To find the best blenders for smoothies you’ll want to determine the features that are right for you and your kitchen. We recommend that you look for a durable smoothie blender with a restaurant-grade motor and high-quality steel blades. Make sure to also consider the material quality and the capacity of the pitcher, especially if you need to make large batches. Look for BPA-free plastics and polycarbonate, or thermally safe glass blender jar. A dishwasher-safe blender jar or self-cleaning feature makes the best blender for smoothies easy to clean and more convenient to use. Available accessories might also factor into your choice, as some countertop blenders come with useful features like a food processor or a set of single-serve cups with lids.
After analyzing hundreds of reviews amongst a multitude of high-performance products with varying price points and features, we’ve found that the Vitamix Professional Series 750 is the best blenders for smoothies on the market today. Keep reading about this and our other top picks to learn more and choose the best blender for your kitchen.
Top 10 Best Blenders for Smoothies
#1 Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender for Smoothies
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: This heavy-duty Vitamix blender features unmatched fine-tuning and professional-grade durability, making it our pick for the best blender for milkshakes and smoothies along with ice blended coffee drinks and green juices.
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- Versatile pre-programmed settings
- Self-cleaning mode
- Powerful motor handles ice cubes, coffee beans, and frozen fruit
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- Doesn’t come with single-serve to-go bottles
- Not as flexible as some blenders with food processor attachments
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This high-performance blender delivers strong durability and has excellent, easy to use controls including pre-programmed functions and a rotary knob for variable speeds. Power comes from a 2.2-horsepower peak motor, and the hardened steel blades on this ice blender can easily crush ice cubes and frozen fruit, making for delicious smoothies with the texture of your choice. Like the rest of the Vitamix blenders, this model has a self-cleaning mode that saves time.
In order to better fit under kitchen cabinets, this countertop blender comes with a low-profile pitcher that holds 64 ounces, allowing large batches while being just over 17 inches tall. With its proven durability and high powered motor, this model excels at crushing ice, blending nut butter, and grinding up tough ingredients for juices and smoothies. This is an excellent option for someone looking to buy the best blender for frozen drinks as well.
#2 NutriBullet Pro 1200 Watt Smoothie Blender
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: This blender combines the power of a commercial blender with the ease of use and convenience of a countertop blender. It comes with a full-sized pitcher and two handy to-go cups.
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- Dishwasher safe pitcher, cups and lids
- Extractor blades let you get the most out of smoothies and green juices
- Powerful motor handles ice cubes, coffee beans, and frozen fruit
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- Not as powerful as some professional blenders
- Lacks a self-cleaning function
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This blender comes with a set with one large pitcher and two smaller blender bottles that work well when making smoothies to take with you on the go. These to-go cups are 32 and 24 ounces, while the main pitcher is 64 ounces. All are BPA-free and dishwasher safe. The blender motor puts out a decent 1200 watts, enough to equal the best personal smoothie blender on the market, but not quite up there with the heavy-duty commercial blenders.
With its simple five-button control panel, this blender is easier to use than most blenders. Choose among extract, low, medium, high, and pulse functions. This allows you to have some manual control for fine-tuning the blending process for each smoothie recipe. It stands up to the best commercial blender on the market.
#3 Vitamix 5200 Commercial Blender for Smoothies
Award: BEST DURABILITY
WHY WE LIKE IT: This powerful blender comes with a durable professional motor with a radial cooling fan for long-lasting performance, plus variable speed control and a self-cleaning mode.
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- Variable speed control for different textures
- Well-cooled high-performance motor
- BPA-free pitcher
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- Lacks pre-programmed modes
- Not as quiet as some commercial blenders
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This professional blender has blades that spin fast enough to heat up ingredients from friction alone, plus 10 speed settings and a variable speed control knob that allows for precise adjustment. Its sophisticated BPA-free pitcher incorporates Vitamix’s unique design that channels contents back toward the blades for efficient and smooth blending.
While it lacks the pre-programmed options some models of smoothie blender offer, this is easily one of the best performing blenders for a wide variety of food and beverage prep tasks both in the kitchen and in work settings. It works for hot liquids as well as all kinds of frozen beverages and ice cream. A highly useful and convenient self-cleaning cycle is another plus, letting you fully clean the pitcher and blades in under a minute. This would make an excellent gift for anyone looking for the best countertop blender on the market.
#4 Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender for Smoothies
Award: BEST FOR SMALL BATCHES
WHY WE LIKE IT: With intuitive, easy to use controls and a powerful motor, this model combines commercial-grade heavy-duty performance and a compact form that doesn’t take up too much counter space.
