Best blenders in 2024 UK - 8 tried and tested expert-approved picks from NutriBullet, Magimix, Sage, and more

The best blender is the kitchen appliance you need if you want to add more fruit and vegetables to your diet. Blenders come in a variety of sizes, from single-serve cups popularised by brands like NutriBullet, to classic jug blenders from Smeg or Ninja.

If you're not sure which blender is right for you then worry not, as every one of the best blenders in our guide has been tried, tested and extensively reviewed by the Ideal Home team to aid you on your journey. By reviewing how each blender fares when making smoothies, soup, sauces and even frozen treats, we've got the insights you need into which one to buy, including the low down on which is best for hot mixes, which is the best value, and which will suit a family kitchen.

While our top-rated blender on this list is a pricey one from Vitamix (which is heavily commended by professional chefs), there are plenty of affordable options to browse on this list too, as well as models that can double up as soup-makers and the best food processors. Keep reading to find your ideal blender and add more functionality than ever to your kitchen.

Quick list - the best blenders

Best blender overall

Vitamix is undoubtedly the blender brand of the pros, a fact we consolidated in our feature on whether you need an expensive blender (according to chefs, the answer is yes).

So, you know the brand has a pros seal of approval. Within that, the Ascent 2300i is a trailblazing Vitamix, which is how you know it's the real deal. It can be used to make your own butter (no churning by hand, yet all of the wow factor at your next dinner party), dips, nut butters, mayonnaise, non-dairy milks, hot soup from scratch without a pan in sight, bread and pasta dough, wholegrain flours, baby food and frozen desserts – essentially, almost anything you could make in a food processor.

When our reviewer tried it out, she found that it was built with a more durable construction than you’d find with any other blender brand. There’s a large base to find space for in your kitchen, plus a two-litre plastic jug with a wide spout that manages to be both lightweight yet sturdy and a secure push-on lid that prevents leaks.

And while there aren’t any programmes, the Ascent 2300i doesn’t lack options – 10 speeds plus a pulse button mean you can scroll between gentle liquefying and pulverisation.

Other points of difference are a comprehensive recipe book, a tamper to nudge frozen ingredients towards its blades and an on-off switch so it’s not accidentally flicked into life. In testing, it made a smoothie that was completely lump and fleck-free in about a minute, staying steady on the worktop even at the highest speed. Its count-up timer on the front came in especially handy for keeping an eye on blending times.

Similarly, it took a minute to blend cooked ingredients into smooth soup and 6 mins 30 to blend and heat the result using the friction of its blades. A few pulses were all that was required to crush ice, and it cleaned easily after messy jobs by using water and washing-up liquid, with the mixture even reaching the lid for a thorough clean. The Vitamix Ascent scored a rare 5 stars during testing, and is worth every penny if you want the best of the best.

Our Vitamix Ascent Series A3500i Blender review has the full details.

Best blender for everything

If you're on the hunt for a blender that can do more than just smoothies, then the Ninja Foodi HB150UK Blender and Soup Maker has the versatile edge you're looking for. It's a multipurpose blender that can make soups, sauces and more - even our hard-to-please expert reviewer was seriously impressed. Ninja is a brand know for its capable, easy to use appliances, and this star blender is no exception.

Though there are definitely cheaper iterations of the best soup makers on the market, our reviewer Helen found that the Ninja Foodi could move from task to task with unparalleled ease, from crushing ice to making butters from scratch. If it's affordability you need, checking out Ninja Kitchen discount codes may also make the deal a little sweeter.

Helen's only downside with this blender was that the capacity makes just three portions of soup at a time. Lovers of sticking a mucky blender jug into their dishwasher will also be disappointed, as the blades need to be washed by hand.

Our Ninja Foodi Blender and Soup Maker review has the full details.

Best quiet blender

Putting off making your morning smoothie for fear of waking the whole household, or even the neighbours? The Super Q is here to save the day. While blending is never going to be a quiet activity we found that during testing this speedy, commercial-grade machine did its best to dampen the usual racket, and, importantly, the sound it does make is less of a jarring whine – because it’s often the pitch that’s a blender bugbear as much as the volume.

However, it’s not just noise suppression that made this blender an asset when we reviewed it– it’s also the breadth of programmes, versatility and efficiency. In the box you’ll find a good-sized two-litre jug with a lid that clips firmly into place, a 700ml cup with removable blades and a lid that you can use to blend shakes or smoothies, tamper, spatula, and a sleek silver base unit.

