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Blender Gift Guide Header

What are the best blenders according to ratings and experts?

I’m in the market for a high-quality and affordable blender and figured I should put my many hours of research to good use by sharing the data with you. I’ve read 20 of the most-viewed articles about expert-tested blenders from Food Network, Good Housekeeping, New York Magazine, Real Simple, RTings, and more. From there I narrowed down the most consistently recommended blenders for quality and value. After that, I read user reviews to check for customer consistency.

Hands-down, the Vitamix Explorian is among the most highly rated and talked-about blenders in the culinary community. The Explorian is on my list but toward the bottom because I’m also tryina build my 401k and my kid’s college savings account. For this reason, I’m focusing primarily on the best blenders that cost less than $175.

At $290, Vitamix E310 Explorian is an investment blender and among the highest-rated.

Keep in mind, I’m a recreational maker of smoothies and frozen drinks. If you’re looking for a professional-grade blender, this list isn’t the one for you. (For that, you’d probably want a cadillac like the Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender.) By the way, even Homes & Gardens says, “If you’re only an occasional user, a budget model ($100 to $150) makes sense. At this price, you’ll get decent controls but you may find that your results aren’t quite as smooth.”

Let’s dive into the best blenders for less than $175 as of publishing in November 2022. Note that I’m focusing on full-size blenders and not including immersion blenders here.

Best blenders for less than $175

KitchenAid K150 3 Speed Ice Crushing Blender, 48 ounces is approximately $140.

KitchenAid K150 Blender

• 48-ounce blender jar

• Intelli-Speed motor control automatically senses contents and maintains the optimal speed to power through all of your ingredients

• Available in red, blue, matte and shiny black, gray, and white


The Ninja BL610 Professional 72 Oz Countertop Blender is approximately $80.

Ninja BL610 Professional

• BPA-free pitcher has a handy pour-spout

• Extra-large capacity: 72-ounce blender pitcher; 64-ounce max liquid capacity

• Dishwasher-safe


The NutriBullet Blender Combo is approximately $100.

NutriBullet blender combo

• Includes 64-ounce blender with lid and vented lid cap, tamper, 32-ounce cup, 24-ounce cup, to-go lids, and recipe book

• To clean, place pitcher and cups in the dishwasher and rinse The easy twist Extractor blades with soap and water.


Hamilton Beach Professional Quiet Shield Blender, 1500W, 32oz BPA Free Jar

Hamilton Beach Professional Quiet Shield Blender

• Removable Quiet Shield dampens noise

• 4 program settings: Smoothie, Ice Crush, Puree, and Clean 

• Dishwasher-safe parts


How about you? What blenders do you recommend? Share your thoughts in comments.

Amy Cuevas Schroeder is the founder and CEO of The Midst. By day, she works full time on the Atlassian AI team. By night, she's building The Midst to empower women in their late 30s to 50s. She started her first business, Venus Zine, in her dorm room at Michigan State University, and later sold the company. She now lives in the Phoenix area, and is raising twin girls with her husband, Martin, a therapist. Between Venus and The Midst, she's worked as a content leader for Etsy, Minted, Unusual Ventures, Grow Therapy, and has written for NYLON, Pitchfork, The Startup, West Elm, and more. Subscribe to The Midst newsletter for exclusive content that you can't get on the-midst.com here on The Midst Substack.

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