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The 3 Best High Speed Blenders For Fast Smoothies & Soups

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by Ileana Morales Valentine
Woman blending spinach, berries, bananas and almond milk to make a healthy green smoothie
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For seriously smooth and creamy sauces or smoothies, you need the right appliance. The best high-speed blender has a powerful motor with at least 1,000 watts to handle tougher ingredients and has variable speed settings for smoother, faster results. Keep in mind this is its own premium kitchen appliance category and, as such, these blenders are generally priced higher than others.

Power & Speed

A blender’s wattage is a good indicator of its ability to blend at high speeds; look for a 1,000- to 1,500-watt motor. A powerful motor can handle blending coarser smoothie ingredients, like seeds or nuts, or even homemade nut butters and flours. But watts shouldn't be the only deciding factor — other design features, like speed settings and presets, can help you decide which pick is right for you. Blenders typically have up to 10 speed settings, though the more settings you get, the higher a price you'll likely pay for those conveniences. Preset buttons for smoothies can be convenient for everyday blending and a pulse button is especially useful for making something like salsa or crushed ice.

Extra Features

Beyond power and settings, think about some bonus features. A tamper, otherwise known as a plunger tool, is particularly helpful for making dips and allows you to scrape down the sides of the container without stopping the machine. Bells and whistles on high-speed blenders can include LCD displays, which are especially convenient with a countdown timer, or self-cleaning blades for easy cleanup.

And remember when shopping to keep an eye on capacity — these picks range from single-serve blenders to a blender than can handle up to 70 ounces.

With all this in mind, below are the three best high-speed blenders on Amazon. Each one is seriously powerful and a couple of them have even amassed thousands of reviews.

1. The Overall Best High Speed Blender

  • Capacity: 64 Ounces
  • Speed Settings: 10

The absolute best high-speed blender comes from a brand you've probably heard of while shopping for blenders: Vitamix. This commercial-grade pick has the power of 1,380 watts and 10 speed settings, and it's highly rated with over 2,000 reviews.

Its aircraft-grade stainless steel blades can withstand high temperatures and pulverize even tiny ingredients, and this unit reaches a speed that's fast enough to turn cold ingredients into a hot soup in six minutes thanks to friction heat. This blender comes with a tamper, a pulse button, and a large, 64-ounce container. Smoothie lovers will appreciate the easy self-cleaning process, which entails blending warm water and a drop of dish soap at the highest speed for 60 seconds. (The container should not be placed in the dishwasher). Its size and shape is perfect for medium to large batches and it was designed with a radial cooling fan and thermal protection system that keep the appliance from overheating — so blend away.

A helpful review: “This machine is a life changer. It has paid for itself a couple times over with all the money it saves me from eating out. I can make almost anything with this thing and it's always the healthiest and easiest to make. I almost never throw away fruits or vegetables and my health has improved from all of the green smoothies I have been making. I used to burn out blenders making my smoothies, but this one has a seven year guarantee and an automatic shut off switch that makes it impossible for me to destroy. A great buy!”

2. The Runner Up: A Slightly Smaller High-Speed Blender For Half The Price

  • Capacity: 50 Ounces
  • Speed Settings: 5

Another high-speed blender to consider is this Breville pick that functions like a powerful blender and food processor in one. The 1,100-watt motor has five settings with helpful labeling for mixing, chopping, blending, pureeing, or liquefying.

The blender's LCD display shows the speed settings, a timer, and overload protection when needed. Preset buttons for smoothies, green smoothies with more fibrous ingredients, and pulse/crushing ice are convenient programs. A ring pull on the blender's lid maintains a tight seal while also making it easy to remove. The blender comes with a dishwasher-safe 50-ounce container, and the blender has an auto-clean button, though no tamper.

A helpful review: “[...] Every other lower priced blender I have tried: KitchenAid, Ninja, Nutribullet and few others and they have all fallen short. Hard to clean, left chunks in the smoothie, took more time to prep the ingredients, not enough power or bad design. This was the only answer I have found without spending at least $400.”

3. The Most Versatile: An Affordable Countertop Blender & Single-Serve Blender In One

  • Capacity: 72 Ounces
  • Speed Settings: 4

This large high-speed blender doubles as a high-quality single serve blender, thanks to both a 72-ounce pitcher and two 16-ounce cups with to-go lids. This Ninja blender is a bit of a cult favorite with a 4.6 rating and over 8,000 reviews.

With 1,100 watts and three speeds, you can use this blender's different dishwasher-safe containers for large batches or one smoothie. One-touch buttons include pulse and the single-serve setting; this blender does not come with a tamper. Reviewers commented they love the container sizing options — both extra large and personal — but they did comment this blender is louder than some others.

A helpful review: “We replaced an expensive blender ($400) that died after 5 or 6 years (old blender died with metal shot flying out everywhere) with this blender. We researched many more expensive ones and then decided to try this one verses buying another $400 or $500 blender. It is very powerful and straight forward to use. It is powerful and easy to clean too. We really like the cups that come with it for a quick personal smoothie! The design for pouring is very nice also! We have had no issues chopping up ice, ice cream, sherbet, yogurt and fruit [...] we [are] really are glad we purchased this blender as it does everything we need - smoothies, shakes, deserts, puddings and energy drinks!”