Announcing our winners for the title of Best Kitchen Blender.
The new best kitchen blender can set you back $20… or over $500. It depends upon what kind of blender you’re looking for.
If you’re in a hurry, here’s a snapshot of the best picks…
Best Kitchen Blenders
Model | Price | Type | Overall Rating */5 |
Positive Reviews |
Breville BSB510XL | $$ | Pro | 4.5 | 1,592 |
Hamilton Beach (70730) | $$ | Pro | 4.4 | 12,873 |
Vitamix 5200 | $$$$ | Pro | 4.7 | 1,903 |
Ninja Pro (BL610)> | $$ | Personal | 4.5 | 6,487 |
KitchenAid KSB1570OB | $$ | Pro | 4.4 | 1,244 |
Cuisinart CPB-300 | $$ | Pro | 4.1 | 2,092 |
Oster 6684 | $$$$ | Personal | 4.2 | 439 |
No matter which end of the spectrum you choose from, your blender is a kitchen appliance that’ll be on constant view. And you’ll frequently us it to crush ice, blend smoothies, prepare frozen drinks and milkshakes, whip up desserts and hummus, and much more.
All 7 of our handpicked powerful, elegant and durable best kitchen blenders survived a flurry of tests – and whipped the competition!
Best Kitchen Blender – Our 7 Top Picks
Best Kitchen Blender – Immersion or Hand Blenders
Breville BSB510XL Immersion Blender
Pros:
- Ergonomic pistol-like grip to operate comfortably
- Multiple speed adjustments
- Bell-shaped non scratch base
- Blade system with internal ribs for better turbulence
- Includes whisk and chopping bowl
- Dish washer friendly
- Easy to clean after use
Cons:
- Blending head isn’t sealed completely
Buy the Breville BSB510XL Control Grip Immersion Blender
Best Kitchen Blender – Food Processor Kitchen Blenders
Hamilton Beach Food Processor And Vegetable Chopper 70730
Pros:
- Combination of blender and food processor
- Offers 2 speed settings and pulse blending
- Reversible slice blade for chopping, pureeing and mixing
- Includes large BPA-free blending bowl
- Wide feed chute for easy processing
- Easy to clean
- Dishwasher safe
- Compact design
Cons:
- Quite loud while operating
Buy the Hamilton Beach Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper (70730)
Best Kitchen Blender – Super-Powerful Kitchen Blenders
Vitamix 5200 Professional Blender
Pros:
- Offers variable speed control
- High capacity, can blend large batches
- Great for making smoothies and soup
- Heats up cold ingredients while blending
- Tough aircraft-grade blades for superior function
- Durable and sturdy design
- Self cleaning in a minute
- 7 year warranty
Cons:
- Expensive, may not fit everyone’s budget
Best Kitchen Blender – Top Professional Kitchen Blenders
Ninja Professional (BL610) Blender
Pros:
- Great design and performance
- Powerful 1000 watts motor
- 6 blade assembly is excellent at crushing ice
- Simple to operate
- Easy to wipe clean after use
Cons:
- Warranty doesn’t cover the pitcher
Buy the Ninja Professional (BL610) Blender
Best Kitchen Blender – Best All-Around Kitchen Blenders
KitchenAid 5-Speed Kitchen Blender
Pros:
- Intelli-control for varying speed
- Crushes ice effectively
- Soft start feature helps blend better
- 1 to 5 settings and pulse
- BPA-free pitcher
- Stainless steel blades deliver excellent performance
Cons:
- Few owners report defective components
Buy the KitchenAid KSB1570OB 5-Speed Blender
Best Kitchen Blender – Best Single Serve Kitchen Blenders
Cuisinart Compact Portable Blending/Chopping System
Pros:
- Sleek touchpad console looks attractive
- Auto-stop function available
- 2 speed settings – high and low
- Pulse mode possible
- Compact and occupies less space
- Shatter resistant and dishwasher safe
Cons:
- Learning to use it effectively takes a little time
Buy the Cuisinart CPB-300 350 Watt Kitchen Blender
Best Kitchen Blender – Best Budget Kitchen Blender
Oster 12 Speed With Food Processor Attachment
Pros:
- Powerful 700 watts motor for better blending
- Crush Pro 4 stainless steel blade is tougher
- Components are durable
- 12 speed settings
- Dishwasher safe
- Easy to clean up after use
Cons:
- High pitched noise is disturbing to some users
Buy the Oster 6684 12-Speed Blender
How To Pick The Best Kitchen Blender?
