Vitamix Immersion Blender In-depth Review
We've been using the Vitamix immersion blender for over a year now and tested it on a variety of tasks. Some other models are less expensive, but this blender is considered challenge a long list of rivals.
Overall Verdict
The Vitamix 5-speed received positive reviews from most of our operators, particularly for its practicality and premium-quality build.
In our tests, the lack of a whisk attachment made it fall short in the test of beating egg-white, but the blending wand was flexible enough to create consistent results of mayonnaise. It also produced a home-style soup packed with a restaurant-quality texture and a non-dairy milk that was impressively rich in almond flavor. Its heavy-duty motor, together with the solidly-designed blades, allowed a smooth combination of frozen fruits to develop as well.
Overall, the Vitamix 5-speed is by no means an all-arounder, but it does offer high blending performances and a suite of advanced features at a reasonably upscale price. Not to mention its 3-year warranty package, which is more than double what most other models offer. If you’re willing to spare no expense, you won’t go wrong with this blender.
Things We Like
- A great tool for recipes that involve fibrous or frozen food
- 4-pronged heavy-duty blade promotes speedy blends and consistent results
- Intuitive interface makes it easy to switch between speed settings
- Ergonomically-designed handle offers a secure grip
- Blade Guard prevents scratching
- Stainless steel body ensures optimal durability
Things We Don’t Like
- Expensive
- Relatively heavy
- There aren’t any extra accessories included
8.6 Performance
Among the range of models we put to the test, none matched the efficiency or quality of the Vitamix. Powered by an impressive 625 watts, it stands as one of the most powerful blenders on the market. It works swiftly, taking much of the physical strain out of the process. Once it's in action, the blender efficiently pulls ingredients towards the blades, ensuring a consistent blend. However, for achieving an optimally uniform texture, a little manual intervention in the form of moving the blending wand around in the ingredients could be necessary.
9.5 Hot Soup Purée
Pureeing hot soup wasn't challenging the Vitamix thanks to its powerful motor and razor-sharp blades. Although it wasn’t any faster than its counterparts in pureeing time, it warranted the higher cost by providing us with a nutrient-dense purée of silky smooth texture. It also stood out from the rest with a non-suction performance that helped keep splashing to minimal.
Indeed, the Vitamix is the most suitable hand blender for preparing restaurant-quality soup at home. It’s a great bargain for any recipes that involve fibrous food, too. If you’re now looking for a tool that can consistently ensure the smoothest blends, we particularly love and recommend this blender.
8.8 Frozen Fruit Smoothie
The Vitamix took only 1 minute and 5 seconds to complete this test. By comparison, its counterparts such as the UTALENT 5-in-1 and the Hamilton Beach 2-speed required nearly double the time.
Regarding the smoothie’s texture, of all the blenders we tested, only the Vitamix could churn out a thick, creamy smoothie with almost no solids left behind. Plus, despite being longer and heavier, it operated well in our 24-oz blending jar while the BPA-free plastic bell guard helped prevent scratches on the jar’s surfaces.
8.3 Mayonnaise
In this test, most of the blenders produced acceptable outcomes and only our culinary expert could tell the differences between them. However, the Vitamix didn’t have the fastest performance, requiring about one minute and forty seconds to incorporate all the ingredients. This was around 30 seconds slower than the winners, including the Cuisinart Smart Stick, KOIOS 4-in-1, BELL 10-speed, and Chefman cordless.
This is because when the mayonnaise emulsified and started to thicken, the blending wand generated a suction force, pulling itself against the container’s bottom. That made movement more difficult and slowed the whole process down. We don’t necessarily consider the time to be a deal-breaker. Since the blender itself is quite heavy, though, the longer the process takes, the more it will fatigue your hands.
In conclusion, despite this drawback, the Vitamix is an acceptable alternative to a hand mixer for preparing mayonnaise or other emulsified sauces. Still, it is not the best hand blender for this job and ideal results may require extra effort.
9.3 Almond Milk
The Vitamix took just 40 seconds to yield one serving of drinkable almond milk.
That said, from start to finish, its crushing process didn’t go very well. The almond skins, along with peeled chunks, became lodged in the blade guard. We had to stop the blender temporarily and use a spatula to dislodge the food, which we didn’t have to do with other models, such as the Braun MultiQuick-5.
That said, from start to finish, its crushing process didn’t go very well. The almond skins, along with peeled chunks, became lodged in the blade guard. We had to stop the blender temporarily and use a spatula to dislodge the food, which we didn’t have to do with other models.
Not only that, but because the Vitamix couldn’t create a consistent vortex, everything got close to overflowing when we increased the speed.
Suction was a problem again as well. As a result, we got some almond spatter when we tried to lift up the wand. Most of the splatter-related issues could probably be avoided, though, if we blended it in a taller or larger jar.
Failed Whipped Egg-Whites
The Vitamix could be a great all-around blender if it included a whisk attachment. This is because, in our test, there was no way the immersion blender could beat egg-white with its ordinary blending shaft. Unlike a whisk attachment, the blending shaft can’t force air into the egg whites, which is the way to create an even, bubbly foam. Consequently, the result was a cloudy liquid with two separate layers of bubble film and eggy water. We awarded it no points for this test.
