Surprising things to make in a Vitamix

If you've got any interest in cooking, there's a good chance you've heard of a certain little gadget known as the Vitamix. Thanks to powerful, high-speed blades, this multitasking blender has cemented its status in the blogosphere as the ultimate kitchen tool,  becoming the stuff of culinary daydreams and dominating Amazon wish lists.

But as with many good things, there's a catch. Here, it's the price tag, running upwards of $400 apiece (a number that can break your heart and your piggy bank.) Saturday Night Live merrily lampooned Vitamix sticker shock, but its fans readily defend it, citing the value it brings and the time it can save when you're in the kitchen. If you're considering investing in one, check out this handy chart that can help you decide which model would suit you. If you've already on the super-blender bandwagon, get ready to put that sucker to use in ways you didn't even know possible and read on for our ultimate, jumbo Vitamix recipe list.

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Don’t have a Vitamix? Don’t feel left out! We’ve marked with an asterisk the recipes that are possible with a regular-speed blender or food processor.

Recipe Building Blocks and Household Uses 

So why does Vitamix inspire such devotion? It’s a great enabler of prepping and cooking shortcuts, singlehandedly serving as a substitute for multiple other kitchen gadgets—think immersion blenders, graters, stand mixers, juicers, and more! (And it’s a little easier justifying that price tag if you were going to spend money on four or five other appliances.) If you’ve thought of it as just a smoothie-making appliance, this list of cooking staples (and more) will blow the top off your blender.

Nut and Seed Butters

Our love of nut butter knows no limits. You can't go wrong with classic and all-natural peanut. But feel free to break new ground with macadamia, pistachio, even cayenne-infused sunflower seed butter. (You won't find that at Whole Foods!) Add any sweeteners or flavorings you like.

Photo: The Rawtarian

Non-Dairy Milks

Homemade nut milk sounds like a hassle, but it's easier than you think! Try these recipes for almond, hemp, cashew, and walnut milks, or check out this general how-to for nut milk. Bonus: It's much cheaper than the store-bought stuff and missing the scary additives.

DIY Flour

Whether you're going gluten-free or just feel like experimenting beyond plain old whole wheat, use your Vitamix to make almond, coconut, and a host of other types of funky flours. And if you regularly use alternative flours, you'll definitely save money DIY-ing it.

Shredded and Chopped Veggies

No need for a food processor to make produce-based dishes like this Brussels sprouts with currants and toasted hazelnuts, this salsa fresca, or even this nice, big blended salad. The handy Vitamix does all the legwork—or arm work as the case may be!

Pureed Fruits and Leafy Greens

Be it berries, spinach, or sweet potatoes, process them to a pulp and freeze for convenient add-ins to future juices, soups, and smoothies. (Another money-saver to use up produce before it turns on you.)

Pie Crust

However you like it—raw and ready to go, or bake-able—having a pie crust prepped is like having a party playlist on rotation: a shortcut to good times.

Pizza Dough

Easier, healthier, customizable, and so much more fun than delivery,homemade pizza dough is a game-changer.

Photo: Clean Cuisine

Condiments

Mayonnaise, ketchup, sour cream, barbecue sauce—it's possible to DIY it all, without weird preservatives or buckets of sugar!

Salad Dressings

Go with basic vinaigrettes or get creative with dressings like ginger scallion,Caesar, and fresh avocado fiesta.

Fresh Juice

No offense to Jamba Juice, but once you've mastered this nifty trick to straining your own fruit 'n' veg combo in a Vitamix, you may never turn back.

Smoothies

Smoothies are the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to a Vitamix, and with good reason. Check out this formula for the perfect smoothie, but don't be afraid to get creative with the combinations or use veggies that would be difficult to break down in a regular blender—that's precisely what the Vitamix is for. See our favorites in the recipes below!

Sweet Toppings

Who needs that squirtable canned stuff or the tubs of hydrogenated oils andcorn syrup when the Vitamix can turn coconut milk into whipped cream and cashews plus cocoa powder into frosting.

