I made smoothies, desserts and dips in this new Vitamix blender — and it's unbelievably good

Vitamix is known for making many of the best blenders out there today, but these high-end appliances come with a premium price tag. The brand’s latest Ascent X series, which features a more stylish form and newly designed controls, starts at around $550 and ranges up to $750 for larger models, and you might be wondering if these appliances are really that much better than blenders half the price. I certainly was!

To find out if the Vitamix Ascent X2 is worth the splurge, I put this premium blender to the test over the course of several weeks, using it to make all sorts of blended recipes. By the end of testing, I completely understood the hype around this new line of blenders — the Ascent X2 was not only powerful but easy to operate, convenient to clean, and incredibly versatile.

Vitamix Ascent X2 : Price and Availability

The Vitamix Ascent X2 is the lowest-priced model in the new Ascent X blender series, yet it still has a premium price tag of $549.95. (Though, you can often find it on sale for around $500.) You can buy this blender directly from Vitamix, but it’s also available through other popular retailers, including Amazon, William Sonoma, and Best Buy.

Vitamix Ascent X2 : Design

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The Vitamix Ascent X2 has a more stylish design compared to some of the brand’s legacy models. The base has a sleek shape with a black front panel and colored sides, and there are four colors to choose from: black, gray, white, and blue. The blender comes with a large plastic tamper that you can use to push ingredients into the blades, and there’s a removable holder for the tool that snaps onto the motor base, allowing you to keep it nearby for easy access.

This blender comes with a 48-ounce blending jar — it is a bit smaller than I expected, especially given the price point. The jar is recommended for one to four servings at a time, so if you’re hoping to make big batches for frozen drinks for a party, this blender might not be the best option. The lid has two clips that snap onto the jar’s rim easily, forming a tight seal, and I like that it doesn’t have to be in a specific orientation. There’s also a removable lid plug in the center that twists out, allowing you to add ingredients while the blender is running or safely use the tamper.

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The controls on the Ascent X2 are fairly simple. There are tab-like buttons to start/stop the blender or to pulse, as well as a dial in the center to control the blender’s speed. The settings range from 1 to 10, and because the blender is variable speed, you can turn the dial up or down while blending to find just the right speed for the task at hand. If you turn the dial in the opposite direction, you can select four pre-set blending settings — self-clean, smoothies, frozen drinks, or soups. These settings are pre-programmed with blending speeds and times, so you just hit start and the blender takes care of the rest.

It’s worth noting that this blender is compatible with any of the Vitamix SELF-DETECT Containers. For instance, there’s a food processor attachment and a dry grains container that will work with the motor base.

Vitamix Ascent X2 : Performance

To see how the Ascent X2 performed, I tested it out in my kitchen for several weeks. I used it for a variety of tasks, from making smoothies to whipping up a fluffy chocolate mousse. Here’s how it fared.

Smoothies

I love having a smoothie for breakfast, but my immersion blender doesn’t do a stellar job processing hard ingredients and ice, often leaving behind big chunks. I was excited to see if the Ascent X2 would fare better with my favorite recipes, and (perhaps unsurprisingly) it blew my immersion blender out of the water.

One of my go-to smoothie combinations lately is milk, a banana, medjool dates, flax seeds, and ice, plus some spices for added flavor. I love that the Ascent X2’s jar has clearly marked measurements on the side, and I was able to easily portion out my milk without dirtying a separate measuring cup. After adding in all the other ingredients, I can simply turn the control knob to the designated smoothie setting, which takes just 45 seconds.

When you press start, the blender starts out at a lower speed, but after a few seconds, it kicks into high gear for maximum blending power. This blender is loud — around 81 decibels on high speed — and it always startles my cat when I turn it on. Still, in less than a minute, it delivers the most perfectly blended smoothies that I’ve ever tasted. I’ve made this recipe no less than five times, and never once have I had a chunk of ice or whole flax seed. It’s so easy to drink, and I don’t think I can ever go back to smoothies made with my immersion blender.

