fbpx

The Best Blenders of 2021 for Every Budget

Best Blenders for Every Budget

Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a commission on any purchases you make using the link at no cost to you.

A blender is the only way to produce silky smooth dressings, sauces, and smoothies. It does things that can’t be done by hand or other kitchen appliances. Just add your ingredients, blend, and within seconds, you’ll have a perfectly consistent texture if you use a quality blender. Luckily, high quality blenders are available at every price point. If you are ready to buy the best blender then you are in the right place. Keep reading to find out which blender is best.

Best Blender: Overall



Vitamix 5200

Price: $400

This is the best blender you can buy. With its high powered motor, there are essentially no limitations. If you drink smoothies every day, make nut butters, and want to blend thick mixtures worry-free, then consider this blender. Its 7 year warranty makes the high price tag a little easier to handle.

Best Blenders of 2021

Here are the best blenders of 2021 for each price point.

Best Overall & High End ($200+)

Vitamix 5200

Price: $400

Vitamix is the gold standard for blenders. This Vitamix 5200 is the best blender overall and for the high end category. It’s durable and has a high powered motor that can pulverize just about anything. It turns hearty kale into silky smoothies, purees nuts into thick nut butters, and blend soups into a consistent texture without any splashing.

It’s backed by a 7 year warranty, so the price tag is a little easier to handle. If the motor breaks before then, Vitamix will replace your machine. But, it will probably outlast the warranty anyway. This model has been the top rated blender on many of the top review websites for several years in a row.

The Good

  • No blending limitations

  • Produces silky smooth smoothies and soups

  • Durable, will last for 7+ years

The Bad

  • High price tag

  • Won’t fit under an 18 inch cabinet

Best for you if: You use your blender every day and need the power to handle thick mixtures such as nut butters. You want to buy one blender and have it for years to come.

 

Best Mid-Priced ($100-$200)



Breville Fresh & Furious

Price: $200

Don’t want to dish out $400 for a blender? Then this Breville Fresh & Furious blender is a great option for a high quality, every day blender. Its high powered motor does a great job pulverizing most ingredients into a silky smooth consistency. It may just take a little longer than higher end models like the Vitamix 5200.

It has a nifty “green smoothie” setting that works great for breaking down hearty, fibrous greens like kale.

The Good

  • Has task specific speeds for common blends like the “green smoothie”,

  • Powerful motor can blend any ingredient.

The Bad

  • Has an automatic 60 second shut-off

  • Takes longer to blend ingredients than higher priced models

Best for you if: You need the power and versatility of a high end blender, but you don’t want to spend $400 for it. What you save in money, you may lose in durability and the time it takes to blend ingredients.

 

Best Budget (<$100)



Ninja Professional

Price: $80

This Ninja Professional blender does the basics like pureeing soup and crushing ice well. It also does the advanced functions like making nut butter, it just won’t be as smooth as the higher end models.

The blenders in the budget category are more likely to produce frothy and slightly less smooth emulsions. Think frothy smoothies with tiny chunks of fresh fruit. If this isn’t a deal breaker for you, then consider this affordable blender.

The Good

  • Affordability

  • Effective at basic tasks

The Bad

  • Produces less smooth and more frothy blends

  • Noisy

Best for you if: You are looking for an affordable, lower end blender for basic tasks like smoothies, dressings, and other softer combinations.

 

Best Personal Blender


Ninja Nutri Pro

Price: $74

Personal blenders offer a smaller size and more convenience for single serving combinations. This Ninja Nutri Pro personal blender is powerful. It is very effective at blending smooth dressings, milkshakes, and smoothies.

Plus, the pitcher doubles as a travel container. So, you can whip up a smoothie, remove the pitcher and top with the travel lid for on the go consumption.

The Good

  • Powerful

  • The travel lid for the pitcher is easy to drink out of without causing spills

The Bad

  • Noisy

  • Need to hold down the pitcher to blend so you can’t walk away

Best for you if: You regularly make single serving smoothies for yourself and drink them on the go.

 

Best Value

KitchenAid 5-Speed Diamond Blender

Price: $99-$160

The price on this KichenAid 5-Speed Diamond Blender teeters between pricing categories. This blender is a great deal if you can find it around the $100 range (the white colored version was $99 on Amazon at the time of this post).

It produces consistent smoothies, sauces, and dressings. But, with a lower powered motor than the higher end models, these will be a bit chunkier.

It is light and has a small footprint. But, the blade has a downturn shape making it hard to clean. Overall, it is a solid all-purpose blender for occasional use.

The Good

  • Creates uniform emulsions well

  • Small footprint

  • Great value if you can find it around $100

The Bad

  • Less powerful motor compared to higher end versions

  • Difficult to clean

Best for you if: You use your blender a few times a week for smoothies, dressings, and other softer combinations.

Summary of Best Blenders of 2021

How Were These Blenders Ranked?

The best blenders for each price point were calculated based on multiple data sources. The blender recommendations took into account the following information:

  1. Review Websites – The results from the best review site on the internet including America’s Test Kitchen, Wirecutter, Good Housekeeping, and CNET were gathered. Blenders were assigned a score based on whether it was a top choice, highly recommended, recommended, or not recommended.

  2. Amazon Reviews – The number of review stars were gathered for each blender. Each blender was then assigned a weighted score based on their stars.

