Top 5 compared
The best blenders
Frozen fruit, ice and tough greens turned silky smooth in a minute, for smoothies, shakes and frozen drinks.
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The top 5 at a glance
A full-size blender makes enough for everyone at once: smoothies, frozen drinks, soups, dips and salsa. The simplest is a motor base and a pitcher; a kitchen system adds single-serve cups with to-go lids and a food processor bowl on the same base; and a high-end machine spends the money on a stronger motor built for years of daily use instead. For one smoothie blended in the cup you drink from, see our personal blenders.
Every pitcher here goes in the dishwasher, though the blades lift out first, and some are better washed by hand. The max liquid line sits below the pitcher’s full size, and not every pitcher is made for hot soup, so read the manual before blending anything straight off the stove.
What matters
- Power: more watts make quicker work of ice and frozen fruit.
- A tamper or a pulse button, for thick blends that stop turning.
- Glass jars don’t scratch or cloud; plastic is lighter and won’t shatter.
- A long warranty is a sign the motor is built to last.
#1Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ (BN801)
$150–$200
Three machines on one base: a 72 oz pitcher for family smoothies and frozen drinks, two 24 oz cups for blending one to take with you, and an 8-cup processor bowl that chops vegetables and mixes up to 2 lb of dough in about 30 seconds. Five Auto-iQ programs time the pulses and pauses for you.
What owners say: Owners use it well beyond smoothies, for cake batter and bread dough too, and find the preset buttons make everyday jobs simple. Everything going in the dishwasher wins praise; on durability, some have had years from theirs while others had parts break after light use.
A closer look: The cups handle a single smoothie, the pitcher a family batch, and the processor bowl takes over for salsa, chopped onions or pizza dough. Auto-iQ and the manual speeds don’t run together, so choose one per blend. Lift each blade assembly out before everything goes on the dishwasher’s top rack.
- Three machines on one base
- Mixes pizza dough
- Programs time pulses and pauses
- Chops onions and salsa
Best for: Smoothies, chopping and dough
- Power
- 1,200W (1,400 peak)
- Pitcher
- 72 oz (64 oz max liquid)
- Controls
- 4 manual, 5 Auto-iQ
- To-go cups
- 2 × 24 oz
- Food processor bowl
- 8-cup
- Cleaning
- Dishwasher, top rack
- Warranty
- 1 year
#2Ninja Professional Blender with Nutri Ninja Cups (BL660)
$75–$100
A plain, strong pitcher blender with two 16 oz cups in the box: 1,100 watts crushes ice for frozen drinks, the pitcher makes a family batch, and a cup blends a smoothie you can take straight out the door. Three speeds, pulse and a single-serve setting keep it simple.
What owners say: Frozen fruit is no trouble for it, and owners find it quick to rinse clean after a smoothie. Durability is the split: most pitchers hold up, but some have cracked within months, and a few bases stopped working properly after a few weeks.
A closer look: For the cups, put fruit and vegetables in first, then greens, liquid and powders, with ice on top, so nothing sticks around the blades. With no preset programs, it suits anyone happy to judge a blend by eye and stop when it looks right.
- Crushes ice for frozen drinks
- Spout lids on the cups
- BPA-free parts
Best for: Frozen drinks and smoothies to go
- Power
- 1,100W
- Pitcher
- 72 oz (64 oz max liquid)
- Controls
- 3 speeds, pulse, single-serve
- To-go cups
- 2 × 16 oz
- Food processor bowl
- No
- Cleaning
- Dishwasher, top rack
- Warranty
- 1 year
#3Vitamix Explorian E310 Blender (48 oz)
Over $300
A 2-horsepower motor, ten variable speeds and hardened stainless steel blades built for years of hard blending, backed by a five-year full warranty that covers shipping both ways. Vitamix has been run by the Barnard family in Ohio since 1921.
What owners say: Owners say it blends frozen berries, seeds and leafy stems completely smooth and practically washes itself; noise divides them, and a few had problems early on.
A closer look: Start on the lowest speed and work up to the highest for the smoothest result, using the tamper through the lid to push thick mixtures down. To clean it, blend warm water and a drop of dish soap for 30 to 60 seconds, then rinse.
