While most of us still associate blenders with smoothies and creamy soups, there are in fact other things we can use these wonderful kitchen appliances for, like looking for the best blender for grinding spices.
Before actually talking about various blenders that can grind spices and how exactly that works, I have a confession to make.
I’m all for using lots of spices in most of the dishes I cook but I still prefer doing it the old-fashioned way, like I learned about 15 years ago when I started cooking more than eggs and bacon or sandwiches.
Frankly, I prefer using my mortar and pestle because it pretty much works like therapy for me. It’s soothing and the fragrances are better than any perfume in the world.
With that being said, I can totally recognize that using a blender for grinding spices can speed up things. It will also allow you to grind bigger amounts of spices in a very short period of time without much effort besides pressing a button or turning a wheel.
It’s especially a good idea to look for the best blender for grinding spices if you want to make smoothies, soups, etc. and you don’t want to buy a separate grinder for your spices. It can cut down the costs.
I certainly appreciate when an appliance can make our lives easier, especially if we’re short on time, short on energy or we have to cook for many people. Modern times have their perks, that’s for sure.
Best Blender for Grinding Spices Reviews
Is there a particular way to tell that this model or that model would be the best blender for grinding spices? There isn’t one actually. No blender will be followed by the words “for grinding spices”.
Blenders are like food processors. We can use them for so many different food preparations that pretty much only our imagination can stop us from coming up with new ways to employ versatile kitchen appliances.
We can even use them to mince meat or to whip egg whites. Or maybe you’re thinking of making some delicious hummus in a blender. But those are discussions for another time.
What I’m trying to say is that, in theory, any blender can be used for grinding spices and for many other purposes and ingredients.
You don’t even need a feature-rich blender. I’m not about the bells and whistles when it comes to most of my appliances and kitchen tools, although those can sound totally awesome. I’m definitely more on the practical side.
When it comes to blenders, I’m always searching first and foremost for models that match a lot of needs and balance what they offer with a decent price. If it comes with additional features, that’s really awesome.
1. Nutribullet 600 Personal Blender: One of the Best Blenders for Grinding Spices
Why not start my recommendations for the best blender for grinding spices with one of the most popular devices on the planet?
Who hasn’t heard of the nutribullet? And if you didn’t own one before, you might change your mind after reading about it.
It is described as the fastest, easiest solution for making nutrient-packed smoothies. That’s certainly true and the main reason for most people buying it.
But we can also buy it for other things, like grinding spices. Check out this video if you want to see how well it can grind spices.
Also, we get to buy a versatile model that won’t take up too much counter space, which is great for those with limited space.
Moreover, the price is pretty good. It’s not cheap but it’s still a lot more affordable than many other models.
One last thing that you might be interested in: you can buy a separate spice/herb milling blade from nutribullet. It will work with this model.
But you can also just stick to the current blade that this Nutribullet Personal Blender comes with because it will grind whatever spices, in whatever quantities you want it to.
Features
The main reason for really liking the Nutribullet 600 are the powerful stainless Extractor blades that use cyclonic action to break down tough ingredients.
To give you an example, it quickly ground black peppercorns into a fine powder. It will take less than a minute of pushing and twisting.
If you’re looking for one of the best blenders for making curries without breaking the bank, this is definitely a model to keep in mind.
It also has a powerful 600 watts motor.
We get a very nicely-sized 24 oz cup.
Plus, we get a to-go lid for those always on the move.
We can wash all these parts in a dishwasher or we can clean them by hand. I prefer washing my blenders by hand because they’re all so easy to clean that it only takes a couple of minutes.
If you don’t clean your blender right away and the rest from your smoothies or soups dry in the cup, fill the cup about ⅔ full with room temperature water and screw on the extractor blade.
Place your cup-extractor blade assembly on the nutribullet motor base for half a minute. That’s how you easily loosen the dry ingredients. It’s just easier to clean it immediately after using it.
You can also check out their website for recipes. They have so many that you won’t need any blender cookbook for a while.
2. Nutribullet Milling Blade: Accessory for Grinding Spices
When I wrote my reviews for the best blenders for making flour, I totally recommended this accessory. It’s time to do so again.
Why I love the nutribullet 600, besides being affordable and powerful and versatile, is that it offers us the possibility to buy a cheap accessory for grinding spices, wheat berries, chickpeas, almonds, lentils, rice to make flour and to grind coffee beans.
Thus, the Nutribullet Milling Blade is a blade that costs about $15 or some cheap price like that that grinds dry ingredients of all kinds, including grains, spices, coffee, and nuts.
We can use it to make our own spice blends, to make nut butters, to grind coffee or to make all kinds of flours. That’s wonderful such a cheap accessory for a wonderful personal blender, the nutribullet 600.
