As much as there is a wide variety of blenders in the market, not all of them have the capacity to crush ice. This is because ice is very tough and regular blenders do not have the required features to cut through ice multiple times.
If you want to crush ice using your blender, the best thing to do is to look for one that has at least a 500-watt motor, stronger blades for easier cutting and an impact-resistant container.
With that in mind, this article looks at some of the best blenders for ice that you can use to make cold smoothies and other cold foods.
In this post:
- 10 Best Blenders For Ice – Review
- 1. SharkNinja BL610 – Best Overall Blender for Ice
- 2. Hamilton Beach 54221 – Best Ice Blender for the Money
- 3. Oster Pro 1200 – Best Ice Blender for Smoothies
- 4. SharkNinja BL482 – Best Small-Sized Blender for Ice
- 5. Cuisinart CBT-1500 – Best Smart Blender for Ice
- 6. BlendWorks ABW1450 – Best All-In-One Ice Blender
- 7. Oster BVCB07-Z00-NP0 – Jam-Free Blender for Ice
- 8. KitchenAid KSB1575ER – Ice Blender with Intelli-Speed Motor Control
- 9. Blendtec TB-621-20 – 10-Speed Ice Blender
- 10. Vitamix 7500 – Powerful Ice Blender
- How to Buy the Best Blender for Ice
- How to Crush Ice in The Blender
- Conclusion
10 Best Blenders For Ice – Review
IMAGE | PRODUCT | FEATURES | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1. SharkNinja BL610 (Best Overall) |
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 | 2. Hamilton Beach 54221 (Best for the Money) |
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 | 3. Oster Pro 1200 (Best for Smoothies) |
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 | 4. SharkNinja BL482 (Best Small-Sized) |
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 | 5. Cuisinart CBT-1500 (Best Smart) |
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 | 6. BlendWorks ABW1450 (Best All-In-One) |
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 | 7. Oster BVCB07-Z00-NP0 (Jam-Free) |
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 | 8. KitchenAid KSB1575ER (Intelli-Speed Motor Control) |
| |
 | 9. Blendtec TB-621-20 (10-Speed) |
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 | 10. Vitamix 7500 (Powerful) |
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PRODUCT |
|---|
1. SharkNinja BL610 (Best Overall)
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2. Hamilton Beach 54221 (Best for the Money)
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3. Oster Pro 1200 (Best for Smoothies)
|
4. SharkNinja BL482 (Best Small-Sized)
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5. Cuisinart CBT-1500 (Best Smart)
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6. BlendWorks ABW1450 (Best All-In-One)
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7. Oster BVCB07-Z00-NP0 (Jam-Free)
|
8. KitchenAid KSB1575ER (Intelli-Speed Motor Control)
|
9. Blendtec TB-621-20 (10-Speed)
|
10. Vitamix 7500 (Powerful)
|
1. SharkNinja BL610 – Best Overall Blender for Ice
Photo: Ninja
- Motor: 1000 Watts
- Speed: 3 Speeds
- Blade material: Stainless steel
- Capacity: 72 ounces
SharkNinja’s Professional BL610 stands out as one of the best blenders because it has a good look and matches this with a powerful engine underneath.
For the looks, this blender features a 4-side jar and a small and simple motor base that only features 5 buttons for control. These are the power, pulse, low, medium and high-speed buttons. This results in a sleek yet simple design that is very intuitive to use.
For power, the BL610 features a 1000-watt motor that produces enough torque to cut through ice with ease. This power is controlled through a 3-speed system (low, medium and high) plus a pulse setting for times that you want to manually control the blending process.
In addition to this, the unit features a 6-blade assembly with 2 blades spaced out along the height of the central rotating pole and this enables the blender to crush the contents is inside faster. This means that ice will be converted to snow in no time, making it the best blender for crushing ice.
Apart from ice, this product’s blades are perfect for pureeing and controlled processing, with the jar having a capacity of 72 ounces, which is large enough for the whole family.
