Best smoothie makers 2023 – tested and rated by experts

Best mid-priced smoothie maker

Pros:

• Very effective
• Several receptacles
• Most parts can go in the dishwasher

Cons:

• Slightly awkward to use at first
• Too much packaging

Score: 4/5

This blender won’t take up much space on your worktop – it’s smaller than a kettle – which means that you can leave it out if you plan to use it frequently. It also won’t take up much cupboard space if you want to keep it out of sight. The Magic Bullet comes with all sorts of bits and pieces to make life easier. As well as the main cup, there’s a smaller one and a smoothie mug with a handle, complete with lids, so you can make and store everything without pouring it into a different container. Anything that saves on the washing up gets the thumbs up from us.

We found it took a bit of time to get used to it, as you need to line the cup tabs up with the blender, but once you get it, it’s pretty straightforward. It’s quick, powerful and versatile, and easy to clean as the different parts (apart from the motor base, obviously) go in the dishwasher.

Zwilling Enfinigy table blender

Best smoothie maker for a large family

Pros:

• Large capacity
• Very effective

Cons:

Score: 4/5

A very powerful machine, this has plenty of functions to justify its price tag.

It comes with quite a lot of single use packaging. It isn’t as intuitive as some of the others we tested – you do need to read the instruction booklet. At first glance, you wonder where all the functions are as there simply seems to be a dial but all is revealed once it is properly set up and plugged in, as the functions light up. The overall effect is that it is very neat and streamlined.

The blender is family sized, with a capacity of 1.4 litres. It is very effective, working through our fibrous smoothie ingredients in half a minute. There is a scarily effective ice crusher function – it took 18 seconds to reduce our ice cubes to rubble.

In terms of safety, this doesn’t have a separate blade like most of the others – the blade is actually part of the jug. As there is a self-cleaning function, you don’t need to put your hand in to wash it. We used this and then just rinsed out the soap residue. The one downside is it is very noisy – you won’t be popular if you use this first thing in the morning when the rest of the family is asleep.

Available from Zwilling (£199)

Bosch VitaMaxx vacuum blender

Best smoothie-maker for finished results

This is one of the best smoothie-makers on the market, with excellent blending power and high-quality components. It has a deoxygenisation function – a vacuum which removes oxygen to give the most vibrant finished smoothie – plus a range of useful accessories like storage bowls. We found it blended even pesky small ingredients like raspberry seeds, a rarity in the smoothie blender world. You will need a decent amount of space to store it though, plus it’s not cheap. Read our full review of the Bosch VitaMaxx blender.

Breville Blend Active blender

Best affordable smoothie maker

This affordable smoothie-maker is one of the most approachable and user-friendly we’ve come across. We particularly liked the fact the motor was operated by a button rather than automatically starting when the cup is locked in place. The four cup accessories are useful and good-quality, although you will need the space to store them. Read our full review of the Breville Blend Active blender.

MOI SLIM personal blender

Best smoothie-maker for small kitchens

For simplicity and style, this IKOHS really impressed. It has a tiny footprint (10cm) making it ideal for smaller worktops. It couldn’t be easier to use thanks to its pleasingly minimalist design, plus it’s an affordable buy. It’s worth noting that the cup capacity is limited – at 400ml this may even be too small for people who like to drink large smoothies. Read our full review of the IKOHS MOI SLIM blender.

Salter Nutripro blender

Best smoothie-maker for blending power

A powerhouse of an appliance with lots of practical elements, the Nutripro whizzed up some of the best smoothie results on test. The silky finish is achieved thanks to the 1200W motor, which is as powerful as it sounds (although it does make a fair bit of noise as a result). We particularly rate the robust storage cups and the smooth body of the machine which is easy to wipe clean. You’ll need plenty of space to store it all, though. Read our full review of the Salter Nutripro blender.

Sage 3X Bluicer Pro

Best dual-purpose smoothie-maker

Pros:

• Top quality components
• Versatile function options

Cons:

Star rating: 4.5/5

Build quality and finished results aside, the genius thing about the Bluicer is that is makes both juices and smoothies (and is in fact included in our review of the best juicers). This dual functionality means the resulting smoothies can have a juiced element, making them extra vibrant and flavoursome. It’s a handsome machine, which is fortunate as it’s large so will probably work best being left out on a countertop. Read our full review of Sage The Bluicer Pro.

