The 3 best blenders

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Blenders aren't just for soup season; they're one of the most versatile countertop appliances you use year-round. From morning smoothies and protein shakes to fresh salsas and frozen margaritas for a weekend get-together, the right blender should power through ingredients like ice, nuts, and fibrous greens without overheating or leaving grainy bits behind.

To find the best blenders for different needs and budgets, I tested 12 of the most popular countertop blenders, ranging from 600 to 1,500 watts. I evaluated each model's ability to crush ice, incorporate powdery ingredients like almond flour without clumping, and blend sticky mix-ins like peanut butter. In addition to motor power and performance, I also considered ease of use and cleaning, storage footprint, and overall value for the price.

Our top picks for the best blenders

Learn more about how Insider Reviews tests and researches kitchen products.

Best overall

The Vitamix 5200 is one of Vitamix's most popular blenders, and, as far as I'm concerned, it's the best blender out there, period. It has the power to tackle any task within reason; it accelerates and decelerates as smoothly as a finely tuned sports car; and the jar's design minimizes splatter.

Of all the blenders I tested, none performed as quickly or consistently. Through every test, the 5200 came out shining, and it was the only blender to produce both almond flour and butter without any assistance (I didn't even need to use the included tamper). It also made a sorbet-like substance from eight ounces of frozen strawberries in under five seconds, with no tamping or shaking required.

There are plenty of blenders with a dizzying list of presets, which can come in handy, but they're often finicky and unnecessary. This one has none, and I found the simplistic design the easiest to operate.

Cleaning this blender is a breeze. There are no tough-to-reach grooves, and the blade is simple enough to work around (though it's best to remove it for proper cleaning). There's no way around the fact that this blender costs half a grand, but it should last well over a decade.

Best mid-priced

The Cleanblend 3HP Commercial Blender is a surprisingly powerful machine for its size and price. It can take on any basic task with absolute ease, and while making nut butter and almond flour is a chore, it will get the job done.

I needed more than the included tamping tool to scrape the butter-in-the-making off the sides multiple times before I got to the final product, and ended up having to turn the machine off and use a spatula to do so. (To be fair, that happened with pricier competitors, too.)

I've run this blender for two years, and while it doesn't operate as smoothly as some pricier options, it has no trouble reducing ice cubes to uniform shave ice in almost as little time as the Vitamix 5200, and I've easily made 100 smoothies and blended drinks without any issues.

Cleaning, as with the Vitamix 5200, is about as easy as it gets for a blender. The shape of the jar and the positioning of the blades doesn't leave much in the way of hard-to-reach spaces, with the only downside being that you can't unscrew the bottom to give that region a thorough wash. Still, in two years of testing, I haven't noticed any alarming signs (such as mold) that would suggest anything is getting trapped in the bottom.

Best for smoothies

If you're the type of person who only makes smoothies or frozen cocktails from time to time, you don't need a state-of-the-art blender. Still, you do want a blender that will last.

When it came to making nut butters and flour, I was unable to produce either. That's OK if you're not getting too ambitious. The three-speed KitchenAid K150 has a no-fuss design with a single control knob and a pulse setting for crushing ice. (If you are looking to whip up a smoothie sans ice or other hard ingredients, check out our guide to the best personal blenders.)

One of the most telling tests of a blender is how quickly and evenly it reduces ice cubes into shaved ice. This one wasn't the fastest, but I still got the results I was looking for within about 10 seconds.

I followed with strawberry-banana and kale smoothies. Again, it wasn't the fastest, but within 30 seconds every time, I had perfectly thick smoothies without inconsistencies, chunks of fruit, stalks, or leaves. Frankly, I couldn't tell the smoothies from this blender apart from those from our top pick.

I also like that the K150 is exceptionally lightweight, easy to store, and doesn't take up much space. And if you're after the classic KitchenAid aesthetic but want a more robust blender, consider the larger K400, which packs 1,200 watts, five dial settings, and four presets.

What to look for in a blender

Functions: Some blenders come with presets for specific drinks, while others have a blend or pulse button. You should pay attention to the blade type to learn about a blender's functionality. A crossed blade is best when preparing soups, salad dressings, and salsas. A flat blade is more effective for making smoothies and frozen drinks, and for crushing ice.

Accessories: Some blenders, like the Kitchenaid K150, come with various cups and lids that are perfect for transporting your drinks on the go. Other combination blenders come with hooks for kneading dough and discs for grating cheese or spices. Extra accessories will take up additional storage space.

Carafe Material: Typically, the blender carafe is made of plastic or glass. Glass blenders are easier to clean, will not scratch over time, and harbor fewer food smells than plastic. Plastic blenders are easier to handle; they are typically lighter in weight, and you don't have to worry about them shattering.