Many different factors go into defining any one model or brand as the best kitchen blender.
Higher price generally indicates better performance and greater versatility. Upscale looks, blending power, sturdy construction and aesthetic design (color, finish, touchpad controls)… all influence buying decisions.
But the best kitchen blender must stand up to constant, daily, heavy use without dropping in performance while also being easy to operate, maintain and clean.
Be it for shakes or salsas, frozen cocktails or smoothies, these top rated kitchen blenders must get the job finished.
So, How To Identify the Best Kitchen Blenders?
To find out which of the available range of models might rightfully stake claim to the title of best kitchen blender, we reviewed many of them – starting from the most affordable $35 ones to top of the line $450+ kitchen blenders.
What tests were the best kitchen blenders expected to do?
Crushed ice, milkshake, hummus and margarita blending are a part of standard testing protocols. But the acid test that the top performers had to pass was making smoothies from frozen pineapple and raw kale.
Many models dropped out at this point.
- A few cheap blenders choke on the ice crushing challenge and stalled.
- Others only barely make it through the milkshake and cocktail tests.
- And only a handful did a decent job of making a kale smoothie.
The weaker blenders only chopped leaves into tiny bits, while the powerful best kitchen blender pulverized all ingredients to create delicious smoothies.
Which Design Elements Define the Best Kitchen Blender?
Three aspects of blender design, above all else, characterize performance:
- shape of the jar
- position and number of blades
- strength of the motor
When in action, the kitchen blender’s motor spins the disc and generates a vortex within the jar which sucks food towards the blades which smash, whip, blend and crush it.
The vortex is what drives ingredients to the bottom of the jar and then back up the sides, ensuring that all you put into the blender is processed.
Jars with a flat bottom don’t generate a vortex too efficiently, and this slows down the blending process. Gently tapered jars move food more effectively towards the blades.
Jars made of Eastman Tritan co-polyester are more durable and withstand the heavy impact of constant blending better than kitchen blenders with glass or plastic jars. They also better resist heat, water pressure and chemicals in dishwashers.
The number, length, sharpness, orientation, shape and configuration of the blades has a great impact on how well a kitchen blender works.
The pattern and angles at which blades are fitted to each other, and the gap between them and the jar, determine how well food is blended. Cheap blenders have wider gaps, which results in chunks of fruit or vegetables remaining in a smoothie.
The best kitchen blenders can be pre-programmed and will turn off automatically whenever the motor strains too much, preventing burn out.
With so many design elements going into enhancing performance of the best kitchen blender, it really isn’t surprising that the top rated blenders are priced so high.
When you consider how long blenders like the Vitamix or Blendtec will last, you’ll see that they are cheaper in the long run than a less expensive blender that you will have to replace often.
Model | Price | Type | Overall Rating */5 |
Positive Reviews |
Breville BSB510XL | $$ | Pro | 4.5 | 1,592 |
Hamilton Beach (70730) | $$ | Pro | 4.4 | 12,873 |
Vitamix 5200 | $$$$ | Pro | 4.7 | 1,903 |
Ninja Pro (BL610)> | $$ | Personal | 4.5 | 6,487 |
KitchenAid KSB1570OB | $$ | Pro | 4.4 | 1,244 |
Cuisinart CPB-300 | $$ | Pro | 4.1 | 2,092 |
Oster 6684 | $$$$ | Personal | 4.2 | 439 |
How To Pick Your Best Kitchen Blender
There’s no universal favorite best kitchen blender that suits all tastes and needs.
Your requirements for a kitchen appliance are unique and specific. That’s why it is important that you choose the right blender to serve your needs well.