VonShef UltraBlend smoothie maker

Best value smoothie-maker

Pros:

• Simple and effective design
• Quite quiet
• Powerful blending

Cons:

• Some may prefer a blender with more features

Star rating: 4.5/5

VonShef often impress with their affordable appliances and kitchen gadgets – their smoothie-maker is no different. It also happens to look very smart around the kitchen. The functionality is straightforward, intuitive and powerful, producing impressive results, even working through tougher ingredients like fibrous ginger. Another characteristic that’s appealing is how easy it is to clean. Read our full VonShef UltraBlend smoothie-maker review.

What to look for in a smoothie maker

When researching which smoothie maker to buy, bear in mind the frequency with which you’ll make smoothies. If it’ll be a daily thing, choose a machine that can be left out on your surface. So you will need to take into account how much space it will take up – and also whether you like the look of it.

Also ask yourself whether you will be requiring it to do other jobs too, such as blend sauces and crush ice.

Some smoothie makers have preset functions including juicing, blending and ice crushing, while others just have one setting – go! Some are more powerful than others but be warned, we did find that with more power came greater noise. This means you also need to think about when you will be using it. If you’re keen to make a smoothie for breakfast while other members of the household are asleep, you may want a less powerful one with a quieter motor.

Those who like their smoothies really smooth are more likely to require an expensive machine with a powerful motor, while those who don’t mind taking a bit of rough with the smoothie may be just as well served with a budget offering.

Some of our blenders came with extras such as a sports bottle, which can be useful if you are planning to make more than one type at once. Fruit pulp can be a killer to wash up, so if you have a dishwasher it’s worth buying a blender with cups that are suitable.

Fervent fans would be wise to consider investing in something over £100 that comes with a warranty, as regular use does put the blades and motor through considerable strain, especially if using things like beetroot or veg with hard stalks.

How we tested smoothie makers

We reviewed a representative sample of smoothie-makers and scored them against the following criteria.

The Good Food lump test: we put several tough ingredients (half an apple, a banana, 20g ginger, 25g kale, 3 ice cubes, a tablespoon of oats and 2 pieces of frozen fruit, plus 400ml of water) in each blender for 1 minute. We then attempted to suck the smoothie through a straw. Anything that got stuck was marked down – the optimum result was a silky smooth mix with ease of flow.

Ease of use: lots of people will move bullet blenders in and out of cupboards – we wanted machines that were intuitive and easy to set up.

Noise: we love smoothies in the morning, but our neighbours don’t tend to like being woken up by industrial-grade mechanical noise. While all smoothie bullets make some noise, machines that spluttered, made notably loud sounds or noises similar to a clapped out car were judged unfavourably.

Extra features: machines with different cup options, additional blades and smart blending functions were marked up.

Cup quality: say no to leaky cups! We gave carry cups a vigorous shake to ensure no liquid would escape and ruin the inside of your bag.

Packaging: we marked down products that came in excessive non-recyclable packaging.

Instruction manual: a good manual can really amplify your experience of smoothie-making since they often include smoothie recipes and tips.

Ease of storage: if you have minimal counter space, a smoothie-maker that can be easily packed away is an essential.

Extra features: we tested all additional features on products, including juicing functions.

Ease of cleaning: smoothies are traditionally tricky to clean up. We tested how well cups and jugs washed and considered whether they were dishwasher-friendly.

Kitchen footprint and overall aesthetic: some of us choose to have juicers and blenders on display – we looked for appliances that don’t take up too much counter space and that we’d be proud to have out in our kitchens.

Other smoothie makers tested and rated:

Recipes and tips

18 smoothie recipe ideas
How to make the perfect smoothie
Our 6 best healthy smoothies
Best smoothie bowl recipes
How to choose the best smoothie ingredients
Smoothie recipes
8 new ways to use a blender
Super berry smoothie
Mango and passion fruit smoothie
Spiced carrot and lentil soup
Three-minute blender banana pancake

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If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.