3. Vitamix E310 Explorian: Expensive Blender for Grinding Spices
Since I’ve mentioned that the nutribullet can be considered an affordable pick for the best blender for grinding spices, I guess it’s time to move on to one of the most expensive models.
It’s good to see what the other side offers.
Personally, I enjoy sticking to more affordable models, although I do own an expensive blender, too. But that’s because I’m in love with smoothies and creamy soups so I tend to spoil myself from time to time when it comes to true passions that bring daily pleasures to me and my loved ones.
Since this was going to be the most expensive recommendation in this article, it’s pretty obvious that it was going to be a Vitamix. I think a lot of us have heard of them. And some of you might be curious to know what the deal with the expensive Vitamix blenders is all about.
First of all, Vitamix has a lot of models to choose from. And I mean literally a lot, more than any other manufacturer.
I’m not going to choose a model from their Ascent series because those start at $500. I mean, if you want to buy one of the most expensive blenders at the moment, feel free to check out their Ascent series. Or check out the Vitamix 36019, which is actually a commercial blender.
Thus, searching for something a bit more accessible, if we can call it that at over $300, I decided to review the Vitamix E310 Explorian.
Features
Let me first warn you that this very pricey model comes with plenty of negative reviews. Before making your final decision, read some positive and negative user reviews and then make up your mind.
It’s certainly a good candidate as the best blender for grinding spices because it even grinds a small amount of black peppercorns. So, there’s no doubt that it can totally handle anything you want it to do.
We get a 48 oz container that is ideal for blending medium batches for small family meals. Or bigger meals in a few blending sessions. It’s certainly not a big pitcher.
There are 10 speed controls. Thus, we don’t get any functions, like smoothies or others. It’s all about speeds, which means that you’ll have to be near your blender as it does what it has to do. Models that come with functions complete their task in the time allocated for the respective function so you don’t have to be there for the blender to stop when it’s done.
This Vitamix is like those older models where we chose to use the speed we needed, depending on how smooth we wanted our final product to be. It’s definitely easy to use in this way so some people might prefer the old-fashioned approach.
The difference is that in the past we had buttons for each speed, now we have a knob to turn.
There’s also the usual pulse button for coarse chops.
And that’s about it. Vitamix is all about simplicity, power (1200-1400 watts) and expensive prices.
4. Vitamix Dry Grains Container
Just like nutribullet 600 offers us the possibility to buy a simple, cheap blade for dry ingredients, so does Vitamix offers something very special.
However, unlike a cheap blade from nutribullet, Vitamix decided to design and sell a whole container with its own unique set of blades and a different technology.
The Vitamix Dry Grains Container is not a cheap accessory. This is a bit pricey.
However, if you have over $300 to buy a Vitamix blender, then you might be willing to buy a special dry grain container from them, too.
The Vitamix Dry Grains Container has specially designed blades that grind whole grains into fresh flours. The blades are designed to create a reverse vortex. This pushes dry ingredients away from the blades to prevent packing.
We can grind grains for making a wide range of flours. Grind between 1/4 cup and 2 cups of grains in one session.
We can grind our own spice blends, which is what we’re here to talk about with reviews about the blenders for grinding spices.
We can also grinds nuts and coffee beans.
Furthermore, it is also designed to mix batter and to simulate the kneading process to easily prepare dough for baking.
Thus, the Vitamix Dry Grains Container might be expensive but it’s also highly versatile since it can also be used to knead dough.
5. Ninja SS351 Foodi Power Blender & Processor: Complex Blender
This Ninja can be a bit overwhelming at first. I mean it has a lot more components than most of us are used to seeing when checking out blenders.
However, I would say that it’s perfect for those who enjoy more complex kitchen appliances. And for those who want to make a variety of recipes. You’ll see soon enough just how capable this machine is. I call the Ninja SS351 a machine because it resembles one a bit.
Obviously, you’ll get used to all these parts in no time but it’s definitely a more appropriate model for those who enjoy their appliances to come with extra parts.
If you just want a simple device, I think you’re better off with all the other models that I reviewed. But it’s nice to talk about something a bit different from time to time.
Well, you should expect a more expensive price tag, too.
However, I should mention that I’m disappointed to see that the food processor bowl is not included, although the name would suggest otherwise. I’m confused and disappointed. Apparently, only the Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System BN801 includes the 64 oz processor bowl.
In the case of the SS351, the 72 oz blender pitcher is also identified as a processor pitcher. It’s a 2-in-1. Only the BN801 comes with a separate 64 oz processor bowl that has two blades.
Features
At 1400 watts, this is one of the most powerful blenders on the market. That information alone should tell you plenty.
