Whether you’re looking to buy a personal blender or a full size, heavy-duty blender, a good quality blender is a must have kitchen appliance if you want to make frozen drinks, smoothies and soups, or puree vegetables. But before you go out and purchase the first blender you see advertised, there are many things you should take into consideration, including your own needs, preferences, tastes and budget.
After painstakingly analyzing, reviewing and comparing a number of different countertop and hand blenders, we chose four units that we consider to be the cream of the crop.
Best Overall: Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender
The Vitamix Pro Series 750 is, in our opinion, the best blender currently on the market. It is our top pick and we give it our highest recommendation. This state-of-the-art, commercial quality blender has a whopping 1,640-watt (2.2 HP) motor that powers its hardened, stainless-steel blades, which can spin at over 20k RPM’s, to easilly crush, puree or liquefy fruits, vegetables or any other ingredient you throw into it. It also has variable speed control, a pulse feature and 5 pre-programmed blending modes designed specifically for smoothies, purees, frozen desserts, hot soups and self cleaning.
Additionally, the Vitamix 750’s large 64 ounce blending jar is made out of Eastman Tritan copolyester, a very durable BPA free plastic, that can take a beating without cracking, unlike the jars that come with some of the cheaper blender models out there. The unit also comes with a vented, 2-part lid that makes it easy for you to put ingredients into the blender without spilling, as well as an instructional DVD and color recipe book to help you get started creating beverages right out of the box. And to top it all off, the blender comes with a 7 year warranty, which is one of the longest warranties you’ll find for any blender. Read reviews on Amazon >
Best Value: Ninja BL660 Professional Countertop Blender
The blender that will give you the most “bang for your buck” is undoubtedly the Ninja BL660 Professional. This blender eliminates a lot of the hassle and associated clean-up involved with making smoothies and other blended drinks through the use of single serve container cups. Although you can blend drinks in the main carafe and transfer the contents over to your own cup or container, you also have the option of using the single serve containers that it comes with to blend your drinks in, which screw directly onto the base of the blender. The containers come with their own lids, so you can take them with you wherever you go.
And although the Ninja BL660’s motor isn’t quite as powerful as the Vitamix Pro Series 750’s, it’s still quite potent at 1,100 watts, and will easily puree frozen fruits, vegetables or nuts. Additionally, this blender’s main carafe is exceptionally large at 72 ounces, and the unit, which measures 8″ x 6″ x 17,” is fairly compact as far as blenders go, making it easy to store on your countertop without it taking up too much space. Additionally, its relatively low profile allows it to fit under most cupboards and shelves. Read reviews on Amazon >
Best Budget Model: Magic Bullet NBR-12 NutriBullet 12-Piece Blender
The Magic Bullet NBR-12 NutriBullet is one of the most popular and best selling blenders on the market today. And it’s easy to see why, as this 600-watt 3-cup capacity blending machine is one of, if not the most, verstile blenders on the market. The entire NutriBullet blender system comes as a 12-piece set, which includes 2 blades, two 18 oz. cups, a 32 oz. cup and a number of different lids – including a handled lip ring, flip-top lid and 2 resealable lids – that will allow you to conveniently take your blended drinks with you. The widths of all the jars are the same, allowing you to fit any of the various lids on to any of the jars.
The Magic Bullet NutriBullet is also easy-to-clean and maintain, as all the parts are dishwasher safe (except the base), and also comes with a handy nutrition guide and recipe book, as well as a solid 1 year warranty. And although it doesn’t have the strongest motor around, it still generates enough power for you to easily bust open seeds and shred through vegetable stems and skins. If you plan on doing a considerable amount of high-pressure/high-stress blending for long periods of time, however, we do recommend that you either step up to the Vitamix 750 or a similar blender with a stronger motor. Overall, though, this is an excellent “one-size-fits-all” blender that will meet the needs of the vast majority of people. Read reviews on Amazon >
4 Ninja QB900B Master Prep Countertop Blender
If you’re looking for something affordable but don’t want to sacrifice too much in the way of quality, then the Ninja QB900B Master Prep is your best bet. It’s priced very affordably at under $50, making it great for people with limited budgets. The Ninja Master Prep QB900B was designed for people who just need a simple blender that will get the job done without any frills, gimmicks or hoopla.
Although the Ninja QB900B Master Prep doesn’t have all the latest and greatest “bells and whistles” of some of the higher end models on the market, it’s still a fairly good blender, especially when you take into consideration how cheap it is. The Ninja Master Prep is a 400-watt blender that comes with a lot of great features, including an anti-spill splashguard and an easy-flip pour spout. It comes with 2 different sized blending bowls – one 16 oz. jar for chopping veggies and fruits, and a 48 oz. jar for blending smoothies and other frozen drinks. The blender utilizes a quad-blade to shred, mince, blend and puree ingredients. The best thing about this blender, however, is the fact that the entire unit is basically inverted with the motor/blade being on top and the blending jar on the bottom. This clever design not only makes the blender easier to clean, but it also makes it easier to get the ingredients out of the blender without having to scrape it out. Read reviews on Amazon >
5 Best Hand Blender: Braun MQ777 Multiquick 7
For smaller blending jobs, many people prefer to use a handheld immersion blender, as they tend to be easier to clean and take up less countertop space than traditional blenders. After reviewing and comparing several different models of hand blenders, we decided to go with the Braun MQ777 Multiquick 7 as our top pick.
