Bright breakfast smoothies and lemonade slushies are the perfect complements to an early morning run. The right blender will transform your daily routine with filling protein shakes and x 7.8 x 17 in. Best Compact Blender.
The Expert: I’m a cookbook author and food writer with more than a decade of experience developing recipes and testing appliances. I’ve used blenders to smooth soup and sauce and to find the right consistency for apple cider slushies. I’ve owned blenders with lots of different price tags and discovered that it’s best to try and match your appliance to what you make most often. Case in point: the three months I spent perfecting a beer milkshake in a vintage Oster blender for my book Cookies & Beer.
What to Look for in Your Perfect Blender
Capacity: Blenders can hold vastly different amounts of liquid. Will you be relying on your blender for a big batch of tomato soup—then you’ll want a blender jar that holds at least 64 ounces (8 cups)—or as your personal smoothie machine in the morning where you might want a detachable blending mug that is 16 or 24 ounces (2 or 3 cups)?
Size: More-powerful blenders (over 1,000 watts) often come with larger bases—to house a bigger motor—and a taller jar to hold more greens for pesto. Even so, nearly every blender on the market should still fit under a standard cabinet. Measure the space on your counter or in a cabinet before you buy.
Power: The easiest way to compare the motor in blenders is wattage, which is the rate of power flow. A higher wattage means more power, which is critical when the blades are trying to grind hard cheese or ice cubes (start your search in the 650- to 700-watt range).
Settings: Blenders have evolved to include preset settings for different tasks in addition to, or instead of, different speeds. Some blenders, like personal blenders designed for individual smoothies, have only a single speed setting. Keep that in mind if you don’t want the same level of blend for everything you make.
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Photo by Trevor Raab // The RW staff has tested several blenders over the years.
How We Evaluated These Blenders
As an appliance tester and recipe developer, I’ve owned and used several brands of blenders. I combined my first-hand experience with a thorough examination of online customer reviews and review websites to understand how effective blenders were at chopping ice and mixing smoothies. I also watched user review videos—particularly listening to the volume of blenders in action, as well as the ease of use—and considered recommendations from chefs and fellow food writers.
You’ll likely own a blender before you know what you’ll be blending every week; but you’ll definitely want a machine that can crush ice for drinks. This KitchenAid model is a slight upgrade and blissfully analog, which means you’re not committed to it forever and you get to learn exactly what you need. It’s simple to operate with three manual speed settings and a pulse option for crushing ice. It will also easily match your style with 6 color options.
Fans of the Nutribullet feel as strongly about this powerful blender–which offers a rare 1,200 watts at this price point–as you do about Nell Rojass Strength Workout for Better Running. With an extract setting for smoothies and three different vessels (a 64-ounce pitcher, along with 32- and 24-ounce cups) that all pop onto the base, you can quickly whip up juice for yourself or a group. The included tamper is a nice option to help mash frozen fruit or greens toward the blade in the base.
Vitamix blenders are beloved by chefs and juice shops because of their performance and the company’s customer service. The 750 deftly breaks down fibrous fruits and vegetables. A hefty price tag comes with a fair bit of automation: five built-in settings designed for frozen desserts, smoothies, soups, and self-cleaning. With 10 additional speeds, get the exact texture you desire in a smoothie and add ingredients while you’re blending without whirling your breakfast all over your kitchen counter. It’s thoughtfully designed with small touches like a lid plug that doubles as a one-ounce measuring cup (ahem: whiskey in slushies).
It’s rare to find a full-sized blender with a 1,000 watt motor that’s under $100, and the Ninja holds a whopping 9 cups. The blades are on a removable central column, rather than at the base, so ingredients are chopped throughout the pitcher as soon as you turn it on. The sides also have a host of measurements (ounces, cups, milliliters, and liters), which help you be precise with recipes. Bonus points as the blades, lid, and jar are all dishwasher-safe.