In terms of maintenance, the parts are dishwasher safe for easy cleaning and BPA free, making them safe to use.
Pros:
- 72-ounce cuboid shaped blending jar.
- Powerful 1000-watt motor.
- 6 blade design that hits the ice from multiple angles
- Pulse setting for manual control.
- Dishwasher safe and BPA free parts
Cons:
- Only 3 speeds
- No presets for smoothies or other common foods
2. Hamilton Beach 54221 – Best Ice Blender for the Money
Photo: Hamilton Beach
- Motor: 700 Watts
- Blade material: Stainless steel
- Capacity: 40 ounces
Hamilton Beach’s Wave Crusher is a very affordable blender, but this does not mean that it is a low-quality product.
For starters, the product has 14 blending functions, which include a dice, stir, milkshake, chop, puree, smoothie, grind and crush ice. These are all given as pulse settings, with the dice function being the lowest pulse speed and crush ice being the highest.
Under the hood is a 700-watt motor, which is not as powerful as some other blenders, but it still has the torque to cut through ice with ease.
The motor’s blending power is enhanced by the design of the jar, which creates a powerful vortex that cycles all the contents inside for an even texture in the entire mix.
In terms of design, the motor base has a very simple black and silver color while the container above it has a thermal shock resistant design, with a mess-free pour lid that ensures you don’t waste any of your smoothies or mess your countertop when filling up your glass.
Pros:
- Very affordable
- 14 blending functions
- Shock resistant jar design
- Mess-free pour lid
- Jar design helps create a powerful vortex that cycles the ingredients for even blending
Cons:
- Small 40-ounce container
- Not as powerful as some of the other blenders
3. Oster Pro 1200 – Best Ice Blender for Smoothies
Photo: Oster
- Motor: 900 Watts
- Speed: 7 speeds
- Blade material: Stainless steel
- Capacity: 48 ounces
Oster’s Pro 1200 is not only a blender, but it is a full food processor that comes with a 48-ounce (6-cup) glass jar for ice crushing and blending, a 5-cup food processor and a 24-ounce smoothie cup.
The smoothie cup’s lid can be replaced with the stainless-steel blade base so as to comfortably make your ice smoothie combo and use the same cup to carry it wherever you go.
For consistent results, the motor base features a green/ frozen smoothie setting button that makes it quite easy to blend your smoothie and this, combined with the smoothie cup, makes it one of the best blenders for this job.
Other than that, the unit also features food chop/ salsa and milkshake presets plus low, medium, high and pulse speed settings to enable you to make different foods and customize their texture as much as possible.
On performance, the blender features a 900-watt motor that powers a dual direction blade technology system, which blends in forward-and-reverse for faster blending and with no possibility of jamming the blades.
Pros:
- Comes with a 48-ounce blending jar, a 40-ounce food processor and a 24-ounce smoothie cup
- 7 speeds that include 3 presets, high, medium, low and pulse speed settings
- 900-watt motor
- Dual direction blade technology
Cons:
- Small jar size
4. SharkNinja BL482 – Best Small-Sized Blender for Ice
Photo: Ninja
- Motor: 1000 Watts
- Blade material: Stainless steel
- Capacity: 18, 24, 32 ounces
SharkNinja’s BL482 is quite unique due to its small size. It has a very small footprint and comes with small 18, 24- and 32-ounce cups for personal use in crushing ice and frozen ingredients.
The benefit of having these small cups is that they can be used for blending, then transformed to be carried on the go. You won’t have to switch containers if you want to carry your smoothie to work, to the gym or any other place.
Despite this size, the blender has a powerful 1000-watt motor, which channels its power through to a set of 4 stainless-steel blades in either of the cups above to achieve a well-blended smoothie with crushed ice.
However, the unit does not feature presets for consistency. Instead, it has Auto-IQ technology, which automates the drink-making process by combining unique timed pulsing, blending and pausing patterns to make a perfectly textured drink.
