How We Tested Blenders

By Austin Palmer, David Wise, Genaveve Bradshaw, Hayley Thomas, and Aaron Rice

Tuesday June 4, 2024

We purchased the top blenders on the market and put them through a battery of side-by-side tests to find the very best. Every test is intended to challenge the capabilities of these appliances. We design our tests to be mutually exclusive and comprehensively exhaustive to best cover all of the important aspects one might consider before purchasing a product. We then objectively compare their performance relative to one another to determine final scores and assign awards. The following article describes our testing process — what tests we performed, what we looked for, and how we scored each metric.

The best blenders are ones that are powerful, easy to use, and turn out fantastic blended drinks and purees.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Smoothies

The first thing we culturally associate with a blender is a smoothie. As a result, this series of tests carries the highest weight of any metric, comprising 30% of each product's final score. We blended three popular types of smoothies — a simple berry-based recipe, a green smoothie with fresh ingredients, and a fruit, nut, and oat breakfast blend — as well as an Oreo milkshake.

We followed the manufacturer-recommended instructions for each machine. If a blender included a specific smoothie preset, we opted for that setting. We either noted the length of the preset cycle or timed how long it took to blend each recipe appropriately. We also noted whether or not we needed to shake up the blending jug or use a tamper to help the process along.

blender - the nutribullet made short work of some frozen berries. — The NutriBullet made short work of some frozen berries.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

For the sake of consistency, our lead tester tasted every smoothie immediately after making it (and yes, she drank a lot of smoothies!) We judged each blend for consistency, texture, and flavor profile and noted if there was anything particularly outstanding or off-putting about each one.

A simple berry smoothie should be simple to make.

We kept an eye out for chunks of unprocessed fruits, and docked... — We kept an eye out for chunks of unprocessed fruits, and docked points accordingly.

We poured every smoothie through a fine-mesh sieve to better detect... — We poured every smoothie through a fine-mesh sieve to better detect any small particulates that can negatively affect the mouth-feel of a smoothie.

We made lots of smoothies to test the consistency of various types of recipes, including oats and leafy greens.

In the berry smoothie, we noted whether or not a blender was able to pulverize small seeds like those from strawberries. In the green smoothies, we mainly looked to see how well each blender broke up a fibrous leafy green like kale. The fruit, nut, and oat recipe was a real stress test — without any liquid in the recipe, we wanted to see how well a blender could mix a dry smoothie. And for the milkshake, we were mainly concerned about how well the blender incorporated the crushed cookies into the ice cream without melting it.

The most efficient blenders generate a vortex to better incorporate ingredients into a smooth mix.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Convenience

This metric is concerned with how easy it is to use each of these blenders from start to finish, including cleaning. We score convenience on nine different factors, and this metric accounts for 25% of the overall score.

Warm water, a little bit of soap, and crank the speed to 10: the easiest way we've found to clean a blender jug, even if the blender doesn't include a preset cleaning function.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of cleanup is the most heavily weighted sub-metric — blending can be a messy business, and a blender that isn't easy to clean is annoying or, even worse, unsanitary. We note whether or not the blender parts can be disassembled, if they are dishwasher safe, and whether or not the blender features an auto-clean function. We also consider how easy it is to handwash the pitcher and lid, specifically, and whether or not it's possible to dry them on the motor base (which is much more convenient for small kitchens with limited counter space.)

blender - before storing make sure all parts are completely dry, you don't... — Before storing make sure all parts are completely dry, you don't want mold ruining your smoothies!
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Blurring the lines between cleanup and ease of use, we note the design of the pour spout and whether or not it has the annoying habit of leaking while pouring, Similarly, we subtract points if removing the lid causes splashback.

blender - simple design touches, like a pop-top on the jug lid, can make it... — Simple design touches, like a pop-top on the jug lid, can make it that much easier to serve blended drinks.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

We also examine the design of these blenders through the lens of user-friendliness. We consider the user interface: how well the buttons and front panel are labeled and how intuitive the blender is to use straight out of the box. We evaluate the pragmatism of preset programs within the context of each blender's capabilities and whether or not it includes a digital timer. Finally, we award bonus points for any included accessories.

blender - the interface is an important part of assessing convenience. if a... — The interface is an important part of assessing convenience. If a blender is intuitive or is easy to understand, it will generally be easier to use.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

We also noted the noise level of these appliances, using an SPL meter to measure the decibel levels of each model during easy tasks, like blending smoothies, and more strenuous tasks, like grinding corn flour. Interestingly,

blender - we used a professional-quality sound meter to precisely test and... — We used a professional-quality sound meter to precisely test and compare the noise levels of each blender.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Ice

The capability to crush ice is a slightly more difficult task — and one that isn't commonly shared among all blenders — so it only accounts for 20% of the overall score. This test is as simple as it sounds: we evaluate each blender's ability to blend a cup of standard ice cubes. We're mainly examining the texture of the product — an ideal is fine, powdered snow, with points subtracted for any chunks of leftover ice.

