When 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 to help you get the job done.
We've tested over 85 blenders, and below are our recommendations for the best under $100. Check out our recommendations for the best blenders, the best blenders for smoothies, and the best blenders for crushing ice.
The Oster Pro 1200 is the best blender under $100 we've tested. Despite the budget-friendly price tag, this blender can do a bit of everything. You can use its 48-ounce glass main jar to blend hot ingredients into silky soups and sauces and the 24-ounce personal jar to quickly blend up a personal smoothie. It fully processes stubborn elements like kale, so your recipe won't have leafy bits left over. Using it for thicker mixtures takes some extra time and stirring, but it can make very smooth, spreadable dips and spreads like nut butter or hummus.
Unfortunately, some parts of the blender feel cheaply made, so it might not be the most durable option. The manufacturer says not to add more than six ice cubes to the jar at once, which is less than most full-size blenders can handle. That said, the removable blade assembly makes it very easy to clean by hand. The main jar is even made of glass, which you might find is more resistant to scratching and discoloration than plastic.
If you need bigger jars, you might prefer the NutriBullet Blender Combo. This blender comes with a 64oz jar, so it's more suitable for big batches than the Oster. It comes with two personal jars that also have a bigger 32oz capacity. It's a good choice for soups and smoothies since it makes an incredibly smooth blend with fibrous ingredients in any of its jars. It's much sturdier and much quieter than the Oster, and there are resealable lids for the two personal jars, so you can use them as travel cups. It can also be used for hot blending, meaning you can make silky-smooth recipes like pureed broccoli soup.
However, it's usually priced a little above $100, and if you're looking for a multi-purpose blender that can crush ice and help with thick recipes like nut butter and hummus. Its lowest blending speed is quite fast, and it doesn't have a tamper, so it's not easy to use for something like nut butter. Still, if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive blender that you can use for big batches of smoothies or soup, it's worth considering.
If you like to make frozen treats like slushies or big batches of blended cocktails like margaritas, you might need a blender that can handle more ice than the previous pick. The Ninja Professional Blender 1000 comes with a 72-ounce pitcher and has no problem pulverizing a big batch of ice. It's also sturdier than the Oster, which is particularly important if you use your blender often for ice crushing. There's no 2-part lid, so you can't add ingredients mid-blend, but it has a pouring spout to help with serving drinks from the pitcher.
However, it's not quite as versatile as the Oster. It can't hot blend and only comes with one jar, so there's no personal jar for single-serve smoothies. It doesn't blend fibrous ingredients like kale as completely either, so recipes with fruit like blueberries or pineapple can turn out grainy. It doesn't have any automatic blending programs aside from a 'Pulse' button. If you're looking for an inexpensive blender for frozen drinks but prefer automatic blending programs, the Calphalon ActiveSense is usually priced a little over $100 but is fantastic for crushing ice and blending fibrous ingredients. Plus, unlike most budget-friendly blenders, it has a digital display and blending programs. You can even adjust the desired consistency of your smoothie by selecting 'Thick' or 'Thin'.
If you have a small kitchen or usually prepare food for just one or two people, you may prefer a personal blender like the Ninja Foodi Power Nutri DUO. This blender is usually more expensive than our top full-size blender under $100, but it's worth considering if you're looking for a compact option. Its relatively short motor base makes it easy to store under a cabinet or in a cupboard. Using its 24-ounce personal jars, it makes a nearly perfectly smooth puree with fibrous veggies like kale and fruit like blueberries. Thanks to its 14-ounce 'Smoothie Βowl Maker' jar, it's very easy to make thick blends, so it's also ideal for small batches of nut butter, hummus, or dip.
It's not quite as versatile as the Oster Pro 1200, though, since it can't hot blend and has only one speed setting. Despite its small size, it's also louder than that model. There are a few automatic blending programs, so you don't need to stand next to the blender the whole time it's running. Overall, if you don't need a blender with a large capacity, it's a great choice for smoothies, frozen drinks, and small batches of spreads and dips like hummus or nut butter.
The ΒlendJet 2 is the best portable blender under $100 that we've tested. This battery-powered blender doesn't perform as well as most similarly-priced conventional blenders, so it's probably not for you if you're looking to equip your kitchen with a versatile appliance. However, its quiet, lightweight, and small design makes it easy to carry around. Its cordless design means you can blend a smoothie after a workout or during your lunch break. It does an okay job of processing small batches of fibrous ingredients, so recipes like kale smoothies won't be completely smooth. However, softer fruit is easier to blend, and the blender can handle a couple of ice cubes in the mix.
You can't use it while charging, but it's advertised to last for about 15 blending cycles of 20 seconds each. Even though it's not dishwasher-safe, the jar's wide opening and removable blade assembly make it easy to clean by hand. The PopBabies Portable Blender is a cheaper battery-powered blender with a dishwasher-safe jar. It makes a smoother blend with fibrous elements like kale. However, its jar opening is narrow and can't fit full-size ice cubes. It comes with a mini ice cube tray and a funnel to help make up for it, but BlendJet is sturdier and has a more convenient design overall.
May 02, 2023: Reorganized the article to focus on full-size blenders and personal blenders. Added the NutriBullet Blender Combo as a 'Best Large-Capacity' pick.
Mar 03, 2023: Added the Calphalon ActiveSense as an alternative to the Ninja Professional 1000 and the PopBabies Portable Blender as alternative to the BlendJet 2.
Jan 03, 2023: Checked that products are in stock and made minor text updates.
Nov 04, 2022: Replaced the Βraun MultiQuick 5 with the Ninja Foodi Power Mixer System. Added the Ninja Professional Blender 1000 as the 'Best Frozen Drink Blender Under $100' and the KitchenAid K150 to Notable Mentions.
Sep 07, 2022: Reorganized article and added the ΒlendJet 2 as the 'Best Portable Blender Under $100' and the Magic Βullet Kitchen Express as the 'Best Blender/Food Processor Under $100'.
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.