If a smoothie is part of your morning routine or a regular post-workout snack, you'll want a blender that quickly blends ingredients like chunks of frozen fruit and leafy greens like kale. A good smoothie blender can easily handle large and small amounts of fibrous ingredients in its main pitcher. Many full-size blenders also come with personal-sized jars for single servings, which makes it easy to bring your smoothie with you. The ideal smoothie blender is easy to clean after use. Depending on your preferences, you may also want something with preset modes for simple one-press smoothie blending and sufficient versatility for other recipes, such as the occasional soup or batch of nut butter.
We've tested over 130 blenders, and below are our recommendations for the best smoothie makers for most people. If you're not sure what you're looking for, check out the FAQ section for more information on what makes a good smoothie blender and how to get the best results. You can also take a look at the best personal blenders, the best protein shake blenders, or the best blenders for frozen drinks.
-
Best Blender For Smoothies
Smoothies (Single Serving)9.1Smoothies (Multiple Servings)8.7Build Quality9.0Main Jar Capacity48.0 oz (1,420 ml)See all our test resultsCrushed Ice9.2The Vitamix Explorian E310 is the best smoothie blender we've tested. It makes easy work of nearly any ingredient, efficiently powering through tough ingredients in its 48-ounce jar, so every blend turns out silky and smooth. Making small-batch smoothies with fibrous ingredients like kale and pineapple takes less than a minute, with no need to stop to scrape the jar or use the tamper. It takes a little longer to blend large batches, but in either case, the result is a perfectly smooth puree with no unprocessed bits left over. ulverizing ice, either, so it's easy to add a few cubes to your morning smoothie or shake, and it handles dry ingredients, like a handful of almonds, just as well, so you can adjust your favorite recipes and still expect a smooth texture.
This blender also offers fantastic build quality and a simple and easy-to-clean design, making daily maintenance a breeze. However, it's quite loud and lacks automatic blending programs, so you must manually start and stop the blender. If you want something with more features, the Vitamix Propel 510 is also fantastic for smoothies. It makes a slightly less smooth blend with fibrous ingredients like fruit and kale, but still produces very well-blended smoothies, and its blending programs allow for a more hands-off experience.
-
Best Upper Mid-Range Blender For Smoothies
Smoothies (Single Serving)9.1Smoothies (Multiple Servings)9.2Build Quality9.0Main Jar Capacity68.0 oz (2,011 ml)See all our test resultsCrushed Ice9.4Not ready to pay top dollar for a Vitamix? Check out our upper mid-range pick: the Braun TriForce Power Pro JB9041BK. Like the Vitamix Explorian E310, this model makes a uniformly smooth blend with even the toughest ingredients in small batches. Working in small batches makes it particularly easy, since it fully blends the ingredients with a single 'Smoothie' cycle. It also comes with a 20-ounce personal jar, so you can take your drink to go without transferring it to a separate container. Larger batches take longer to blend, and the result isn't as smooth, but the 68-ounce main jar offers plenty of capacity. It processes additional ingredients, like ice cubes, nuts, and seeds, efficiently, too, though you may need to stop the blender and stir once or twice to incorporate everything.
Like our top pick, this blender offers fantastic build quality, but it's not as easy to clean, since only some components are dishwasher-safe, while others, including the main pitcher and the personal jar's blades, should be cleaned by hand. It's also very loud, making early morning smoothies pretty disruptive. While its 10-speed presets don't allow you as much fine control over the blending speed as the Vitamix's dial does, it includes seven blending programs, so you don't have to stop the blender manually.
