10 Creative Blender Recipes

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You may have already mastered the art of smoothie-making in your blender. While smoothies are nutrient-dense and 100 percent satisfying, you may be missing out on some seriously delicious recipes you can quickly whip up in your blender.

Investing in a blender is a smart move—not only can you make nutritious smoothies, but you can also make soups, pancake and waffle batter, sauces, and dips.

Using a blender, you can create the following textures:

  • Powders: for example, pulsing oatmeal into oat flour
  • Puree: think applesauce, smoothies, salsa, hummus, or guacamole
  • Emulsification: making a salad dressing using olive oil and vinegar
Woman using a blender

Getty Images / Ilona Titova / EyeEm

Ways to Use a Blender

Pick a recipe from below—grab your ingredients and get blending! There's a whole wide world of new blender foods out there for you.

Hummus

Traditional hummus is made using a mortar and pestle to smash and blend the chickpeas with the other ingredients. While this is absolutely delicious, it's pretty labor-intensive, and not many people have a mortar and pestle laying around. Plus, if you use a blender to make hummus, you can create the consistency you like most (chunky or smooth or somewhere in between) quickly.

Easy Blender Hummus

Add 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas (drained) to your blender followed by 1/4 cup tahini, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas, 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste), and 1/4 teaspoon cumin. Process in the blender until desired consistency. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.

Nutrition facts (per serving): 277 calories, fat 10g, carbohydrates 36g, fiber 7g, protein 13g

Serve hummus cold with a drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of paprika on top. Try using pita chips, pretzels, and fresh veggies to dip into hummus, or spread on top of toast with a sprinkling of everything bagel seasoning.

Pesto

The best pesto is one filled with fresh herbs and zesty spices. Luckily you can make restaurant-quality pesto quickly in your blender.

The Best Basil Pesto

Add to your blender 2 cups fresh basil (unpacked), 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan and Romano cheese, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup pine nuts, and 3 cloves garlic (about 1 tablespoon minced). Pulse until desired consistency, scraping down the sides with a spatula when needed. Season the pesto with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste) and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Makes about 10 servings.

Nutrition facts (per serving): 149 calories, fat 15g, carbohydrates 1.7g, protein 2.2g

Veggie Rice

Cauliflower or broccoli rice is easy to whizz up in your blender. Be careful not to over-process or you'll end up with mush. And while that mush may be tasty, it won't be the side dish you probably had in mind.

How to Make Veggie Rice

Wash a head of broccoli or cauliflower, removing any leaves or fibrous parts. Cut the head in half, then chop it into small florets. Put the florets in the base of your blender. Pulse on low until the vegetables resemble grains of rice. Scrape down the sides with a spatula if needed. it should only take 15 to 30 seconds to make veggie rice. Veggie rice is delicious sautéed with olive oil and your favorite seasonings. Makes about 4 servings.

Nutrition facts (per serving): 35 calories, fat 0.4g, carbohydrates 7g, fiber 2.8g, protein 2.7g

Nut Butter

If you've never tried fresh nut butter, you don't know what you're missing. It's so creamy and nutty. Worth your time and effort if you've got a blender and a bag of nuts laying around. Not to mention, it's easier than you think to make homemade nut butter.

Blender Nut Butter

Add 2 cups roasted, unsalted nuts of choice to your blender followed by 1-2 teaspoons coarse salt. Blend on low for 7-9 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. The nuts will go from coarse flour to a ball of nut butter and then to the desired consistency. At this point, you can add in your favorite flavorings or sweeteners including vanilla extract or maple syrup. Blend again to disperse evenly. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Makes 16 servings.

Nutrition facts (per serving): 107 calories, fat 9.1g, carbohydrates 3.9g, fiber 1.5g, protein 4.4g

Soup

Making a creamy soup is easy if you have a blender. Depending upon the soup, you don't even have to do any prep work beforehand, which is the case for this pumpkin soup recipe. You can turn any soup into a creamy one—broccoli, roasted carrot, butternut squash, lentil, white bean, and the list goes on. No matter your preference, blender soups make a satisfying dish that instantly warm the soul.

Blender Pumpkin Soup

Add 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, 1/4 cup sautéed onions, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup to your blender. Process until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until warm. Top with 1 teaspoon of sunflower seeds before serving. Makes 1 large serving or 2 small servings.

Nutrition facts (per small serving): 145 calories, fat 4.9g, carbohydrates 21g, fiber 4.5g, protein 7g

Oat Flour

It's so easy to make flour at home. Just pour oatmeal into your blender, put on the lid, and whirr away. All of a sudden you have powdery fine flour you can use in baking, cooking, or however you see fit.

How to Make Oat Flour

Pour 1 cup of oatmeal into your blender. Cover. Pulse the blender until the oatmeal becomes fluffy flour. You may need to shake the contents to ensure even blending.

