The 5 Best Blenders for Smoothies, According to Our Years of Reviews

For the best smoothies, you need a powerhouse blender that keeps the pace when you crank up the speed, leaving you with creamy drinks free from fibrous bits and chunks. Over the years, we've tested nearly 40 blenders (yes, 40!) and put together a list to help you choose the best one for smoothies. You’ll find winners from our reviews of high-speed, personal, and budget-friendly blenders. We’ll also answer questions you might not have thought to ask, like whether smoothie buttons and presets actually make a difference.

Things to Consider

What Makes a Good Blender for Smoothies?

The best blenders for smoothies share two qualities with the best blenders in general: blunt blades and a tapered jar. It may sound counterintuitive, but you don’t want to invest in a blender with sharp or serrated blades. The edges are bound to dull after processing hard ingredients like frozen fruit. Unlike chef’s knives, you can’t sharpen blender blades. Plus, you risk cutting yourself during cleanup if you encounter knife-like points in the jar.

About that tapered jar: This shape helps create a vortex, which pulls ingredients down, keeping them close to the blades. This is the process that turns fibrous produce into silky, smooth beverages, and it also helps emulsify ingredients, should you use your blender to make a sauce or mayonnaise. No blender we’ve tested does this more efficiently than the Vitamix 5200. It’s taller than most blenders we’ve reviewed, and the severe taper is what makes it so good at creating a vortex. Another design feature that matters? The spout. Narrow spouts keep spills at bay, while wide spouts can be sloppy to pour from.

Are Smoothie Presets Really Necessary?

The idea of pressing a button and letting it do all the work for you sounds nice, but here’s a secret: Smoothie presets are all about varying speeds. If your blender has lots of speeds, you have a good blender for smoothies. Start slowly and work your way up to rapid speed as the ingredients cycle through the blades. If large ingredients are stuck in the blades, slow the speed and use the tamper. This is yet another reason why we love the Vitamix 5200; it has 10 speeds that are easy to cycle through with the control panel’s dial. You can adjust as needed!

But a little automation never hurt anyone. We were floored by the Vitamix Ascent X5’s ability to blend an outstanding smoothie using its preset. (It also has a smoothie bowl option.) Not only does the X5 choose the speeds for you, it prompts you when to use the blender’s tamper, so larger ingredients don’t get stuck. The X5 left behind just five grams of pulp after we made a kale and blueberry smoothie and strained it through a fine mesh strainer—by far the best results of any blender we tested.

Are High-Speed Blenders Better for Smoothies?

The answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no. Horsepower and higher wattage determine the speed of the blender. A speedy blender means quick pulverizing. However, based on our tests, models with lower wattage can still perform well. That’s because the factors we listed above—sharpness/dullness of blades, variable speeds, jar shape, and spout design—contribute to the overall performance and result. 

Plus, high-speed blenders typically cost more. They offer better warranties (our Vitamix picks have seven- and 10-year warranties), but if you’re looking to save, you’ll still be happy with one of our budget picks, like the Breville’s Fresh and Furious. It took the win in our review of budget blenders thanks to its five speed settings and two smoothie presets. The Cuisinart SPB-650 HP1 Blender is even less expensive and earned high marks on the smoothie test. 

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Smoothie Blender

Make a lot of smoothies? You’ll want a powerhouse blender with plenty of speed settings or dedicated smoothie presets, allowing you to ramp up to a fast speed and adjust the speed if ingredients get stuck. The best blenders—for smoothies and more—have tapered jars. This shape excels in creating vortexes necessary for pulling ingredients down toward the blades. Narrow pour spouts keep spills at bay. While it sounds a bit backward, choose a model with blunt blades, not sharp ones, to preserve the longevity of your machine. 

Our Favorite Blenders for Smoothies

The Best Blender for Smoothies

Vitamix 5200 Professional-Grade Blender

$482 $460 at Amazon View on Vitamix.com $600 at Newegg.com

What we liked: For more than a decade, the Vitamix 5200 has been our favorite blender for every task. It has come out on top whenever we review blenders, and we think it’s the best Vitamix you can buy. It can make a creamy smoothie in 30 seconds, even when leafy greens and frozen blueberries are in the mix. It’s equipped with a 10-speed dial, allowing you to slowly ramp up peacefully, and it was the second quietest model when we tested for decibels. The 5200 is thoughtfully designed with a tall, narrow, tapered jar and four-blade configuration. Plus, it’s versatile, so you can also use it for other cooking projects like soups, pureés, and nut milks.

What we didn’t like: The tall jar is what makes it so useful, but it also makes it tricky to fit underneath upper cabinets.

