Blender technology has come a long way over the last few decades, which is why Vitamix recently unveiled a new, techy line of blenders called the Ascent X series. The Ascent X line includes four blenders: the X2, X3, X4, and X5. While these blenders share some design elements, the features—and price—increase with each number. (At the time of writing, the X2 costs $550; the X5 tops out at $750.) I’m all for luxe upgrades, but I believe if you’re going to pay $750 for a blender, it had better be fantastic. So, I got a sample of the X5 and put it through a variety of tests.
The Ascent series’ real value lies in the base, which is outfitted with the brand’s Self-Detect feature. That means it’s compatible with any Self-Detect Vitamix attachment. For example, you can swap out the blender jar for the food processor or Aer Disc Container. But my tests for the X5 were all about the manual speeds and presets: It has a whopping 10, including hot soup, smoothies, smoothie bowls, nut butter, and spice grinding. After putting the X5 through the wringer, I think it’s a great blender—for a certain type of cook.
The Tests
- Real World Test: I used the blender for a series of tasks, relying only on the manual speed controls. Included in the trials were a smoothie, a lentil soup, and a creamy avocado dip.
- Almond Milk Test: To evaluate the blender’s ability to process hard, sticky ingredients, I made almond milk using the nut milk preset and ran one cycle. Then I strained the milk through a cheesecloth-lined mesh strainer and recorded how much almond milk it yielded, its consistency, and how it tasted.
- Green Smoothie Test: Using the smoothie preset, I made a green smoothie with kale, a banana, and frozen blueberries. I recorded notes on texture and temperature.
- Hot Soup Test: To test this blender’s ability to make hot soup from raw ingredients, I made butternut squash soup using the hot soup preset. I took the temperature of the finished soup with an instant-read thermometer and tasted the soup for texture and temperature observations.
- Nut Butter Test: Can a blender make good nut butter in under a minute? I added nothing but three cups of roasted, salted peanuts to the blender and used the nut butter cycle, paying attention to the “tamper assist” feature.
- Frappé Test: The X5 has a preset for creamy, frozen coffee drinks. I followed the recipe included in Vitamix’s recipe manual for a frappé made with coffee, half-and-half, and ice cubes.
What We Learned
The Tamper Helper Was a Cool Feature
This is a new feature for Vitamix blenders. If you use your blender a lot and are a detail-oriented cook, you’ll like the tamper assist feature on this blender. Some of the X5’s cycles, like the nut butter preset, signal that you should use the tamper. As someone who has never used a blender’s tamper because I didn’t know when to (or didn’t think it would be all that helpful), I found that feature handy. During the peanut butter test, an icon in the shape of a tamper appeared on the touchscreen—I used it to force the peanuts down toward the blade, which made the process much more efficient. Contrast that experience with the smoothie test. I was prompted to use the tamper, and I chose not to because it looked smooth enough. But when I strained it, chunks of blueberry were left behind in the cheesecloth. There’s also a detachable tamper holder that slides underneath the side of the blender—I loved that feature.
The +15 Seconds Feature Was Most Useful with Short Cycles
In theory, the ability to add 15 seconds to your blending cycle without starting a whole new round is smart. I didn’t find it to be useful during most of the presets tests. For this feature to work, you have to press the button before the cycle ends. But I only noticed that more time was needed after a cycle finished and I opened the lid. From outside the jar, my almond milk mixture looked perfectly smooth. But it wasn’t until I stirred it that I saw bigger pieces of dates and almonds. At that point, I had already completed the nut milk cycle, so adding more time wasn’t an option. Instead, I started a second cycle and stopped it before it had finished. I experienced the same situation after making soup—a minutes-long cycle.
This feature became much more useful for presets with short cycles. The smoothie cycle only lasts 45 seconds. While this blender is powerful, I’m still doubtful that’s enough time to turn leafy greens into an appetizing drink. I’ve gotten in the habit of tacking on more time just in case. (You can hit the +15 button twice before you need to let the cycle complete.)