A digital timer shows you how much time is remaining on the selected Auto-IQ setting and can also be used to track the time in manual settings for consistency next time you blend.
Pros:
- Small size makes it easily portable and easy to fit under kitchen cabinets
- Comes with 3 smoothie cups
- Powerful 1000-watt motor
- Auto-IQ technology
- Digital timer for timing the manual settings for consistent blending purposes
Cons:
- No presets
5. Cuisinart CBT-1500 – Best Smart Blender for Ice
Photo: Cuisinart
- Motor: 1678 Watts
- Blade material: Stainless steel
- Capacity: 60 ounces
Not only is Cuisinart’s CBT-1500 powerful, but it is equipped with an automatic load sensing technology, which automatically adjusts the blending speed after you load the ingredients for an even and uninterrupted blending.
It has touchpad controls and an LCD display, which lets you set between two pre-programmed smoothie and ice crush settings. The display also doubles up as the timer display to enable you time the manual high, low or pulse settings for consistency during blending.
On power, you get a powerful 2.25 horsepower motor (1678 watts), which runs a strong set of stainless-steel blades to carry out the blending.
An even more powerful 3.5 horsepower option is available just in case you want to buy one of the most powerful blenders around. The only downside to this is that these motors consume a lot of power.
The motor sits on a heavy-duty plastic base and has a double housing that ensures it operates very silently in every setting.
Pros:
- Very powerful motor
- Available in 3.5 HP option
- Automatic load sensing technology
- Touchpad controls and an LCD display
- Operates very quietly
Cons:
- Consumes a lot of energy
- Only 2 presets
6. BlendWorks ABW1450 – Best All-In-One Ice Blender
Photo: BlendWorks
- Motor: 1500 Watts
- Speed: 2 Speeds
- Blade material: Stainless steel
- Capacity: 20, 70 ounces
BlendWorks’ ABW1450 is an all-in-one blender that comes as a full set containing a silicone spatula, contoured tamper, a 20-ounce travel cup and a removable measuring cup that is placed on the lid of its 70-ounce blending jug.
All these parts are BPA free, and this makes them safe to use. They are also dishwasher safe for easy maintenance.
On matters power, this blender features a 1500-watt motor, which gives it a top speed of 30,000 RPM. This speed is controllable via a variable control dial, which lets you set to a medium or high, depending on what you are blending.
Other than this, pulse and liquefy settings are also available for a more customized blending texture.
Construction wise, the motor base has a non-slip textured base that keeps the unit steady as you blend, while also serving as a convenient cord storage location for its 4 ft, 3-inch cable.
Pros:
- Comes with a wide range of accessories
- Safe to use BPA free parts
- Powerful 1500-watt motor with a top speed of 30,000 RPM
- Pulse speed setting for manual control
- A non-slip textured base that also serves as a cord storage location
Cons:
- Powerful but high energy consumption motor
- Few-speed options
7. Oster BVCB07-Z00-NP0 – Jam-Free Blender for Ice
Photo: Oster
- Motor: 600 Watts
- Speed: 7 speeds
- Blade material: Stainless steel
- Capacity: 48 ounces
Oster’s reverse crush blender actually gets its name from its dual direction blade technology, which automatically moves its 6-point stainless steel blades in reverse to free them from jamming.
These 6-point stainless steel blades are driven by an all-metal drive system, which is very durable and ensures that all the power from the 600-watt motor below is channeled to crushing the fruit or ice in the jar.
However, what makes it stand out from the rest is that it features 7 different speeds, which include presets for making frozen drinks and food chops as well as low, medium and high speeds and a low and high pulse for manual control.
The frozen drink preset is particularly useful in this case because it helps you blend ice and frozen fruit using consistent settings that ensure you produce the same quality of smoothies or purees every time.
In terms of quantities, this blender features a 48-ounce rounded glass blending jar, which is dishwasher safe and enough for a small family. It also comes with a 2-ounce filler cap with markings for pouring in measured ingredients while blending.
