The Best Blender For Margaritas In 2024

If you’re in a hurry and just want to know what the best blender for margaritas is, I settled on the Ninja Professional Blender as my top pick overall.

You can’t beat an ice cold margarita on a summer day, but there’s more to picking a blender than its ice-crushing capabilities!

You don’t need to buy a super-expensive machine here, but you do need an effective one. Even better, many of the best margarita blenders on the market will also serve as an all-purpose kitchen blender.

In this article, I’m reviewing five of the most popular blenders you can buy.

(My guide to juicing and blending at home contains plenty more tutorials and buying tips!)

This is my pick of the best blenders for making margaritas. I’ll be reviewing each one in detail later on in this guide:

(This article includes affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.)

Summary

Not got time to read the individual reviews? If you’re just after a quick recommendation, here are my favorites for different scenarios.

BEST VALUE: Ninja Professional Blender: “I think this is a great option if you need an all-purpose blender for your kitchen. It’ll not only make great margaritas, but also tackle all your other blending jobs. It’s a great all-round appliance that won’t break the bank.”

BEST SPECIALIST: Margaritaville Key West Concoction: “If you plan on hosting a lot of guests, it might make sense to buy this dedicated Margaritaville machine. The ice tray is enormous, and it’s good for around 2.5 jugs of frozen drinks. It handles all the hard work for you, and does so at scale!”

BEST HIGH-END: Vitamix E310 Explorian: “I love Vitamix machines, and if you’re looking for a general-purpose blender that will last for years and years, the E310 Explorian is a great option. It’s not the cheapest option in this round-up, but it’s a great investment.”

BEST COMPACT: Ninja Personal Blender: “If you’re only going to make the occasional margarita or smoothie, there’s no need to spend a lot of money on a state-of-the-art blender. The Ninja Personal Blender is compact, yes powerful enough to crush cocktail ice with ease.”

Margarita Blender Reviews

That’s the headline stuff out of the way! In this next section I’m going to review each machine in detail.

Vitamix E310 Explorian

Vitamix make some of the best blenders money can buy, but they typically cost more than those from other manufacturers.

What you get from that investment though is an exceptionally powerful motor, with hardened blades that can tear through pretty much anything.

Vitamix also backs its machines up with some of the best warranties in the business. It’s a bigger up-front investment, in other words, but one that will likely pay off through longevity and durability.

The Vitamix Explorian will certainly demolish ice and make a mean margarita, but it’s also good for a huge variety of other jobs: chopping, mixing, salsas, batters, baby food – the list is endless. All this is accessed through ten different speed settings and a pulse feature.

In my opinion, this is the best blender to turn to if you want a high-performance appliance that can handle all your blending tasks.

As for the container, it has a maximum capacity of 48 ounce. That should be enough for small households, and it also means you should be able to situate it beneath most kitchen cabinets.

Pros

• A powerful blender from a trusted brand.
• A versatile machine that can handle all of your blending tasks.
• High quality construction that’s built to last.
• Generous warranty and excellent customer service from Vitamix.

Cons

• More expensive than other blenders.
• 48 ounce capacity may not be enough for large households.
• Multiple speed settings mean more hands-on involvement is required.

(I’ve got a more in-depth review of the Vitamix Explorian elsewhere on Viva Flavor if you’d like to learn more about this particular blender.)

Ninja Personal Blender

If you only plan to make the occasional margarita for yourself, there’s no need to spend a huge amount of money on a big-name blender.

Ninja’s Personal Blender features a 700-Watt motor, which is above the 600 or so power rating that I like to see for crushing ice.

It comes with two 16 ounce cups with re-sealable lids. All you have to do is fill one of these cups with your ice and other ingredients, screw the blade unit on, add it to the base and blitz.

Once you’ve detached the cup, you just swap the blade unit out for one of the lids.

The main drawback here is, of course, volume. If you’re making more than a couple of margaritas, you’re going to find this device a little limiting. Consider as well that it won’t be able to tackle any large-volume blending tasks you need to perform in your kitchen.

