After Days of Testing, We Found 4 Budget Blenders That Are High-Powered and Efficient

After testing and retesting dozens of blenders, we noticed a handful of budget models that exceeded our expectations. While these cheaper blenders (read: under $200) fell short of our overall winners owing to less power and versatility and fewer speed options, we were still impressed by their ability to perform the basic tasks well, at a fraction of the cost. 

In fact, we don’t always recommend pricey blenders with lots of bells and whistles. If you use yours infrequently, or for just smoothies and sauces, one of these budget blenders will suit your needs just fine.

The Tests

• Volume and Key Specs Test: We used a decibel meter to record the blender on low, medium, and high speeds when blending eight ounces of water and 16 ounces of ice. We also took key measurements, including the cord length.
• Almond Milk Test: To evaluate the blender’s efficiency at puréeing both hard and sticky ingredients with water, we added almonds and dates and attempted to make nut milk.
• Smoothie Test: We used the almond milk from the previous test, along with frozen blueberries, chopped kale, and peanut butter (in that order), to make smoothies in each blender. Post-blending, we passed the smoothie through a fine-mesh strainer and noted the remaining pulp.
• Frozen Margarita Test: To see how well each blender could handle frozen drinks and crush ice, we made margaritas in each blender.
• Mayonnaise Test: We made mayonnaise using this technique to gauge emulsification abilities.
• Soup Test: To judge how well a blender could handle ingredients of varying textures, we made butternut squash-apple soup in each one (using a soup preset if available). After blending, we recorded the soup’s final temperature with an instant-read thermometer and also noted the consistency.

What We Learned

Most Budget Blenders Struggled with Fibrous Ingredients

Few of the inexpensive blenders we tested flat-out failed in the almond milk, smoothie, and soup tests, but most struggled to turn out a truly smooth result. There was a lot more pulp left in the strainer as compared to our more expensive winners. For comparison, The Ninja Detect Power Duo left behind a full cup of pulp in the smoothie test. The Vitamix 7500, one of the winners in our overall blender review, produced less than an eighth of a cup of finely textured pulp.

Budget Blenders Often Had Serrated Blades to Make Up for Lower-Powered Motors

High-speed, high-end blenders (like Vitamix) have big-time horsepower behind them, which is what makes them so good at turning a bunch of raw kale leaves into a sauce, or raw nuts into a surprisingly creamy purée. But those impressive motors translate to a higher cost, which is why budget blenders can retail for hundreds less. To make up for some of the power lost, many of the cheaper models we tested had serrated blades. This can help shred fibrous and tough ingredients, but serrated blades get dull much quicker than blunt blades. That said, any blade, whether it’s straight or serrated, will lose its edge with use and time. Unlike your favorite chef’s knife, it’s impossible to sharpen blender blades once they become dull—which is why so many of our favorites, like the Vitamix 5200, actually have blunt, ingredient-pummeling blades to begin with.

Expect Fewer Speed Settings on a Budget Blender

One of the things we loved about our favorite higher-cost blenders was the amount of variable speed settings: some offered as many as twelve. The ability to begin blending on a low, slow speed and work your way up to a fast pace is key for a creamy consistency. It’s also necessary for the emulsification process, which is why so many of the budget blenders failed to make mayonnaise. Echoing the previous two findings, the best way to work around this shortcoming is to primarily blend liquid, soft, or cooked ingredients in a budget blender.

Budget Blenders Offered Shorter Warranties

The majority of budget blenders on our list of winners came with three-year warranties, with an outlier offering just one year. These are inarguably lower than the seven- and eight-year warranties offered by high-end blenders, but that doesn’t mean they’re not still smart buys. You can prolong the life of any blender by always hand washing the jar, lid, and blades (even if the manufacturer claims they’re dishwasher-safe), and turning off the blender immediately if it sounds or smells like it’s overheating.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Budget Blender

The best budget blenders offer presets, like smoothie and ice crush, as well as variable speeds. Although no budget blender we tested could compete with our overall favorite blender’s 10 speeds, we preferred models that offered at least low, medium, and high settings. Many budget blenders come with serrated blades. That's not ideal for longevity, but look for a blade configuration with tips oriented in different directions (this maximizes efficiency, and is less likely to get clogged). Warranties should be at least three years, and although most budget blenders don’t come with many fancy features, some of our favorites offer added-value design elements, like cord storage and colorful bases.

Our Favorite Affordable Blenders

The Best Budget Blender

Breville Fresh & Furious Blender

$199 at Amazon $200 at Williams Sonoma $200 at Target

What we liked: This five-blade blender proved that sometimes more is more. The blades, which are oriented in multiple directions, had enough space between each one to allow ingredients to cycle through without getting stuck. The display panel has five speeds and three presets (green smoothie, smoothie, and ice crush), but it’s uncluttered and intuitive to use. There’s an auto-clean function and cord storage, and, at under nine pounds, this is a relatively lightweight blender.

