Best blenders: top products to buy, as recommended by families

Whether you want to make smoothies, sauces, soups or purées, a good blender will fill a hole in your life – and your kitchen cupboard.

We've rounded up the best blenders on the market, tested them thoroughly over the course of six months and have backed up our selections with Mumsnet user recommendations to ensure we've put together a strong list of quality products that are perfect for families.

We think it’s important that products are tested in real-life family settings rather than test kitchens with acres of gleaming quartz islands and someone else to do the washing up. Spaces that have cramped cupboards and children accustomed to pushing unhelpfully at buttons. All our blenders were tested in a real kitchen by a parent tester and her two very real children.

Mumsnetters really know their stuff when it comes to kitchen appliances. We've got roundups of the best toasters, the best microwaves, the best kettles, the best rice cookers, the best food steamers and the best soup makers, all featuring buying advice and recommendations from parents who like to save time, money and faff in the kitchen.

1. Best overall blender: Tefal Perfect Mix+ Tritan

Price: RRP £100 | Buy now from Amazon

Key specs

Power: 1200W | Capacity: 2L | Modes: Smoothie, ice crushing, and auto-clean | Warranty: Two years | Accessories: Comes with Tritan jug, motor base and tamper

What we like

• Bargain price for the quality and design features

• Double action blades – they cut vertically and horizontally

• Great safety credentials

• Self-cleaning but also safe for the dishwasher

What we don't like

• Sometimes takes a while to blend

• Tall, but will fit into a cupboard in two parts

Our verdict

This blender stands out for its two-litre Tritan jug, which looks exactly like glass but feels like plastic. Despite dishwashing it several times, our tester found the jug never clouded and, after a few dropkicks to the floor, found it to be 100% break-proof. A big tick for busy family kitchens. The smart, brushed-chrome motor unit has a similarly pared-back look to the Philips Avance. Like the Philips, it sits tall on a workbench but comes apart easily for storage.

Safety features are good: it has suction feet to keep it steady and it beeps to let you know when the lid is on properly. As well as ice-crush and smoothie functions, that can also be used for batter and sauces, the Perfect Mix+ Tritan has an automatic washing-up function, which we found to be slightly more effective than the pricier KitchenAid K400 Artisan.

It blitzed ice to small chunks rather than a perfect snow and created an airy, smooth texture for soups. The purée was generally well-textured, but wasn't quite smooth enough for babies new to weaning. It took a little longer to blend soups and smoothies than the KitchenAid, but the finished results were more than adequate for everyday needs. With six stainless-steel, titanium-covered blades, strong enough to chop nuts and breadcrumbs, and an uber-robust jug, the Tefal Perfect Mix+ Tritan is a versatile blender that should last years.

2. Best budget blender: NutriBullet 1000 Series Blender

Price: RRP £99 | Buy now from Amazon

Key specs

Power: 1000W| Capacity: 0.93L | Warranty: 2 years | Accessories: Comes with one stainless-steel and one plastic cup, a recipe book, flip-top lid, cup lip ring and cup grips

What we like

• Small footprint

• Fast clean-up – dishwasher-safe cup and blade

• Blends small amounts easily

• Insulated stainless steel cup keeps drinks cool for eight hours

What we don't like

• Can’t blend hot liquids

• Isn’t designed to crush ice (but you can add ice to your drinks and it performed well in our ice test)

• Smaller capacity than other blenders we tested

What Mumsnet users say

"Love mine. I keep it out on the counter because it is used so often, at least once a day in this house. Smoothies, curry pastes, milling nuts/seeds/spices, crushing ice, soups, pesto etc" - CatBatCat

Our verdict

Most would argue that NutriBullets single-handedly made smoothies popular and the NutriBullet 1000 Series Blender is our favourite for ease of use and for delivering delicious smoothies at speed. Smart technology allows this blender to work out, as if by magic, what you’ve put in the cup and how fast or slow it needs to blend for the perfect smoothie, using automatic bursts and then switching itself off when finished.

