Photo: Vitamix
If you intend to build muscle mass, protein shakes are a must-have in your diet. Traditionally, you would need to have a shaker bottle to mix your proteins, but this was very inconveniencing and sometimes tiring.
The good thing though is that there are blenders designed to handle making protein shakes with ease, and these drastically reduce the preparation time so that you can have your drink quickly made before hitting the gym.
To help you pick a good product for this task, this article looks at some of the best blenders for protein shakes by detailing their features for easy comparison.
In this post:
- 7 Best Blenders For Protein Shakes – Review
- 1. SharkNinja BL610 – Best Overall Blender for Protein Shakes
- 2. Oster BLSTPB – Best Protein Shake Blender for the Money
- 3. Cuisinart CPB-300 – Best Blender Set for Protein Shakes
- 4. Hamilton Beach 51101BA – Best Personal Blender for Protein Shakes
- 5. NutriBullet NBR-1201 – Compact Blender for Protein Shakes
- 6. Vitamix 5200 – Powerful Protein Shake Blender
- 7. Hamilton Beach 58148A – Protein Shake Blender with Multiple Presets
- How to Buy the Best Blenders for Protein Shake
- Conclusion
7 Best Blenders For Protein Shakes – Review
IMAGE | PRODUCT | FEATURES | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1. SharkNinja BL610 (Best Overall) |
| |
 | 2. Oster BLSTPB (Best for the Money) |
| |
 | 3. Cuisinart CPB-300 (Best Blender Set ) |
| |
 | 4. Hamilton Beach 51101BA (Best Personal Blender) |
| |
 | 5. NutriBullet NBR-1201 (Compact) |
| |
 | 6. Vitamix 5200 (Powerful) |
| |
 | 7. Hamilton Beach 58148A (Multiple Presets) |
|
PRODUCT |
|---|
1. SharkNinja BL610 (Best Overall)
|
2. Oster BLSTPB (Best for the Money)
|
3. Cuisinart CPB-300 (Best Blender Set)
|
4. Hamilton Beach 51101BA (Best Personal Blender)
|
5. NutriBullet NBR-1201 (Compact)
|
6. Vitamix 5200 (Powerful)
|
7. Hamilton Beach 58148A (Multiple Presets)
|
1. SharkNinja BL610 – Best Overall Blender for Protein Shakes
Photo: Ninja
- Power: 1000 Watts
- Speed: 3 speeds
- Cup size: 72 ounces
- Material: Plastic
Starting us off is SharkNinja’s BL610, which stands out as the best overall blender due to a number of reasons.
For starters, the product is equipped with a powerful 1000-watt motor, which is very good for blending protein shakes and also capable of crushing ice for other types of drinks such as smoothies.
This motor’s power is controllable using 3-speed settings, which lets you whip protein shakes and soft fruits at low speed, blend semi-hard fruits in medium speed and crush hard frozen fruits and ice at high speed.
You also get a pulse speed for manual control over the blending process so that you can make your drink have just the right texture that you want.
Other features include a large 72-ounce container that is BPA free and dishwasher safe, and a 6-blade assembly with the blades are arranged in sets of 2 along a vertical shaft for quick crushing.
The only problem is that there are no presets and no extra blending containers.
Pros:
- Powerful 1000-watt motor.
- 3 speeds plus a pulse setting
- Large 72-ounce pitcher
- 6 blade assembly for faster blending
- BPA free and dishwasher safe pitcher and other parts
Cons:
- No pre-programmed settings
- Comes with only 1 container
2. Oster BLSTPB – Best Protein Shake Blender for the Money
Photo: Oster
- Power: 250 Watts
- Speed: 1 speed
- Cup size: 20 ounces
- Material: Plastic
Oster’s BLSTPB is a very affordable blender, but this does not mean that it is a low-quality product. Its low price is actually as a result of various factors such as its less powerful 250-watt motor.
This motor is powerful enough to make protein shakes as well as blend soft fruits, but it might not be the best for crushing hard fruits and ice. On the bright side, its low power rating means that it consumes less energy, making it very energy efficient.
In terms of size, this unit has a small footprint that makes it easy to fit in tight spaces on the countertop. A small BPA-free and dishwasher-safe 20-ounce blending bottle comes with the blender, and it can be used as a to-go cup as well for convenience.
For safety purposes, just in case you accidentally try to blend very hard ingredients inside, the blender features a resettable fuse, which shuts off the motor when it overheats, then restores it to continue running after 15 minutes, ensuring that it has cooled down before reuse.