The Beast has a surprisingly delicate shape and size for its intense name. The variable speed motor is self-adjusting, meaning it channels its aggression depending on what you’re pulverizing in a one-minute blend cycle. The appliance, which would be at home in a sci-fi series on Netflix, comes with a cap featuring a screw-on handle so you can blend your smoothie in the glass jar then immediately take it to go.
With the strongest motor of all the blenders we recommend, the Blendtec could easily have been called “The Beast.” That power, plus a stainless-steel winged blade, make this the blender for a cook who wants to whip together sauces, dressings, and hummus. Don’t worry, there’s a separate setting for smoothies if that’s your jam. You can also blend on high or low, as well as in 60- or 90-second intervals. When you’re done, add a few drops of dish soap and use the self-cleaning setting.
Ever tried to pour hot soup from a Dutch oven into a blender? Avoid splatter (and more dishes) with the Best Mid-Range Ice Crusher, a blender with a heating element with presets for purees, soy and rice milk, and soup. There are also settings for cold ingredients (smoothies, ice cream, nut milk, and crushed ice), as well as three manual speeds and a pulse button for cleaning the built-in blades. Just a note, this 15-pound blender with a glass jar weighs as much as some stand mixers.
The K400 is a solid blend (pun intended) of manual and automatic options if you want a blender that helps with drinks and dinner. You get five speeds, three automated options (icy drinks, smoothies, or crushing ice), and a pulse setting that can function as a clean cycle. The squared jar can double as a pitcher with a pour spout–think poolside margaritas–and you can place the blade, jar, and lid in the dishwasher after said margaritas. Smaller jars (6 and 16 ounces) are available for purchase separately.
Even if you aren’t hitting the gym every day, you can look like you do with this little smoothie dynamo. The Nutribullet has a stainless steel blade that makes quick work of kale, and at 24 ounces, the dishwasher-safe cup is big enough to hold the juice, berries, and ice you need to not taste that kale. Drink your smoothie at home by screwing on a smooth lip ring to the cup or use the included to-go lid if you’re headed out.
Not built for crushing ice or best for smoothie making
Key Specs
Capacity: 16 oz.
Watts: 250
Dimensions: 13.2 x 6.9 x 10.6 in.
If you’re tight on space and looking for an inexpensive option for protein shakes, the Magic Bullet is a tiny helpful blender to have on hand. I’ve used it to grind coffee and pulse oats for cookies in a pinch but wouldn’t rely on it to crush ice. With a pair of blending jars (12 and 16 ounces) that double as to-go cups with the included set of lids, you can treat this compact blender like a personal milkshake machine.
Our Expert, Jonathan Bender, on Cleaning Techniques, the Joy of Apple Cider Slushies, and When to Invest More Than $250 in a Blender
Photo by Lakota Gambill
RW: What’s the best way to wash a blender?
J.B.: Blenders can be blessedly easy to clean. Fill the jar about halfway with warm water. Add a few drops of dish soap. Run the clean setting or pick a speed where the water is agitated enough to reach the bottom of the lid for 30 to 60 seconds. Then, rinse the jar, lid, and blade with hot water. Dry on a towel or dish rack. I’d also give the exterior of the blender a quick wipe with a wet dishcloth, making sure that all the pieces are completely dry before storing it away.
RW: What’s your favorite thing to make with your blender?
J.B.: I love making slushies in a blender. They’re a cool, refreshing drink perfect for sipping on a porch. I’ll freeze apple cider in a loaf pan for a few hours until it hardens but doesn’t fully freeze, then add it, lemon juice, a pinch of cinnamon and occasionally whiskey into a blender to make an apple cider slushie.
RW: We all like a deal, but when is it worth it to invest in a blender that’s over $250?
J.B.: Although you can get serviceable blenders for significantly less than $250, if you’re using your blender every day to crush ice, you should try and make room in your budget for a more expensive model. Likewise, when multiple people in your house drink smoothies, a stronger motor can handle larger amounts of ingredients and is less likely to wear down quickly.
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