A cyclonic action ensures food gets pushed through the blades and it blitzes everything, from fibrous veggies to nuts, to a beautifully smooth consistency. You can pretty much shove any fruit or vegetables in the 1000 (before adding your liquids, protein powders, seeds etc) and leave it to do its thing while you make packed lunches, shout about teeth cleaning and locate everyone’s shoes. Your smoothie is ready to go in 45 seconds. Just unscrew the blade unit, replace it with a lid and off you go. One tip: give the blades a rinse straight away to get the worst off. They’re easy to clean, but not when they have eight-hour-old banana cemented underneath them. The cups and blades are dishwasher-safe, though.

NutriBullet 1000 sits neatly on the worktop, but also stores well. For the price, this is a stellar product. It’s ideal for small kitchens, and works just fine blending small quantities of soups, pesto and baby food. You could get a family blender for not much more that would do bulk amounts, but this made the best smoothies of all the models we tried. So if it’s smoothies you want, or you’re short on space, this is your best bet.

3. Best jug blender: KitchenAid K400 Artisan Blender

Price: £299 | Buy now from John Lewis

Key specs

Power: 1200W | Capacity: 1.4L | Modes: Pulse, ice crush, icy drinks, smoothie, and self-cleaning | Warranty: Five years | Accessories: Extras include a tamper, plastic jug, blender jar, citrus press and cups (all sold separately)

What we like

• Three-part blender system

• Professional-level quality, design and features for a domestic price

• Eight speed settings (five variable and three pre-set)

What we don't like

• On the pricey side

• Heavy (6.6kg)

Our verdict

Known for making small appliances look sexy (hello shiny stand mixers), the Artisan is no different. Not only is its design attractive, it's reassuringly bomb-proof with a sturdy motor base and a classic 1.4-litre square glass jug. Plus, it comes in 11 different colours. Much thought has gone into this blender, from the asymmetrical stainless-steel blades, angled to hit every bit of food in the jug, to the soft-start motor that whirrs quietly into action and then ramps up to full speed – a sedate start to your morning smoothie.

The blade design also stops food splattering up the sides so you rarely need to push food back down into the jug. It features ‘intelli-speed control’ so it’s able to sense how much food there is in the jug and adapt its speed accordingly. Genius. It's intuitive to use, with a five-speed dial and pulse function as well as three automatic functions (ice crush, icy drinks and smoothie) and an automatic wash-up programme, which is always very thorough.

In testing this blender really impressed, never leaving any food unblended and working quickly, quietly and efficiently. It aced both the smoothie and the soup tests, and we felt it was the best smoothie produced by any of the blenders we tested.

4. Best blender for families: Ninja HB150UK Blender and Soup Maker

Price: RRP £129 | Buy now from Amazon

Key specs

Power: 1000W | Capacity: 1.75L | Modes: Smoothie, dessert, frozen drink, milkshake, smooth soup, chunky soup, jam, sauce, chop, sauté, auto-clean, keep warm | Warranty: One year | Accessories: Comes with motor base, 1.7l glass jug with built-in heating element, jug lid with removable cap, tamper, and cleaning brush

What we like

• Robust with chrome trims and a light-up touch screen (which even says 'hello' when you turn it on)

• Cooks as well as blends

• High-speed crushing blade to blend both hot and cold foods

What we don't like

• Short cord

• Tamper doesn’t quite reach the sides of the jar with the lid on

• Sometimes left a few tiny lumps on blending

• Hand wash only

What Mumsnet users say

"I have a giant ninja contraption and it's amazing!" - Ihavepatrick

Our verdict

With a built-in heating element, you can quickly and easily whip up delicious homemade soup from scratch – just chuck your ingredients into the jug and you'll have a piping hot meal in 20 minutes. There are settings to chop spices and sauté your veg first if you wish. Then you'll need add your stock before finally selecting either ‘smooth’ or ‘chunky’. As well as soup, the Ninja has auto-cook functions for sauces, jams, frozen drinks, milkshakes, desserts and smoothies. If you prefer a little more control, there’s a manual blend and cook setting, a pulse button and three blending speeds.

