Whether you're making a sunrise smoothie or a midnight margarita, a blender is a great buy for every kitchen. Featuring measured jugs with blade attachments, they’re placed or twisted onto a motorised base ready for you to whizz and pulse sauces, soups and so much more.

Herb salad dressing, classic pesto, zingy beetroot soup or raspberry lemonade slushies – we have lots of recipe ideas that would put a countertop blender to good use.

You may want to go for a basic model that will see the light of day once in a while, or perhaps you’re a dedicated home chef who’ll put it to daily use. Either way, there’s something for all needs and every budget. And since we can agree that lumpy smoothies or half-chopped ingredients are a no-no, we’re recommending blenders that have the capability to produce smooth and even results, every time.

We've put over 40 blenders to the test over the years, perfecting our super berry smoothie and homemade tomato sauce recipes, among others. Rating models on their ease of use, looks, build quality, size, jug, volume and design, we also took speed and functionality into consideration.

Best blenders at a glance

  • Best blender for easy clean-up: Haier I-Master Series 5 Glass Jug Blender, £179.99
  • Best blender: Nutribullet Smart Touch, £149.99
  • Best portable blender: Ninja Blast, £49.99
  • Best blender for keeping on the countertop: KitchenAid K400 blender, £329
  • Best blowout blender: Sage the Super Q blender, £599.95
  • Best blender for batch cooking: ProCook Food Blender and Smoothie Maker, £149.99
  • Best smoothie blender: Smeg BLC02WHMUK, £474.98
  • Best blender with grinder attachment: Lakeland tabletop blender with grinder, £69.99
  • Best budget blender: Russell Hobbs Desire jug blender, £55.96
  • Best Vitamix blender: Vitamix Ascent A3500i blender, £699
  • Best blender for small spaces: Nutribullet Magic Bullet Blender, £39
  • Best jug blender: Zwilling Enfinigy table blender, £199

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Best blenders to buy in 2024

Haier I-Master Series 5 Glass Jug Blender

Available from Amazon (£179.99)

Haier I-Master Series 5 Glass Jug Blender

Best blender for easy clean-up

Pros:

  • Fully recyclable packaging
  • Quality glass jug
  • Extra small blender jug included

Cons:

  • Illustrated instructions

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 1200W

A powerful blender with six blades, the Haier I-Master impressed from the moment we removed its 100% plastic-free packaging. The glass jug gives this model a luxury feel and we liked the look of the illuminated power base controls.

We loved the added extra on this model – a dinky 500ml-capacity personal blender jug which was perfect for smaller batches and to-go smoothies since it came with a lid with snap-open drinking spout.

Noise was at good levels from pulse to max and another bonus was the pulsing AutoClean function, which made quick work of getting rid of residue and left the glass jug and lid attachment clean and ready to go again in around 30 seconds.

What we weren’t so keen on was the instruction manual, which featured a series of pictures rather than clear written directions for set-up and functions. But once we’d made ourselves familiar and tested it to the max with a fibrous beet and kale smoothie, all was forgiven. A great choice.

Nutribullet Smart Touch

Nutribullet Smart Touch

Best blender

Pros:

  • Super-smooth results
  • Well written manual
  • Efficient
  • Intuitive controls
  • Versatile

Cons:

  • Large size makes it difficult to store
  • Some non-recyclable packaging
  • Noisy

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 1500W

Nutribullet is a big name in the world of blenders, and this model is a great pick for anyone wanting to blitz large batches of ingredients. Its tall, wide build makes it less ideal for smaller kitchens, but it's also attractive enough that we wouldn't mind making it a permanent fixture on the worktop.

We thought everything about the design felt very user-friendly. It has a brightly lit display and all the settings are clearly labelled – with four speeds to choose from (pulse, low, medium and high), plus presets for frozen drinks, smoothies, soups and purées. The handle around the 1.85-litre jug also has a comfortable, sturdy grip.

It took just under a minute to whip up three portions of our smoothie recipe, and it did a fantastic job cutting through the berry seeds – giving us smooth results without any lumps. Be prepared for the fact it generates a lot of noise, but otherwise this is a top-notch piece kit that feels built to last.

