This guide is regularly updated with new models that have been tried, tested and top-rated by BBC Good Food's reviews experts. Those featuring earned their place based on their performance during rigorous, impartial product testing. Included in this list is a selection of timeless favourites that continuously hold their position against new brand models, as well as new releases tested recently. We will only ever feature blenders that prove to be good value for money.

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Blenders can be a godsend in the kitchen, particularly if you like to kick-start your day with a smoothie, or if soup is a staple in your household when the nights draw in. But the trick is to find a model that, on top of being efficient and thorough (no-one wants a lump of banana still lurking in their smoothie), suits the size and demands of your kitchen, and isn’t so loud as to draw complaints from the neighbours.

Not just reserved for staples like smoothies and soup, blenders are more versatile than they first appear; they can be used to make three minute blender banana pancakes, herby yogurt dressing, even sunflower butter. Get the blender out next time you're entertaining and make frozen margaritas and raspberry lemonade slushies.

We tested nearly 30 blenders in all, from the basic and budget to the ultra high-tech, using the same fibrous ingredients (1 beetroot, ⅓ carrot, handful of kale and 500ml water), a super berry smoothie with large chunks of frozen fruit and finally a homemade tomato sauce. This allowed us to not only determine the overall effectiveness of the blender's blades and motor, but also how easy it is to clean.

Overall, we were looking for stand blenders that could efficiently and effectively blitz our vegetable mix into a glossy smoothie, without any leftover lumps. We also took the blender's size, ease of use, jug, volume, design, speed and functionality into consideration.

Visit our reviews section and discover more than 600 practical buyer's guides offering unbiased advice on what equipment is worth investing in. Find everything from counter-top appliances such as the best food processors and best slow cookers, through to related products like the best smoothie makers and best mini choppers.

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Best blenders test

Best blenders at a glance

  • Best budget blender: Tefal Perfectmix blender, £98
  • Best blender for keeping on the countertop: KitchenAid K400 blender, £299
  • Best user-friendly blender: Magimix 1.8L Le Blender, £155
  • Best blowout blender: Sage The Super Q™ blender, £299
  • Best blender for style and substance: Smeg BLF01 50s retro style blender, £179
  • Best basic blender: Russell Hobbs Desire jug blender, £59.62
  • Best multifunction blender: Vitamix Ascent A3500i blender, £699
  • Best blender for ice: Nutribullet blender, £89.99
  • Best blender with grinder attachment: Lakeland tabletop blender with grinder, £79.99
  • Best blender for contemporary kitchens: Zwilling Enfinigy table blender, £199

Best blenders to buy in 2023

KitchenAid K400 blender

KitchenAid blender in red

Best blender for keeping on the countertop

Pros:

  • Glass blender jug
  • Self-clean setting
  • Jug hand loads for left- and right-handed people

Cons:

  • Heavy to manoeuvre
  • Confusing pause before starting its speed settings
  • Short flex cord

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 1200W

This 1500ml KitchenAid is one for the countertop, elegantly rounded with non-slip feet and a good deal of heft that frankly, makes it impractical to move every time, so this would be a permanent addition to your countertop. This is in part down to the weighty glass jug that lifts on and off and as a nice touch, the handle can be set on the left or right depending which works best for you.

The jug is also notched with helpful ml and oz measurements for weighing directly into the jug to save on washing-up. It's also dishwasher safe on the top shelf and didn't hold any colour or smell of tomato after blending sauce. The blades are ready-loaded and secured which is a pro from a safety perspective.

Read our full KitchenAid K400 blender review.

Magimix 1.8L Le Blender

Best user-friendly blender

Pros:

  • Compact size
  • Functionality

Cons:

  • Self clean not always thorough

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 1300W

This isn't the cheapest blender, but the Magimix Le Blender performs as well as some of the really expensive brands, meaning you get plenty of bang for your buck. It's intuitive to use and sturdy, plus the jug attachment and lid feels secure thanks to the suction design. It was also one of the quietest blenders we tested, living up to its 'Quiet Mark' seal of approval. Overall, it combines design and functionality with finesse.

