The best blenders for 2026, tested and reviewed

Craving a fruit smoothie or chocolate shake, but don't want to disturb the peace with super-loud blending? The best blenders have powerful yet quiet motors to help you whip up your favorite frozen drinks — plus soups, sauces, dips and much more — without the whirring and grinding noises you might expect.

As a culinary school graduate and Yahoo's resident kitchen gear expert, I have tested almost two dozen of these gadgets, both personal blenders and models with larger capacities (40 ounces or more). For this guide, I focused on the latter, but I incorporated our No. 1 personal blender to round out the list. I blended fruit smoothies, emulsified vinaigrettes and crushed ice, paying close attention to the motor's power and the number of speed and/or program settings available. Be prepared to spend over $100 for a quality blender, but my testing suggests you don't necessarily need to veer into Vitamix territory (we're talking over $300!) for a good one. Later this year, I plan to test some new models, including blender-and-juicer combos, so if the idea of a "bluicer" intrigues you, stay tuned.

Best blenders of 2026

Factors to consider when choosing a blender

My time spent testing blenders yielded these considerations to keep in mind when you're shopping.

• Primary use:A blender is a versatile kitchen gadget, but not every blender can handle certain ingredients. If you see yourself buzzing up mostly smoothies and a vinaigrette or pesto once in a while, basic speed and program settings will do the trick. Things become saucier if you want to blend hot ingredients for soup or crush ice for a frozen margarita. You'll need a blender that can release steam while blending for the hot contents, and more powerful settings to handle the extra cold stuff.

• Speed and efficacy:A rich and creamy smoothie should take no more than a minute to blend, and you shouldn't have to strain out any errant chunks of food or scrape unincorporated ingredients from the sides of the pitcher. It should pulverize ice for frozen drinks and make uniform emulsions.

• Size and capacity:If you have limited storage space, some models may not work for you. You should consider whether or not you'll use a blender often and if you have room for it in a cabinet or on the countertop (always check the height of the model before you commit). A more compact blender means a smaller pitcher. While not a deal breaker if you're making smoothies for one or two people, a larger pitcher is better for serving a group.

• Price:These appliances have a range of price points, with only a few under $100. If you know you'll use a machine a few times a month, around $100 will get you a quality model. You'll spend more for high-performance models with commercial-level motors, but it'll pay off in longevity for anyone who uses their blender daily.

How we tested blenders

After opening each box, I noted if any setup was required and how easy these appliances were to program. I gave each blender's components and accessories a quick hand-wash with soap and water. I first tested them by making a smoothie that combined lots of different textures, including tough kale, hard frozen fruit and sticky peanut butter and dates. Then I tried a vinaigrette to gauge how well the blender could emulsify and plain ice cubes to see if it could handle frozen drinks.

To rank on our list, the blenders had to excel in the following tests:

• Smoothie test:We combined kale (including stems), frozen fruit, almond milk, and peanut butter and blended them to see how even the resulting smoothie texture was. If a smoothie needed to be strained, that was a dealbreaker.

• Emulsion test:A great blender will emulsify, or combine two liquids, like oil and vinegar, that don't usually mix into a stable combination that does not separate immediately after blending.

• Crush test:Does the blender crush ice effectively enough to make a frozen slushy or margarita?

Other blenders we tested

Ninja Detect Power Blender Pro + :Our runner-up, this blender is an excellent appliance, but the control panel and modes are a bit confusing. Like with some other blenders, it has both a dial and presets, and though I preferred using the former, I can appreciate the various options. While not a dealbreaker, the removable blade is one more thing to keep track of and must be handled very carefully. The pitcher and parts are dishwasher-safe.

Breville Fresh and Furious Blender :This was one of the clunkier blenders I tried. It has a 50-ounce pitcher, a 1,100-watt motor, three speeds and two preset buttons. The lid was so tough to pry open after blending that I ended up splattering smoothie all over my face and shirt (and, yes, I used the handy lid assist ring). This machine was not the best at smoothies, leaving some uneven texture, though it worked well for vinaigrettes and crushing ice.

KitchenAid K150 3-Speed Ice Crushing Blender :This 48-ounce blender with a 650-watt motor does crush ice very well and would make an excellent frozen daiquiri, but it wasn't the best for smoothies — unless you love berry seeds. It has a straightforward control panel with a three-speed dial, and it comes with two personal blender cups with to-go lids, which are nice to have but may not be worth the steep price tag.

Cuisinart Smart Power Duet :This combo blender/food processor from Cuisinart has a 40-ounce glass pitcher and a 500-watt motor, plus a lower profile than some others I tried. I found the control panel a bit chaotic with so many buttons to choose from. It's a good choice for someone with little kitchen storage space who makes smoothies only occasionally and wants a multi-tasking appliance, as it also has a 3-cup mini-food processor attachment. Note: Cuisinart has discontinued this blender, but you can still find it on select online retailers.

