The Blendtec blender makes beautifully blended smoothies and perfectly crushed ice. Here's everything you need to know about this countertop appliance.
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If you’ve been toying with the idea of adding a blender to your kitchen, one look at these delectable blender recipes is likely to be all the convincing you need. Whether you’re craving an Instagram-worthy smoothie bowl or a comforting bowl of tomato soup, the Blendtec blender will whip it up in no time.
In their efforts to find the very best blenders to grace your kitchen counter, our Product Testing Team spent an impressive 75 hours testing a variety of blenders. They were impressed by this model’s powerful 1560-watt motor and called it ideal for smoothie lovers. Here’s everything you need to know before adding the Blendtec blender to your cart.
This blender features a powerful motor, push button controls, 10 speeds and six preprogrammed cycles.
The Blendtec blender is a commercial-quality blender that features a 1560-watt motor, push-button controls, 10 speeds, a pulse option and an illuminated LCD timer. It has six preprogrammed cycles—smoothies, batters, hot soup, whole juice, ice cream and ice crush—and a 36-ounce pitcher with easy-to-see measuring lines. Rubber feet on the bottom of the motor base prevent it from slipping during use.
Just note that the Blendtec blender is not designed for commercial use. In fact, the manufacturer states that if used commercially, the blender’s two year warranty will be voided.
Once our product testers unboxed and assembled the blender, they measured its height, weight and length of the power cord before moving on to test its performance. They gathered up all of the ingredients they needed to make an almond, kale and banana smoothie and got down to business.
Our testers added all of the ingredients to the blender, following the manual’s instructions regarding ingredient order and settings, hit the button for smoothie mode and blended for 60 seconds. After they were through, our team poured the smoothie through a colander to evaluate the overall blendedness. Though they found a few rice size chunks of dates in the colander, they liked the bright green color and noted the ingredients were fairly incorporated and blended well together.
For the next test, our team filled the pitcher halfway with ice and used the ice crush setting for 35 seconds. “It did a very nice job,” says product tester Sheri Kaz. “Very finely crushed. A couple bigger pieces, but in the end it did a good job.”
After the first two tests, our team had high hopes for the final test. They added four cups of peanuts to the blender and pulsed it several times. Unlike the previous two tests, which went off without a hitch, the peanut butter wasn’t as easy as they had expected. The blender kept getting stuck and our testers had to scoop out half of the peanuts. “For 1560 watts, I was expecting this machine to whip out nut butter in no time, but it had a hard time,” says Sheri.
Another thing that gave our testers a hard time was the Blendtec blender’s lid. They struggled to get it to latch on properly. “You really have to push down on it to get it to go on securely. And even then, still pops up a bit,” explains Sheri. “It doesn’t seem like a lid that would be on a $400 blender.” Apart from what our testers referred to as a wonky lid, they agree that the Blendtec blender is well made. “The entire machine seems like it’ll last you a while,” says Sheri.
In testing, we loved this Blendtec blender, but of course, we had to put it against our favorite Vitamix blender, the Propel 510. A bit pricier than the Blendtec (it retails for around $500), we were thrilled with its performance: It worked great with frozen fruit and ice, effortlessly pulsing and shredding nuts for peanut butter. It handled hot soups and frozen desserts without a problem, too. However, we also noted that there wasn’t a self-cleaning function and that the lid was a bit fussy, which are notable cons for the price. The Blendec’s lid was also a little finicky, but its performance went toe-to-toe with the Propel 510’s for $100 less.
The Blendtec blender retails for $399.95 and is available on the Blendtec website. It’s also available at a selection of retailers, including Home Depot and Amazon.
This blender features a powerful motor, push button controls, 10 speeds and six preprogrammed cycles.
The pitcher is dishwasher safe.
According to the manufacturer, blenders and food processors can be used to make sauces, soups, dips and spreads. However, a blender is better for soft and liquid ingredients while a food processor is better for chopping harder, thicker and drier ingredients.
We’ve tested tons of Vitamix blenders, with our favorite being the Vitamix Propel 510. It ultimately depends what you’re looking for in a blender (and whether you’re prioritizing budget, performance, features or a mix of all three).
Blendtec is still an active company, but it sold the majority of its shares in 2021 after legal battles. The Wasatch Group, which owns other companies like Planet Fitness and Johnny O’s Spudnuts, now owns Blendtec, too.
It depends on where you’re located. Costco used to sell Blendtec blenders, but now it seems like a toss-up based on availability.
With regular use and maintenance, your Blendtec blender should last you a few years. Blendtec also offers a two-year warranty on parts and labor.
In order to find the best blenders on the market, our Product Testing Team brought 14 different blenders into our dedicated Testing Lab. They spent an estimated 75 collective hours on this test, including researching, sourcing, intaking and testing each appliance. Our team performed 10 tests on each blender and collected roughly 400 data points.
I have spent the last eight years in the e-commerce sphere evaluating products for consumers. During that time, I have personally researched, purchased and tested hundreds of products in order to find the best options for every lifestyle and budget. I strive to communicate all of my findings in an accurate and honest manner.
Additional reporting was contributed by Melissa Lee, Content Updates Editor.