The manufacturer describes it as their most powerful system that crushes, food processes and makes smoothie bowls and dough.
That’s right, we can even make bread dough, pizza dough, cookie dough, etc. in this thing. It includes a dough blade for this operation. Thus, food processors can also be used for making dough, although the most traditional methods are by hand, bread machine or stand mixer.
It can make up to 2 pounds of dough in as little as 30 seconds. The powerful dough mixer has the torque to fold in ingredients quickly and evenly. I’m still gobsmacked by that 30 seconds time. It takes about 8 minutes with a stand mixer and above 10 minutes to knead the dough by hand.
Components
Besides the power, I also told you that this Ninja is more complex. It comes with the following nice components and interesting functions:
First, there’s the 72 oz pitcher (64 oz max liquid capacity). It does everything from crush to chop, make smoothie bowls and dough and grind spices.
There are also 6 functions: extract, smoothie, bowl, spread, chop, dough.
These 6 functions all come with a combination of unique timed pulsing, blending and pausing patterns that do the work for you. My latest blender does the same but it doesn’t have as many functions, I can tell you that they’re certainly fun because we can let the blender do its work without standing by.
We also get 3 buttons: on/off, iQ/manual, and pulse and a wheel for controlling the speed.
Besides the 72 oz pitcher, there’s also a nutrient extraction cup that includes better breakdown for smoother extractions, smoothies and frozen drinks.
Supposedly, extracting means that a drink contains vitamins and nutrients from fruits and vegetables. This one has a 24 oz capacity. The cup comes with a spout lid for on the go smoothies.
The third major component is a smoothie bowl maker with a 14 oz capacity. It has a built-in tamper that powers through frozen foods with less liquid. And that’s how we get a dense and thick smoothie bowl, nut butters and even blender ice cream.
Thus, we discover that we can even make blender ice cream.
6. Ninja QB3001SS Fit Compact Personal Blender
It seems that my article for the best blender for grinding spices is more about personal blenders, like the nutribullet, this Ninja QB3001SS, and next comes a really cheap option from Hamilton Beach, than it is about those with big pitchers.
What can I say? I really enjoy them because they can be perfect for so many people.
Obviously, they’re all pretty good for grinding spices and I made sure that they had some reviews from users who mention that they’ve successfully used them for that.
But they’re also an amazing choice for those who are on a budget. Or for those who live in smaller spaces with not a lot of room in the kitchen.
However, if you enjoy big models with big pitchers, I made sure to review some of the best from that category, too.
Features
The Ninja QB3001SS Fit Compact Personal Blender is in the same price range as the nutribullet.
However, at 700 watts, it’s quite powerful for such a tiny thing.
This time, we get 2 cups with go-to lids. Each measures 16 oz. I love the fact that there are 2 cups with lids for those who want to make smoothies for two people to take with them.
They’re BPA free and all parts are dishwasher safe.
It’s a powerful, tiny kitchen appliance that can crush ice and pulverize frozen ingredients. Or you can grind your spices for fragrant, deeply flavorful foods.
7. Hamilton Beach Personal Blender 51101AV: Cheapest Blender for Grinding Spices
Is this Hamilton Beach Personal Blender my first choice when it comes to recommending the best blender for grinding spices?
Absolutely not. So you might wonder why I wanted to include it here.
The first major reason is the price. Frankly, it absolutely doesn’t get much cheaper than this Personal Blender from Hamilton Beach. There are spice grinders that are twice as expensive.
If you want to spend just a little over $20 on your model, this is the one to consider.
Should you expect to be disappointed?
Frankly, whether I’m buying a cheap thing or an expensive thing, I’m always prepared to be disappointed. I always test my electronics intensely after they’re delivered so that I can see for sure if I need to return any.
No appliance is perfect, whether they cost $200-$300 or $20.
If I were on a very tight budget, I would give this Hamilton Beach Personal Blender a go.
Not many users have bought for grinding spices but I managed to track three reviews regarding this matter specifically.
One mentions that it’s good for smoothies and portable but that it doesn’t do a very good job grinding spices or coffee.
The others mentioned that it’s easy to grind even small size spices and that it grinds coffee and spices with ease.
There you have it, these are my reasons for liking this cheap model quite a good deal. Let’s see what it actually offers.
Features
Maybe you could tell by the name that includes the words personal blender but this is a small appliance, similar to a Nutribullet.
It’s not very powerful at 175 watts. I guess it’s one of the least powerful blenders on the market.
We get a 14 oz (400ml) capacity. Frankly, it’s perfect for a single person because the cup also acts as a travel cup with a travel lid.