Hummus

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I’ll be honest: I typically make hummus in a food processor, but from what I’ve read online, a blender will work too. So I followed my go-to recipe, which simply has you add all the ingredients — chickpeas, tahini, garlic, olive oil, and some seasonings — to the work bowl and puree it all up.

As soon as I started up the blender, I knew I was going to need to use the tamper to get all the ingredients down into the blades. Even with the blender on high speed, there just wasn’t enough liquid to drag the chickpeas down, and I didn’t want to add too much more in fear I would end up with soupy hummus. So instead, I popped out the lid plug and used the plastic tamper to push the ingredients downward.

This strategy worked out better than I thought. I was able to push the lingering solids down into the blades of the blender, achieving a nice, even puree without adding too much liquid. The final hummus was much smoother than when I made it in the food processor, but I will say that the thick mixture is more challenging to get out of the blender, as you have to awkwardly scrape around the blades.

Chocolate mousse

I was testing this blender around Valentine’s Day, so when I saw a recipe for Chocolate Mousse in a blender, I knew I had to try it out. It involves placing baking chocolate into the jar, then blending it up with espresso powder, egg, and hot water. The recipe says you should finally finely chop the chocolate for best results, but I was in a rush, so I simply broke mine into chunks. The Vitamix was powerful enough to smash up the bigger pieces, and I ended up with a beautifully smooth chocolate mixture, even though I was cutting corners.

The Ascent X2’s built-in timer also came in handy during this recipe. You have to add heavy cream to the chocolate and blend it for one minute, and when I turned on the blender, it automatically started a digital timer, counting up the seconds. This saved me from having to start a separate timer, and I knew exactly when the mixture was done processing.

In the end, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the mousse came out — it was rich and totally delicious! It wasn’t quite as fluffy as mousse made the traditional way, but this method was much faster and easier, especially with the help of the powerful Vitamix.

Vitamix Ascent X2 : Ease of Use and Cleaning

The Vitamix Ascent X2 truly couldn’t be easier to use. The jar slots onto the motor base easily, and the controls are simple and intuitive. My only complaint is that if I take too long between pulses, the blender goes into standby mode and I have to wake it up again before I can continue working.

Blenders can be tricky to clean — the blades are often hard to scrub around, and bits of food can get stuck to the sides and in the cracks. However, the Vitamix Ascent X2 has a designated self-cleaning cycle that does a surprisingly good job getting rid of any lingering gunk.

All you have to do is fill the jar with warm water and a drop of dish soap, then turn on the 35-second cleaning cycle. It alternated through multiple speeds, and the suds do a surprisingly good job cleaning out the jar’s cracks and crevices. Just keep in mind that it’s best to run the cycle soon after you use the blender. If you wait too long (a mistake I made only once), food that’s stuck to the walls may not come off as easily.

If you ever want a deeper clean, the blender’s jar, lid, blade base, and seal are all dishwasher safe. So really, you never have to hand-scrub this appliance!

How does the Vitamix Ascent X2 compare?

While the Vitamix Ascent X2 wowed me with its performance, not everyone has $500+ to spend on a blender. One of the best blenders we’ve tested is the Breville Super Q, which is marginally cheaper at $300 and has a larger 68-ounce capacity. It has 12 speeds and performed well in all our tests, yielding perfectly blended smoothies, hummus, and oat milk.

If you only use a blender occasionally, a personal model like the Nutribullet Pro 900 is compact and inexpensive. Its small jars can only hold 32 ounces at a time, but they come with screw-on lids so you can use the blending jar as a convenient to-go cup.

Should you buy the Vitamix Ascent X2?

After weeks of testing, I can confidently say that the Vitamix Ascent X2 is worth the hype — and its high price. It’s by far the most powerful blender I’ve ever used, and I don’t think there’s any task it can’t handle. I particularly loved its smoothie setting, which makes it quick and easy to blend up perfect smoothies in less than a minute. The blender is also a breeze to clean, thanks to its self-cleaning cycle and dishwasher-friendly components. Bottom line? It may be expensive, but this powerful blender is a worthwhile addition to your kitchen.