The 4 Best Blenders For Crushing Ice - Winter 2021 Reviews

The best full-size blender for ice crushing that we've tested is Ninja Mega Kitchen System BL770. With its 'Crush' preset, it takes less than a minute to crush ice into a snow-like consistency, which is fantastic. It comes with two 16-ounce personal jars in addition to the 72-ounce main jar, so you can make frozen drinks in big batches or single-serve portions.

The build quality is very good, as it's made out of premium-feeling plastic and feels quite sturdy. When you're done using it, clean-up is remarkably easy, since the removable blade assembly and jars can be put in the dishwasher. When you're not using it to make frozen drinks, it can also make smooth, spreadable almond butter and an outstanding, silky smoothie. It even comes with a food processor bowl that includes a dough blade assembly, although we don't currently test that feature.

Unfortunately, it's not the most versatile, as it can't be used for hot blending. Also, the main jar produces a grainy, foamy smoothie, so you may want to use one of the smaller personal jars if you're using it for that purpose. That said, it's incredible at crushing ice and is one of the best blenders we've tested.

The Ninja Foodi Power Nutri DUO is the best personal blender for ice crushing that we've tested. This well-built model can make snow-like crushed ice in roughly two minutes. It comes with one 14-ounce and two 24-ounce jars with matching to-go lids, so you can use it to mix single-serves of your favorite frozen drinks.

It offers versatile performance, as it can produce a fantastic smoothie in any of its jars. The 14-ounce jar is equipped with manually-operated rotating arms that work to push food towards the vortex for a smoother blend, and you can use it to make fantastic, spreadable almond butter. It's easy to wash by hand, and you can also put its jars, lids, and blade assemblies in the dishwasher.

Unfortunately, its motor base feels a bit plasticky and not very premium. That said, if you're looking for something that can crush ice in small batches for shakes and slushies, this is one of the best blenders for frozen drinks that we've tested.

The best blender for ice crushing that we've tested in the budget category is the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ. This affordable full-size model has an impressive, solid build quality. Using its 'Ice Crush' preset, it can crush ice into a snow-like consistency in roughly 30 seconds, which is outstanding.

It comes with a 72-ounce main jar, so you can use it to make frozen drinks in big batches, and it can also produce an okay smoothie. The design is fairly simple, with a few different speed settings and presets, as well as a pulse mode. It's easy to wash with soap and water, even when you're working with stickier ingredients. The jars, lids, and removable blade assemblies are all dishwasher-safe, too.

Unfortunately, it makes disappointing almond butter and can't be used to blend hot ingredients. It also struggles to fully incorporate leafy greens like kale into smoothies. However, if you want a budget-friendly blender that can crush ice, this one is definitely worth considering.