The Best Blenders (That Aren’t Just a Vitamix)

Here at VICE, we be blending. We stan the Ninja; we’ve gone deep on the Vitamix. We fuck with Nutribullet, and recently obsessed over the new, viral Beast blender. Why so much blending? you might be thinking. Do you not have anything better to do, like cover the world’s injustices and take mushrooms at monster truck rallies? Indeed we do, and to fuel those activities, we love a good smoothie. Plus, our team recently did a DNA test and discovered that we’re 45% health goth, 24% Henry Rollins, and 8% Goop.com, which honestly explains a lot. So, yeah, we’re absolute experts when it comes to blenders. It’s practically in our blood. 

There’s a lot to consider when picking a blender, because there are many shapes, sizes, and settings. Some chambers are cylindrical, while others are conical; many open at the top (see: Vitamix), but others are inverted, like the Beast and the Nutribullet. There are blenders with multiple speed settings and ones that simply annihilate at the press of one button. So, with all the options out there, how do you pick the right one? Buckle up, ye fellow smoothie freaks, and behold our favorite blenders for all price ranges.

All hail the king

The Vitamix is a rare kitchen appliance worthy of all the hype. You can do almost anything with this blender, and with an increasing number of new series and models, it’s becoming pretty dang affordable for the quality. I own a 7500 model and love it—I use it regularly to make peanut butter, hummus, and queso, and it’s been a pretty central tool in all sorts of recipes I’ve encountered in the wild. The Explorian line is more entry-level with regard to pricing and size, but is still hella powerful.

Unleash the Beastmaster within

It is viral. It is beautiful. It is Beast. This thing transformed my smoothie game, and now I’m making daily blends that can rival any smoothie shop I’ve been to. This blender is a must-have for any card-carrying member of the Smoothie Nation™ (I just invented this, so don’t bother trying to sign up). The Beast’s sleek, futuristic design (it looks like a ship from Interstellar) has made it super popular on TikTok, meaning that if you pick one up, you will become (or remain) young and cool.

A strength/endurance build worthy of ‘Elden Ring’

You may remember it from those super-long infomercials, but this iconic as-seen-on-TV blender has now become a reliable kitchen stalwart. When testing the Nutribullet, one of our reviewers wrote, “First of all, the Nutribullet Pro is a tank. Seriously—you could break a car windshield with this thing.” Since that’s why I buy blenders, that’s enough of a sell for me. Real talk, though, Nutribullet is a lauded brand and this product exemplifies what it does best.

Ninjas vs. Vitamixes: The Final Showdown

One of our resident smoothie heads tested a super affordable Ninja blender against her tried and true Vitamix, and found surprising results (the Ninja was just as good—and in some ways, better). She wrote, “The Ninja BL610 blends just as quickly and smoothly as a Vitamix, is noticeably quieter, and has some well-thought-out design features that the Vitamix doesn’t. While I’ve only been using the Ninja for a few days, so far, it is practically outperforming my old Vitamix.” For $89.99, that’s one Ninja you don’t need to hide from.

This Magic Bullet is no conspiracy theory

The Magic Bullet is a lil bub, to be sure, but it packs a real punch and is an excellent option for smaller stuff, like personal-sized smoothies and salad dressings. The best dressing I make comes out of this thing (it’s basically Serious Eats’ panzanella, but I use way more herbs, and blend it). If you just want a small, quick, and perfectly efficient blender for personal use, look no further.

Get into the mix!

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.