The Best Blenders (2023), Reviewed by Our Experts

“The haptic feedback (the process of a machine providing physical stimulus in response to its use): Turn the blender on, crank up the speed, and then hit the max power—it’s a sequence that you progress through three distinct, physical control interventions in a graduating sequence,” Morocco says. If that sounds a bit academic, what he’s getting at is that the manual controls and variable speeds make using the 5200 really intuitive. Especially when developing and testing recipes, the blender’s simplicity combined with its sheer power allows him to better tailor his blending to exactly what he needs, as opposed to dealing with the presets that come with other Vitamix models.

Power: 1,380 watts
Speeds: 10
Volume: 64 oz.
Warranty: 7 years

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Top tested budget blender: K150 3-Speed Ice Crushing Blender

The Good: Good power without a high price tag
The Bad: Not great with harder tasks like peanut butter or tough smoothie ingredients like kale

This is the updated model of the blender our sister site, Epicurious, dubbed the best budget blender (their best blender overall was Morocco’s top pick, the Vitamix 5200). During testing, the KitchenAid crushed ice cubes and blended basic smoothies better than some of the high-performance, higher-priced competitors.

As the name implies, this is a very simple and easy-to-use blender: Its dial has just three speeds and a pulse setting, with no preset programs like you find on some pricier blenders. Still, it’s well-equipped to handle most blending tasks, though testers did find that it struggled with very hard ingredients, like nuts, and fibrous ones, like raw kale, especially in comparison to true high-performance blenders.

NOTE: For more detailed takes on a range of blenders from brands like Breville, Ninja, Blendtec, and Nutribullet that didn’t make the cut here, check out Epicurious’s Best Blenders: Tested and Reviewed.

Power: 650 watts
Speeds: 3
Volume: 48 oz.
Warranty: 1 year (option to purchase longer warranties available)

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The pro pick: Vitamix Professional Series 750

The Good: Wide container, high power, easy to use, and super durable
The Bad: High price point, very heavy

Another high-end blender model from Vitamix, the Professional Series 750 is actually part of the same Legacy line that the 5200 is. The 750 brings the same powerful motor as the 5200, though the 750 does have some additional features. It offers programmed settings for making smoothies, frozen desserts, soups, and purées in addition to the standard 10-speed options—all manually selected by turning a simple knob. The containers for the 5200 and 750 Professional blender hold the same volume, but the 750’s is wider and shorter; a style that Vitamix calls “low-profile.” That means it will fit more easily under cabinets. (Note: You can get a low-profile container for the 5200 if you prefer that style or have a small kitchen that demands it.)