The air is hot, the sun is bright, and bathing suit season is in full swing. Whether your 2024 summer looks like a lot of stay-cation-ing or you’re hitting up the beaches or more, a cold refreshing beverage is always a good idea. Let’s find out the best blender for margaritas and strong contenders for best blenders for milkshakes, smoothies, or other frozen drinks! It’s always five o’clock somewhere!
Best 8 Blenders for Margaritas and Other Frozen Drinks
Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker
Let’s start with a device crafted especially for that classic of summer chill drinks—the margarita. This highly rated blending tool is proven to work like a charm, making it even easier to go from “Yes, please” to “Ahhh…”. This may be the best blender for frozen drinks that involve shaved ice—it literally has a shaved ice feature and another button for shave and blend. This definitely makes it prime for many summers beverage needs.
Pros
- Huge plus: the shave and blend feature! Shaves ice and blends like a typical restaurant drink
- Made for margarita-making and similar frozen drink concoctions
- Nice color choice; light and summer style
- 36oz blending jar
- 400 watts of power is great for margaritas or frozen drinks with ice
Cons
- The amount of power wattage may not handle major smoothie components (so if you’re going for smoothies too, try another option)
Takeaway
A huge drawback to most frozen drink makers is they can chop and swirl but not fully recreate that shaved ice sensation. If that’s your favorite part, look no further than Margaritaville for your answer. No surprise there! This is at the very top of the list as the best blender for margaritas.
Margaritaville Bali Frozen Concoction Maker
We’re hanging out in Margaritaville for just one more unignorable invention. The Bahama Marker is way cool, but you better believe that Bali has a special free spirit spark that cannot be denied—whether you travel there or take an imaginary trip with a drink made by the blow-your-mind Bali Maker.
Pros
- 60 Oz jar for larger amounts
- Preset options for the perfect margaritas, daiquiris, coladas & smoothies
- 600 watts of power—much better suited for a wide range of beverages than the Bahama model
- Also has shaved and/or blend buttons for your convenience and personalization
Cons
- Some users report leakage with very icy/watery ingredients
- While it claims to be 600 watts, hard-core smoothie maker ingredients don’t seem to blend as well as hoped, according to several reviews
Takeaway
If you’re looking for the epic frozen drink maker of 2024, then this may very well be all you’ll ever need—particularly those which fall in the preset categories on the maker itself (Margaritas, Daiquiris, Coladas & Smoothies). However, if you’re a healthy foodie who wants to do more blending beyond the summer daze drink collection, you might do better looking further than Margaritaville. For several reasons, this is possibly the best blender for mixed drinks.
Ninja BL610 Professional Countertop Blender
Our next few options are kitchen ninjas… literally. The Ninja brand of appliances for the kitchen is a big name in the nifty appliance space at the moment. The Professional 72 Oz Countertop Blender has several unique features ranking it high above the common countertop device, and it will slice through almost anything with 1000 watts of power!
Pros
- Well made stainless steel blades
- Easy to grip and hold the handle
- Basic design with a classic blender look, but with all the added power and features you might need for any matter of margarita, frozen drinks, smoothies, and more
- 72 oz of capacity means you can do a whole lot in one blitz!
Cons
- Very basic folks (i.e., if you really just want simple smoothies and small batches) may find this overwhelming
- The large size means it’s difficult to make single servings of smaller items like a frozen beverage
Takeaway
This is not your grandmother’s countertop blender. The Ninja here will be useful if you intend to make large batches and want a device for a major smoothie or frozen ingredients. Easy to use with different blending speeds for whatever you’re making. Read: this also means you have a blender with different volume options and pretty quiet altogether.
Ninja BL660 Professional Countertop Blender
Here we go with Ninja number two. This is the upgrade from our last item. Namely, it has the same 72 Oz main blending area but is also made to allow smaller servings via 16 Oz cups. The small cups are fantastic for individual smoothies and can even be taken on the go in the same cup you blend in—no extra travel cups to clean!
Pros
- Expanded options for what to use it for and amounts you need to blend due to the sixteen ounce individual blender cups
- Easy to use and easy to clean
- Easy grip handle on the main blender body
- 1100 watts of power—one of Nina’s most powerful devices
Cons
- This is a serious blender, so it has a serious base. This is not light/easy to move item. You’ll want to devote a counter area and leave it out.
- The individual cups have their own blade (which is awesome), but it’s very sharp (also awesome), which can be hazardous due to the very open nature of it… be careful when cleaning.
Takeaway
The 72 Oz Blender + (2) 16 Oz Cups Ninja here is an amazing choice for a host of reasons, not the least of which is its insane power base. This is the best blender for milkshakes and smoothies, and more! This can pretty much do it all and is a great option for blending anything including individual drink recipes.
Ninja Foodi SS201 Power Blender
As the name implies, foodies everywhere are all about this amazing device. This has a single blending container of 64 Oz. However, it has multiple blades to feature 3-in-1 optimized modes: crushes, food processes, and makes dough. This is a great item for those who could use these particular features and want one item to cover all three! That’s not a common combination for anyone device by any means.
Pros
- Designed for optimized blending
- Designed for optimized food processing
- Designed for optimized dough making
- Separate blades for different purposes
- So many features from speed nob to 6 unique auto-set buttons
- Great for gift giving to the foodies in your life
- 1400 watts of power make it hard to beat
Cons
- Single blender jar of a hefty size, so not optimized for single/small servings
Takeaway
Calling all foodies: we have the kitchen device for you. Make no mistake, and this crazy contraption is made for the home chef to inspire and cater to your creative, powerful dreams, from fresh dough based recipes to frozen desserts and drinks.
