The Best Affordable Blenders, According To Our Tests

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The Best Affordable Blenders, According To Our Tests

The blender was invented in 1922 and, at first, was primarily used by soda shop operators to make milkshakes. However, its utility quickly gained traction with homemakers, and by mid-century, it had become a popular countertop appliance found in most homes. To remain competitive, some blenders offered more options in terms of speeds and functions than even sophisticated professional chefs would know what to do with.

Today, most of us use our blender for smoothies, soups, salsas, and sauces. Whether you make a smoothie for one on the daily or whip up big batches of soup and sauces several times a year, a budget blender can be just as effective. It’s sufficient for simple tasks and occasional use while requiring only a modest upfront investment. We want to ensure you can choose the right blender for your budget and needs, so we ran several thorough a battery of tests to determine the strengths and weaknesses of affordable blenders we love. So, get ready to blend.

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Amazon

The leader of the budget blender pack is this Nutribullet, a trusted brand when it comes to countertop kitchen appliances. It may be known for its smoothie prowess, but this super convenient, moderately priced blender has plenty of uses. Over time, our team has tested all of the personal blender models NurtiBullet makes, and the Pro 900-Watt Personal Blender is a clear winner every time.

In this round of testing, it outpaced other brands in most categories, earning a perfect score across the board. That means it’s well-designed, easy to clean, and even easier to use. Its 900-watt motor performs better if efficacy is the measure, pulverizing ice cubes without flinching. Plus, it’s quite the value at only $80. It also has a 3-cup capacity, so while smoothies are an obvious choice, blending soups, batches of hummus or nut butter, and other larger-volume recipes is a cinch. The only downside is its lack of options for the speed or intensity of the blend itself, but the fact that it has two cups gives you all kinds of flexibility if you’re blending different smoothies for different members of the family or haven’t washed yesterday’s dishes yet.

Dimensions: 7.72 x 12.01 x 15.94 inches | Wattage: 900 watts | Cup Capacity: 3 cups | Portability: The largest of our budget blenders; requires electric | Includes: 2 cups, 2 handles, 2 drink covers, 2 to-go lids | Color Options: Champagne, Silver, Black, White, Teal, Green, Blue, Coral, Pink, Red

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Beautiful by Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore has perfected modern, chic styling for her Beautiful by Drew line, and this personal blender is no exception. It’s also the only blender among those we tested that is truly portable — charge it using the water-resistant USB-C charging cable that accompanies it for up to 30 “blends” on a single charge. The compact design (only 10 inches tall) and one-touch operation make this an ideal travel option, whether taking a trip or simply packing your office breakfast. Its quiet 70-watt motor won’t disturb the office breakroom, either. We love the plastic filter accompanying it, which is ideal for anyone adverse to too much texture. Finally, Beautiful By Drew’s Portable To-Go Blender 2.0 comes in various soft pastels, and its BPA-free blending jar and lid are dishwasher safe.

Dimensions: 3.26 x 3.26 x 10.64 inches | Wattage: 70 watts | Cup Capacity: 2 cups | Portability: Yes; rechargeable and cordless | Includes: 1 storage lid, 1 plastic filter/strainer, 1 water-resistant USB-C charging cable, 4000mAH rechargeable batteries | Additional Color Options: White Icing, Black Sesame, Cornflower Blue, Porcini, Oyster Gray, Sage, Lavender

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Amazon

At one-third of the Nutribullet’s wattage, the small Magic Bullet Blender offers a similar, albeit less powerful, user experience at less than half the price. Easy to clean and easy to use, the simple “push to power” Magic Bullet Blender works for seamlessly blending salsas and protein-packed smoothies (some folks even use it as a coffee grinder!). Our tests found it very effective, except for processing larger, denser frozen fruit pieces. You may overlook that when you consider the volume of accessories accompanying it, including a travel mug with a lid, two additional cups in different sizes, and even a recipe book — to name a few. While this countertop blender isn’t portable and doesn’t come in different colors like the other models, it’s priced right for the true budget of our budget blender picks.

Dimensions: 4.5 x 4 x 11.8 inches | Wattage: 250 watts | Cup Capacity: 2.25 cups | Portability: Small in size; requires electrical power | Includes: 2 cups (1 tall, 1 short), 1 party mug, 2 lip rings, 2 storage lids, 1 to-go lid, recipe guide | Additional Color Options: None

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Beast

Offering a rare combination of modest size, incredible styling, and the power of a 600-watt motor might make the Beast Mini Blender a top pick for some of our readers; it certainly wowed our testers. It slayed our tests, pulverizing fibrous veggies and ice to make smooth smoothies, blending tomato sauce and pesto, and acing our standards for easy clean-up. While not cordless, the Beast Mini Blender is small, strong, and sleek — enough to inspire a mini splurge. It may clock in as one of our priciest budget blenders, but its combo of vibe and capability are worth it. The Beast Mini has a straw cap, two straws, and a drinking lid in five chic colors.