Ninja Blast

Ninja Blast

Best portable blender

Pros:

  • Easy to transport
  • Cordless
  • Good-looking
  • Produces smooth results
  • Runs quietly

Cons:

  • Very short charging cable
  • No plug included

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 14.4W

This powerful cordless gadget makes light work of blitzing and blending on the go. Included in the box is a USB-C rechargeable motor base and charging cord, a 530ml blending cup, a sip lid with a handle, a cup cover, and a blade cover. The cup and lid are also dishwasher-safe.

It needs to be charged for at least two hours before first use, and you'll need your own USB plug or a multi-port hub to connect it to the mains. We'd advise holding on to the manual, as it contains key information on what each colour means (a flashing orange light around the start/stop button, for instance, means the blades are blocked).

It has an automatic run time of 30 seconds, and in our test the results were smooth and consistent. The sip lid is designed to be leak-proof, too, so you can pop it in your bag without worry.

KitchenAid K400 blender

KitchenAid blender in red

Best blender for keeping on the countertop

Pros:

  • Glass blender jug
  • Self-clean setting
  • Jug hand loads for left- and right-handed people

Cons:

  • Heavy to manoeuvre
  • Confusing pause before starting its speed settings
  • Short flex cord

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 1200W

This 1500ml KitchenAid is one for the countertop, elegantly rounded with non-slip feet and a good deal of heft that frankly, makes it impractical to move every time, so this would be a permanent addition to your countertop. This is in part down to the weighty glass jug that lifts on and off and as a nice touch, the handle can be set on the left or right depending which works best for you.

The jug is also notched with helpful ml and oz measurements for weighing directly into the jug to save on washing-up. It's also dishwasher-safe on the top shelf and, and in test, didn't hold any colour or smell of tomato after blending sauce. The blades are ready-loaded and secured, which is a pro from a safety perspective.

Read our full KitchenAid K400 blender review.

Sage The Super Q blender

sage-blender-b49088e

Best blowout blender

Pros:

  • High tech functions
  • Superb results

Cons:

  • Price

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 2400W

This Sage blender's USP is its extra-quiet credentials, with the brand going so far as to patent the technology. Sage specialises in this kind of pioneering functionality, and we felt the Super Q lives up to expectations.

It has all the makings of a professional-level piece of kit, but has been designed with the home user in mind: simple pre-set functions, an in-built timer, handy tools for scraping down the jug, a personal blending cup attachment and more. Most importantly, we found the blitzing results were excellent.

Read our full Sage The Super Q blender review.

ProCook Food Blender and Smoothie Maker

Available from ProCook (£149.99)

ProCook Food Blender and Smoothie Maker

Best for batch cookers

Pros:

  • Large 2-litre capacity
  • Powerful motor
  • Handy pushing rod included
  • Good safety features

Cons:

  • Larger and heavier than some models
  • Lid can be awkward to clip in place

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 2000W

Blitzing ice for cocktails, creating silky soups or whizzing ingredients for our homemade tomato sauce recipe, this Procook blender made light work of whatever we tried.

Batch cooks will love this model, as the generous 2-litre capacity jug gives you the space to blend family-size recipes without fear of overspill.

Turn the dial for increased power, 0-10, or use special ‘ice’, ‘juice’ or ‘pulse' buttons that vary the strength and frequency of blending bursts. Even at full capacity, the noise level on this model was good.

Although this choice features a Tritan BPA-free plastic jug, it’s of such good quality we’d expect it to withstand heavy use. Unusually, it’s also square, which means you don’t have to twist it on or off – simply place it on the motorised base. However, one small gripe was that the lid had to be positioned in a certain way, with parts aligning – a manoeuvre some round-jugged models don’t require.

Once in place, though, we liked the added safety clips to hold the lid firmly and the suction feet did a great job of keeping this heavy blender steady. With further safety in mind, this blender has both overheat and overcurrent protection, and will pause if overloaded or the blade becomes blocked.

Smeg BLC02WHMUK high-performance blender

Smeg BLC02WHMUK high-performance blender

Best smoothie blender

Pros:

  • Attractive design
  • Robust 1.5-litre jug
  • Comes with specific presets
  • Bright, intuitive digital display
  • Easy to use

Cons:

  • Heavy
  • Expensive
  • Excessive non-recyclable packaging
  • Limited information on recycling or spare parts

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 1400W

A touch more modern than some of Smeg's other appliances, this blender is boxy but sleek. There are buttons across the top and a large dial on the front, which lights up brightly and allows you to control the speed (on a scale of one to nine).

