Best blenders for smoothies and frozen fruit
For smoothies and frozen fruit, the useful blenders are the ones that do well with ice, puréeing, and frozen ingredients without leaving chunks. Consumer Reports and Tom’s Guide both found that some models handle that well, but noise and price still matter. The best fit depends on whether you want the strongest performance or the least counter space.
5 products ranked Updated
Our rankings are built from published testing by named outlets, not from our own lab. We earn a commission when you buy through our links, and it never changes the order.
The short answer
- 1 Cuisinart Hurricane Pro 3.5 Peak HP CBT-2000 Best overall for frozen drinks
- 2 Chefman Obliterator RJ27-T1-TJ Smallest smoothie machine
- 3 Vitamix Propel 750 Top smoothie performer
- 4 Vitamix Ascent X2 High-end smoothie choice $549.95
- 5 KitchenAid Pure Power Blender Strongest on ice
Prices checked 21 October 2026. They move constantly — the retailer's own page is the authority.
Cuisinart Hurricane Pro 3.5 Peak HP CBT-2000
Consumer Reports puts this near the top for smoothies and frozen drinks. It earns excellent results in icy-drinks tests, strong results in ice-crushing tests, and can pulverize rock-solid frozen fruit. The tradeoff is noise, and Consumer Reports says the motor is noisier than most.
Pros
- Excellent in icy-drinks tests
- Strong at ice-crushing
- Handles rock-solid frozen fruit
Cons
- Noisier than most
- Pricey
Where these findings come from
- Consumer Reports: CR includes it among the best blenders for making smoothies; it says the model earns an excellent rating in icy-drinks tests and a strong rating in ice-crushing tests, and can handily pulverize rock-solid frozen fruit.
- Consumer Reports: CR says it turns out ice similar in texture to a snow cone, and notes the motor is noisier than most.
Chefman Obliterator RJ27-T1-TJ
Consumer Reports singles this out as the smallest model in its smoothie group. That helps if counter space is tight. It still does the job on frozen fruit, ice, and puréeing. The downside is obvious: the 6-cup capacity is small.
Pros
- Smallest model in the group
- Very good at crushing ice
- Excellent at puréeing
Cons
- Small 6-cup capacity
- Less room for bigger batches
Where these findings come from
- Consumer Reports: CR lists it among its best blenders for making smoothies; it says the Chefman can handily pulverize rock-solid frozen fruit, is very good at crushing ice, and is excellent at puréeing.
- Consumer Reports: CR notes that it is the smallest model in the group, so it takes up less counter space, but it also has a small 6-cup capacity.
Vitamix Propel 750
Consumer Reports places this among its top smoothie blenders. The ranking lines up with strong work in icy-drinks and puréeing tests, which is the right kind of performance for frozen fruit and greens. There is no specific drawback named in the guide copy, so the main limitation here is lack of detail on price or downsides.
Pros
- Top smoothie ranking from Consumer Reports
- Built for icy-drinks and puréeing work
Cons
- No drawback stated in the guide copy
- No price stated in the guide copy
Where these findings come from
- Consumer Reports: CR lists it among its best blenders for making smoothies, in a group defined by strong results in icy-drinks and puréeing tests.
Vitamix Ascent X2
Tom's Guide puts this at the top of its blender guide. Its hands-on testing found very smooth results in smoothie mode, plus good performance with ice and frozen berries. The catch is price. Tom's Guide says it is expensive, and the listed price is high enough to matter.
Pros
- Most perfectly blended smoothies, per Tom's Guide
- Breaks down ice
- Handles frozen berries
Cons
- Expensive
Where these findings come from
- Tom's Guide: Tom's Guide says it is the best blender in the world in its guide; in hands-on tests, the writer made a frozen fruit smoothie and says smoothie performance was a key part of the evaluation.
- Tom's Guide: Tom's Guide says the smoothie mode made the most perfectly blended smoothies in the writer's tests, and that the blender can break down ice and handle frozen berries.
- Tom's Guide: Tom's Guide says it is expensive.
KitchenAid Pure Power Blender
Tom's Guide describes this as a strong performer on ice and frozen fruit. That is the part that matters here. The drawback is hard to ignore: Tom's Guide says it was the noisiest blender it had ever recorded, at more than 100 dB.
Pros
- Cuts through ice
- Handles frozen fruit
- Good crush for drinks
Cons
- Very noisy
- Noisiest blender Tom's Guide recorded
Where these findings come from
- Tom's Guide: Tom's Guide says it cut through solid ice, made a good crush for drinks, and cuts through ice and frozen fruit.
