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6 best blenders for making smoothies and cocktails
Frozen margaritas all round? Coming right up...
Splashing some cash on a quality blender is a clever investment for year-round use. Cosy soups in the winter? No problem. Turning chickpeas into tasty homemade hummus for a picnic? Consider it done. Cramming vitamins into a hangover-banishing smoothie after the clubs finally reopen? Sorted in seconds.
If you’re not already convinced, we should probs remind you that a blender can whip up a round of frozen margaritas in less time than a Love Island ad break. Told you it was a no-brainer.
What blender should I buy?
There are plenty of blenders to choose from, with some luxe models commanding eye-watering price tags of more than £500. Most cost closer to £150, but we’ve found a fab bargain for under £35 (praise be to Russell Hobbs).
To help hunt out the gems that offer premium performance at an affordable price, we asked our expert tester to put some market-leading models through their paces. Behold their six favourites:
- Best blender: Ninja 2-in-1 Blender With Auto-iQ
- Best on a budget: Russell Hobbs Go Create Jug Blender
- Best for smoothies: NutriBullet Blender Combo
- Best luxe buy: Tefal InfinyMix + Tritan
- Best quiet blender: Magimix Le Blender
- Best for soup: Dualit Vortecs Blender DBL4
What's the difference between a blender and a smoothie maker?
Blenders and smoothie makers have plenty in common, but there are some differences you should know about. Smoothie makers tend to be smaller and less powerful, with a cup attachment for mixing one or two smoothies at a time.
High-capacity blenders are better for bigger jobs and usually more versatile. The standard jug attachment lets you blend batches of soups, smoothies and more, while most models can also carry out cooking tasks like grinding and chopping, as well as crushing ice.
How do I choose a good blender?
So, you’ve plumped for a blender over a smoothie maker? Smart move. But there are a few factors to consider before you add one to your trolley.
Some blenders have a range of speeds and presets to suit different tasks, so look out for models that can crush ice, chop nuts and grind spices if you think you’ll use those functions. It’s also important to look at the wattage, as more power is needed for arduous tasks like grinding coffee beans.
Finally, keep an eye out for blenders that are easy to clean. Blenders with removable blades are the quickest to wipe down and some even come with an auto-clean feature.
How we test
Our expert tester pushed 33 of the newest blenders to their limits in a bid to find the king of spin. Each blender was tasked with making a smooth mayonnaise, chopping nuts, crushing ice, grinding coffee beans, blending batter and pureeing chickpeas.
When rating each blender, they noted how long it took to do its job and cast a keen eye over the consistency and evenness of the ingredients. Ease of use, overall design and any signs of leakage were also carefully considered. You’ll find their full verdicts on the six blenders that made the cut below.
Ready, steady, blend!
Ninja 2-in-1 Blender with Auto-iQ
It may be just shy of a chunky £100, but this blender’s worth it, trust us (and not just because it supplied the office with an endless stream of smoothies). It blew the competition - and our tester! - away by blitzing every ingredient with ease, while the slick, understated design fitted in with our kitchen aesthetic. The stacked blades blended ingredients evenly and could be removed for stress-free cleaning.
It also boasts Auto-iQ Technology, which takes even more fuss out of your prep. Simply choose your desired preset program (from blend, max blend and crush) with the push of a button and let the Ninja 2-in-1 do all the work for you, delivering consistent results every time.
It’s on the noisy side, which may annoy your neighbours, but sharing a few frozen cocktails could easily solve that problem.
Key specs
Dishwasher-safe attachments: Yes
Guarantee: 1 year
Jug capacity: 2.1 litres
Weight: 4.6kg
Wattage: 1200w
Removable blades: Yes
Presets: Blend, max blend and crush
Pulse action: Yes
Variable speeds: 3
Hand blenders tend to be more affordable than their jug siblings, but this Russell Hobbs blender is the exception. Sure, it lacks the jazzy features of its pricier competitors, but our tester was impressed by its ability to tackle the basics with aplomb. Making breadcrumbs and pureeing chickpeas was a doddle, and they loved that no residue got trapped under the blades.
There are only two speeds and no presets, making manual blending your only option. It felt more flimsy than other models on test but, if you’re worried about longevity, it comes with a three-year warranty.