It can also work for two people if they enjoy smaller glasses of smoothie in the morning. Or you can make two batches for a family of four and that’s it. Thus, even if it’s a small device, it can still do well if you want to prepare smoothies for a smaller family.
Subsequently, you can make creamy soups once you boil the ingredients for the soup in a pan on a stove. It will take a few blends but you’ll get it done.
It’s very easy to use since there’s only one button.
The travel jar is BPA-free.
To transform it into a go-to cup, we get a travel lid. It will fit most car cup holders.
The blades are stainless steel, they’ve got the classic look like the blender my mom used to use more than 20 years ago.
All the parts are dishwasher safe: the blending jar, blades and travel lid. Cleaning the Hamilton Beach Personal Blender is very easy, even if you do it by hand.
Can I use a blender for grinding spices?
The answer seems pretty obvious since I wrote all these reviews for the best blenders for grinding spices.
You can totally use a blender. Even KitchenAid says so. According to them, we can grind our own spices using an electric spice grinder, blender, food processor or coffee grinder.
Or we can go the manual route and use a mortar and pestle, rasp grater and even a rolling pin.
Frankly, I had forgotten all about the fact that we can actually grind spices using a rolling pin until I came across it while researching for this article. I’m not a big fan of this particular one because it can get quite messy.
I prefer the mortar and pestle method above all for the moment but a blender and all the other kitchen appliances that I’ve mentioned can totally be used for turning spices into a powder. It’s awesome when we can pick what works best in our kitchens.
How well do blenders grind spices?
Frankly, if you’re buying a decent enough model, you’ll be surprised just how well it can transform your spices into powder.
If you’re grinding peppercorns, you can get results close to the ground black pepper powder that we buy from supermarkets. The same goes for other spices that you want to transform into powder.
Moreover, since the pitcher/cup is transparent, you can stop the blender if you want a more coarse grind or you can keep going until all your spices are a fine powder. I love this aspect because it offers us all the control we need.
In general, it will take you about a minute or even less to grind your spices into the perfect spice mix. Or you can grind just one spice at a time.
Last but not least, you can grind a considerable amount of spices in one single blend. You don’t have to grind something like 2 tablespoons at a time. Large quantities work great so you’ll most probably finish your preparations in a session that lasts a 1 minute or less.
On the other hand, if you want to grind only a small quantity of spices, a very good blender will be able to do that, too.
And maybe you’re even going to use your blender to grind coffee or seeds.
Can I ground spices in a coffee grinder?
I’m totally keeping my coffee grinder solely for coffee because I absolutely don’t want the smell of spices to ruin that delicious aroma of freshly ground coffee.
You can totally ground spices in a coffee grinder, the technical aspect is not the problem.
The problem is that you should only use the coffee grinder on your spices if you plan on grinding no more coffee beans in it.
There’s also another thing you should consider.
We can say that spice grinders have a major thing in common with blenders that some coffee grinders don’t.
Spice grinders and blenders use spinning blades to chop, pulverize, crush or grind up the ingredients added to their cups. They work similarly, starting with chopping the ingredients into smaller and smaller pieces until we get our powder, smoothies, crushed ice, pureed meat, whipped egg whites, etc.
A good coffee grinder uses burrs to achieve consistent grounds and we can also adjust the distance between the burrs to control the grind size.
Well, there are also coffee grinders with blades so I have to acknowledge their existence, even if they’re not my favorites.
Are you better off buying a spice grinder?
If you’ve wondered if you can make garam masala or ground black peppercorns into a fine powder by just using a blender, then I showed you that the answer is that you can definitely do all that.
We’ve also reviewed my favorite models for the best blender for grinding spices so you know where to start if you want to buy a new appliance.
As I’ve mentioned, blenders can be really versatile kitchen appliances. If you enjoy smoothies, creamy soups and other dishes like that but you also want to be able to grind your spices for other delicious dishes, then you can do all that by buying a single kitchen appliance.
On the other hand, if you are only looking for an electronic device that can grind spices and you don’t need it for anything else besides that, then you can buy a spice grinder.
A good spice grinder will cost around $40 or so. I’m not an expert on spice grinders. That price is just a bit smaller than a Nutribullet, a Magic Bullet or a Ninja Personal Blender. But a spice grinder can also be slightly more expensive than a Hamilton Beach Personal Blender.
Or you can stick to using a pestle and mortar for both dry and wet mixes. But I totally get it if you don’t enjoy using a pestle and mortar because that can take a while, especially if you have a large quantity of spices to grind or if you want to obtain very fine powder.
Thus, you can choose to buy the best blender for grinding spices if you enjoy versatile kitchen appliances that will continue to surprise you with their usefulness as the years pass.