-
Best Mid-Range Blender for Smoothies
Smoothies (Single Serving)9.1Smoothies (Multiple Servings)9.2Build Quality8.0Main Jar Capacity64.0 oz (1,893 ml)See all our test resultsCrushed Ice9.3If you want a smoothie blender that can also handle a range of everyday kitchen tasks, consider the nutribullet Triple Prep System, our pick in the mid-range price category. Despite this model's significantly lower price tag, it performs just as well as the Braun TriForce Power Pro JB9041BK for blending smoothies in small batches, easily processing fibrous ingredients like spinach and mango in one of its 32-ounce personal jars. It works nearly as well for large batches. Its 64-ounce pitcher offers plenty of room for making multiple portions, and while it leaves a few unprocessed bits behind, it finishes blending with a single 50-second 'Smoothie' cycle. If you prefer your morning smoothie frozen, you can easily add a few ice cubes, too.
The trade-off with this model is that it's not as well-built, and it's harder to clean, since the jar has ridges that can be tough to scrub. It also struggles to make nut butter, and while adding a handful of cashews or pumpkin seeds is an easier process, it's still something to consider if they're common additions to your morning smoothies. On the bright side, it has eight blending programs, which make multitasking easier. Plus, it comes with a food processing jar, makin git significantly more versatile.
-
Best Budget Blender For Smoothies
Smoothies (Single Serving)9.0Smoothies (Multiple Servings)8.5Build Quality8.0Main Jar Capacity48.0 oz (1,420 ml)See all our test resultsCrushed Ice10The best budget blender for smoothies we've tested is the Chefman Obliterator. Using its 48-ounce main jar, it makes a very smooth blend with fibrous fruits and veggies and crushes ice easily. While it doesn't process fibrous ingredients as easily as the nutribullet Triple Prep System, the result is just as well-blended. It's also easy to find with or without an additional 20-ounce personal jar, so you can pick up the larger package if you make a lot of single-serve smoothies or save some money if you mostly make larger batches.
However, its lower price comes with some drawbacks. It's not as versatile as the previous picks, and doesn't work well with thicker mixtures such as nut butter. If you care about your smoothie blender's versatility or like to prepare thicker smoothies, keep in mind that you'll probably need to stop and stir to properly blend these recipes. That said, it's just as sturdy as the nutriBullet, and it's quieter and easier to clean than any of the previous picks.
-
Best Cheap Blender For Smoothies
Smoothies (Single Serving)8.4Smoothies (Multiple Servings)7.7Build Quality6.5Main Jar Capacity48.0 oz (1,420 ml)See all our test resultsCrushed Ice6.7If you want to spend as little as possible on your smoothie blender, consider the Black+Decker Quiet Blender with Cyclone Glass Jar. This inexpensive blender is available for well under $100, and while its budget-friendly price comes with some downsides, it performs well overall for smoothies. Whether you're blending in its 48-ounce main jar or its 24-ounce personal jar, it makes a mostly smooth blend with kale and fruit, although it leaves behind more unprocessed bits than the previous picks. As an ice crusher, it works best with smaller batches of about six ice cubes, but adding some ice to a smoothie recipe isn't an issue.
Unfortunately, it's not as well-built as the Chefman Obliterator. While it comes with a sturdy 48-ounce glass pitcher, some of its other components feel flimsy and plasticky. It has limited speed settings and a few automatic blending programs, including 'Smoothie,' but that program only lasts for 35 seconds, so you'll need several cycles for the best results. That said, as its name suggests, it's very quiet for a full-size blender.
Notable Mentions
-
Blendtec Classic 575:
The Blendtec Classic 575 is a bit more expensive than the Vitamix Explorian E310. It's fantastic for blending fibrous ingredients and ice but doesn't perform as well as the Explorian for blending smaller batches. It's also not as well-built and is very loud.
See our review -
Blendtec Total Blender Classic:
The Blendtec Total Blender Classic stands out for its big 90-ounce overall capacity. It makes a mostly smooth blend with fibrous ingredients, but it isn't as fast as the Vitamix Explorian E310. It's not as well-built as you might expect for the price, and it's very loud.
See our review -
Vitamix 5200:
The Vitamix 5200 is more expensive than the Vitamix Explorian E310. It makes a similarly smooth blend with ingredients like kale or fruit, and you might prefer it to the Explorian if you need a bigger 64-ounce jar, but it's not as fast.
