While many people buy blenders mainly for smoothies, the best ones are versatile enough to tackle hot soups, nut butter, frozen drinks, and more. Features like a two-part lid, a tamper, and a wide range of speed settings help make a blender versatile enough for any recipe. If you make a lot of puréed soups and sauces, you may want something that can also process hot ingredients. Plus, good blenders aren't extremely loud and don't make cleanup difficult. Some even come with additional accessories, like extra personal jars for blending single-serve smoothies.
We've tested 130 blenders, and below are our recommendations for the best models you can buy. If you prefer a smaller blender, the best personal blenders and the best bullet blenders are mainly intended for making smoothies and are usually more compact and less expensive. The best immersion blenders are designed for blending hot ingredients directly in a pot or pan, but they aren't as effective for other recipes.
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Best Blender
Multi-Purpose9.1Build Quality9.0Main Jar Capacity48.0 oz (1,420 ml)Noise7.5Hot BlendingYesSmoothies (Single Serving)9.1Smoothies (Multiple Servings)8.2Ice Crushing8.7See all our test resultsSoups8.6The Vitamix Ascent X4 is the best blender we've tested. This premium blender comes with a 48-ounce jar and performs exceptionally well across the board, particularly excelling with smaller batches and challenging recipes like nut butter. It's also noticeably quieter than many full-size blenders, which is a nice bonus if you're sensitive to noise. Its controls include six automatic blending programs and a +15-second button. Like all Ascent X blenders, it features a tamper holder that can be attached to the side of the motor base or removed when not in use. The jar is dishwasher-safe and quite easy to clean by hand. You can purchase a few additional jars for the X4, including a 64-ounce jar for increased capacity.
It's worth noting that Vitamix doesn't currently sell a personal jar for its 'Ascent X' blenders, so it's not ideal for making smoothies to take on the go. While it's very quiet for a blender, it's not as quiet as the pricier Vitamix Ascent X5. The X5 offers a few more features than the X4, like more blending programs, but it performs essentially the same. It's also the most expensive Vitamix by far, and for most people, the extra cost won't be worth the small difference in noise level. However, if you're prepared to shell out nearly $1,000 for a blender, it's quieter and performs very well with just about any recipe.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Blender
Multi-Purpose9.3Build Quality9.0Main Jar Capacity48.0 oz (1,420 ml)Noise6.6Hot BlendingYesSmoothies (Single Serving)9.0Smoothies (Multiple Servings)8.5Ice Crushing8.7See all our test resultsSoups8.7The Vitamix Propel 510 is a great alternative to the pricier Vitamix Ascent X4. This sturdy blender performs just as well (and in some cases even better) than the X4, making it a solid choice if you want top-tier performance at a lower price point. It comes with a 48-ounce jar and has simple controls, including a pulse switch, a wide range of manual blending speeds, and a few automatic blending programs. It's a fantastic option for blending smaller portions, like single-serve smoothies, as well as for recipes like nut butter or hummus. It easily crushes ice and quickly makes a smooth blend with bigger batches of fibrous ingredients as well.
While its capacity may be a bit small for some uses, you can purchase additional jars separately, including a 64-ounce pitcher for larger batches and a personal jar for single-serve smoothies. However, it's a fairly loud blender. While it's not as ear-splitting as the loudest blenders, if you use your blender frequently or simply want to minimize noise as much as possible, it's not ideal.
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Best Mid-Range Blender
Multi-Purpose8.6Build Quality8.0Main Jar Capacity48.0 oz (1,420 ml)Noise7.9Hot BlendingYesSmoothies (Single Serving)8.3Smoothies (Multiple Servings)8.0Ice Crushing8.1See all our test resultsSoups8.5The KitchenAid K150 is a solid mid-range option that delivers excellent overall performance without the premium price tag. It's a great choice if you want a capable full-size blender that handles most recipes well, from smoothies to soups, with consistently good performance across different tasks. It excels at crushing ice and blending full batches of fibrous ingredients, so it's well-suited for making frozen drinks and large batches of smoothies.
However, you'll notice some trade-offs compared to the pricier Vitamix models. It's not as effective at making nut butter; the process takes longer and requires more scraping and tamping. The build quality isn't quite as premium either, feeling slightly less sturdy than the Vitamix blenders. It also doesn't blend fibrous ingredients quite as smoothly in small batches, so you might notice a few more chunks in single-serve smoothies. That said, if you're looking for a reliable blender for everyday tasks like making smoothies for the family, crushing ice for frozen drinks, or blending hot soups, the KitchenAid offers excellent value and strong performance across the board.
