This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see our disclosure here.
It comes as no surprise that everyone is looking for the best blender for the money. After all, who would want to pay more if you can get it for less?
Throughout the years, blenders have become indispensable kitchen equipment as we have learned the benefits of getting the maximum amount of nutrients from the food that we consume. And with the use of a blender, this became all possible. The question now is, how much should you spend on one?
In this article, we will look at some of the best affordable blenders for your kitchen. These blenders are chosen not only for their affordability but also for their various functionality and the convenience they bring to help you with your kitchen activities.
But before we list some of the best blenders for money, let us first look at the different types of blenders out there to help you choose the specific kind you need.
Types of Blenders
Blenders come in all shapes and sizes. And while their appearance might vary greatly from one and the other, they can be easily classified into three different types, namely:
Personal or Bullet Blenders: As the name goes, these bullet-looking types of blenders are usually designed for creating smaller batches. They tend to have smaller pitchers with accompanying to-go lids that make it easy to pack and carry with you.
Countertop Blenders: These blenders are the typical ones you would see in kitchen households and coffee shops. These sturdy machines are quite bulky, heavy, and take up some countertop space. While that may be the case, they house plenty of power to help you prepare drinks and smoothies in larger quantities. They can also be used to prepare all types of sauces, purées, and soups, to help you cook a wide variety of food.
Immersion Blenders: Immersion blenders, aka hand blenders, are powerful hand-operated sticks that you put into your container for blending thick and tough ingredients. They are easy to clean as most of their components are detachable. These type of blenders usually comes with a powerful motor to help you get smooth pastes even with tough ingredients.
The Best Blenders for the Money: At a Glance
BOTTOMLINE
• Excellent blending power.
PROS
• Powerful motor.
• Complete speed control.
• Comes with a tamper to scrape sides.
• Friction heat for soups.
CONS
• One of Vitamix’s cheapest, but still a bit pricey among other brands.
BOTTOMLINE
• Best pre-program blending cycles.
PROS
• Smart blender.
• Variable speed setting.
• Easy to operate touchpad.
• 3.0 peak HP motor.
CONS
• Bulky and heavy.
BOTTOMLINE
• Good balance of affordability and performance.
PROS
• 1200-watt power.
• Pulse functionality.
• Compact.
• Excellent nutrient extractor.
• Auto shut-off function.
CONS
• Small container.
BOTTOMLINE
• Sleek and stylish.
PROS
• Affordable.
• Large container.
• 3 preset programs.
• Asymmetrical blades.
• Soft start feature.
CONS
• A bit bulky.
BOTTOMLINE
• Easiest to use.
PROS
• Cheapest of the bunch.
• 6-blade assembly.
• Huge 72 oz capacity container.
• Includes 2 smaller containers.
• Pour spout design.
CONS
• Limited 3-speed control.
The Best Blenders for the Money
The Vitamix’s Explorian blenders are one of the most valuable series the brand has to offer. The Explorian line is particularly popular for its intuitive functionality and excellent durability. This particular model, the Vitamix E310, has a professional-grade motor that is designed to ensure maximum power output and provide an exhilarating blending experience for its users.
The Vitamix E310 blender comes with a perfectly sized container that can cater to the needs of a small to medium-sized family. You don’t have to make smoothies in batches anymore. Yet, it is still smartly designed not to be too bulky and take up limited countertop space.
When it comes to getting the right texture of your purées, sauces, or even smoothies, there’s nothing that can do it better than a Vitamix blender. The blender provides a wide range of speed controls so you can slow it down or run it as fast as you would like. The pulse option enables you to leave some crunchy texture in your purées so you can relish the ingredients.
This blender also comes with a specially designed tamper to help you blend the toughest of ingredients without adding any liquid. You don’t have to stop the machine while blending as you can insert the tamper from the opening on its top cover. Simply stir the ingredients and scrape the container sides to help bring down the ingredients closer to the blades.
The best part of investing in a valuable blender like Vitamix is its powerful motor and durable container. The power is strong enough to make a dough, pulverize seeds, blend greens, or even crush ice or frozen ingredients with relative ease. While the container is durable enough to handle those blending operations without cracking.
No blending machine is useful without quality blades. The Vitamix E310 comes with laser-cut blades that are durable and efficient enough to cut through hard fruits and veggies. The blender is also easy to clean which makes it a very convenient option for those who have little time to spend in the kitchen.
Overall, while the Vitamix E310 may not be the most affordable blender around, it certainly is one of the cheapest from the Vitamix brand. Why do Vitamix blenders cost so much? Two words: precision engineering—that’s all you need to know.
PROS
- Powerful motor.
- Variable speed control.
- Comes with a tamper.
- Create soups with friction heat.
CONS
- A bit expensive.
Blendtec is another popular brand associated with high-quality blenders. Similar to Vitamix, the brand is also quite pricey. However, for those who are willing to spend a little more for better functionality and performance, this one’s for you.
So what makes a higher-end blender more expensive than a lower-priced one? Aside from the blender’s motor and finish, it is simply the way they blend different ingredients. For instance, softer ingredients such as fruits will need a precise speed, or the results are a frothier mix and not creamy smoothies that you might expect.
The Blendtec Total Classic Original Blender is a professional-grade blender that will give consistent results to your recipes each and every time. Whether you want to make some creamy smoothies, frozen desserts, or hot soups, this blender gets the job done thanks to its pre-programmed blending cycles.
It provides an intuitive interface that makes all blending options readily available on a touchpad. The easy-to-use technology makes blending very convenient and a straightforward process for users.
