The Best Blenders for Smoothies, Soups, and More
Make sure your smoothies are smooth and your soups are silky.
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You run in every season, right? Well, you should have the same expectation of your blender.
What you don’t want is a clunky ice crusher. Instead, what you deserve is an appliance to help cool you down in the summer with a lemonade slushie and fuel you through the early morning cold in the winter by blending a hearty soup or filling protein shake.
If you haven’t bought a new blender in a few years (and, by the way, a good one should last you several years), you might be surprised to learn how many different types of blenders now exist. The easiest place to start is with what you’ll be making most often—maybe it’s nut milks, creamy hummus, or leafy green smoothies—and then find an appliance that’s designed for your intended needs.
Wattage gives you a rough indication of power, although all of the blenders we’re recommending can crush ice, and it’s more important that you consider the number of speed settings (more settings offer finer control), as well as pre-set buttons for smoothies or pureeing ingredients.
Keep in mind where your blender will be stored, as models with more powerful motors tend to have larger bases and bigger blending jars (think 6 to 8 cups) that take up more space and are heavier to lift on and off a counter. While a personal blender might be effective for a morning smoothie, you may require a larger blending jar (typically made of hard plastic or glass) if you’re looking to make a big batch of tomato soup or apple cider slushies. If you decide your blender is never leaving the counter, there are sleek models in an array of colors to match your kitchen aesthetic.
Find the best fit for your kitchen with one of these best blenders.
Best Blenders
The Expert: I’m a cookbook author and food writer with more than a decade of experience developing recipes and testing appliances. I’ve used blenders to smooth soup and sauce and to find the right consistency for apple cider slushies. I’ve owned blenders with lots of different price tags and discovered that it’s best to try and match your appliance to what you make most often. Case in point: the three months I spent perfecting a beer milkshake in a vintage Oster blender for my book Cookies & Beer.
What to Look for in Your Perfect Blender
Capacity: Blenders can hold vastly different amounts of liquid. Will you be relying on your blender for a big batch of tomato soup? Then you’ll want a blender jar that holds at least 64 ounces (8 cups). On the other hand, if it'll be your personal smoothie machine in the morning, you might want a unit with a detachable blending mug that is 16 or 24 ounces (2 or 3 cups).
Size: More-powerful blenders (over 1,000 watts) often come with larger bases—to house a bigger motor—and a taller jar to hold more greens for pesto. Even so, nearly every blender on the market should still fit under a standard cabinet. Measure the space on your counter or in a cabinet before you buy.
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Power: The easiest way to compare the motor in blenders is wattage, which is the rate of power flow. A higher wattage means more power, which is critical when the blades are trying to grind hard cheese or ice cubes (start your search in the 650- to 700-watt range).
Settings: Blenders have evolved to include various settings for different tasks in addition to, or instead of, different speeds. Some blenders, like personal blenders designed for individual smoothies, have only a single speed setting. Keep that in mind if you don’t want the same level of blend for everything you make.
How We Evaluated These Blenders
As an appliance tester and recipe developer, I’ve owned and used several brands of blenders. I combined my first-hand experience with a thorough examination of online customer reviews and review websites to understand how effective blenders were at chopping ice and mixing smoothies. I also watched user review videos—particularly listening to the volume of blenders in action, as well as the ease of use—and considered recommendations from chefs and fellow food writers.
Jonathan Bender is a food writer who lives in Kansas City, Missouri. He regularly tests kitchen appliances for national publications and recipes on his children. He's also the author of a pair of cookbooks: Stock, Broth & Bowland Cookies & Beer.
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