My husband and kids like to tease me about how many blenders I have.
Four. I have four blenders. Hey, there are worse things I could do.
To be fair, I only purchased one of them (the Vitamix). I was lucky enough to get the other blenders as samples or through work projects.
I sometimes get asked about which blender I recommend. So in case it’s helpful to you, I wanted to share the blenders I have and what I do (and don’t) like about each of them. Keep in mind that this post isn’t meant to be a definitive blender buying guide. Most of these companies have various models and styles beyond what I show here, so I encourage you to check out their full lines. (Also, the prices are what Amazon had listed when I wrote this post, so those may vary.)
I’m also hosting a giveaway for one of the blenders, so be sure to scroll all the way down to enter that!
Here’s my blender lineup:
Blender #1: Vitamix 5200 Series Blender
Cost: About $450
What I like: This is the classic! It’s also the first high-powered blender I owned, purchased several years ago at Costco for about $375. I used it almost daily until about a year ago when I got a Ninja, so it’s been through a lot and held up like a champ. I mostly used it for making smoothies and pureeing soups. I find the tamper really useful. It’s not shown here, but it’s a wand that fits down inside the blender that you can use for stirring or shifting ingredients as it’s blending, especially useful for big pieces of frozen fruit or leafy greens stuck to the side.
What I don’t: This blender is TALL. It likely won’t fit on your counter under the cabinet. I’ve also grown to prefer the models that have individual blending cups instead of one big pitcher (Vitamix does have models like that!). I also wish the pitcher was dishwasher-safe. Over the years, my pitcher has become so cloudy I can barely read the measurements on the side.
Blender #2: Nutri Ninja Blender Duo With Auto-IQ
Cost: About $190
What I like: I love that this blender “knows” how long to blend my smoothies–so I can just push the button and walk away. Truth be told, sometimes there’s still a piece of frozen banana that didn’t get completely pulverized. But for the most part, it blends really well. Some people say they don’t use pre-set functions on blenders, but I do! There are buttons for smoothies with frozen drinks, smoothies with leafy greens, and drinks with hard ingredients like carrots and seeds. I also like that it comes with three different cup sizes, so one of them is always clean. I keep the pitcher in the basement, since I use it so infrequently.
What I don’t: This blender is L-O-U-D, especially for sensitive, barely-awake a.m. ears. My husband literally cringes when I turn it on in the morning.
[Tweet “The pros and cons of four top blenders:”]
Blender #3: Nutri-Bullet Pro Hi-Speed Blender
Cost: About $95
What I like: It’s small and lightweight, making it the perfect travel blender! I used to lug my heavy Vitamix on vacation, but I plan to use the Nutri-Bullet now. It also takes up very little room on the countertop and makes quick work of both frozen fruit and greens. The price is nice too.
What I don’t: The blender cups don’t have measurements marked on the side, something I use and like about the other models. This one also doesn’t come with a pitcher, so if you see yourself making large batches of drinks or blended soups, you’ll want something else.
Blender #4: Jamba Quiet Blend Blender
Cost: About $150
What I like: I love the noise-reducing shield because now I can make a smoothie downstairs without disturbing the sleeping kids upstairs! It’s still loud but by far the quietest of the four I have. This blender also fits neatly on the counter under the cabinets, which I like. All parts (except the base and the pitcher) are dishwasher safe.
What I don’t: Although he appreciates the muffled sound, my husband is not a fan of the noise-reducing shield because it takes up a lot of space. Unlike the Ninja and the Nutri-Bullet, there is also an additional part to keep track of (a removable collar that holds the cutting blade in place) but I just keep it under the shield when it’s not in use. This model only comes with one cup, so I wash it every day.
Which blender do YOU have? Tell me what you love (and don’t love) about it!
I received a free Jamba Quiet Blend Blender, Nutri-Bullet, and Ninja Auto-IQ blender. But I was not otherwise compensated for writing about them in this post. I just wanted to provide the information (and the giveaway)!
This page contains Amazon Affiliate links. If you purchase a product through these links, your cost will be the same but I will receive a small commission to help with operating costs of this blog. Thanks for your support!
My kids like vanilla yogurt with strawberries. Simple and yummy!
I mostly use my Cuisinart as a blender, as I have the simple toggle switch Oster blender that doesn’t do the job. I love this review! My fave recipe is frozen bananas, cocoa powder, peanut butter, flax meal, and coconut milk with a bit of sugar to sweeten it up. Hearty enough for an afternoon snack for my kids and a total treat for them.