Compost

The Vitamix doesn't just make cooking easier; it makes eco clean-up easier too! Don't waste the stalks of your veggies, shells of your eggs, or rinds of your fruit—throw 'em in the blender and get composting!

Beauty Products

Whether it's shining up your hair with homemade treatment or showing your skin some love with this pumpkin-based face mask or this aromatic body scrub, use a Vitamix to make at-home spa days a cinch!

Vitamix Recipes 

Tips and shortcuts aside, the Vitamix can play the starring role in making full, healthy meals too. Be it pasta sauce or waffles, get your money’s worth with these recipes, which make the Vitamix a crucial part of the prepping and cooking process.

Dips, Sauces, and Marinades

Photo: Our Four Forks 1. Spinach and Artichoke Dip

The happy-hour greasebomb gets much happier (and healthier) with this protein-pumped sauce makeover, made in the Vitamix with cashews, protein-full cannellini beans, and antioxidant-rich coconut milk (versus the usual cheese and sour cream).

2. Hummus in the Blender*

The super strong Vitamix blades can whiz chickpeas and whole sesame seeds together to yield an extra silky-smooth hummus without gobs of tahini or oil. (Both are delicious, but can get heavy on the fat per serving.) Don't forget to get crazy with the seasonings—half the fun of hummus is all the ways you can riff on it, and this blogger has plenty of nutritious suggestions! (Tip: Use less liquid and warm chickpeas, and you can get similar results with a regular food processor too.)

3. Not-So-Cheese Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo dip may be a Superbowl treat, but there's no need to wait until game day to try this Vitamix-made version. Butter and cream cheese get benched, dropping the saturated fat, and star players nuts and nutritional yeast hike up the omega-3 and vitamin B counts. Serve with baked pita chips for an all-around, feel-good comfort food.

4. Jerk Marinade* 

Always thought kebabs with fancy marinades were just too much work for a regular weeknight? Allow the Vitamix to step in and save the day—and your time. There is almost no work involved: Just throw a bunch of fragrant and cancer-fighting ingredients (habanero chilies, turmeric, and garlic) into the blender, and puree away. Pour over the skewered veggies and protein of your choosing for an elevated snack or meal.

5. Vegan Garlic Alfredo Sauce*

Oh hello, velvety, garlicky goodness. Armed with blenders and a bit of imagination, bloggers have created countless "healthified" Alfredo sauces.  But this one stands out from the rest for ditching soy and gluten (no flour needed!) along with being dairy and oil-free. Using cashews, it ups the magnesium factor while slashing the fat by a whopping 36 grams per serving compared to the egg yolk and heavy cream-soaked restaurant version.

6. Kale and Walnut Pesto*

Everyone should have a go-to homemade pesto sauce in his or her culinary repertoire. Make this one yours. Not only does it switch up the regular spinach for superfood-of-the-moment kale, but the Vitamix dramatically reduces prep time, whipping up an iron- and omega-3-filled blend ofgreens and nuts in mere minutes.

Photo: The Simple Kitchen

7. Creamy Vegan Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Sauce

We know how it is: Every dairy-free pasta sauce recipe seems to resort to cashews for that rich-and-creamy boost. That's where this recipe steps in. Thanks to the pulverizing power of the Vitamix, heart-healthy olive oil and garlic-roasted veggies combined with a bit of non-dairy milk can be churned into a sauce silky enough to rival any nut- or cheese-based version.

8. 60-Second Applesauce, Raw or Simmered

The title of this recipe says it all: No need for hours of stewing fruit over the stovetop for homemade applesauce. When the Vitamix is involved, you're talking seconds for a raw and chunky rendition, or about three extra minutes for the cooked kind. It doesn't get fresher or faster than that. Either way you go, don't leave out the vanilla and blood-sugar-stabilizing cinnamon for extra depth of flavor that compliments the fiber in the apples.