On the downside, this product only has a single speed setting with no presets, but this makes it easy to use due to its quick and convenient one-touch blending action.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Small footprint for easy fitting on countertops
- BPA free and dishwasher safe blending bottle
- Resettable fuse for safety purposes
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Small cup size
3. Cuisinart CPB-300 – Best Blender Set for Protein Shakes
Photo: Cuisinart
- Power: 350 Watts
- Speed: 2 speed
- Cup size: 8, 16, 32 ounces
- Material: Plastic
What stands out about Cuisinart’s CPB-300 is its very large set, which consists of a 32-ounce blender cup, an 8-ounce chopper cup, and four 16-ounce to-go cups. All these come with their lids, making this the ideal product for blending drinks for a traveling family.
Additionally, these cups are BPA free and dishwasher safe, which makes them safe to use and very easy to maintain.
Other than that, the blender features a 350-watt motor housed in a compact motor base and has a sleek electronic touchpad that is very easy to use because it only has 3 touch buttons.
Two of these buttons are for setting either the high or low speed while the third is for the pulse setting, and all have LED indicators that show which of the three buttons (setting) is active.
You also get a safety interlock feature, which switches on the blender and lights up the power-on LED light only after the blending cup is attached for safety purposes.
Pros:
- Comes as a large set with multiple cups
- Compact size
- Easy to use touch buttons with LED indicators
- BPA free and dishwasher safe cups
- Safety interlock feature (turns on only when the blending cup is attached).
Cons:
- Less powerful motor
- Features only 2 speeds
4. Hamilton Beach 51101BA – Best Personal Blender for Protein Shakes
Photo: Hamilton Beach
- Power: 175 Watts
- Speed: 1 speed
- Cup size: 14 ounces
- Material: Plastic
If you are looking for a personal protein shake blender that is simply designed and fits only your individual needs, Hamilton Beach’s 51101AV is a good option to consider.
For starters, the unit is very affordable and comes with a 14-ounce blending cup that can also be used as a portable travel cup, and is designed to fit most car cup-holders.
In terms of power, a less powerful but highly energy efficient 175-watt motor is fitted into the motor base and this provides just the right amount of torque to blend through the various ingredients that make up protein shakes.
Speed wise, only a pulse speed setting is available. This may not be as versatile as the other multiple speed blenders, but it is very simple to use.
Other features include a BPA free plastic jar construction and easy to maintain, dishwasher safe parts.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Blending cup can also be used as a portable travel cup
- Energy efficient motor
- BPA free and dishwasher safe blending cup
Cons:
- Only a pulse speed setting is available
- Less powerful motor
5. NutriBullet NBR-1201 – Compact Blender for Protein Shakes
Photo: NutriBullet
- Power: 600 Watts
- Speed: 1 speed
- Cup size: 8, 16, 24 ounces
- Material: Plastic
NutriBullet’s high-speed blender features a relatively powerful 600-watt motor that is installed inside a compact housing. This gives it a very small footprint, that fits very easily on small countertop spaces.
Heightwise, the blender is only 13.5 inches tall with the cup attached and this means that it also fits easily under kitchen cabinets with the cup attached.
For blending, the NBR-1201 features a single high-speed setting that lets you pulverize veggies, fruits and of course, protein ingredients with ease, using a set of 4 patented stainless-steel blades.
The rotation from these blades causes a cyclonic action that circulates the food around the cup for fast and even blending across the board.
Crushing is done inside either of the 3 cups that it comes with, which are quite small but are very easy to handle. The largest of them is a 24-ounce cup followed by 16-ounce and lastly, an 8-ounce cup. 2 resealable lids are included in the pack, making the cups to-go ready.
Pros:
- Small in size
- Powerful 600-watt motor
- 4 stainless steel blades
- Comes with a set of 3 differently sized cups
- 2 resealable lids make the cups to-go ready
Cons:
- Only 1-speed setting
6. Vitamix 5200 – Powerful Protein Shake Blender
Photo: Vitamix
- Power: 1490 Watts
- Speed: 10 speed
- Cup size: 64 ounces
- Material: Plastic
Vitamix’s 5200 is a very powerful blender and it has the qualities and defining features that make Vitamix blenders some of the best in the market.
The unit is run by a 2 horsepower (1490-watt) motor, which ensures you get enough crushing power to blend tough ice and hard, frozen fruits with ease.
When making protein shakes, this power is more than enough to blend any ingredients that you place inside in seconds.
In terms of control, this appliance is very versatile, featuring 10 variable speeds that are easily set using a turn dial. This dial can be rotated at any point during the blend and this enables you to adjust the drink’s texture midway through the process, meaning that you are in complete control.
Capacity wise, a large 64-ounce blending jar comes with the 5200, enabling you to make smoothy, puree, hot soup and protein shake servings for the whole family in one round.