Pros:
- Dual direction blade technology
- 6-point stainless steel blades
- 7 speeds with low, medium and high, plus low and high pulse and 2 presets
- Dishwasher safe parts
- Comes with a 2-ounce filler cap
Cons:
- Small 48-ounce blending jar
8. KitchenAid KSB1575ER – Ice Blender with Intelli-Speed Motor Control
Photo: KitchenAid
- Motor: 550 Watts
- Speed: 5 speeds
- Blade material: Stainless steel
- Capacity: 60 ounces
KitchenAid’s 5-speed blender is equipped with intelli-speed motor control, which senses the load inside the blending jar and adjusts the motor’s speed to the most optimum for blasting through the ingredients with ease.
Additionally, it has a soft-start feature, which basically means that the motor starts off at a lower speed so as to pull the food or ice to the center then increases the speed to the selected setting while activating the intelli-speed motor control.
The unit’s jar is also designed to help in this process by having a diamond-shaped design that creates a powerful vortex.
This vortex rotates the contents inside with a lot of force then brings them down through the middle of the jar to meet stainless-steel blades at the bottom for even and consistent blending across the board.
Controls are done through 5 preprogrammed settings, which are designed for stirring, chopping, mixing, puree and liquifying. It has an ice crushing mode and a pulse setting that works with all speeds for an even more powerful blending capability.
Pros:
- 5 preset blending speeds
- Intelli-speed motor control technology
- Soft-start feature
- Diamond shaped pitcher for creating a powerful blending vortex
- Ice crushing and pulse settings are available
Cons:
- Relatively less powerful 550-watt motor
9. Blendtec TB-621-20 – 10-Speed Ice Blender
Photo: Blendtec
- Motor: 1560 Watts
- Speed: 10 speeds
- Blade material: Stainless steel
- Capacity: 75 ounces
Apart from its 6 presets, Blendtec’s TB-621-20 is equipped with 10 manual speed settings that give you total control over the blending process.
The included presets make the blender easier to use, and they include batters, ice crush, smoothie, hot soup, ice cream, and whole juice. A pulse setting is also built-in for manual fine-tuning of the texture of the mix.
A powerful 1560-watt motor runs the unit, spinning a set of stainless-steel blades that are 80% thicker than the blades in other blenders. This ensures that the high torque from the motor does not shatter them when as encounter hard ice cubes and frozen fruits.
Even though it has only two blades, the combination of these two plus the motor ensures you get superior blending performance in whichever speed setting.
In terms of capacity, this unit features a four-sided, 75-ounce blending jar, with a blending capacity of 32 ounces and is marked up to the 32-ounce (4-cup) mark for easy measurement.
Other features include a touchpad screen for quick setting and easy cleaning, and an auto shut off feature, which serves to protect the motor just in case you selected the wrong settings for the contents inside the blender.
Pros:
- 10 speeds, 6 presets and a pulse setting for manual control
- Very powerful 1560-watt motor
- Thick stainless-steel blades
- Large 75-ounce blending jar
- Auto shut off feature for protecting the motor
Cons:
- Not very good looking if you consider the aesthetics
- Features only 2 blades
10. Vitamix 7500 – Powerful Ice Blender
Photo: Vitamix
- Motor: 1640 Watts
- Speed: 10 speeds
- Blade material: Stainless steel
- Capacity: 64 ounces
With its 1640-watt motor, Vitamix’s 7500 is a very powerful ice blender and this makes it easy to chew up every ingredient that is placed inside. This incredible power makes it the top-rated blender for ice in this review.
Despite this power, the motor is designed to operate at a cool temperature and this helps it maintain an even torque as it powers through each setting to give you consistent results.
On the upper side, this unit features a 64-ounce container that is quite enough for processing food for the whole family. The jar has a low-profile design, which means it fits under most kitchen cabinets for easy storage.
Inside this container is a set of 4 blades made of hardened stainless steel and this construction makes them comfortably handle the powerful spin from the motor as they encounter hard ice and tough fruits. Below the blades is a metal drive system that makes the setup more durable.