Nutrition facts (one cup of oat flour): 166 calories, fat 3.6g, carbohydrates 28g, fiber 4g, protein 5.9g

Pancake Batter

Blender pancakes are for those short on time. They whip up quickly and make the fluffiest pancakes. Just toss the ingredients in a blender, cover, and blend until creamy.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Add wet ingredients to your blender first: 2 cups nonfat milk of choice, 1 large egg, and 2 teaspoons olive oil or canola oil. Then add the dry ingredients to the blender: 2 1/4 cups dry oatmeal, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend on high until thick and creamy, about 60 seconds. Cook on a warmed griddle at medium-high heat, for about 2 minutes per side. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition facts (per serving): 210 calories, fat 5.8g, carbohydrates 31g, fiber 2.5g, protein 9.4g

Muffins

You can put nearly anything into a muffin tin and turn said food into a muffin, and that includes muffin batter. The best part is no matter what you toss inside, you (mostly) can't go wrong. Plus, the blender does all the work for you.

For these banana nut blender muffins, all you need is some oatmeal, bananas, eggs, oil, walnuts, and seasoning. All of which contribute to a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Banana Nut Blender Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with liners or spray lightly with nonstick spray and set aside.

Add to your blender: 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2 large eggs; followed by your dry ingredients: 2 cups dry oatmeal, 2 medium ripe bananas, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Process until slightly chunky but wet. Add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts to the batter and stir well with a spatula. Pour the muffin batter into the prepared muffin pan until about 2/3 full. Bake about 25 to 28 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Nutrition facts (per muffin): 132 calories, fat 7.6g, carbohydrates 14g, fiber 1.5g, sugar 6.7g, protein 2.6g

Banana Ice Cream

The most refreshing and surprisingly delicious ice cream made with only one ingredient, bananas, can be made in your blender. Here's the key—when your bananas are ripe, break them into 2-inch pieces before freezing. When ready to blend, allow them to thaw about 10 minutes before doing so. This ensures the creamiest banana ice cream you can imagine.

Banana Ice Cream

Remove frozen bananas from the freezer and allow to set for 5 to 10 minutes. Add bananas to blender, cover, and process until smooth and creamy. Possible add-ins: frozen strawberries, frozen raspberries, shredded coconut, a spoonful of peanut butter or honey, Nutella, or even top with some sprinkles, chocolate chips or chocolate syrup.

Nutrition facts (per serving): 105 calories, fat 0.4g, carbohydrates 27g, fiber 3.1g, protein 1.3g

Salad Dressing

One of the hardest parts of making salad dressing is getting the ingredients to emulsify (combine together). Using a blender is an easy way to make it happen. The trick is to add the vinegar and solids first, then the oil last. Start with the blender on low and slowly increase to medium; blending continuously until the dressing begins to emulsify and come together.

Blender Salad Dressing

Try making your own salad dressing with this recipe for Low Carb Salad Dressing.

Blender Tips and Tricks

Try these blender best practices to get the most out of your blender.

  • Make sure the lid is secure before using. Don't leave the blender unattended while operating.
  • Always add liquid ingredients first so the dry ingredients don't get caught up under the blade,
  • Using chopped ice instead of full ice cubes may help you avoid ending up with large ice chunks; the same may be true for large ingredients—you may need to cut those into smaller pieces.
  • When making a salad dressing, add the oil last.
  • Avoid filling your blender to the top; instead, leave the top third free to allow for expansion.
  • Avoid over-taxing the blender by pulsing hard-to-chop ingredients and refrain from blending for longer than 20-30 seconds at a time.
  • The best way to clean the blender is by rinsing, then filling halfway with warm water and adding a few drops of liquid dish soap. Secure the lid, then gradually increase the speed to its highest setting. Let it run for approximately 30 seconds. Rinse, then allow to air dry.

A Word From Verywell

Owning a blender can be exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. The options are endless when it comes to creating nutritious recipes in your blender. If you're unsure how to make healthy foods or smoothies in your blender, a registered dietitian is a great person to help you determine what would be best for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What should you never put in a blender?

    Avoid putting anything metal in your blender as this will ruin the blades. Additionally, you should never put extra-hot liquids in a blender, as well as coffee beans, bones, dried fruit, whole spices, strong-smelling foods, and large chunks of ice.

  • Is a blender the same as a food processor?

    Blenders are primarily used to puree and blend using a single blade/tool; food processors are able to blend, puree, chop, slice, and shred using multiple blade and tool options as well as a large bowl.

By Shoshana Pritzker RD, CDN, CSSD, CISSN
Shoshana Pritzker RD, CDN is a sports and pediatric dietitian, the owner of Nutrition by Shoshana, and is the author of "Carb Cycling for Weight Loss." Shoshana received her B.S in dietetics and nutrition from Florida International University. She's been writing and creating content in the health, nutrition, and fitness space for over 15 years and is regularly featured in Oxygen Magazine, JennyCraig.com, and more.