Best Blender 2026: 6 Picks for Smoothies, Ice and Budget

Six blenders ranked by published lab results, noise readings, manuals and recalls: best for smoothies, best budget, best mid-priced and best high-end.

By Maksud · Published Oct 4, 2026

The best blender for most single-serve smoothies is the Ninja BlendBOSS DB351, the only one Tom’s Guide, CNET and TechRadar each give a named award. For a full-size pitcher, the nutribullet Combo NBF50500 is the best budget blender here (TechGearLab’s Best Blender on a Budget). Then come the Ninja BL610 (CNET’s easiest to clean), Breville Fresh & Furious (ATK’s midpriced pick), Ninja BN701 (ATK’s less expensive pick) and Vitamix 5200 (ATK’s winner).

I didn’t test any of these blenders. This page lines up what six outlets published, plus manuals and CPSC records, with every number credited. Immersion and portable blenders are out of scope. Last updated October 4, 2026.

Quick picks: the best blender for each job

• Best blender for smoothies (personal): Ninja BlendBOSS DB351. Award picks at Tom’s Guide (best budget), CNET (best personal) and TechRadar (best for smoothies).
• Best budget blender (full-size): nutribullet Combo NBF50500. TechGearLab 75/100; Consumer Reports top ice marks (via The Daily Meal).
• Best for a tight budget, easiest to clean: Ninja Professional BL610. CNET: ice in 7 seconds.
• Best mid-priced: Breville Fresh & Furious BBL620. ATK’s best midpriced blender.
• Best budget pick for frozen drinks: Ninja Professional Plus BN701. ATK’s best less expensive blender.
• Best high-end: Vitamix 5200. ATK’s winner; TechGearLab 81.

Prices change daily, so this page doesn’t quote them. TechGearLab’s list prices are $500 for the Vitamix 5200, $200 for the Fresh & Furious, $150 for the nutribullet Combo, $110 for the BN701 and $100 for the BL610.

Best blender comparison: lab scores, noise and specs for all six

Scores and soup temperatures are from TechGearLab’s blender roundup, updated August 22, 2025. TechGearLab prints no model number for its “Nutribullet Combo,” but its listed 1,200 W and 64 oz match The Daily Meal’s description of the NBF50500. Noise comes from two methods: America’s Test Kitchen lists decibels on high, while CNET labels its figures average smoothie readings but describes its method as recording the highest reading on high from a phone app six inches away. Compare within one outlet.

¹ DB351 wattage conflicts: CNET and Tom’s Guide list 1,100 W, while TechRadar describes a 1,400 W motor. None of the three prints a model number; all call it the Ninja BlendBoss.

² Tom’s Guide lists 24 oz; CNET and TechRadar say 26 oz.

³ TechGearLab lists 1,100 W for the Fresh & Furious and 1,380 W for the 5200.

⁴ 8 cups is 64 oz, so ATK and TechGearLab disagree on the BN701’s pitcher size.

⁵ TechGearLab’s comparison table says 152.4°F; its 5200 review text says “just over 153°F.”

How we ranked the best blenders, and where outlets disagree

The order is editorial, by weight of evidence: independent measurements, then owner-report consistency, then recalls and failures, then price. No outlet’s best blender list agrees with another’s, so this isn’t a consensus. The full method is on how we research.

The biggest split is the Vitamix 5200. ATK named it the overall winner and called it quiet, and TechGearLab gave it the highest score of these six (81). But CNET “weren’t wowed enough to recommend it” and found it noticeably louder than other models, TechGearLab’s review found nut butter grainy and the motor exceptionally warm, and TechGearLab’s $500 list price is three to five times its list prices for the budget picks. That puts it sixth here.

The Breville Fresh & Furious splits them too: ATK, TechRadar and Consumer Reports rate it highly, while CNET called its performance average and TechGearLab scored its purée 4.0.

1. Ninja BlendBoss DB351: best blender for smoothies (personal)

It suits one person blending a daily smoothie or shake. It is the only model here that Tom’s Guide, CNET and TechRadar all give a named award: best budget, best personal and best for smoothies. CNET’s run crushed ice in 13 seconds on the Ice Crush program with no chunks and blended a green smoothie in 55 seconds.

