Effortless Smoothie Making: A Review of the Best Small Smoothie Makers

[chefmoseley]

I would like to start drinking smoothies for breakfast. Thus 'killing two birds with one stone' I'll get more fruits in my diet and I'll 'eat' breakfast. I tried this around this time last year and it was a pain in the neck to use the blender daily. The recipe I use includes yogurt instead of ice cream to make it healthier. So I can't really make it ahead of time for multiple days b/c the yogurt would go bad. Do you have a small smoothie maker that you love or hate that you could tell me about? We are looking at the Magic Bullet but not sure. I'm the only one who would be drinking the smoothies so making just one serving at a time is great.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I just always use my trusty, almost 30 year old, Osterizer to make smoothies.

 

[janezapchef]

My blender sucks too. My parents have a Vita-Mix that they LOVE to make smoothies with! I would really love to have that one, however, it is about $400, I think!

 

[janezapchef]

On another note, I have a Braun handblender that does a pretty decent job. I think it's actually called an immersion blender, but I'm not sure. It makes a good smootie for one in a glass. I've heard the Magic Bullet is cool, but I don't have one, unfortunately.

 

[byrd1956]

My sister loves her Magic Bullet; she has never showed it to me, just told me it was great. I'll have to ask her about it. I've only used my blender and just rinse it right away. When the glass pitcher is detached from the base you can take the bottow w/the blades off. It does not take long to take apart and rinse.

 

[pjpamchef]

LOVE my magic bullet!! Have been making breakfast smoothies in it for a couple years. A tip is to put the most difficult to blend ingredients (ice) in last so they are near the blades. You might look at buying on e-bay. The ones on TV are sold "buy 1 get 1 free",
so many are sold on e-bay.

 

[jcsmilez]

I would LOVE to have a vita mix!!! I was wishing that PC would have included one of those on the merchandise promo that they are doing! A funny tip that I learned, you can make your own "magic bullet" with a regular mouth mason jar - they actually screw into your regular blender base. it's great for smoothies, salsa, other small tasks and servings for one.

 

[Liquid Sky]

I do green smoothies every day! Love them! I have a Blendtec and my-oh-my that thing can blend ANYTHING! :balloon:

 

[cookin to the top]

A little off topic- what are your favorite smoothie recipes? I have a Vita Mix, and use it every day in the summer, when fruit and veggies are in season. I LOVE it!

 

[chefann]

I do green smoothies every day! Love them! I have a Blendtec and my-oh-my that thing can blend ANYTHING! :balloon:

I saw someone demo-ing a Blendtec at Costco last week, and all I could think of were the videos from the web. http://www.willitblend.com/?

 

[Kodeysmom]

I love my Magic Bullet as well.

 

[pamperedlinda]

You can earn a new blender with your sales in Jan/Feb.

 

[PampMomof3]

I LOVE my magic bullet. I also use yogurt and add orange juice, a little bit of sugar, and then top it off with frozen pineapple, frozen strawberries and frozen mixed berries!! YUMMY!!!

 

[pampchefsarah]

I have the Hamilton Beach Wave Action, which I bought last summer. It's great for smoothies. The base is high enough so you can get a cup in (I, of course, use the Dots Coffee & More mug!), underneath. The Micro Scraper is perfect for sticking down the hole in the lid if things get stuck (turn off the smoothie maker, though, so the scraper doesn't get chewed up!).

I make my smoothies with a combination of frozen fruit, fresh fruit (a banana, kiwi, etc) and organic juices, like Fruit Simple, Bolthouse, or even Odwalla. It's fun to mix up the flavors. I've also put the leftovers in prep bowls and frozen them for 'slushies' later.

I got the Wave Action for about $20 at Wal-Mart, so quite the bargain compared to a VitaMix! Haha.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

On another note, I have a Braun handblender that does a pretty decent job. I think it's actually called an immersion blender, but I'm not sure. It makes a good smootie for one in a glass. I've heard the Magic Bullet is cool, but I don't have one, unfortunately.

I love my Braun Immersion Blender! I love that you can mix up the smoothies right in the glass...but I also love to use my blender when I am making cream soups and sauces and gravies. I can use it right in the pots and pans I am using, and don't have to have another big piece of equipment in my kitchen!

 

[janezapchef]

I would LOVE to have a vita mix!!! I was wishing that PC would have included one of those on the merchandise promo that they are doing!

I know! I had the same thought! For the last few Christmases, my parents have asked if I'd like them to get me a Vita Mix for Christmas, and I've said YESSSSS! Then, they have decided to go different routes. I'm not complaining too much, they are great gift-givers, but I would love to have a VitaMix!

That being said, I do plan to select the big blender from the kitchen electrics promo when I hit $8000!