Key Specs

• Jar capacity: 64 ounces
• Weight: 10.9 pounds
• Type of interface: Analog
• Settings: 10 speed settings
• Warranty: 7 years

The Best Budget Blender for Smoothies

Cuisinart SPB-650 1 HP Blender, 7.8" x 10" x 13.6", Silver

$130 at Amazon View on Cuisinart.com $130 at Macy's

What we liked: This simple, inexpensive blender impressed us with its ability to blitz hardy kale into a smooth purée. The 60-ounce jar was a welcome surprise; many of our favorite blenders have just 48-ounce jars. It costs under $150, has an easy-to-use interface, and has blunt blades that were really powerful, especially when we used this blender to make almond milk. The ice crush preset worked well too, adding to this blender’s versatility.

What we didn’t like: The jar is barely tapered, and its relatively few speed settings mean it may struggle with other cooking projects, like soup.

Key Specs

• Jar capacity: 60 ounces
• Weight: 7.5 pounds
• Type of interface: Analog, with digital timer
• Settings: 2 speed settings and two presets (smoothie and ice crush)
• Warranty: 3 years

Another Great Budget Blender for Smoothies

Breville Fresh & Furious Blender

$200 at Amazon View on Williams Sonoma $199 at Target

What we liked: This blender costs around $200 (hundreds less than some of our other favorite blenders) and has not one, but two smoothie presets. The green smoothie preset is particularly helpful for fibrous kale and spinach. There’s also an ice crush feature that works well. However, its five speeds are sufficient for blending without presets. Its self-clean feature is fantastic, and there’s discreet cord storage underneath the base.

What we didn’t like: This blender is high-powered, with a 1100-watt motor. Combine that with a lightweight base, and it tends to move around a lot when in use. 

Key Specs

• Jar capacity: 50 ounces
• Weight: 8.5 pounds
• Type of interface: Analog, with digital timer
• Settings: 5 speed settings and three presets (smoothie, green smoothie, and ice crush)
• Warranty: 3 years

The Best Splurge Blender for Smoothies

Vitamix Ascent X5 Blender

$750 at Amazon View on Williams Sonoma View on Vitamix.com

What we liked: This is one sleek, high-powered blender. It boasts 1500 watts behind its motor, allowing it to turn even the most fibrous, stickiest ingredients (like kale and dates) into a silky-smooth concoction. The two smoothie presets are very helpful; in addition to controlling variable speeds, the blender will prompt you to use a tamper as needed. This is the most versatile blender on the list, because its base is compatible with Vitamix’s food processor attachment, meaning you’ll have a smoothie blender, regular blender, and food processor all in one appliance.

What we didn’t like: This is a pricey and heavy blender. Its jar can only hold 48 ounces.

Key Specs

• Jar capacity: 48 ounces
• Weight: 14.5 pounds
• Type of interface: Digital touchscreen and toggle dial
• Settings: 10 speed settings and 10 presets (smoothies, frozen desserts, soups, frozen cocktails, dips and spreads, smoothie bowl, frappé, nut butters, non-dairy milks, spice grinding)
• Warranty: 10 years

The Best Personal Blender for Smoothies

Zwilling Enfinigy Personal Blender

$100 at Amazon $140 $100 at Sur La Table $100 at Wayfair

What we liked: This is a very simple blender without any frills, and that’s exactly what we liked about it when we tested personal blenders. Its smoothie preset offers a 40-second timed blend that works well, but the options to run continuously or pulse were helpful when a drink needed a little more time. It’s one of the best-looking personal blenders we tested, so you can keep it on the counter and tell everyone it’s a part of your decor. It’s silly-simple to clean, and overall, a great deal.

What we didn’t like: The blending cup is tricky to screw into the base. Like most personal blenders, this one struggles with hard and sticky ingredients. 

Key Specs

• Jar capacity: 20 ounces
• Weight: 5 pounds
• Type of interface: Analog
• Settings: 3 (on, pulse, smoothie)
• Warranty: 3 years

FAQs

What’s the best brand of blender for smoothies?

If you want a personal blender, we recommend the Zwilling Enfinigy. It’s powerful and offers the option to pulse and run continuously. We also recommend Vitamix, Breville, and Cuisinart blenders for smoothies.

What’s the best blender for green smoothies?

The Breville Fresh & Furious is the best blender for green smoothies—it has a custom cycle made specifically for leafy greens.

What's the best blender for ice?

The Cuisinart SPB-HP Blender has an ice crush setting—it's really powerful.

Why We’re the Experts

• Ashia Aubourg is a writer with experience researching cooking appliances and working in kitchens (and farms!).
• For this story, Ashia combed through our numerous blender reviews, comparing winning models in every category.
• Rochelle Bilow is an editor at Serious Eats. Previously, she worked at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light. 
• Rochelle updated this review with new findings, including three new smoothie blender recommendations.