A 10-speed variable control is used to run the blender and this can be easily set using a dial on a scale of 1 to 10. If you want to run the unit manually so as to achieve a customized texture, a pulse speed setting is included for this purpose.
More Detailed: Vitamix 7500 Review
Pros:
- Powerful 1640-watt motor
- The motor operates at a cool temperature so as to maintain consistent power and torque output
- A large 64-ounce container in a low-profile design
- Hardened stainless steel blades
- 10-speed variable control
Cons:
- Expensive
- No presets
How to Buy the Best Blender for Ice
Photo: Vitamix
1. Motor
A critical component that separates regular blenders from ice crushing blenders is the motor. Ice cubes are very hard and thus, they require a very powerful motor, usually above 500 watts in power rating.
Therefore, you should make sure that the blender you buy has at least a 500-watt motor but the more powerful it is, the more torque that it will have and the better the blender. However, a very high power-rating also means that it consumes a lot of energy.
Buying Guide: if you don’t mind the power consumption, a blender with the highest energy rating such as Vitamix’s 7500 or Cuisinart’s CBT-1500 is the best for you.
However, if you are wary about your power bills escalating, try to get a balanced product, with a rating in the range of 500 – 1000 watts. In such a case, KitchenAid’s KSB1575ER will come in very handy.
2. Blade
Another important component that makes a blender ideal for crushing ice is the set of blades. They must be tough and strong, and for this reason, most are made using stainless steel.
However, some have thicker stainless steel than others and this only makes them more durable because they are less susceptible to fracturing or bending on encountering large blocks of ice.
The number of blades also matters a lot. Twin blades are quite enough for the job but four or 6 blades such as those in SharkNinja’s BL610 provide a larger surface area for making contact with the ice. Such pairings crush ice faster than two-blade assemblies.
3. Design and Material of the Container
The container’s design also influences the quality and consistency of the crushed ice. Diamond shaped jugs are very good at creating powerful vortices, which circulate the contents inside before returning them back to the blades through the middle opening.
Circular jugs also create some vortices, but these are not as strong as those in diamond-shaped containers.
For the material, first, it should be BPA free so that it is safe to use. Second, it should either be a strong plastic or a tough glass that can withstand the collision with ice cubes as they are being slashed into smaller pieces.
4. Ease of Use
Usually, blenders with fewer buttons are easier to use but have much less functionality. More buttons make it more complex but mean more functionality.
The most ideal thing is to find a balance between the two. An ideal ice blender should have the most functionality such as lots of presets, but be clearly labeled very intuitive for easy use. Check out Hamilton Beach’s 54221 for its multiple functions.
Another thing to consider is the ease of maintenance. Blenders with dishwasher-safe parts are very easy to maintain and should be considered if you want to have an easy time cleaning after making your ice-cold smoothies.
How to Crush Ice in The Blender
With a high-performance blender, simply follow the steps below to crush your ice
- Go through your owner’s manual to ensure your blender is suitable for crushing ice.
- Pull the ice out of your freezer and let it rest on the counter for about 5 minutes.
- Fill your jug or container up to 1/3 full of ice cubes.
- Add some fruit if you want to make a smoothie or puree, or leave it plain if you want to crush the ice to snow.
- Cover the jug with its lid and press the ice crushing button on the control panel. If this preset is not available, use the high pulse button by pressing it on 1 – 2 seconds bursts.
- Once all the ice is converted to snow, set the blender at high speed for a short time, say 30 seconds.
- You crushed ice is ready whenever it reaches your desired consistency. Halt the blender and store the ice in an insulated bucket, then store this in a freezer for future use.
Conclusion
As you can see, the ideal ice blender is not just any regular blender. There are a couple of features that separate them from regular blenders and without the right information, you might end up buying the wrong product for the job.
For this reason, we recommend SharkNinja’s BL610 as the best blender for ice and you should check out the review above for comparison with the other units.