Key specs
Dishwasher-safe attachments: No
Guarantee: 2 years (3 if you register online)
Jug capacity: 1.5 litres
Weight: 1.7kg
Wattage: 500w
Removable blades: Yes
Presets: None
Pulse action: Yes
Variable speeds: 2
NutriBullet Blender Combo
If you’ve not heard of the smoothie maker giant that is Nutribullet, you must have been living off-grid. What you might not know is that the brand also makes first class blenders. This model excelled at turning an assortment of fruit into a delicious drink, with several cup attachments of varying sizes making it easy to create a purpose-built post-workout smoothie. What’s more, its ‘nutrition extraction’ preset promises to maximise the goodness of every ingredient.
But its talents don’t end there. The blades made short work of crumbing bread and blended batter easily, though the sides had to be scraped mid-way through to minimise waste and lumps. It splashed a lot while making mayo and cleaning was faffy, with the blades proving fiddly to remove, but those were minor niggles.
Key specs
Dishwasher-safe attachments: Yes
Guarantee: 1 year
Jug capacity: 1.8 litres
Weight: 5.7kg
Wattage: 1200w
Removable blades: Yes
Presets: Extract
Pulse action: Yes
Variable speeds: 3
Tefal Infiny Mix Tritan
OK, so it’s the spenniest blender on our list, but this Tefal packs a punch! Splurge on this bad boy and you can wave goodbye to the frustration of jammed blades and semi-solid soups. It offers a mega 10 speeds and several automatic programs for making smoothies, sorbets and desserts. It crushes ice and even cleans itself. Basically, all you really have to do is pick your ingredients and press start.
It looks good, has a premium feel and comes with a handy recipe book filled with more than enough inspo to keep you fuelled up. Our tester found the slowest speed too powerful for making delicate condiments, but this was still a firm favourite.
Key specs
Dishwasher-safe attachments: Yes
Guarantee: 2 years
Jug capacity: 1.75 litres
Weight: 7.7kg
Wattage: 1600w
Removable blades: Yes
Presets: Smoothie, ice crush, sorbet, dessert and auto-clean
Pulse action: Yes
Variable speeds: 10
While many of its counterparts sounded like a plane preparing to take off, this blender was remarkably quiet during use, making it ideal for anyone with housemates (or thin walls). Several helpful presets, twinned with a powerful motor, consistently delivered smooth soups, rich mayonnaises and velvety milkshakes, while the included spatula was useful for scraping down the sides.
The jug is made of glass, which tends to be more durable than plastic and better at keeping scratches at bay. On the flipside, this made it heavy to hold, leaving our arm aching after a few pours.
Key specs
Dishwasher-safe attachments: Yes
Guarantee: 3 years
Jug capacity: 1.8 litres
Weight: 4.9kg
Wattage: 1200w
Removable blades: Yes
Presets: Desserts, ice, soup, smoothies
Pulse action: Yes
Variable speeds: 4
Snuggling up for a Netflix binge and soup dinner might not be at the forefront of your mind this summer, but mark our words, you’ll be craving it come autumn. Thankfully, this blender can handle hot ingredients (up to 60C) and turn worse-for-wear veggies into a delicious soup in seconds. The simple instructions make it easy to set up and a few recipes are included to get you started. Strong suction pads keep it stable while blending and it’s dishwasher safe to boot.
Our only word of warning: the polished chrome base picks up fingerprints and food marks easily, so if you pride yourself on keeping a clean kitchen, you’ll need to wipe it down on the reg.
Key specs
Dishwasher-safe attachments: Yes
Guarantee: 1 year
Jug capacity: 2 litres
Weight: 3.5kg
Wattage: 1000w
Removable blades: Yes
Presets: Ice crush, auto pulsePulse action: Yes
Variable speeds: 4
Harry’s news reporting has been published in over 70 newspapers across the UK. Now, he specialises in home appliances, health and fitness, bringing you reliable reviews on the best homes, sports and nutrition products on the market to help you upgrade your home and training routine.
Outside the office, he has dedicated countless hours to learning about different physical training methods, experimenting with everything from CrossFit to powerlifting.
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