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Choosing a blender seems like it should be easy. You should just be able to shop around online and quickly find the right blender for you, right? While that may have been true a decade or two ago, the sheer size of the selection available can make finding the right blender for you a tedious process. A great place to start is with your budget. Since you’ve nailed down that you don’t want to spend more than $200 on a new blender, we are here to help. We took a look and tried out several different blenders to bring you our list of best blenders under $200. Let us help you find the best blender that fits both your budget and your needs. Let’s get started with some specific product reviews and then go into what you should be looking for to make sure you find the best blender for you.
Best Blenders Under $200
Cleanblend Commercial Blender – High Powered Pick
NutriBullet NBR 30500Z – Best Value
NutriNinja Personal Blender – Easiest to Use
Hamilton Beach Quiet Shield Blender – Best for Quiet Blending
Instant Ace Nova Cooking Blender – Best for Cooking
Our Reviews – Best Blenders Under $200
Cleanblend Commercial Blender – High Powered Pick
Let’s kick off the best blenders under $200 with our high powered pick, the Cleanblend Commercial Blender. If you are looking for something that can cut through the toughest of food for a quick blend, this is definitely it. This blender comes with a motor of 1800 watts, it will surpass your expectations with the power of a high end blender at an affordable price. The stainless steel blades make it great for making smoothies, sauces, or creamy recipes. It can be quite versatile. I like the simple design as well since it feels compact and easy to assemble. If you have limited kitchen counter space or storage space, this is a great blender to keep in your home. Besides its power and space efficiency, you will also like the amount of time you save when working with this blender.
There was one downside that was noticed after several uses and this was the base of the pitcher. Over time it may rust, so keeping it clean is essential. It’s easy to use and easy to clean so that shouldn’t be a problem.
What We Liked:
- High powered – 1800 watts
- 5 year warranty plan
- Blends tough food very well
- Several pre programmed settings to choose from
What We Didn’t Like:
- Base feels wobbly with high speeds
- Base may rust over time
NutriBullet NBR 30500Z – Best Value
Next up is the NutriBullet NBR30500Z. It’s on the more affordable side and offers many great features for its price. It has a strong motor at 1200 watts of power, which exceeds the minimum power a household blender should have. The stainless steel blades can cut through most things you will want to blend. In addition, what I like about the NutriBullet brand is that they cater to individual uses. When you look at a countertop blender, they usually are pretty bulky and have larger pitchers. With this blender you can adjust the size based on needs. This blender comes with several accessories including: one 64oz pitcher, one 32 oz cup, one 24oz cup, and two to-go lids. You can make some morning smoothies, or spice up the kitchen with some yummy sauces for the family.
I’m at that phase where I want a high end blender that allows me to try new recipes for my family, and this is a blender that can certainly get that job done. It offers so much for its price and I didn’t find many cons with this blender other than the noise. If a louder blender isn’t a big deal to you, this could be a great blender for you.
What We Liked:
- Adjustable serving sizes
- Great for on the go
- 1 year warranty
What We Didn’t Like:
- Can get loud, not ideal for shared spaces
NutriNinja Personal Blender – Easiest to Use
Next is the Nutri Ninja Personal Blender, which I find similar to the NutriBullet NBR 30500Z. This is another wonderful blender that has a lot of size versatility. You can use the large 72 oz pitcher for cooking or making sauces, or go with one of the other 3 cups (18, 24, and 32 oz) for smoothies or smaller serving sizes. This blender is beginner friendly with various settings and technology that sets the timing for you. You don’t need to guess when blending with the Auto IQ tech this blender comes with. It’s ideal for those who are getting used to expanding their recipe pool to more than just smoothies as the Auto IQ tech finds a good blending time and speed for what is inside.
Besides expanding your recipe list, this is great for taking blended drinks on the go just like our previous blender. It’s simple to use, produces great results, and makes it easy to adjust for different serving sizes. Overall, this blender is a well rounded product that anyone can use.