Ninja Blender/Food Processor 3 in 1
You’re welcome to call us Ninja-crazy, but you’ll totally understand why we needed to add one more when you take a look at this final Ninja offering. The 3 Pc Blending/Processing system here is amazing. While it has a much lower wattage power system, the system is unique from all other typical blenders. Rather than a base on which you put your blending jar, this is a power base that will sit atop any of the three containers interchangeably. This also makes for easier put away because the base is a simple plug-and-play system, and the jars/lids all come apart and can be stowed away for countertop cleanliness.
Pros
- Three individual base structures with their own blades and lids
- Leftover lids that fit the base so you can literally blend or food process your items and cover the actual cup itself, putting the whole thing directly into the fridge or freezer (after removing the easy-lift blades from the cup, of course)
- Extremely unique design power system
- Everything except the power system is dishwasher safe
Cons
- Does not have the typical cup shape for individual smoothies in a blend and go sense, as a previous example has
- No buttons to change power or speed
Takeaway
This is a really home chef friendly choice. In particular, it is also great if you like the clean counter look and prioritizes that no matter how cool the devices are. This does an excellent job at crushing and chopping, so it does well for frozen drinks. It does not shave ice as per some of the options made for frozen drinks. But it does just about everything else with a super user friendly design.
WantJoin Professional Countertop Blender
Let’s be honest – is there anything you couldn’t blend with eighteen hundred watts of power!? For real, this is made to compete with the big guns. WantJoin may be newer to the scene, but they will make you want to join their tribe of avid fans pronto. This device will crush frozen items, blend, or process through tough ingredients, and gives you plenty of options for all sorts of unique recipes from power to speed varieties.
Pros
- Crushes ice more efficiently and quickly than most other blenders here, and potentially of the whole market
- 1800 watts of power is no joke… you can expect to have this for a long time
- Dishwasher safe for easy cleanup
Cons
- Again, if looking for single serve use or easy put away, this may not be for you. The base is larger and may be best suited for a home that can keep it out to use on the weekly
- Users will do well to pay attention to the dimensions. It’s a heavy base and hefty blending jar—but that is super useful for so many things. It all depends on your use needs
Takeaway
Don’t keep wanting for a new blender—join the fun with WantJoin! So many uses for this one device make it a top dog in the race, hands down.
BlenderX Cordless PORTABLE Blender
And let’s end with something small but mighty—the Modern Comfort Cordless Portable Blender is kind of a big deal in a small package. This blender makes smoothies, margaritas, and other frozen adult beverages, shakes, and more… all without needing to be plugged in. There are so many potentials uses for this personal blender that none of the previous items can claim simply due to the portability alone.
Pros
- Portable—does not need to be plugged in!
- Single size cup makes it easy to customize your beverages (by making one at a time)
- Crushes ice well
Cons
- No extra features besides one speed blending, contrast to a countertop or multi layer device as per the above items
- Requires batteries
Takeaway
Don’t let the small size fool you. While this is obviously a minimal pizzazz situation, the fact that it has high ratings for what it does (crush ice, blend items, and work without a plugin!) make it a great choice and a great gift.
Buying Guide
What are you looking for in a blending device? That all depends on your main focus and long term potential needs:
What do you picture when you say, “frozen beverage”?
So, you’re on the market for a frozen beverage maker. Are you thinking about frozen adult beverages like margaritas? Maybe the best blender for milkshakes and smoothies is your style? Perhaps you’re more of a green smoothie monster and need something to do the job of totally emulsifying tough veggies? Or—maybe you want a shaved ice sensation, whether for desserts or drinks? Whatever you’re mainly picturing should guide what you choose, and which features you look for as the highest reviews.
What’s up with wattage?
Similar to the first point… what you actually need for power in this device will depend on your main use. Keep in mind, while ice may not seem like a super tough thing, it’s very hard on blenders and is often better suited for higher wattage items.
On the other hand—sometimes wattage isn’t everything. Once you’ve determined what your main uses will be for this item you are purchasing, we suggest browsing reviews for the best experience for that particular recipe. For example, when comparing an 1800 watt to a 450 watt item, you don’t need to immediately jump to conclusions that the less powerful one is less valuable for you. In fact, based on its shape and other features like blade placement, the lesser power item might actually give better leverage for your goals.
FAQ’s
Do I need to have speed options in the controls?
- You’ll notice that some options have no alternate controls (i.e., only feature a simple on/off powering mechanism). Other options have simple features like low/medium/high. Then you have all the way to the high end of the spectrum with presets and dials and more.
- The best way to choose the best item as far as speed control is to understand the items and recipes, you’re most interested in making. Browse some recipes. Do they specify certain speeds or call for varied speeds in the making of one recipe? Let this guide your choice of what you need in this department!
- In most cases, the higher wattage, the higher the cost of your blender. It’s not hard to find blenders for under $50, but be sure that the lower your price, the reviews and key features are still up to par with what you need.
Top power or bottom power?
- Most blenders power their build from the bottom, with a blender or cup device that sits atop of it. Others actually are placed under the powering system. There are pros and cons to each of these
- Bottom base power builds are easy to use but often are heftier and mean you’ll want to leave them out on the counter.
- Top power sources are often lighter and can be put away easier. Also, items designed to be powered from the top are often designed uniquely for extra efficient spinning and churning, such as is valuable when food processing or frozen adult beverage making with icy items.
Conclusion
So, what’s the best blender for margaritas or other frozen drinks like milkshakes? What about the best blender for smoothies and shakes? This best blender for mixed drinks? As per the article and buying guide above, you’ll see that there is such an amazing array of options currently available. Let your taste buds and recipe interests be your guide.
