The Vitamix E310 is a blender unlike any other. Whatever you’re planning on throwing at this blender, we can guarantee it will blend. If your goal is to make smoothies, soups, baby foods, or crush up some ice for slushies or mixed drinks, you have a solid product on your hands.
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Our family was allowed the chance to test the blender so we could provide a Vitamix E310 Review and make it easier for others looking to buy this particular blender. Have a look at how we fared so that you can see if this is the right blender for your family.
First Impressions: Vitamix Explorian Blender
When you first see the Vitamix blender, you think you accidentally bought something that is meant to be used in a restaurant. This definitely looks like a commercial-grade blender, and I’m not going to lie, I did not like how it looked at first. I am a bit of a kitchen and home interiors fanatic.
I love to decorate, color coordinate, and generally have everything in its place as best I can (I do have two kids, so this is not always feasible). This black blender in my sunny yellow kitchen was definitely bothering me, but I think it is important to remember that function before form is critical. So, I went ahead and set the blender up on my counter.
The blending jar is huge. This is 48 ounces worth of blending space. Aside from my two kids, I of course have my husband here, too, so it’s important that all smoothies, shakes and slushies are made for four. 12 oz. treats for the whole gang.
Great for portion control and equal serving across the board.
The controls on the front are not too hard to figure out. There are just three knobs on the front. They help control the speed at which you blend up whatever it is you’re making.
Well, aside from the color of the blender and how commercial it looked, I took a shine to the blender. I would regret ever having shunned it for how it looked. This lovely machine really performed like a champ. You can make so much in there, and it will turn out to be a real blessing for your family once you get your own, too.
* Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender, Professional-Grade
Okay — buckle up, ladies and gents. This review is going to cover our entire blender adventure. I will be covering everything from how it performed to what we made, all the way to how we cleaned it out when done.
Key Features
Some key features you can look forward to using this blender are:
- The Variable Speed Control- You get to choose between ten variable speeds that allow you to create the perfect texture with the precision of a professional chef — enough to make Gordon Ramsay blush.
- The Pulse Feature- This feature chops things coarsely if you are making something a bit heartier in the blender, such as salsas that are chunky (pineapple mango anybody?) or thick soups.
- Big Container- If your family is busy like mine, you will love the huge 48-ounce container that you can use for blending up family-size batches of food and drink.
- Good, Tough Blades- The cutting blades are inches in diameter, so you get a consistent blend each and every time you use this. It’s rated at 120 V for most American households; our overseas friends may need a power transformer.
Easy Cleaning- All you need is a small squirt of dish soap and some warm water. Your Vitamix can absolutely clean itself. It just takes about 30 seconds to do so.- Accessories- In the box you will find a motor base, the container, mini-tamper and a handy cookbook if you don’t know where to start.
- Safety- The blender has a radial cooling fan as well as a thermal protection system. Those cooling fans are integral for safety in electronics, and this Vitamix blender is well-equipped.
So, What Can I Do with This Blender?
I think the better question is “What can I NOT do with this blender?” You will be so amazed by all the great things that you can make in your blender.
Here are Just A Few Examples Of Some Tasty Tidbits:
- Cold Foods – You can make vegan “nice cream”, sorbets, shakes, and so much more in just a few short seconds. Even the most frozen berries and hard ice don’t stand a chance in this blender. It’s a breeze to whip up healthy after-gym smoothies or breakfast smoothies, too.
- Hot Soup – the friction of the blades literally brings the soup up to a nice hot temp suitable for serving. I will admit I was skeptical about this point. I understand science and that friction creates heat, but hot enough to serve?! The answer is yes if you’re using a Vitamix high-performance blender. I was proud of the soup I served, and you will be, too!
Nut Butters and Coffee – Do you love almond butter? How about cashew butter? In my area, those things are hard to come by, so I tend to make my own now that we have the blender. These nuts will grind into the smoothest and creamiest butter you ever had. Or, you can make them nice and crunchy as my kids enjoy. The sky’s the limit, really! And you coffee lovers, we didn’t forget about you. Yes, you can grind up the beans.- Dough and Batters – Does your family love pizza like mine? We love pizza so much and my sons are at the age where they only eat certain foods, and pizza is one of them. Thankfully, we make pizza dough in the blender and it turns out nicely.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Smaller size container fits everywhere, and under most kitchen cabinets.
