Head-to-head · Best Blenders for Smoothies

Breville Fresh & Furious vs Ninja Professional Plus BN701

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

The short answer

Breville Fresh & Furious comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.4 vs 4.3). The gap is mostly about smoothie-focused buyers who want one-touch green-smoothie presets and don't need nut-butter or grinding ability — read the strengths below before deciding.

Higher ratedRanked #3 in Best Blenders for Smoothies

Breville Fresh & Furious

4.4

$199.95as of Jun 7

The Breville Fresh & Furious is America's Test Kitchen's best midpriced blender and a smoothie specialist: its 60-second green-smoothie program makes some of the best green smoothies TechGearLab has tasted. It blends soft fruit beautifully but can leave grit with berries and isn't meant for nut butter or grinding. At around $200 with presets and an LCD, it's the value-feature pick for people focused mainly on smoothies.

Strengths

— Dedicated 60-second green-smoothie program produces "one of the best green smoothies" TechGearLab tasted
— America's Test Kitchen's best midpriced pick at about half the flagship's cost
— Five speeds plus auto-clean and ice-crush programs on a clear LCD

Watch-outs

— Berry and oat smoothies can leave a slightly gritty texture
— Not built for nut butter or grinding — it's a smoothie specialist
— Lid can pressurize during blending and be hard to remove

$199.95 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Ranked #4 in Best Blenders for Smoothies

Ninja Professional Plus BN701

4.3

$99.95as of Jun 7

The Ninja Professional Plus BN701 is the budget pick and America's Test Kitchen's value choice. With 1400 peak watts, Total Crushing blades, and three Auto-iQ presets, it makes excellent berry smoothies and milkshakes for around $100, though it leaves small pieces of kale in green smoothies. TechGearLab calls it "an absolute steal" for smoothie and blended-drink enthusiasts. Best for budget buyers who blend mostly fruit-based drinks.

Strengths

— America's Test Kitchen's budget pick — "makes solid smoothies, crushed ice, and mayo, and it's relatively quiet"
— 1400 peak watts and Total Crushing blades make excellent berry smoothies and milkshakes
— Three Auto-iQ presets (smoothie, frozen drink, ice) for one-touch blending

Watch-outs

— Struggles to fully puree leafy greens — small kale pieces remain
— Louder and harder to clean than the Vitamix and Breville picks
— Stacked blade assembly takes care to wash safely

$99.95 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

Breville Fresh & Furious

The smoothie specialist: its green-smoothie program out-tastes the Ninja BN701 on greens, but it leaves more grit on berries than the Vitamix 5200 or Vitamix Explorian E310 and isn't built for the heavy-duty work those handle. Pricier than the Ninja BN701, cheaper than the Vitamix picks.

Ninja Professional Plus BN701

The power-per-dollar pick: around $100 with a bigger 72 oz pitcher than the Breville Fresh & Furious, and it crushes ice as well as anything here. But it leaves kale pieces the Breville's green-smoothie program smooths out, and it can't match the Vitamix 5200 or Vitamix Explorian E310 on texture or durability.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Breville Fresh & Furious	Ninja Professional Plus BN701
Power	1100W	1400W peak (1200W base)
Capacity	50 oz	72 oz (64 oz liquid)
Speed Control	5 speeds + Pulse	3 speeds + Pulse
Programs	Green Smoothie, Smoothie, Ice Crush, Auto-Clean	3 Auto-iQ (Smoothie, Frozen Drink, Ice)
Container Material	BPA-free Tritan	BPA-free Total Crushing pitcher
Display	LCD with timer	—
Warranty	3-year limited	1-year limited
Footprint	17.7 in tall	17 in tall
Dishwasher Safe	—	Yes (pitcher, lid, blades)

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