That Jamba blender looks SO cool! My favorite combination is the following: spinach, frozen mixed berries, banana, apple cider vinegar, almond milk, chia seeds, and SFH vanilla whey protein powder! Maybe with a handful of oats thrown in and a spoonful of tahini or coconut oil! 🙂
Ripe mangos and pineapple!
Favorite smoothie combo: frozen banana, 1 cup of fresh spinach, 1 cup frozen peaches, almond milk (I just eyeball this)
This is a weird color, but it’s so tasty no one ever seems to mind.
I have yet to cross over to the expensive blenders. I just can’t do it. Instead I have a moderately priced one whose motor burns up after about a year.
I drink a smoothie every day for breakfast! I love one I make with mixed berries, banana, spinach, flax meal, and almond milk. I’m using a nice Oster, but I pine for a high powered blender!
We love frozen mango and pineapple blended with orange juice!
I use the Ninja blender, love to blend spinach with yogurt, almond milk and blueberries in the morning.
I’ve got a $20 Hamilton Beach blender that I hate! It does not work very well and it’s super loud. You get what you pay for I guess 🙂
Mmmmm, berry mix
I throw in everything in the freezer! I always include greens, fruit and PB but I’ll also include chia, beans, leftover sweet potatoes or squash…anything really. My 2 year old devours them no matter what I put in.
I’m a dessert smoothie kind of person, so chocolate peanut butter is my fave.
Any berries and banana and yogurt with a handful of kale or spinach thrown in 🙂 we don’t have a fancy blender so I never get excited to make smoothies too often.
I like spinach, Greek yogurt, peanut butter, little bit of honey, banana…and that’s it! I’d love a blender….I was using my immersion blender but it burned out 🙁
Soy milk, Cherry berry frozen fruit (Thanks Trader Joes) and a scoop of powdered cocoa. Right now I use a Oster with a “ice crush” blade. It works okay, and I am glad that replacement pitchers are easy to find.. because they need replacement on a regular basis.
Two banana
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cup whole milk
2 cup ice
4 small squares dark chocolate
Greek yogurt and raspberries. Yum.
kale, strawberries, blueberries and almond milk!
Almond milk, bananas and peanut butter. Sooooo good! And filling!
I love smoothies in the summer! My favorite combo lately is strawberries, blueberries, a bit of peanut butter, and vanilla almond milk 🙂
I like making green smoothies, ‘healthy’ dessert shakes, and homemade popsicles with yogurt, fruit, and juice.
I have an Oster blender that so far, has held up very well.
My favorite smoothie is banana, pineapple or strawberries, spinach and a bit of fresh ginger, with vanilla almond or soy milk. My ninja died but I loved making green smoothies for my son’s kindergarten class before it did. Now all I have is my immersion which really doesn’t cut it with green smoothies, especially larger batches.
Frozen berries, banana, coconut milk and scoop of protein. I use the blend tech blender.
We make all sorts of smoothies. My kids’ favorite is probably.. Fresh Banana, frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple and water
I love making “cobbler” smoothies. I grind up oats until its a powder then add with fruit (blueberries are really good), juice or milk, vanilla frozen yogurt and a dash of cinnamon. It’s easy to just made a bunch or the oats and store in a bag for future use 🙂
Yogurt, banana, strawberry, chard, cinnamon, basil vanilla frozen into popsicles are the favorite in our house
My favorite is raspberries and blueberries with a handful of spinach and greek yogurt.
I always try and put some type of greens in but then I love strawberries with a little scoop of Nutella!
I have an Oster blender that I really like. It is able to mostly handle a lot of frozen fruit in my smoothies. It has a tendency because of the narrow base to not be able to mix everything if it is really thick.
I love buying a giant bag of the Super Greens at Costco and blending the whole bag with about 1/4 cup of water, then freezing them in silicone muffin cups. Then whenever I make a smoothie, I grab a muffin cup and pop the greens in. It makes it easy to add veggies to my smoothies.
The Jamba blender looks amazing! My daughter has sound sensitivity issues and it would be an enormous help for her with that.
I love reading your articles & this one came in handy as I’m trying to decide on a new blender to purchase!
My favorite shake, Pineapple, coconut milk, coconut oil & vanilla whey protein isolate…Alohaaaa!
Frozen banana, avocado, spinach, while milk, cocoa powder, and honey!
Yogurt and banana. My big blender broke, so I’ve been making do.with my immersion blender, but I’d like another full sized one eventually.
