Reviews You Can Rely On

Breville the Super Q Review

An expensive blender that is worth every penny, featuring premium blending, pureeing, and milling capabilities
gearlab tested logo
Breville the Super Q Review (The Breville Super Q is as powerful as it is aesthetically pleasing.)
The Breville Super Q is as powerful as it is aesthetically pleasing.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Price:  $500 List
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Manufacturer:   Breville
By Hayley Thomas, Genaveve Bradshaw, and Aaron Rice  ⋅  Jun 4, 2024
94
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#1 of 16
  • Smoothies - 30% 9.2
  • Convenience - 25% 8.8
  • Ice - 20% 10.0
  • Pureeing - 15% 9.8
  • Grinding - 10% 9.3

Our Verdict

If you're looking for a top-tier blender, the Breville Super Q is an intuitive option with a slew of practical presets. The buttons are clearly labeled, the digital timer is informative, and the consistency and accuracy of the presets make it easy to use this blender to its maximum potential. Thanks to high blade speeds, notoriously chunky green smoothies are smooth and chunk free. Included accessories, like the tamper and scraper, come in handy for blending extra creamy nut butter, and a personal cup makes it easy to take smoothies on the go. Even non-traditional tasks, like milling fine-grained flour or chopping up hard cheeses, is a breeze thanks to the miling and chopping presets. Breville thought of everything, including an easy-to-run cleaning sequence. Really the only downside to this top-notch blender is the premium price tag — and the fact that it isn't quite as quiet as advertised. But if you're looking to invest in a high-quality blender and don't mind spending a little extra to do so, the Super Q is our favorite option. See how it compares against other top competitors in our review of blenders.
REASONS TO BUY
Convenient presets
Intuitive interface
Useful accessories (including a personal cup)
Great heating capability for soup
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Lid can be finicky
Blades aren't removable
Not as quiet as advertised
Editor's Note: We recently retested the Breville Super Q, and updated this review with our latest findings on June 4, 2024.

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Blender
Editors' Choice Award
Runner-Up for Best Overall Blender
Top Pick Award
Best Heavy-Duty Blender
Best Buy Award
Best Bang for the Buck
Best Buy Award
Best Buy on a Tight Budget
Price $500 List
$480.00 at Amazon
$600 List
$497.00 at Amazon
$400 List
$399.95 at Amazon
$150 List
$79.95 at Amazon
$100 List
$79.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
94
92
87
71
64
Star Rating
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Bottom Line This premium blender features a plethora of handy presets, offering top-notch versatility for blending, pureeing, and millingThis stands the test of time as one of the best blenders on the market, easily handling any kitchen taskA reasonably priced blender that is built to lastConvenient and affordable, this blender is the perfect balance of price and performanceA solid option for blending frozen beverages, without the same versatility as more expensive blenders
Rating Categories Breville the Super Q Vitamix A2500 Ascen... Blendtec Total Classic Nutribullet Combo Ninja Professional...
Smoothies (30%)
9.2
9.7
8.9
7.5
6.2
Convenience (25%)
8.8
7.8
8.0
6.7
6.3
Ice (20%)
10.0
10.0
9.7
6.6
8.1
Pureeing (15%)
9.8
10.0
8.8
7.4
5.6
Grinding (10%)
9.3
8.5
7.9
7.9
4.9
Specs Breville the Super Q Vitamix A2500 Ascen... Blendtec Total Classic Nutribullet Combo Ninja Professional...
Model Number BBL920BSS1BUS1 A2500 ES3 NBC-12A BL610
Power 2.4 HP Peak 2.2 HP Peak 3.0 HP Peak 1.6 HP Peak 1.3 HP
Pitcher Capacity 68 oz 64 oz 32 oz 64 oz 72 oz
Presets Yes, 6: Smoothie, Green Smoothie, Ice Crush, Frozen Desserts, Soup, Clean, 12 speed settings Yes, 3: Smoothie, Frozen Drink, Soup Yes, 6: Smoothie, Batters, Hot Soup, Whole Juice, Ice Cream, Mixed Drinks Yes, 2: Extract, Pulse, 3 speed settings Yes, 1: Pulse, 3 speed settings
Measured Dimensions (base with pitcher) 18" x 10.5" x 8.1" 17" x 11" x 8" 15.3" x 8" x 7" 17" x 7" x 9.5" 18" x 10.5" x 7.5"
Dishwasher Safe Yes - the blender jug, the personal blender cup, tamper, scraper, and the lids Yes Pitcher; top rack only Yes Yes
Accessories Yes
  • Personal cup
  • Recipe book
  • Two tampers
  • Personal cup blade system
Yes
  • Tamper
Yes
-Manual with recipes
Yes
-32oz Cup with blade attachment
-24oz Cup with blade attachment
-2 To-Go lids
-Tamper
-Recipe book
No
Digital Timer Yes Yes Yes No No
Meant for Heating? Yes Yes Yes No No
Cord Length 3.8 ft 4 ft 2.9 ft 2.5 ft 2.8 ft
Wattage 1800 watts 1400 watts 1560 watts 1200 watts 1000 watts
Measured Decibels for Standard Smoothie 82.4 88 84 83.7 84.1
Measured Soup Temperature 160 153.2 129 145 73

