Vitamix 5300  Blender Review

Reviewed Oct 08, 2020 at 09:24am
Tested using Methodology v1.0 
Vitamix 5300
9.3
Multi-Purpose 
9.0
Smoothies (Single Serving) 
9.6
Smoothies (Multiple Servings) 
9.6
Ice Crushing 
9.5
Soups 
9.3
Professional Use 
 0

The Vitamix 5300 is a full-size blender with a large, 64-ounce main jar, two-part lid, and tamper. It has simple controls, with no automatic blending programs, but it offers a wide range of speed settings. You can easily clean its components using hot water and soap, but unfortunately, you can't wash them in your dishwasher.

Our Verdict

9.3
Multi-Purpose 

The Vitamix 5300 is fantastic for multi-purpose use. It's extremely well-built and has a big 64-ounce capacity. It offers a very versatile performance since it can hot blend, make snow-like crushed ice, and create a smooth blend with fibrous ingredients like kale. It's also very well-suited for processing hard ingredients like nuts. Unfortunately, it's not dishwasher-safe, but it's easy to clean by hand.

Pros
  • Very well-built.
  • Large capacity main jar.
  • Hot blends.
  • Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
Cons
  • Not dishwasher-safe.
  • Loud.
9.0
Smoothies (Single Serving) 

The Vitamix 5300 is incredible for single-serve smoothies. Even though it only comes with a 64-ounce jar, it does a fantastic job of processing small batches of fibrous ingredients, so you can use it to whip up a very well-blended personal-sized smoothie. It's also very well-built and easy to clean by hand. However, the jar and lid are not dishwasher-safe, and it's a very loud blender.

Pros
  • Very well-built.
  • Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
Cons
  • Not dishwasher-safe.
  • Loud.
9.6
Smoothies (Multiple Servings) 

The Vitamix 5300 is outstanding for multiple servings of smoothies. It does a fantastic job of processing fibrous ingredients in its 64-ounce jar, so you can easily make silky green smoothies to serve a crowd. It can also make snow-like crushed ice. It's easy to clean by hand, but unfortunately, the jar, lid, and tamper are not dishwasher-safe.

Pros
  • Very well-built.
  • Large capacity main jar.
  • Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
Cons
  • Loud.
9.6
Ice Crushing 

The Vitamix 5300 is outstanding for ice-crushing. Using its pulse mode, it easily crushes ice cubes into snow-like ice, which is ideal for making frozen drinks on a hot day.

Pros
  • Very well-built.
  • Large capacity main jar.
  • Makes snow-like crushed ice.
Cons
  • Loud.
9.5
Soups 

The Vitamix 5300 is superb for soups. This well-built blender can hot blend ingredients, and its large capacity 64-ounce main jar is ideal for making big batches of your favorite soups. It makes a virtually perfectly smooth puree with ingredients like kale, meaning it can make a well-blended vegetable soup. The jar and lid are easy to clean by hand but aren't dishwasher-safe, unfortunately.

Pros
  • Very well-built.
  • Large capacity main jar.
  • Hot blends.
  • Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
Cons
  • Not dishwasher-safe.
  • Loud.
9.3
Professional Use 

The Vitamix 5300 is incredible for professional use. This well-built, premium-looking blender has a durable feel, and its large capacity main jar is ideal for making big batches of food to feed multiple people at once. It can easily crush ice and make smooth, spreadable nut butter, and it can hot blend. It's also a great choice for making smooth soups and silky smoothies. It's very loud, and the jar and lid are dishwasher-safe, but it's easy to clean by hand.

Pros
  • Very well-built.
  • Large capacity main jar.
  • Hot blends.
  • Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
Cons
  • Not dishwasher-safe.
  • Loud.
  • 9.3
    Multi-Purpose
  • 9.0
    Smoothies (Single Serving)
  • 9.6
    Smoothies (Multiple Servings)
  • 9.6
    Ice Crushing
  • 9.5
    Soups
  • 9.3
    Professional Use
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Sep 30, 2022: Revised text due to Test Bench 1.0.
    2.  Updated Aug 17, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
    3.  Updated Oct 08, 2020: Review published.
    4.  Updated Oct 01, 2020: Early access published.

    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    The Vitamix 5300 blender comes in two color variants: Black and Red. We tested the Black variant, and you can see the label for the unit we tested here. We expect the Red variant to perform similarly. If you come across a different variant, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.

    Popular Blender Comparisons

    The Vitamix 5300 is a full-size blender with a durable build and an incredibly versatile overall performance. It's easy to clean by hand, and it can hot blend ingredients. Unfortunately, it's loud compared to other Vitamix blenders that perform similarly, like the Vitamix 7500. No part of it is dishwasher-safe, unlike models like the Vitamix A2500, and it doesn't offer any automatic blending programs.

    For other options, check out our lists of the best blenders, the best blenders for smoothies, and the best blenders for crushing ice

    Vitamix 5200

    The Vitamix 5200 and the Vitamix 5300 are very similar blenders. The 5300 is more suitable for crushing ice for recipes like slushies or snow cones, and the 5200 is better for processing small batches of fibrous ingredients, like when you're making a single-serve smoothie or shake. The 5200 is also quieter when it's running.

    Vitamix 7500

    The Vitamix 7500 and the Vitamix 5300 are very similar, but the 7500 has a slight edge because it's better built and significantly quieter. That said, the 5300 does a much better job processing small batches of fibrous ingredients, so it's better suited for making single-serve smoothies.

    Vitamix Explorian E310

    The main difference between the Vitamix 5300 and the Vitamix Explorian E310 is that the 5300 has a bigger 64-ounce capacity. You may also prefer the 5300 if you want an extra-long power cord. Otherwise, it does a better job of crushing ice and processing big batches of fibrous ingredients. The Explorian processes small batches quicker and makes smoother nut butter, but the differences in performance are pretty minor.

