Over the years, we’ve used a lot of different blenders and I’ve written several blender reviews. Cooking from scratch three times a day for eight people gives me a LOT of time to test out blenders while making sauces, smoothies and more. My favorite blender has changed a few times over the years so I figured an updated review was in order!
What to Look For in a Quality Blender
A good blender can last years, so it is worth doing some research before purchasing one!
Before deciding which blender will work for you, consider how often you’ll be using it, how big it needs to be and your budget. I also looked at the warranty length of each blender and how well it could fit in a cabinet or under a counter.
Based on these criteria, I’m sharing my favorite blenders that we’ve used over the years and why. These are our favorites in each category: high-powered, budget-friendly, easiest for kids, and immersion.
Best High Speed Blender
High speed blenders are all the rage. With the continued popularity of smoothies in recent years, these blenders have become the most-used kitchen appliances in many kitchens. We’ve personally tried several different iterations of the top two contenders: Blendtec and Vitamix and while they are both amazing, I think we will stick with our current favorite for many, many years…
My Top Choice: Vitamix 750 Professional Series
We have this brushed stainless steel Vitamix 750 Professional and I love it! It has a 2.2 horsepower motor and blends quickly and completely.
The biggest (and possibly only) downside to this blender? The price.
Most people won’t want to drop $600+ on a blender and there are some less expensive options (see below) that work almost as well. We opted for this one because it is professional grade and our blender gets a lot of daily use making nut butters, smoothies and even soups.
Our very first Vitamix was a refurbished 5200 that we saved up for months and months to get as newlyweds. It was such an improvement over our $30 wedding gift blender and we used it for many years. The only downside was that it didn’t fit well under the cabinet on the counter and the jar was too big to fit in any of our kitchen cabinets. This meant that with very limited counter space, it was always in the middle of the counter in two pieces and in the way. We used that blender daily for over five years and it was still running like a champ when we passed it on to a family member.
The newer professional series fixes this with a shorter design and is our daily blender now. In fact, we now store ours in a kitchen cabinet so it isn’t on the counter at all!
Vitamix Pros & Cons
Pros:
- BPA free carafe
- 2.2 horsepower motor
- Spill-proof lid
- New models fit under counter or store in cabinet
- Four blades for faster blending
- Choice of many restaurants and bars for its consistent and resilient performance
- “Self Cleaning”- if you put soapy water in it, it will clean itself and just needs to be rinsed
Cons:
- Pricy
- Loud (due to the powerful motor, though this is true with all high-speed blenders)
- Not dishwasher safe
Blendtec vs. Vitamix
A few years ago, I had the chance to use a Blendtec for a while. Blendtec is another great option with comparable engine speed and performance. At the time, I liked that the Blendtec was shorter and easier to store, though as mentioned, that has been resolved with newer Vitamix models.
Both have good warranties, BPA free carafes, and are a great choice as a home blender. The reason that the new Vitamix still wins in my book is that the lid has a latch system that stays on (we had a couple accidents with the Blendtec) and the Vitamix has a manual control system vs. the computerized Blendtec system. Also, Vitamix has 4 blades to Blendtec’s two.
So Vitmix wins, though Blendtec is a great runner-up.
More Budget Friendly Vitamix
We have the top of the line Professional Series Vitamix but there are other great models that cost about half the price.
Best choice: The Certified Refurbished Vitamix 5300 still fits under the cabinet on a counter, has a long-lasting powerful motor, and is about half the price of the professional series.
Best Budget Friendly Blender
If a restaurant-grade high speed blender isn’t in the budget, there are some lower-priced options that perform almost as well! In fact, looking back, these would have been a great choice instead of the Vitamix when our budget was much tighter several years ago.
Top Choice: Ninja Pro
The Ninja Professional Blender is a great value and a great blender. It has close to the power of a true high speed blender and can do many of the same things at a fraction of the price.
We got to try this one at a rental house while on vacation. I was impressed with the power of the Ninja, and at under $100 it is a much less costly alternative to the two big brands. The Ninja doesn’t quite measure up to the power of the Vitamix but it can accomplish almost all of the same functions and has great reviews.
Easiest Blender for Kids
My older kids easily work most kitchen appliances and can even safely handle a chef’s knife (thanks to the Kids Cook Real Food course), but high speed blenders are not a toy, and I don’t let our younger kids use ours. It’s too easy (even for an adult) to leave a spoon in and blow out the motor or not latch the top and paint the kitchen. (I’m guilty of that one!)
A while back, we got a Magic Bullet as a gift. I almost didn’t take it out of the box because we use our Vitamix for everything, but I wondered if it would be a good option for the kids and decided to try it because it doesn’t take up much room.
I found that the size and speed are great for kids to make individual smoothies as long as they know the proportions and not to overfill. It was also convenient for chopping foods and making things like guacamole.
I wouldn’t consider it comparable to the options above and wouldn’t have purchased it, but it has been a convenient and inexpensive option to let the kids use.
Best Immersion Blender
I could write an ode to my immersion blender because I use it so often. We had a Cuisinart immersion blender for almost a decade and when it eventually died, we replaced it with the Oxa 4-in-1 Immersion Blender and we absolutely love it!
Immersion blenders are fantastic when you don’t need the power (or cleanup) of a high speed blender. I also use this all the time for blending soups and sauces in the pan without having to risk transferring them to a blender. Since the immersion blender is stainless steel, this also minimizes plastic touching hot foods.
As a bonus, the OXA has attachments that whisk and that chop (great for onions without the tears). Personally, I consider both a regular high speed blender and an immersion blender to be necessary kitchen tools since I use them in such different ways.
There are lots of options available when it comes to blenders, but these are my personal favorites and have met the needs of our family.
What is your favorite blender? Do you agree with my blender reviews? Share below!
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