The best blender market is totally over-saturated. Kitchen brands seem to prioritise blenders as a means of demonstrating their technical prowess, and there are some incredibly powerful and expensive models available. It's a big, food-puréeing, willy-waving contest, but there are also blender bargains to be had. The best blenders are often bought to make smoothies or soup but they are much more versatile than that. If you want to make breadcrumbs, whip up sauces and, with some models, produce dough, blenders can do it. Some can even heat soups as well as producing them.
Blenders differ from juice extractors in one significant way. Juicers mash or grind up the fruit using centrifugal or slow masticating forces to extract the juice, the whole juice and nothing but the juice. This system allows you to consume large volumes of fruit and veg sustenance without feeling full and bloated. The absence of roughage also allows the digestive system to absorb nutrients more effectively. The downside is that juice extractors are a pain in the arse to clean and invariably large in height and width.
Blenders, on the other hand, simply liquidise the whole lot into one thick fruity concoction of both juice and fibre-rich pulp. This is equally good for the digestive system, but rather more filling, and you might find it repeats on you, especially if you’ve walloped down a glassful in one go.
We have recommendations for the best blender at as many price points as possible, from budget to "Oh my god, how can a blender cost that much?" The following list starts with our favourite mid-price, budget and premium blenders.
If you seek more specialised blending we have guides to the Best portable blender, the best Nutibullet blender, as well as a guide to the best KitchenAid mixers – mainly stand mixers, but there are some blenders in there too.
The best blenders we've tried
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KitchenAid makes some of the best blenders on the market – stylish, power-packed and highly desirable. They tend to be rather expensive as a result, but with the Artisan K400, KitchenAid has brought the price down to under £300. Admittedly that's quite pricey compared to, say, a Nutribullet, but you get what you pay for.
The KitchenAid Artisan K400 has a look that is timeless rather than retro, and for most people it is going to be big enough and powerful enough for anything they want to do.
The basics are all well handled – the lid fits well, and can be left while things blend. However, do not use the self-cleaning cycle without putting your hand on top, as washing up liquid being spun in water by a 1.5 horsepower engine does tend to foam up quite alarmingly.
The glass jar shouldn't stain or discolour as much as a BPA one and it's also dishwasher proof. It is also rather heavy, since it's thick glass, and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to drop it onto a concrete floor, but in terms of looks and easy care it's great.
For 9 out of 10 things you want to do with a blender, the K400 is easily powerful enough. It can pull off nut butters and turn kale into a pretty successful smoothie, for instance. With thicker mixtures you may need to whip out the spatula – or add a little more liquid – now and then, but I have never encountered a blender where that wasn't the case. There's no better blender to buy right now, and it comes in a range of 11 colours, from understated to eye-popping.
If you’re in the market for a small, efficient blender that's especially good for smoothies, look no further than the NutriBullet 600.
It’s small enough to leave permanently on the worktop, very easily stored if you'd rather not do that, and comes with three different-sized containers and blade configurations for maximum convenience. It’s also a doddle to use.
This model is equipped with a 600-watt motor that produces a cyclonic action to tease the goodness out of your fruit and veg without massacring the vitamins.
Despite being primarily sold as a smoothie maker, the Nutribullet is perfectly adequate as an occasional blender for soups, ice and what have you. Clearly it is nowhere near as good as the Sage or KitchenAid, but given the price, it's very hard to fault.
Redefining the blender, this (originally) very high-priced, high-gloss, tech-packed machine uses powerful magnets to turn blades sealed into the base of the jug. As a result you can dishwasher it safely.
Once safely housed in the body of the blender – this does require a fairly forceful and manly shove – the Artisan Magnetic Drive also has an absolutely impregnable lid, through which nothing can escape.
The only slight down side to this is that a chute has had to be cut into the lid to add ingredients as you blend. This is, naturally, harder to clean than the norm, although hardly nightmarish.
That's both useful for you and just as well, considering the high velocity at which it can blend. The usable range is a claimed 700-20,000rpm and the motor is rated at 1,300 Watts.
As such, it can do anything from blade-assisted stirring to full-on puréeing and milling of spices, flour, sugar etc. Unlike other high-powered blenders, it doesn't heat the contents of the jug up, so you will just have to use the hob if you want to make soup. Oh well. Best of all, these days it’s frequently available for about half its original RRP, making it both the best blender and the best blender deal in town.
