First, let’s address an important no-no: Do not put your blender pitcher in the dishwasher. Washing it by hand keeps it in tip-top shape longer than if it’s exposed to the heat and harsh detergents in your dishwasher.
The trick to cleaning your blender pitcher fast is to let the motor do most of the work for you. If you’re a person who reads user manuals, you may already know this. If you’re not, then here’s your news flash: This is absolutely the easiest, quickest way to de-gunk your blender, especially to get the stuff that sticks to the underside of the blade.
Fill the pitcher halfway with warm water and add a drop of dish soap, then blend on high for about 30 seconds with the lid on. Rinse all parts and dry. This will get your pitcher clean after basic blending jobs like smoothies, soups, or sauces. Wipe splatters from the motor base with a damp sponge or rag.
For particularly oily recipes, such as aioli or vinaigrette, the method is the same except that you’ll need a few more drops of soap to cut through all that fat. If you still feel a greasy film after rinsing the pitcher, clean it in the sink with hot, soapy water and a bottle brush, making sure to work the bristles into the nooks and around the blades. Rinse and dry.
Nut butters and other pasty purees can be a pain to clean out of a blender pitcher. As the author of our blenders guide, I can attest that scraping and washing peanut butter from blender pitchers is my least favorite part of the testing process. But having the right tools can make it go a bit smoother (pun intended).
A long, narrow silicone spatula is the best tool to thoroughly scrape out a gooey puree from the sides of the pitcher and around the blades. Then fill the pitcher halfway with soapy, hot water and blend on high for 30 seconds with the lid on.
At this point you might notice remaining clumps of paste in the pitcher, especially around and under the blades. With the pitcher in the sink (never on the base), use a bottle brush to dislodge those stubborn pockets of goo.
Dump out that murky mess, refill the pitcher halfway with hot, soapy water, and blend again (don’t forget the lid). Rinse all parts, wipe down the motor base, and dry.
This article was edited by Brittney Ho, Amy Koplin, and Sofia Sokolove.
