Summer is right around the corner, which means hot days and cold drinks are in the forecast. While you can certainly get a frozen drink at your local watering hole, sometimes it is better to make your own cool concoction in the comfort of your own home. If you are wondering if a blender is good for making frozen drinks, then you have come to the right place.
The answer is yes, a blender is a good choice for making frozen drinks. Many blenders are designed to handle the chore of crushing ice to create a tasty refreshment. If you own a blender, you can prepare such frozen drinks as smoothies, slushies, and margaritas.
Do not rush off to buy tequila and ice just yet, though! It is important that you understand how to make a fantastic frozen drink before you just throw ingredients in your blender. Keep reading to learn a few key tips to produce an excellent icy beverage. You also want to be sure that you have the right blender for the job, so check out our recommendations below.
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How Do You Make Frozen Drinks In A Blender?
Ready to become a pro at blending smoothies, concocting margaritas, and serving up slushies? Follow these tips to achieve an impeccable frozen drink.
1. Use A Powerful Blender
A blender that has a strong motor will have the ability to pulverize ice with the greatest of ease. We recommend a blender that has between 700 to 1,000 horsepower to crush ice sufficiently. Anything less than that, and you risk not only damaging your blender but also serving up a subpar beverage.
2. Switch Out Ice For Frozen Fruit
If you are making a smoothie, we recommend using frozen fruit in the place of ice. This gives your smoothie a serious boost in flavor. It also ensures the texture of your smoothie is thicker and less watery. Since most fruit in the freezer section is frozen at the peak of freshness, you will be getting more nutritional value as well.
3. Layer Ingredients Properly
Adding the ingredients of your frozen drink in the correct order will allow your blender to be more efficient. Start with liquids such as juice, alcohol, or bottled mixer first. After that, you can add softer ingredients like fruits and vegetables. Finally, add the ice last, as this keeps the blades of your blender from becoming dull too quickly.
4. Start On A Low Setting
Cranking your blender to full power is not only a great way to kill your appliance, but also produce a frozen drink that isn't the right texture. We suggest you start off with a few quick pulses to begin breaking down the ingredients. Using the lower speeds at first and finishing at the higher speeds gives you greater control over the final product.
5. Don't Blend Too Long
This tip is key to creating the perfect frozen drink. Do not leave your blender on for too long otherwise, your drink can become thin and runny. Nobody wants a frozen beverage of this consistency, so pay attention to the time it spends in the blender.
The time it takes to blend a frozen drink depends on the type of blender you have and the desired drink you are trying to create. For slushies, you may only need to blend your beverage for 40 seconds, whereas with a smoothie, it could remain in the blender all the way up to two minutes.
Which Blender Can Crush Ice?
If you are looking to pulverize ice into snow, then we would suggest you consider the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-IQ. The 'Ice Crush' preset allows you to crush ice in 30 seconds thanks to its six-blade assembly and 1,400-watt motor. Unlike traditional blenders, where the blades are located at the base of the pitcher,
This budget option comes with a lot of bells and whistles, considering the low price point. There are 'Smoothie' and 'Ice Cream' presets, as well as a pulse mode. With a 72 ounce pitcher, you can create quite a lot of frozen drinks in this model. Reviews say that clean-up is a breeze as the jar, lid, and blade assembly are all dishwasher-safe.
Click here to see this blender on Amazon.
If you aren't convinced you should invest in a blender only to crush ice, then check out this article which shows you five methods to crush ice without a blender.
What Is The Best Blender To Make Margaritas?
If you are looking for the best blender that delivers a restaurant-quality margarita, then check out the Margaritaville Blender. This blender is specifically for shaving ice to create the perfect texture for frozen margaritas.
Amazing margaritas and other frozen adult beverages are achieved through a two-step process. At the top of this machine is an ice reservoir that delivers ice to special shaver blades. Then the shaved ice falls directly into the pitcher to be blended with the drink mix of your choice.
The Margaritaville Blender is great for parties and taco Tuesdays, but it is a pricey choice for the lack of versatility it offers. Click here to see this blender on Amazon.
What Blender Is Best For Making Slushies
The Hamilton Beach Wave Station Express Blender makes the top of our list for making the best slushies. This powerful unit features a special Wave-Action design that directs the mixture into the stainless steel blades for a smooth texture. Do not worry about big chunks of ice with this blender.
A dispenser spout allows you to easily serve your slushie right into your cups. The 48-ounce glass jar is both durable and dishwasher-safe. With its incredibly low price point, this blender is a real winner.
Click here to see this blender on Amazon.
Watch this quick video to see nine summer slushies sure to cool you down.
What Is A Good Blender To Make Frozen Drinks?
Overall, we found that the Vitamix A3500 is the best blender to make any frozen drink. It literally has a 'Frozen Drink' preset that crushes ice into snow in under a minute. This blender will produce a fantastic smoothie and has a self-cleaning mode. With its 64 ounce container, it has the capacity to make margaritas for a crowd.
The Vitamix A3500 is on the pricier side, but we found that it is a very versatile blender, able to do much more than just make slushies. It has dedicated presets for hot soups as well as dips and spreads, making this blender a good choice no matter what you may need to blend up. Plus, all Vitamix blenders come with a 10-year warranty.
Click here to see this blender on Amazon.
Final Words
It is obvious that no matter which of these four blenders you decide to use, they are all good at making frozen drinks. We hope you found our tips for making the ultimate chilled refreshment to be helpful.
Ready to make the perfect frozen drink, but your blender won't turn on? Check out this article that discusses common issues and how to troubleshoot why your blender won't turn on.