Other features include a cool running motor, hardened stainless steel blades and a metal drive system for durability and efficient transfer of power from the motor to the blades. Combined, all these make this unit the top-rated blender for protein shakes in this review.
Pros:
- Very powerful 1490-watt motor
- 10 variable speed settings
- Large 64-ounce pitcher
- Durable hardened stainless-steel blades
- Metal drive system
Cons:
- Powerful motor consumes a lot of power
- Expensive
7. Hamilton Beach 58148A – Protein Shake Blender with Multiple Presets
Photo: Hamilton Beach
- Power: 700 Watts
- Speed: 3 speed
- Cup size: 40 ounces
- Material: Glass
Rounding up the list is Hamilton Beach’s 58148A, which features 12 different blending functions that include mix, milkshake and easy-clean in one speed, puree, smoothie and icy drink in the other speed and lastly, dice, chop, salsa, grind, grate and crush ice in a pulse speed.
This makes it very versatile and as compared to the 51101AV above, it has a 40-ounce glass jar that makes it suitable for small family use. However, this requires careful handling because glass is very fragile.
On the bright side, the pitcher is designed to create a wave action that pulls down the ingredients for smooth and even blending.
You also get a no-mess pouring spout, which ensures that the contents poured from the jar are easy to collect in a cup or container after blending, and a 700-watt motor, which crushes through protein shake ingredients, ice and other hard fruits with ease.
Pros:
- 12 different blending functions, including a smoothie preset
- Relatively large blending jar
- Powerful 700-watt motor
- No mess pouring spout for easy use
Cons:
- Delicate glass jar
- Comes with only 1 container
How to Buy the Best Blenders for Protein Shake
Photo: Ninja
1. Immersion or Countertop
There are two main types of blenders to consider for making protein shakes. These are immersion blenders and countertop blenders.
Immersion blenders have the benefit of being very compact, affordable and very convenient for small blending tasks. However, they are usually weaker than countertop blenders and as such, can only be used to beat eggs, make whipped cream and protein shakes.
On the other hand, countertop blenders are more powerful, have larger blades and some feature extra functionalities for making some of the most common drinks automatically. On the downside, they are very costly and occupy sort of a permanent space on your kitchen countertop.
Buying guide: The more powerful the blender, the better. For this reason, countertop blenders are the best ones to buy and Vitamix’s 5200 is a good option. However, if you are on a tight budget, you can consider buying an immersion blender, but it must be a powerful one.
2. Type of Protein Shake
A protein shake type is determined by what you include as ingredients. If you only mix water and protein powders, you can use less powerful blenders such as Hamilton Beach’s 51101AV.
However, if you include fruits, veggies, and other ingredients into your shake, you will need a more powerful blender to completely smoothen out all these into liquid form. If that is the case, check out the 1000-watt SharkNinja BL610.
3. Cup Size
Cup or jar size is a very important factor to consider because it determines the protein shake quantity that you can make in one round. This quantity then determines the servings that you can give.
For instance, a blending jar with a capacity of over 60 ounces is great for blending drinks for a large family while medium-sized 40 – 50-ounce containers are ideal for small families. Cup sizes of less than 30 ounces are only fit for personal use because they make a very small serving.
Using this rough guide, you should buy the most appropriate unit to suit your needs.
4. Material
In terms of material, the blending cup/ jar construction is considered. The most common construction material is plastic and this is because it is strong and durable. Glass is also used to make blending jars because it does not scratch or discolor over time.
On the downside, glass is very fragile and thus, if you have youngsters in the house or you are generally clumsy, go for the plastic jug unit. Otherwise, a glass jar can do.
5. Accessories
All blenders usually come as complete sets, with the motor base and pitcher. However, some may have additional items such as tampers or multiple cups (such as Cuisinart’s CPB-300) for blending or grinding different quantities of food.
The more the accessories, the more you should consider buying such a product. However, ensure that you also consider the cost factor. At times these accessories may cause the blender to become very expensive and if this is the case, avoid buying such a blender.
6. Ease of Use and Cleaning
Being an electrical appliance, a blender that is easy to use is universally better than one with a complex control panel. The one that is easy to clean is also better because it will be much easier to maintain hygiene while using it.
For these reasons, you should look for a protein-shake blender with a very intuitive control panel, fewer buttons, self-cleaning functions, and a dishwasher-safe approval.
Conclusion
As compared to other blended drinks such as smoothies and purees, protein shakes generally require less blending power and thus, all the products reviewed above can be comfortably used to make this drink.
That said, SharkNinja’s BL610 stands out because it is reasonably priced, has a large jar and combines other useful features to make it the best blender for protein shakes.