- Hardened stainless steel blades
- Tamper pushes thick mixes down
- Warranty covers shipping both ways
- Blends hot soups
Best for: Heavy use for years
- Power
- 1,400W (2 HP)
- Pitcher
- 48 oz
- Controls
- 10 variable + pulse
- To-go cups
- No
- Food processor bowl
- No
- Cleaning
- Self-cleaning, dishwasher safe
- Warranty
- 5 years
#4nutribullet Full-Size Blender Combo (1200W)
$75–$100
A 64 oz pitcher with a tamper for family batches, plus a 32 oz cup and a 24 oz handled cup that blend a smoothie to take with you, all on one 1,200-watt base. Three speeds, pulse and an Extract program cover most of what a kitchen needs.
What owners say: Smoothies are what owners make most, and they like the power and how fast it rinses clean. Some have had theirs for many years while others saw theirs give out within a year or so, and noise divides them too.
A closer look: Push the tamper through the lid when a thick smoothie or nut butter stops turning over. The handled 24 oz cup is the easier one to drink from on the move. The pitcher and cups go in the dishwasher; rinse the extractor blade by hand with soap and water.
- Tamper for thick blends
- One cup has a handle
- Pitcher lid has a vent
- Rinse the blade by hand
Best for: Family pitchers and big cups
- Power
- 1,200W
- Pitcher
- 64 oz
- Controls
- 3 speeds, pulse, Extract
- To-go cups
- 32 oz + 24 oz
- Food processor bowl
- No
- Cleaning
- Dishwasher (pitcher, cups)
- Warranty
- 1 year
#5Oster Classic Series 8-Speed Blender with Glass Jar
$30–$50
Its 6-cup glass jar doesn’t cloud or pick up smells the way plastic can, and it sits on a plain, sturdy blender with an all-metal drive linking the motor to the blade. Eight speed buttons and pulse take it from smoothies to salsa and crushed ice.
What owners say: Owners like the glass jar and find it gets everyday blending done without fuss; they’re split on how quickly it gets through ice and fruit and on how loud it is.
A closer look: Pour in the liquid first and add ice last, then start on a low speed and work up, which helps the 700-watt motor pull everything down to the blade. Everything but the base goes in the dishwasher, with the sealing ring on the bottom rack.
- All-metal drive
- Glass jar won’t hold smells
- Life-tested for 10,000 smoothies
- Handles salsa and crushed ice
Best for: Cooks who want glass, not plastic
- Power
- 700W
- Pitcher
- 48 oz glass
- Controls
- 8 speeds + pulse
- To-go cups
- No
- Food processor bowl
- No
- Cleaning
- Dishwasher, all but base
- Warranty
- 3 years
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Ninja BN801 | #2Ninja BL660 | #3Vitamix E310 | #4nutribullet Combo | #5Oster Classic Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Runner-up | Best premium | Best budget | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.0 | 8.8 | 8.6 |
| Price | $150–$200 | $75–$100 | Over $300 | $75–$100 | $30–$50 |
| Power | 1,200W (1,400 peak) | 1,100W | 1,400W (2 HP) | 1,200W | 700W |
| Pitcher | 72 oz (64 oz max liquid) | 72 oz (64 oz max liquid) | 48 oz | 64 oz | 48 oz glass |
| Controls | 4 manual, 5 Auto-iQ | 3 speeds, pulse, single-serve | 10 variable + pulse | 3 speeds, pulse, Extract | 8 speeds + pulse |
| To-go cups | 2 × 24 oz | 2 × 16 oz | No | 32 oz + 24 oz | No |
| Food processor bowl | 8-cup | No | No | No | No |
| Cleaning | Dishwasher, top rack | Dishwasher, top rack | Self-cleaning, dishwasher safe | Dishwasher (pitcher, cups) | Dishwasher, all but base |
| Warranty | 1 year | 1 year | 5 years | 1 year | 3 years |
| Best for | Smoothies, chopping and dough | Frozen drinks and smoothies to go | Heavy use for years | Family pitchers and big cups | Cooks who want glass, not plastic |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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