The best blenders we’ve tested for shakes, smoothies and more in 2024

For on-the-go nutrition, post-workout power-ups, proper meals or margaritas, the best blenders in 2024 can make all the difference to your nutrition.

Contrary to popular opinion, it’s in the kitchen – not the gym – where you can build the strongest fitness foundations. Arm yourself with one of the best blenders and you’ll be able to blitz up the best protein powders and pre-workout shakes in seconds, and elevate your smoothie game by crushing, grinding, pureeing and chopping the freshest, healthiest ingredients.

From portable smoothie makers to culinary powerhouses and versatile soup makers, our tester Chris Haslam has put each blender through its paces, seeing how they cope with blitzing everything from simple protein shakes and fruit smoothies to fibrous greens and frozen margaritas. He’s tested the latest designs for every budget, to help you boost your nutrition and rejuvenate your diet, whatever your fitness goals. 

What is the best blender?

In my tests, it was Sage The Super Q (buy now) that came out on top. If you want a quality blender that can turn its blades to ice creams and cocktails as well as soups, sauces and smoothies, check out the Super Q. At 2,400W, this beast from Sage (or Breville in the US) is the most powerful I tested.

Other blender recommendations

Best blender for smoothies	You don’t need a big budget to invest in one of the biggest and best names in blenders. The mid-range Nutribullet 900 (buy now) will set you back less than $150 / £100, giving you a 900W machine that will pulverise almost anything.
Best blender for protein shakes	At the other end of the scale to the Sage lies the handy BlendJet 2 (buy now). Currently on offer at a tenth of the Super Q’s price, it’s a great-value portable blender that can make up to 15 shakes on a single charge.
Best-looking blender	Smeg is undoubtedly the king of classic kitchen appliance design and its PBF01 Personal Blender (buy now) is another triumph. If you value your kitchen real estate then this blender will fit right in, with its compact footprint and robust design.

These are the best blenders we’ve tested

1. Sage The Super Q

Power	2,400W
Capacity	67.6oz / 2 litres
Size	18.1 x 8.3 x 10.6in / 46 x 21 x 27cm
Attachments	23.6oz / 700ml personal cup; Spatula
Extras	Tamper; Digital recipe book

Well made, easy to use, stylish and ferociously powerful. This thing’s capable of making gluten-free flour and cashew nut butter, not to mention soups, sauces, ice creams and cocktails. Boasting 2,400W of power, the curved blades pull ingredients in to reduce them to the tiniest particles. And thanks to the curve in the blade and the base of the jug, the chopped ingredients are also pushed up, helping to maintain an even temperature.

All of this takes place in the large heavy-duty 67.6oz / 2-litre plastic jug that has a stable base and robust clip-on lid. Suffice to say, the blender can whizz, pulp and blitz any smoothie ingredient. And I had zero issues adding ice, nuts and spinach to my mixes. If you’re a green smoothie devotee, or Michelin Star chef, you may also be interested in the Vac Q vacuum attachment, which sits on top of the blender and sucks out air bubbles, reducing oxidation. It’s a total luxury, but does eliminate any unappealing browning, producing the most vibrant green results.

The base knows which jug you’ve attached, and the controls are nicely labelled, with a large display showing blending time. I really liked the manual control dial, though, as it highlighted whether I was stirring, mixing, chopping, blending, pureeing or milling. It’s a great learning tool. The smoothie setting lasts 45 seconds (green smoothies 50 seconds), and rarely did I ever need any longer. The milling setting was phenomenally fast, turning peanuts and almonds into dust in 15 seconds.

• Read our full Sage The Super Q review

2. Nutribullet 900

Power	900W
Capacity	30.7oz / 909ml
Size	14.6 x 5.5 x 6.7in / 37 x 14 x 17cm
Attachments	23oz / 680ml cup with sip lid; 30.7oz / 909ml cup with fridge lid

Nutribullet has sold over 50-million blenders, and having spent a month with its mid-range 900W design, it’s difficult to argue with the brand’s success. This thing can pulverise just about anything. Nutribullet’s ‘personal blender’ concept has been imitated by countless brands, but none have quite managed to beat it. Fill the 950ml container with ingredients, screw on the blade lid and insert into the base. When it clips into position the blades start, laying waste to everything inside. It’s a superb motor, and especially good at coping with fibrous greens such as kale.