- 0 HP engine that will easily grind, chop, puree and create the smoothest foods you ever had.
- It comes with a great five-year warranty that covers all the parts, performance, labor and two-way shipping with no cost to the consumer.
Cons:
- Some users reported water leaking out of the top during cleaning. Be sure that all lids are on securely when you blend up the water/smoothie/soup.
- Some food gets caught under the blades and you get some unblended chunks in your food. Not always the greatest thing to see.
- The container must be held the entire time you are blending. Otherwise, you are liable to have food flying all over the place thanks to the supreme power of this blender. The grating sound it makes is really unpleasant, also.
Performance and What We Made
At this point I would like to tell you about some of the foods we made and how they fared in the blender. You’re probably curious how it all actually works, so we will take you through this.
The first thing we made in the blender was smoothies. These are a tried and true blender favorite, and my family absolutely loves drinking them. To get started I did clean the blender first before using, which was easy to do. The blender itself is very loud when you turn it on, so please do keep this in mind if you have pets or kids that get scared of loud noises.
I added in about a tray and a half worth of ice, as well as a bag of frozen berries. I then added a bit of almond milk to help defrost the berries. I blended the ingredients all together, and before we knew it delicious smoothies that were nice and easy to pour were coming out of the glass.
It was wonderful to have a blender that chopped everything up without any extra work involved. Everybody enjoyed the mixed-berry smoothie, and I think this was a great first start to the use of our blender. That was even with the use of frozen berries, too; fresh ones will chop up with no trouble at all, I am sure.
So, this was a win in terms of our first experiment with our new appliance. This also kicked off my husband making more of his protein shakes instead of relying on the bottled versions, which ultimately cost more. He enjoys mixing up peanut butter, bananas, chia seeds, ice and protein powder after his weight lifting workouts, and this blender works wonders.
It is as easy to clean as you would expect. It just takes a quick drop of dish soap and some hot water, turns on the blender, and away you go. Rinse it out and replace the jar. I know, I was skeptical at first, too.
Could it really be this easy? Yes, it could!
Baby Foods and pureed foods are the next things we made in our blender. My niece and her little baby girl Shasta decided to come down and spend a week at our home. We live near a lake with good fishing and swimming, so it’s a nice place to be in the hot months. Of course, the little one had to eat.
My niece, Gabby, is a “green mom” and only wants to use organic and homemade stuff on her baby and that means food, too. So, I showed Gabby our blender and she immediately learned how to use it, having gotten a competing product as a shower gift.
After making some nice sweet potatoes into a smooth puree, as well as some strawberries and bananas for her little one, she immediately told me loved it and sang its praises. And Shasta didn’t even spit her food out or try to knock it over, so that’s a plus, too.
Your parents probably already know this, but you of course have to steam or prepare the foods ahead of time. Gabby peeled and roasted the potatoes before dicing them up to be pureed. Other foods were made in the blender too, such as organic pumpkin and banana blend. It was a breeze for both mom and baby to enjoy foods that were good and healthy for everybody involved.
The way it pureed the foods was great. If you have a special-needs relative who needs their food pureed, whether they are a baby or not, this is a great tool that will help keep them eating the stuff they love, with no missing out.
Nut butter was fabulous in this thing. I was happy to make some homemade cashew butter. Our local market does not carry it, but they do carry cashews. So, I finally could make my own without having to order off the internet and pay the price.
All I had to do was take 1.5 cups of roasted peanuts and 1.5 cups of roasted cashews and put them into the Vitamix container. Of course, you have to be sure the lid is secured. I began by selecting Variable 1, just getting it warmed up, so to speak. Then I turned on the machine and got it to Variable 10, and then turned it up to High.
You can use your tamper to press the ingredients into the blades. There was a high-pitched sound that at first made me feel like I had done something wrong.
But the butter began to flow through the blades freely, and the sound began to sound low and slow. I turned the machine off, as the butter had been blended at this point. It tasted great and my kids liked dipping apple slices into it. I enjoy a cashew butter and honey sandwich in my lunch occasionally, so this is a nice treat. The butter is nice and creamy, and the texture can be as smooth or as chunky as you like.
Soups are another thing you can make. For our soup test, we made a nice tomato-basil soup that I found on YouTube. I started with two cups of cool water, two whole tomatoes — yes, whole! — and a carrot. Along with that went some onion, garlic, red pepper, and celery, leaves and all. I even added in some cabbage because that’s what the recipe called for. I added in a little basil and a vegetarian bouillon cube.