There's an all-important auto-wash-up feature and the jug has a non-stick coating to make cleaning easier. While this came in really handy, our tester found the jug retained a slight smell of onion after a few soup cook-ups, but this didn’t seem to affect the taste of subsequent recipes. While we think this is an excellent option for busy families who are looking for good bang for their buck, if you want your smoothies super smooth, you might prefer either a NutriBullet or a KitchenAid.

We had no complaints about any of the recipes the Ninja turned out and, if you like the added bonus of being able to cook in it directly and want a blender with a very neat footprint, it’s worth the compromise (and the counter space). Plus it's called Ninja, which means instant approval from any child in your house.

5. Best premium blender: Sage The Fresh and Furious Blender

Price: RRP £250 | Buy now from Littlewoods 

Key specs

Power: 1300W | Capacity: 1.5L | Modes: Green smoothie, regular smoothie, ice crush and auto-clean | Warranty: Two years | Compatible with the vac Q™ pump (£80), which draws air out of your smoothie for an enhanced flavour

What we like

• Creamy and even texture for soups and smoothies

• Five intuitive speed settings

• Nine task controls

What we don't like

• Struggled with very small amounts of food

Our verdict

Thanks to a pleasingly quiet motor and surgical-grade steel blades, the Sage The Fresh and Furious can whizz through almost anything. The design of the tough Tritan jug also allows food to be pulled towards the blades to ensure no food is left behind. The four auto-functions (auto-clean, green smoothie, regular smoothie and ice crush) make The Fresh and Furious really easy to use. During testing, it made a beautifully smooth soup and smoothie, and ice was turned into a lovely snow consistency. It sometimes struggled with smaller quantities, but a family-sized blender like the Sage wouldn't generally be used for tiny amounts. We also liked the intuitive speed settings, named for the task they best perform – mix, chop, blend, purée and liquefy – which allow you to go off-piste, away from the main auto settings.

As a family blender, this is as safety conscious as you’d expect, with rubberised feet to keep it steady and a looped lid designed exclusively for grown-ups. The auto-clean function did a grand job during testing, but the jug is also dishwasher-safe.

6. Best heavy duty blender: Magimix Power Blender

Price: RRP £179 | Buy now from Amazon 

Key specs

Power: 1300W | Capacity: 1.8L | Modes: Smoothie, ice, soup, desserts and auto-clean | Warranty: 3 years | Accessories: Comes with a spatula and recipe book, and there’s also a really good Magimix app to go with it

What we like

• Awarded the Quiet Mark

• Smaller footprint than some jug blenders

• Large jug capacity

What we don't like

• Jug is heavy to manoeuvre

• Ice crush function melted the ice slightly in testing

What Mumsnet users say

"I went for Magimix bender 1.8 litre as I wanted one with virtually fool proof controls, glass jug, clean function, hot and cold liquids. Have used it loads, esp for daily smoothies and regular soup/sauces and sauces plus the odd dessert like banana ice cream" - lexloofah

Our verdict

Magimix is a leading name in kitchen appliances and the Power Blender is just as good as we'd envisioned. Its subtle retro curves and colour choices – four in total – means it'll look great in any kitchen, traditional or modern. It feels satisfyingly solid and the borosilicate glass jug is really tough (though quite heavy) and capable of mixing both hot and cold foods, which is a plus whenever you’re making soup.

Some clever design ideas allow the Magimix 11630 Power Blender to produce a more superior smoothie than other blenders. It has a gradual start to reduce splashing, its BlenderMix system promises a finer blend (and delivers), and the jar is made from a material that keeps food at the same temperature, which means that your smoothie won’t be warmed by the blades’ friction – this can be a problem with cheaper models.

The five auto-functions make using this blender really simple but, if you want a little more control, there are also eight speed settings and a pulse. In testing, it performed well for soups and smoothies, blitzing both to a velvety consistency. The pea purée wasn’t totally smooth, but would nevertheless be suitable for a baby who’d already started weaning. You could buy the mill attachment separately which would make smaller amounts easier to blend.

