KitchenAid 5-Speed Blender Review
Orange Spinach Green Drink
A little while back I saw a video that compared a KitchenAid 5-Speed Blender to a Vitamix, Blendtec, and a few other blenders. I was amazed at how well the KitchenAid performed in comparison to the other blenders but I was skeptical.
And that is where it all started. I just had to get my hands on a KitchenAid blender and put it through it’s paces. I needed to see if it would work for people wanting to incorporate more raw foods into their diets, but just didn’t want to put down the $450.00 (or more) for one of the other high-speed blenders.
To sweeten the deal, I decided to run a contest and give away the blender just to let you all know how much I appreciate your support of Rawmazing!
This is the blender I bought. And a wonderful woman named Shannon won the contest. We had over 1115 entries!
Over the weekend I put the blender through it’s paces and here is what I found. Read to the end to see how I rate the blender.
First, I made these smoothies (top picture). It handled the frozen strawberries and peaches beautifully. We even threw in a whole orange (minus peel) and there was no trace of any fibers when the drink was done. I was pretty excited. For a frozen, blended smoothie, I would give it an A.
Next, I made the spinach orange smoothie above. I wanted to see how the blender did with a green drink. When you add greens, a lot of blenders start to fall down. But, the KitchenAid did a great job. We really packed the container with greens and did have to stop it 2 times to redistribute the contents (the Vitamix plunger is wonderful for this), but as soon as it caught, it blended beautifully. It did take a little longer to get the consistency that I like. Another A.
KitchenAid raw “Mayo”
Next came the raw mayo test. As you can see, this is where the Vitamix starts to pull away from the KitchenAid. Even with a lot, and I mean a lot of scraping down, I just couldn’t get the same results that I get with the Vitamix (see below).
VItamix raw “Mayo”
You can see there was a pretty big difference. On to the almond butter.
I can make a decent almond butter in a few minutes in the Vitamix. Normally I use my food processor because I like the final product better. You can see how to do that here: Almond Butter.
Try as I might, I ended up with a beautiful almond flour, but never a butter.
Almond Flour (not butter)
Conclusion:
If you are looking for a much less expensive blender for your smoothies and green drinks, this blender does an excellent job. For the heavier, more gourmet foods, it came up a little short. You can purchase the blender here: KitchenAid 5-Speed Blender
Recipes:
Ginger Peach Strawberry Smoothie
Spinach Orange Smoothies
- 1 orange
- 2 large handfuls spinach
- 1 cup grapes
- 1/2 cup ice
- 1 1/2 cup water
1. Place all ingredients in high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.
Marilee wrote on February 13, 2013
This gave me exactly the info I need! My old blender quit and I need a replacement. Sounds like the KitchenAid will fill the bill. Thanks!
Kimberly wrote on October 26, 2012
Susan,
Thanks for doing this review, I have been looking for a good blender for a while, I haven’t gotten the Vita Mix or the BlendTec because I live on a sailboat and i don’t have the power to run them, but this I can use. So I Bought it 2 weeks ago after reading your review and I LOVE it. Thank you. You’re site is AMAZING and I have all of your great books. thanks and keep up the great work!!!!!
Monique wrote on September 18, 2012
Awesome review and the food looks delish. I have the same blender and it’s awesome for the price.
luv what you do wrote on September 8, 2012
I just got a new blender for my birthday. I can’t wait to give it a go!!!
Faith wrote on September 5, 2012
just curious Susan, Dawn or others here- did you try the Kitchenaid with kale- since kale is much tougher than spinach in my opinion, and is such a mainstay of green smoothies in my world? thanks
Susan wrote on September 5, 2012
Actually, I did try Kale. I will add a comment about it above. Bottom line….it did just fine with the kale. Cheers!
Dawn wrote on September 5, 2012
The Kitchenaid blender is the one that I have been using for the past 9 months and I don’t have any complaints. It is a great alternative to the more expensive brands.
Susan wrote on September 5, 2012
I agree, Dawn. But it isn’t the same as the Vitamix and that was what I was out to find out. I do think it is a good alternative for people who don’t want to or can’t spend the big dollars on the other ones.
whitney wrote on September 5, 2012
Just what I needed to know! Thanks so much for being the guinea pig, giving an honest assessment on an array of recipes, and sharing the info! Looks like I’ll have to invest in that Vitamix after all!
Cassandra wrote on September 5, 2012
Oh yeah I LOVE my Vitamix!
Margaret wrote on September 4, 2012
Thanks, Susan, for taking the time (and spending the money!) to test out this blender. Seeing these results make me glad I spent the $500 on a Blendtec 🙂