If you’ve been trying to find the best blenders for smoothies, then you’ve come to the right place.
I’ve been using blenders for over 15 years, and in this guide, I’m going to give you the top 10 options you have right now to create delicious and healthy smoothies.
Let’s get right to it…
Don’t have time to read? Here’s a quick summary of the products we recommend.
| Product Name | Grade |
| Vitamix Explorian | A+ |
| Blendtec Designer 725 with Wildside Jar | A+ |
| Nutribullet 900 | A+ |
| Vitamix Ascent | A+ |
| Ninja Mega Kitchen System | A+ |
| Blendtec Total Refurbished | A |
| Ninja Professional BL660 | A+ |
| Magic Bullet | A |
| CleanBlend | A |
| Cuisinart Hurricane | A |
Best Smoothie Blenders
Vitamix Explorian
The E310 is one of the newer models in the Vitamix line. Despite the fact that it’s new, you’ll notice that it doesn’t have any of the high-tech features like the Vitamix Professional Series 750 or the Ascent. This product is stripped down enough to make it affordable and accessible, but it’s still a Vitamix that sits at the top of the food chain at the end of the day.
What We Love
- It’s a cheap and affordable way to get a high-quality Vitamix without overspending on bells and whistles.
- It comes with everything you need to make the best smoothies imaginable!
- Tamper ensures ingredients will never get stuck on the sides of the jar while you’re using it.
- A smaller jar is better for blending smaller batches and makes it an excellent blender for smaller families.
Cons
- Warranty is slightly shorter than other Vitamix models.
- Not as powerful as the other models in the Vitamix line, but you can still make all the same stuff.
Quick Vitamix Tip
You can make super thick smoothies in this unit that are borderline ice cream by using the tamper and very little liquid. Because you have the tamper, you can liquefy frozen fruit and greens into a healthy dessert. It’s one of the best ways to get kids and adults to eat healthier!
Related Article: Best Blender for Making Flour
Blendtec Designer 725 with Wildside Jar
The Designer is newer and slightly more high-tech than the Total Blender. At the end of the day, it can still make all the same things and has all the same power.
Unlike the refurbished Total Blender, it has a standard 8-year warranty which is on par with what Vitamix offers.
However, the real thing that makes this option great is the fact that you can get it bundled with a Twister jar. If you want a blender for nut butter, then the Twister jar is perhaps your best option.
In my opinion, it works even better than a tamper for applications with totally dry ingredients, like if you’re blending almonds without oil into butter. If you’re looking for a blender for your soups, coffee, or hot beverages, check out our list for the best blender for hot liquids.
What We Love
- It has an awesome and reliable warranty. Blendtec is just as good about honoring its products as Vitamix is.
- The Twister jar is amazing for doing dry blends and ensures things won’t get caught on the side of the jar.
- Extremely sleek looking with simple-to-use controls.
- Can do hot soups, batters, and almost any blended creation that you can imagine.
See Also: Best Quiet Blender
Cons
- It can get a little pricey and might be overkill for some people.
- The Twister jar is a separate jar in itself, and it’s smaller than the regular jar.
Nutribullet 900
The Nutribullet Pro 900 has been one of my favorites for the best Nutribullet of all time. While it’s not as powerful as the Nutribullet Rx, it has everything you need. The 900 watts on the motor can make thick smoothies even with frozen ingredients. I use it all the time and tested it a bunch on my YouTube channel.
If you want a more comprehensive comparison of nutribullets, check out these other reviews for the best nutribullet options.
What We Love
- It’s affordable and more than you need to make some of the best-frozen drinks you’ve ever tasted.
- It pulverizes veggies for green smoothies just as well as a super high-end unit.
- Easy to clean and put in the dishwasher.
- The cups, handles, and lids make it easy to take your smoothies with you wherever you go.
Cons
- Not as powerful as a counter-top unit.
- I can’t make hot soups.
- Not great at making things like nut butter, but I can still do it if you blend it right.
- Only a 1-year warranty.
You Might Also Like: Best Blender for Making Frappuccino Drinks
Vitamix Ascent
The Ascent has tons of bells and whistles and is a great pick-up if you want to make consistent smoothies. It can sync with a Smart Scale, and you can control it from your smartphone.
This makes it easy to pre-measure; you’re ingredients and make the same result every single time.
What We Love
- It comes with a 10-year warranty. This is the highest warranty in the Vitamix line.