Tom’s Guide says the Smoothie setting lasts a minute and lists a 1-year warranty. The weakness is noise: both Tom’s Guide (on a SoundMeter app) and CNET recorded 92 dB. TechRadar says it needs a good amount of liquid; with less, its reviewers “had to stop mid-cycle to scrape down the sides.”

It has one 26 oz cup (24 oz per Tom’s Guide), so no family batches. Read the Ninja BlendBoss DB351 review or personal vs full-size blenders.

2. nutribullet Combo NBF50500: best budget blender (full-size)

This is the best budget blender for a household wanting a 64 oz pitcher plus to-go cups. TechGearLab named it Best Blender on a Budget with a 75 overall score (smoothie 7.5, purée 7.3, frozen 8.0) and measured its soup at 145°F after blending. The Daily Meal reports that Consumer Reports named nutribullet the best full-size blender brand for 2026, with the NBF50500 getting top marks for ice, purée and smoothies.

The same report says it scored lower on brand reliability and owner satisfaction than the runners-up, the Vitamix Propel 750 and Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System. Its ice record is contested. TechGearLab lists “struggles to fully crush ice” as a con, and nutribullet’s Blender Combo user guide says it “is not intended to be used without liquids, or as an ice crusher.” That clashes with Consumer Reports’ top ice marks, and nothing published reconciles them.

See nutribullet NBF50500 vs Ninja BN701 and can a blender crush ice.

3. Ninja Professional BL610: best for a tight budget and easiest to clean

It suits someone who wants a 72 oz pitcher for ice and doesn’t need presets. CNET named it easiest to clean and recorded the fastest ice time among its picks: 7 seconds on high with no chunks. CNET also logged a green smoothie in 58 seconds, 87 dB and almond butter in just over 4 minutes.

TechGearLab named it Best Blender on a Tight Budget but scored texture lower: 63 overall, smoothie 5.5, purée 6.0, frozen 7.0. It measured the BL610’s soup at 73°F after blending. CNET’s cons include limited features, and it warns the removable blade is sharp to handle.

The 2015 CPSC recall of Ninja blenders covered models starting BL660, BL663 and BL665, not the BL610; details are in the blender recall check. To compare it with the Auto-iQ model, see Ninja BL610 vs BN701.

4. Breville Fresh & Furious BBL620: best mid-priced blender

It suits a smaller household that wants a compact jug. ATK made it the best midpriced blender, listing 1,300 W and 6.25 cups, and noted it stops automatically every 60 seconds. TechRadar ranked it the best medium-capacity blender (1.5 L, 5 speeds, 3 presets) and found slight leaking into the lid well when filled to maximum.

TechGearLab scored it 71: smoothie 8.0, purée 4.0, frozen 6.0. CNET called its performance average and said it struggled to mix wet and dry ingredients. Consumer Reports names the BBL620SIL among its high scorers, but its scores are for members only.

Three outlets rate it highly, one calls it average and one splits by task, so it isn’t the best blender on every list.

5. Ninja Professional Plus BN701: best budget blender for frozen drinks

It suits frozen-drink makers who want Auto-iQ presets cheaply. ATK named it the best less expensive blender, listing 1,200 W and 8 cups. Its summary says it struggled to make almond butter; the full write-up says it got there, with slightly gritty results and a hot machine. ATK also found the detachable blade “sometimes fell out” when pouring smoothies.

TechGearLab’s review dates from June 3, 2022, so the data is older. It scored 68 overall (smoothie 6.0, purée 5.8, frozen 7.5, cleaning 7.9), crushed ice in 60 seconds and made a margarita in 120 seconds. Small pieces of kale didn’t fully purée.

See Ninja BL610 vs BN701, and if yours won’t start, see Ninja blender blinking lights.