Still, for quick and convenient smoothies and margaritas it’s hard to go wrong here.

Pros

• A compact and convenient margarita / smoothie maker.
• Portable cups double up as blending jars.
• Recipe book included to help you get started.
• Handles ice and other frozen ingredients very well.

Cons

• Only really suitable for making single servings.
• Motor can handle ice just fine, but it may take a little while to blend truly perfect margaritas.
• Not suitable as a general-purpose kitchen blender.

Margaritaville Key West Frozen Concoction

The Margaritaville Frozen Concoction maker is a good choice if you’re planning to making frozen cocktails for big groups of guests.

The ice reservoir at the top of the machine is generously sized. In fact it’s enough to make just over 2 pitchers of cocktails before you have to refill it.

The main benefit of buying a machine like this, however, is the quality of the ice. Where most all-purpose blenders crush the ice, a dedicated margarita maker will shave it. That gives you the true texture of a professionally made cocktail.

The blending jar’s a little smaller than other machines at 36 ounces, but that’s about average for a cocktail maker like this.

There are also four pre-programmed drinks settings to choose from, which means you can easily set a blending volume and then leave the Margaritaville to take care of the rest.

One thing I really like about this cocktail maker is the pouring design. The hatch opens enough to pour a drink, but not so much that a slushy mess ends up all over the countertop!

Pros

• High-quality shaved ice produces bar-quality frozen cocktails.
• Generously sized ice reservoir.
• Pre-programmed settings take much of the work off your hands.
• Ideal for hosting large groups of friends.

Cons

• The pitcher doesn’t feel particularly durable.
• Only really designed for making frozen drinks, rather than other blending tasks.

Ninja Professional Blender

Ninja’s become a powerhouse blender manufacturer in recent years, and its core countertop blender lives up to that reputation.

The 1100-Watt motor is more than powerful enough to crush your margarita ice, and it’ll do so pretty quickly too. The blades are strong, with six tips which absolutely pulverize the ingredients.

In terms of speed options, you have three variable speed controls to play with. That should cover a decent range of blending tasks, and there’s also a pulse function. With this you can activate the blender for as long as you hold the button down.

The 72 ounce pitcher is great if you’re looking to make a big batch of just about anything – including, of course, margaritas! It takes up more space than other blenders, but if you want to work in large volumes it’s a very good option.

You don’t have to make huge batches of drinks with this thing though.

The two single-serve, 16 ounce containers included in the box actually double up as smaller blending jars in their own right. You just have to add enough ingredients to make a single serving, then put the container directly on the base.

This clever design touch makes the BL660 a great choice if you want a very versatile blender.

Pros

• A lightweight, smart-looking kitchen appliance.
• Reasonably priced.
• Simple control interface.
• Extremely large capacity blending jar.
• Single serve option.

Cons

• Plastic pitcher doesn’t feel particularly durable.
• Large blending jar may be problematic for smaller kitchens.
• Quite a bit of tamping’s required to get bigger batches blending evenly.

(Have a read of my Ninja Professional Blender review if you’d like a closer look at this one.)

Oster Reverse Crush Counterforms Blender

Oster’s not the biggest name in the blending world, but it’s achieved praise over the years for its attractively priced performance blenders.

A 1,000-Watt motor powers a six-point blade unit, which does an impressive job of tackling tough ingredients like ice and frozen produce.

On that note, there’s a dedicated high power setting just for crushing ice, and a Frozen Drinks settings specifically for making things like margaritas.

Alternatively, you can choose the Food Chop setting, which will do a decent job of blitzing your fruit and vegetables.

It’s not a bad machine by any means, but the design seems a little muddled. For just a little more money I’d recommend the Ninja all-purpose blender instead.

Pros

• Durable build.
• Decent selection of speed settings.
• Recipe book included.

Cons

• Very noisy.
• Measurement markings are printed on the inside, making it harder to clean.
• Pour spout can create a bit of a mess if you pour even fractionally too fast.

