Vitamix is an upscale US blender brand that offers two blender ranges in the UK. The simpler and more cost-effective is the Explorian range. Meanwhile, the more premium Ascent range of blenders combine high-performance motors with clever technology for an upgraded experience.
The Vitamix A2500i sits in the middle of the Ascent range, so while it’s cheaper than the top-of-the-range model, it’s still a whopping £600. And I get it, for most people, even if I said it was the best blender in the world, it would still be impossible to justify spending this much on a blender. So it’s worth taking a look at our best blenders guide for alternative suggestions.
But if you’re still reading and you’re looking for a next-level blender that you’re willing to invest in, read on to see how I got on when I tried it at home. I made soup, smoothies, even veggie burger mix, frozen fruit-based ice cream and much more, to figure out whether the performance was flawless enough to justify the price tag.
Vitamix A2500i product specs
- Capacity: 2 litres
- Speeds: 10 plus pulse button
- Auto programmes: smoothies, hot soups, frozen desserts
- Accessories: tamper, recipe book
Unboxing and first impressions
Once I’d removed the blender from the recyclable cardboard packaging, my first impression was that the base of the blender has a solid chunky quality to it. And with its somewhat angular shape, its appearance straddles the line between domestic and commercial blenders.
Despite being a high-performance blender, Vitamix has kept the controls simple and straightforward. Turning the central dial to the right allows you to increase the speed up through the ten levels. And you can access the three auto programs simply by turning it to the left.
To the right of the dial is a start/ stop switch and to the left is the pulse switch. Above the dial is a digital timer. It counts down when you’re using an auto program, or it counts up when you’ve selected one of the manual speeds.
There are a couple of great features about the blender that make it super user-friendly. The first is that there’s no complicated twist or locking action required when you put the blender jug on the base. It simply slots onto the little feet that stick up.
The second is that you can blend with the jug handle on either side, so no matter if you’re right or left-handed, you can set it up to suit you. And the third thing I think is really important is the safety feature. It won’t start blending unless the lid is securely in place.
The jug itself has measurement markers in litres, millilitres, ounces and cups. Plus the lid plug - which is the bit in the top of the lid that you remove to insert the tamper - also has measuring lines for smaller quantities.
There is quite a comprehensive hardback recipe book included in the box to get you started, as well as a lot of recipes on the Vitamix website, the wide range of recipes gives a real insight into what it might be capable of.
Despite the price, you don’t get any additional accessories in the box, just the jug with lid and the tamper. There are several compatible accessories available to buy separately and the clever SELF-DETECT technology means the blender will instantly recognise any accessory and adjust its settings accordingly.
What is it like to use?
Smoothie programme
I followed a recipe for a post workout smoothie that I saw on the Vitamix website. The ingredients are water, oats, whole pitted dates, cocoa powder, frozen banana, whole peanuts, and protein powder. It was a large recipe though so I cut it in half, then I added the ingredients to the jug and selected the smoothie programme.
Despite having some pretty robust ingredients such as the whole peanuts, frozen banana, and whole dates. The smoothie was completely liquidised in just one cycle of the 50 second smoothie programme. Impressively, there was no grittiness from the peanuts or oats, the powders were well mixed and the dates were completely broken down.
The next smoothie I tried was the strawberry, apple, citrus ginger smoothie, again from the Vitamix website. I peeled and halved two oranges, quartered two apples, added a peeled slice of lime, a chunk of fresh ginger, and then a whole 400g bag of frozen strawberries. It was a full jug.
I selected the smoothie programme, but also inserted the tamper into the lid to help push the ingredients towards the blade, because blitzing that amount of fresh and frozen fruit in just 50 seconds felt like a big ask.
When it finished blending, I was beyond impressed. There was not a hint of apple skin or even a small chunk of frozen strawberry that had not been completely liquified. The flavour was clean, fresh, and zingy. I couldn’t quite believe that it had blended to such a smooth consistency in such a short blending cycle.
Frozen desserts programme
The frozen desserts programme is particularly suited to blitzing frozen fruits into healthy homemade desserts. The recipe book has plenty of recipes for these, but also suggests that as long as you stick to the ratio of 240g frozen fruit to 60ml liquid, you can’t go too far wrong.
Sticking to the suggested ratio, I decided to make up my own frozen dessert recipe with frozen cherries, frozen bananas and almond milk. After the 55 second blend had finished, I gave it a good scrape down and ran the programme again because there was still a lot of unblended fruit.
During both blends I continually pushed the fruit towards the blade with the tamper. And at the end of the second cycle it was perfect, deliciously smooth and creamy. It’s no mean feat to blend 360g frozen fruit to such a creamy consistency in under two minutes, and it just shows the power of this blender.
Soups programme
When I was browsing through the recipes on the Vitamix website I saw one for hot chocolate. And while I had no doubt that the soup preset could be used to warm and mix chunks of dark chocolate into milk, this felt like a good excuse for a hot chocolate on a chilly autumn evening.
For two hot chocolates, I added 85g dark chocolate that I had barely broken into chunks, 400ml of milk, a splash of vanilla extract and a good glug of maple syrup. Then I started the soup programme and let it do its thing while I finished cleaning up the kitchen after dinner.
