Imagine going to the gym or doing your home workout. You’ve worked up a pump and a sweat, and you’re feeling really amazing after your session. Then, it’s finally time to make your protein shake so you can have it right after your routine. But then you take out your blender bottle and start trying to make it as per usual. You shake it as well as you can, then begin drinking. But your first chug contains an undissolved powder chunk that almost makes you gag. Yuck!
At this point, you’re ready to get rid of your blender bottle. You probably just want to get your protein shakedown as quickly as possible so that you can get over the weird taste and sensation. Then you start wishing you had a proper blender so that your shakes won’t be all lumpy and bumpy. You start dreaming of a time that you can press a single button and have your shake prepared.
Well, it sounds like you’re ready for the best blender for protein shakes. If you’re looking for recommendations and a buying guide, you’re in the right place! Let’s get started.
1. BLSTPB-WBL My Blend 250-Watt Blender with Travel Sport Bottle by Oster
The very first product that we want to mention can certainly be considered the best blender for protein shakes. That is, if you’re looking for one that’s on the lower end of the price spectrum. Indeed, the My Blend (a product by Oster) is a fantastic choice for those who want to have a blender to help properly mix their shakes. And truly, it is wonderfully affordable, despite the fact that it comes from a brand that is well known for the quality of their blenders.
This small, personal blender offers basic, single-serve portions. It’s got a 250-watt motor to blend your basic shakes, though that will peak to 400 watts at times when necessary. It comes with a blending jar (or we guess you could say a blending bottle) that is made of plastic. However, rest assured in the knowledge that the 20 oz sports bottle is BPA-Free, so you’ll be safe from chemical leaching. It’s truly quite convenient, as now you can simply blend your drink and take it on the go as needed.
We do also want to mention that this blender comes in a few different color choices, just in case you care what color the appliance is. The color of the blender base is white, black, and one of 5 different color choices. Specifically, you get to choose between blue, green, orange, pink, and finally, red.
Pros
- Very affordable – easily within reach of practically any budget
- Small footprint means it won’t take up much space in your kitchen, no matter how small
- Incredibly simple use, only one button to press
- Can also grind coffee beans
- Also good for blending margaritas!
Cons
- Only for small servings – if you want to make a beverage for someone else, you’ll have to use an extra blender bottle (or pour out the content of your blender bottle first)
- 250-watt motor might struggle when it comes to crushing ice
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2. BL450 BL456 mixer by Ninja
Another contender for the best blender for protein shakes is the Nutri Ninja Pro. If you’re thinking “hey, that name sounds familiar!”, we don’t blame you! It’s probably because it shares the word “Nutri” with the Nutri Bullet (more on this product below). This version, however, is more powerful than the Bullet. And it is also slightly different in comparison. But nevertheless, it’s still a great choice, especially if you intend to use it mostly for your protein shakes.
Ninja Pro has a 900-watt motor. Already, you can see that this blender will be more capable of doing things like crushing ice. If you know you’ll be wanting a lot of ice-blended beverages, you may want to choose this blender. It’s not as cheap as the other ones on this list, but for only a bit of an increase in price, you can get the Pro. It also has a larger jar capacity, at 24 ounces. Though if you want a personal serving size, your purchase also comes with an 18-ounce jar – so you can choose between both if needed. Oh, and did we mention that both jars come with lids with flip tops?
Pros
- Bestselling, one of the best options for this purpose
- Simple to use but incredibly powerful
- Can blend ingredients easily with a 900-watt motor
- Great reviews
Cons
- Must hold jar down while blending, usually for half a minute to forty-five seconds
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3. NBR-1201 12-Piece High-Speed Blender/Mixer System by Nutribullet
The Nutribullet (Magic Bullet) is nothing new – it has been around for quite some time. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not good in any way. The Nutribullet has been around for a very long time, and it’s truly earned a seat in so many people’s countertops. The fact is, this bullet blender is small, but provides quite a bit of power for its size. Plus, it’s multipurpose, so you can do more than simply blending. With its various attachments, it can also dice and mill some grains. You can certainly also grind your coffee beans this way!
The NutriBullet comes with a blending jar with a 24-ounce capacity. Extra cups are also included in case you want to blend multiple things. Also, an extra blade is included for use with milling. Not to mention, the jars come complete with lids. That way, you can blend a drink and then take it along without the need for an extra pitcher.
As the name might suggest, the Nutribullet 600 uses a 600-watt motor. It’s definitely more powerful than the Oster we’ve mentioned above. And with 600 watts, you won’t be struggling too much when trying to do things like crushing ice and grinding coffee beans.
Pros
- Great little multipurpose device
- Can help with basic food preparation
- Great for smoothies
- Powerful enough to not struggle with ice
Cons
- Too many features for a simple protein shake blender, but who would really complain about such a multipurpose device?
