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While it’s nice to have personal blender cups to take your liquid meals on-the-go, having a large traditional blender pitcher is always a nice option, too. From making blending margaritas for the party to whipping up soup for the crew, you never know when you’ll have to blend in bulk. Don’t get stuck choosing between the 2 styles.
Blending Your Blenders
If you want to be prepared for everything, yet stay economical with your counter space, then a combo blender would be the perfect tool for your kitchen. The best part about combo blenders is that they can adequately replace at least 3 appliances at one time.
- Personal Blender
- Traditional Blender
- Food Processor
- Ice Cream Maker
- Juicer
- and more
It doesn’t matter what size your kitchen is, it’s always nice to free up counter space. For RVs, boats, tiny houses, and other living spaces with small kitchens, combo blenders are essential. Here are our top 3 favorite combo blenders and one that just barely missed the cut.
1. Vitamix A2300 Ascent Series
Best All-Around Combo Blender
Motor Power: 2.2 HP (about 1,500 Watts)
Container Sizes: 64oz pitcher, 48oz dry grain container, 20oz cup, and 8oz bowl
(Disclaimer: All Ascent models come with only the 64oz pitcher. The only exception is the Black A2300 model Family Pack, which includes a 20oz cup and two 8oz bowls. Otherwise all additional containers are sold separately.)
Pros:
- 4 Models (A2300, A2500, A3300, and A3500)
- 4 Color options (White, Black, Slate, and Red)
- 2.2 HP (more than 1,500 Watts)
- 10 Speeds
- 64oz Blender pitcher
- 20oz Blender to-go cup (Only comes standard in A2300 Family Pack)
- (2) 8oz Blender bowls (Only comes standard in A2300 Family Pack)
- Best-in-class durability
- Self-cleaning cups
- Dishwasher safe
- Vitamix app (Android and iOS) with 15+ programs and 500+ recipes
- 10-Year warranty
Cons:
- Very expensive (10-year warranty saves you more in the long run)
- Blender to-go cups are only available in 20oz
- A2500, A3300, and A3500 models don’t come standard with blender cups and blender bowls. These and other authentic accessories can be purchased here…
Conclusion
One of the newest models from one of the oldest names in the world of blending, the Vitamix Ascent Series Smart Blender holds the #1 spot. Their attention to detail and dedication to quality makes the Vitamix Ascent Series an essential for every home chef. Offering a hybrid blending experience, the Ascent Series transforms to fit any need.
With 4 models to choose from in the series, even the base model (A2300) blows every other home blender out of the water. If you choose to move up in models, you’ll be adding luxury features like touch-controls and programmed modes, but that’s up to you.
No matter which model you choose, you’ll be getting a premium Vitamix motor and blade assembly. Another standard luxury feature is the auto-detect function that adjusts the blending power and style, based on whether the pitcher, cup, or bowl is being used.
With their 10-year warranty, chefs of all levels of skill will have one of the most powerful kitchen tools to help you learn and grow. Paired with your phone, the Vitamix app will help you through any of the 500+ recipes from start to finish. They even make purchasing easy. Vitamix.com allows you to spread out payments for up to 24 months with 0% APR!!!
Ascent Series Accessories
If you’ve been living the Keto lifestyle, you most likely already have these in your pantry. If not, these bars are exactly what their name is, Perfect Keto Bars. Even if you’re diet isn’t exactly Keto-friendly, everyone can benefit from these clean treats!