7. Best blender for foodies: Bamix DeLuxe

Price: RRP £110 | Buy now from Lakeland 

Key specs

Power: 180W | Warranty: 2 years | Accessories: Includes multi-purpose blade, whisk blade, beater blade, grinder and stand

What we like

• Lots of blade attachments

• Neat to store and can be left out on the stand

• Very easy to clean

What we don't like

• Trickier to use than other hand blenders

• Safety features not outstanding

What Mumsnet users say

"I have the Bamix hand blender - classic version. Not cheap, but strong as an ox. Blends everything I need it to. Would probably blend concrete too!" - citychick

Our verdict

Foodies will love this model from Bamix, known for its precision Swiss manufacturing and design credentials. It was the most expensive hand blender we tested by about £50, but you can clearly see why. Firstly, it comes with a stand, so you can leave it out on the worktop. It also has an extensive selection of blades to attach, which means it functions as more than just a blender. With the different blades it can chop, mince, purée, emulsify, whip and more. It even froths milk for your morning coffee (yes, we're serious).

The blades clip onto a small unit that can stand alongside it, though if you have children able to reach your kitchen worktop, you may want to store them elsewhere. The other thing you’d need to watch out for safety-wise is that the blades lack the enclosed housing around them that other hand blender blades have. The lack of housing also means it’s a somewhat splashier experience with the Bamix.

The instructions and customers reviews say there’s a knack to using it (basically a diagonal up and down motion as you blend) and that became easier with use, but the first few tries were certainly a messy experience for our tester. On the plus side, those open blades are so easy to clean – just whizz in soapy water before drying carefully.

Those concerns aside, the Bamix DeLuxe is a great little machine. It’s light, super quiet and feels really smooth to use. It only has two speed settings, but the blade attachments make up for that as each is dedicated to a specific task.

9. Best large blender: Vitamix Ascent Blender A3500i

Price: RRP £670 | Buy now from Amazon

Key specs

Power: 1200W | Capacity: 2L | Modes: Smoothies, hot soups, dips and spreads, frozen desserts, and self-clean | Warranty: 10 years | Accessories: Comes with a tamper and cookbook

What we like

• Excellent capacity, features, programmes and extras

• Powerful motor and blades

• Very durable

What we don't like

• Pricey!

• Not so good at blending small amounts

Our verdict

The smart, solidly-built Vitamix Ascent A3500i jug blender is, without a doubt, the most expensive model we tested. At £650+, we expected something amazing and (good news!) you can see where the money has been spent here.

As well as five one-touch pre-set programmes, the Ascent has a variable speed control and pulse, so it’s completely bendable to your will – a big plus for those who like to experiment in the kitchen. It also has touchscreen controls, a programmable timer, safety features that prevent the machine operating unless everything is securely in place, and wireless connectivity that allows you to connect it up to apps and more.

In testing, it made a fabulous smoothie and soup at a really good consistency. We had only two complaints: firstly, that it claims to be able to cook food as well as blend it by using the friction of the blades – while it was perfectly blended, the taste of onion was strong. Secondly, it struggled to blend purées of very small quantities so we’d recommend you buy the additional blending bowls for small amounts.

Overall though, this is a brilliant, long-lasting blender for a keen cook with a food-loving family. Despite all the fancy features and large two-litre jug, at its most basic level the Ascent is very easy to use and to clean, which is especially useful for busy families often pressed for time. It’s worth pointing out that we tested one of the top models in the Ascent range (prices start at £449), but each blender has the same power and blending capabilities, which means that you could easily opt for one of the cheaper options. But, for amateur chefs with the cash to splash, the Vitamix Ascent A3500i is a great buy.

9. Best value blender: Philips Avance Collection Blender

Price: RRP £150 | Buy now from Amazon

Key specs

Power: 1400W | Capacity: 2L | Modes: Smoothie and ice crushing | Warranty: Two years | Accessories: Includes tamper, recipe book and downloadable app

What we like

• Large two-litre, dishwasher-safe jug

• Integrated cord storage

• Powerful motor – ideal for batch cooking

What we don't like

• Can be loud

• Tricky to clean – it can be hard to get all the food out from underneath the blades

Our verdict

If you want a modern jug blender for a family kitchen but your budget won’t stretch to a KitchenAid or a Vitamix, the Philips Avance Collection HR3652/01 Blender is a great option.