Then I pulsed the mix to get it down, before letting it run on high speed for about five minutes. I waited… and waited… and waited… for a whole five minutes. Then off came the lid and I was amazed: hot soup! I just added some salt and pepper and I had an incredibly satisfying meal in my hands. I put it in my Yeti mug and took it to work where it stayed hot all day long until lunch rolled around.
Talk about tasty.
Doughs are another thing you can make in the Vitamix blender. You can easily make yourself a healthy pizza to enjoy day or night without the need to buy mixes or get out a giant mixing bowl or stand mixer. It is really a pleasure to make your own pizza dough in here, which is what I did with my Vitamix.
The way to do this is very simple. You just take 3 cups of flour, 1.75 teaspoons of instant fast rising yeast, 1.25 teaspoons of salt, and 8-11 ounces of hot water. You will also need 3.75 teaspoons of olive oil to round it all out.
The first step was to just combine all the dry ingredients into the blender. Then, add in the oil through the plug in the top, along with the water. Select Variable 5, and then pulse to incorporate all the ingredients into the blend.
As I did this, I found that the dough stuck to the sides, so I just used a spatula to safely bring it away from the sides of the blender jar. After that I kept on pulsing until a ball of dough formed up. Then I just pulsed for about 10-15 seconds more to get the dough off the blades.
After that I greased a bowl up with some Crisco and washed my hands, dried them thoroughly and floured them up. I took the ball of dough out of the blender and greased it using the grease in the bowl. Then I let the dough sit and rise for a few minutes.
The best part? I cleaned out the blender in just a few seconds while it rose.
I then stretched out the dough into two 12-inch crusts. I like that it makes two crusts, because you can have a fancy pizza for the grownups, like Margherita or goat cheese, while the kids can enjoy a classic cheese and pepperoni pie. The crust was nice. Thin and crispy. I wholeheartedly enjoyed the great, fresh taste. It sure beat the pre-made mixes.
Overall Performance
Vitamix Explorian series is a lot like other full size Vitamix blenders that run at variable speeds. It makes silky smoothies and makes great nut butter and hummus like nobody’s business. The soups come out nice and hot, and the styling of the blender is very nice. I know I complained about the color of it at first because I do like to match things up, but the way this machine just flat out works will make you forget all about any color-related concerns you have about the appliance.
The styling of the base is curved, which makes it look a little less utilitarian after all. Previous Vitamix models did not have this, and instead were manufactured with smooth sides.
I know earlier I expressed some love about the container, and I mean it. It’s shorter than some of the huge 64 oz containers that are available. This means that getting stuff off the sides is a heck of a lot easier, and it will fit underneath the standard 18-inch kitchen cabinets with no worries at all. It is also narrower than the G-series models of Vitamix, so it’s better for those of you looking to make small amounts.
This suits my family well, but if you’ve got a bigger group, it may be worthwhile to get the larger size. This narrower container lessens spills and splashes.
Sure, you won’t be able to blend as much as a 64 oz container, but for most people this will be okay. You can always go just a tiny bit over, too. Chopping is a bit of an issue with this blender, but we really only use ours for smoothies and sometimes soups most of all. Sure, I might make the occasional nut butter batch, but chopping is definitely on the bottom of stuff we do with our blender. However, if you love chopping in your blender, consider a wider container.
Lastly, you can take comfort in the 5-year warranty that comes with this great blender. The Vitamix company is pretty great when it comes to covering stuff in their warranties, so you can rest easy with this blender. The quality is great, but sometimes bad things do happen. Your investment will be protected. Other models feature different warranty lengths, such as the Ascent series, which features a 10-year warranty.
How Does This Compare to Other Blenders Like It?
Chances are you’ve been shopping around for other blenders like this and you might be wondering how they compare. Here are some quick notes we made while doing our research:
E-310 Vs. C-Series
The E-310 is closest in comparison to the C-Series. The base shape is the same for starters, and the containers are narrow. The E-310 has a pulse switch instead of the high-variable switch on the 5200.
The E-310 starts off slightly soft. This means if you start off at a high speed, it amps up pretty fast, instead of starting right off the bat at max speed like the 5200. You can easily see if the max speed is set at 10 and thereby reduce the mistake of starting at high speed.
