The Best Blender for Dry Ingredients to Make Spices, Powders, & Flour

How often do you use spice powders and flour at your home? If you love to cook, a good guess is that you use either of these substances every day. And if the idea is to eat a 100% healthy diet, having the best blender for dry ingredients can surely come in handy.

Not only do you get to make your spice powders and flours from the freshest and cleanest ingredients. But also you won’t need to worry about the uncertain additives that we often have in the processed products from the supermarket.

What’s the Best Blender For Dry Ingredients?

In this post, I’ve put together five blenders that you can process dry foods efficiently and fast. The selection is more of an extension of my previous list of blenders for making flour. And my favorite three brands include:

• Editor’s Choice: Blendtec (Original) Total Classic FourSide jar Blender

Features a high-power 1560-watt motor, thick stainless steel blades, 75-ounce jar, 10 variable speeds, 6 preset programs, pulse function, & non-settable timer

• Best of Value: Vitamix Ascent A3500 Smart Touchscreen Blender

Features a high-power 2.2-peak (1500 watt) motor, hardened stainless steel blades, 10 variable speeds, 5 preset programs, capacitive controls, & settable timer

• Best of Deal: Ninja 1200W Compact Kitchen System

Features a high-speed 1200-watt motor, 72-ounce jar, food processor bowl, 18-ounce personal cup, 3 preset programs, pulse function, & digital timer

What Makes a Good Blender for Dry Ingredients?

The simple rule you should know here is that not any blender can work on dry ingredients well. “Well” as the keyword applies to both the ingredients to be processed and the machine itself.

When you use the wrong blender on the task, what usually happens is that you are likely not to get the desired blend consistency. Then you also risk damaging vital parts of your blender since the walls of the ingredients are often a little hard to cut through.

In any case, the five main features to consider when looking for the best blender for dry ingredients include:

• A powerful motor that can work on even the toughest ingredients without bogging down or breaking down
• Heavy-duty stainless steel blades that won’t shatter after the second day of use
• A blender jar with tough walls to withstand the vigorous beating of the dry content
• Multiple blending speeds that can help you work on different textures with optimal control
• A pulse feature to provide better control of those intricate recipes

Tip: I’d recommend you invest in an overall well-made, premium brand if you plan to use your blender for dry ingredients often.

For instance, Vitamix and also Blendtec has the features to serve you longer on tougher tasks compared to the basic blenders. See a summary of the machines below.

1. Editor’s Choice: Blendtec (Original) Total Classic Four Side jar Blender

Indeed, the Blendtec Total Classic is the overall best blender for dry ingredients. It has a perfect balance of pricing and features, including everything you need to work on the toughest grains, nuts, or dried roots.

As a high-power machine, the blender has a 1500+ watt motor that will not just spin the blades fast. It also gives out the power for the blade to pummel (not chop) through the ingredients until complete pulverization. Hence, why the blade in question also has all blunt edges.

Furthermore, the blade in the countertop blender is way thicker than other brands I’ve encountered. Then it has upright wings to enhance the vortex for pulling the ingredients down for speedy blending/ grinding.

Speaking of speed, Blendtec has innovated the Total Classic machine with up to ten incremental speeds, preset programs, and a dedicated pulse. Thus, you get to work on your mixtures to the desired fine or coarser consistency with maximum control.

Pros:

• It’s straightforward to start and operate
• Supports manual and hands-free blending
• Features a built-in digital timer (non-settable)
• Has a thick, tough jar that won’t crack easily
• It also has a sturdy metal drive gear which is durable
• You can easily add more ingredients without stopping

Cons:

• It’s relatively expensive to purchase
• Notoriously loud when on the highest setting
• No tamper to remove air pockets or push ingredients

2. Best of Value: Vitamix Ascent A3500 Smart Touchscreen Blender

Are you looking for a trendy and powerful blender you can chop, crush, or grind/ mill ingredients with ease? The Vitamix A3500 fits the bill nicely and perfectly. You’ll have to put down half a grand to own it, for sure. But it’s no doubt worth it.

For one, the brand is another high-power machine that will pummel (think of it as hammering fast) through your dry ingredients. It packs 2.2-peak horsepower (approximately 1500 watts), which is more than enough to rip apart your mixtures with/ without liquids.

The motor will also process your dry ingredients at up to ten variable speeds to achieve that fine or coarse fineness. It also has a dedicated button to blend in short pulses, plus five preset programs to make the common recipes without babysitting.

As one of the smart blenders from the local maker, Ascent A3500 has a motor base with a built-in NFC chip. Besides the 48-oz jar, you can use the 64-oz pitcher or even the single-serve (20-oz/ 8-oz) cups without the bulky personal adapter. That’s not all.

The blending machine is one of the few that are compatible with the recently-released food processor attachment. You can chop, shred, or slice vegetables more precisely and consistently.

Pros:

• It features a sleek, elegant design
• Includes a settable digital timer
• Comes with a tamper and its holder
• Has intuitive capacitive (touch) controls
• It has hardened blades and metal drive gear
• The blender has a gentle digital dial with no absolute zero

Cons:

• It’s so expensive to purchase
• Still doesn’t come with all the accessories
• The blender jar rocks a little (from curves on the centering pad)

3. Best of Budget: Oster Pro 1200 Tritan Food Processor Combo Blender

The Oster Pro 1200 is a great option if you’re looking for a cheap blender for dry ingredients and wet blending. It doesn’t come with a glass blending jar if you love the idea to keep your kitchen free of plastic. But the provided 64-ounce Tritan (plastic) jar is still BPA-Free and even dishwasher-safe.