We were blown away by the frozen margarita, which was one of our favorites: silky-smooth, with a cotton candy-like texture that melted lightly on the tongue. It made a good (albeit minorly runny) mayonnaise, something most other budget blenders struggled with. The Fresh and Furious blender comes in a wide variety of cool metal tones, an aesthetic bonus for cooks who prefer to leave this appliance on the counter. 

What we didn’t like: The spout is small and dribbly when pouring liquid from the jar. With visible flecks of apple and a maximum temperature of 104 degrees, the soup could have been better puréed—and hotter. The blades are serrated and, in most tests, there was more pulp leftover than ideal, but the Breville performed far better than most.

Key Specs

• Jar capacity: 50 ounces
• Weight: 8.5 pounds
• Type of interface: Analog, with digital timer
• Speed settings: Five, plus three presets (smoothie, green smoothie, ice crush)
• Warranty: Three years
• Care instructions: Jar and lid are dishwasher safe (jar on bottom rack; lid on top rack), but hand washing is recommended for longevity; autoclean function is included
  

Another Great Budget Blender

Cuisinart CBT-1500 Hurricane 2.25 Peak HP Blender

$200 $150 at Amazon

What we liked: The Hurricane stays true to Cuisinart’s design ethos: efficient, hard-working, but not flashy. We liked the rubber handle, which was comfortable to grip. The lid fits securely onto the jar, without any leaks or drips. The ice crush setting worked very well, churning out an exemplary frozen margarita with a superior texture. The motor never struggled, even during the six minutes of our soup test—and the finished soup was almost 10 degrees hotter than most of the other winners. The countdown timer was a nice touch, and the user interface was intuitive to use. At 7.5 pounds, it’d be manageable for most cooks to take out of a cabinet and set up.

What we didn’t like: The Cuisinart Hurricane offers just two presets and two speed settings: low and high. The spout is shallow and very wide, which makes it tricky to pour from. There was a considerable amount of pulp left over after straining the soup.

Key Specs

• Jar capacity: 60 ounces
• Weight: 7.5 pounds
• Type of interface: Analog, with digital timer
• Speed settings: Two, plus two presets (smoothie and ice crush)
• Warranty: Three years 
• Care instructions: Jar is dishwasher safe, but hand washing is recommended for longevity

The Best Budget Blender for Smoothies

KitchenAid K150 3 Speed Ice Crushing Blender

$160 at Amazon $15 at Walmart $200 at Sur La Table

What we liked: This petite blender is lightweight and easy to tuck away in a cabinet. That said, the interface is sleek and minimalist; you could certainly leave it on the counter under the guise of decor. It’s moderately quiet, with a ranking just two higher than the Cuisinart Hurricane. 

It excelled at the mayonnaise test, producing a thick consistency, but we were particularly impressed with its performance on the smoothie. The only visible ingredients were small flecks of blueberry skin, and it was fully blended in under a minute. For an additional $100, you can upgrade to a package that includes a personal blending cup—a nice feature for habitual smoothie drinkers. The uncomplicated dial is great, even if it lacks a little oomph behind the motor. At $100, it’s hard to beat the price of this blender. 

What we didn’t like: This blender left behind more pulp than most of the winners on our list. It overheated and shut off during the almond milk test, though it quickly recovered (and it’s worth noting that an auto-off feature is ideal to protect the motor of any blender). The warranty is valid for just one year, although you can add on additional coverage at the time of purchase. As of August 2024, it is out of stock through most retailers.

Key Specs

• Jar capacity: 48 ounces
• Weight: 6.8 pounds
• Type of interface: Analog (dial)
• Speed settings: Three
• Warranty: One year
• Care instructions: Jar and lid are dishwasher safe (jar on bottom rack; lid on top rack), but hand washing is recommended for longevity
  

The Best Blender Under $50

Hamilton Beach Power Elite Blender

$40 $37 at Amazon $50 at Walmart $40 at Home Depot

What we liked: This blender is $40, which is a steal considering how well it performed in the majority of our tests. This blender purrs, rather than roars, with the lowest decibel rating of our winners. The blade configuration—four total, with two oriented upwards—was great at moving ingredients through without clogs. The raised pour spout is a clever feature that more blender manufacturers should take note of. You can totally disassemble the jar, including the blades, which allows for easy deep cleaning. There’s cord storage, too.

What we didn’t like: The jar is only 40 ounces, smaller than almost any we tested: the soup overflowed as a result. The jar is made from glass, so it's unnecessarily heavy and more prone to breakage. This blender struggled with most hard, sticky, and fibrous ingredients, which was obvious when half of the smoothie didn’t make it past the strainer. The motor got so hot during the margarita test that the drink was mostly melted.

