q: The Breville The Q is a high-end blender that performs similarly to the Vitamix 5200. It's not as well-built and takes longer to process ingredients like kale or broccoli. However, it has a few automatic blending programs and a dishwasher-safe jar. See our review
  • Calphalon ActiveSense: The Calphalon ActiveSense is around the same price as the Black+Decker Quiet Blender with Cyclone Glass Jar. It doesn't have a glass jar, and it's much louder when it's running, but it has a lot of options for automatic blending, so you don't have to stop the blender manually when your recipe is done. It also comes with a 24oz personal jar for single-serve smoothies. See our review
  • Ninja Chef Blender: The Ninja Chef Blender is priced similarly to the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender. It has an outstanding blending performance and is just as good at blending fibrous ingredients as the more expensive Vitamix 5200. However, it's extremely loud when it's running. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Feb 21, 2024: We've made minor updates to the text and checked that the products are in stock.

  2. Jan 23, 2024: Added the Calphalon ActiveSense and the Ninja Chef to the Notable Mentions.

  3. Jan 04, 2024: Added the Black+Decker Quiet Blender with Cyclone Glass Jar as the 'Best Cheap Blender'.

  4. Dec 01, 2023: Made minor updates to the text and checked that the products are in stock.

  5. Oct 31, 2023: We've checked that the products represent the best recommendations and are in stock.

FAQ

What is the best model of blender?

It depends on what you want a blender for. Deciding on what type of blender you need is a good place to start—we have a guide for that purpose here. Some important considerations include whether you usually blend single or multiple servings, if you make a variety of recipes or mostly blend smoothies and other drinks, and whether or not you want to blend hot ingredients.

What are the best blender brands?

The best full-size blender brands consistently make well-built, convenient-to-use, and versatile products, meaning they can handle a variety of recipes, including smoothies, shakes, soups, and dips. Vitamix, Wolf Gourmet, and Breville are good high-end blender brands. Ninja and KitchenAid are among our most recommended brands for full-size blenders in the mid and budget price ranges. For personal blenders, it's important that the design and performance work well for smoothies. Ninja is also among the best personal blender brands, and so is NutriBullet.

What blender is best for hot and cold?

You need a full-size blender with a vented lid or an immersion blender to blend hot ingredients. Most personal and portable blenders can't hot blend because they don't allow steam to escape, which can cause dangerous splattering when you remove the lid. Some blenders can blend hot ingredients but not heat cool ingredients, like the KitchenAid K400 and Oster Pro 1200. If you want a blender that can heat ingredients, look for models with a heating element like the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender or a blender that can heat ingredients with friction from the blades, like most Vitamix blenders.

All Reviews

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best kitchen blenders for most people. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.

If you'd like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's the list of all our blender reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no blender is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.