11 of the Very Best Blenders

Capacity: 64 ounces | Function: Automatic | Size: 8.5” x 8.5” x 17.25”

Vitamix has a lot of blender options. On the lowest end, there’s the Vitamix One for $250 — a no-frills-but-still-powerful option if you don’t need or want a bunch of settings, buttons, and attachments. On the higher end, there’s this model. Despite the name, it is beloved by professionals and regular cooks alike. It’s expensive, yes, but according to everyone who owns one, well worth the investment. It comes with five pre-determined settings for smoothies, hot soups, frozen desserts, purées, and a self-cleaning option (more on that below). And unlike the One, it can easily handle tougher ingredients like nuts and grains (which means it’s also extra-efficient at crushing ice for smoothies). Plus, as with all Vitamix blenders, it comes with a great warranty — something noted by Green Kitchen Stories co-founder David Frenkiel and recipe developer Sophia Roe. “If any piece of it gets run down or stops functioning properly, they take care of it,” Frenkiel says. Nisha Vora, creator of Rainbow Plant Life, points out that you can buy additional compatible parts, too. “It comes with a 64-ounce container, but a few months ago I got a 32-ounce one, too, to make things like curry paste and hummus without having to triple the volume.” Finally, it’s got a lower profile than many, able to sit underneath most regular kitchen cabinets.

“This blender is industry standard and used across most professional kitchens. When I was head of product at Daily Harvest, I used it every day for research and development,” says Jessica Young, former fine-dining chef and founder and current CEO of Bubble. Moon Juice founder Amanda Chantal Bacon employs the Vitamix at her shops but has one at home as well. “I love using it because of its ability to whip air into ice cream or tonics or even coconut milk — it gives the fluffiest mouthfeel that no other blender can replicate,” she says. Nutritionist and wellness coach Molly Alliman told us she uses hers “every single day” and that “it works for blending big chunks of frozen fruits, heartier vegetables like kale, whole nuts, and anything else that would leave chunks in other blenders.” Strategist senior editor Winnie Yang has owned hers for nearly a decade and uses it a couple of times a month, mostly for puréed soups, because of the supremely smooth consistency she gets from the blades. Jewish Food Society founder Naama Shefi turns to her 750 for pasta sauces, among other things. “It’s a great way to sneak in protein like almonds for my kid because it blends right in,” she says. And while I’ve been testing one for a relatively short time, I can see with even a handful of uses what all the hype is about. It’s powerful, making quick work of hummus, broccoli-cheddar soup, and a big-batch salad dressing to keep in the fridge all week.

And the self-cleaning option really works. You simply add a drop of soap and some water, the machine whirs for about a minute, and then you rinse it out. One of my biggest hesitations with adding appliances to my kitchen is the space they take up, including in the sink and dishwasher. But this function means as soon as I’m done, it’s a breeze to wash and put away. Vora says her old blender always dried with water spots, but this one has stayed untarnished in the year since she bought it.

Capacity: 36 ounces | Function: Automatic | Size: 8” x 7” x 15”

After testing this blender, I was surprised to find it was just as powerful and felt just as durably built as the Vitamix 750. I used to make a sungold tomato sauce to freeze for winter and after blending on high for about two minutes, it was silky smooth, with absolutely no bits of skins or seeds. It also has a pulse setting I used for foods with a chunkier consistency, like a Swiss-chard pesto. The blades broke down the firm leafy greens — but not so much that they turned to pure liquid. To be clear, the Vitamix does have its perks: a longer warranty, more speeds, a dial instead of a touchscreen (simply a personal preference for me). But the Blendtec is undeniably strong and $206 cheaper.

It comes enthusiastically endorsed by Christine Sahadi, owner of New York City’s Middle Eastern market and restaurant Sahadi’s, too. She told me about it for this story a while back, noting in our interview that both Blendtec and Vitamix make very good quality units. “I just personally like the Blendtec,” she says. She has owned hers for more than a decade and finds that its super-powerful blades, which operate at five preset speeds, emulsify sauces, dressings, and aïoli handily. It also, perhaps most importantly for Sahadi, makes the perfect hummus. “If you don’t have a really good blender, you have to add a lot of ice water or cooking liquid to help smooth things out,” she explains. “By the time you get there, the hummus has become too drippy.” The Blendtec, it’s important to note, has just a bit more than half the capacity of the Vitamix 750, so you won’t be able to make things in quite as big batches.