The Braun MQ777 Multiquick 7 is an extremely versatile piece of equipment that can tackle a large variety of kitchen tasks – everything from mixing and grinding to blending and pureeing. This hand blender comes with a food processor attachment and accompanying chopping blade that makes it great for cutting and slicing cheeses and meats, and it also comes with a whisk attachment for whipping/whisking, as well as a masher for making mashed potatoes. Additionally, it comes with a 20 oz. measuring beaker where you can conveniently do all of your blending and mixing.
The Braun MQ777’s 400 watt motor is very powerful for a hand blender, but it doesn’t have anywhere near the power of a Vitamix blender, or even a NutriBullet, so it won’t perform as well doing high-stress tasks like mixing heavy dough. So keep that in mind if you do decide to go with a hand blender instead of a countertop blender. On the other hand, the Braun Multiquick hand blender’s smaller size makes clean-up much less time consuming, since you can do all of your mixing in your own bowls rather than having to transfer the contents into the blender’s mixing jar and then back again. After taking into consideration its features/attachments, build quality, blending power and price, we can confidently give this hand blender our highest recommendation. Read reviews on Amazon>
How To Choose The Best Blender
Type: Countertop or Handheld Blender
The most commonly used type of blender is the countertop blender, which is made up of a base that houses the motor/blade and a container that you blend the ingredients in. Countertop blenders, along with food processors, are the workhorses of the kitchen. They are highly versatile appliances that can perform a variety of tasks including mixing, blending, pureeing and chopping.
The other form than blenders come in is the handheld immersion type. These smaller, lightweight blenders are easy to use and clean, and are especially useful for whisking and mixing wet ingredients and soups.
Keep in mind that countertop blenders have motors that are many times more powerful than handheld blenders. So if you like to make smoothies that are fully liquefied or if you plan to grind coffee beans or nuts with your blender, then you should opt for a countertop blender with a motor that is at least 800 watts.
Size & Capacity
When deciding on which blender to buy, you’ll need to consider how much food the blender will be able to process at one time. Blenders come in a wide range of sizes – from 4 cups up to 10 cups in capacity – so be sure to choose one that will accommodate the needs of your family. If you’re unsure what size blender you need, we recommend that you purchase one that has a capacity of at least 6 cups to stay on the safe side (unless you’re purchasing a personal blender to make single servings, in which case you can go with a smaller size blender).
Blade Attachments & Accessories
Most blenders come with detachable blade attachments for easy cleaning and maintenance. You’ll find that most of them come with different types of blades, with each blade designed to perform a different function. The larger the variety of blades the blender comes with, the more versatile your blender will be. Always make sure to purchase a blender with stainless steel blades, as they are rust-resistant.
Some blenders also come with more than one blending jar/container. This can be very useful, as it gives you the flexibility to be able to use the container that is most appropriate for the task at hand.
Controls & Settings
The controls among blenders can vary significantly depending on the blender’s price range. The more expensive, higher-end blenders typically come with digital controls and pre-programmed blending cycle options that are specifically tailored for a particular type of food or blending task. Most blenders have at least a few different built-in speed settings, but if not, they will always at a minimum have a pulse button that will allow you to use the blender in short bursts. If you only plan to use your blender for making the occasional smoothie then this may be sufficient, but if you need a blender that can take on many different kitchen tasks, then you’ll definitely want to get one that can provide you with a greater level of control and options.
Comparison Chart
Our Top Pick
1640 Watts
64 oz.
Extremely Durable Carafe
(Eastman Tritan Copolyester)
BPA-Free Plastic
12.5 lbs.
$$$$$
Best Value
1100 Watts
72 oz.
Extra Large Blending Jar;
2 “To Go” Smoothie Cups
BPA-Free Plastic
7.6 lbs.
$$
Best Budget Model
600 Watts
32 oz.
Includes 9 Accessories &
3 “To Go” Smoothie Cups
BPA-Free Plastic
3.6 lbs.
$
Top Rated
1491 Watts
64 oz.
Powerful, Commercial Grade
Motor; Durable Plastic Jar
BPA-Free Plastic
10 lbs.
$$$$
Top Rated
1380 Watts
64 oz.
Powerful Commercial Grade
Motor; Very Durable Carafe
BPA-Free Plastic
12 lbs.
$$$$$
Very Good
1560 Watts
64 oz.
Made in USA;
Digital Touchpad
BPA-Free Plastic
7 lbs.
$$$$
Decent
400 Watts
48 oz.
Small & Compact;
Includes 10 Different Blades
BPA-Free Plastic
5 lbs.
$
Best “2-in-1” Model
1500 Watts
72 oz.
Can Be Used as Both
Food Processor & Blender
BPA-Free Plastic
15 lbs.
$$$$
Good “2-in-1” Model
1200 Watts
48 oz.
Can Function as Both a
Food Processor & Blender
Glass
12 lbs.
$$
Best Commercial Blender
2796 Watts
128 oz.
Extremely Powerful, Durable
Motor & Carafe
Stainless Steel
32 lbs.
$$$$$
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