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How do you choose the best blender for your family? We tested a lot of blenders to help you make the right choice for you and your family. Give the rest of this guide a read and you’re much more likely to get the right product for your needs.
We put dozens of blenders to the test and we don’t think there are that many poor products on the market. But there are definitely some that really stand out head and shoulders above the others.
So, without further ado we present our favorite blenders. We may update this list next year once we’ve tested a few more!
This is our favorite and one of the best blenders of them all. It’s big. Really big. 6-cups. It has a high powered 1,200 watts of power which means it can handle any job, from food processing to crushing ice, it can do it all. It also comes with a 10-year warranty in the box.
It also has a food processor bowl and that means you get more functionality out of the Oster Pro than any other blender in our tests.
It’s also built like a tank. You’re not going to be replacing this high performance blender in a year or two.
And the best part of them all? The price. It’s so cheap for what it is that we thought it might be a pricing error but it’s not!
You can check the latest price of the Oster Pro 1200 Blender online here.
Black + Decker is a brand that you know you can trust.
They’ve been around forever and they build super solid devices. This counter top blender is no exception and while it’s not “the biggest on the market”, it’s certainly family sized.
It packs 700 watts of punch, more than capable of crushing ice. You can clean it in the dishwasher. We really liked it.
The only minor negative is the price. It’s not the cheapest blender we tested but… you do get what you pay for.
You can check the latest price of the Black + Decker Countertop Blender here online
Ninja is a huge name in blenders, so, there’s no doubt that you’re buying a quality product.
This one weighs in at 48 ounces which is a good size for a family.
There’s also a easy to use food processor function (and 16 ounce food processor bowl) which is why this blender features in our list – specialty blenders are often expensive and this one isn’t.
It’s 400 watt motor may fall below our recommended 500 watts but this blender never struggled in our tests. We also found that it was much better built than the majority of the other best blenders on the market today.
You can check the price of the Ninja Master Prep Chopper and Blender online here.
The thing we like most about this blender is the measuring scale on the jug.
Many portable blenders don’t have a clear set of markings and while we don’t mind for creations for our own consumption – we like to get our baby food exactly right.
So, that’s why we love the Travel Juice Cup Portable Blender.
We find it charges well and holds its charge, crushing ice to pieces without breaking a sweat and it’s really substantial in the hand too.
You can check the current price of The Travel Juice Cup Portable Blender online here.
Blenders, of course, are flexible enough to create a lot of different food stuffs but the smoothie is inextricably associated with the blender.
You can make baby food, for example, without a blender but you can’t make a smoothie without one.
So, it is smoothies that we turn to throughout this guide to blenders even though we know that you can do more with a blender.
The word “smoothie” appears to have been in use throughout the 20th Century but it didn’t refer to a drink until the 1930s or, perhaps, even 1940.
The original smoothie would have been fruit, fruit juice and crushed ice there would have been no other added ingredients at the time they were first enjoyed.
In the 1960s and 1970s the smoothie became popularized by the health food movement and while it’s fair to say that not all smoothies are healthy – many are and it was Steve Kuhnau who is responsible for the public’s association between smoothies and health food.
He opened his first Smoothie King in Louisiana back in 1973 and he appears to be one of the first people to add yogurt, vitamins and even powdered protein to his creations.
In the run up to the year 2000 – Smoothie Kings would spread like a virus throughout America and turn the “smoothie” into a staple part of our diet.
It was in the 2000’s that pre-bottled smoothies began to appear on supermarket shelves and today the smoothie scene is still vibrant with a million recipes (or so it seems) to choose from.
Before the blender was possible, it was essential to invent the small electric motor.
This was a significant engineering challenge that had frustrated many great minds until 1910 when the “fractional horsepower motor” finally made a huge number of small applications, including the blender, possible.
The first blender, contrary to popular belief was not the “Waring blender” but rather the contraption invented by Stephen Poplawski in Wisconsin back in 1922.
It would be another decade before he received a patent on his device in 1932 for machines that reduce fruits and vegetables to a liquid.
However, the “Waring blender” which was patented in 1933 did popularize the blender and it was invented by Fred Osius but is named after Fred Waring who funded Osius’s research. Sadly, for Osius – his design wasn’t very good and Waring eventually paid to have it redesigned before its commercial launch in 1937.