Oster Classic Series Heritage Blender :This budget-friendly blender (it retails for under $90) looks like a classic retro appliance, probably because Oster was one of the first brands to make a blender. It was one of only three we tested with a glass pitcher (50-ounce), as opposed to plastic. It features a 700-watt motor and a removable blade base. I unwittingly twisted the base loose from the pitcher while attempting to make a smoothie, and it leaked all over my counter and floor. This appliance also emitted a burning rubber smell.

Oster Extreme Mix Blender :More than double the price of the Oster Classic (when not on sale), the Oster Extreme offers an impressive 1,600 watts of power that quickly pulverized six ice cubes into tiny pieces and produced a vinaigrette that rivaled that of bottled dressing. The blender took longer to produce a smoothie, with a chunk of frozen fruit left behind. Its glass pitcher is quite heavy to handle, and the user guide can be confusing to understand. The included Blend-N-Go cup struggled to blend kale and frozen fruit.

BlendJet 2 :No doubt, this gadget is meant to be used on the go. It's lightweight, with a 16-ounce cup, and it even comes with a loop for hanging from, say, your gym bag. Frozen chunks of fruit got stuck in the blades during testing, and the portable blender required at least two cycles to fully blend ingredients. At under $30, the BlendJet 2 is a great budget buy, although you may want to buy its compatible Orbiter Drinking Lid for an extra $15.

Nutribullet Pro 900 :This personal blender can buzz up a smoothie fast, but it's very loud and you can't blend hot ingredients or ice if a liquid isn't also added to the mixture. There are no display settings; to use, simply press the cup down into the motor base and twist. In between intervals, we noticed that the rubber gasket slipped out ( Reddit users reported the same issue), which caused the smoothie to blast all over the kitchen.

Beast Mighty 850 :With its fluted Tritan container and hourglass shape, this personal blender looks cooler than others on the market. The wattage is slightly less than the Nutribullet Pro's, and its price falls in the mid- to high-range compared to other personal blenders we've tested. Still, the Beast Blender comes with vessels of various sizes, multiple lids and cups, straws, and brushes to easily clean hard-to-reach areas around the blade. It blitzed through kale and made a creamy vinaigrette that didn't separate, but struggled to crush ice and needed a second go to thoroughly blend frozen fruit.

Blender FAQs

What is a tamper?

A tamper is a rod-like tool that pushes ingredients down towards the blade during processing to help dislodge stuck ingredients and burst air bubbles that can form in thick purees. Some blenders (such as the Cleanblend, Vitamix and Nutribullet) come with a tamper.

What can I make in a blender?

Although smoothies or protein shakes may be your first answer, you can also use a blender to make a variety of frozen drinks, like milkshakes, slushies and daiquiris, as well as soups, dips and sauces. Just be sure to confirm your blender can handle hot ingredients and features a center plug or heat vent in the lid to release steam.

What blenders do professional chefs use?

The answer is likely unsurprising: A Vitamix! It's the resounding choice among professional chefs, "making the creamiest soups and sauces ever," shares Kate Button, chef and founder of Cúrate , a tapas-style restaurant in Asheville, N.C.

Specifically, the aforementioned Vitamix 5200 is a popular pick. "It has high and low speed settings with an additional adjustable dial of 10 more speed settings. It’s simple to use and can do almost any job," explains Button. It's an expensive investment for home chefs, but Button says a professional-quality blender can be "a game changer for soups, sauces, smoothies, salad dressings and more." I'm hoping to get my hands on the 5200 and see how it stacks up against our current top pick from Vitamix, the E310.

How do I clean my blender?

Many blenders have pitchers and parts that are dishwasher-safe, and some must be hand-washed and dried. Our advice is to hand-wash even dishwasher-safe pitchers and parts as it will prolong the life of your blender and won't take long, especially after using it to make smoothies, soups, slushies or anything that isn't particularly oily. A quick and easy solution is to fill the pitcher halfway with warm, soapy water and blend it for 30 to 60 seconds. If there's still food or oil residue, clean it in the sink with a long-handled bottle brush and some more soapy water. Dry everything with a dish towel (carefully!) before storing it.

Best blenders comparison chart

Meet our experts

• Katie Button, chef and co-founder, Cúrate

Update, Feb. 19, 2026: We checked all product prices and availability. This was updated by Elizabeth Berry to include the results the new testing. Our No. 1 pick for the best overall blender remains unchanged.

We received complimentary samples of some products and purchased others ourselves, but we reviewed all products using the same objective criteria.