It has similar functions (albeit fewer) to many of the pricier models we tested, including speed dial, automatic features for smoothies and ice crushing, and a useful pulse button. A powerful motor helps it create soft smoothies and soups in bulk, chopping through fibrous fruit and veg with no issues, and the ice-crush function works perfectly for cocktails or slushies.

We like the pared-back, modern look of the Philips Avance which makes it very intuitive to use. It also has good safety features for families, including suction feet to keep it steady and cord storage for the wire. With a small footprint, this blender is very tidy, but do check the height of your kitchen cupboards as it's quite tall.

Why do I need a blender?

Blenders can do all sorts of jobs. You might want one for general family use – blending soups or pasta sauces – and, if you have a baby and know you'll soon be weaning, you’ll want one for pulverising their meals, especially in the very early stages.

Blenders are also great for making drinks, such as smoothies and milkshakes and, after all that blending, maybe a mojito over crushed ice?

What is a jug blender?

Jug blenders, also known as stand blenders, are comprised of a motor unit with controls and a jug (usually glass or plastic) with blade attachment that sits on top. They’re good for large batches of soup or smoothies and often have more features than other, smaller types of blender.

What is a hand blender?

Sometimes called a handheld, stick or wand, hand blenders offer the user more control than a jug blender and have a neater footprint, which means they can easily be stored away – ideal if you have a small kitchen.

Some come with their own containers to blend ingredients in while others come with additional attachments, such as whisk heads, potato mashers and a selection of blades for chopping different items.

What is a personal blender?

Designed largely for smoothie-making, these are a new tribe of blenders that are used for making one drink at a time. They usually come with one or two travel cups and lids – you simply blend straight into the cup then just screw the lid on – and are effective at blitzing vegetables like kale to a fine, drinkable consistency.

How do I choose a blender?

First, think about what you’ll mostly be using it for. If it’s primarily for smoothies and you want to grab one every morning on your way out of the door, a personal blender will do the job. If you want to be able to blend larger batches, a jug blender is best and many also double up as juicers, food processors, cookers and more. And if you’re about to start weaning, a hand blender allows you to blend small amounts of food for baby purées.

Think about your kitchen – in particular your surface space and storage. Check the dimensions of each blender carefully to make sure you have the worktop space, and don’t forget to check the height if it’s going to sit under a cupboard or be stored away between uses. Check you’ve got room to house any extra attachments as well.

Which type of blender is best for baby food?

Stick blenders allow you to purée a little bit of food at a time, which is helpful when you’re starting out with weaning and still discovering what your baby does and doesn’t like.

If you think you’ll use a jug blender more over time, it'll work just as well for baby food. You may just need to blend larger amounts and then freeze a few portions.

What else can a blender be used for?

Soups and smoothies are the obvious ones, but you can also use some for iced drinks, ice creams, pancake batter, bread dough, sauces such as hollandaise and mayonnaise, pesto, hummus and other dips.

Depending on the model, some make crushed ice, grind coffee and spices, make nut butters and will even mince meat. Check before buying that yours will do what you’re hoping for, but you might be surprised at just how versatile it is.

How does a blender differ from a food processor?

Essentially, a blender is for liquid-based food and drink, like soup and smoothies, and a food processor is for dry ingredients like breadcrumbs and chopped vegetables. However, many pricier blenders are now capable of doing the jobs you might have used a food processor for. Generally, the more you spend, the sharper the blades and the faster the motor.

What to look for in a blender

Ultimately you’re looking for something that fits your lifestyle (and kitchen cupboard) and does what you want it to effectively. Here’s a checklist of things to look out for:

Design features: Think two-part lids so you can add liquid as you blend, suction feet that stop a blender juddering, no-drip jugs, and somewhere to store the cable at the back so it doesn’t trail across the work surface.