I never seen to follow an exact recipe. Some kind of frozen fruit usually from Costco like pineapple or mango chunks, blueberries, cherries. Plus spinach or kale. Then some combo of liquid, milk, juice, yogurt. Fresh or frozen banana slices. And blend!
chocolate protein powder, almond milk, strawberries, dark cherries and a little peanut butter! I have a Blendtec – I love that it has a dull blade – I never worry about my kids using it – what I don’t like is that it’s loud too!
I like spinach, pineapple, orange, banana with coconut milk. I might add some vanilla protein powder too.
frozen banana, dark chocolate almond milk and peanut powder……yummy! 🙂
Frozen bananas with vanilla yogurt, milk and almond butter. I use the Nutrabullet.
We have the first generation nutribullet and the blades stopped spinning. We just throw in whatever we have and mix it up with spinach. Daughter #1 loves anything as long as there is a banana in it. #2, swap banana for strawberry and #3 cries if it’s too green so just a small amount of spinach for her! lol
Spinach, celery, an apple, chia seeds, water and a squirt of honey. My kids love this recipe and I love all the nutrients they are getting!
Almond butter, banana, chocolate protein powder
I like a chocolate protein powder with a scoop of natural peanut butter, ice and almond milk, It’s more like a treat than something healthy 🙂
I love banana, frozen berries, spinach, cucumbers, celery, a half a lemon with skin on, protein powder, chia seeds, greens powder, cinnamon, ginger and almond milk!
Frozen pineapple, large handful of fresh spinach, a spoon of frozen oj concentrate , water and ice — everything is eyeballed. So refreshing
I don’t make smoothies but I make bean dip all the item using blenders. I especially like white beans with garlic and herbs from the garden.
I currently use a ninja- she works ok but could be better 🙂 I love trying to recreate the pricey smoothie shop smoothies and realized their key was the ice they use- which is what results in such high volume smoothies with what seems like a little bit of fruit that they use. Anyway, for 24oz smoothies mine are only 100 calories a piece, very filling and super yummy:) My two favs are: 1 cup strawberries, 3/4 cup papaya, 2 cups ice and 1-2 cups water or vitamin water(stevia to taste)
And:1 cup papaya ,1/3 frozen banana,1 cup fresh spinach (ice, water, and stevia) Happy blending!
I do not have a blender right now. I donated the Oster blender that I was given as a wedding present because it did not do well with frozen fruit and I wanted something more high powered for smoothies and nut butters! It would be amazing to win a new blender!
Blueberry banana – yum!
Cherries, bananas, avocado and cocoa powder with cacao nibs on top, Yum!
My favorite smoothie includes 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 cup frozen dark cherries and about 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Thank you for this very helpful post!
I like to mix peach, mango, coconut water and a little spinach. Yum!
Yogurt, berries and banana — when I have a blender. I don’t usually enter giveaways, but I’m currently blender-less so I’ll give it a shot. 🙂
Peanut butter banana smoothies, mmmmm!
My favorite recipe is frozen strawberries, blueberries, and peaches with bananas, spinach, and plain kefir to help mix it up! I actually detest my cuisinart blender…it needs a lot of help to fully purée the smoothie recipe above. I just haven’t gotten around to getting something new because of the prices of new, better models….I don’t use it quite enough to justify purchasing another more expensive model, however, I bet I would use it a lot more if I had one that worked better!!
We have been enjoying frozen peaches with almond and yogurt. I just need a blender that actually purées well so thank you for this post.
I like gazpacho: ripe tomatoes, half cucumber , half green bell pepper, a small portion of onion, 2 garlic cloves, salt, olive oil and vinegar. Yummy!!!!
We like frozen berries (usually blueberries), bananas, spinach leaves, cashews, applesauce, and a bit of milk/vanilla soy milk. Sometimes I add a little yogurt. I don’t really measure anything — just throw it all in there! My Magic Bullet blender is *trying* to do the job, but I have a feeling I’m burning up the engine!
I like frozen strawberries and frozen pineapples with strawberry Kefir, coconut water, and a TBS of peanut butter.
I love kale, mango and pineapple with orange juice.
Frozen blueberries + frozen mango + vanilla protein powder + almond milk + a handful of spinach = YUM!
My favorite smoothie combination is :
Raw milk
Frozen strawberries
Organic whey protein powder ( so you want me to name the brand?)
Coconut oil
Bee propolis
That’s it! It’s a beautiful pink color when it’s blended and the kids love it and can’t get enough of it! The bee propolis gives the smoothie a honey undertone which tastes really amazing with strawberries. The raw milk gives it a fresh crisp taste too! Yum! I would LOVE to win a new blender! Thank you.
