Ready to buy now? Here are some key takeaways, and the full reviews are below.
It used to be you busted out your countertop blender once a year when you were having a fancy patio party. Not anymore. From soups to your breakfast smoothie, the rise of easy-to-follow recipes is making the countertop blender one of the most used small appliances in the home. But it can be overwhelming figuring out which one is right for what you need.
To find the best blender options for every kind of user, the BestReviews Testing Lab evaluated 11 blenders through rigorous hands-on testing in the kitchen. We judged each one for its blending power, noise level, ease of use, cleanup and overall build quality. We blended everything from leafy greens to frozen fruit and hot soup to see which models could truly do it all.
After spending weeks trying out our soup and smoothie recipes on these blenders, we found the powerful Vitamix Ascent X4 Blender to be the best overall.
Vitamix Ascent X4 Blender
Dimensions: 9.75″ D x 7.75″ W x 17″ H 8.75″ | Wattage 1,500 W | Weight: 14 lb | Capacity: 48 oz | Dishwasher-safe: No | Accessories: Tamper, tamper holder and recipe book
When it comes to blenders that can do it all, it doesn’t get much better than the powerful Vitamix Ascent X4. It offers five automatic blending programs for smoothies, frozen desserts, soups, frozen cocktails, and dips and spreads, so you get perfect results every time.
It features professional-grade, laser-cut stainless steel blades that can slice through the toughest ingredients with ease. There is also a pulse function that can crush ice in seconds. And when you think your recipe needs a little more time, just hit the “add 15 seconds” button.
While you can put the container in the dishwasher, it’s also easy to clean with the self-cleaning mode and a drop of dish soap. It comes with an S2 low-profile tamper, tamper holder and recipe book to help get you started.
Ninja BN701 Professional Plus Blender
Dimensions: 6.75″ D x 9″ W x 17.5″ H | Wattage 1,400 W | Weight: 8 lb | Capacity: 72 oz | Dishwasher-safe: Yes | Accessories: Recipe inspiration guide
With a large 72-ounce capacity and super powerful motor, the Ninja BN701 Professional Plus Blender is sure to be the hit of your next party. And at a little over a $100, it won’t break the bank.
Just press a button for one of its three Auto-iQ programs, and you can create smoothies, frozen drinks and ice cream without any guesswork. We love that it has an extra-large capacity, so you can quickly whip up delicous treats and drinks for a group.
The BPA-free container and six-blade assembly are dishwasher-safe on the top rack. It also comes with a recipe booklet and a quick-start guide.
Vitamix 5200 Professional-Grade Blender
Dimensions 8.75″ D x 7.25″ W x 20.5″ H | Wattage 1,380 W | Weight: 10.6 lb | Capacity: 64 oz | Dishwasher-safe: No | Accessories: Tamper
The Vitamix 5200 is a classic blender that delivers professional results without the bells and whistles of newer models. There aren’t fancy buttons you can press, like you get with the Vitamix Ascent X5, but the variable speed control makes it easy to fine-tune each blend.
There’s no dedicated cleaning button like on newer Vitamix models, but you can still deep clean the machine by running it with warm water and a little bit of soap. The tall 64-ounce container is great for larger servings, but at over 20 inches high, it may not fit under standard kitchen cabinets. That said, we appreciated the hidden cord wrap and the lid, which doubles as a measuring cup.
It’s loud, peaking at 98.4 decibels, and the plastic base feels a bit outdated, but it’s built to last and handles tough blends. If you’re looking for a mid-range blender with incredible power, the Vitamix 5200 is a reliable choice.
NutriBullet Pro 900 Watt Personal Blender
Dimensions 7.72″ D x 12.01″ W x 15.94″ H | Wattage 900 W | Weight: 5.5 lb | Capacity: 32 oz | Dishwasher-safe: Yes | Accessories: Two 24-oz mugs, six lids, recipe book
The NutriBullet Pro 900-Watt Personal Blender was a favorite in our testing for quick, daily smoothies. It comes with two 24-ounce mugs, six lids for easy travel and a recipe book.
Don’t let its compact size fool you. With 900 watts of power, it blends everything from kale and seeds to frozen fruit. It couldn’t be more intuitive to operate, either. All you do is push, twist and blend. Its compact design makes it a great fit for smaller kitchens or solo use.