The controls are devilishly simple to get the hang of – there are five programmes at the push of a button, such as green smoothie, frozen dessert or soup (designed to heat up ingredients rather than blend already hot soup), plus a manual dial for ramping up through 12 speed settings and an LCD screen showing count up or count down times.

What’s especially clever though, is that the jug is compatible with the separate Vac Q pump, which enables you to suck the air out before blending. In our tests, this resulted in far less froth in a fruit and veg smoothie and noticeably velvety butternut squash soup, heated in less than six minutes (although this was noisy).

A final reason to love it is its frozen food and ice-crushing abilities – it transformed cubes into snow in about 30 seconds (the programme lasts a minute), which was easily scraped out. The only downside is the price – but if other blenders are leaving you disappointed or deafened, the Super Q is a superhero solution.

Our Sage the Super Q blender review has the full details.

Best nutribullet blender

The clue is in the name with the Nutribullet Portable Blender, which won't quite cut it in a family home, but will excel for one person to use for breakfast smoothies or before the gym. It may be the smallest option on this list, but our expert reviewer and home economist Helen McCue found that it was certainly mighty, with the ability to deal with almost all of the ingredients she threw at it.

Helen blitzed up tasty, and well textured smoothies in this blennder, as well as dressings and batters for cooking. The impressive results of those tests mean that she thought that this blender would also work well in a campervan or camping setting. The small size of it means that it's certainly an easy addition to your home, or car.

Performance wise, the bottom line with this blender after testing is that it won't entirely liquify tougher ingredients, like hard nuts, but for easier blends and small drinks portions, this blender will impress. It's affordable, compact and well-made, which means it very much has our seal of approval.

Our Nutribullet Portable Blender review has the full details.

Best blender for soup

How much blending is too much? If you’re the sort of person who feels like you’re always second-guessing your appliance or over-processing, meet the Power Blender.

It comes with five auto programmes (one of which is a time-saving self-cleaning setting) that help take the effort out of blitzing ice, smoothies, desserts and soups, alongside four speeds plus pulse for when you want more control.

During testing, our reviewer Helen thought that the Magimix Power Blender was a little pricey given that it didn't come equipped with any accessories like personal blending cups.

On the whole during the review process she did find the blender to be of a high quality however, with a thick glass jug that felt like it might have a longer life in your home compared to other options on the market.

Helen did find that this blender struggled to perfectly liquidize on occasion and that tiny seeds may get caught in your final product. But on the whole, she was impressed with the calibre of blender on offer from Magimix here and thought it was adept at churning out soups of a good consistency as well as ice and unseeded frozen fruit with ease. All in all, it's a solid option if you need an all-rounder and you're picky about quality.

Our Magimix Power Blender review has the full details.

Best personal blender

Our reviewer Helen was skeptical that the Smeg Personal Blender might be all looks and no substance and was pleasantly surprised to find that it's a perfectly capable blender, with easy-to-use controls and a passable amount of power. It won't quite be tough enough to blitz up super tough ingredients, but for milkshakes or smoothies it will be just fine, and it is the prettiest blender on the market, after all.

You can pick up this blender in an array of different colours, with the retro-style base matching in design to all of the other sought-after Smeg appliances out there. With an RRP of £109.95 there's no getting away from the fact that this blender is expensive, but if it's about to be pride of place on your countertop, then you might just find that it's worth it!

Our Smeg Personal Blender review has the full details.

Best small blender

If you're looking for the best blender for smoothies, it's a good idea to consider a personal blender. Personal blenders are designed for taking drinks on the go, and can blitz up ice, frozen fruit and protein powder into smooth and creamy drinks.

The Ninja Blender with Auto-IQ BN495UK is a smart choice. During testing our reviewer loved how it has two smart settings that use Auto-IQ to tackle even the toughest ingredients, it can chop through chunks of frozen spinach, banana, and ice to make thick milkshakes and creamy smoothies.

Personal blenders are far from versatile. This option comes with two 700ml cups that have lids for taking on the go, but nothing larger for blending family-sized dishes. What they do offer though is some seriously high powered blending power and a smaller footprint for your kitchen counter. We loved this model when we put it to the test, so if you're after a personal blender, take a look. Plus, if you make use of Ninja Kitchen discount codes you should be able to pick this up for a song.

Our Ninja Auto-IQ BN495UK Blender review has the full details.