My husband gives me a hard time too because I tell him that chewing is overrated. I love to make smoothies and would love to have a new blender
What a neat blender!! Our favorite smoothie is pineapple, strawberry, banana, spinach, chia seeds, yogurt. Makes my kids happy.
I want a vitamix so bad! I always try to make my own nut butter but my food processor or blender isn’t strong enough.. womp
My favorite smoothie combination is banana, mixed berries, spinach, flax milk, a splash on oj, chia seeds.
I have been currently loving that my son has taken an interest in making them (next we will work on him being able to clean up after himself a bit better… :)). So current combo is frozen blueberries, frozen or fresh banana, milk and egg whites. Flax seed if I remember!
Anything with chocolate and/or vanilla.
I love to make my Blueberry Muffin smoothie, blueberries, almond milk, oats, chia seeds, honey/agave and a splash of lemon juice! So good!
I love kale, frozen bananas, and blueberries in my smoothies. So good! Thank you for the chance 🙂
My favorite smoothie combo is strawberries, bananas, and orange juice. So good and refreshing!!
From simplegreensmoothies.com
Water, Spinach, strawberries, pineapple and mango.
I really love something with lots of fresh ginger in it – something like spinach, ginger, frozen peach and banana plus almond milk.
I have an Oster beehive that we got for a wedding gift almost 14 years ago. I use it all the time and I only recently had to replace the blade and it’s like new again!
Strawberry, banana, and a little PB. I also add spinach to mine. Thank you!
I love a mixed berry smoothie with almond milk!
We just made smoothie popsicles… coconut milk, pineapple, banana, spinach, and lime juice YUMMY!
We like strawberries,banana, yogurt, and spinach in a smoothie.
I’ve been blending milk, bananas and peanut butter for a couple of years and am just starting to make homemade Popsicles. I’m still using the magic bullet I bought to make baby food 5 years ago. A real blender would be great!
I currently have a NutriBullet knock off. I like it okay but find it isn’t very useful other than for smoothies… That being said, I do love smoothies and love experimenting when making them! My favorite smoothie (so far) is vanilla almond milk, peach Greek yogurt, mixed berries & spinach.
ooh, please enter me in the drawing! My favorite smoothie is frozen strawberries and blueberries with orange juice
I love smoothies with frozen cherries. My favorite combo is some spinach, a banana, handful of cherries and a chcilate protein powder with some almond milk
The Vitamix was handed down to me. My mother used it all the time and took very good care of it. When she passed, my dad gave it to me. It is on year 7. I had to use the warranty to get a new pitcher this summer. Vitamix made it so easy and free, even though I wasn’t the first owner. And when this unit fails one day, Vitamix makes it easy, with incentives, to replace. It makes the best, smoothest smoothies and soups I’ve ever made. The price tag is hard to swallow, but it is worth it to me.
Strawberry and banana has always been my favorite flavor combination. I usually throw in fresh or frozen strawberries, a banana, some spinach, and either yogurt/milk/or oj.
I love banana with blueberries, strawberries, spinach, almond milk, and a little bit of vanilla. YUM!
Our favourite is the “Hulk Smash Smoothie”: yogurt, berries, lots of kale, orange juice and some flax seed. Since it’s so green, the only way I could get the kids to drink it was with a creative name! Plus, the combo of kale and flax gives you “super powers”! 😉
I make green smoothies everyday. I have a Ninja and hate it. Does not work well and there are so many nooks and cranny’s I cannt get it clean. I would love a new blender!
We like kefir, frozen mangoes, pineapple, strawberries and blueberries. 🙂
I use my majic bullet almost everyday. My all time favorite smoothie is made with scoop of chocolate flavored protien, 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup frozen cherries, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, and 1tbs cocoa nibs.
I actually have 2 blenders: (1) Blendtec which I do like because it can be used to make so many recipes, smoothies, batters, soups, muffin mix, pancakes, waffle mix. Love that it fits under my cabinets and the settings for different recipes. I don’t like that it is so loud and only comes with 1 canister that has to be washed daily. (2) Vitamix – I love that it can also be used for so many recipes as Blendtec does also and that it came with a cookbook and all the different settings. I like that it can be easily washed on the stand and rinse. When the container gets a bit cloudy I wash it by hand making sure not to wash the underside where it can’t get wet. What I don’t like – how loud it is. I tend to make my smoothies the night before for this reason. (3) I have been staying with my sister for a few weeks until my house is done and she has a Ninja. I love that it has multiple containers and you can make it and drink from the same container and only wash 1 container. I like that it fits under the cabinets also, but this also is very loud.
