Blender (and smoothie recipe) Recommendations?

[teetojen]

This is a bit of a random topic, but I want to start drinking fruit smoothies, as they seem to be healthier than my usual breakfast. I have been looking for a small blender on Amazon, but kept finding mixed reviews. I was hoping to keep the price under $30, but I'm not really sure if that will get me a decent, reliable blender 😂

 

I'm also not really sure how to make smoothies haha. I guess I would buy a package of frozen fruits (that I enjoy the flavors of), some yogurt, and then just blend? I don't eat as many servings of fruits as I should (not a huge fan of some of the textures even though I like the flavors), so I'm hoping smoothies can increase my fruit consumption in a more enjoyable way haha.

 

Please let me know what (small) blenders you have found to be reliable and/or any tips for a smoothie novice. Thanks! 😊

[Scottthespy]

I'm not sure what the electronics market is like where you live, but in Canada $30 will probably get you a lackluster blender. I cheaped out on my first few blenders, buying $20-$30 ones, and the motors died pretty quickly. If you're trying to make anything that you would have difficulty sucking through a juice box straw, consider raising your price range to around $50. There's some pretty decent ones around that range. If you're not sure if you're going to stick with smoothies, get a cheapy one and try a few, and if you like them, start saving for a better blender for when your cheap one dies. I've heard of some people getting really lucky and having their cheap blender work well and last for a long time, but I've not had that luck myself.

For recipes, you can use yogurt or milk for your liquid, and using milk will make a thinner, milkshake consistency drink that will be easier on a cheap blender. If you're going to use yogurt, however, be aware that most of the delicious fruity yogurts people buy to eat are so loaded with added sweeteners that they're not much better for you than ice cream in the calories and sugar department. Natural or plain yogurt is much healthier for you, but is sour to the taste. Both contain bacterial cultures and some nutritional value. If you want to use yogurt and are looking to have your smoothies be healthy, you should do some research into which yogurts have lower sugars and higher food values.

If you like banana, they make a great base for a lot of smoothies. If you let them start getting little brown spots before you chop them up and use them, they're very sweet, so they can make your drink taste very pleasant without adding a bunch of extra processed sugars. They pair well with a number of things...any 'tropical' mix of fruit such as mango, pineapple, and kiwi will go well with them. A personal favorite, though this is more 'milkshake' than 'smoothie' is to use natural peanut butter and a little cocoa powder (using milk as my liquid), and let the overripe bananas be the sweetness, for a low sugar chocolatey drink that's got decent protein. 

Also, if you happen to like sour, and want to amp it up over the plain yogurt, cranberries can work quite nicely when balanced with sweeter fruits. You would end up with bits of cranberry skin in your drink, and may need to use a thicker straw.

[Ashmedai]

I don't know too much about blenders, since I've never had to buy one, yet there's always been one around. As for smoothies, easy ones to start off with would be something as simple as you said, although that could be a bit thick. Perhaps a bit more milk and less yoghurt. You could always experiment with alt milks as well such as add a small amount of soy or almond milk if you so choose.

[Guest]

For blenders, 30$ is quite low for reliable long term use. 

 

You truly get what you paid for. 

 

A 30$ blender will typically have plastic on plastic components, regarding your driving pin on the base and the blades which are screwed into the actual blender receptacle. 

 

You want metal on metal. Viscous drinks like smoothies, will just wear at plastic components very quickly. 

 

You don't need a Vitamix or a Blendtec however, to get a high quality blender. 

 

So many brands.

 

I highly recommend bang for your buck, and looking at video reviews, but looking for metal rods in the base and metal on metal contact.

 

There are way cheaper versions to the Blendtec.

 

Its a trial and error thing to get your desired viscosity.

 

Personally, I keep mine simple. 

 

Vanilla almond milk is my preference, with a dash of plain yogurt, honey and the desired fruits. 

 

If you get a cheap blender, you need to help it heavily with fluids. 

 

My blender cost me 200$, works as well as a Vitamix, has a 5 year warranty and I can basically put a dash of milk and it will puree it regardless.

 

The blades whip, vs chopping only, making the same velvety smoothies you would get from a Vitamix.

 

Look for bang for buck. 

[Guest]

I got the Salton Harley Pasternak blender. 

 

I really wanted a Vitamix, but just couldn't justify dropping 5 to 700$ on a blender. 

 

Oster has tons of awesome blenders, and their brand is highly reliable. 

 

I had an Oster for over a decade. They just don't break. But again. You have to be willing to pay 50 to 60 dollars for one or so.

 

The Salton was closer to 160$, but I could throw a brick in it, and it would probably puree it smooth and delicious. Please don't try this o_O

[Guest]

So many good brands. There should be pictures of the blades and mechanism.

 

What you want, are metal blades, a rubber grommet to seal the jar, and underneath, a metal contact point.

 

You also want several beefy blades.

 

1500+ watts work great if you like smoothies like I do. Super thick. 

 

Otherwise less power is fine. 

 

Makes a huuuuuuge difference when crushing ice. 

 

If I have to pre crush the ice and pre chop the fruits.....I might as well just buy a smoothie. 

 

My cheap blender I bought struggled with ice. So many chunks left behind. 

[SugarButterFlour]

I don’t know about new blenders as the one I have is somewhat old. 

As far as recipes, my go to is mixed frozen berries, a banana, chia/flaxseeds and orange juice for the liquid. 

[SpaceDustbin]

I have a stick/immersion blender that I sometimes use for smoothies. You can find them in the price range of $15-40, and they're very versatile. I mostly use them for soups though. 

 

If using a stick blender you probably have to defrost your fruit beforehand, but otherwise it should work perfectly fine. 

 

One of my go-to smoothies is banana with soy milk or yoghurt, mixed with some peanut butter and cacao - sometimes also some oats