Read our full Magimix Le Blender review

Sage The Super Q™ blender

Best blowout blender

Pros:

  • High tech functions
  • Superb results

Cons:

  • Price

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 2400W

This Sage blender's USP is its extra-quiet credentials, with the company going so far as to patent the technology. Sage specialises in this kind of pioneering functionality, and The Super Q™ lives up to expectations. It has all the makings of a professional-level piece of kit but has been designed with the home user in mind: simple pre-set functions, an in-built timer, handy tools for scraping down the jug, a personal blending cup attachment and more. Most importantly, the blitzing results are excellent.

Read our full Sage The Super Q™ blender review

Smeg BLF01 50s retro style blender

Best blender for style and substance

Pros:

  • Good looking
  • Great results

Cons:

  • Blades sometimes tricky to remove

Star rating: 5/5

Wattage: 800W

As with many Smeg products, this vintage-look blender has an attractive and eye-catching aesthetic, but we were happy to discover the functionality is as impressive as the design. This model created one of the silkiest smoothies of all blenders tested, with no sign of leftover sediment in the finished drink. It's easy to use and the compact, lightweight plastic jug feels durable. Its ergonomic handle means it stores neatly, as does the fact the cable can be tucked away in a cord tidy.

Read our full Smeg retro blender review

Tefal Perfectmix blender

Best budget blender

Pros:

  • Compact
  • Powerful

Cons:

  • Heavy

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 1200W

With a price tag below £100, the Tefal Perfectmix is one of the cheapest blenders we tested, but its powerful motor means it is incredibly fast, efficient and adept at tackling the task in hand. The blender is user-friendly thanks to several well-designed functions: an in-built cooler to avoid overheating, pre-set functions like auto-cleaning and ice crushing, plus a jug with a generous capacity.

More like this

Read our full Tefal Perfectmix blender review

Russell Hobbs Desire jug blender

Best basic blender

Pros:

  • Good price
  • Effective

Cons:

  • Only two speed settings

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 650W

What this sleek-looking blender lacks in multiple functions it makes up for in solid performance and ease of use. It functions as well as more expensive models on the market, so much so it blitzed our tester smoothie so thoroughly you could be forgiven for thinking the drink had been made in a juicer, rather than a blender. It is compact, sturdy, leak-proof and gets a big thumbs-up on the value for money front.

Read our full Russell Hobbs Desire blender review

Vitamix Ascent A3500i blender

Best multifunction blender

Pros:

  • 10 speeds
  • High tech
  • Versatile

Cons:

  • Price

Star rating: 4.5/5

Wattage: 1200W

There's no denying this blender is an expensive investment, but it comes laden with so many functions that you could considerably scale down the number of appliances you have to make way for it. This model's extensive repertoire also covers drinks, sauces, dips, spreads, soups, batters, dough, baby food and desserts, all using the same blades and jug. As you'd expect from a brand often used in professional kitchens, it creates an impressively blended and well-mixed smoothie.

Read our full Vitamix Ascent review

Nutribullet blender

Best blender for ice

Pros:

  • Suitable for left and right-handed users
  • Dishwasher safe jug
  • Simple settings

Cons:

  • Limited safety features

Star rating: 4.5 /5

Wattage: 1000W

What you see is what you get with the Nutribullet blender. The large 1.6-litre plastic jug is a good size and has a wide, defined pouring lip. We love that it can be placed on the base with the handle to the left or the right, depending on which is your dominant hand.

It’s not too expensive and it’s not the fanciest looking blender, but with three simple blending settings, it’s wonderfully easy to use. However, it does lack any safety features to stop you switching it on without the lid.

The sturdy suction cup feet keep it rooted to the worktop, but nevertheless it still wobbled a bit when blending tough fibrous ingredients. Having said that, it can turn a whole tray of ice cubes to a fine powder in under 30 seconds as well as creating smooth smoothies and sauces.

Lakeland tabletop blender with grinder

Best blender with a grinder attachment

Pros:

  • Blades remove for thorough cleaning
  • Aromas don’t linger in the spice grinder

Cons:

  • Glass jug is heavy
  • Still operates without lid in place

Star rating: 4.5 /5

Wattage: 1200W

Considering its budget-friendly price, this Lakeland blender has a lot to offer. Not only do you get a sturdy stainless-steel blender with a 1.5 litre glass jug, but there’s also a large stainless-steel grinder for grinding anything from seeds to spices or coffee beans.