My favorite is a smoothie bowl that my friends have given the name “Fruit-gurt”. Its frozen bananas and strawberries, 1/2 avocado, milk, cinnamon and vanilla whey protein powder. Its the consistency of frozen yogurt and absolutely delicious!
– Love to simply mix 1/2 c. yogurt,avocado, 1/2 c. of berries or other fruits, 1 c. of raw vegetables, 2 T chia or flax seed. asdd ice cubes and blend!
I love mixed berries, banana, fresh ginger, peanut butter, spinach, almond milk!
I love smoothies & we just made one today….vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries, cinnamon, banana, two splashes of milk, and a tablespoon of wheat germ. I use a cheaper blender given as a gift, but I’d love to invest in a more sophisticated model.
I’m so happy to have found your blog, since I’m not on Facebook. We have a lot in common, I just turned 40 this year, went to college initially for dietetics, but I ended up getting a family and consumer education degree with a minor in nutrition. I have worked at children’s health Education Centers and have a son who loves Star Wars, Spider-Man, Batman, Hot Wheels cars and is The Ultimate Adventure Seeker. My husband and I enforce the importance of organic foods and eating healthy in general. We do our best to have a balanced diet and I find that your blog complements the efforts we’re already trying to make 🙂 Thanks for a great blog addressing vital concepts!!
My favorite is kefir or almond milk, honey, PB powder, vanilla protein powder, banana and greens. My son loves mango, almond milk, greens and honey
I have an old Oster. It is terrible but I can manage to make my toddler occasional smoothies. I just wing it with mostly bananas, milk, strawberries, pineapple, flax meal, vanilla, ricotta cheese.
My whole family loves “Banana Milkshakes’: simply milk, bananas and cinnamon. Frozen bananas work even better.
My oldest son loves strawberries, peanut butter, and Greek yogurt. I’ve tried to sneak in greens but haven’t been very successful. I’ll keep trying though!
We use almond milk, a couple dates instead of sugar, 2 fresh mint leaves, 1 mango, and half of a pineapple. Kids love it!
I eat smoothies everyday so I would love a free blender! I tried a yummy smoothie the other day.
1 cup cherries frozen
2 cups almond milk
1/4 cup almond butter
*optional scoop protein powder
YUM!
My smoothies are always different. Right now I’m drinking one made with a banana, protein powder, frozen peaches and strawberries, and spring water.
Anything with chocolate and/or peanut butter.
Strawberries, blueberries, bananas, vanilla yogurt, and skim milk – my kids love these!
My favorite smoothie combination is coconut milk, shredded coconut, Chia seeds, spinach, half of banana, frozen cherries.
I enjoyed seeing comments about the noise level of the blenders affecting the kids sleeping. This is the main reason I don’t do smoothies in the morning for fear of stirring the kidlets.
My favorite combination is two frozen bananas a cup of blueberries half a cup of Greek yogurt and half a cup of almond milk. So yum! Taste like ice cream
My kids love smoothies for dessert (frozen berries, almond milk, and ice) and since I only have an immersion blender they also know to leave the room when I start making it for them because a degree of rage is inevitable.
Strawberry/Banana is what I make each day for my daughter. Currently using a 25 year old Oster blender, which is on its last legs. Would love a new (and quiet) blender from Jamba!
Right now I’m loving anything with bananas, raspberries, and yogurt.
Spinac, kale, bananas and pineapples with coconut water
Oh that sounds good!
I really like strawberries, bananas, cinnamon and honey.. with some spinach.. the banana really brings a great sweatness to the sour of the strawberries.. Love the combo!! I choose between greek yogurt, water/ice and almond milk as my liquid mixer options.
Thanks to everyone who entered! A winner has been chosen via Random.org and contacted by email.
Choosing the best blender can feel overwhelming. There are so many models to choose from and prices are all over the place. Buying a blender should be fun and exciting, not stressful!
I truthfully do not make a ton of smoothies. My kids like to make their own sometimes with yogurt and whatever fresh fruit we have on hand. Or even better, frozen fruit. And I get them to add peanut butter sometimes for a bit of protein.
I’d use a blender for so many other great things though. 🙂
Best I have ever used is the blender by Karmin 🙂
I’d recommend the Karmin`s blender 😉