    Vitamix A3500

    The Vitamix A3500 is better than the Vitamix 5300 for most purposes. They perform similarly, but the A3500 is better for blending small batches of ingredients. Its jar and lid are dishwasher-safe, and it has a few automatic blending programs. It's also much quieter when it's running. On the other hand, the 5300 is easier to use to make thick mixtures like nut butter. Its power cord is much longer too, which some may prefer.

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    Test Results

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    Category:
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    Design
    Dimensions
    Blender Type
    Full Size Blender
    Height
    17.2" (43.7 cm)
    Width7.6" (19.3 cm)
    Depth9.0" (22.8 cm)
    Weight
    11.5 lbs (5.2 kg)
    Shaft Length (Immersion Blenders)
    N/A

    The Vitamix 5300 is tall and heavy, so it's best stored on your kitchen counter or in a large cupboard. You can also remove the main jar for easier storage.

    9.0
    Build Quality

    It has an outstanding build quality. It's mostly made of metal and plastic, and these materials feel durable and solid. The power cable is long and thick.

    9.0
    Jar Capacity
    Main Jar Capacity
    64.0 oz (1,893 ml)
    Additional Jar Capacity
    N/A

    The blender comes with one jar with a 64-ounce capacity.

    Jar/Beaker Materials
    Jar/Beaker Material
    BPA-Free Plastic
    Dishwasher Safe
    No

    The jar and lid are made of plastic. Unfortunately, none of the blender's components are dishwasher-safe.

    Blades
    Blade Type
    Sharp
    Blade Count
    4
    Removable
    No
    Dishwasher Safe
    No

    This blender has four sharp blades that aren't designed to be removed from the jar when you clean it. You can service it thanks to its nut assembly, but removing the blades voids the warranty and isn't recommended by the manufacturer. The blades aren't dishwasher-safe, so you can only wash them by hand.

    Lid
    Two-Part Lid
    Yes
    Lid Closing Type
    Friction

    The two-part lid uses friction to stay shut, and it has two ears on each side that hook underneath the lip of the main jar to hold it in place. You can remove the middle of the lid to add ingredients while you're blending or use the tamper to push food closer to the blades. You can only wash the lid by hand.

    Power Cord
    Stow-Away Compartment
    Yes
    Cord Length
    6.2 ft (1.9 m)

    This blender comes with a long, thick power cord that can easily reach most outlets. The cord can also be stored away when it's not in use.

    In The Box

    • Motor base
    • Manual
    • Recipe book
    • Low-profile container and two-part lid
    • Tamper
    Performance
    9.7
    Fibrous Ingredients (Small Batches)
    Jar Used
    Main Jar
    Fibrous Ingredients Processing
    8.5
    Fibrous Ingredients Texture
    10

    This blender is fantastic for processing small batches of fibrous ingredients. If you use it to make a personal smoothie with something like kale, it has an extremely smooth texture. The jar's wide shape is a downside when you're working with small amounts of ingredients because even at low speeds, food splashes up the sides of the jar. It makes the process a little harder than it is with blenders like the Vitamix 5200 or Vitamix Explorian E310 that come with smaller or narrower jars since you need to stop and scrape the jar with a spatula.

    10
    Fibrous Ingredients (Full Capacity)
    Jar UsedMain Jar
    Fibrous Ingredients Processing
    10
    Fibrous Ingredients Texture
    10

    It's outstanding for processing big batches of fibrous ingredients. It can make a virtually perfectly smooth puree of ingredients like kale for a big batch of smoothies or soup. When you fill the jar to its full capacity, there's no issue with ingredients splashing up the sides of the jar, so the process is exceptionally easy.

    10
    Crushed Ice
    Crushed Ice Preparation
    10
    Crushed Ice Texture
    10

    It's incredible for crushing ice. Using the pulse mode, it can easily make snow-like ice in around thirty seconds.

    9.3
    Nut Butter
    Nut Butter Preparation
    9.0
    Nut Butter Texture
    9.5

    It's fantastic for making nut butter. You may need to scrape the sides of the jar with a spatula to get all the nuts incorporated, but ultimately it makes a smooth, slightly sticky almond butter that's easy to spread in around three minutes.

    5.3
    Noise
    Noise @ Max Speed
    99.3 dB

    This blender is loud. It's a lot noisier when it's running than models like the Vitamix 7500 or Vitamix 5200, so it's irritating to stand next to it for very long.

    Blade Speed
    Min Speed
    1,400 RPM
    Max Speed
    22,500 RPM
    Power
    1,640 W
    Speed Adjustment Based On Jar Type
    No

    It has a wide range of speed settings, so you can fine-tune the blending speed to suit different recipes.

    Ease Of Use
    Controls And Programs
    On/Off Switch
    Yes
    Speed Presets
    0
    Hot Blending
    Yes
    Speed Dial
    Yes
    Pulse/Turbo Mode
    Yes
    Programs
    0
    Blending Time Indicator
    No
    Programmable Timer
    No

    The controls consist of a speed dial that you can use to make small speed adjustments, as well as a switch for pulse mode and an on/off toggle that has to be switched 'on' before the blender will run. Unlike some Vitamix blenders like the Vitamix Explorian E510, it doesn't have any automatic blending programs.

    7.5
    Cleaning

    This blender is easy to clean. Running the blender with soap and water in the jar helps remove a lot of residue from the jar. You need to use a brush or sponge to wipe the inside of the jar, the underside of the lid, and the non-removable blades, but it's not too tedious.