See our review -
Vitamix Professional Series 750:
The Vitamix Professional Series 750 is more expensive than the Vitamix Explorian E310. It performs a bit better for most uses, including making big batches of smoothies, but it isn't easy to use for single serves. Blending small batches requires several minutes of blending and scraping with a spatula.
See our review
Recent Updates
Apr 22, 2026:
We added the nutribullet Triple Prep System as our mid-range pick since it offers strong performance for smoothies, and we removed the Hamilton Beach Professional Quiet Blender as our 'Best Quiet Blender For Smoothies,' as it doesn't perform as well as our main picks.
Jan 12, 2026:
We verified that all our picks were still available and made minor revisions to the text.
Nov 12, 2025:
Because the Vitamix A3500 is discontinued, we replaced it with the Vitamix Explorian E310, which was previously the upper mid-range pick. We also replaced the Breville the Fresh & Furious with the Braun TriForce Power Pro JB9041BK, which offers a better blending performance at a slightly lower price. The nutribullet Blender Combo was also replaced with the Chefman Obliterator, which is sturdier and more versatile.
Apr 11, 2025:
We've made minor updates to the text and checked that the products are in stock, but there hasn't been a change to our recommendations.
Feb 13, 2025:
We've added the Breville The Super Q BBL920 as an alternative to Vitamix A3500 because it comes with a personal jar for single-serve smoothies.
FAQ
What size blender do I need for smoothies?
It depends on whether you want to blend multiple servings at once or just enough for one person. Personal blenders are smaller and usually have a resealable lid, so you can use the jar as a travel cup. Full-size blenders are better for blending multiple servings at once. If you want both, look for a full-size blender that comes with personal jars, too.
How do I choose a good blender for smoothies?
For ingredients like leafy greens and fruit, it's important to find a blender that can process fibrous ingredients smoothly. Higher blade speeds help make a silky-smooth blend with fibrous elements like kale. If you're looking for a full-size blender that can blend single servings, a narrower jar can help prevent splashing, so ingredients incorporate without intervention. However, many factors can affect a blender's performance, so it depends on the model.
How many watts is good for a smoothie blender? Is 600 watts enough for smoothies?
Generally, more power is better for any kind of recipe, but you can't assume more power will equal a better performance in all cases. The KitchenAid K150, for example, has relatively low motor power (650W), but it blends fibrous ingredients much more smoothly than some higher-power blenders, such as the Ninja Smart Screen and Ninja Professional Blender NJ601AMZ (1000W).
Blade speed and jar shape are big factors in blending performance, so it's hard to judge a blender based on motor power alone. Faster blending speeds produce smoother blends with fruits and veggies, while narrow or small jars often work best for smaller batches. Blending programs don't necessarily produce better results, but if your recipe includes a lot of ice cubes or frozen fruit, you may want a blender with pulse mode, since it helps break up bigger chunks.
When making a smoothie, what goes first?
Adding liquid first, followed by ice, frozen fruit, and other ingredients, helps reduce the effort it takes for the blender to get going. Adding heavy ingredients last, like ice cubes, can also be helpful, as they help weigh down lighter ingredients, like leafy greens, and push everything toward the blades.
Can you make milkshakes in a smoothie maker?
Sure! Many milkshake recipes simply call for just ice cream and milk, and a good blender won't have any trouble blending that combination. If you want milkshakes that you can eat with a spoon, a blender that does a good job with thick mixtures like nut butter will have an easier time keeping the ingredients moving. Of course, if your blender starts to struggle, you can always add more liquid.
How long should you blend a smoothie?
The very best smoothie blenders can blend a single-serve beverage or a full batch in 1–2 minutes, even with difficult ingredients like fruit and leafy greens. Of course, it depends on your recipe, so just blend until you get the results you want or until you notice it's not getting any smoother with more blending. However, blending for several minutes can heat the ingredients.
All Reviews
The recommendations above are what we think are currently the best blenders for smoothies for most people. 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 want to choose for yourself, here is the list of all our smoothie blender reviews. 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.