While smoothies are America’s favorite use of the blender today – there’s another very important discovery of the 20th Century that required blenders to be realized: the polio vaccine.
Dr. Jonas Salk had to specially adapt the blender to provide the denatured polio virus that is present in this life saving vaccine.
Today, there are endless varieties of high performance blenders and you can spend up to $1,000 on a blender if you want to. We don’t think that’s necessary, mind you, unless you’re going to make 3 smoothies for every member of your family every day.
You can spend a lot less money and get yourself an amazing blender that will last you for a long time.
The smoothie is simply never going to go out of fashion with top chefs. It’s too versatile.
The term “smoothie” can be applied to nearly any drink made in a blender that isn’t a cocktail. It’s too broad a category for anybody to turn their nose up at it.
So, don’t worry about breaking out your blender when you have guests round.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with creating a refreshing smoothie – it makes you a refined host and you’re in great company.
Mario Francesco Batali is one of America’s top 10 chefs today.
He owns restaurants all over the world and he is a world-renowned specialist in Italian cookery though, he’s also pretty nimble when it comes to adapting food to local ingredients.
His dress code (which includes orange crocs) may be a touch garish but his food is world class.
He recommends that you whip up his Orange Julius which is a gorgeous and simple sweet orange smoothie that’s so easy to drink that you’re never going to have any left over. Your family will love it.
You can find Mario Batali’s Orange Julius Smoothie Recipe online. Just make sure you have your blender ready for it!
Paula is also in the list of the 10 greatest chefs in America and you’ve almost certainly seen her on TV as she’s done a lot of work on screen. She’s also written over a dozen cookbooks!
Her main restaurant, The Lady and Sons, is a big hit and won a “Global Meal of the Year” title soon after it opened. Paula may be one of the most versatile and interesting women in the world as well as one of our greatest chefs.
Her Good Morning Green Smoothie Recipe, which you can find online is tasty and healthy and doesn’t contain a single vegetable. So, give it a whirl – your kids will love it!
Rachael Ray’s our hero at Kitchen Authority!
America’s most down-to-earth chef with no classical training. Nonetheless, everything she makes is amazing!
You absolutely know you can make her smoothie recipes at home as long as you have a blender!
You can get Rachel’s Fruit Smoothies Recipe online.
With the amount of variation possible in smoothie recipes there is no single “best” smoothie around.
We all have different tastes and different nutritional requirements to satisfy and the best smoothie for breakfast today may not be the best smoothie when lunch time rolls around.
So, the way to approach choosing the best smoothie is to think about what goes into the smoothie and then make your selection based on what you want right now.
Then throw your smoothie ingredients in your blender and sit back and enjoy the taste sensation!
It is impossible to get a smoothie that can be drunk through a straw (or even gulped from a glass) without having some sort of liquid for the base. Your blender will work better if it has some liquid in there too.
The traditionalist swears by water as a base and there’s no argument that water is good for hydration, has no calories and can taste great but you can push the boat out a little or a lot further if you prefer.
Milk, juice and coconut water are popular choices but so are almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, etc. too particularly if you don’t deal well with dairy or lactose.
One minor note here – if you must use juice, use 100% juice not some sugar laden substitute.
Keep it healthy if you can!
Protein is a bit of a wonder food. Firstly, it’s the building blocks of our muscles and you cannot build muscle without protein. Secondly, it makes you feel full – so a meal that is heavy in protein won’t leave you snacking between meals.
Finally, if you eat protein in the right quantities, it can make it much easier to lose or maintain weight.
You don’t need to put protein in a smoothie, but many do.
The top choice for protein is whey powder (but don’t use it if you’re lactose intolerant – it’s made from milk). There are protein powders made from brown rice, peas and hemp too.
So, whatever your dietary requirements, you should be covered.
Fruits and vegetables are the classic smoothie ingredients and while you can find a bunch of dessert smoothies (with toffee, chocolate, vanilla, etc. as their main ingredients) the healthy smoothie is the best smoothie for day to day consumption.
Either pick fruits and veggies that you love or experiment to find the perfect combination – it’s up to you.