Solid materials: Strong blades that are curved and hit the food at different heights, cover all angles and ensure no food gets missed. A sturdy jug is also a must – glass lasts longer, but materials like Tritan, which looks like glass but is light like plastic, can last really well. Plastic is also fine as long as it’s robust.

Automatic settings: For jug blenders, auto-clean programmes are really useful. Some also have special pre-sets for smoothies, soups and ice, which are handy too.

Speeds: Generally the more speeds there are, the more control you have, but make sure there are at least three. A pulse function is also useful.

Power (watts) and RPM: Don't be completely guided by this but, if you like to do your gadget research, this may well be your deciding factor between two blenders. Generally the more you pay, the more powerful the motor is and the more ingredients it can power through.

Extras: Accessories can include anything from tampers to cleaning brushes to blade attachments, recipe books and even connectable apps. If you’re blending smoothies, a model that comes with cups and travel lids is really useful. Some more upmarket blenders also come with smart connectivity – the jury's still out on how useful that really is, but if we can programme Alexa to make us a breakfast smoothie every morning then we're definitely on board.

Cleaning: Many jug blenders now have an auto-clean function where you just add water and washing-up liquid before hitting 'clean'. Also check whether any parts are dishwasher-safe, and whether the jug and blades come apart easily for getting that last bit of stubborn banana out at the end – same goes for handheld and personal blenders.

How much should I spend on a blender?

You can pick up a blender for as little as £30, but we’d recommend spending a little more if your budget permits.

Professional-style machines from the upmarket brands such as Bamix, Vitamix and KitchenAid will probably last a lifetime and, if you’re really into your cooking, you’ll get a lot of use out of them too.

High-end brands also offer cheaper alternatives that give you the design, engineering and high-quality materials of those well-known models but without the hefty price tag.

Generally speaking, you can pick up a blender that performs well and does exactly what you want it to for around £100, but there are also plenty of options either side of that.

How we chose the products to test

We commissioned Iona Bower, a consumer and parenting journalist, to select the best blenders available and put them through their paces.

We asked Mumsnet users for their brand recommendations and she then studied online reviews to find out which brands fared best with customers.

After 45 hours of research, an original longlist of 35 had been whittled down to 15, including the Russell Hobbs Retro Blender, the Breville Blend Active Pro Food Prep Blender and the NutriBullet Balance. She then set to work testing them all.

How we tested the blenders

We tested the same four recipes on each blender: a carrot soup, a banana and date smoothie, pea purée and crushed ice. The recipes were worked out with a nutritionist and designed to test different aspects of the blenders, such as blade strength, speed and efficiency. Blender testing took place over the course of eight weeks, with a total of more than 50 hours of blending.

As well as scoring each blender on how well it coped with those four recipes, we also scored them on the following criteria:

• Aesthetics – how the blender looked, whether we’d be happy to have it on display, and the range of colours available

• Practicalities – size and weight, how easy it was to take apart and store, whether it was easy to set up and use following the instructions

• Design – how well the design of handles, jugs and blades helped the blenders get the job done, and how quickly and effectively they did that, whether there was splashing or dripping in use and if any food was left behind unblended

• Materials – we looked at what materials were used and why, and at any automatic programmes or other clever design ideas included

• Cleaning – were they easy to wash and dry, were they dishwasher-safe or did they have self-cleaning features?

• Safety and durability – how happy we would be to use this in a kitchen with young children and pets around? How well would the blenders wear? Did they seem sturdy or were there any parts that might come loose or wear over time? Were warranties or spare parts included?

• Value for money – was each blender worth its price tag? Did they do jobs other than blending that would save money on additional kitchen gadgets?

These scores were added to those from our recipe testing to work out which of the blenders we would recommend Mumsnet Best winners, and which others deserved honourable mentions.

Why you should trust our reviews

Many of Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust – brands can’t pay to be featured in our articles or win a Mumsnet Best award.

Transparency is really important to us and that's why we're always upfront about how we tested the products we recommend. We write about products that we feel offer the best value to most parents – the one's we'd recommend to our own friends and family.

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Prices and availability checked and updated by MNHQ on 10th May, 2023.