Even better, the Tritan plastic can endure the vigorous beating of tough ingredients at high speed better than the glass material. Then the blade at the bottom has a proprietary dual-direction technology for faster blending and easier dislodging of stuck foods.

The blender has a 1200-watt motor, which is fast enough to pulverize your ingredients completely. And with the dedicated pulse function and three precision speeds, you can produce different textures with a little bit of control.

As the name advertises, the base of the Oster blender also has a combo design compatible with a blending or food processor jar. And the best part, the machine comes with both containers in a single package. Thus, you could perform functions like chopping, slicing, and shredding with better precision and consistency.

Pros:

• It’s so affordable to own
• Simple to set up and operate
• Lightweight and easy to move around
• Supports both manual and walk-away blending
• Slides under the standard 18-inch cabinet with ease
• The blender jar has a wide bottom for efficient mixing

Cons:

• Its lowest speed setting is still pretty fast
• The food processor bowl is relatively flimsy
• It may move across the countertop when on high

4. Best of Deal: Ninja 1200W Compact Kitchen System

The Ninja kitchen system is no doubt the best blender for dry ingredients deals on my list. I’m not very happy the manufacturer is still using a plastic drive gear to spin the blade coupling. But it’s still worth it when you compare the price you pay and what you get.

First, the blender has a compact base, with a 1200-watt motor which is more than enough for blending and grinding tasks. It’s a dedicated pulse button, plus an automated program for a smoothie, frozen desserts, and dough/ mix.

The dough/ mix button works with the provided food processor bowl- comes with a chopping blade and dough hook.

You could still use the main blender jar for chopping on top of making smoothies and juicing. The stacked blade system even has razor-sharp edges that should also handle dry ingredients with ease.

However, the “stacked” design of the blade system doesn’t work too well with small seeds and grains. The best way to work on dry seeds and grains for flour or spices will be using the single-serve personal cup. It has the normal extractor blade, with a combination of flat and upright edges.

Pros:

• It features a reasonable pricing
• Comes with all the accessories you need
• Makes single and full blends with ease
• Lightweight and effortless to move around
• Has a built-in digital timer (but not settable)
• It has bottom suction feet for steady blending

Cons:

• It has a plastic drive gear system
• The blender blades cause lacerations easily
• You can’t add ingredients without stopping

5. Best of Small Blends: Nutribullet 600 Single Personal Blender

Although the last, Nutribullet 600 is the overall bestselling blender for dry ingredients, with 30,000+ positive recommendations on Amazon. It’s the Original Nutribullet (released in 2012) that came after Magic Bullet.

As for the performance, the little guy packs a 600-watt motor that may seem inadequate. But since the blending container and blade are also compact, it’s powerful enough to pulverize even the toughest seeds and nuts within seconds.

More on that, the single-serve blender can pulverize your mixture completely (fine consistency) or into coarse textures. It has the option to blend in either short pulses or continuous mode.

But since there is no control panel or physical buttons, it relies on pushing the cup to enable blending.

Pros:

• It’s so affordable to buy
• Straightforward to setup and operate
• Lightweight and easy to carry around
• Requires less space to use or store
• Has suction feet to hold on the countertop
• It’s easy to clean by hand or dishwasher

Cons:

• It has a plastic drive gear system
• You cannot blend hot mixtures
• The blender has only a single speed

Commonly Asked Questions:

Can you put dry stuff in a blender?

Yes, you can put dry stuff in a blender if you’d wish to make powders (like spices) and flour. But dry ingredients have a pretty tough shell and sometimes even the internal meat part. So, the blender you use should have a motor powerful enough to pulverize everything and a sturdy blade that won’t shutter.

What blender do most chefs use?

Vitamix is the blender most chefs use, including at Starbucks joints, from its monstrous power and super-silky blends. You can find other chefs with a Blendtec, which is as powerful as Vitamix.

How do you blend dry ingredients?

The best way to blend dry ingredients will be at the highest speed to prevent the motor from stalling or burning out. In case you want to make coarse textures, use the pulse function to gain control over your mixtures.

Can you use a blender without liquid?

Indeed, you can use a powerful blender without liquid. A perfect example is Vitamix, Blendtec, and Breville. The technique is applicable where you want to make flours, flour, crush dry ice, or turn your nuts into butter.

Can I use an immersion blender for dry ingredients?

Yes, you can use an immersion blender for dry ingredients when attached to the processor/ chopper bowl. But when working with the stick blender shaft alone, it might be tricky to achieve the desired consistency.

Final Thoughts

Whether it’s flour, spice powder, or butter, either of the five blenders can work pretty well on dry ingredients. The only difference is that some are better than others, either on the blending convenience, final results, or both.

For a model, the Vitamix Ascent A3500 might be a more worthwhile investment for now and even in the future. Not only can you produce superfine powders and blends from its nice combination of high power and slightly sharp blades. The sophisticated base is also compatible with more containers (like food processor attachment) and a smart blend app to extend your culinary goals.

Regardless, the Blendtec Total Classic is still my first recommended blender for dry ingredients. Besides having a powerful motor and thick stainless steel blades, it’s slightly cheaper than the Vitamix- provided you’re okay without a tamper.