The 6 Best Blenders - Summer 2024 Reviews

The best blender we've tested is the Vitamix 5200. This premium blender is an excellent option if you're looking for a well-built blender that can handle almost any recipe. Its very sturdy build and long seven-year U.S. warranty come with a premium price tag attached, but it's also a more affordable option among high-end blenders since you're not paying for extra features you might not use. It has simple controls, with a wide range of speed settings available on the dial, a switch for pulse mode, and an on/off switch. Its 64oz main jar has a narrow base that helps it blend small volumes of ingredients with less splashing. It makes an extremely smooth blend with fibrous fruits and vegetables, crushes ice cubes into snow-like ice, and blends recipes like nut butter and hummus with ease. You can use it to blend hot ingredients for soups and sauces.

However, since it lacks blending programs, you always have to stop the blender yourself. Automatic blending programs don't necessarily make for a better result, but if you want the convenience of automatic programs, you might prefer the pricier Vitamix Propel 750. This pricier blender performs similarly and has a few automatic programs on its dial. Or, if you want all the bells and whistles, check out the Vitamix A3500, which has even more blending programs in its companion app. The A3500 also has 'Self Detect,' meaning it's compatible with the widest variety of extra accessories sold separately by Vitamix.

The KitchenAid K400 is a worthy option if you want something a little cheaper. This blender is usually about $100 cheaper than the Vitamix, but some variants have been on sale lately for even less. It has a few downsides compared with the previous pick: it's not as well-built as the Vitamix 5200 and has a somewhat smaller 56oz capacity. Its one-year U.S. warranty is much shorter. However, it's still a fantastic option for multi-purpose use since it can process hot ingredients, make silky blends with fibrous ingredients, and make snow-like crushed ice. Unfortunately, making something like nut butter or hummus is a longer, more difficult process. It doesn't come with a tamper, and you'll need to remove the lid to scrape the sides of the jar. Otherwise, its design is well-suited for most recipes. It has a good range of speed settings, so you can adjust the blending speed to suit whatever you're making.

There are a few automatic blending programs on the speed dial, so you don't always have to stop the blender manually. Like the Vitamix, it only comes with one jar, but you can buy a personal jar for smoothies from KitchenAid. The jar and lid are dishwasher-safe, but unfortunately, if you're cleaning them by hand, the lid and non-removable blades take some time to get completely clean.

The best kitchen blender we've tested in the mid-range is the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender. It has an unusual design with some positive and some negative sides. The main jar has a heating element built into its base, so it can not only hot blend but also heat and cook raw ingredients like onions or tomatoes, making it a great option for soups and sauces. It doesn't blend fibrous ingredients quite as smoothly as the KitchenAid K400 but it still has a versatile overall blending performance. It makes snow-like ice, and the included tamper makes it easier to use for thick recipes like nut butter. However, because of the heating element, you can't put the jar in the dishwasher or immerse it in water, which makes it more difficult to clean by hand.

Unlike the previous picks, it doesn't offer a wide range of speed settings. The manufacturer doesn't sell additional jars, so you can't buy personal jars for smoothies. You may prefer the Ninja Mega Kitchen System if you want smaller jars for single-serves. The Ninja can't hot blend, but it has a 72oz main pitcher and at least one 16oz personal jar. You can always buy more if you have a lot of smoothie lovers at home. There's also a food processing bowl included for chopping and slicing vegetables.

If you're looking for a budget-friendly blender with a good performance, check out the Oster Pro 1200. This cheaper blender has a smaller 48oz capacity, and its build feels a bit cheap compared to previous picks. However, unlike more expensive blenders listed here that only include one jar, it also comes with a 24oz personal jar for single-serves. The main jar is made of glass, which is less prone to scratching and discoloration than plastic. You can use either jar to make well-blended recipes with fibrous ingredients like kale, broccoli, and fruit, similar to the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender. It can't heat ingredients like the previous pick, but you can use it to blend hot food for pureed soups and sauces.

However, the smaller price tag comes with a few drawbacks. This blender struggles more with hard ingredients compared to the previous picks. It can crush ice for cocktails or frozen drinks, but only in batches of about six ice cubes, half what most good full-size blenders can handle. It can also make smooth dips and spreads like hummus and nut butter, but if your recipe has less liquid, you need to stop the blender to stir. The design of the gears doesn't feel very durable. However, the removable blade assembly makes it easy to clean by hand.

If you're looking for a budget-friendly blender, our list of the best budget blenders has more recommendations.

The Black+Decker Quiet Blender with Cyclone Glass Jar is the best cheap blender we've tested. This inexpensive blender shares many of the same features as the Oster Pro 1200: a 48oz glass jar, a 24oz personal jar, and a resealable lid for single-serves. While some of its components feel flimsy or plasticky, it delivers a solid overall performance, and you can get it for well under $100. It's best for recipes like smoothies since you can use either jar to make a mostly smooth blend with fibrous ingredients like fruit and leafy greens.

However, other aspects of its design and performance leave something to be desired. Aside from the glass jar, it doesn't feel very well-built, and the main jar lid feels particularly flimsy. If you're making something like nut butter or hummus, ingredients tend to get flung to the walls of the jar, forcing you to use a spatula to scrape everything back toward the blades. Like the Oster, it can only handle about six ice cubes at once and leaves behind some unprocessed chunks. If you plan to crush a lot of ice or make frozen drinks like slushies, consider the Ninja Professional Blender 1000 instead. It's not as versatile since it doesn't blend fibrous ingredients as smoothly and can't be used for hot blending, but it has no problem crushing 12 ice cubes into snow-like crushed ice.

There's no such thing as a completely quiet blender, but the roar of some super loud models makes them much less appealing to use. The Wolf Gourmet Pro-Performance is quieter than the quietest Vitamix blender we've tested (the Vitamix A3500) and offers a comparable performance. It comes with a 64oz main jar, a two-part lid, and a tamper to help stir your recipes. An 'emulsion cup' also fits into the lid's center opening and helps you gradually add liquid ingredients, like melted butter for hollandaise sauce. It's fantastic at processing fibrous ingredients like kale, broccoli, and fruit for smoothie, soup, and sauce recipes.

However, compared to the Vitamix blender, it makes less uniform crushed ice and less smooth nut butter. While it's very quiet for a blender, it's not as quiet as the Black+Decker Quiet Blender with Cyclone Glass Jar, so if you're okay with a cheaper, less powerful, and less versatile blender, you might prefer that model. It has a few blending programs but lacks high-end features like a timer or stopwatch. Wolf doesn't currently sell accessories besides replacement parts, so you can't buy differently-sized jars, which is disappointing for such a pricey blender.

If you're looking for a quieter blender in a different price range, check out our full list of the best quiet blenders.