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 meant 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 125 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 about what makes a good smoothie blender and how you can get the best results.
This list focuses on the best full-size blenders for smoothies, which you can use for single-serves or multiple batches. However, if you generally blend for one, most personal and bullet blenders are intended for smoothies. Check out our lists of the best personal blenders and best bullet blenders if you want a compact option for single-serve recipes.
Are you equipping your breakfast nook? If you like a golden brown bagel or warm pastry with your morning smoothie, check out our recommendations for the best toasters.
Quick Look
We've tested more than 125 blenders since 2020. We always buy our own products from major retailers, just like you, to keep our reviews independent and unbiased. Each blender goes through the same set of tests, so you can easily compare models, regardless of price or features. We keep the blenders we test even after the review is published, so we can go back and retest them to answer questions from our users.
Check out our How We Test Blenders article to learn more about our purchasing, testing, and writing procedures.
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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 blender for smoothies we've tested. This blender offers fantastic build quality, a simple and easy-to-clean design, and excellent overall performance, particularly for smoothies. You can use its 48oz jar to make very well-blended drinks with difficult ingredients, such as leafy greens, whether you're making a smoothie for one or serving a crowd. It has no problem powering through ice cubes, either.
However, it's quite loud and lacks automatic blending programs, so you must manually start and stop the blender. It offers a hard-to-beat performance for smoothies at a more reasonable price point compared to some alternatives, but 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. Its controls include three blending programs, so you can have the blender stop on its own when it's done, unlike the Explorian.
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Best 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 Ice9.4If you want a cheaper blender for smoothies, the Braun TriForce Power Pro JB9041BK is the best mid-range blender for smoothies we've tested. While it doesn't match the Vitamix Explorian E310's overall performance, it shares our top pick's fantastic build quality, offers a larger 64oz capacity in its main jar, and comes with a 20oz personal jar for single-serves. It quickly blends big batches of fibrous ingredients and ice in its main pitcher, although it leaves a few more unprocessed bits leftover than the Vitamix. That's not an issue when you're using the personal jar, though. 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 7 blending programs, so you don't have to stop the blender manually.
Unfortunately, it's loud, and the noise will get irritating quickly if you're making multiple batches. Only some of its components are dishwasher-safe, while others, including the main pitcher and the personal jar's blades, should be cleaned by hand. The main pitcher's ridged design and non-removable blades also make it more of a pain to clean by hand than some blenders.
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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 that we've tested for smoothies is the Chefman Obliterator. This blender isn't quite as well-built as the previous picks, but it's still impressively sturdy. Using its 48oz main jar, it makes a very smooth blend with fibrous fruits and veggies and easily crushes ice. You can also buy it with a personal jar for single-serves. Although it doesn't blend as fast as the Braun TriForce Power Pro JB9041BK, you can use it to make similarly well-blended personal smoothies, even with difficult ingredients like kale. It's also easy to find available with or without the personal jar, so if you generally make bigger batches, you can save money and get the version that only comes with the 48oz jar.
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 quieter than the previous picks and easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher.
If you'd like to see more inexpensive blenders, you might find what you're looking for on our list of the best budget blenders.
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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 48oz main jar or its 24oz personal jar, it makes a mostly smooth blend with kale or fruit smoothies, 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 into a smoothie recipe isn't an issue.
Unfortunately, it's not as well-built as the Chefman Obliterator. While it comes with a sturdy 48oz 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.
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Best Quiet Blender For Smoothies
Smoothies (Single Serving)8.9Smoothies (Multiple Servings)7.8Build Quality8.0Main Jar Capacity32.0 oz (946 ml)See all our test resultsCrushed Ice9.4If you're looking for a quiet blender that doesn't compromise on build quality or motor power, the Hamilton Beach Professional Quiet Blender is worth considering. Unlike the Black+Decker Quiet Blender with Cyclone Glass Jar, it's very sturdy. It produces a smoother blend with fibrous ingredients and features a plastic dome to muffle noise, making it marginally quieter than the Black+Decker, despite its more powerful motor. It also does a much better job of crushing ice, so it's more suitable for recipes like slushies or blended margaritas.
However, its main jar only has a 32oz capacity, which is small for a full-size blender, so keep that in mind if you usually make bigger batches of smoothies. You can use the noise dome as a serving pitcher, but not for blending. This blender is also not ideal for thicker recipes, such as smoothie bowls, as the ingredients can get pushed to the corners of the jar, and you have to remove the noise dome to use the tamper. That said, it'll easily handle most smoothie recipes, and it's very easy to clean either in the dishwasher or by hand.
If the noise level is a priority, you can also check out other options on our list of the best quiet blenders.
Notable Mentions
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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 90oz 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 -
KitchenAid K400:
The KitchenAid K400 is a full-size blender priced between the Vitamix Explorian E310 and the Breville the Fresh & Furious. It can blend smoothies a bit faster than the Breville, but it's about $100 more expensive. It also really struggles with recipes like nut butter or hummus, so it's not very versatile.
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 64oz 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 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
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.
Dec 17, 2024:
We've made minor updates to the text and checked that the products are in stock.
Oct 25, 2024:
We've replaced the Vitamix 5200 with the Vitamix A3500 because it blends smoothies faster. The Vitamix Explorian E310 has been added to a new 'Best Upper Mid-Range' category for a cheaper option. The nutribullet Blender Combo has replaced the Calphalon ActiveSense as the budget pick because while it's not as versatile, it's better for smoothies.
FAQ
What size blender do I need for smoothies?
It depends if 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 with personal jars to blend smoothies for a crowd or make a personal blend for yourself.
How do I choose a good blender for smoothies?
For ingredients like leafy greens and fruit, it's important that a blender can process fibrous ingredients smoothly. The blade speed is a factor because 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-serves, a narrower jar can help prevent splashing. However, a lot of variables 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 has a relatively low motor power (650W) but does a much better job of blending fibrous ingredients compared to some higher-power blenders, like the Ninja Smart Screen and Ninja Professional Blender NJ601AMZ (1000W). The Magic Bullet Mini does a good job of smoothly blending fibrous ingredients, and it has a much lower blending power (250W), although it has a much smaller capacity.
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 are better for smooth 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 since they can help weigh down lighter stuff like leafy greens and push everything toward the blades.
Can you make milkshakes in a smoothie maker?
Sure! Many milkshake recipes simply include ice cream and milk, and a good blender won't have an issue 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 struggles, you can add more liquid.
How long should you blend a smoothie?
The very best blenders for smoothies can blend a single-serve or full batch in 1-2 minutes, even if it includes difficult ingredients like fruit and leafy greens. Of course, it depends on your recipe, so you just blend until you get the results you want or until you notice that it's not getting any smoother from more blending. However, blending for several minutes can heat the ingredients.
All Reviews
Our above recommendations are what we think are currently the top smoothie blenders 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.