Some Presets Were More Useful Than Others
All of the presets have a countdown timer, which was helpful: It allowed me to check the progress of my recipe against the remaining time. As for the specific presets, I can’t say enough good things about the nut butter preset: I never thought making smooth peanut butter in a blender was a possibility, but the tapered jar—similar to our favorite blender, the 5200 Professional-Grade—creates a vortex ideal for cycling ingredients through. The smoothie feature was another winner; it gradually ramped up the speed, creating a smooth drink with minimal pulp. The hot soup feature produced mixed results. The 7.5-minute cycle pulverized the raw vegetables, creating a silky, creamy soup with the perfect texture. But at 132˚F, it wasn’t hot enough to enjoy straight from the blender. Still, I appreciated how quick it was to make soup, even if I had to finish heating it on the stovetop to cook out the raw flavor.
However, the frappé feature could use some work. I used standard-sized ice cubes (made in this tray, a winner in our review). Following Vitamix’s suggested recipe, I added the ingredients to the blender and toggled the preset. I wasn’t prompted to use the tamper, but the blender refused to crush the ice cubes. I added two additional tablespoons of liquid, which didn’t help. Finally, after adding a total of one-third of a cup more liquid and running the cycle three times, I had a mixture of choppy ice and watered-down milky coffee. I suspect this feature would be better with smaller, softer ice cubes—like the ones from a nugget ice maker.
The Variable Speeds Were Great
As we’ve explained in our blender review, variable speed settings are crucial for a blender’s usefulness. They give you greater control and allow you to steadily ramp up speed when going manual. The X5 has 19 speed settings (1, 1+, 2, 2+, and so on, up to 10). That makes it incredibly versatile and adds a ton of value, even if you don’t plan on using the many preset buttons. In fact, all of my real-world tests proved that you can make amazing food in the X5 without even touching the presets—you just need the patience to start slowly and work your way up to a speedy clip.
The Self-Clean Feature Was Fantastic
I’ve always been skeptical about self-clean features on blenders: They didn’t seem any better than simply filling the jar with water, pressing “Start,” and letting the motor run. But throughout my tests, I used the self-clean feature to great success. It uses different speeds to agitate soapy water throughout the container. While one cycle didn’t entirely clean the sticky peanut butter out of my blender jar, it came pretty darn close. I’ll be using this feature instead of hand-washing from now on.
The Verdict
The Vitamix Ascent X5 is worth the money if you use your blender a lot and want the presets. This blender has 19 speeds, and the best way to make use of them is with the programs. Don’t sleep on Vitamix’s recipes, either. Your purchase of an Ascent blender comes with a recipe book. Use it: It’s created to help you explore all of the X5’s features.
The Pros
I’ll start strong: I love the tamper holder and I bet you will too! It slides in and out of the base seamlessly and works great—no more rogue tampers rolling all over the counter. AI technology prompts you to use a tamper if the blender is struggling. Most of the presets are fantastic, and with 19 manual speeds, this blender is truly versatile. The X5’s base is compatible with all of Vitamix’s Self-Detect containers, like its food processor jar. It’s a good-looking blender that you won’t want to hide in a cabinet.
The Cons
The price is steep. The blender jar is only 48 ounces; for $750, I expected a 64-ounce jar. If you don’t plan on making use of the presets (or at least most of them), the X5 isn’t a good buy for you.
Key Specs
- Jar capacity: 48 ounces
- Number of presets: 10 (smoothies, frozen desserts, soups, frozen cocktails, dips and spread, smoothie bowl, frappé, nut butters, non-dairy milks, spice grinding)
- Control panel: Digital touchscreen and toggle dial
- Watts: 1500
- Warranty: 10-year standard warranty
FAQs
Can you compare the Vitamix Ascent blenders?
Vitamix makes four blenders in the Ascent series: The X2, X3, X4, and X5. All of the Ascent blenders have a self-cleaning program and 48-ounce containers. However, the X2 and X3 only have three presets (smoothies, frozen desserts, and soups). The X4 has five presets (the previous three, plus frozen cocktails and dips/spreads). The X5, reviewed here, has 10 blending programs. There are some other key differences: The X2 is the only blender in the Ascent series without a touchscreen. The X4 and X5 are the only models with the “+15 seconds” feature. The color options vary from model to model, too.
Why We’re the Experts
- Rochelle Bilow is an editor at Serious Eats. Previously, she worked at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light magazines.
- Rochelle is a culinary school graduate and former line cook, and has written and edited many of our top-performing blender reviews, including our comparison of Vitamix blenders.
- For this review, Rochelle put the Vitamix Ascent X5 blender through a series of tests, including making nut butter, smoothies, and hot soup.
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