It blended for almost six minutes and the hot chocolate was perfectly warmed to around 83C. To my surprise it had been whipped into an aerated, yet rich and creamy drink that was almost certainly the best hot chocolate I’ve ever made.
You might want to avoid this late night indulgence if you’ve got children in bed though, since it blends continuously and is not quiet. Standing close by, my noise meter hit 90dB, and while this is a pretty standard noise level for a high powered blender, it’s the opposite of calming.
I tried out the soup preset again to make the Moroccan spiced sweet potato soup from the Vitamix website. It’s worth pointing out that since the soup preset only warms and blends the ingredients, you do have to pre-cook most vegetables for the right flavour and texture.
As per the recipe I pre-cooked all the ingredients but I allowed them to cool to almost room temperature before adding to the blender and running the soup programme. It blends for 5 minutes 45 seconds and the finished soup was smooth and creamy and ready to eat, with a temperature around 85C.
The soup preset is ideal if you have a load of pre-cooked leftover vegetables that you want to turn into a quick and tasty soup for lunch the next day. But because everything needs to be pre-cooked it has its limitations.
Manual speeds and pulse
To see how well it could process quite a dry mixture I used it to make vegetarian black bean burgers, another recipe from the Vitamix website. I added the black beans, onion, garlic, fresh coriander, soy sauce, egg and breadcrumbs directly to the jug.
It required a few extra pulses than the 8-10 suggested in the recipe and I did blitz it for a further 25 seconds whilst using the tamper to push all the ingredients towards the blades. But in under a minute the mixture was blended to the consistency I was hoping for. Which was mostly smooth but with a few chunks of bean to add a bit of texture. I was impressed at how well it coped with a very dry mix.
To serve with my burgers I also used it to make a speedy salsa. I threw in 2 spring onions, a handful of coriander, one chilli chopped in half, and a good squeeze of lime, it took just a few pulses to chop down these ingredients. I then added two large tomatoes cut into quarters and pulsed a few more times to create a chunky salsa. It was easy, fast, and super tasty.
Lastly, I attempted to make peanut butter. I added 300g roasted peanuts to the blender and started it on a slow speed, increasing to the highest speed. Using the tamper constantly, which is essential for a mix like this to ensure it blends properly.
In the end I blended for a total of 2 ½ minutes but stopped it three times to scrape down the sides and check the texture. In the past when I’ve tried to make various nut butters, I’ve never quite managed to create a spreadable nut butter texture comparable with what you might buy in the shops. However, this is the closest I’ve come to creating the perfect texture.
The peanut butter was spreadable and creamy. It wasn’t 100% smooth, there were still some tiny unblended specks of peanut, but for me, that just added to the homemade quality. And I was happy with the overall creamy texture. I didn’t want to blend it further as I could feel it was being warmed by the blades and I didn’t want to create any more heat.
What's it like to clean?
Thankfully the jug, lid and tamper are all dishwasher safe and when I cleaned them in my dishwasher they came out looking pristine. Furthermore, the instruction manual includes details on how to sanitise the jug with either bleach or vinegar, should you need to.
I tended to follow the instructions for cleaning it by adding warm water and washing up liquid to the jug and then running the blender to dislodge all the residues. When followed with a rinse and a quick wipe this was a fast and effective way of cleaning the jug and lid. Admittedly, the peanut butter required more of a scrub.
How does it compare to other blenders?
If you have money to burn and you want the best Vitamix available, check out the Vitamix A3500i . This super premium blender has five auto blend programmes as well as digital controls. You can buy it on its own or with a range of accessories bundled in. But if you think the A2500i has an eye watering price tag, this one may induce tears.
Alternatively, if you’re on a budget but you still want a reliable blender that can also make soup, the Ninja Foodi Blender and Soup Maker is the answer. It only offers three main blending speeds, but it makes up for this with four auto-cook programmes along with four blend programmes and two pre-cook programmes. It can make smooth or chunky soups, sauces, smoothies, and more. All without a heart stopping price tag.
Should you buy the Vitamix 12500i blender?
It’s impossible to answer this question without first addressing the price. There’s no denying that the cost of this blender puts it out of reach for most people. But, to put it into context, some people will happily spend double this on a coffee machine. And if smoothies are your thing, maybe like coffee drinkers, you see the value in owning a high performance appliance to create the best possible blends.
It’s undeniably powerful, yet effortlessly simple to use. Plus there’s a reassuring 10 year warranty which might make the investment feel less daunting. However, the downside is that the blades create heat, which for some blends is less than ideal. That said, for most foods it’s so speedy that this is rarely a problem.
In summary, it’s an excellent blender, plus there are lots of accessories available that give you the option to widen the scope of what it can be used for. If you’re willing to pay more for an efficient and powerful blender, this one’s a good call.
About this review and the reviewer
After completing a Home Economics degree, Helen went on to work for the Good Housekeeping Institute and has been reviewing home appliances ever since. She lives in a small village in Buckinghamshire in the UK, where she reviews all sorts of home and garden appliances using her wealth of experience.
Helen had the blender on loan from Vitamix for a week. She blitzed her way through several recipes from the Vitamix website while she tried it out in her kitchen at home. And now it’s gone she can’t stop thinking about the dreamy hot chocolate she made in it.