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Breville Super Q comes equipped with a 68-ounce blender jug, a 24-ounce personal blender cup and blade system, a tamper, a spatula, and even a recipe book. The main jug is large enough for a big batch of margaritas or enough soup to feed the whole family, yet the 85-square-inch footprint fits easily on most countertops. The interface features five easy-to-use presets — Green Smoothie, Smoothie, Soup, Ice Crush, and Frozen Dessert — a digital timer, and 12 speed settings, making the Super Q an incredibly versatile blender.

Performance Comparison


The Smoothie presets on the Super Q crush berries quickly, turning out high-quality smoothies in often less than a minute.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Smoothies


Throughout our testing, the Super Q continually impressed our testers with its overall outstanding performance across the board. Of course, smoothie creation was no exception. All three smoothies — even the notoriously difficult green smoothie — and the milkshake were evenly and efficiently blended.


The Super Q offers five presets, including one for Green Smoothies, which works nearly perfectly, even when using the smaller, personal bottle base. This preset cruised through a blend of fresh kale and frozen berries in less than 60 seconds, producing a smoothie with a pleasantly creamy texture. While we did use the tamper to help stir ingredients during blending, it didn't require shaking or tipping to facilitate an efficient blend. That said, the contents don't necessarily need to be stirred to achieve a creamy consistency — with the preset, you could easily opt for a hands-off experience.

breville the super q - the wide mouth of the 68-ounce jug makes it easy to load fresh...
The wide mouth of the 68-ounce jug makes it easy to load fresh ingredients.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

We used the basic Smoothie preset for our standard frozen berry, and fruit, nut, and oat smoothies. Though not nearly as quiet as the advertising suggests — the Super Q is on par with other, similarly powerful blenders in our tests — this blender broke down frozen fruit easily. Although there was a noticeable texture to the more substantial fruit, nut, and oat smoothie, both mixes were well blended. While the Super Q makes a decent berry breakfast on the Smoothie preset, it struggled to break down tiny berry seeds, resulting in a noticeable crunch.

breville the super q - the oversized container allowed us to add all of our smoothie...
The oversized container allowed us to add all of our smoothie ingredients at once, and the powerful motor had no problem processing them to near perfection.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

We also noticed a little yogurt stuck to the sidewalls while blending breakfast smoothies, which is a bit disappointing considering the overall performance of the Super Q, but nothing that the included spatula couldn't easily clean up. On the other hand, an Oreo milkshake is perfectly blended on the Smoothie preset. This blender showed no signs of struggle, easily crushing ice cream and cookies to a smooth, creamy consistency.

breville the super q - achieving a consistent texture throughout your green smoothie can be...
Achieving a consistent texture throughout your green smoothie can be difficult, but the Super Q knocks it out of the park.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Convenience


Among other professional-grade blenders we tested, the Super Q stands out for user-friendliness. The interface is intuitive, with clearly labeled buttons and digital readout, and the presets are dialed for uber-easy, “hands-off” blending. The Super Q is also conveniently easy to clean. Most parts are dishwasher safe, and it even features an effective auto-clean function.