What We Liked:
- Design, sleek look that fits any kitchen
- Different pitcher sizes to choose from
- Auto IQ technology for efficient blending and can crush ice easily
What We Didn’t Like:
- Noisy
- If not locked in well, can leak
Hamilton Beach Quiet Shield Blender – Best for Quiet Blending
Not everyone has the luxury of blasting their blender at 6:30 in the morning without having to worry about waking other people up. If noise is your concern, then the Hamilton Beach Quiet Shield Blender is the way to go. It is still powerful running with the 1500 watt motor and comes with a large 32 oz pitcher. It’s not completely noise cancelling, but it comes with a sound shield that greatly minimizes the noise it makes. This high quality blender comes with stainless steel blades, and a variety of programs that allow you to: blend, crush, chop, and puree. I also love the pulse function for making things like a chunky salsa dip. It performs many functions, but it doesn’t do everything exceptionally. Overall its a good blender, but not the best on this list. However if dampening the sound is your main concern, this would be great blender for you.
What We Liked:
- Unique, noise cancelling feature
- Several pre programmed speed settings
- Comes with a tamper
What We Didn’t Like:
- Other blenders can do certain functions better
Instant Ace Nova Cooking Blender – Best for Cooking
Our last blender on the list is the Instant Ace Nova Cooking Blender. You can tell based on the name that this is ideal for cooking up new recipes. The stainless steel blades easily make frozen goods like milkshakes and smoothies, but you also have a heating element capable of making hot soups. Though it is not as strong as the other blenders on the list with a 1000 watt motor (though that is still exceptionally above my standard for household blenders), this blender comes with a really special feature: no other blender on this list can automatically keep food warm for up to 2 hours. If cooking is your forte and you don’t want to be limited in possibility, then this blender will definitely help you become more versatile in the kitchen.
What We Liked:
- Comes with several accessories like a strainer bag, a tamper, and cleaning brush
- Temperature control for hot and cold foods
- Self cleaning setting
What We Didn’t Like:
- It is a heavy blender, can be difficult to store
- Not as powerful as other blenders on this list
How to Pick the Best Blender Under $200 for You
So going over these products are great and all, but you may still be lost. Do you need that much power from a blender or do you need a heating feature for your blender? You may be asking yourself these important questions and that is a good start. Let’s go into more depth about what makes a blender a good fit for you, now that you have narrowed down your budget to under $200.
Blender Materials
One of the most important aspects of your blender is the blades. Ideally, your blender has stainless steel blades to help cut through the ice and frozen fruit that you’ll be adding into your smoothies, or the different nuts that you want to pulse down into nut butter. Short of being a food processor, you want something that can makes crushing ice a quick and easy task, so the blade system of your blender is something to keep in mind. Stainless steel blades are also dishwasher safe so you won’t have to worry about the high heat and rapid water cycles corroding the blades. Be careful if you’re washing your blender by hand because the stainless steel blades can cut you if you’re not cautious.
Similarly, you want to make sure that the pitcher material is easy to clean and similarly dishwasher safe. Glass and BPA free plastic are two of the most common materials when it comes to the pitcher of your blender. BPA free plastic will ensure that you’re not accidentally ingesting harmful chemicals along with your frozen fruit smoothie. If you go for glass, just be careful when you’re handling the blender since you don’t want to accidentally drop it.
Regardless of whether you go with glass or plastic, the best blenders will be high speed and have a powerful motor to yield those frozen desserts or hot soups that you want to make. That takes us to our next consideration.
Power and Time
You can expect the more expensive blenders to have powerful motors, and all the blenders on this list are pretty strong. The highest is an 1800 watt motor, which isn’t totally necessary or indicate that something is the best blender either. Something around a 500-800 watt motor is standard for the common household blender and anything above 1000 is seen as a high tier blender. If you plan to chop up some hard fruit, then of course you want a blender with more power. Maybe you just intend to do smoothies, but a strong blender would help in this case as well since you are chopping up either ice or frozen fruits. From my experience, a lower powered blender will have a harder time blending up frozen or tougher ingredients, so some defrosting or chopping may be necessary.