A good blender, like the Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series is an essential if you’re aiming to produce food in bulk, either for a social gathering, greedy family members or freezing purposes. And this appliance does that with ease. It’s also really good at taking on a variety of food prep tasks, so for example, we’re very keen on the way it can knock up peanut butter, but it’s equally happy making soup.
Central to this is the array of settings on offer. The Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series features five different programs, but added to that the appliance works out what sort of container you’re using and adjusts accordingly. Vitamix sells other shapes and sizes if you don’t like the default option. In that respect this is a really intuitive bit of kit, but it’s also programmable too, so if you’re doing other things it can be left to its own devices.
Thumbs up must also go to the tamper that keeps food moving in the container and continually draws material towards the centre. That means you don’t have to do the annoying task of taking off the lid mid-cycle and cleaning down the edges. A winning feature for sure. Considering there’s a lot to the Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series it’s actually not bad to get clean either and that 1200 watt motor seldom disappoints in the performance stakes.
The Smeg BLC02WHMUK High Performance Blender is one of the newest blenders to the Smeg range, and it's already blown its predecessors out of the water. The main reason is because of its vacuum pump accessory, that works with the blender to remove oxygen from your blending drink or foods. The best thing about it that you can batch make drinks and your smoothies, soups and more stay fresher and last longer.
It’s an incredible versatile blender and can make smoothies, nut butters, sauces, soups and crushed ice. It has a powerful 1400W motor, a 1.5-litre capacity and multiple modes for blending, pulsing and crushing.
As expected with any Smeg product, the Smeg BLC02WHMUK High Performance Blender has fun retro styling, although it's currently only available in matte black or white.
For people who love to take their smoothies or soups into work with them, the Ninja Blast is the best portable blender you can buy today. Its compact (although a little heavy) design makes it easy to take with you everywhere, and the best part is that you can make smoothies on the go to preserve their freshness.
Considering the price, the Ninja Blast has surprisingly powerful blades and motor, and it blends impressively quietly. It can easily blend fruit, vegetables, powders and other ingredients and its colourful light system lets you know when it's running, its battery life (which runs out a little too quickly at times) and if it has any blockage issues. Read our full Ninja Blast review for the details.
Another Smeg entry on the list! For smoothies, sauces, milkshakes and soups, the Smeg PBF01 Personal Blender is a force to be reckoned with. Its petite portable size makes it easy to set up and take with you anywhere, and its 600ml bottles and its lids fit together seamlessly to avoid spills and leaks.
Similar to a Nutribullet, the Smeg Personal Blender's mechanism slots perfectly into place and offers one-push control. With two speeds to choose from and a 300W motor, it's not the most powerful option on this list but it cuts through tough and frozen produce quickly.
While it struggles without liquid and it can get quite hot, the Smeg PBF01 Personal Blender is a brilliant Nutribullet dupe that you’ll want to display in your kitchen, thanks to its 50’s retro-inspired design. Read our full Smeg PBF01 Personal Blender review.
The Scott Simplissimo Chef All in One Cook Blender is a bit of a low-key wonder if you’re looking to do more than just blend. In fact, this nicely designed and well-built kitchen appliance is more of a multipurpose machine thanks to the way it can heat ingredients. Naturally, because it’s featured here the Simplissimo can blend with the best of them, by using its dedicated blending button.
However, it can also make thick/chunky soup, a smooth variation on the same theme, deliver delicious sauces from raw ingredients and crush ice like there’s no tomorrow too. It even comes with an extra accessory that allows you to steam food like vegetables or even fish.
Choose from preset buttons for any of the options above, or dial in your own manual settings and the Simplissimo works a treat. We got great chunky soup in 30 minutes, which was blended to perfection and hot. Pour it into a bowl straight from the robust glass bowl and you’re good to go.
The Scott Simplissimo Chef All in One Cook Blender is easy to clean and comes with accessories for doing just that. There’s also plenty of power, a decent sized footprint that won’t take over your countertop and it’s pretty quiet during everyday use too. We’ve seen it nearly half price recently, which makes it even better value.