Best food processor and blender

Affordably priced and multi-functional, the Magic Bullet Kitchen Express is the perfect choice for students or small households who want something that can blend as well as chop and slice. It has two drink pitchers, one of who has a to-go lid that stays very securely in place, and despite only being 250 watts this blender is very powerful. It was particularly effective at making smoothie bowls out of frozen bananas and berries, with little intervention.

While we found it wasn't large enough during testing for family-sized portions, the Magic Bullet Kitchen Express is perfect for smoothies and shakes, and it makes a top iced drink. The controls are simple, with an On, Off, and Pulse, but it's by no means as multi-faceted as some of the options from Ninja and Vitamix, which offer a variety of blending modes for different drinks.

Our Magic Bullet Kitchen Express food processor review has the full details.

How we test blenders

As part of our commitment to how we test products at Ideal Home, we reviewed each and every one of these blenders by using them at home over the course of several weeks, or sometimes months.

They were put to the test with smoothies, purees and soups in some cases – which are some of the most common uses for blenders like these. The use and ease of cleaning also played an important part in our overall rankings.

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When scoring, we took into account each item’s look and size, as well as ease of use and how quick and effective we found it. Price was another consideration, as was the cleaning process. We’re not about the false economy either, so we were looking for blenders that looked and felt robust and like they’d last the distance. You can read more about exactly who tested these blenders below.

Helen McCue

Helen McCue is a freelance contributor for Ideal Home, and trained as a Home Economist.

From this list she's had hands-on experience with the Ninja Foodi HB150UK Blender and Soup Maker, the Magimix Powerblender, the Sage Super Q, the Smeg Personal Blender and the Ninja Blast.

Molly Cleary

Molly is Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, which means she's tested her fair share of blenders. Her everyday favourite is the Nutribullet Smart Touch, but she would love to get her hands on another Vitamix to test for this list.

FAQs

How to buy the right blender for you

1. Check how powerful your blender is

The wattage can work as a guide but higher doesn’t always mean a better blender. Take into account additional features that it uses to process food thoroughly, such as jug and blade design. A blender’s power can sometimes be displayed in horsepower (746W = 1hp) instead of watts. While basic liquidisers sufficed with two blades, most modern jug blenders will have at least four, sometimes with mini blades nestled around the stack. They’re usually angled, which helps them to whisk up pieces from the bottom of the jug and create a vortex to drag blender contents down from the top.

2. Check blender settings and speeds

Basic models tend to have just a few speeds while more feature-packed models will have several. Both will usually feature a pulse option for quick bursts of speed. You can also find blenders with programmes for blitzing specific foods, such as soup, ice crushing, smoothie, pureé and frozen desserts. A cleaning programme is another handy option, allowing you to clean the jug in-situ by running it filled with water and washing-up liquid.

3. Check blender materials

The blender jug itself will be made from either glass or plastic. Glass tends to be sturdier and less likely to become scratched but a good quality BPA-free plastic, such as Tritan, is a smart choice. This is because it’s strong yet lighter than glass, which can make all the difference if you’re lifting a heavy jug of soup. Jugs vary in total capacity and working capacity (ie how much they can safely blend without the contents trying to escape). This is usually lower for hot liquids. A 1.6-litre jug should cover most everyday blending but to be able to get the most of out of your blender, look for around two litres.

5. Check for extras

The lids may include small measuring cups. Some blenders have additional milling and grinding blades (which can be used for seeds, nuts and sometimes coffee beans), mini containers for mincing smaller amounts of food, personal blender cups and even food processor bowls. Another useful blender accessory is a tamper. This fits through the lid of the blender so you can move solid chunks of food, such as frozen fruit, towards the blades.

Are blenders easy to clean?

You’ll get more use out of a blender that’s easy to clean, so look for those where all the removable parts are dishwasher safe. Some blender jugs will split apart so that the blades can be safely cleaned separately and more thoroughly. If the jug has fixed blades, it can be difficult to clean around them by hand, so always use a brush. Our how to clean a blender guide has more tips.

Are blenders noisy?

All blenders will be noisy, though some more than most. The pitch can differ from blender to blender, too, meaning that some noises, while not louder, are more annoying than others. If possible, try before you buy.

Will my small kitchen accommodate a blender?

Blender cables can be substantial, so look for machines with built-in storage to prevent the flex getting out of hand. Unless you’re buying a machine that you’re happy to have on display on the worktop, your blender will probably live in a cupboard. If so, choose one that can be easily dismantled, is light enough for you to lift in and out and won’t take up too much storage room.