We mentioned the Ascent series earlier, so here’s a comparison between the two. The E310 and the A2300 are different in that the E310 does not feature Bluetooth connectivity. You will not be able to use the self-detect containers that you get on the A2300 blender models. You also will not be able to use the smartphone app that comes with the Ascent series.
You can, however, use Legacy containers that do not have the Self-Detecting Switch that some of the Ascent NFC containers have. Therefore, if you have some of these lying around, you can use them in this blender.
What Are Other Users Saying?
On some popular retail sites, we found plenty of positive reviews that praised how great this blender was. One top review indicated that it was good for college students, especially those who wanted to make healthy smoothies and meal replacements. If you know somebody who is into that sort of thing, steer them toward this blender.
That particular user was very happy with the performance of the machine. It is not exactly in the budget range for your average college student, but it is one they will have long after they’ve graduated.
Another user praised it using the term “holy grail.” I wouldn’t go quite that far — it’s just a blender! But in all seriousness, the user praised it for its ability to support a healthy diet. The user indicated that they made smoothies, dips, salsas and nut butters in theirs, and noted how “stupid easy” it was to use and clean.
I’m not sure I’d use that same terminology to describe the blender, but it really is simple to use and enjoy! And a healthy lifestyle is much easier when you have the right tools for the job and they actually work.
That being said, you are bound to find a few negative reviews also for the blender, which we will discuss now. After all, nothing is perfect.
One three-star review revealed that the Vitamix was stronger than a competing brand, and blended everything better than said brand, but only boasted a minor difference in performance to Magimix (the competing blender the user referred to). The user also noted dissatisfaction with small particles like blackberry seeds getting stuck in the smoothie due to his/her Vitamix not pulverizing the particles completely.
In some other reviews, we noted that users were unimpressed with the lack of cleaning tools, and one user even indicated that their vitamix high performance blender came with recipes that were designed for the 64-ounce blender jar.
The lack of cleaning tools and accessories is a valid point brought up by the users of this particular blender, as even though the blender does a great job of self-cleaning, there really should be a brush or something that comes with it to help you reach the tough spots.
Honestly, the food does get trapped under the blade, and cleaning out certain foods like nut butter or hummus will require a little bit of elbow grease. Indeed, the lack of accessories for vitamix E310 was a little disheartening.
Should I Get One?
That’s ultimately up to you. Our goal here is not to sell you anything, just to provide a review and how our family handled the Vitamix blender.
That being said, I do think a Vitamix blender is a nice addition to every family’s home. I think it promotes healthy eating and helps families get more of what they love. My kids love milkshakes, but the ones at restaurants are expensive and unhealthy, and often way too big.
This helps me satisfy their sweet tooth but make the shakes in a healthy way with low-fat ice cream and almond milk instead of the full-fat ingredients found at restaurants. My husband is a gym rat and likes to make protein shakes, which he previously did not do, buying bottled protein supplements instead.
It is also very versatile.
Even if your family doesn’t do the shake or smoothie thing, chances are you love soups and pizzas like us. This can handle both for you. If you have a family member who needs their food pureed such as an elderly person or a baby, I think this is a great appliance to have. When my niece and her daughter stayed, she was glad for the chance to make tasty baby foods right at home.
One avenue you might consider is getting yourself a blender that is reconditioned. These products can be questionable for some, which is certainly a valid concern. But this is also one way to get what you want even if you are on a budget.
The Vitamix reconditioned blenders are guaranteed to work and be of the same quality as a new one. The only reason we might skip getting one is if it is for a gift, as the recipient might not want such an item. Other than that, it is a nice way to get what you like but not worry about the investment as much.
So, my final answer? Yes, if you can swing it. It is an investment, but I think you will be happy with it over time. It lasts for years when cared for properly.
>>> Check Out Current Price & Customer Reviews On Amazon <<<
In Closing
So, what are you going to make once you get your hands on a Vitamix E310 Explorian? There is really no end to the stuff you can make in these lovely blenders. And the best part is that the quality on these is so good, your kids will be using them long after you’ve decided you don’t want to fiddle around with it anymore.
Then again, the item is so great that you might just hold onto it until the very end. It’s got its great points and a few not so great ones as pointed out in this Vitamix E310 Review, but altogether it makes a strong addition to any household. The whole family will love the stuff you make, and it looks very professional on your kitchen counter.