Key Specs

• Jar capacity: 40 ounces
• Weight: 6.1 pounds
• Type of interface: Analog (push button)
• Speed settings: Four (the speeds also function as different presets)
• Warranty: Three years
• Care instructions: Jar, blades, and lid are all dishwasher safe, but hand washing is recommended for longevity

The Competition

• Cleanblend Commercial Blender: About as loud as a lawn mower, the Cleanblend Commercial Blender didn’t seem as durable as the higher-priced models we tested. We docked major points for its high base speed, which was too aggressive to emulsify or slowly incorporate ingredients.
• NutriBullet Full Size Blender: We liked the easy-pour spout and the grippy suctioned feet at the base of the NutriBullet, but it left behind almost an entire cup of pulp during our soup test. Like the Cleanblend, its lowest speed was too fast to properly make mayonnaise.
• Beautiful by Drew Barrymore High Performance Touchscreen Blender: Despite an attractive (or should we say, “beautiful”) price tag, this $40 blender fell short. It made a passable smoothie, but the soup had a slushy texture, the frozen margarita was full of ice chunks, and the almond milk was foamy and separated. 
• Ninja BL610 Professional Blender: The control panel is flush against the display and simple to use, but there wasn’t much more we liked about this blender. The vortex isn’t powerful enough to fully mix ingredients, resulting in a smoothie without any peanut butter (it was stuck to the side of the jar), a lukewarm and thin soup, and a crunchy margarita.
• Ninja Detect Duo Power Blender Pro + Single Serve: This blender comes with an intuitive “BlendSense” mode that we found largely ineffective; in fact, we overrode it for most tests in favor of manual control. Unfortunately, even that turned out mediocre recipes. It overheated and shorted out multiple times during our soup test, and it left behind a frustratingly large amount of pulp. We were impressed—and a bit surprised—at the appealingly creamy texture of the mayonnaise.
• Ninja Professional Compact Smoothie & Food Processing Blender: Beyond the fact that this was the loudest blender we tested (averaging 92.9 decibels), it lacked the power, design, and blade orientation to truly blend ingredients. It produced a cup and a half of pulp in the soup test and a smoothie with texturally unpleasant shredded kale. It’s certainly not worth the over-$100 price tag.
• Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ: Despite the fact this blender has presets for ice crushing and smoothies, it made a lackluster margarita with crunchy chips of ice, and a pulpy, borderline-undrinkable smoothie. The soup was far from smooth, and we had to restart the machine a total of seven times during that test. This model’s redeeming quality, like most Ninja blenders, is that it’s relatively lightweight and easy to move around.

FAQs

Do you really need an expensive blender?

Possibly not. Budget blenders often struggle with tough tasks, like turning fibrous vegetables into creamy purées and blending nut butter. And as we saw during some of our tests, they can fall short of the pricier models when it comes to special features, like cooking piping hot soup in the jar. But if you’re mostly using yours for smoothies and sauces, all of the winners on the list will get the job done. 

How long does a cheap blender last?

Provided you take good care of your blender and don’t tax it with aggressive tasks, there’s no reason a cheap blender won’t last as long as a costlier one. The real thing to keep an eye on is the warranty: Most we tested offer just three-year limited warranties as a baseline. To extend the life of your blender (any blender), follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use, don’t overwork it, do not soak any parts in water for prolonged periods, and attend to any issues like a slow motor or frayed cord as soon as they arise.

What's the difference between a blender and a food processor?

A blender is meant to puree foods into a smooth mixture or crush ice into a snowy powder. In contrast, a food processor is best at slicing, grating, dicing and shredding, and will produce chunkier results.

Is it worth buying a blender?

Yes! Blenders are useful for more than just protein shakes. If you make soup, sauces, salad dressings, nut butters, frozen drinks, or mill your own grains, you’ll find a blender useful. We also like using them to emulsify homemade mayonnaise. But if storage space is at a premium in your kitchen, an immersion blender, or a personal blender rather than a full-size blender, might be a better bet.

Why We're the Experts

• For this article, we tested 11 blenders across a wide variety of price points. We conducted six standardized tests, which took us over two full days to complete.
• Rochelle Bilow is Serious Eats' commerce editor. She's a professional writer, former line cook, and graduate of the French Culinary Institute. She has been writing about food professionally for over a decade, and reviewing kitchen equipment since 2021, including anti-fatigue mats and kitchen towels.
• We originally published this review in 2017. One of our favorite budget blenders, from Cuisinart, also excelled in this retesting. This means it’s held up to about seven years of evaluation.