The 4 Best Blenders of 2026

Top pick

This high-performance machine is worth the investment if you use a blender regularly to make things like thick smoothies, pureed soups, or motor-taxing nut butters.

The Vitamix 5200 offers the best performance you can get in a home blender. This model has been one of our favorite blenders since 2014, and it’s the classic Vitamix model that has remained the standard for pro chefs and blender enthusiasts. This blender produced the most consistently good results across all of our tests, and it was the most delightful to use.

The Vitamix 5200 consistently blended more gracefully than any other blender. The combination of the jar’s shape and the motor’s strength created a vortex that pulled ingredients down into the blades with ease.

It also made some of the smoothest smoothies in our tests. Though the prize for the absolute smoothest drinks went to the Cleanblend Blender, the difference between the drinks we made in the Cleanblend model and the Vitamix blender was marginal. The smoothie we made in the Vitamix 5200 had just a few more whole raspberry seeds.

The Vitamix 5200 excelled at nut butters and mayo. This blender was the only model we tested that smoothly blended peanuts and almonds into butter. And whereas other picks spit bits of mayo up the sides of the jar and out the lid’s center hole, the Vitamix 5200 kept the mixture moving smoothly and evenly around the base of the blade.

It had the best range of speeds. The Vitamix 5200’s low is really low, and this blender produces a noticeable shift as you advance through each number. That range of speeds made the Vitamix model the best blender we tested for hot liquids: You can start at a lazy swirl and gradually increase the speed so that hot liquid is less likely to shoot up toward the lid. In comparison, the Cleanblend Blender, on its lowest setting, has a forceful start, which increases the chances of a painful eruption of hot soup.

The Vitamix 5200’s tamper helps it blend really fast. A tamper is essential for breaking up air pockets and pushing ingredients down toward the blade while the machine is running. By keeping the ingredients moving with the Vitamix 5200’s tamper, we were able to whip up a smoothie in less than 60 seconds.

When we used models that lacked a tamper, we often needed to stop the blender to burst air pockets or scrape ingredients down the sides of the jar with a spatula. In some cases, we also had to add more water to the smoothie to get all of the ingredients to move around the blades. So it took longer to blend a smoothie in those machines — often with more-watery results.

Its Tritan-plastic jar is sturdy and comfortable to hold. And in the five years we used ours in Wirecutter’s test kitchen, it also remained clear and free of cracks.

But Vitamix also offers a metal pitcher, for those eschewing plastic. This stainless steel pitcher blends just as well as the blender’s included plastic one. But it’s pricey ($250), heavy, and smaller than the full-size, 64-ounce plastic container that comes with the Vitamix 5200.

It’s easy to clean. Just blend 8 ounces of hot tap water with a couple of drops of dish soap for about 30 seconds and then rinse out the jar.

It’s quieter than others we tested. No high-powered blender could be described as quiet, but we found the Vitamix 5200’s noise to be quieter in comparison with the sound from other models we tested.

Vitamix makes a Personal Cup Adapter. In our tests, it performed on a par with our personal blender picks at pureeing vibrant kale pesto, silky date shakes, and thick smoothies. However, the tapered cup is small, with a capacity that’s 12 ounces less than what you get from our Nutribullet personal blender pick.

The Vitamix 5200 is equipped with an automatic-shutoff feature. Should its motor overheat, this feature keeps it from burning out. In our experience, the Vitamix 5200 should be able to handle a lot before it reaches that point. But if yours does shut off, let the machine rest for an hour before you try to use it again.

It’s backed by a seven-year warranty. This softens the blow of spending $500 on a blender. According to Vitamix’s customer service, the approximate time between filing a claim and receiving your blender back in working order (or a certified-refurb unit) is six to 10 days. For an additional fee, you can buy a three-year extended warranty for the Vitamix 5200.

How the Vitamix 5200 has held up

Editorial director Marguerite Preston has used her Vitamix 5200 on a weekly basis since 2019, and she says that it has held up great. Her family uses it mainly to make smoothies, herb-based sauces, and the occasional batch of oatmeal-banana pancakes.

We also used a Vitamix 5200 in our test kitchen for five years and had nothing but excellent results. It finally did burn out, but only after we put it through strenuous use over the course of many tests for this guide and others. Still, it easily outlasted other blenders, and it made many more (and better) batches of nut butter and extra-thick smoothies before we pushed it to its limit. Since our Vitamix blender was still under warranty when it burned out, we contacted customer service, and the representatives promptly replaced it.

Christine Cyr Clisset, special projects director and author of a previous version of this guide, said that she finally bought herself a refurbished Vitamix 5200 but noticed a slight burning smell while making her morning smoothies.

During a call with customer service, she learned that when you’re blending a thick smoothie, Vitamix recommends that you start the blender at the lowest variable-speed setting and then immediately turn the dial to 10, while vigorously tamping at the same time. Christine had been starting on low and then very gradually increasing the speed, likely stressing the motor. She reports that the burning smell has subsided since she has started following the advice from Vitamix.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

For many people, the biggest issue with the Vitamix 5200 is its steep price. This blender is nearly triple the price of our runner-up, the Cleanblend Blender. But after years of testing and using the Vitamix 5200, we’ve found that it’s more durable and more effective overall than any other blender we’ve tried.

You can save some money on a Vitamix blender if you opt for a certified-refurbished model. A certified-reconditioned Vitamix blender comes with a five-year warranty (with an option to extend coverage three more years for an additional $75).

At more than 20 inches tall, the Vitamix 5200 is a big appliance. It’s too tall to fit under some kitchen cabinets. If size is an issue, and you’re willing to give up some of the functionality you can get from a tall, tapered jar, Vitamix makes other blenders (as mentioned below) that have a shorter profile.

The Vitamix 5200 doesn’t come with any presets, just a variable-speed dial. However, even though it’s nice to be able to press a button and have your blender run through a smoothie-making program, this sort of feature is not essential. You’ll probably stick close to your blender anyway to use the tamper to get things moving, and it’s not hard to adjust the dial if you need to. On top of that, with this blender, it’s easy to get good results without any presets.