- It’s a fun toy for people who love the latest and greatest technology.
- The timer and pre-programmed settings make for consistent recipes if you like to have the same routine every day.
Cons
- It’s a pricey product. You’re paying for great features, but they won’t necessarily make your recipes taste better.
Read Also: Best Blender for Sauces
Ninja Mega Kitchen System
The good thing about the Ninja Mega Kitchen System is that it goes very far beyond a smoothie maker. As I’m sure you can tell by the photo, it’s also a food processor! This makes it easier than ever to do food processing tasks such as chopping, making nut butter, and much more. You can also swap out a variety of different cups depending on whether you’re taking your blended creation with you or drinking it at home. We think it’s truly one of the best Ninja blender choices you have.
If you are curious to find out more about blenders that also serve as food processors, you can read our guide on the best blender food processor combo.
What We Love
- It is truly an all-in-one kitchen appliance. You can save a ton of space in your cabinets and on your counters.
- You can make smoothies for the whole family or take small batches to go depending on which cup you choose.
Cons
- It only has a one-year warranty which is far less than some of the higher-end units on this list.
Recommended Article: Best Blender for Making Nut Butter
Blendtec Total Refurbished
The Blendtec Total Blender is a pure powerhouse. You can read my Blendtec Total Blender review.
If you’ve ever seen any of the Blendtec ads, then you’ll know that this unit can get through just about any ingredients you throw at it. It doesn’t even break a sweat when it comes to making good and thick smoothies. If you get it refurbished, it’s also really affordable and has a decent warranty.
What We Love
- It’s super powerful and can do much more than frozen drinks.
- With 3-peak horsepower, you’ll be able to make hot soups, batters, fruit ice creams, and almost anything you can imagine.
- The refurbished model is widely available and a great way to get a high-end blender without spending a fortune.
Cons
- Because it doesn’t have the tamper plunger, it can struggle with getting things stuck on the sides if you don’t add enough liquid.
Ninja Professional BL660
Although this doesn’t have the food processing capabilities that the other Ninja blender on this list has, this product is truly a bargain. For the price, you’ll get tons of blending power and the option to do big or small batches with the jar or blender cups.
The interface is simple to use, and it doesn’t come with any fancy features that you have to overpay for. When it comes to making smoothies of all sizes, you really can’t go wrong with this.
What We Love
- Can make amazing smoothies of different sizes at an affordable price.
- Capable of taking your smoothie creations on the go with the to-go cups and lids.
- The large jar with the tiered blades is also awesome at ice crushing and tons of other things like slushies. It makes the need for a tamper unnecessary.
Cons
- It doesn’t have any special functionality: no hot soup, no tamper, and no food processor capability like the other Ninja.
- The warranty period is just for a year.
Related Article: Top 10+ Best Blender Food Processor Combo Options
Magic Bullet
The Magic Bullet isn’t thought of as the best option for smoothies, but the fact there are a few things that make it a good pick.
Let’s be clear that you aren’t going to be making the thickest smoothies ever. They’ll have to have minimal frozen fruit and ice; otherwise, the motor and blades won’t be able to get through it. But some people prefer that, which is why it made it to the list!
- The fact that it’s affordable and can still make thinner smoothies.
- Because it’s so cheap, you can travel with it if you need to make smoothies on a business trip.
- To-go cups make it convenient to take your drink in the car with you on the way to work.
Cons
- You won’t be able to deal with frozen ingredients well.
- It also doesn’t have a plethora of functions the way that the other models on this list do.
CleanBlend
The Cleanblend positions itself as a blender that’s a Vitamix competitor. If you look at it, even the design is very similar. It has variable speeds, pulse, a tamper, and a 3-hp motor (this is actually more powerful than Vitamix models in most cases). While I’ve personally never tried this unit, it has absolutely fantastic reviews, so it’s definitely worth checking out. With the 5-year warranty, you don’t really have to worry about the motor failing you one day.
- The design and specifications of this unit make it very similar to high-end units at a lower price point.
- It can do everything a Vitamix can do, including awesome frozen drinks, soups, ice creams, butters, and more.
- It actually comes with a tamper to ensure that your ingredients don’t get caught on the sides when you’re blending.
Cons
- It doesn’t have the brand longevity and recognition as the Vitamix.
Cuisinart Hurricane
The Cuisinart Hurricane is a powerful model that’s good all around. It has a powerful 2.25-peak horsepower motor which is in the same range as a Vitamix. The 60-ounce jar is not too big but not too small.