The blender copes well with tough ingredients like ice and fibrous vegetables, but we had to give it a few stirs when blending a very thick smoothie mixture. The grinder is fast and effective though, with a large capacity and plenty of blending speeds to choose from.

On the downside, the lights on the front don’t switch off automatically and none of the accessories can go in the dishwasher. It’s worth noting that there isn’t a safety feature to stop the blades if the lid is off. Having said that, this is a great value multipurpose blender.

Zwilling Enfinigy table blender

Best blender for contemporary kitchens

Pros:

  • Plenty of speed options
  • Lid must be in position to switch on
  • Available in two colours

Cons:

  • Backlit display isn’t very clear
  • Handle can only be placed to right side

Star rating: 4 /5

Wattage: 1200W

The Zwilling Enfinigy table blender is up there with some of the pricier blenders on this list. But what you get for the money is a capable all-round blender that offers ample speeds as well as three blending programmes and a self-clean programme. The serrated blade blitzed through all of our test foods with ease, but if you’re looking for a blender that can handle big batches of soup, this 1.4 litre jug might be too small.

It’s a sleek and streamlined blender that matches several other appliances in the Enfinigy range. The controls are simple to use and it won’t switch on until the lid is firmly locked into position which is a great safety feature. On balance though, we were disappointed with the clarity of the backlit display and the fact the jug can’t go in the dishwasher.

Available from:
Zwilling (£199)

Other blenders tested and rated

How to choose the best blender

What is a blender?

Stand blenders come in all different shapes and sizes with a range of specifications and price points, so it's best to evaluate the overall demands of your lifestyle and kitchen, and also the space you have available. Some of the more advanced machines tend to be bulkier and heavier, with larger jugs and stands.

Things to look for in a blender

  • Pulse function
  • Variety of speed settings
  • BPA-free plastic or glass jug
  • Measurement notches on the jug
  • Self-clean function
  • Auto shut-off in case of overheating
  • Plunger
  • Pouring spout
  • Individual smoothie cup with a sealed lid

What can you use a blender for?

It's worth identifying whether you need a straightforward blender, purely for the sake of blending smoothies and soups, or whether you'd like additional functions such as ice crushing, the ability to blend hot ingredients, or the power to pulse ingredients such as nuts and seeds.

Finally, if you're short on time, and looking to save on the washing-up, it may be worth looking for a device that comes with its own to-go cup which you can blend smoothies directly into – you can find these at different price points, depending on your budget.

How we tested blenders

We tested nearly 30 blenders overall, from the basic and budget to the high-tech, using the same smoothie concoction (1 beetroot, ⅓ carrot, handful kale and 500ml water) to test the blenders' ability to handle tough and fibrous ingredients.

We also tested them by making a super berry smoothie with frozen fruits to determine the overall quality and effectiveness of the blender with icy lumps and its all-important blade. Tomato sauce has the ability to stain containers so we also assessed each blender on how easily we could clean away those red stains and lingering smells.

  • Blade strength: Could the blade easily blend our smoothie mix without struggling?
  • Speed of blitzing: How quickly and efficiently did the smoothie blend?
  • Ease of use: Was the blender easy to set up, put together, take apart and clean? Was it straightforward?
  • The jug: How heavy and durable was the jug? Was it shatter-resistant? Plastic or glass? If plastic, was it BPA-free?
  • Safety: Does it come with a safety lock? How tightly does the lid fit?
  • Loudness: All blenders generate noise, but were there any that were quieter or louder than others?
  • Functions: How many speed settings? On top of blending, are there any other functions, such as pulse, crushing ice etc? Any pre-set functions to make things such as soups and smoothies? Auto-clean?
  • Results: How well blended was the smoothie? Any lumpy bits leftover, or was it completely smooth?
  • Design and aesthetic: Is it well designed or bulky? How much space does it take up on the counter? Does it justify its size? Does it pack away easily in a cupboard?
  • Packaging: Is it well-packed, or does it come with excess packaging etc?

Find out more about how testing works at BBC Good Food by heading over to our how we test page.

Related reviews

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Blender recipes

Soup recipes
Smoothie recipes
8 new ways to use a blender
Super berry smoothie
Mango and passion fruit smoothie
Spiced carrot and lentil soup
Three-minute blender banana pancake

If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.

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