If you're shopping for a blender on a budget, it can feel like you need to sacrifice good performance for a lower price point. While blenders under the $100 mark tend to have simple controls and lack additional features or attachments, they may also struggle to blend harder ingredients like nuts or be unable to process hot food. However, with so many blenders on the market these days, there's a variety of wallet-friendly appliances that can help you get the job done.
We've tested over 40 blenders, and below are our recommendations for the best blenders for under $100. Check out our recommendations for the best blenders, the best blenders for smoothies, and the best blenders for crushing ice.
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ is the best blender under $100 we've tested. This affordable full-size model comes with a large, 72-ounce main jar. It has a few different speeds and preset modes, so you can fine-tune your blend depending on what you're making.
It's made of sturdy-feeling plastic and has an overall impressive build quality. It can crush ice into a snow-like consistency in less than a minute, which is great if you like to make big batches of frozen drinks, and it also produces an okay smoothie. Also, since its jar, lid, and removable blade assembly are all dishwasher-safe, it's incredibly easy to clean.
Unfortunately, it makes chunky, disappointing almond butter and can't be used to blend hot ingredients. Also, unlike some full-size blenders, it doesn't come with any additional jars or attachments. That said, it's definitely worth considering if you're looking for a basic, budget-friendly blender.
If you're looking for a personal blender, the best blender under $100 that we've tested is the Ninja Nutri Ninja Pro. This compact model comes with three different sizes of jars that are ideal for making single servings, including a 12-ounce jar, an 18-ounce jar, and a 24-ounce jar. Thanks to the included to-go lids, you can bring your drinks with you to work or the gym with ease.
With just one speed setting, it's very easy to use. With its 12-ounce jar, it makes a decent smoothie with a silky, though somewhat foamy texture. You can also use it to crush ice into a snow-like blend for slushies and other frozen drinks. When you're finished, it's easy to clean by hand using just soap and water. You can also put the jars and the lids in your dishwasher for an easier clean-up.
Unfortunately, like most personal blenders, it isn't safe to blend hot ingredients. Also, it struggles to fully process almonds into smooth and spreadable nut butter, and there may be some unprocessed chunks of nut left in the mix. However, this is still a solid choice for making single-serve smoothies at home.
If you're looking for a better-built blender with more controls, consider the Ninja Foodi Power Nutri DUO instead. While some users may prefer the Ninja Nutri Ninja Pro's straightforward twist-to-use control scheme, it comes with several different preset modes to optimize your blend. The controls act as a timer and count down until your blend is finished. It comes with two 24-ounce jars and a unique 14-ounce Power Nutri Bowl that has manually rotating arms to help incorporate ingredients into the mix. Overall, it's very versatile, and it makes an outstandingly smooth almond butter, an incredibly silky smoothie, and it can also crush ice.
If you want a simple, straightforward personal blender, check out the Pro. However, if you want a more versatile model with more controls, consider the DUO instead.
The best immersion blender under $100 that we've tested is the All-Clad KZ750DGT. This budget-friendly model is easy to use and has a knob on its handle that you can use to adjust the blending speed. Its shaft is fairly long, so it shouldn't have any issue blending ingredients in a deep pot or dutch oven.
It can be used to blend hot ingredients like cooked vegetables into soups or purees. It's alright at making almond butter and can produce bar-quality crushed ice, unlike many immersion blenders. Clean-up is really easy too since you can take care of most messes by rinsing it quickly with soap and water.
Unfortunately, it struggles to fully blend raw leafy greens like kale and produces a sub-par, grainy smoothie. It also doesn't feel very sturdy or durable. That said, it's definitely worth considering if you're looking for an affordable immersion blender.
Jan 05, 2021: Slight changes to text and verification for accuracy; no changes in product picks.
Nov 10, 2020: Added the KitchenAid K150 to Notable Mentions.
Our above recommendations are what we think are currently the best blenders for under $100 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 blender reviews for under $100. 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.