The Margarita Blending Buyer’s Guide

There’s more to choosing the best blender for your margaritas than just the ice!

In this next section of my review I’ve put together a buyer’s guide that will help you pick the right machine for your own needs.

General Or Dedicated Blender?

The most important question to ask yourself is whether you need a dedicated margarita maker, or just a powerful all-purpose blender.

Having a really good all-in-one blender has obvious benefits. You can tackle a a huge variety of kitchen tasks using just one appliance, for example.

On the other hand, dedicated cocktail blenders tend to shave the ice, rather than pulverize it. For a more authentic bartender experience at home, you might prefer this approach.

If you do decide to buy a more general blender, I recommend looking for one that has a dedicated preset for crushing ice. That’s more likely to help you achieve the right kind of consistency for a classic margarita.

On balance I’d recommend buying a more versatile machine overall. You’ll save money in the long run compared to buying multiple appliances.

I also don’t think the ice results are so noticeable as to be worth buying a dedicated appliance.

Power

If you’re planning to making your margaritas at home, you should buy a mains-powered – rather than battery – blender. They’re typically more powerful, and will get the job done more quickly.

A portable blender, on the other hand, is ideal if you want to whizz up a margarita on a camping trip, or a day out at the beach.

In all cases, you should look for a blender that has at least 600 watts of power. For me that’s the threshold for properly crushing ice, and not having any chunks left in the pitcher.

Once you go over the 1000 watt mark, you won’t really gain much blitzing power, but you will get the job done in a shorter amount of time.

Capacity & Pitcher Material

The blending jar – or pitcher – is the most important consideration after the motor power.

Pitchers made of glass are harder to transport due to their weight, but they’re a lot more durable.

Plastic pitchers are more forgiving, but they don’t tend to stand up to wear and tear as well. You might find cracks and scratches appearing after even a short amount of time.

You should also think about the capacity of the jar as well.

If you’re making very big margarita batches, you’ll need to get something appropriately sized. If you’re only making the occasional drink though, then you might favor the convenience of a compact personal blender.

Those personal blenders are ideal if you’re making one drink for yourself, and only from time to time. They’re easier to store as well.

They’re no good if you’re entertaining lots of guests though. No one wants to be hanging around in the kitchen for hours making drinks, or worse have thirsty guests!

Budget

As always, you should avoid spending money on features you’re never likely to need.

If you don’t need a lot of fancy presets, and you don’t mind taking manual control, go for a simpler machine.

A lower purchase price doesn’t always mean a cheaper long-term cost though. Many of the cheaper blenders on the market come with a limited 1 year warranty for a reason.

If you’re doing a lot of blending – and not just making margaritas – it’s worth investing for the long run, assuming you can afford the extra upfront cost.

Companies like Vitamix charge a pretty penny for their blenders, but the 5, 7, or even 10 year warranties on offer speak volumes.

Really it’s a case of thinking about what you really need, and how long the appliance is likely to last.

Noise

There’s no getting around the fact that all blenders make a fair bit of noise.

More than that, ice is one of the hardest substances your blender can tackle. If that’s going to be a problem in your household, you might consider getting a blender with a slightly less powerful motor.

As long as you’re over that 600-watt threshold, you’ll still be able to crush the ice you need for your margaritas.

It will take a little longer, but even a weaker motor will get the job done in under a minute.

Functions

If you’re just making the occasional margarita for yourself, you won’t need any fancy pre-programmed functions. You can manage the whole thing using a manually operated personal blender.

These smaller manual appliances are also handy when you want to get consistencies just so.

Presets are more helpful if you plan to do a lot of entertaining. You can add your ingredients, select the function, then go back to entertaining your guests while the blender does the hard work.

Warranty

I’ve touched on warranties already in this review. It’s a simple rule of thumb that the longer the warranty, the more confident the manufacturer is that they won’t have to spend time and resources on you exercising your warranty rights.

Blender blades dull and motor’s burn out all the time. If you can afford a longer-lasting machine – and will make good use of it – you’ll always get more for your money in the long run.