The cups are top-rack dishwasher safe, and there’s no timer or presets. We made a lot of smoothies with this blender, and most were ready in under two minutes. Keep in mind, though, this blender can’t run for more than one minute at a time, so you may need to pause and restart depending on the blend.
It was also the quietest blender we tested, measuring slightly lower than the NutriBullet Ultra Plus+ at around 94 decibels. Overall, it’s a smart pick for beginners or anyone looking for a reliable, simple blender that gets the job done.
Vitamix Ascent X5 Blender
Dimensions: 9.75″ D x 7.75″ W x 17″ H | Wattage: 1,500 W | Weight: 14.3 lb | Capacity: 48 oz | Dishwasher-safe: Yes | Accessories: Tamper, tamper holder, recipe book
The Vitamix Ascent X5 wowed us during our blending performance tests, producing silky smooth blends in as little as 45 seconds. The results were delicious, and we loved being able to choose from 10 convenient preset blending programs, including smoothies, frozen desserts, hot soups, frozen cocktails, dips, smoothie bowl, frappe, nut butters, non-dairy milks and spice grinding.
A standout feature is the tamper light, an on-screen prompt that lets us know exactly when to use the tamper to keep thicker blends moving. It took the guesswork out of the process and helped us power through dense recipes, such as smoothie bowls and nut butters. The touch screen is responsive, and we appreciated the plus-15-second button for when a blend needed a little extra time.
Compared to older Vitamix models, the interface is more intuitive and the overall size is slightly smaller, which is perfect if you’re tight on counter space. Its noise level, however, is noticeable, peaking at around 94.9 decibels, especially during long seven-minute soup blends. The built-in self-cleaning cycle is quick and effective, but we noticed a very subtle burning smell during blends. (According to Vitamix, this is normal at the beginning of use.)
We appreciated the on-off switch located underneath the blender, which adds an extra layer of safety and is especially helpful if there are kids in the house. We love its brushed stainless base, rubber handle and the fact that it’s compatible with smaller Vitamix containers. It’s heavy, but that just means it’s built to last. If you’re ready to invest in a high-performance, versatile, long-lasting blender, you can’t go wrong with the Vitamix Ascent X5.
Breville Fresh and Furious Blender
Dimensions 8.3″ D x 6.9″ W x 17.7″ H | Wattage 1,100 W | Weight: 8.8 lb | Capacity: 50 oz | Dishwasher-safe: Yes
The Breville Fresh and Furious Blender impressed us during testing with its smoothie blends. It features nine functions tailored for different types of smoothies and blends: Green Smoothie, Smoothie, Ice Crush, Auto Clean, Mix, Chop, Blend, Puree and Liquify.
We made Breville’s signature Zestie Green Smoothie, which includes kale, pear, cucumber, kiwi, lime, ice and coconut water. Within a minute, using the dedicated “Green Smoothie” button, all of the ingredients were quickly blended into a silky texture. Breville provides a variety of other recipes like a peach shake, beet and ginger blends and superfood smoothies that showcase the blender’s versatility.
At 50 ounces, this Fresh and Furious is more compact than Breville’s Super Q, which holds 68 ounces and has a slightly more powerful motor. The Fresh and Furious motor reached 93.2 decibels during sound tests, which is loud but expected. Importantly, it stayed completely stable on the counter, even during dense nut butter blends.
Cleanup was simple, thanks to the Auto Clean setting. We did have to rinse the lid thoroughly due to excess suds that had built up, but overall, the Fresh and Furious is a powerful, compact blender that offers high-end performance at about half the price of premium models.
Hamilton Beach Power Elite Wave Action Blender
Dimensions 8.66″D x 8.5″W x 14.69″H | Wattage 700 watts | Weight: 5.6 pounds | Capacity: 40 ounces | Dishwasher-safe: Yes
The Hamilton Beach Power Elite Wave Action Blender is an affordable, easy-to-use blender with 700 watts of power. It has five buttons that offer 12 blending functions, including smoothies, ice crushing, pureeing and chopping. The 40-ounce glass jar is best suited for cold blends, ice crushing, making milkshakes, smoothies and simple purees.