So now it is the factor of time. I don’t like rushing through my recipes, but some people don’t have the luxury of time when they are in the kitchen. Simply put, if you want to save time, then power should be prioritized. A blender with over a 1000 watt motor should be just fine in this case and the blenders on our list all meet that standard.
Blender Versatility
Many blenders offer different functions, especially higher end blenders. If you are just looking for something easy to use to make a morning protein shake, versatility is not much of a concern. If you just got a new recipe book and want to test it out, a more versatile blender may help them come to life.
For example, many cooks want to make sure their blender has a pulse function. I make dips and salsas a lot, so I like that feature so I can get the chunky consistency I want from my dips. In my opinion, the best blenders will have a range of pre programmed settings and have variable speed settings so that you can use your blender for a variety of different recipes. Fruits and vegetables have such a wide range of hardness, and making a salsa is very different from making a soup. The best blender will have a range of speeds and settings to tackle all your blending needs.
Size and Adjustability
I personally look into size if I have a changing living situation. When I went to college, I got a small blender, whereas now, I make recipes for my family. Some are designed as bulky, at home blenders, while others are for individual use. A product like the NutriBullet NBR30500Z has different pitcher sizes for you to switch from individual to family use. Pitcher size is important, but so is the size of the overall blender. If you have a lot of kitchen counter space or storage space, then measurement may not matter as much to you. The good thing is that blenders aren’t inherently difficult to store like juicers are, but they can still be tough to deal with if you have a large blender in a small space.
Our Blender Picks
Now that we got past some of the nitty gritty details, let’s get back to our picks to find the best match for you. We narrowed down and reviewed these blenders for a reason. They have special functions or are overall fantastic blenders we wanted to showcase. Here’s where we think each of these blenders really shines:
Most Powerful Blender
Our “high-powered” pick is the Cleanblend Commercial Blender. Coming in at 1800 watts of power, it is the strongest blender on our list. Strength doesn’t always mean better as the highest power setting makes the base feel a little wobbly. You probably have to hold down the top of the blender to keep it steady, but besides that, it’s great for saving time. If you plan to blender tougher foods often, then this is an ideal blender for you. Plus, it comes with a 5 year warranty to keep your purchase covered.
Best Blender for Beginners
For those who are new to the world of blenders that want something of quality, yet simple, our “easiest to use” pick is the NutriNinja Personal Blender. With its autoIQ technology, it programs itself to do the work so you won’t have to guess what the best speed is. Besides that sweet detail, it also comes with different pitcher sizes. So with this blender you have options and can also remove some of the blending guesswork.
Quietest Blender
If noise is a concern for you, then you will be happy to hear about our pick for the “best for quiet blending” product. The Hamilton Beach Quiet Shield Blender is the only blender on this list that offers this feature. It’s still a blender though and this shield won’t make it completely silent. You get more of a muffled sound won’t wake the whole family in the morning if you’re an early riser.
Best Blender for Chefs
If you want to test out new recipes, then you might like our “best for cooking” pick. The Instant Ace Nova Cooking Blender is the only blender that has a heating and warming setting so you can try out new recipes like soups or purees. If you are a foodie or adventurer at heart, you will come to appreciate the endless possibilities this blender offers. You can make ice cream, mixed drinks, soup, and even pizza dough! This is truly a versatile blender and it comes at a very affordable price.
Best Value
Finally, our “best value” pick was the NutriBullet NBR30500Z because it is just a well rounded blender. For the price you pay, you get so much out of it. Not only do you get a ton of accessories, you get a high powered blender that is great for taking on a variety of recipes. We chose it as the best value because the efficiency and reliability of this blender is top notch. It has a 1 year limited warranty, which isn’t that long in my opinion, but still something great that other brands don’t offer. If you are still not completely sure with which blender to go to, you won’t go wrong with this blender.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully we have helped you narrow down the endless list of blenders on the market to find a great fit for you. Getting a blender into your kitchen can really expand the possibilities you have there. With a blender you can make your own soups, dips, desserts, smoothies, and even ice cream. For under $200, you can find a great blender that will lead you to blending bliss!