Cool choices include:
But really, the sky’s the limit. Go with the things that make your taste buds sing. There’s no need for your smoothies to be boring because they’re good for you. Everyone has a favorite, they just need to find it.
Purists will insist that the “classic smoothie” is only fruit, fruit juice and water with a bit of crushed ice thrown in.
We’d argue that there’s a bit more scope to it than that, but we begin with a smoothie that no purist is going to argue with:
This recipe is the absolute epitome of classic smoothies. You need a cup of pineapple juice, a large banana (cut it up a bit so it fits in the blender), a cup of frozen strawberries and a cup of frozen blueberries. That’s it. Put the lot into a blender, blend until smooth. Split between 2 glasses and serve. Easy, simple and delightful.
Take a ripe banana, half an orange and some yogurt and add a couple of ice cubes to give it some crunch. Fire up your blender and boom! A delicious smoothie that kids love made in seconds and it looks great too. If you’ve ever been to South East Asia; you’ll know that this smoothie has some powerful global reach too.
For me, the blueberry smoothie is the absolute classic smoothie. It’s everything American about smoothies and I love it. You need, at a minimum, frozen blueberries, banana, Greek Yogurt and apple juice (and some crushed ice too if you like) and a blender. Combine them in the way you like best and throw that blender into gear. This is the smoothie of everyone’s dreams.
In today’s world “wild” doesn’t have to mean decadent. In fact, our first recipe “on the wild side” is surprisingly healthy.
Grab 2 cups of frozen strawberries, 2 more of raspberries, 2 more of blackberries, 2 cups of coconut milk, 1 cup of baby spinach and ½ a cup of freshly squeeze orange juice. Put everything in the blender and zap until the mixture is smooth. Split between two glasses and serve. Feel free to garnish with a few pieces of frozen fruit. Low carb goodness has never tasted so good!
Just because they can be healthy, it doesn’t mean smoothies have to be healthy. For this recipe you need 3 dates (pitted and softened in hot water before bleding), a cup of chocolate almond milk, a cup of crushed ice, a tablespoon of cocoa powder (unsweetened), 1 small container of vanilla soy yogurt (under 6 oz.) and ½ a frozen banana. You can add a shot of espresso too if you’re feeling particularly adventurous. It’s awesome!
My kids love this smoothie and it’s so easy to make.
You need: a half cup of soy milk, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, a 1 whole banana and ¼ cup of oats per serving. Then all you need is a blender.
Don’t be afraid to make more than you need and refrigerate as this stuff will last about a week.
Three wild side smoothies to try are the:
The keto berry smoothie – 3 berries, coconut milk, spinach and orange juice
The rich dark chocolate smoothie – dates, chocolate almond milk, ice, cocoa powder, vanilla soy yogurt and banana
The peanut butter oatmeal smoothie – soy milk, peanut butter, banana and oats
Blenders are a pretty straight forward, easy to use, appliance in any kitchen. There’s still an amazing variety of products to choose from, however, and it can feel pretty daunting selecting the one that’s right for you and your family.
The last time I was shopping for a high performance blender I ended up wading through over 500 different blenders on Amazon. It’s a jungle out there – Blender-wise!
The good news is that you can cut the options down dramatically by thinking about what you need from your blender before you begin buying one.
So, this is what you ought to think about before you start looking:
The four big factors in the best blender choices are:
There are also 4 main types of blender to consider (though we think that you’re probably only going to consider 1 of them when buying your first blender):
Good news! Cleaning a blender is not a difficult task. There is no excuse for not cleaning your blender every single time that you use it. AS with all kitchen gadgets, there are two important reasons for cleaning your blender:
All you really need to keep a blender clean is some ordinary mild dish washing soap and a sponge or a dish rag, they’re really easy to clean. If you want to get it extra clean – some baking soda can help too.
Then it’s a matter of following these instructions:
Easy, right?
If your blender gets bits of food stuck on it and they won’t come off easily. Get that baking soda. Mix it 1-to-1 with water and fill the jar and run the blender. Then disassemble the blender and clean as normal.
Some bonus tips for keeping your blender in tip-top condition:
Smoothies are a real American treat and they taste great and they can be incredibly healthy. There are so many options for smoothies that you’ll never grow bored of them.
We’d like to wish you and, ideally, your new blender some awesome smoothie times together.