Like all Breville products, the Super Q layout is super clean. The buttons for the blend preset, cleaning cycle, and timer all light up, and we appreciate that everything is labeled with words rather than images, so there's no room for misinterpretation. A dial makes it easy to scroll through options on the small digital screen — including speed settings like mill, puree, blend, chop, mix, and stir — and you can easily set the countdown timer. The clear labeling, intuitive design, and intentional presets remove the guesswork and allow for a hands-off experience while offering consistency in your blending experience.

The well-labeled, illuminated buttons make selections easy, and a...
The well-labeled, illuminated buttons make selections easy, and a digital countdown timer is displayed on a well-lit screen.
It is also very easy to cycle through the 12 preprogrammed speeds...
It is also very easy to cycle through the 12 preprogrammed speeds using the dial on the right.
The interface of the Super Q is clean and easy to use, with clearly labeled buttons, settings, and a large timer.

The pitcher, personal cup, and lids are all dishwasher safe. While the lid and removable inner lid are easy to wash, we could not find anything in the user manual indicating whether or not they are dishwasher safe. If you don't want to use or don't own a dishwasher, the best way to clean the cup and non-removable blades is to blend some soap and water on the Clean preset. You can place the pitcher over the base to dry, ensuring it doesn't take up too much space on your countertop.

breville the super q - thanks to its clean preset, washing the super q is super easy, even...
Thanks to its Clean preset, washing the Super Q is super easy, even without a dishwasher.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

One of our main criticisms — of the very few we had of the Super Q — is that this blender is not nearly as quiet as the advertising suggests. Even though Breville claims that this premium blender features “noise suppression technology,” an average decibel reading of 82.4 dB on the standard Berry Smoothie setting puts it on par with most other blenders we tested.


Ice


Surprisingly, some blenders are not designed for crushing ice. But thanks to its high-powered 1800-watt motor and serrated blades, the Super Q has no problem breaking down ice. In fact, it has an Ice Crush preset specifically for this purpose — simply press the button and walk away. The powerful pulse setting will churn ice into a fluffy, snowlike consistency in less than a minute.


The other preset, Frozen Dessert, is perfect for producing what we consider ideal ice for a blended margarita: smooth and creamy, with consistent texture throughout. Certainly ideal for turning frozen berries into the same creamy consistency, this preset ensures you won't accidentally crunch down on a big chunk of ice mid-marg. Or, if you'd rather have chunky ice, simply pulse this blender on one of its 12 speed settings for your preferred texture.

breville the super q - whether using the preset pulse function or choosing a speed for a...
Whether using the preset pulse function or choosing a speed for a desired texture, the Super Q makes quick work of crushing ice.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw,Genaveve Bradshaw

Pureeing


While most blenders are a single-purpose kitchen appliance, it is worth considering investing in a high-end model capable of producing more than smoothies. Professional-grade blenders, like the Super Q, are utilitarian thanks to their capability of pureeing common homemade staples, like soup or nut butters. In this case, the Super Q was at the top of its class.


