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The 5 Best Blenders For Frozen Drinks - Winter 2024 Reviews

Updated
Best Blenders For Frozen Drinks

Whether you like ice slushies or margaritas, a blender that can crush ice into a fine texture is necessary for the perfect frozen drink. Although some blenders struggle with ice since it can get caught under the blades, others can make snow-like ice with an evenly processed crush. These blenders should also be able to break down frozen fruit and veggies into a cold, silky smoothie.

We've tested over 95 blenders, and below are our recommendations for the best options for making frozen drinks. If you're looking for more blenders, check out our recommendations for the best blenders for crushing ice, the best blenders for smoothies, the best immersion blenders, and the best blenders.


  1. Βest Βlender For Frozen Drinks

    The Vitamix 7500 is the best blender for frozen drinks we've tested. Generally, we recommend the Vitamix 5200 as the best overall full-size blender. The 7500 is similar, with the same simple analog controls and a very sturdy design. However, its wider-based jar allows it to handle more ice cubes at once, and it makes snow-like ice more quickly, so it's even better for drinks like blended margaritas or slushies. Depending on where you buy it, it comes with a seven-year U.S. warranty, which is much longer than the usual one-year warranty for blenders. The main jar's 64-ounce capacity is enough to make multiple servings at once, and the two-part lid allows you to pour in more liquid or use the tamper for thicker blends.

    Aside from its ice-crushing ability, this blender also easily creates a silky blend with fibrous ingredients, so it's a great choice if you're looking for the best blender for frozen fruits. Unlike the 5200, it doesn't perform as well if you're working with small batches, so for recipes like smoothies, it'll do a better job if you fill the jar to its full capacity. This blender has no automatic blending programs. It's easy to use the pulse switch for ice crushing, but if you prefer a blender that runs and stops automatically, consider the Vitamix A3500. This more expensive Vitamix model is just as good at crushing ice, and its 'Frozen Drinks' program is effective for ice-crushing.

    See our review

  2. Best Upper Mid-Range Blender For Frozen Drinks

    If you aren't interested in paying that much for a blender, the KitchenAid K400 offers similar performance at a lower price. This cheaper blender has a shorter warranty than the Vitamix and doesn't have the same premium build quality. However, it's still well-built and easily handles fibrous fruits and vegetables, so frozen drinks with ingredients like pineapple or blueberries have a smooth texture. It has a smaller 56-ounce capacity and takes a little longer to crush ice, but it's still well-suited for frozen drinks like slushies and blended margaritas. It performs well with small batches of ingredients, meaning you can use it for single-serves.

    Unfortunately, it's not as well-built as our top pick and has a much shorter one-year U.S. warranty, which may be a concern if you use your blender daily. It's also a bit louder, but on the plus side, it has preset programs for 'Ice Crush', 'Icy Drink', and 'Smoothie', so you don't need to stand near the blender the whole time it's running. The non-removable blades can require some scrubbing when cleaning by hand, but the jar and lid are dishwasher-safe.

    See our review

  3. Best Mid-Range Blender For Frozen Drinks

    The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher System is the best mid-range blender for frozen drinks that we've tested. This blender is a good option if you're looking for the best blenders for margaritas, piña coladas, and other blended treats at a more affordable price. It comes with a step down in build quality compared to the previous picks, and its design isn't as convenient since it lacks a two-part lid, meaning you have to stop the blender to add more ingredients. Still, it's fantastic for ice-crushing and has no issue processing fibrous fruits like berries or pineapple. The lid has a pouring spout, so you can serve drinks without removing the lid to help avoid spills.

    It's not the best for recipes with fruit since the previous picks all make an even smoother blend with fibrous ingredients. Also, while it has a pulse mode that works well for ice crushing, the speed dial offers a limited range of speeds, so you have fewer options for adjusting the speed to suit different recipes. The sharp blades make it harder to clean by hand, but the jar, blades, and lid are all dishwasher-safe.

    See our review

  4. Best Budget Blender For Frozen Drinks

    The Ninja Professional Blender 1000 is the best budget blender for frozen drinks that we've tested. This blender has a simpler design than the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher System—it doesn't have any blending programs besides 'Pulse' and has a limited number of speed presets instead of a dial. However, the simpler controls don't matter very much when it comes to ice crushing, and it easily makes snow-like ice, just like the previous pick. It also comes with a similar lid with a pouring spout.

    However, it's not as well-suited for fruit-based drinks since it makes a grainy blend with fibrous ingredients like fruit skin, even after several minutes of blending. Unlike many pricier Ninja blenders, it has no extra jars or accessories. Still, it's well-built and quiet for a full-size blender. It's not the most versatile, but you might prefer its design if you don't plan to use your blender for much aside from frozen drinks.

    See our review

  5. Best Small Blender For Frozen Drinks

    If you like making frozen drinks for a crowd at summer parties, you may want a blender with a large-capacity pitcher, like the other full-size blenders listed here. On the other hand, if you're not usually serving a lot of people or want to save space in your kitchen, the Ninja TWISTi High-Speed Blender DUO is the best blender for frozen drinks we've tested. In terms of size, it's between a full-size blender and a personal blender. Its 34-ounce main jar can fit enough to serve one or two people and easily crushes ice for recipes like blended margaritas and slushies. There's also a personal jar included if you want to make a smaller batch.

    The lid has arms built into it that you can rotate to stir your recipe as it blends. This 'built-in tamper' feature can make it easier to process thicker mixtures, like drinks with a lot of ice or frozen fruit like strawberries. This blender also makes a smooth blend with fibrous elements like blueberry skin, so your frozen drink will be free of unprocessed bits and grains. It's sturdy and offers a few automatic blending programs. Unfortunately, it's the loudest blender on this list, which will get annoying if you use it to make several batches in a row.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • Vitamix A2500: The Vitamix A2500 isn't as well-built and doesn't crush ice as uniformly as the Vitamix 7500. That said, it's still a great option for frozen drinks, and unlike the 7500, its jar and lid are dishwasher-safe. Its controls also include a few automatic blending programs, so you don't have to stop the blender manually. See our review
  • Blendtec Designer 725: The Blendtec Designer 725 makes snow-like ice almost as quickly as the Vitamix 7500. If you plan to make frozen drinks at parties, you might prefer its bigger 90oz jar. However, its maximum liquid capacity is 36oz. It also struggles to blend thicker recipes like nut butter smoothly, which isn't a big deal for frozen drinks, but the Vitamix is a better choice if you want a versatile machine. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Jan 23, 2024: We've added the Blendtec Designer 725 to Notable Mentions.

  2. Dec 04, 2023: We've checked that the picks represent the best recommendations in their categories and that the products are in stock.

  3. Oct 06, 2023: Made minor updates to the text and checked that the products are in stock.

  4. Aug 10, 2023: Added the Vitamix A3500 as an alternative to the Vitamix 7500 with blending programs.

  5. Jun 15, 2023: Made minor changes to the picks and checked that the products are in stock.

All Reviews

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best blenders for margaritas, slushies, and other frozen drinks for most people in each price range. We factor in the price (a cheaper blender wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no blenders that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).

If you would like to choose for yourself, here is the list of all our reviews for blenders, sorted by their performance crushing ice. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no blender is perfect, most blenders are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you look for them.