You can run it manually, but to guarantee the best results there are also four presets: smoothie, green smoothie, frozen dessert or ice crush, plus single-serve and family-serve (three portions) – each of which determines how many seconds the blender runs for. There are extra accessories, too, including a vacuum pump, (to preserve nutrients, colours and flavours), a tamper, spatula, and cleaning brush.

Where this blender scored lowest was sustainability – there was a lot of plastic packaging, and we struggled to find any details on spare parts or recycling in the manual. We also found it very noisy in use, but it did achieve impressively smooth results.

Lakeland tabletop blender with grinder

Lakeland Tabletop Blender with Grinder

Best blender with a grinder attachment

Pros:

  • Blades remove for thorough cleaning
  • Aromas don’t linger in the spice grinder

Cons:

  • Glass jug is heavy
  • Still operates without lid in place

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 1200W

Considering its budget-friendly price, this Lakeland blender has a lot to offer. Not only do you get a sturdy stainless-steel blender with a 1.5 litre glass jug, but there’s also a large stainless-steel grinder for grinding anything from seeds to spices or coffee beans.

The blender copes well with tough ingredients like ice and fibrous vegetables, but we had to give it a few stirs when blending a very thick smoothie mixture. The grinder is fast and effective though, with a large capacity and plenty of blending speeds to choose from.

On the downside, the lights on the front don’t switch off automatically and none of the accessories can go in the dishwasher. It’s worth noting that there isn’t a safety feature to stop the blades if the lid is off. Having said that, this is a great value multipurpose blender.

Read our full Lakeland Tabletop blender review.

Russell Hobbs Desire jug blender

russell-hobbs-desire_matte_black_jug_blender-1ef2fb2

Best budget blender

Pros:

  • Good price
  • Effective

Cons:

  • Only two speed settings

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 650W

What this sleek-looking blender lacks in multiple functions it makes up for in solid performance and ease of use. It functions as well as more expensive models on the market, so much so it blitzed our tester smoothie so thoroughly you could be forgiven for thinking the drink had been made in a juicer, rather than a blender. It is compact, sturdy, leak-proof and gets a big thumbs-up on the value for money front.

Read our full Russell Hobbs Desire blender review.

Vitamix Ascent A3500i blender

vitamix-ascent-blender-40341da

Best Vitamix blender

Pros:

  • 10 speeds
  • High tech
  • Versatile

Cons:

  • Price

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 1200W

There's no denying this blender is an expensive investment, but it comes laden with so many functions that you could considerably scale down the number of appliances you have to make way for it. This model's extensive repertoire also covers drinks, sauces, dips, spreads, soups, batters, dough, baby food and desserts, all using the same blades and jug. As you'd expect from a brand often used in professional kitchens, we found it creates an impressively blended and well-mixed smoothie.

Read our full Vitamix Ascent review.

Nutribullet Magic Bullet Blender

Available from Amazon (£39), Nutribullet (£39.99)

Nutribullet magic bullet Blender

Best blender for small spaces

Pros:

  • A bargain
  • Small in size with decent jug capacity
  • Simple to use
  • Dishwasher-friendly jug and lid

Cons:

  • Tricky screw-in jug attachment
  • Plastic jug

Star rating: 4/5

Wattage: 600W

It took a bit of twisting and repositioning to attach the blade unit to the base, which resulted in a leak when we first tried it. But once we’d screwed the jug in correctly, the Magic Bullet was easy to use. Having only one button with a ‘low, medium and high’ dial, there’s not a lot to get to grips with – you can also press it for pulse action.

Performing well on soups and dressings, we were also impressed with the Magic Bullet’s super berry smoothie-making capabilities on fresh fruit. More fibrous ingredients, such as healthy kale and beets, struggled, however, as did large frozen chunks. We had to stop the machine to stir things up.

The see-through lid could twist off when we needed to add a little more liquid, resulting in a nicely aerated, silky drink.

The jug on this model is plastic rather than glass, so is lighter to use than those with, but we wonder if its black measurements will stand the test of time, compared to those with glass containers that typically have moulded indicators.

At under £40, this is an efficient, compact machine for those who may not have their blender in daily use and want to stash it away in a cupboard rather than keep it out on the countertop.