- Grass-Fed Collagen
- MCT Oil
- No Gluten, Dairy, GMO’s, Soy, Corn, or Peanuts
2. Ninja Mega Kitchen System
Best For Chefs On-A-Budget
Motor Power: 1,500 Watts
Container Sizes: 72oz pitcher, 64oz processor bowl, and 16oz cups
Pros:
- 1,500 Watts
- Huge 72oz blender pitcher
- XL 8-cup (64oz) food processor bowl
- Full-length 6-blade cutting shaft
- (2) 16oz blender to-go cups
- Durable commercial-grade build
- Dough blade that can mix up to 2lbs of dough in less than 1 minute
- Dishwasher safe
- Auto-iQ feature for hands-free blending and processing
Cons:
- To-go cups that come included are only 16oz
- 6-Blade cutting shaft can be hard to work around and takes up space
- Blade shafts are harder to clean than traditional blade setups
Conclusion
For chefs on-a-budget, the Ninja Mega Kitchen System provides ridiculous blending power without breaking the bank. The huge 72oz blender pitcher and XL 64oz food processor bowl can put out some serious volume. It even comes with a dough blade that can mix doe in less than 1 minute.
Even the 16oz blender to-go cups aren’t as big as we would’ve hoped, they’re very cup-holder-friendly and durable. The commercial-grade style and build of the base blending unit makes the Ninja MKS an all-around beast. On top of all that, equipped with Ninja’s patented Auto-iQ, you get the luxury of some premium hands-free blending modes.
3. NutriBullet RX
Best For Smoothie-Lovers
Motor Power: 1,700 Watts
Container Sizes: 1 Liter pitcher, 45oz cup, and 30oz cup
Pros:
- 1,700 Watt motor is extremely powerful (2.3 horsepower)
- So fast and powerful you can make heat soups and sauces
- Hands-free SMART Technology
- 1 Liter SouperBlast pitcher with vented lid
- 30oz Blender cup
- 45oz Oversized blender cup
- Pitcher and blender cups have built-in handles
- Includes lid wrench for tightening and loosening blending lids
Cons:
- Some durability issues with motor and lid
- No sip-and-seal lids
- Blender pitcher is small compared to other combo blenders
- Blender cups aren’t cup holder friendly, especially with the built-in handles
Conclusion
Perfect for smoothie-lovers in households of no more than 2 people. (If you have 3 or more smoothie-lovers in the house then you should check out our wildcard pick.) The 1,700 Watt motor is great at breaking up Chia seeds and other tough-to-blend smoothie ingredients. With the 32oz blender pitcher and vented lid, you can even make hot soups from scratch in a matter of minutes.
Our favorite features of the NutriBullet Rx are the blender to-go cups. The “small” 30oz blender cup is plenty big for the average person. If that’s not enough, the larger 45oz blender cup should satisfy any smoothie craving. On top of that, they both feature built-in handles since they’re too large to fit in many car cup holders.
As the most compact option on our list, the NutriBullet Rx should be your #1 choice if limiting the usage of counter and storage space are high priorities.
Wildcard: Nutri Ninja Hybrid 1500W
Best For Smoothie-Lovers In XL Households
Motor Power: 1,500 Watts
Container Sizes: 72oz pitcher, 32oz cup, 24oz cup, and 18oz cup
Pros:
- 1,500 Watt motor (Upgraded from the 1,200 Watt)
- Huge 72oz blender pitcher
- 3 Oversized blender to-go cups come included
- Ninja’s consistent high-quality build and durability
- Auto-iQ feature for hands-free blending and processing
- Dishwasher safe
Cons:
- Doesn’t come with food processor blender bowl
- 6-Blade cutting shaft can be hard to work around and takes up space
- Blade shaft in blender pitcher is harder to clean than traditional blade setups
Conclusion
Perfect for large smoothie-loving households. This blending beast comes with a huge 2.1L blender pitcher and 3 oversized blender to-go cups. Even though it lacks the food processor bowl that comes included in the Ninja Mega Kitchen, the blender pitcher can do just as good of a job. You just won’t get the convenience of the dough blade for whipping up cookies and other baked goods.
Now that this bundle got upgraded from 1,200 Watts to 1,500 Watts, it’s more than capable of handling the high volume blending containers in the same session. All said and done, you can produce 146oz of smoothies before having to wash a blending container. Ninja also has plenty of compatible blender cups of various sizes so everyone can have their own to-go cup.