I chose the 900 model as it offers 24,000rpm and 900W of power, all for a very affordable price. It comes supplied with one oversized cup (909ml) with screw-on keep-fresh lid and a takeaway cup (680ml) with gym-style flip-top sip lid. As well as being the best blender I’ve tried for smoothies, the 900 is great for making smooth hummus and guacamole, and blitzing vegetables and breadcrumbs. There’s loads of proper meal recipes online, too, if you want to get more than just a drink from your blender. It is also effective at crushing ice – I’ve never made a more authentic frozen margarita.

• Read our full Nutribullet 900 review

3. BlendJet 2

Power	5V
Capacity	15.4oz / 454ml
Size	9.1in x 3in / 23 x 7.6cm diameter
Extras	USB-C charging cable

The BlendJet 2 is extremely good value, offering on-the-go blitzing power for less than half the price of many designs. It’s a compact, 16oz (454ml), reassuringly solid affair, with USB-C charging, a built-in chopping blade and small control button. There’s also a screw-top and handle attachment. On test, I found that a full charge of the 4000mAh rechargeable battery took around an hour, and for that you can expect to produce around 15 shakes or smoothies, although tougher ingredients will dent that figure.

I did find it struggled with frozen fruits though, taking many cycles to break down a rolled oat, milk and frozen strawberry smoothie, for instance. From a design point of view, it’s basic, but you can choose from 38 different color options, including prints, patterns and celebrity collaborations.

What the BlendJet 2 does really well is smash out a post-workout protein shake or meal replacement drink, Compared to traditional shaking, the results are smoother and significantly more enjoyable. Word to the wise: whatever you use the BlendJet 2 for, remember to press the button for three seconds once your smoothie is blended as this turns the safety lock on and eliminates the potential accidental button press disaster as you take your first sip.

• Read out full BlendJet 2 review

4. Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor with Auto-IQ

Power	1,200W
Capacity	71oz / 2.1-litre
Size	18.9 x 10 x 7.5in / 48 x 25.5 x 19cm
Attachments	23.6oz / 700ml cup; 60.9oz / 1.8-litre food processor; Grating blade

The Ninja 3-in-1 is a highly versatile kitchen gadget that can chop, slice, blend, puree, grate, mix and even make cakes. As well as a traditional 2.1-litre blending jug, it comes with a 1.8-litre food processor bowl with blades for grating and slicing, and a 700ml personal blender cup with sealable lid for breakfasts and post-workout fueling. Everything is BPA-free and dishwasher safe, and the four-speed motor boasts a solid 1,200W motor (at 21,000rpm). The components feel solidly built and come with lockable lids and a reassuring clunk-click as they attach to the base. There’s quite an array of control buttons, but thankfully when you place your chosen bowl on the motor base only those you need become illuminated.

The smaller 24oz / 700ml single-serve cup also works a treat, but lacks the brutal power of the larger blade, and took marginally longer to create smooth, consistent results. It’s also heavy, even when empty, which may be an issue on the commute. It’s not perfect, however. Firstly, it’s deafeningly loud, and that pre-dawn power shake could wake the neighbours. It’s also enormous and dominates the worksurface.

• Read our full Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor review

5. Smeg PBF01 Personal Blender

Power	300W
Capacity	20.3oz / 600ml
Size	12.8 x 5.5 x 5.5in / 32.5 x 14 x 14cm
Attachments	2 x 20.3oz / 600ml bottles with lids

What it lacks in oomph, the Smeg PBF01 more than makes up for in convenience and style. It takes up little space on the worktop, looks great and makes quick work of berry smoothies and protein shakes. It comes with two 600ml (20oz) bottles which have sipping lips, robust caps and handles. Having two bottles is a big plus here if you’re one half of a protein shake-loving couple, or, as I discovered, you’re just good at leaving one at work. The plastic is robust, dishwasher-safe and made from 50% recycled content.