How we test blenders

We consulted Erika Wong, PureFish's in-house registered dietitian and nutritionist, who has also worked as a counselor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her most significant concerns when choosing a blender are power (her favorite blender carries 1,380 watts), speed (at least a handful of speed settings beyond "high" and "low"), and simplicity. Too many buttons or settings corresponding to specific foods can become confusing, especially when you vary ingredient amounts. "Simplicity is key, and the control panel needs to be easy to use."

With all of that in mind, here's how I evaluated each of the 12 best blenders:

Ice: The blenders we ended up recommending were all able to evenly reduce ice cubes into shaved ice in under 10 seconds. Along with the almond flour and almond butter tests (more on those below), the ice test really set the fast, powerful machines apart from their slower, slightly rougher competitors.

Frozen strawberries: We put 6 ounces of frozen strawberries into each blender and set it to high to see how quickly they turned the fruit into mush. The more powerful blenders achieved the task within about 10 seconds. The weaker ones, as well as those with a wider jar design, struggled to finish the job, leaving stray, larger pieces to the side or, in many cases, lacerating but not separating the frozen berries.

Strawberry-banana smoothies: We made strawberry-banana smoothies using frozen strawberries and fresh bananas because of the difference in texture (and also this particular flavor combo's popularity). Across the board, we encountered almost no issues with the blenders we tested. The only real difference was the time it took, which corresponded almost perfectly to price increments. Still, it came down to about 10 to 15 seconds.

Kale smoothies: Because kale is relatively light and airy (we used curly kale), it proved a little trickier for blenders that didn't make a narrow vortex like the Vitamix 5200 and the Cleanblend 3HP, and the blenders with wider pitchers almost invariably required the use of a tamper. Not a big deal for most, but it might be a consideration for some.

Almond flour: While our budget and smoothie-only recommendations didn't quite manage an even flour (there were chunks of almond still left behind while the flour at the bottom was beginning to turn into butter), our top recommendation performed the task flawlessly.

Almond butter: Almond butter was by far the most demanding test of them all. While we're confident that, with practice and a more intimate acquaintance with each blender, we could pull it off with any of them, it was a real chore with most, and several didn't make it past the flour stage on the way to almond butter. Again, the wider jars performed the most poorly, as did the lower-powered blenders. In every case, except for the Vitamix 5200, we still had whole or nearly whole almonds lingering among the flour, while at the bottom, the flour was turning to butter.

Settings: While I tried to work with presets on those machines that had them, they're only helpful if the preset portions make sense for your needs — most of us don't really want to make 32 ounces of nut butter at once, for example.

Wattage: I found that at the lowest end of the blenders I tested, 600 watts was still plenty of power to achieve a uniform smoothie. Similarly, while our budget pick packs 1,800 watts, our overall pick carries only 1,500 watts, but runs much more smoothly and processes much more quickly. Wattage doesn't always dictate how a blender will perform.

Cleanup: I said this above as well, but it's worth repeating: Don't underestimate the value of an easy cleanup. Some blenders had a lot of hard-to-reach spots that even a dishwasher might not always effectively hit. Others were downright perilous to clean, and we have the scars to prove it. All of our recommendations above took these considerations into account.

Blender FAQs

What is the best blender on the market?

We find that Vitamix's blenders are the best around for power, durability, and versatility. You can do just about anything from blending to food processing with them, and the components are highly durable and scratch-proof.

Do I need a Vitamix?

Deciding whether to invest in a Vitamix can be tricky, but the short answer is absolutely not. If you aren't the type of person who's regularly using their blender for any and all possible tasks, there's no need to make such a steep investment.

But, if you use your blender daily, there are some important considerations to make. Blenders have their work cut out for them: they're built using tiny motors and we tend to demand a lot from them. Like humans, they burn out under too much demand. A powerful machine is a better choice where longevity is concerned, particularly with regular use.

What are the different types of blenders?

There are countertop blenders (which we recommend above), personal blenders (like the Nutribullet and Beast in our "what else we recommend" section), and immersion blenders, which operate like a wand in the container of your choice.

How do you care for a blender?

First and foremost, follow the directions from your blender's manufacturer.

The most important part of cleaning a blender is making sure to take everything apart, including the bottom and blades. Moisture has a habit of finding its way into any and all crevices, followed by bacteria and mold.

Depending on the materials of your blender, you may be able to wash its parts in the top rack of your dishwasher, but it's generally best to hand-wash them (especially if your blender isn't equipped to handle hot ingredients, as dishwashers could heat and melt certain parts).

What's the difference between blenders and food processors?

Blenders and food processors are similar in that they both puree and crush ice. Food processors, though, also slice, dice, chop, shred, grate, and often more depending on the model and the attachments available.

How do I choose the best blender type for me?

Decide how much you'll demand of your blender. If you want the occasional smoothie or frozen cocktail, a very simple option like the Kitchenaid K150 is all you need.

If you want to get a little more ambitious and make things like nut butter or flour, you'll probably want to invest in something more powerful, and designed with more detail, like a Vitamix 5200.