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Best Budget Blender
Multi-Purpose8.9Build Quality8.0Main Jar Capacity48.0 oz (1,420 ml)Noise7.0Hot BlendingYesSmoothies (Single Serving)9.0Smoothies (Multiple Servings)8.5Ice Crushing8.8See all our test resultsSoups8.7The best budget blender we've tested is the Chefman Obliterator. It has a streamlined design and comes with a 48-ounce jar (a bit small for a full-sized blender) and a travel jar. This model excels at blending fibrous ingredients in both large and small batches, even outperforming the much pricier Vitamix Ascent X4 for large batches. It also features an Auto Blend mode, which is rare for a blender at this price, allowing for more hands-off operation.
Unfortunately, it's the weakest performer for nut butter, scoring well behind the KitchenAid K150 and far behind the Vitamix models. You'll need frequent stops to scrape the jar and more patience overall. Luckily, it's easy to clean thanks to a dedicated Clean program and dishwasher-safe components. The build quality also isn't as premium as the pricier options, with a plastic construction that feels less sturdy. If you want a blender that handles everyday tasks like smoothies, frozen drinks, and soups without breaking the bank, the Chefman delivers solid performance at an affordable price.
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Best Cheap Blender
Multi-Purpose8.3Build Quality6.5Main Jar Capacity48.0 oz (1,420 ml)Noise8.1Hot BlendingYesSmoothies (Single Serving)8.4Smoothies (Multiple Servings)7.7Ice Crushing6.6See all our test resultsSoups8.5If you're looking to spend as little as possible, consider the Black+Decker Quiet Blender with Cyclone Glass Jar. It comes with both a 48-ounce glass main jar and a 24-ounce personal jar for single-serve smoothies, and as the name suggests, it's noticeably quieter than most budget blenders, including the Chefman Obliterator. It also has removable blades, making it very easy to clean by hand. If you're mostly planning to make smoothies, it will do a solid job.
However, it falls short compared to the Chefman in several key areas. It's not as effective at crushing ice, so frozen drinks won't turn out as smooth. The build quality is also mediocre. While the glass jar feels sturdy, the lid and blade collar are quite flimsy, and the personal jar is made of thin plastic. The Chefman Obliterator is often on sale, and if you can find it at a similar price to the Black+Decker, it's the better choice. The Black+Decker is only worth considering if it's noticeably cheaper or if you specifically prioritize a quieter blender with a glass jar.
Notable Mentions
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Ninja Mega Kitchen System [BL770, BL770AMZ, BL771]:
The Ninja Mega Kitchen System is a mid-range blender that comes with personal jars for single-serve smoothies. The Ninja's personal jars make it easy to blend and take one on the go, but it can't hot blend like the KitchenAid K150.
See our review -
Vitamix 5200:
The Vitamix 5200's 64-ounce jar is tall and narrow, which can help blend very small batches of ingredients. It's easy to use for processing recipes like nut butter, so it's a good option if you want a 64-ounce jar and make a lot of dips and spreads. However, the Vitamix Propel 510 processes fibrous ingredients faster.
See our review
Recent Updates
Feb 13, 2026:
The Braun TriForce Power Pro JB9041BK is no longer available, so we replaced it with the KitchenAid K150. We also removed the Vitamix Explorian E310 to prioritize more affordable options.
Jan 12, 2026:
We've made minor updates to the text and checked that our picks are still in stock.
Dec 11, 2025:
We've replaced the Breville the Fresh & Furious with the Braun TriForce Power Pro JB9041BK as the 'Best Mid-Range' pick because it performs better overall. We also made some minor changes to the text for clarity.
Nov 10, 2025:
We replaced the Vitamix A3500 with the Vitamix Propel 510 as our pick for the top blender, because the A3500 has been discontinued. We've also removed the Black+Decker Quiet Blender with Cyclone Glass Jar as the 'Best Cheap Blender' because it's now the same price as our budget pick.
May 08, 2025:
We've replaced the Calphalon ActiveSense with the Chefman Obliterator as it performs better overall at an even more budget-friendly price. We also made some small changes for clarity.
FAQ
What is the best blender model?
It depends on what you want a blender for. Deciding on the type of blender you need is a good place to start; we have a guide to help you. Some important considerations include whether you usually blend single or multiple servings, whether you make a variety of recipes or mostly blend smoothies and other drinks, and whether 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 that 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 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 the 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 price, visitor feedback, and availability.
If you'd like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all our blender reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no option can be the best blender for everything, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.