To calculate the best blender, the assigned scores from the review websites and amazon review steps above were added together. This gave each blender a final score.

The blenders were ranked based on this final score and sorted by price category.

What Does a Blender Even Do?

Blenders breakdown ingredients to create a uniform, smooth consistency. Their blades are not sharp, but powerful. The design of the pitcher and spinning motion of the blades draw solid objects towards the blades and liquid away. Eventually, all of the solids liquify and a uniform mix is created.

So, blenders are meant for pureeing soft solids and liquids. Blenders should be used when you want your end results to be smooth and consistent.

Do I Need a Blender?

It depends. Do you make or want to make smoothies, soups, dressings, purees, and/or nut butters?

If you do, then you’ll most likely need a blender. Blenders combine liquid ingredients and softer solids into a smooth and uniform emulsion. The function of a blender is one of the only things that can’t be replicated without an appliance.

What Should I Look for in a Blender?

There are a few characteristics to consider when purchasing a blender. Specifically, price, blending ability, ease of cleanup, capacity, and footprint.

Price

The price must be within your budget. Read the next section for a summary of blender performance at each price point.

Blending Ability

Higher powered blenders will be able to pulverize just about anything your toss in it. Consider what you will be using the blender for and whether you need the power.

Ease of Cleanup

Blenders with blades that are turned down are more difficult to cleanup. Others use different mechanisms to make cleanup easier.

Capacity

Consider how many people will the blender be serving and what types of things you will be using it for. Will you be using it for big batches or meal prep? Keep in mind you will need a larger capacity for soups and sauces versus personal smoothies.

The main capacity difference will be between conventional and personal blenders. The differences between these types are outlined in a section further down this post.

Footprint & Maneuverability

Higher end blenders are more powerful, but also take up more space on the counter because of their large motors. Consider how much countertop space you have and how high your cabinets are. Also consider if you will be moving your blender in and out of storage.

Do I Need an Expensive Blender?

Obviously, price is a huge consideration when purchasing a blender.

So, the first thing you will most likely look at is the price you are willing to spend.

Most blenders can easily blend soft food and fruit into a smoothie and crush ice. Tough items like leafy greens, ice, and nuts are a different story.

Here are a few rough guidelines for how the blenders is each pricing tier compare:

High End

  • Uniform, silky smooth emulsion

  • Quick blending time

  • Powerful motor can pulverize any ingredient

  • Durable – will last 7+ years at minimum

Mid-Priced

  • Begin to loose smoothness

  • Less powerful motor can still handle most ingredients, but it will just take longer to blend

  • Noisier

Budget

  • Even less powerful motor

  • Resulting blend will be less smooth and will have some chunks

  • Nut butters and fibrous greens are a challenge

  • Noisy

Personal

  • Small capacity is main limitation

  • Small, but powerful motor can still handle most blending tasks

  • Noisy

 

Conventional Blender vs. Personal Blender

If you’re like me, the first item I usually look at when making a purchase is the cheapest one. So, you’ll notice that the cheapest product in this list is the Ninja Nutri Pro personal blender.

Before you choose to buy that one, know that a personal blender will have some limitations.

The largest difference between a conventional counter top blender (the other ones on this list) versus a personal blender is the capacity of the pitcher. The Ninja Nutri Pro only has a 24 ounce capacity. The other blenders have a 60+ ouce capacity.

So, you won’t be using a personal blender for soups or other large batches.

However, personal blenders are great for single serving smoothies or dressings. One of the nifty things is that the pitcher transforms into a travel mug. So, you can blend your smoothie, remove the pitcher, top it with a travel lid, and take it with you on the go.

How Is A Blender Different From a Food Processor?

Food processors and blenders can often be used interchangeably, but your results will be different.

Blenders should be used when you want your end results to be smooth and uniform. Their blades are not sharp, but powerful. So, blenders are better at pureeing as opposed to chopping or cutting.

Food processors have sharp blades that are better at cutting or chopping solid, hard foods. They can do tasks in seconds that would take you way longer with a knife.

For food processors, think pesto, hummus, and chopping vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

What Can I Make With a Blender?

Blenders can be used for anything that needs to be smooth and uniform. The best dishes typically fall into one of the below categories:

  • Soups – You know those creamy soups like butternut squash or tomato? The ingredients were toss in a blender after cooking to get that consistency.

  • Smoothies – This is probably what blenders are used on most. Toss in a bunch of fruits and vegetables, add a little bit of liquid and you’ll have a smooth drink in under a minute.

  • Nut Butters – A less common use for blenders is to make homemade nut butters like almond butter by adding almonds and pulverizing into liquid form.

  • Mayo – Homemade mayo is a breeze when using a blender. Just blend egg yolk and lemon juice or vinegar with olive oil.

  • Dressings & Purees – Blenders are perfect for getting a silky smooth avocado or vegetable based dressing.

Speaking of Dressings, Check Out These Creamy Dressing Recipes That Use a Blender:

Conclusion

If you’re looking to add healthy fruits and vegetables to your diet, blending them is an easy way to do so.

But, all blenders aren’t created equal.

High end blenders will give you the smoothest, most uniform consistencies while lasting for years. Texture and uniformity generally decreases with price. But, that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice taste and health benefits.

After all, the best blender for you is the one that falls into your price range and fits how you will be using it.

Leave a Comment

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy