The Vitamix 5200 is the best blender for smoothies and sauces: variable speed lets you pulse salsa or run pesto slowly, and the tamper handles nut butter. ATK’s midpriced winner, the Breville Fresh & Furious, covers smoothies, dips, milkshakes and nut butters for about $200.
6 picks, best first. Price bands are from Amazon as of Oct 24, 2026.
Yes, if it has a true low speed and a tamper. ATK notes most blenders only go from fast to faster; its midpriced winner handles smoothies, dips, milkshakes and nut butters.
About $200 ATK’s price for the Breville Fresh & Furious
Only with a tamper or a bowl maker; otherwise the blades spin in an air pocket. ATK notes a tamper goes through the lid while running and is too short to reach the blades.
14 oz bowl maker with built-in tamper on the Ninja SS101, per listing
Most are: blend warm water and a drop of dish soap for 30 to 60 seconds, then rinse. On personal cups, pull the gasket under the blade now and then.
30 to 60 s Vitamix self-clean time, per listing
Best overall: the smoothest daily smoothie
Ten speeds from a true low to High, a vented lid for hot blends, and a tamper for nut butter.
The listing includes the motor base, the 64-ounce classic container and the tamper. You get 10 variable speeds plus a High switch, a 2-horsepower motor and laser-cut stainless steel blades. Cleanup is warm water and a drop of dish soap for 30 to 60 seconds, and Vitamix backs it with a 7-year warranty.
Sources: Wirecutter, America’s Test Kitchen, RTINGS, CNN Underscored
Best mid-price for smoothies and sauces
ATK’s midpriced winner for smoothies, dips, frozen drinks, milkshakes and nut butters.
The listing confirms only the model (BBL620SIL) and the 1.5-litre jug, which is about 50 ounces. Everything else on this card comes from ATK and CR.
Sources: America’s Test Kitchen, Consumer Reports, The Gadgeteer
Quietest powerful blender
Twelve speeds, a soup program and a tamper; quiet enough for evening sauces.
Listing specs: 1,800-watt motor, 68-ounce jug, 24-ounce personal cup with its own blade system, 12 speeds and five one-touch programs, including two smoothie settings and Ice Crush. Noise suppression and a cooling system cut operating noise, and Breville gives a 10-year limited warranty.
Sources: America’s Test Kitchen, CNN Underscored, Tom’s Guide, Saveur
Best Vitamix for one or two people
Same dial-and-pulse control as the 5200 in a 48 oz jar, good for small batches of sauce.
In the box: motor base, 48-ounce container, lid and tamper. Ten speeds plus pulse, hardened stainless steel blades, and the same 30-to-60-second self-clean with warm water and dish soap.
Sources: RTINGS, Reviewed, The Gadgeteer
Best under $100
Three speeds, pulse and a tamper; fine for salsa and milkshakes, less precise for emulsions.
Included: 1,200-watt base, 64-ounce pitcher with vented lid cap, tamper, 32-ounce cup, 24-ounce handled cup, two to-go lids and the Easy-Twist extractor blade. Three speeds, pulse and an Extract program. Pitcher and cups are dishwasher safe.
Sources: Consumer Reports (via The Daily Meal), America’s Test Kitchen
Smoothie maker that also chops
The SS351 is one base with a 72-ounce pitcher that blends, chops and mixes dough, plus a nutrient extraction cup and bowl. We have not found an independent lab test.
It suits a kitchen that wants one appliance instead of a blender and a food processor.
Listing: 1,400-peak-watt smartTORQUE motor, six Auto-iQ programs, variable speed, 72-ounce pitcher (64 ounces liquid), cups and bowl with lids.
Specs from the Amazon listing; no independent lab test found yet.
| Blender | Type | Main jar | Cups | Tamper or bowl tool | Fits 18 in cabinets | Warranty | Price band | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamix 5200 | Full-size | 64 oz | No | Tamper | No (20.25 in) | 7 yr | $250 to $500 | Daily heavy use |
| Breville Fresh & Furious | Full-size | About 50 oz | No | Check | Check | See box | Check price | Smoothies + sauces |
| Breville Super Q | Full-size + cup | 68 oz | 24 oz | Tamper | Check | 10 yr | Check price | Quiet homes |
| Vitamix E310 | Full-size | 48 oz | No | Tamper | Check | See box | $250 to $500 | 1 to 2 people |
| NutriBullet Combo | Full-size + cups | 64 oz | 32 + 24 oz | Tamper | Yes (16.97 in) | 1 yr | Under $100 | Under $100 |
| Ninja SS351 | Blender-processor | 72 oz | Yes | Bowl | Check | See box | Under $100 | All in one |
“Check” and “See box” mean the listing doesn’t say. Price bands come from Amazon as of Oct 24, 2026; prices change.
Milkshakes are thicker than most smoothies, so the same rules apply: milk first, ice cream that has softened for five minutes, short pulses and a tamper. The Oster Pro 1200 has a milkshake mode (Top Ten Reviews), and the Oster Vortex Plus lists a Milkshake program. Any of the picks on this page with a tamper will handle a thick shake.
Yes, if it has a real low speed or pulse. ATK points out that most blenders only go from fast to faster, which turns salsa into soup.
The Vitamix 5200 or the Breville Fresh & Furious; ATK recommends the Breville for milkshakes and frozen drinks too.
For pesto, mayonnaise and chunky salsa, it helps a lot. Three-speed blenders work but give you less control.
In a full-size jar with a vented lid, yes. The Chefman listing says to remove the lid cover and use a towel. Never blend hot liquid in a sealed personal cup.
A blender with pulse does fine. If you also slice and shred, a Ninja system with a processing lid, like the SS351, does both.
Add milk first, let the ice cream soften, pulse in short bursts and use the tamper.
Choose a full-size blender with a tamper. Nut butter is thick and stalls weak motors, so personal cups are a poor fit; our fit finder sends nut-butter users to full-size machines. The Vitamix 5200 tamper is built for thick mixes, and the Chefman Obliterator has a 2-in-1 tamper and scraper for under $100.