Whether you’re whipping up a smoothie, thick batter, or sauce, cleaning your blender can be a headache. And if you’re using ingredients like protein powders, nut butters, or oils, it can be even harder to return your blender jar to its once-sparkling glory. Luckily, it’s possible to find easy-to-clean blenders that will make the process a lot less painful — you just have to know what to look for.
To start, evaluate the geometry of the blending jar. In general, avoid blenders with very narrow or tapered jars. Ingredients tend to get trapped under the blades, and it can be hard (and potentially dangerous) to reach to the bottom for a thorough cleaning. Jars with mostly straight sides and wide bases are easier to clean with a brush, and some jars even have concave bottoms to prevent ingredients from getting stuck. If you want full access to your blender jar, look for a model with a removable blade — just make sure the blades reattach snugly to prevent any leaking during blending.
Once ingredients are dried on, they become that much more difficult to remove, so do your future self a favor and tackle cleaning your blender jar straight away. A drop of dish soap and warm water is all it takes, and certain blenders have preprogrammed cleaning settings to make the job even more efficient.
Here are four easy-to-clean blenders that take the hassle out of messy cleanups, because blenders should provide convenience, not extra work!
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The Best Easy-To-Clean Blender: KitchenAid Countertop Blender
This blender from KitchenAid features a wide 56-ounce jar with a slightly concave base, so it’s easy to reach into every crevice with a cleaning brush. This isn’t just an easy-to-clean blender, though. The KitchenAid is equipped with a five-speed variable speed dial for hands-on blending, as well as three programs: ice crush, icy drinks, and smoothie. Though the motor is powerful enough to blast through frozen and tough ingredients, the slow start feature prevents contents from splattering everywhere. A programmed clean feature is included on the dial, as well, so you can tackle stuck-on ingredients before they turn into glued-on ingredients. Even better, the unit disassembles and the jar and lid are both dishwasher-safe, if you don’t have time to hand-wash and want the added convenience.
According to one reviewer: "We have been using this blender at least 5 days a week since we got it (smoothies, milk shakes, frozen drinks) We love it. It is powerful enough to crush our largest ice and smart enough to not get clogged. It's very smart how it varies the speed/power to make sure everything is nice and smooth, but not overly blended and watery. Cleanup is also easy with its self-cleaning mode. A little dish detergent and water and it completely cleans the blender, even the inside of the lid. Very convenient."
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The Best Easy-To-Clean Compact Blender: Nutri Ninja Auto IQ Blender
Ninja’s Nutri Ninja line of personal blenders is so powerful, the blenders rival some of the most expensive full-size high-speed options on the market. This popular blender features a compact 900-watt motor base and cups that take up very little space. And, since you can drink directly from the cup using the sip and seal lid, you’ll be able to enjoy every last drop of your recipes. Anything that remains can be easily cleaned, as the wide-mouth opening of the 18- and 24-ounce cups fits brushes and sponges alike. To make cleanup even more effortless, the cups and screw-on blade assembly are dishwasher-safe.
According to one reviewer: "You'll see a lot of personal blenders with slim, long bottles. Those suck, you always end up with a mess at the end that's frustratingly difficult to clean or larger vegetables get stuck. This blender slices through any frozen veggie, is easy to clean, and the rubber gasket to protect from leaks seem solid. Can't ask for much more out of a blender."
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3. The Best Value: Oster Texture Select Settings Pro Blender
It’s not easy to find a blender that offers both the capacity of a full-sized pitcher, and the convenience of single-serve cups for under $100. Enter this model from Oster, which features a single universal blade that is removable and can be used in both the large jar and to-go cups. When it comes to the blender, the removable blade assembly makes the base of the blender jar accessible, since residue often gets stuck there after blending. The geometry of the jar is wide and only gently tapered, which makes it easy to clean the blades when they’re in position. The Oster also offers versatility in the form of texture select (choose thin, medium, or thick), as well as manual speeds and three recipe programs.
According to one reviewer: "We had been using a bullet for smoothies and we thought it worked well. That is until we tried this blender. It’s awesome! I love how it changes speeds and reverses direction so we don’t have to pick up the cup, shake it, and fuss with it continually. smoothies come out perfect with no effort from us. Cleanup is a breeze. I’ve also used this for frozen margaritas and for keto pancakes. It does everything well!"
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The Best Investment: Blendtec Classic 575 Blender
Blendtec is known as one of the top-performing blenders in the marketplace for both at-home and commercial use, but its steep price tag can be a deal-breaker for some. If you’re looking for a blender that’s easy to clean, though, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than the Classic 575 blender, which comes with the brand’s WildSide+ jar. The jar is designed in a square, mostly straight-sided, and flat-bottommed shape, making the full surface area easy to reach, so you can rinse or brush clean any residue. The blade design is also relatively flat and appears dull at first, but it’s designed specifically to work with the jar to keep ingredients from getting stuck.
Even better, amongst its several programs, the Blendtec features a self-cleaning button that works in less than a minute. Since the plastic of the jar is thin and the handle is hollow, the pitcher is extremely lightweight, which makes it a snap to clean if you’re doing it by hand. If you’re still not convinced that it’s worth the money, consider that Blendtec manufacturers its blenders domestically in Utah, and they’re sold with an impressive eight-year warranty.
According to one reviewer: "One of the best features of this machine is how easy it is to clean it. The included spatula is great at getting anything usable out of the jar, and then cleaning is a breeze, because the jar is wide and all parts of it are easily accessible."
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