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- Durable drive system with cooling fan
- Self-cleaning mode
- Variable speed control for perfect smoothie textures
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- 48-ounce pitcher has a smaller capacity than many other countertop blenders
- Not the quietest Vitamix blender
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This well-designed countertop blender has a number of key features that make it stand out as one of the top-rated blenders on the market if you’re looking for the best blender for smoothies 2020 has to offer. It comes with a heavy-duty motor and cooling fan for better durability and more consistent blending, plus a self-cleaning mode and hardened stainless steel blades.
With its 48-ounce pitcher, this machine is under 15 inches tall, making it one of the more compact countertop blenders. It easily blends frozen fruit, ice cream, and shakes, as well as peanut butter, dates, dry powders, and other challenging food ingredients for delicious smoothies. If you’re looking for the best blender to puree food and make stunning creations, add this to your list.
#5 Breville BBL620SIL Blender for Smoothies
Award: BEST EASE OF USE
WHY WE LIKE IT: This convenient countertop blender has one-touch buttons for smoothies, green smoothies, and ice crushing, plus a blender jar with a well-designed ergonomic handle and a spill-proof lid.
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- Serrated stainless steel blades
- Simple, easy-to-use control panel
- LCD screen and programmable timer
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- Not the most powerful blender
- Smaller pitcher limits batch size
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This high-quality blender has serrated stainless steel blades that help it crush ice efficiently and make smoothies with ideal texture. It also benefits from Breville’s Kinetix multi-functional blending technology, letting it crush, chop and aerate ingredients and create even smooth blends. Its sophisticated BPA-free pitcher is made of shock-resistant Tritan plastic and is dishwasher-safe. A self-sealing lid with an easy-pull ring adds to the convenience.
One of the most convenient blenders for making your morning smoothie, this model has pre-programmed settings for smoothies, ice crush, and green smoothies. An LCD screen with an easy-to-read timer helps when multitasking in the kitchen and an auto-clean mode helps make clean up easier.
#6 Blendtec 575 Blender for Smoothies
Award: BEST FOR LARGE BATCHES
WHY WE LIKE IT: A large, 90-oz pitcher and easy pre-programmed settings make this high-performance blender a useful and versatile kitchen appliance, able to blend smoothies with ice cubes and frozen fruit with no pre-chopping necessary.
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- High-powered motor
- 4 pre-programmed options plus variable speed settings
- 90-oz BPA-free pitcher for large batches
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- Not the quietest countertop blender
- Doesn’t come with single-serve blender cups
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A stand-out among high-performance blenders for home kitchen use, this model benefits from a versatile control pad with pre-set functions, timed settings, and manual speed settings, plus extra-thick blades that work well for nut butters, dough, and more. It also has a powerful motor putting out over 1500 peak watts, which lets it blend frozen fruit and crush ice with ease, and is more than enough for most food processor tasks.
With four pre-sets along with manual speed control settings, you can customize this blender to prepare your favorite smoothie, protein shake or green juice at the touch of a button. The 90-ounce blender jar is dishwasher safe and BPA-free. It has the versatility of the best blender food processor with professional-grade capabilities.
#7 Hamilton Beach Wave Crusher Blender for Smoothies
Award: BEST CONVENIENCE
WHY WE LIKE IT: Thanks to the wave-inducing pitcher, this easy-to-use blender makes ultra-smooth frozen drinks with no need for stirring. It also comes with heat-resistant and dishwasher safe components for easy cleanup.
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- Unique pitcher shape improves consistency
- Dishwasher-safe pitcher
- 14 pre-programmed modes
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- Less powerful motor than some professional blenders
- Pitcher only holds 40 oz
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While it may not be the most extreme blender in terms of power, this countertop blender from Hamilton Beach does a great job when it comes to crushing ice, mixing frozen fruit, and blending chia seeds, chopped frozen fruit, protein powders, nut butters, and other smoothie ingredients. The easy pour jar holds 40 oz of liquid and is heat resistant and dishwasher safe.
This model also stands out in terms of the number of programmed options it gives you. It comes with fourteen presets including pulse mode, settings for smoothies, green smoothies, and ice cream, plus a dedicated ice crush mode. This makes it one of the most convenient options on the market today if you’re looking for the all-around best electric blender for light-duty smoothie and milkshake blending. While this model does have heat-resistant components, the best blenders for hot liquids will give you even more blending capabilities for soups and stews.
#8 Blendtec Total Classic Blender for Smoothies
Award: BEST VERSATILITY
WHY WE LIKE IT: Forged steel blades capable of heating up soups by friction, plus a large 90-oz blender jar make this a good choice for making chili, bulletproof coffee, protein beverages, and more for the whole household.
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- Ultra-thick steel blades for frozen ingredients
- Self-cleaning design
- 10 variable speed options with full manual control
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- Not as easy to use as some countertop blenders
- Lacks food processor or to-go cups
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This powerful blender comes with six pre-programmed modes including options for cold ingredients, hot ingredients, soups, and smoothies, plus a fine range of manual controls with ten variable speed options so you can fine-tune the blending process and get the ideal texture. It comes with a dishwasher-safe BPA-free pitcher that offers a generous 75-ounce capacity.