You can’t leave the blender to do its thing. Instead, you need to press the bottle down to engage the motor. Call it a mindful moment, instead of an irritant. With only 300W it doesn’t really enjoy blitzing nuts, and can’t obliterate ice like the Nutribullet can. But it will pulverise soft ingredients, and while it takes a bit longer it works well with frozen berries and bananas. Adding a few ice cubes is fine too, but you may occasionally find a few chilly lumps.

• Read our full Smeg PBF01 Personal Blender review

6. Vitamix E310 Explorian

Power	1,400W
Capacity	51oz / 1.5 litres
Size	18.1 x 7.9 x 11in / 46 x 20 x 28cm
Extras	Mini tamper; Recipe book

Vitamix is one of the few manufacturers still making its blenders in the US. It’s synonymous with durability and power, and while the initial investment is high you should expect decades of loyal service. The E310 Explorian is the most basic and (almost) affordable model in the Vitamix lineup. It looks a touch utilitarian compared to designs from Smeg and Sage, but it remains a blending, chopping and pureeing powerhouse that any chef would be delighted to have in their kitchen.

Unlike many premium designs, there’s no digital countdown or display, and you only get a 48oz / 1.5-litre container, which large families might struggle with. It also lacks accessories – there’s no smoothie cup for the gym or small pots for nuts and seed grinding – but what you do get is 10 controllable speed levels from a 1,400W motor, and professional results. The benefit of manual control is that you can tweak your recipes to suit your tastes. It’s ideal if you’re confident in the kitchen, and have time to spare perfecting recipes. If you’re clueless and have no intention of learning, however, you may want to look for a design that has automatic settings – one that starts slow, builds up power or pulses, etc.

Learning what works best takes time, but I can’t fault the results. It can also be used to create hot soups, using the friction of the blades to heat up the mixture, much like the Sage model. Similarly, the results were smooth, although the soup did end up with a foamy consistency.

• Read our full Vitamix E310 review

What to look for in the best blenders

Your ideal blender will depend on a number of factors including the size of your kitchen worktop and whether you want to do more than just blitz up a shake. If you’re into making soups and want to be more adventurous in the kitchen, a larger jug blender is ideal, offering various power modes and plenty of useful attachments. Though that will take up more worktop space.

Smoothie makers, on the other hand, tend to be compact and come with twist-on lids that allow you to blitz and go. They typically make one serving at a time and lack the power of bigger blenders, although some can still blitz nuts, breadcrumbs and even ice. Some will free you from the worktop altogether, with USB charging for smoothies on the go.

Blenders offer a greater level of control when chopping, grinding and pureeing. As you’ll see from our selection of the best blenders, some brands such as Vitamix also come with a single-serve smoothie cup attachment, giving you the best of both worlds.

What makes a good blender?

Speed and power

Ask a chef and they’ll say control and power are the most important factors when choosing a blender. Smoothie makers often have just one or two speeds, but those with multiple speed settings enable the user to puree nuts in seconds, liquify ingredients and handle hard-to-blend leafy ingredients. Power is also key when looking to blitz frozen fruit and ice, and anything over 1,000W should be enough for most tasks, while some, such as our Editor’s Pick, the Sage The Super Q, have over 2,000W.

Programs

Not a feature often found on simple smoothie makers, but more advanced blenders often have a range of automatic programs to take the guesswork out of your recipe making. These can include settings for ice crushing, fruit and green smoothies, nuts and even soup.

Accessories

Some smoothie makers come with two jugs while other blenders have large pouring jugs for batch cooking and smaller cups for chopping nuts, or single-serve drinks. Look out for designs with interchangeable multi-functional blades to tackle the widest choice of wet and dry ingredients. Some can even knock up pizza dough or sponge cake batter.

Cleaning

Many of the best blenders are advertised as ‘easy clean’ and while some are easier to rinse than others, they’re all a bit of a faff, especially if you’re using powders and greens. Look for dishwasher-safe parts to save you extra effort. Some have self-cleaning programs, which can help get powder residue out of the corners.