The touchpad has icons to help you choose your desired preset programs. With pre-programmed technology, you don’t have to guess the right speed required for your ingredient. Simply choose the type of food, and the smart blender will automatically decide the optimal speed for you. It leaves the guesswork out of your cooking.
The blender also features specially designed blades that are blunt, lowering the risk of accidentally cutting your fingers while cleaning the inside part of the container. But don’t let the blunt blades fool you, as they are powerful enough to pulverize ingredients without needing to use a tamper.
Overall, the Blendtec Total Classic Original Blender is a high-quality product that is designed to give you professional results and a care-free blending experience thanks to its smart technology.
PROS
- Smart blender.
- Pre-programmed settings.
- Easy to operate touchpad.
- 3.0 peak HP motor.
CONS
- Bulky and heavy.
When you talk about affordability and performance, NutriBullet is the brand that certainly meets both. The NutriBullet brand boasts a range of affordable, yet very functional blenders that you would love to have in your kitchen.
The NutriBullet N12-1001 Pro Plus is a step up from the classic NutriBullet blender. The 1200-watt upgrade in its motor is definitely a welcome improvement. This blender comes with small containers that are great for making sauces and purées, or for protein shakes and other healthy drinks that are good for personal consumption.
Its power is sufficient to help you blend a variety of ingredients easily. It can even help you make nut butter and create smooth pastes from seeds as well. Consequently, this blender is an excellent nutrient extractor as well.
As a nutrient extractor, the blender pulverizes the ingredients down to their cellular levels unlocking all the stored nutrients. You may also include peels and seeds along with your other ingredients so you can get the most nutrients possible.
The blender comes with a new pulse system that enables you to achieve your desired consistency. You may keep your salsas and purées chunky to savor the ingredients’ texture.
Being a personal blender, NutriBullet makes it easy to carry your drinks along with you. Simply blend your favorite ingredients, put on the flip-top to-go lid, and carry on with your business. The pitcher is spacious enough to carry 34 oz. of drink.
It also features smart technology which allows you to make use of a pre-programmed pulse function along with the auto-shutoff system. Basically, the system shuts off after the optimal extraction of nutrients is done.
Overall, the NutriBullet N12-1001 Pro Plus is one of the best blenders for money for those who need a quick and easy personal blender. Its small compact size enables you to store it in any standard kitchen cabinet when not in use, easy to pack when you travel, and easy to position on the kitchen countertop due to its small footprint.
PROS
- 1200-watt power.
- Pulse functionality.
- Compact.
- Excellent nutrient extractor.
- Auto shut-off function.
CONS
- Small container.
Those who are looking for a basic blending device without all the bells and whistles should consider adding the KitchenAid K400 to their list. This blender is designed to help create delicious kitchen creations with no additional fuss.
The KitchenAid K400 comes with unique asymmetrical blades that blend at four distinct angles. This method enables the blender to create a unique vortex that keeps rolling all the ingredients in closer to the blades, making use of a tamper practically pointless, with the end result being smoother pastes and gravies. With its 1.5 Peak HP motor, the blender can cut through the hardest ingredients with ease.
The blender provides three preset programs: ice crush, icy drinks, and a smoothie which allows you to make a range of recipes based on their optimal speed and power. Along with these preset programs, there’s also a five-speed limit so that you can select your preferred speed to achieve your desired blending textures.
With its intelli-speed motor, soft and hard ingredients perfectly since the motor control senses the contents of the blending container. Its powerful motor starts slowly to pull the ingredients closer to its blade and picks up the speed gradually. Needless to say that you can expect smooth results even for tough ingredients.
Its spacious jug has a capacity of 56 oz which is enough to cater to the needs of a large family. While it might look simplistic, it actually comes with a lot of nifty features designed for the user’s convenience. This blender is also reasonably priced, especially if we compare it to some of the most expensive blenders available on the market.
PROS
- Affordable price.
- 3 preset programs.
- Large container.
- Asymmetrical blades.
- Soft start feature.
CONS
- A bit bulky.
If you find the above options a bit expensive and really want to buy some low-priced yet powerful blender, then the Ninja BL660 is definitely what you’re looking for.
The Ninja BL660 blender is equipped with a powerful 1100-watt motor and a 6-blade assembly that makes it easy to crush ice into snow and blend tough ingredients. The powerful motor, together with its blades, helps you extract the maximum nutrients out of your food.
The blender also comes with both large and small size pitchers to help you make smoothies in both large and small quantities. The 72 oz large container has a unique pour spout so you won’t have to worry about accidental drip and spills while entertaining guests. The two 16 oz smaller pitchers, on the other hand, have accompanying to-go lids so you can take your drink on the move.
All parts are BPA-free and dishwasher-safe as well so cleanup is a breeze. With all of these in mind, the Ninja BL660 blender is certainly the best blender for the money in our humble opinion.
PROS
- Cheapest of the bunch.
- 6-blade assembly.
- Huge 72 oz capacity container.
- Includes two 16 oz containers.
- Pour spout design.
CONS
- Limited 3-speed control.
RELATED: Check out our latest review of the 5 best Ninja blenders in 2022.
Final Thoughts
Blenders are becoming staple equipment in any household. Since their rise in popularity nowadays, the availability of choices presented in front of us also grows in number. The best part of having a lot of options is the opportunity to find one that fits within your budget. As blender prices differ greatly based on a lot of things, it is important to remember that there’s a reason why Blender A is cheaper than Blender B and vice versa. Keep an eye on the blender’s motor, features, finish, and warranty and weigh in its overall value to you.