This Blendtec blender also benefits from tough, forged steel blades said to be ten times stronger than the more commonly found cast metal blender blades. It spins fast enough to heat up liquids by friction and can work well as a milk frother when blending hot coffee beverages and protein drinks. Interested in a more unique style? Check out our best vacuum blender list.
#9 Oster My Blend Blender for Smoothies
Award: BEST PORTABLE DESIGN
WHY WE LIKE IT: A great 20-oz single-serve blender bottle with a nearly spill-proof lid helps this space-efficient personal blender stand out among the smaller smoothie blenders on the market today.
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- Locking cup for hands-free use
- BPA-free and dishwasher safe travel bottle
- Convenient hook for easy carrying
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- Not as powerful as some of the personal blenders on the market
- Only comes with one bottle
- Limited manual controls
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While it isn’t the most powerful personal blender on sale, this Oster blender has enough blending power to handle most smoothie making tasks with pre-chopped fruit and vegetables, and its base is sturdy enough to support its convenient hands-free feature, unlike on some personal blenders where you have to press down on the cup the whole time.
It comes with a convenient and ergonomically-designed sports bottle that’s easy to carry anywhere on a run, hike, or bike ride, making it an easy choice if you’re looking for the best personal smoothie blender. The portable blender bottle is also dishwasher safe and BPA-free. It holds 20 oz, more than most travel blender cups, and it has a carrying hook so you can even clip it to a belt or lanyard. It’s at the top of our list for the best portable blender for travel.
#10 Magic Bullet Blender for Smoothies
Award: BEST ON A BUDGET
WHY WE LIKE IT: Now sold as an 11-piece set with the Magic Bullet personal blender for smoothies plus single serving, resealable dishwasher-safe plastic cups, this blender makes a variety of food processing tasks easier, from making milkshakes to stirring whipped cream and making green smoothies.
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- Includes dishwasher-safe go-anywhere cup
- Stainless steel construction for durability and aesthetics
- Upgradeable with a range of accessories including larger and smaller cups
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- Not as powerful as some newer models
- Lacks a way to fine-tune the blending process
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Famous for its simplicity and versatility, as well as its infomercials, the Magic Bullet lives up to the hype in terms of its convenience and ease of use. It’s well suited to making salsas and dips, guacamole, and more. It also works for making blended juices, smoothies, and blended coffee drinks of course, though with a similar limitation as you find with many small personal blenders: the need to use smaller ice cubes or pre-crushed ice.
This Magic Bullet portable blender is just under six inches wide at the base, and so it takes up very little counter space. It’s made of high-quality stainless steel and BPA-free plastic, and the cups and travel blender bottles are dishwasher safe.
How We Decided
In order to choose the best blender for smoothies, we looked for blenders made with high-quality materials, durable motors for long-term use, and safe, easy-to-clean jars. We only included blenders that came with BPA-free pitchers made of heat-safe plastics, polycarbonate, or with a glass blender jar.
For ease of use when it comes to making delicious smoothies and green juice drinks, we looked for simple controls and programmable functions, so that you can easily crush ice, create ice blended coffee, smoothies, and other frozen drinks. A pulse function and precise manual speed settings including variable speed control were also preferred.
In seeking the best electric blender for smoothies, we also took into account versatility and the availability of different attachments. We prioritized blenders with well-designed lids and bases that promised years of leak-free blending.
We looked for useful add-ons like spill-proof travel lids, food processor attachments, and extra single-serving cups.
Best Blenders for Smoothies Buyer’s Guide
The Most Important Features to Consider
- Motor Output
If you’re looking for a blender that can handle making smoothies from whole frozen fruit, crush up ice cubes and deal with heavy powders and nut butters without stalling, search for high-powered blenders with plenty of torque and the power to attain high-speed rotation for smooth textures. We recommend looking for at least 1000 watts of continuous power or a 2.0-horsepower peak output rating. For personal and portable blenders designed to blend into single-serve containers, at least 250 watts of power is a must. - Control Panel
When looking for the best blender for smoothies, easy-to-clean and ergonomic controls are an important consideration. Depending on your preferences, you may prefer more manual controls or a greater range of pre-programmed options. As with most kitchen appliances, rugged, water-resistant, and easy-to-wipe-down surfaces are preferable. - Pitcher Size
If you’re looking for a blender that fits under cabinets on your kitchen counter, make sure the blender you’re considering isn’t too tall. On the other hand, if you make smoothies in large batches, make sure the blender has enough capacity. A 48-ounce blender jar is generally enough to make smoothies for three or four people. Many high-quality blenders come with interchangeable blender jars of different sizes including single-serve to-go cups. Some also include wider, shorter pitchers that allow them to work as food processors.