9.1 Design
During our testing, we noticed that balde friction from a prolonged operation would cause the motor to overload. That’s why it’s best to avoid using this blender continuously for more than four minutes. The Vitamixt cannot protect itself from overheating, though it is designed to flash a pattern of LEDs to indicate when your motor is over temperature.
Dimensions
Compared with others, this blender is quite tall, measuring about 17.5 inches tall, 3 inches wide, and 3 inches deep. That length may allow it to reach the bottom of deep pots more easily. At 3.2 pounds, it is also heavier than most — we were pretty shocked by its weight at first.
9.5 Blending Shaft
The Vitamix’s blade is constructed of hardened stainless steel. Featuring 4 prongs, this is a unique blade assembly found exclusively in Vitamix-brand hand blenders. There is also a permanent bell-shaped guard at the end of the blending wand. As advertised by its manufacturer, this blade guard can efficiently reduce suction. Made of BPA-free plastic, the bell’s rim should help protect the interior surfaces of your cookware or blending containers.
9.5 Build Quality
The Vitamix 5-speed is a simple, high-end blender. Mostly made of stainless steel, it is sturdy and appeals to us aesthetically as well. We’re confident when we say it’s among the few hand blenders on the market that provide the right balance of performance, quality, and value. Better built than most, we also believed its exterior is less likely to be damaged or succumb to basic wear and tear over time.
10 Power Cord
The Vitamix features a polarized power cord whose one pin is slightly wider than the other. As a safety feature, you can only insert its plug into a polarized electrical outlet in one direction. Should the plug doesn’t fit in your receptacle, make sure you will not force it or try to trim down the pins. Instead, you should contact a qualified electrician for a proper solution.
0.0 Beaker: Not Included
As mentioned above, the Vitamix immersion blender doesn’t come with a particular blending container, but we ensure you can easily buy an optional one of any brand on the market.
Extra Accessories: Not Included
There is no additional attachment included. If you want to use blending attachments other than the stainless steel shaft provided with this appliance, make sure they’re recommended or offered separately from the Vitamix’s manufacturers.
In the Box
- Motor body
- Blending shaft
- User manual
In the package, you will find a handheld motor section, blending wand, and owner’s manual. The lack of additional accessories like a blending jar or a whisk attachment did make us hesitant about the high price. Nevertheless, as soon as we had a hands-on go at this blender, its solid construction proved that it was worth the money.
Speed and Controls
We particularly like this blender’s intuitive interface. You can get five different speeds out of it but there are only two buttons on the front. You won’t need much practice to operate them smoothly; we figured out how they worked before reading the user manual. As a visual aid, this blender also has an LED display on top indicating the speed.
The Vitamix is also different from others in terms of its acceleration. Its speed steps up gradually rather than the violent torques others create. That went a long way toward preventing messes and should also prolong the motor’s lifespan.
8.2 Usability
Initially, we assumed that the Vitamix’s weight would cause it to be less user-friendly. However, after a course of testing, we realized that our assumption was entirely wrong.
8.4 Ease of Use
Despite the relatively heavy-weight, The Vitamix is comfortable to hold. It even allows for one-handed operation since there are only two control buttons. Not only that, but this blender is also different from others in terms of its acceleration. Its speed steps up gradually rather than the violent torques others create. That went a long way toward preventing messes and should also prolong the motor’s lifespan.
That being said, we noticed that this blender can cause spattering when operating at the highest speed setting if the container’s sides are not tall enough. This isn’t the case with all immersion blenders.
On the bright side, the Vitamix doesn’t create as much of a mess as the cordless KitchenAid. With the bell guard, it doesn’t suction to the pot’s bottom as much as its counterparts, either. As such, you won’t have to simultaneously lift and stir the wand around. Overall, that meant faster blending times and fewer food splatters.
8.5 Handling
We’re really impressed with the Vitamix’s ergonomically designed handle. It’s not just about modern looks; this handle is coated with a rubber layer to ensure a comfortable grip, which makes it practical for processing large batches of soup. It’s nice to have that comfort, especially given how heavy the motor is.
This coating is also very handy when you have sweaty or slippery hands. You can focus on your prep work instead of your grip.
8.0 Blade Assembly
Like most immersion blenders, the Vitamix breaks down into two parts that connect with a simple twist. Given how heavy the thing is, though, it may be tougher to get the job done if your hands are greasy.
7.0 Cleanability
The removable blending wand is not dishwasher-safe, so after each test, we had to clean it by blending water with dish soap and letting the blades clean themselves. Along the way, we noticed a few extra differences between the Vitamix and its competitors which mainly stem from the blending wand design.
Although both the soup and smoothie tailings rinsed off easily under the tap, the Vitamix was the most difficult to clean after making mayonnaise. As an oil-based substance that is both sticky and insoluble in water, we couldn’t remove mayonnaise by blending in warm soapy water alone. A lot of gunk remained until we resorted to a bottle-cleaning brush and specialized cleanser.
But the real problem was cleaning the blades. It was a real challenge to scrub the backsides of those blades. And since the 4-pronged blade assembly is razor-sharp, we had to clean it with extreme caution. What a time-consuming and frustrating process that was!