9. Bitchin’ Sauce 

OK, so the name of the recipe is a bit unorthodox. (Look away, Mom!) But then you realize how incredible it really is: It's chock-full of healthy ingredients, from the metabolism-spiking spices to the skin-enhancinggrapeseed oil; it's incredibly versatile—dunk a chip into it or drizzle it onto veggies; and it takes all of three minutes to make. Now really, could you call this addictive sauce anything other than bitchin'?

Soups

10. Blender Acorn Squash Soup

Most recipes for smooth soup involve two steps: cooking them on the stovetop and pureeing them in a blender. But the Vitamix takes the two-step process down to one by heating and blending simultaneously—hooray for time-slashing techniques! Give it a try with this aromatic, savory-sweet recipe of souped-up squash and apples. Coconut milk—found to reduce badcholesterol levels—both thickens it up and gives it a silky finish.

11. Gazpacho*

Given all the veggies and chopping it calls for, gazpacho can be kind of intimidating. Save yourself the effort and still get your summery soup fix by throwing everything, from the garlic and the olive oil to the tomatoes and the cucumbers, in your Vitamix and blending until your desired consistency. Whether you prefer it chunky or smooth, you're only about 30 seconds away from a phytochemical-packed, blood-pressure-lowering meal .

Photo: Sarah’s Cucina Bella

12. Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Broccoli cheddar, we're calling you out as one of the biggest healthy food imposters on the menu with minimal greens and heaps of cheese and butter. But this version deserves its health halo, with just half a cup of high-quality cheddar divided among four servings and carrots joining the broccoli for extra skin-protecting beta-carotene . Health benefits aside, the other bonus is that the Vitamix can warm the soup as it blends, consolidating prep, cook, and heat time into a single step. Perfect for dinner on the fly.

13. 10-Minute Tortilla Soup*

It's a warmer version of gazpacho, with an amped up protein and fiber count from the addition of black beans and corn. Have it ready in a jiffy by using the soup setting on the Vitamix, and top with your favorite healthy taco fixin's, from (baked!) tortilla chips to buttery avocado.

14. Potato Pumpkin Soup

Soup's on, indeed, with this incredibly quick-to-make, filling-to-eat puree of potato and pumpkin. A combination of ginger and cilantro lend the veggies an exotic edge plus digestion-aiding properties. With just a splash of almond milk and broth, the result is almost like a thick, spoonable stew. Give it the "Vitamix treatment" (i.e. use the "puree and heat" setting).

15. Six-Ingredient, Six-Minute Tomato Soup

Thought a 10-minute soup was fast? This recipe cuts the cooking time down by four minutes as the Vitamix blitzes a veggie-riffic combo of onions, carrots, celery, and tomato into a steaming bowl of mood-boosting comfort. Despite all the other veggies, the tomato flavor is still unmistakable, making it the ideal concoction to dunk a grilled cheese into, pair with a salad, or scoop up with a side of Saltines.

Entrees

16. Baked Veggie Frittata

Talk about a Lazy Sunday: Sit back, relax, and let Vitamix whip up brunch with this protein and fiber-filled frittata. It chops the veggies and beats theeggs, leaving you with nothing to do except pour the entire mixture into a dish and bake. Use the vegetables in the recipe, swap in your own nutrient-rich produce picks, or go with one of our favorite combos. Brunch is served! Pair with a mimosa and Netflix.

Photo: Eat, Live, Run

17. Plant Burgers*

There's nothing like wrapping two hands around a solid, homemade veggie burger. But admittedly, just thinking about how much dicing and pulsing goes into making a batch can drive us to those premade frozen patties. Here's a shortcut. While this recipe requires more than a handful of ingredients, the Vitamix (or a food processor) makes prepping them a totally doable process, and you won't be tempted to skip steps and ingredients. Thank goodness for that, because there is so much good stuff going on in these meatless patties, from blood flow-boosting beets to fiber-full bulgur.

