How to choose a blender

A blender is a great tool for cooking and making drinks, such as smoothies, keeping the pulp of fruit and vegetables as well as the juice. The type of blender you buy really depends on how often you want to use it and what you mostly want to use it for. All blenders are capable of making smoothies, particularly blending softer fruits. Motor If you want to make frozen fruits or desserts or deal with harder fruits or vegetables, then you may need a machine with a more powerful motor, so that it can crush ice into fine snow. Programs Look out for a blender that has automatic programs for the kinds of drink or action that you want, as this takes the guesswork out of using a blender. That said, manual controls are important if you want finer control over the results, say blending a soup that still has some chunks in it. A pulse function is a great way to get fine control: the blender runs while you press the button but stops the second that you release it. Features Move up the price scale and you’ll find that you get additional features. Some of the most powerful blenders, for example, can use friction to heat raw ingredients, delivering hot soup in just a few minutes. Capacity Look out for the total capacity of the blender: go for a larger one if you’ve got a big family to feed. Accessories can also be important, either in the box or as additional extras: self-serve cups let you take a drink on the move, and grinding cups can be a handy way of dealing with herbs and spices in smaller volumes. If you want something that can blend directly into a pot or pan, one of the best immersion blenders we've reviewed will be more appropriate.

How much does a blender cost?

Budget really comes down to how much you’ll use the blender. If you’re only an occasional user, then a budget model ($100 to $150) makes sense. At this price, you’ll get decent controls but you may find that your results aren’t quite as smooth. If you use a blender every day, then you need to move up the scale. Spend over $200 and you’re likely to get more accessories and programs. If you want the best results then you’re looking at spending $400 or more. At this price, you’ll get the fastest motors, more control, and, often, a wider range of automatic programs to make your job easier. For those who just want a personal-sized blender, one of the best portable blenders we have reviewed will suit you better.

Who makes the best blender?

Vitamix is well known for its high-end, powerful blenders. These machines are a great choice for those that blend daily and that want the absolute best results. Controls can be rather basic on some models, so these choices are ideal for experienced users. Ninja products tend to be cheaper, and may not produce quite as smooth results. However, you’ll generally get more automatic programs and the overall value is usually very good, with many sets coming with a lot of accessories to expand what the blender is capable of. We have a complete Vitamix vs Ninja guide that goes into more detail, and you can also take a look at Ninja vs NutriBullet and Vitamix vs Blendtec for more comparisons.

Are glass pitchers better than plastic?

Most blenders come with a hardened plastic pitcher, but you’ll find the odd model that has a glass one. Strictly speaking, glass is harder wearing and won’t scratch as easily as plastic. This can make a difference if you regularly crush ice, as the sharp edges can scratch cheaper plastics. Plastic can also get tainted by ingredients staining. The downside of glass is that it’s much heavier and if you drop it, you’re likely to end up cracking or breaking the pitcher. Modern plastics are much better, particularly on high-end machines, so you shouldn’t notice scratching. And, plastic is lighter and less likely to break if you drop it.

Which blender is best for smoothies?

In our testing process, all our blenders performed well on smoothies. However, our top pick, the Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender, our second pick, the NutriBullet Pro 900, made particularly faultless smoothies.

Which blender is best for juicing?

We found that the Breville The 3x Bluicer, which has been designed as a blender and juicer in one was the best blender for juicing.

Which blender is best for crushing ice?

We found the best blender for crushing ice was the KitchenAid K150 3 Speed Ice Crushing Blender.

Which blender is the quietest?

Typically, the smaller, less powerful blenders we featured on our list are quieter than larger or more powerful blenders. Also, the ingredients you are blending will affect noise. So, while our best blender, the Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender is judged to be very noisy, it does produce the best results, so you may need to sacrifice peace and quiet for those few seconds your blender is in action.

Best blender 2023: perfect smoothies, soups, and dips

Our reviews of the best blenders from Vitamix, Ninja, NutriBullet and more will find the right blender for you

Best Blender - KitchenAid K400 Blender in a beetroot colorway, blending beetroots

(Image credit: KitchenAid)

By Millie Fender

last updated 8 February 2023

Whether you need a post-workout protein shake or a frozen margarita for an evening with friends, the best blender can do it all.

We've compiled this guide to the best blenders after months of hands-on testing, comparing each great buy against another from top brands, including Ninja, NutriBullet, Vitamix, and KitchenAid. Our testing process covered more than an easy summer berry smoothie; we blended tough, fibrous kale, frozen fruits, nuts, ice, and much more, and with blenders that can handle hot ingredients, we made soups out of skin-on vegetables and chunky onions in order to see how creamy and smooth our finished results would be.

Some these blenders are compact enough to be stored in your kitchen cabinet between uses; others are countertop models that are good looking enough to show off. Just like in our listing of the best food processors on the market, we point out the pros and cons of each.

The best blenders 2023, according to our experts

Why you can trust Homes & Gardens Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

1. Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender

Best blender overall

Specifications

Capacity: 64 oz.

Pitcher: Plastic

Dimensions: 11 x 8 x 17 inches

Power: 1500W

RRP: $649 / £699

Reasons to buy

Makes impeccable soups

Self-heating blades

Incredible power

Five presets

Ten+ speeds

Reasons to avoid

Very noisy

With five presets to choose from, the Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender is as high-tech as a blender can be. It also has a manual dial that can go up to ten different (noisy) speeds, and we love that the pitcher simply lifts away from the base with no twisting, meaning it can favor both left and right-handed users.

The powerful blades not only blend but also cook out soups and sauces. We made an incredible tomato soup completely from scratch using the ten-minute preset soup mode. You should be aware that it can't cook firmer ingredients like potato or carrot, but it's still a suitable substitute for the best immersion blenders if you're willing to cook your ingredients before adding them to the jug.

Included with the blender is an excellent recipe book, a quick start guide, and a tamper to reach down and make sure that more solid ingredients like dips are incorporated fully into the blades while the Vitamix works. The jug isn't dishwasher-safe, but it does have a self-clean mode that can finish the job in just 30 seconds.

Our full Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender review has more details