The best blenders turned regular cube ice into powder snow; the worst left melted chunks.

Credit: Natalie Kafader

This is a critical skill for making any blended cocktail, so we also test each appliance's ability to make a tester favorite: a blended margarita. Even though this is closely tied to a blender's ability to crush ice, it's a different test because of the addition of liquid. We're considering the consistency of the mix, how smoothly the crushed ice is blended into the liquid, if there is any separation, and the quality of the texture. The highest-scoring blended beverages are velvety smooth, with a creamy texture and no hint of iciness.

blender - the ability to effectively crush ice is critical to producing... — The ability to effectively crush ice is critical to producing velvety smooth blended drinks.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Pureeing

Even though pureeing is an essential capability of any blender, the reality is that most blenders are used to make mixed drinks, not sauces. As a result, this metric only accounts for 15% of the overall score. The scores for this metric come from two very different tests: processing nut butter and pureeing a batch of homemade tomato soup.

The worst results in our nut butter test were chunky (regardless of... — The worst results in our nut butter test were chunky (regardless of whether or not that's a preferred style of nut butter.)

The best results were smooth, creamy, and easily spreadable.

When testing nut butter, we specifically wanted a spreadable, less chunky consistency without extra stirring or oil.

For the nut butter test, we run each blender for up to eight minutes or until an ideal mix is achieved, whichever comes first. We've deemed it reasonable to provide some assistance to overcome the inertia of the dry ingredients, but the more assistance necessary throughout the process, the lower the score. The score is ultimately based on the quality of the nut butter produced, with a minor emphasis on how much effort it took to achieve that product. We consider whether the nut butter can easily pour from the blender jug, how spreadable it is, the texture, and the flavor profile.

blender - some blenders can actually heat up your soup as you puree (if... — Some blenders can actually heat up your soup as you puree (if blended for long enough, generally about 5-6 minutes).
Credit: Austin Palmer

While the nut butter test challenges the motor's power, pureeing soup evaluates its endurance. We chose a simple, from-scratch creamy tomato soup recipe that uses whole ingredients. If a soup preset is available, we opt for that. Otherwise, we follow manufacturer recommendations for the speed setting and suggested time. If neither is provided, we'll ramp each blender up to its highest speed setting and run it for up to six minutes. We pour the pitcher through a sieve and consider the consistency of the blended soup, the quality of the texture, and the evenness of the seasoning. Additionally, we use an infrared thermometer to monitor temperature throughout the puree process and multiple stick thermometers to measure the final temperature.

We also used an infrared camera to monitor soup temperatures to better compare models side-by-side.

Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw

Grinding

Traditionally, this has been reserved for the best food processors. However, high-quality blenders are certainly capable of more heavy-duty tasks like grinding and milling — as a result, we dedicate 10% of the overall score to these more versatile capabilities. Our grinding score is broken down into three tests: grinding powdered sugar, shredding parmesan cheese, and milling corn flour.

Though a less common task, a blender's ability to turn regular crystal sugar into powdered sugar can be incredibly useful, especially if you like to bake.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

For the powdered sugar test, we grind one cup of sugar with one tablespoon of cornstarch for one minute and consider the consistency of the finished product — was the entire amount blended into fluffy powdered sugar, or is there leftover granulated sugar in the mix?

blender - we directly compared the results of our grinding test to judge the... — We directly compared the results of our grinding test to judge the differences in powdered sugar consistency.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw

For the parmesan test, we're aiming for the type of fine-ground parmesan cheese you might sprinkle over a pasta dish. We start with cubed blocks of hard parmesan cheese and run each blender for 30 seconds. Like with powdered sugar, we evaluate each blender's ability based on the ideal consistency and subtract points if we note any gumminess or clumped cheese.

While a few of the more powerful models are capable of grinding full... — While a few of the more powerful models are capable of grinding full blocks of hard cheeses like parmesan, most blenders benefit from breaking them up into slightly smaller chunks.

The best results resembled the fine-ground parmesan you'd shake over... — The best results resembled the fine-ground parmesan you'd shake over a slice in a pizza shop.

Blenders aren't just good for smoothies. They can tackle plenty of kitchen tasks, like grinding up parmesan cheese for your pasta night.

Milling popcorn into cornflour is easily one of the more difficult tasks in our whole test. We grind two cups of popcorn for 60 seconds and pour the resulting flour through a sieve to assess the percentage milled. Aside from efficiency, we note any inconsistencies in the final product, as well as the overall quality of the flour based on texture.

We used a SPL meter to assign a decibel level to each blender. Obviously some tasks, like blending corn flour, were louder than others.

Credit: Natalie Kafader