Best Blender Under $200: Take Your Pick

A blender is an electrical kitchen appliance. It is designed for mixing, crushing and/or pulpifying food products and other substances. As a kitchen appliance, it serves as a combination of a mixer and a food processor in a space-saving form.

Blenders are commonly used for chopping and blending fruits and vegetables, making smoothies and cocktails, mousses and purees, as well as crushing ice. Unlike bulky food processors, they don’t take much space on your kitchen countertop and are extremely easy to use.

Kitchen blenders come in two formats: stationary and immersion devices. The former looks like a plastic or metal bowl with a lid placed on a stationary base with a control panel and several speed modes. The latter is basically a stick with a control button and rotating blades. Immersion blenders don’t usually come with bowls of their own but you can use them with any container you choose.

In terms of manufacturing materials, blenders usually incorporate plastic, glass, and metal components. Blades are usually made of stainless steel and containers are made of plastic or glass. There are models with metal bowls, which are usually more expensive than others.

Review of the best blenders under 200 dollars:

NutriBullet NBR-1201

NutriBullet is clearly designed with an aim to cater to the needs of the fans of a healthy and active lifestyle. It’s compact, easy to carry around, fast and at the same time, fairly powerful for its size.

The manufacturer advertises a unique blade and blending system that allows for getting the most out of every ingredient. This supposedly makes your cocktails and smoothies super nutritious.

In terms of design, NutriBullet might be a good choice for those who like having their healthy drinks on the go. The combination of plastic and metal (light aluminum) components makes it quite portable and convenient. . Being just 8 inches tall and very lightweight, it will easily fit into a bag. It doesn’t hurt that the blender’s power cord is long enough to be easily plugged in wherever you need it.

To add to its convenience, this NutriBullet blender comes with two types of blades, two cups (18 and 24 oz), a tall 32 oz container, tight silicone lids, and two cup rings of the same size (one of which sports a handle for a better grip). Besides, it comes with an instructions manual and a cookbook with delicious recipes.

600 W motor is powerful enough to pulverize any vegetables, fruits, nuts, and other insanely nutritious foods into smooth drinks within mere seconds. It easily and quickly chews through anything you give it, as long as it turns into a nutritious homogenous pulp as a result.

How many drinks can NutriBullet make in one go? Why is it better than a juicer?

If you use the largest pitcher from those available in the package (a tall cup), it should be enough for two. While juicers usually discard nutritious fibers that contain a lot of vitamins and minerals our bodies need on a daily basis, the NutriBullet blender retains them in your drinks.

Can NutriBullet be used to make nut paste or butter?

If you use the largest pitcher from those available in the package (a tall cup), it should be enough for two. While juicers usually discard nutritious fibers that contain a lot of vitamins and minerals our bodies need on a daily basis, the NutriBullet blender retains them in your drinks.

Can NutriBullet crush ice cubes and frozen fruit?

You can use the device for crushing frozen berries but it is better to avoid crushing whole ice cubes in it.

Ninja Professional Countertop Blender

If you need a powerful device for your kitchen, Ninja countertop Blender might be an option to consider. It’s definitely designed to remain where you put it, and you will hardly be able to take it with you anywhere But as a kitchen appliance, this Ninja blender is quite efficient.

With 1000 W of power, it has the muscle to easily crush, break, and pulverize any foods you give it, from tender fruits and berries to tough vegetables and even ice. Its 72 oz durable plastic pitcher is good for making delicious drinks for several people at once within a minute . So if you want to make healthy meals for the whole family within the shortest time possible, this option can be quite appealing.

The features Ninja countertop blender offers are pretty basic. There are 3 speed modes plus a Pulse mode. The jar has measurement marks for your convenience.

When it comes to looks, this Ninja countertop blender doesn’t disappoint. It has that simple sleek design that will fit well in any kitchen and looks minimalistic and professional. All materials (plastic and metal) are durable, food-grade, and non-toxic.

The package includes the Ninja blender with a single 72 oz jar, 6-blade system (non-removable), and plus a recipe book.

How much noise does it make?

Powerful as it is, Ninja countertop blender does make some noise. However, the level isn’t more than  from an average kitchen blender.

How efficient is it with tougher vegetables?

Very efficient. It will easily blend and pulverize hard veggies, stalks, and frozen fruit.

How much space does it take?

Ninja countertop blender is around 17 inches high and 11 inches wide.