Dimensions: 4.13 x 4.13 x 13.43 inches | Wattage: 600 watts | Cup Capacity: 2.7 cups | Portability: Small in size; requires electrical power | Includes: 1 storage lid, 1 drinking lid, 1 straw cap, and 2 straws | Additional Color Options: Carbon Black, Cloud White, Mist, Terra, Sand

Our Favorite Affordable Blenders

You can’t really beat the Nutribullet Pro 900-Watt Personal Blender. It earns perfect scores across all of our categories every time. The 900-watt motor makes quick and thorough work of virtually every test we run, unphased by ice cubes and tough smoothie ingredients like kale and celery. While it doesn’t offer the range of power levels and functions a traditional countertop blender might, most home cooks don’t use their blenders for more than pulse, emulsion, and puree, and the Nutribullet can manage both of those just fine.

How We Tested Affordable Blenders

To find the best budget blenders, we looked at price (obviously) but also at performance, design, ease of use, difficulty of clean-up, and general convenience. Ranking each blender in these categories required skills like observation and tests like prepping and pureeing kale smoothies before measuring them for ingredient integration.

In addition to kale smoothies, we made salsa and sticky-thick date nut butter. We assembled and disassembled, washed, and checked for leakage. Lastly, we evaluated things like the accessories, the overall convenience of the item, and its general function. While no single blender can meet every possible task with flying colors, our top picks came pretty close, which is especially notable for any budget countertop appliance.

Factors to Consider

Portability

Ideal portability considers size, leakage, and power. Having a blender that is modestly sized and leakproof seems like the most obvious need for a portable blender. Power is a little more nuanced. If you require a battery-powered or rechargeable blender for optimal flexibility, consider the time it takes to charge the blender, how long it holds a charge, and how portable the charger itself is. Also, bear in mind that anything battery power is going to have less juice (pun intended!) than something that plugs into an electrical current. It’s likely you’ll surrender strength and possibly speed for portability.

Power

Budget blenders come in an array of wattages, as we can see with our picks, which vary from 70 watts to 900 watts! Price doesn’t necessarily equate to wattage, but it is a factor to consider. Higher wattage equates to better performance when blending ingredients like frozen fruit and ice.

Capacity

When weighing a budget blender’s capacity against other factors, keep in mind the frequency with which you’ll use it and the kinds of recipes you’re most likely to prepare. Household size may also be a consideration, especially if you’re a healthy family on the go. Capacity also impacts storage — if this appliance is going to live on your countertop, be sure to look at the dimensions noted as well as the capacity of the blending vessel.

Versatility

We’ve already noted that the budget blenders we tested and evaluated use the same speed and function, but versatility matters! Consider not just the vessel’s capacity and power but also its accessories and the many ways in which you can utilize them. Some of our blenders came with almost a dozen accessories, while others came with only a few.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do budget blenders actually work?

As noted, countertop blenders that offer a wide range of power levels and functions are best for those with highly nuanced skills and needs. Most of us use blenders to liquefy solid ingredients to varying degrees, so pulsing a blender with one speed gives us enough control to achieve several results with a single power level and function. All of these blenders offer that at a budget price. The key differentiators are the appearance, wattage of the motor, and capacity of the vessel itself.

Can you use a budget blender for smoothies?

Budget blenders can certainly make smoothies. However, lower-wattage blenders may struggle to pulverize ice to produce the ideal thick-but-airy smoothie consistency. If you prefer to use ice or dense frozen fruit, choose a budget blender with a higher wattage.

Do portable blenders work as well as stationary ones?

Portable blenders are convenient but may not always be as durable or powerful as countertop models. Countertop blenders can offer better value for money in terms of power, capacity, and durability. But a portable, battery-powered blender is excellent for travel, outdoor use, or supporting a healthy smoothie habit on the go—promises no countertop model can make.

Our Expertise

Christa Glennie has worked as a freelance writer and food editor for nearly 20 years. She is also the author of two cookbooks and specializes in food and drink trends, agriculture, the regional foodways of Western New York, and the restaurant business. Her respect for simplicity and uncluttered counters in the kitchen ultimately fuels a desire to find and own well-designed, multi-purpose, best-in-class kitchen tools. For this piece, she used insights directly from our testing lab to determine the best bang-for-your-buck blenders available.

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The Best Affordable Blenders, According To Our Tests

Our Favorite Affordable Blenders

How We Tested Affordable Blenders