6. Vitamix 5200: best high-end blender

It suits people who blend every day, make hot soups and want a long warranty; it reached the highest soup temperature TechGearLab measured among these six. ATK named it the overall winner (1,491 W, 8 cups) but noted it is 20.25 inches tall, so it can’t be stored on a counter beneath a standard 18-inch-tall cabinet. TechGearLab scored it 81 with a perfect 10.0 for smoothies, 7.8 for purée and 8.0 for frozen drinks.

TechGearLab’s Vitamix 5200 review is dated October 16, 2017, so treat its numbers as old. It made tomato soup in just under six minutes and heated it to just over 153°F (152.4°F in the roundup table), but nut butter “remained thick and grainy,” the motor became exceptionally warm, and cleaning scored 3.5.

The Vitamix 5200 owner’s manual gives a 7-year full machine warranty. It also says not to put the container, lid or lid plug in the dishwasher, and tells owners of 120-volt machines to turn off the power switch for up to 45 minutes to reset after overload protection trips. For the price question, see Vitamix 5200 vs Ninja BN701.

How to choose a blender: size, wattage, jar shape and presets

Personal or full-size

A personal blender makes one drink in its own cup; a full-size pitcher handles soups and batches. See personal vs full-size blenders.

How many watts

ATK found that blenders with stated power ratings of less than 750 W often struggled with nut butters and made coarser smoothies and purées. Peak versus rated watts is covered in blender wattage explained.

Jar shape and noise

ATK found taller, narrower jars about 4.5 inches across at the middle made better vortexes. It prefers models under 100 decibels and says less expensive blenders are often noisier, running well over 100 decibels at their peaks.

Presets

ATK was unimpressed by ice-cream, soup-heating and juicing features and doesn’t require presets. Consumer Reports says fancy features, presets included, have little to do with performance.

Cabinet clearance

Measure under your cabinets first: per ATK, the 20.25-inch Vitamix 5200 can’t be stored beneath a standard 18-inch-tall cabinet, while ATK lists the BN701 at 17 inches.

Blender safety: hot liquids, blades and recalls

The Vitamix 5200 manual says to “always operate blender with lid and lid plug firmly in place.” With hot liquids it says: “Do not fill container to the maximum capacity. Always begin processing on the lowest speed setting, variable speed 1.”

nutribullet’s Blender Combo guide says never to blend hot liquids in the pitcher without the pitcher lid and vented lid cap locked and attached, and: “NEVER blend hot liquids in your nutribullet® cups or any other sealed vessel.” Follow your own model’s manual; can you put hot liquid in a blender goes model by model.

CPSC recall 16-034, announced November 12, 2015, covered about 1.1 million Ninja blenders in the US with model numbers starting BL660, BL663 or BL665, after 53 laceration reports. The remedy was new instructions: empty the pitcher through the locked lid’s pour spout, or remove both the lid and the stacked blade assembly before pouring. The BL610, BN701 and DB351 are not on its model list.

Vitamix’s 2024 recall 24-276 covers Ascent and Venturist 8 oz and 20 oz containers and blade bases. Its 2013 recall covers certain 64 oz Low-Profile containers sold with the 7500, Professional Series 300 and Professional Series 750 or on their own. Neither lists the 5200. See the blender recall check and, for a hot-motor smell, blender smells like burning.

Cleaning and care: what the manuals allow in the dishwasher

Vitamix says not to put the 5200’s container, lid or lid plug in the dishwasher. nutribullet’s guide says its cups and to-go lids are top-rack dishwasher-safe and its pitcher is dishwasher-safe, but never on a sanitize cycle, because that heat can warp the plastic. TechGearLab says the BN701’s lid, pitcher and blades are all dishwasher safe. ATK disagrees with dishwasher use in general: it doesn’t recommend putting any blender parts in the dishwasher, even ones labeled safe.

See how to clean a blender, is a blender jar dishwasher safe and, if it stops mid-blend, blender won’t turn on.

More blender reviews, comparisons and guides

• Ninja BlendBoss DB351 review
• Vitamix 5200 vs Ninja BN701
• Ninja BL610 vs BN701
• nutribullet NBF50500 vs Ninja BN701
• Blender recall check
• How we research