The “Wave Action” system helps pull ingredients down toward the stainless steel blades, reducing the need to stop and stir, improving blend consistency. The control panel is simple and easy to use, and the built-in spout lets you pour without the fear of spilling.
Cleanup is just as easy since all parts, the jar, lid and blades are dishwasher-safe. You can also run a quick self-clean by blending warm soapy water using the EasyClean setting. At under $50, it really doesn’t get any better.
NutriBullet Ultra Plus
Best for Small Kitchens
Dimensions 5″ D x 4.75″ W x 7.9″ H | Wattage 1,200 W | Weight: 10.14 lb | Capacity: 24-oz and 32-oz blending cups | Dishwasher-safe: Yes | Accessories: Coffee and spice grinder, 2-cup food processor bowl, chopping blade, slice/shred disc, to-go lids
The NutriBullet Ultra Plus+ is a compact three-in-one system that works as a personal blender, food processor, and coffee and spice grinder. It’s ideal for small kitchens where space is tight, but you still want various capabilities. It has a powerful 1,200-watt motor that blended our leafy greens and frozen fruit quickly and smoothly during testing. Most smoothie recipes took about 90 seconds, though we noticed a little protein powder stuck in the corners.
The system includes a 2-cup food processor, grinder attachment, and two blending cups (32 oz and 24 oz), plus to-go lids. It’s surprisingly stable during use and blends well. There are two blending options: press the full circle to activate the automated cycle, or press the pulse circle for manual control. Keep in mind, you’re limited to six 30-second blends at a time before you should unplug the blender. Also, it’s not safe for hot ingredients.
Cleanup is great since all parts are dishwasher-safe. The blades are sharp and a bit tricky to clean if you want to wash them by hand, but overall, it’s great if you need a space-saving blender that can handle a lot.
Breville Super Q Commercial-Grade Home Blender
Best for its Quiet Operation
Dimensions: 8.15″ D x 10.47″ W x 17.95″ H | Wattage 1,800 W | Weight: 15.5 lb | Capacity: 68 oz | Dishwasher-safe: Yes | Accessories: 24-ounce personal blending cup, tamper, spatula, recipe book
The Breville Super Q is a high-power blender with an 1,800-watt motor, built for everything from green smoothies to hot soups. In our tests, it created perfectly smooth hummus in under two minutes using the preset hummus program.
The five one-touch programs (ice crunch, smoothie, green smoothie, frozen desserts and soup ) and 12-speed dial offer plenty of control. You can choose between a 68-ounce jar for large batches and a 24-ounce personal cup for quick, single-serve blends.
During our noise tests, it reached 93 decibels, which is pretty quiet for a blender of this size and strength. We observed that the blender remained completely stable throughout testing. The controls are intuitive and responsive, and we like that you can pause it to add ingredients. Plus, cleanup is simple thanks to the auto-clean function.
With its helpful accessories, including a tamper, spatula, and recipe book, plus a 10-year warranty, the Super Q is ideal for anyone who blends often and wants top-tier performance.
Ninja Detect Power Blender Pro
Best Smart Blender
Dimensions 6.88″ D x 8.38″ W x 17.5″ H | Wattage 1,800 W | Weight: 10.7 lb | Capacity: 72 oz | Dishwasher-safe: Yes | Accessories: 2 24-ounce single-serve cups, 2 lids
The Ninja Detect Power Blender Pro is a high-performance, family-size blender powered by an 1,800-watt motor. It features “BlendSense Technology,” which automatically adjusts speed and time based on your blend. The smart dial also clearly displays which mode the blender is in, making it easy to use whether you’re making a smoothie, frozen drink or something more complex like nut butter.
The 72-ounce pitcher is ideal for large batches, and the included two 24-ounce single-serve cups with spout lids are perfect for on-the-go blends. You can manually adjust the blend with 10 variable speed settings; plus, a liquid-detect sensor alerts you if more liquid is needed.
All parts are BPA-free and top-rack dishwasher-safe, so cleanup is easy. With its powerful performance, smart features and multiple blending options, the Ninja Detect Power Blender Pro is a great fit for families.