How does Ninja perform compared to NutriBullet?

While both are blenders, it wouldn’t be fair to compare these two because they serve different purposes. NutriBullet is great, being a small and lightweight portable device and, as such, doesn’t have to be too powerful.

Ninja is a professional countertop blender that can make drinks for an entire family and crush tougher ingredients, so  the amount of power is properly justified.

Hamilton Beach Power Blender (58148A)

In case you are looking for something that’s not too flashy and complicated, this Hamilton Beach Power blender may be worth considering. It is a kitchen countertop blender in its most basic form: it does what you expect from a blender, no more, no less.

However, with what features it’s got, Hamilton 58148A performs well and can be very reliable. Besides, when it comes to kitchen blenders, 700 W motor is powerful enough.

This appliance is extremely easy to use and has quite  simplistic design. All you need to do is put veggies, fruits, and other foods into the jar, close the lid tightly, and push a button. Hamilton will do the rest for you, quickly and effectively.

It may get noisy, especially when performing harder tasks (like crushing frozen fruit or ice), but that’s quite usual for powerful countertop appliances.

While the manufacturer claims the device features as many as 12 speed modes, they are, in fact, 4 speed options for 12 different purposes. At the end of the day, it’s totally up to you to decide which speed to use for your perfect cocktail, smoothie, or ice texture.

Hamilton 58148A doesn’t come with any additional or spare removable components- the blender itself is all you need for your blending purposes. It does, however, have a very convenient hinged jar lid with a no-spill spout. The dishwasher-safe jar is made of heat-resistant and durable glass.

Can this blender dice vegetables and fruits?

You might want to use another kitchen device, like chopper or dicer, in case evenly chopped pieces are what you want to get. This blender is more likely to pulverize your ingredients than make even chunks.

Can it crush ice cubes or does it only work with smaller pieces?

Hamilton 58148A blender has no problems with crushing regular-sized ice cubes.

How easy is it to wash the blades? Are they removable?

The blades can be easily removed and rinsed.

Oster Blender Pro 1200

This blender might be a good choice for those who value versatility. Oster Blender Pro can perform a large number of tasks, from making smoothies, cocktails, purees, and thick dips to crushing ice, grinding, and milling. It offers 7 speed modes (pulse mode included) and 1200 W of power, which makes it fairly efficient.

First of all, its six-cup pitcher capacity which has a wide bottom for better and smoother blending. Second, it has multiple powerful blades that rotate forward and backwards, which helps big chunks of food fall on blades and again, make your mixtures and drinks smoother. Third, it offers 900 W of ice-crushing power, so in case you are a fan of  icy drinks and cocktails, this may be a nice feature for you.

Oster Blender Pro 1200 is nice to look at. The jar is made of heavy-duty, durable, heat-resistant glass, and the base has a sleek silver metal finish. It’s heavy enough to stand firmly and small enough not to take too much space on your kitchen countertop.

The package includes one extra 24 oz smoothie cup with a tight lid so you could make some smoothie to sip on the go.

Does it work well with leafy vegetables?

Thanks to its blade system and design, Oster Blender Pro is especially efficient when it comes to leafy veggies, like kale. It’s quite capable of pulverizing them without leaving any chunks behind.

Is this blender good with grinding seeds and nuts?

Yes, it is. Using a Pulse mode, you’ll be able to grind anyseeds or nuts you want for your smoothies.

Is this model’s jar compatible with older Oster models?

No. Oster Blender Pro 1200 jar is wider at the bottom, so it won’t fit older models.

Are the materials used to make this blender non-toxic?

All materials (lightweight metal, plastic, and silicone) are food-grade and BPA free.

Hamilton Beach Wave Crusher Blender (54221)

Like many other Hamilton blender models, Beach Wave Crusher blender is affordable, dependable and very easy to operate. This particular model, however, is a little more versatile when it comes to blending functions.

It has 8 speed modes (including two Pulse mode options) and easily does all the blending, grinding, and milling you may need while not being an awfully powerful machine per se. Its 700 Watt power motor  allows it to crush regular ice cubes with undeniable efficiency.

At first glance, it may seem like a more modest option compared to more expensive and powerful appliances. But it’s easy to make sure that it’s fully capable of fulfilling its purpose as a reliable countertop blender.

It’s not too big, easy to wash (the blending jar is made of glass and the blades are removable), and has a compartment for storing the power cord.

