We Blasted Through Pounds of Blueberries To Find the Best Blenders for Smoothies

Our Top Pick

Breville Fresh & Furious Blender

$200 at Amazon $200 at Target $200 at Williams-Sonoma

From convenient controls and stainless steel construction to a lightweight, rounded jar design—this blender was developed for the ideal smoothie-making experience. It earned the highest ratings in all testing categories and impressed us with its performance, whether we were making fresh mayonnaise, frozen drinks, soups, or smoothies. 

We love the LCD display that counts down speed settings and preset programs, two of which are specially designed for smoothies. In the green smoothie setting, our kale blueberry recipe was ready in about 45 seconds with very little pulp left behind. There are also pre-programmed buttons for regular smoothies and ice crush, along with five speed settings designed to mix, chop, blend, puree, and liquefy. When it comes to getting your smoothie from blender to glass, the lightweight, rounded jar makes it easy to pour and scrape down the sides if necessary. The jar design also makes this blender super easy to clean since there are fewer nooks and crannies for food to stick, and the angled blades are shaped to fit a sponge underneath while washing by hand. However, there’s also an auto-clean feature to help speed up the process. 

The Details: 6.9 x 8.3 x 17.7 inches; 8.5 pounds; 50-ounce capacity; 5 speeds, 3 pre-programmed settings

Best Budget

KitchenAid Blender

$160 at Amazon $160 at Walmart $200 at Sur La Table

If you’re looking for a well-made, compact blender that won’t break the bank, the KitchenAid K150 is a no-brainer. The blender design is similar to other KitchenAid products, streamlined and minimalist, with a simple single-knob control and three speed settings plus a separate pulse setting. Also, like other KitchenAid products, it comes in several stylish colors ranging from bright red to matte black. The base weighs about 5 pounds and has a small footprint, so you won’t mind leaving it out on the counter or storing it in a nearby cabinet while not in use. 

In tests, smoothies were well incorporated after less than 1 minute, with only small specs of blueberry skin visible at the end. The jar is lightweight and super easy to lift, pour from, and scrape down the sides—even when filled to the very top. The wide spout is well-defined and perfect for pouring thick smoothies. Although there’s no auto-clean function, we found it very simple to clean by hand, and the jar is even dishwasher safe. 

The Details: 8.5 x 7.1 x 14.8 inches; 5.67 pounds; 48-ounce capacity; 3 speed settings, 1 pulse setting

Best for Thick Smoothies

Vitamix Propel 510

$500 at Amazon View on Vitamix.com

The Vitamix Propel 510 has speed settings that go from 1 to 10, a pulse setting, and pre-programmed settings for smoothies, frozen desserts, and hot soups. We love the smoothie setting that runs an automatic pattern of low for 10 seconds and high for 45 seconds. In tests, the setting was super efficient in blending all of the ingredients, and there was not much pulp left over afterward. Impressively, there were absolutely no unincorporated ingredients in the resulting smoothie, even the kale blended seamlessly. When it came time to pour, the rounded jar with a raised funnel and spout helped encourage mess-free pouring. 

This blender doesn’t stop with smoothies, however, as even the frozen margarita came out beautifully light and fluffy in just 16 seconds. It cranked out silky smooth fresh mayonnaise and was one of the best-performing blenders in the soup test. While the blender’s base it on the hefty side, the jar is lighter and narrower than other Vitamix models. There’s also cord storage to help keep everything organized. 

The Details: 9 x 7.5 x 17.5 inches; 9.6 pounds; 48-ounce capacity; 10 speeds, pulse, 3 pre-programmed settings

Best for Large Batches

KitchenAid K400 Blender

$300 at Amazon $300 at Macy's $270 at Wayfair

Another blender that earned full marks across the board during tests, the KitchenAid K400 combines a powerful motor with a well-designed pour spout and generous 56-ounce capacity. What sets this blender apart from other KitchenAid models is the deeper angle of the downward-facing blades, which helped it shine whether we were making margaritas, soups, smoothies, almond milk, or mayonnaise. The smoothie setting automatically shuts off after 45 seconds, and we found no unincorporated ingredients after pushing it through a mesh strainer during tests. 

It has a single-knob control panel with five standard settings, a pulse setting, and pre-programmed settings for ice crush, icy drinks, and smoothie, as well as an auto-clean function. While this blender is a bit heavier than others, its footprint isn’t huge, and it’s attractive enough that you won’t mind leaving it out on the counter—and with eight colors available, you’re bound to find at least one that fits in with the rest of your kitchen decor. 

The Details: 9.02 x 7.59 x 15.8 inches; 12 pounds; 56-ounce capacity; 5 speeds, auto-clean, 3 pre-programmed settings

Best for Personal

Ninja Nutri-Blender Plus Compact Personal Blender

$80 at Amazon $109 at Walmart $80 at Wayfair

This single-serving blender also earned a spot on our roundup for best blenders overall, beating out over 50 other designs. In tests, it mixed smoothies quickly within about 30 seconds, and the blades were powerful enough to blend some impressive sauces and dips as well. Personal blenders are perfect for singles or families who each like to make their own smoothies—rather than potentially wasting ingredients by making large batches in a full-sized blender. 

We love this Ninja's intuitive operation, which consists of simply locking the cup onto the base and pressing down to blend. Although the to-go cups—the blender comes with three of them—are more difficult to clean by hand because of the shape, they’re safe to put in the dishwasher. Each piece is made of very sturdy, thick plastic that feels like it will last a long time even with regular use. The compact design and two included spout lids make it easy to take your smoothie on the go, plus it is small enough to fit in a car’s cupholder. 

The Details: 4.7 x 4.7 x 13.8 inches; 5.34 pounds; 20-ounce capacity; 1 setting

Most Versatile

Cuisinart Hurricane 2.25 Peak HP Blender

Orig. $200 $152 at Amazon $186 at Walmart $200 at Macy's

When it comes to early morning smoothies, choosing a quiet blender can mean the difference between a relaxing start to the day and accidentally waking up the entire household. We measured the average decibel levels of all 24 blenders, and found the Cuisinart Hurricane 2.25 to be the fifth quietest one—as well as one of the best performing.

This blender is lightweight at around 7.5 pounds, considering the large footprint, making it easy to move around the kitchen as needed. It features touchpad controls, low and high speed settings, presets for smoothie and ice crush, and an LCD screen with a timer. There’s also a soft-touch handle, which is a thoughtful extra. In smoothie tests, the kale disappeared after about 10 seconds, and the consistency came out perfectly smooth with medium thickness. The 60-ounce blending jar means that it will also come in handy for larger batches of soup or multiple servings of margaritas.

The Details: 9.47 x 7.68 x 17.08 inches; 7.5 pounds; 60-ounce capacity; 2 speed settings, 2 pre-programmed settings