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
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.
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Very well-built.
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Large capacity main jar.
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Hot blends.
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Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
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Not dishwasher-safe.
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Loud.
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.
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Very well-built.
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Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
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Not dishwasher-safe.
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Loud.
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.
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Very well-built.
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Large capacity main jar.
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Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
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Loud.
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.
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Very well-built.
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Large capacity main jar.
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Makes snow-like crushed ice.
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Loud.
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.
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Very well-built.
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Large capacity main jar.
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Hot blends.
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Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
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Not dishwasher-safe.
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Loud.
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.
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Very well-built.
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Large capacity main jar.
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Hot blends.
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Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
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Not dishwasher-safe.
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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
- Updated Sep 30, 2022: Revised text due to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Aug 17, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Oct 08, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Oct 01, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Sep 18, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Sep 18, 2020: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
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.
Compared To Other Blenders
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.
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.
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 7500 does a much better job processing small batches of fibrous ingredients, so it's better suited for making single-serve smoothies.
The Vitamix Explorian E520 and the Vitamix 5300 perform very similarly. The Explorian is a bit louder, but it has a few automatic blending programs in addition to a speed dial. You may also prefer it because it comes with a pair of tumblers and straws that you can use to bring a smoothie to go, but they can't be used for blending.
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 slightly quicker and makes smoother nut butter, but the differences in performance are pretty minor.
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.
The Vitamix 5300 is better than the Vitamix A2500 for most purposes. The 5300 has a somewhat better performance for blending fibrous ingredients, making nut butter, and crushing ice. On the other hand, you may prefer the A2500's design, since it offers automatic blending programs and its jar is dishwasher-safe. It's also quieter at maximum speed.
The Vitamix A2300 is a bit better than the Vitamix 5300. The A2300 is a bit quieter and has automatic blending programs and a digital display. Its jar and lid are dishwasher-safe. On the other hand, you may prefer the 5300's simpler controls. Its power cord is also much longer.
The Vitamix 5300 is better than the Oster Pro 1200 for most purposes. It has a much better build quality, a larger capacity in its main jar, and a better performance when processing fibrous ingredients, making nut butter, and ice-crushing. On the other hand, the Oster comes with a personal jar for single-serve smoothies. Its main jar is made of glass, and it's easier to clean by hand since the blades are removable.
The Vitamix Venturist V1200 is better than the Vitamix 5300. They each come with a 64-ounce main jar, but the V1200 also includes 20-ounce and eight-ounce jars for smaller batches. It's better-built, slightly quieter, and has a clear plastic lid so you can see into the blender.
The Vitamix 5300 is better for most purposes than the KitchenAid K400. The Vitamix has a much better build quality and a better performance when it comes to crushing ice and making nut butter. It's also easier to clean by hand. However, the KitchenAid has a few automatic blending programs. It's quieter when it's running and its jar, lid, and blades are dishwasher-safe, unlike the Vitamix's.
You may prefer either the Vitamix A3300 or the Vitamix 5300 depending on what you're looking for. The 5300 has a simpler design and a somewhat better blending performance overall since it's better for ice-crushing and making nut butter. It also has a much longer power cord. On the other hand, the A3300 has more extra features, like a digital display with a programmable timer and automatic blending programs. Its lid is made of clear plastic, so you can see down into the blender, and the jar, lid, and blades are dishwasher-safe.
The Vitamix 5300 is better than the Smeg BLF01. The Vitamix is significantly better-built and offers a better, more versatile blending performance since it can hot blend and make smooth nut butter.
The Vitamix 5300 is better than the Blendtec Classic 575. The Vitamix has a much better build quality and does a better job of processing hard ingredients like nuts. It's marginally better at crushing ice and processing small batches of ingredients for something like a single-serve smoothie. On the other hand, the Blendtec's main jar has a bigger capacity. Its controls include automatic blending programs, and its jar, lid, and blades are all dishwasher-safe.
The Vitamix 5300 is a little better than the Blendtec Designer 725. It makes much smoother nut butter in less time and is somewhat better for processing fibrous ingredients and crushing ice. On the other hand, you may prefer the Blendtec's design and features. Its main jar has a bigger capacity and it comes with a smaller personal jar for single-serve smoothies. It's easier to clean by hand and its jars, lids, and blades are dishwasher-safe.
The Vitamix 5300 is better than the Vitamix ONE. The 5200 is better built and more versatile since it can hot blend, make snow-like crushed ice, and produce smooth, spreadable nut butter. Its jar has a larger capacity. On the other hand, the ONE is a more compact blender and it's somewhat better for making single-serve smoothies if you don't mind its small capacity.
Test Results
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.
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.
The blender comes with one jar with a 64-ounce capacity.
The jar and lid are made of plastic. Unfortunately, none of the blender's components are dishwasher-safe.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It's incredible for crushing ice. Using the pulse mode, it can easily make snow-like ice in around thirty seconds.
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.
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.
It has a wide range of speed settings, so you can fine-tune the blending speed to suit different recipes.
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.