The Super Q produces some of the smoothest, creamiest nut butter of any blender we tested. Using the preprogrammed puree speed, and with a little help from the tamper, this blender produced perfect nut butter in roughly 1.5 minutes. Compared to other blenders with this capability, it required less oil to turn out a blended almond and nut butter that was easily spreadable.

breville the super q - we attribute much of the pureeing power to the powerful motor and...
We attribute much of the pureeing power to the powerful motor and serrated blades, which does a great job of smoothing out chunky nut butters.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

An even more common use for powerful blenders is simultaneously blending and cooking a batch of soup — the soup preset on the Super Q purees for five minutes and 35 seconds, heating our batch of homemade tomato soup to a steamy 145 °F. Even using fresh tomatoes and garlic, the soup body was evenly blended with a creamy texture. Although the temperature change creates pressure, the Super Q features a super tight lid, and we didn't experience any soup explosions (though it is important to remain wary of this as a possibility!)

breville the super q - the journal of food science describes the optimal soup temperature...
The Journal of Food Science describes the optimal soup temperature as somewhere between 136 and 162 degrees Fahrenheit; the blended tomato soup from the Super Q nailed it.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw

Grinding


Like pureeing, grinding is normally reserved for a food processor. But also like pureeing, the Super Q crushed our grinding tests, further cementing our trust in this powerful, versatile blender. Sugar is easily turned into powder, hard cheeses are ground with no signs of struggle, and we were even able to mill corn flour successfully.


The milling preset turns granulated sugar into a soft and fluffy powder in 30 seconds. The resulting powdered sugar was so powdery, in fact, that a big cloud poofed out when we removed the lid. This is a very useful preset for bakers, who might find themselves in a pinch without powdered sugar on hand to top off a freshly baked dessert.

The Super Q turns regular granulated sugar into powdered sugar quickly and efficiently.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

The mill setting also creates next-to-perfect corn flour. While we still needed to sift to get consistent, fine-grained corn flour, almost all the milled flower traveled through the double-mesh sieve, leaving only a few course corn pebbles behind.

To make cornmeal, we started with a small amount of corn kernels.
To make cornmeal, we started with a small amount of corn kernels.
The mill program and countdown timer made it easy to set the blender...
The mill program and countdown timer made it easy to set the blender and turn to other tasks while it worked.
While it required a bit of sifting to remove a few larger leftover...
While it required a bit of sifting to remove a few larger leftover grains, we were very happy with the resulting cornmeal. Perfect for making fresh tortillas!
The Super Q created nearly perfect corn flour.

Using the chop setting, we could grind hard cheeses, like parmesan, with relative ease. Unlike some of the other blenders we tested, which required cheese to be precut into smaller pieces, the Super Q could take on larger blocks, making this process much more efficient. Although the result was a slightly coarser grind with a few unblended chunks, there was no clumping, and the resulting ground parmesan was still of restaurant quality.

breville the super q - although it was fairly average on the smoothie settings, the decibel...
Although it was fairly average on the Smoothie settings, the decibel levels while grinding were lower than other blenders (though it is nearly impossible for your ears to tell any difference!)
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Should You Buy the Breville Super Q?


The easy answer to this question is yes. The Super Q is a thoughtfully designed blender with an intuitive interface and several useful accessories, including a personal to-go cup. It perfectly blends smoothies, can easily whip up a batch of hot soup, and easily transition to non-traditional uses like milling or chopping. Thanks to its expert-level ice-crushing capabilities, it even makes a mean margarita. Although this premium blender carries a premium price tag, considering its high-level performance and versatility, it is well worth the investment.

What Other Blenders Should You Consider?


The Vitamix A2500 is another high performer with a similarly high price tag to match. We have been testing this model for years and continue to be impressed with its performance over time. But we recognize that the Vitamix A2500 and Breville Super Q are hefty investments. The Blendtec Total Classic also stands out for its longevity — even with regular, heavy use — and is significantly less expensive than the Vitamix or Breville models. For an even more reasonably priced blender, our choice is the Nutribullet Combo. Although it doesn't offer the same convenient presets as the Super Q, it performs as well or better than other models that cost twice as much.

Hayley Thomas, Genaveve Bradshaw, and Aaron Rice