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4. 5200 Blender Professional-Grade by Nutrimax
Okay, so, this blender is maybe a bit on the overkill side of things. What do you need a full-sized blender for when all you intend to make is protein shakes? Well, honestly, we figured it’s still a good idea to include this option. After all, this blender can help you do almost everything you want. It can do anything – make soup, crush ice, make smoothies, grind coffee beans, and so on and so forth. Plus, it’ll likely last you a much longer time than any of the other blenders out there today. You see, Vitamix is a brand that is also quite famous for their blenders. And for this reason, it is unsurprising just how many people enjoy this product all in all.
There are indeed some much cheaper options out on the market. And there are choices that will likely be much more convenient overall. But hey, if you want the um, “Cadillac” of blenders, the Vitamix 5200 is the only choice. This model ranks at the top of many lists of the best blenders everywhere. That’s because it’s very consistent in terms of reliability and in terms of performance as well.
If you’re wondering why we’re saying it’s overpowered, well – this model has TWO horsepower. That’s 2 full HP to help you manage the variable controls for speed. With a blender like this, you’ll be pretty much unstoppable in the kitchen. It’ll work incredibly smoothly even when crushing ice. One hundred percent you will enjoy giving this appliance a seat in your kitchen.
Pros
- Proven quality, amazing workhorse
- Capable of handling pretty much any kitchen task
- Blend to an amazing consistency
Cons
- Definitely going to be pricier than all the other models
- Will definitely require more space in your kitchen
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5. Power Elite Blender with 12 Functions for Puree by Hamilton Beach
Okay, so another overpowered blender. We can’t help it – we do believe that this is certainly another blender that can be considered the “best.” Hamilton Beach is well known as a brand for their kitchen appliances, so you can imagine their blenders are also pretty good in quality. This model, in particular, the Power Elite model 58148A, offers tremendous value. It’s got 700 watts keeping the motor purring. The glass pitcher is 40 ounces in size, and it even has a special spout for pouring so you won’t struggle trying to get the contents of the pitcher out.
Plus hey, this blender has so many different settings – so much so that you won’t be struggling at all with working on whatever you are trying to prepare. Of course, much like the Vitamix, it will be bigger and take up more space in your kitchen. It’ll also spend more electricity. But it’s not a bad trade overall for what you get.
Also, you do get a pretty great warranty. 3 years warranty? Count us in. Not bad for a full-sized blender, eh?
Pros
- Won’t be as great for making things like nut butter or pureeing really hard ingredients
- Pretty good performance, and definitely a decent choice for a mid-ranged blender
- 3-year warranty
Cons
- Pretty big footprint
- Pricier than smaller, more convenient blenders
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Your Ultimate Buying Guide
We’ve given you our recommendations of the best product you are looking for. But of course, we can’t simply do that – we want to help you with a buying guide, too! That said, here are a few things you will want to consider when you are trying to shop for a blender for your protein shakes.
Choosing the Right Power
Your blender will need to be able to handle what you want to, well, blend. And so, you’ll need to make sure it has the appropriate amount of power. You won’t need a lot of power if you’re only going to be making your standard basic shakes. Shakeology and/or Herbalife are both basic, simple shakes requiring only water and the powder mix. You won’t need a lot of power for those, so you can get one of the lower power blenders. Of course, all of that changes the moment that you do want to add ice into the mix. Once the ice is included you’ll have to get a model with more wattage behind its motor.
Your low-powered basic models will also not be able to handle other tasks like grinding coffee beans and the like.
So, if you want to include other ingredients into your shakes – such as fruits, nuts, vegetables, and of course even ice cubes – you’ll want a blender with more power. At least 500-600 watts – this is a good middle ground to ensure your blender will be able to handle most tasks.
Size of the Cups or Blender Jars
The next thing you’ll have to consider is the size of the jars and blending cups. You see, blender cups and jars will pretty much be a big part of determining what kind of things you can make in your blender. For the purposes of making protein shakes, you’ll probably want to keep it personal sized or single-serving sized. Like the Oster blender above, which will literally make you one bottle of your shake as needed. Personal blenders are great for their convenience, as you can use the bottle to drink out of as well.
Of course, if you have a full-sized countertop blender, it will simply be much more efficient at blending all sorts of things. You can make larger servings and you can make soup – there’s a lot that you can do.
It’s really up to you to determine what your needs are so you can also determine the size of the jars and pitchers you need. Note as well that the sizes of the jars are usually related to the actual power of your blender. Lower powered blenders generally also have smaller jars, so that you won’t accidentally blow the motor by trying to blend too much content at once.
Other Considerations
There are some other things to consider. For example, you have to make sure that the appliance you choose will fit in your kitchen. If you don’t have a lot of space, then go for a blender that won’t take up much space.
We also want to mention warranty considerations – it’s always good to take a look at what kind of warranty you’ll be getting. After all, you do want to make sure your purchase is protected!
Final Thoughts
When shopping for a blender, there are a lot of things that you’ll want to look at. But for sure, finding the best blender for protein shakes will make your life so much easier. Your gym sessions will be far easier to cap off with a muscle-building protein shake. With the right blender, you’ll be unstoppable. And hey, you can probably make a lot more things than just a protein shake, too.