Zwilling Enfinigy table blender

Zwilling Enfinigy Table Blender

Best jug blender

Pros:

  • Plenty of speed options
  • Lid must be in position to switch on
  • Available in two colours

Cons:

  • Backlit display isn’t very clear
  • Handle can only be placed to right side

Star rating: 4/5

Wattage: 1200W

The Zwilling Enfinigy table blender is up there with some of the pricier blenders on this list. But what you get for the money is a capable all-round blender that offers ample speeds as well as three blending programmes and a self-clean programme. The serrated blade blitzed through all of our test foods with ease, but if you’re looking for a blender that can handle big batches of soup, this 1.4 litre jug might be too small.

It’s a sleek and streamlined blender that matches several other appliances in the Enfinigy range. We thought the controls were simple to use, and liked that it doesn't switch on until the lid is firmly locked into position – a great safety feature. On balance though, we were disappointed with the clarity of the backlit display and that the jug can’t go in the dishwasher.

Read our full Zwilling Enfinigy table blender review.

All blenders

Other blenders tested and rated

How to choose the best blender

What is a blender?

Stand blenders come in all different shapes and sizes with a range of specifications and price points, so it's best to evaluate the overall demands of your lifestyle and kitchen, and also the space you have available. Some of the more advanced machines tend to be bulkier and heavier, with larger jugs and stands.

What to look for in a blender

  • Pulse function
  • Variety of speed settings
  • BPA-free plastic or glass jug
  • Measurement notches on the jug
  • Self-clean function
  • Auto shut-off in case of overheating
  • Plunger
  • Pouring spout
  • Individual smoothie cup with a sealed lid

What can you use a blender for?

It's worth identifying whether you need a straightforward blender, purely for the sake of blending smoothies and soups, or whether you'd like additional functions such as ice crushing, the ability to blend hot ingredients, or the power to pulse ingredients such as nuts and seeds.

Finally, if you're short on time, and looking to save on the washing-up, it may be worth looking for a device that comes with its own to-go cup which you can blend smoothies directly into – you can find these at different price points, depending on your budget.

How to clean your blender

Clean out obvious debris as soon as you can after use – skinny spatulas are great for tricky corners. Many models come with dishwasher-friendly components, so pop the jug on the bottom dishwasher drawer with the lid and place any inserts on higher trays or the cutlery basket.

Please don’t plunge your hands into soapy water to scrub at the blade attachments – they’re razor sharp, rotate and can be at peculiar angles. Safety first: fill the blender jug halfway with hot water and the tiniest squirt of washing-up liquid. Now ‘blend’ the mix on full power for a minute or so and rinse thoroughly before leaving upturned on the drainer to dry.

How we tested blenders

We tested nearly 30 blenders overall, from the basic and budget to the high-tech, using the same smoothie concoction (1 beetroot, ⅓ carrot, handful kale and 500ml water) to test the blenders' ability to handle tough and fibrous ingredients.

We also tested them by making a super berry smoothie with frozen fruits to determine the overall quality and effectiveness of the blender with icy lumps and its all-important blade. Tomato sauce has the ability to stain containers, so we also assessed each blender on how easily we could clean away those red stains and lingering smells.

  • Blade strength: Could the blade easily blend our smoothie mix without struggling?
  • Speed of blitzing: How quickly and efficiently did the smoothie blend?
  • Ease of use: Was the blender easy to set up, put together, take apart and clean? Was it straightforward?
  • The jug: How heavy and durable was the jug? Was it shatter-resistant? Plastic or glass? If plastic, was it BPA-free?
  • Safety: Does it come with a safety lock? How tightly does the lid fit?
  • Loudness: All blenders generate noise, but were there any that were quieter or louder than others?
  • Functions: How many speed settings? On top of blending, are there any other functions, such as pulse, crushing ice etc? Any pre-set functions to make things such as soups and smoothies? Auto-clean?
  • Results: How well blended was the smoothie? Any lumpy bits leftover, or was it completely smooth?
  • Design and aesthetic: Is it well designed or bulky? How much space does it take up on the counter? Does it justify its size? Does it pack away easily in a cupboard?
  • Packaging: Is it well-packed, or does it come with excess packaging etc?

Find out more about how testing works at Good Food by heading over to our how we test page.

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If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.

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