- It’s an overall good pick with a 3-year warranty.
- It makes fruit and veggie drinks that users tout as the best they ever tasted.
- It has an LCD screen with a count-down timer, so you know how long you’re blending things to make them consistent.
Cons
- It doesn’t come with a tamper and has a shorter warranty than a Vitamix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I trust your picks?
Simply put, because I like to test and review blenders for fun! I also develop smoothie recipes on my YouTube channel. Currently, I own four different units: 2 Ninjas, 1 Vitamix, and 1 Nutribullet. My family has another bunch, including more Ninjas, another Nutribullet Rx, and Blendtec.
So yeah, I’ve pretty much-made smoothies with almost every brand on the market.
Hint: it has bananas and strawberries!
What size jar should I get?
If you’re blending for one person, you don’t need a jar size that’s any bigger than a 32 oz cup-like featured on the Nutribullet. That’s a pretty big smoothie size, and you’ll probably have trouble finishing the entire thing if you load it up with enough fruit and veggies.
On the other hand, that size quickly doubles when two people come into the mix. That said, getting something that’s 60+ ounces would be ideal when you start blending for multiple people.
Warranty Questions
I’ve stated several times on this blog that the warranty is awesome, and I really do mean it! I’ve had mine for over six years and have gotten several issues resolved quickly and easily with the help of their warranty team. To be honest, some of the things I got fixed were probably my fault (don’t put the regular jar in the dishwasher, it warps the metal on the bottom).
But it would be best if you also considered the cost of the blender overall with your needs. For example, you can buy a new Magic Bullet every year, and it’s going to take you a very long time to get to what you’d pay for a Vitamix.
However, if you do have the money for one, it’s worth getting simply for the warranty. Odds are, you’ll never need to get another model again unless you really want to.
My brother has been an owner for years and has just as much success with warranty claims as I’ve had with my Vitamix. He once had trouble with the motor, and it was as simple as sending the base back and getting a replacement. From experience, their warranty department has been super friendly and easy to deal with, so if you get the Designer from this list, you can have peace of mind.
What is a tamper, and does it matter?
A tamper is a device that allows you to push the ingredients you’re blending into the blades while the blender is running. In the example of your smoothie, this can mean your frozen fruit, vegetables, seeds, etc.
Personally, I love having a tamper because it means that I won’t ever have to stop and readjust the ingredients I’m blending. One of my biggest gripes with the Blendtec models is that that’s something that I have to do if I’m not using enough liquid.
There are ways to get around not having a tamper, and we give some suggestions on the last question on this FAQ.
How powerful should the unit be to make thick blends?
To make blends thick, you’ll need at least 900 horsepower, which is why the Nutribullet Pro 900 is on this list. It’s my go-to blender when I want to make thick smoothies but don’t want the hassle of washing the big Vitamix jar.
To be honest, it can do the job just as well as a higher horsepower blender. You don’t need to get a super powerful motor when you have a small blender cup as the Nutribullet has.
But I will say that the Nutribullet 600 isn’t on this list for smoothies because it’s not worth paying for over the Nutribullet.
What are some good recipe ideas to start with?
Growing up, I used to eat that strawberry and banana yogurt by Dannon. Yes, I know – it’s full of sugar and bad stuff, but the flavor is actually unique and really delicious. When I first started blending, I was surprised to learn that you can create the same flavors by actually blending strawberries and bananas together!
What if my recipe won’t blend?
If you’ve loaded up ingredients into your unit and can’t get everything to get fully liquefied, then there are a few things you can do to fix it.
- If you have a tamper model, use it to push all of the ingredients into the blades while it’s running. Only do this with an approved tamping device, though, as you could get hurt if you try to use a random long object from your kitchen.
- Add more liquid to your smoothie to help form a vortex.
- Stop the unit and take off the jar. Shift around the ingredients so that new ingredients can catch the blades when you put them back on.
Wrap Up
If I had to pick between a few of the best blenders for smoothies from this list, I would probably pick the following…
- If I were a single person, I would go for the Vitamix E310 or the Nutribullet 900. Both are all I would need to make almost any smoothie I want.
- I’d go for the Ninja Mega Kitchen System or Vitamix Ascent with a bigger family if I had the budget for it. Both give me the jar size that I want, and the Vitamix warranty means I probably won’t ever have to worry about getting another blender again.
Happy blending!
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