18. Vegan Mac and Cheese*

When it comes to mac and cheese, that blue box may be a quick-fix meal, but baffling ingredients like "Yellow No. 6" don't inspire much confidence in the nutrition department. This all natural, vegan mac and cheese has a sauce of cashews, nutritional yeast, and a dash of turmeric that beats the pants off the powdered stuff in terms of flavor.  And it has the all the mood-boostingbenefits of zinc, anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin, and zero sketchy chemicals. Plus, using a Vitamix gives it a cooking time that rivals the microwave.

19. Cauliflower Paleo Fried Rice

Cauliflower may be all the rage right now, but the mess involved when chopping up it up definitely isn't a party. Have the Vitamix do the dirty work: One quick push of the "pulse" button, and you've got pulverized florets in mere seconds that can sub in for rice. Not only is this Paleo version of this Chinese classic a low-carb, vitamin K-rich dish, but with the added protein of eggs, it's filling too.

20. Sweet Potato Hash Browns*

If you think hash browns are strictly the turf of weekend brunch, get a ready to treat yo self with the help of the Vitamix any day of the week. Thanks to its speedy chopping, it's easy to pull together a quick, flavorful hash. Throw in some kale for cancer-combating compounds and a hit of sweetness and fiber with diced apples for a powerhouse breakfast that'll charge your morning.

21. Indian Tomato Curry*

Whip up a multi-purpose deep-flavored curry base that can transform basic chicken or tempeh and veggies. A Vitamix helps the cashews break down into a smooth paste without multiple rounds of pulverizing. The addition of yogurt aids digestion, and tomatoes bring on the antioxidants. (It's worthbuying organic if you can.) The result? A lighter, cream-filled curry that's still satisfyingly rich and spicy.

22. Green Eggs

Dr. Seuss would appreciate this inventive take on "green eggs." And you'll appreciate how quickly it comes together. Throw the kale and the eggs in a Vitamix; the two superfoods get beaten together for a frothy, fluffy, and forcefully colored twist on the breakfast favorite.

Photo: My Custard Pie 

23. Tomato, Lentil, and Spinach Vegetarian Lasagna

Lasagna is pretty much the poster child for comfort food, but it's incredibly time-consuming to pull together. That's why this recipe really shines a light on everything the Vitamix can do. Chop the carrots and churn up both the tomato and Bechamel sauces in the high-speed blender for the easiest lasagna you'll ever make. As an added advantage, lentils lend protein and fiber to the typically carb-heavy dish. (Note: Ingredients are measured in grams, so if you don't have a kitchen scale, you can use an online calculator like this.)

24. Baked Green Falafel*

The batter for these Middle Eastern-inspired patties comes together in a flash, all thanks to the Vitamix, which processes the cholesterol-reducinglegumes and herbs faster than you can say "chickpea patty." Baking them not only further eliminates the time and mess that deep-frying would require, but also helps keep them on the heart-healthy side with minimal added oil.

25. Zucchini, Summer Squash, and Scallion Pancakes

Spare yourself the arm-aching effects of a grater, and use your high-speed blender for these savory, bursting-with-vitamin-C fritters instead. Over the course of 30y to 40 seconds, a Vitamix shreds your squash and adds your binding agents to create a smooth batter ready for scooping onto a skillet and flipping into crispy-yet-chewy, veggie-packed flapjacks. Use a nonstick pan to cut down on the amount of fat needed for cooking the pancakes too.

Baked Goods

26. Oat Apple Muffins

You may not consider yourself a baker now, but after the ease of these muffins, you might just start shopping for monogramed aprons. A Vitamix blends the dry ingredients, then mixes in the wet. All you have to do is scoop the batter into tins and bake until they're golden. Gluten-free baking is suddenly stress-free too.

Photo: A Baker's House

For a list of 52 recipes to make in a Vitamix, go to Greatist.com.