Eight buttons may seem like too much, but the device is easier to operate than you might think. The bigger a button , the higher  the speed. What may seem important for many customers, this blender is fairly quiet compared to other models on the market.

Does this device fit European voltage requirements?

Hamilton Beach Wave Crusher Blender runs on 110 V, which is standard for Canada and the US.

How good is this blender with crushing ice?

Hamilton 54221 blender model is capable of crushing large cubes of ice to make your drinks perfectly smooth.

Does it come with any extra jar lids or cups?

The package does not include any extra cups, and the jar only has one lid.

KitchenAid KSB1570SL Blender

Perhaps because it’s less powerful than other models on the list, KitchenAid blender is also one of the most affordable appliances on the market.

While it may not have enough power to cope with more difficult tasks like crushing ice and milling, it still can do what you would expect from your average countertop blender . And this is, actually, much more than just making smoothies.

When it comes to performance and core functions, KitchenAid may prove to be more reliable than more expensive models.

This blender’s design is definitely one of its strengths. It’s not too flashy but has that trendy midcentury modern look that invokes nostalgia. It comes in monochrome (black & white, silver & black) and colorful (red, gray and black) palettes that have that nice vintage vibe. So if it’s something you like, this may be a great product for you.

Another feature that may seem appealing to many is KitchenAid’s jar capacity. It’s fairly good (60 oz) so making drinks and smoothies for an entire family is not a problem .

What’s more, this model offers a so-called Soft Start Feature, which means that once you switch it on, the motor starts working at a lower speed and then slowly increases it. This allows chopping, blending, and mixing all the ingredients evenly and smoothly.

The control panel doesn’t seem too flashy either: no timers, touch screens or electronic displays. Still, it’s got everything you need. 5 speed modes for blending, mixing, chopping, pulverizing, and pureeing to your heart’s content.

What material is the blending jar made of?

KitchenAid blender jar is made of BPA-free durable plastic.

Is this blender made in China?

No, KitchenAid Blenders are made in the US.

Can this blender crush ice and frozen fruit?

Yes, it can. However, you may want to consider more powerful models if you expect your blender to crush ice into snow.

Blender FAQ

How to pick the right blender?

There are several factors you’ll need to pay attention to when choosing a blender:

Jars can be made of plastic or glass. Plastic jars are lightweight and easy to handle (and they ensure the low cost of the product). However, plastic may be not as durable or heat-resistant as other materials. Glass jars are heavier and more fragile, but have excellent heat-resistant qualities. No matter what kind you choose, make sure that they are dishwasher safe and made of non-toxic materials.

Are there any blenders comparable to Vitamix?

Vitamix is a relatively new powerful type of kitchen blenders – and one of the most expensive too. Thanks to its powerful motor, this blender can perform complex tasks like ice shaving, flour milling, and even making hot soups. Good news is there are other blender models that have similar functions but cost much cheaper:

1. Oster Versa Pro is capable of making nut butter, thick dips, sauces, and hot soups.
2. Dash Chef Series blender makes purees, smoothies, nut butter, chops and minces, grinds coffee beans but can’t make a dough.
3. Cleanblend blender can be considered as the best blender under 200 USD that’s similar to Vitamix. This appliance is very powerful (with 1800 W of motor power), can pulverize anything into a very smooth substance, crush and shave ice, make nut butter and other thick and smooth pastes, dips, and sauces.

Is Ninja a good blender?

Ninja is a fairly good line of blenders for those who can’t afford buying overpriced kitchen appliances. They are affordable, durable, quite powerful and offer all functions you need in a blender. Yes, they may not include the entire range of them but that is not necessarily a bad thing.  After all, your blender may not be capable of kneading dough, shaving ice, making nut butter or hot cream soups, but it can still be more than reliable when it comes to its core blending functions.

For example, the above-mentioned Ninja Professional Countertop Blender is quite a powerful model that has a pretty narrow choice of functions but performs excellently with what features it does have.

What is the best blender under $100?

If you choose out of our list and based on customer reviews, the best affordable blenders that will give you value for your money are Oster Pro 1200 and NutriBullet.

Apart from being easy on your budget, Oster Pro is quite powerful and has a range of functions that make it quite versatile. Besides, it incorporates a patented blending system where blades can move in two directions.

NutriBullet has a portable, compact model that’s not too powerful, but still can perform excellently when you need those thick, delicious, and nutritious smoothies.