Best blenders to buy: make smoothies, soups, sauces and desserts with blenders for every budget

There's no doubt that owning one of the best blenders is an easy way to get in your five-a-day, utilise a fridge full of ingredients, or add some variety into dinnertime. That’s because it transforms fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds into tasty blended combinations that the whole family will enjoy. 

These days, the best blenders need to match up to some critical criteria: they should offer a good mix of performance and programmes, as well as be easy to keep clean and maintain for everyday use. And of course, they need to look good displayed in our homes. 

If you’re in the market for a new blender, we’ve selected and tested models at a range of price points with the aim of helping you whittle down the options. Much like the best food processors, these machines will whizz up your chosen ingredients into a healthy and delicious blend. Among the blender models that should cover your every blending need are our recommended buys – the Sage Super Q and Vitamix A2300i – as well as the more affordable NutriBullet Blender Combo. The latter is a great-value option that’s still packed full of handy features. However, there are various things you’ll no doubt want to take into account before investing so, without further ado - here are our reviews of the best blenders on the market.

The best blenders as reviewed by our experts

The Vitamix A2300i is a blender that does it all – soup, smoothies, frozen desserts and even grinding – making it one of the best blenders you can buy right now. It also has excellent capacity in its durable yet deceptively lightweight two-litre jug, plus it’s quick to get blending – the jug drops onto the 1400W base, the lid clips on, you choose one of 10 speeds and hit start. In tests, no task was too difficult: it made faultless smoothies, piping-hot soup and crushed ice without skipping a beat. There’s even a recipe book to inspire you with frozen desserts, baby food and nut butter ideas, which tells which settings to use for which recipes in case you're not super confident about how to use a blender. Admittedly, there are no pre-programmed settings on this model but, as it’s so easy to use, you may find you don’t miss them. Our best pick for or serving up fuss-free food.

See our full Vitamix A2300i blender review

One of the priciest blenders in our guide, the ultra-powerful two-litre 2400W Sage Super Q justifies its cost by blitzing both quickly and using noise-suppression technology. This means that while it’s far from whisper-quiet, the sounds it makes are less obtrusive than many, and certainly those with a larger motor. What is also notable is the LCD display – enabling you to see at a glance what speed you’ve selected, set a blending timer or keep an eye on how long is left on a programme. The Super Q performed well on all our blending tasks, producing fibre-free smoothies, efficiently crushing ice, and blending soup that was heated to hot - if not as piping as the Vitamix above. 

See our full Sage the Super Q blender review

The NutriBullet Blender Combo delivers a lot in terms of value. It's got a full-sized 1.8-litre blender that can handle hot liquids, three cups that can be blended into and used to store the contents, a tamper for making frozen desserts and a powerful 1200W motor that works the same way as the original to create speedy smoothies. It’s louder than some, but delivered consistently in our tests, producing evenly blended smoothies, chunk-free soup and snowy ice perfect for cocktails. Plus, it’s all dishwasher-safe when you’re done, making for an easy kitchen cleanup. In an ideal world it’d have more choice of speeds or programmes, but as an affordable all-rounder you’d be hard pressed to find one that ticks as many boxes.

See our full NutriBullet Blender Combo review

If your idea of a great blender is one that works hard and looks stunning, the KitchenAid Artisan K400 is for you; it’s available in a range of glossy colours, so it can take pride of place on the worktop. It looks impressive, which means it'll make for a great gift too. Beyond its good looks, this blender performs well too, delivering smooth smoothies and evenly crushed ice in seconds - making it one of the best blenders for smoothies, too. It also offers a whole host of functions and speeds so you can make soups, sauces, doughs and frozen desserts. While the weighty glass jug is more limited in capacity than some, this 1200W machine can be easily accessorised with extra containers, one of which is a lighter 1.6-litre plastic jug. As the heavier jug can also present problems when cleaning by hand, it’s a good thing that there’s a self-cleaning programme on the dial too. Overall, this blender works hard and looks fabulous in any kitchen.

See our full KitchenAid Artisan K400 blender review

Compact enough to tuck into a corner of a tiny kitchen, the Kenwood Blend-X Fresh is a neat, nimble blender that can handle everyday tasks, such as batter and milkshakes (or cocktails!) without any issues. There aren’t any pre-set programmes, but this model does have a couple of neat tricks going for it. There’s an ice-crush button that works well to turn cubes to snow, and detachable blades mean it’s easy to wash by hand. Considering that the jug is tall, the capacity hasn’t been reduced too much – there’s still 1.5 litres of working space in the 2-litre pitcher. However, its 650W motor can be limiting, meaning you’ll need to spend a bit more time chopping food into smaller pieces to circulate properly. It’s also especially noisy, even when operating on the lower speeds. 

See our full Kenwood Blend-X Fresh blender review

• ^Back to best blenders

Frequently asked questions about the best blenders

If you're still confused about which blender you want to buy, you may want further advice on how to make your purchase - see our expert guidance below...

How to choose the right blender for me

Before you start to consider price points, think about what you’re likely to use one of the best blenders below for. For example, would you appreciate the convenience of programmes to make smoothies and soups, or are you more likely to use different speeds and settings to handle a varied baking and cooking repertoire? Capacity is another consideration – larger jugs are useful in family households, or for those who batch-cook, while smaller models are ideal for compact kitchens or those short on workspace. 

Dedicated programmes provide convenience for everyday tasks such as ice crushing, smoothies and soups, so are worth adding to the wishlist, as are those with ‘self-cleaning’ functions. These sidestep running the dishwasher or scrubbing a jug by hand by using a high-speed function to whisk away stubborn debris from around the blades and up the sides (when filled with water and washing-up liquid). Self-cleaning processes don’t always reach the lid that well, so you may still need to wash this separately. 

Finally, look for the most powerful model you can afford – it’ll provide faster blending and reduce your food prep time. Do note, however, that while higher wattage gives a rough idea as to how powerful the motor is, it doesn’t always equate to a blender being a better all-round model than another one.

• ^Back to best blenders