- Tom's Guide: Tom's Guide says it was very noisy and the noisiest blender it had ever recorded, above 100 dB.
What actually matters
For smoothies and frozen fruit, the main question is simple: does the blender turn hard, cold ingredients into a drink without leaving obvious chunks? Consumer Reports treats that as an icy-drinks problem and also checks puréeing, which matters if greens are part of the mix. That is the useful test here, not motor wattage on its own.
Noise is the other issue that keeps showing up. Consumer Reports says the Cuisinart Hurricane Pro is noisier than most. Tom's Guide says the KitchenAid Pure Power Blender was the noisiest blender it had ever recorded. So a strong smoothie result does not mean a quiet kitchen.
Price still matters, especially once you get into the Vitamix range. Tom's Guide likes the Ascent X2 very much, but it is expensive. If you want the best results, that may be fine. If you just want a blender that handles frozen fruit without drama, a cheaper model can still do the job.
Best picks
Consumer Reports puts the Cuisinart Hurricane Pro near the top for smoothies and frozen drinks. It earns excellent results in icy-drinks tests, strong results in ice-crushing tests, and can pulverize rock-solid frozen fruit. The tradeoff is noise, and Consumer Reports says the motor is noisier than most.
Consumer Reports singles out the Chefman Obliterator RJ27-T1-TJ as the smallest model in its smoothie group. That helps if counter space is tight. It still does the job on frozen fruit, ice, and puréeing. The downside is obvious: the 6-cup capacity is small.
Consumer Reports places the Vitamix Propel 750 among its top smoothie blenders. The ranking lines up with strong work in icy-drinks and puréeing tests, which is the right kind of performance for frozen fruit and greens. There is no specific drawback named in the guide copy, so the main limitation here is lack of detail on price or downsides.
Tom's Guide puts the Vitamix Ascent X2 at the top of its blender guide. Its hands-on testing found very smooth results in smoothie mode, plus good performance with ice and frozen berries. The catch is price. Tom's Guide says it is expensive, and the listed price is high enough to matter.
Tom's Guide describes the KitchenAid Pure Power Blender as a strong performer on ice and frozen fruit. That is the part that matters here. The drawback is hard to ignore: Tom's Guide says it was the noisiest blender it had ever recorded, at more than 100 dB.
What to expect from the tests
Consumer Reports says it puts blenders through a battery of tests, including icy-drinks and puréeing tests, and folds in survey data from more than 30,000 full-sized blenders. That is the strongest match for smoothies and leafy greens.
Tom's Guide says its writer has been testing blenders for five years and has made frozen fruit smoothies in hands-on testing. Its current guide and its individual Vitamix and KitchenAid reviews both speak directly to smoothie performance.
FAQ
Do I need a blender that is good at ice if I care about frozen fruit?
Yes. Consumer Reports uses icy-drinks testing for smoothie-relevant results, and Tom's Guide says ice performance and frozen berries matter for smoothie use.
Which pick is the smallest?
Consumer Reports says the Chefman Obliterator RJ27-T1-TJ is the smallest model in its smoothie group, so it takes up less counter space. The tradeoff is a small 6-cup capacity.
What is the main drawback of the premium picks?
Price. Tom's Guide says the Vitamix Ascent X2 is expensive, and Consumer Reports' Cuisinart Hurricane Pro also comes with a higher price.
Where this comes from
We did not test these. These people did.
Every score on this page rests on the testing below. The ranking is ours; the measurements are not. How we research.
- Consumer Reports — Consumer Reports says it uses an icy-drinks test for smoothness and thickness and a puréeing test for hard foods and greens; it also folds in survey data from more than 30,000 full-sized blenders.
- Consumer Reports — Consumer Reports uses the same lab-style blender testing framework for frozen drinks coverage, and the page gives a price and drawback for the Cuisinart Hurricane Pro.
- Tom's Guide — Tom's Guide says its writer has been testing blenders for 5 years and, in hands-on testing, made a frozen fruit smoothie and evaluated smoothie performance.
- Tom's Guide — Tom's Guide says the Vitamix Ascent X2 is expensive and lists its price.
- Tom's Guide — Tom's Guide says the KitchenAid Pure Power Blender cuts through ice and frozen fruit, but is very noisy and was the noisiest blender it had recorded.
Questions people ask
Do I need a blender that is good at ice if I care about frozen fruit?
Which pick is the smallest?
What is the main drawback of the premium picks?
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