Here is a simple way to decide which kitchen blender model is best for you…
Evaluate your typical blender use.
If you only want a blender to whip up a milkshake every now and then, choose a different model than if you’re a heavy juicer, or prefer your daily green smoothie without chunks in it.
Once you know what your blender should do, you can decide which of the 4 broad categories of kitchen blender is ideal.
High-Performance Kitchen Blenders
Driven by powerful motors and featuring high RPM blades, these blenders will churn out silken smoothies, crush ice into snow, and prepare whole-fruit juices in an instant.
Prices range from $300 to over $700.
Conventional Kitchen Blenders
Useful for low-intensity blending like milkshakes and fresh fruit smoothies, these are excellent appliances at typical prices of $50 to $150.
But don’t expect miracles! You might have to accept chunks of fruit in your smoothies and ice in your cocktails.
Personal Blenders
Designed specifically for users who like to whip up protein shakes and yoghurt smoothies while traveling, personal blenders are relatively weaker and won’t be able to handle many serious blending tasks.
Prices start from $20 and go up to $100 or even higher.
Immersion Kitchen Blenders
Best hand blenders cost between $30 and $100. They can be immersed into the food or drink you want to blend, such as vegetables boiled in a pot or sauteed in preparation for sauces or salsa.
Used for whipping butter or eggs too, an immersion blender is often a supplement for countertop appliances rather than a one-stop blending solution.
Other Factors To Consider When Choosing Kitchen Blenders
1. Consider Storage:
- If your kitchen is small, look for a blender with a compact design. Immersion blenders can fit into drawers.
- Personal blenders are often tiny. Countertop versions are available at heights less than 17 inches, which conveniently fits under kitchen cabinets and on shelves.
- Accessories and attachments may also take up storage space.
2. Container:
- Plastic blender jars are lighter and don’t break as easily as glass jars, but may absorb flavors and become stained over time.
- A wide-mouth jar is easier to load, and also to clean up when you’re finished using the blender.
3. Controls:
- The best kitchen blender is one which has controls that match your taste and preference.
- Touchpad controls can be easy to clean but are tougher to operate. Push buttons are easier for changing blender speed and switching off. Dirt also collects in the crevices.
- Dial controls can be wiped clean, but there’s the inconvenience of having to turn it through all settings to reach the one you want.
4. Speed:
- Your best kitchen blender may have 16 speed settings – or just three.
- Whether you need many features will depend on what you plan to blend. When there are too many options, the difference between various speeds is hard to notice.
- Pulse settings are useful in some situations, letting you blend more precisely or work with delicate food items.
- Pre-programmed settings in a raw food blender makes it convenient to make smoothies, whole fruit juices and soup.
5. Power:
- Most countertop blenders range from 300 to 1,000 watts, with the two best kitchen blender models going up to 1,350 watts.
- Higher power often means better blending performance, though other factors clearly matter (such as the jar’s shape and blade configuration).
6. Warranty:
- Don’t ignore this. A longer warranty is clear indication of how strongly a manufacturer stands behind the model – and how long you may reasonably expect it to last!
- The best kitchen blender brands offer 7 to 8 year warranty periods. Budget models are usually covered for no longer than a year.
Model | Price | Type | Overall Rating */5 |
Positive Reviews |
Breville BSB510XL | $$ | Pro | 4.5 | 1,592 |
Hamilton Beach (70730) | $$ | Pro | 4.4 | 12,873 |
Vitamix 5200 | $$$$ | Pro | 4.7 | 1,903 |
Ninja Pro (BL610)> | $$ | Personal | 4.5 | 6,487 |
KitchenAid KSB1570OB | $$ | Pro | 4.4 | 1,244 |
Cuisinart CPB-300 | $$ | Pro | 4.1 | 2,092 |
Oster 6684 | $$$$ | Personal | 4.2 | 439 |
Recommended Reading:
- Which is the best blender?
- What is the best blender on the market?
- Which model is the best hand blender to make smoothies?
- Is a food processor a blender?