Capacity: 68 ounces | Function: Automatic | Size: 17” x 13” x 9”

If you want a high-speed blender on the larger side — and one that’s less expensive than both the Vitamix 750 and the Blendtec — Strategist writer Kat Gillespie recommends this Hurom. She notes the plastic container’s sturdiness and says the base “has a nice weight to it,” though she warns that the appliance is definitely “pretty hefty and takes up space.” The machine has both automatic controls (for smoothies, ice crushing, and soup) and manual ones; Gillespie uses hers mostly for smoothies. “It makes the perfect consistency — very smooth, no lumps, even if you don’t measure out a good ratio of liquids to solids — and is very convenient as you go about your morning and do other things,” she says, referring to the automatic button you can simply press and walk away from.

Capacity: 48 ounces | Function: Manual | Size: 11” x 8” x 18”

A more affordable Vitamix model is this Explorian Series E310. If you don’t care about the automatic settings on the 750 or the smaller container size of this one, Ksenia Avdulova, founder of Breakfast Criminals, says it’s a sure bet, even with daily use. “I personally prefer the manual switch experience versus touchscreen,” she says. Culinary artist Maryah Ananda, who uses her E310 every day, says the manual switches allow her to pulse to control texture if she wants a chunkier soup or sauce. Still, if she wants seamless emulsification, “the strength is unmatched,” she says. “Blending down things that are very fibrous like ginger or galangal can be tough, but this Vitamix makes it so easy.” She also says she appreciates that unlike some cheaper blenders she’s used in the past, food doesn’t get stuck in the nooks and crannies of this one, which has a dishwasher-safe basin.

Capacity: 64 ounces | Function: Automatic | Size: 11” x 8” x 17”

On the other end of the Vitamix spectrum, with even more adjustability and customization than the 750, is the A3500 Ascent Series model. This one comes recommended by Gaby Dalkin, the cookbook author and blogger behind What’s Gaby Cooking (she used to own and love the 750, but as someone who uses a blender multiple times a day for recipe testing, she has since upgraded to this version). She’s a particular fan of the touchscreen, which boasts a timer display that you can also set to blend for exactly the amount of time you want before it automatically shuts off. (Brandon Jew, chef and owner of Mister Jiu’s in San Francisco, has also told us that he loves this particular feature, along with the “great” auto functions.) Dalkin says the A3500 is even easy enough for her toddler to turn on, allowing her to help make smoothies and “feel invested in the process.”

Capacity: 61 ounces | Function: Automatic | Size: 7.6” x 7.6” x 16.7

Zwilling’s full-size blender is one of the sleekest looking on the market. For a generally bulky product, it has clean lines and a satisfyingly geometric shape with a chic fluted design on the jar. It’s not all in the appearance, though: In the nine months I’ve been using it, it’s performed beautifully. The pre-programmed settings are nice to have (recently, I’ve been making use of the frozen cocktail one and am also a fan of the wash button). But you can also manually control the blades with a turn of the dial and a push of the button — this feature lets me keep an eye on consistency as I go so my emulsified dips get to the exact texture I want.

Capcity: Various | Function: Manual | Size: 3” x 4.5” x 15.3”

Although the functionality of an immersion blender is different, “for me, this is the best one — and the best blender in general,” says Richard Rea, the executive chef at the Butcher’s Daughter, who has been using one at home and one in his professional kitchen for several years. “Quite frankly, whenever people ask me what blender to use, I always push them toward this.” His reasoning is that it takes up much less space and is usually much less expensive while still doing everything you need. Indeed, Rea uses his for creamy soups, cashew ricotta, hummus, and all types of salsa. “It’s very strong,” he says of its powerful motor and sharp blades. “It breaks through nuts, and even some big, bulky blenders don’t do that.”