8 Vitamix Tips, Tricks and Hacks You Need to Know
78 Comments
Updated May 19, 2021
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
If you own a Vitamix blender, you need to know these Vitamix tips, tricks and hacks. Not only do they make life easier in the kitchen, but they ensure you’re maximizing the use of your blender. Which is always a good thing.
And if you’re still debating which Vitamix model to buy, make sure to check out my Vitamix Comparison. I own the Vitamix A3500 and love it, but there’s a model perfect for each person and budget.
When it comes to small kitchen appliances my Vitamix blender reigns supreme. I’m slightly obsessed with it and use it nearly daily for smoothies, nut butters, soups, dips, sauces and so much more. That’s why I’ve got oodles of Vitamix recipes on this website and grabbed the food processor attachment.
After using my Vitamix for nearly a decade, I’ve become quite the expert at blending. I’ve also learned a few tips, tricks and hacks that make life easier as a Vitamix owner. Sometimes it’s the little things, isn’t it?
So today I wanted to share with you 8 tips and hacks you need to know if you own a Vitamix. Hopefully these items will not only help you become an expert blender, but they’ll answer most of your frequently asked questions as well. Watch the video below!
8 Vitamix Tips, Tricks and Hacks
1. The Lid Plug Hack
Next time you remove your lid plug to insert your tamper, take a closer look. Because you might have missed the fact that the lid plug is also a mini measuring cup, with 1/2 ounce and 1 ounce measures.
This is great if you’re making a cocktail recipe or if you need to add a smidge more liquid to a smoothie or sauce to thin it down. It’s always nice to not have to get another measuring cup dirty.
2. Load Your Container Properly
The order in which you load your container is more important than you might realize. Always load liquids closest to the blades, then soft items, then hard or frozen items. Having the liquids on the bottom prevents air pockets from forming around the blades. And the weight of the frozen items on top helps to push the other ingredients into blades for a seamless blend.
By loading your container in this order, you’ll prevent the blend from stalling or your machine from struggling with hard to blend items on the bottom.
Remember this order for the 48oz and 64oz containers:
- Liquids (water, juice, milk, yogurt)
- Dry Goods (grains, seasonings, powders)
- Leafy Greens
- Fruits & Veggies
- Ice & Frozen Ingredients
If you have the 20oz personal container or the 8oz blending bowls remember to reverse this order because you flip the container upside down on top of your Vitamix.
3. Blend on High
Don’t let the high-power and noise of your Vitamix machine scare you. Almost everything blends better, faster and easier when you quickly increase the speed to high. Always start on low, but turn that dial quickly.
When you blend on high, the motor also stays cool because the cooling fan is maximized. So yes, blending on high rather than medium (especially with thick items like nut butters) actually prevents your machine from over-heating.
Blending for too long at too low a speed will overheat your machine and cause the Automatic Overload Protection to turn the machine off.
4. The Tamper is Your Friend
When you’re blending thick items like frozen yogurt and nut butters, the tamper is your friend. The tamper can help get the ingredients moving again and prevent air pockets from forming around the blades.
The tamper will never come in to contact with the blades as long as the lid is on the blender, so feel free to use a little muscle and push those ingredients into the blades. The best way to do this is to press the tamper down toward the four corners of the container until your recipe is blending smoothly again.
Just remember to never fill your container more than two-thirds of the way full when using the tamper.
5. Quantity Matters
One of the biggest problems I’ve seen this community have with my own recipes is when they’ve tried to cut my Vitamix recipes in half. The Vitamix needs a minimum amount of ingredients in the container to do its job properly.
With too few ingredients, the blades will just splat those ingredients to the outside of the container. For instance, my Almond Butter recipe calls for 4 cups of raw almonds. If you try to cut this recipe in half and use 2 cups of almonds, it will fail. There’s simply not enough ingredients to create friction with the blades and turn the almonds into almond butter.
Likewise, you need to be careful with over filling your container. Always keep an eye on the maximum fill line.
6. Wet versus Dry Container
For all of the Vitamix recipes on my website I use the wet container (though I could’ve used the dry container on my Powdered Sugar recipe). So what’s the difference between the two containers? The blades on the wet container blend things together and the blades on a dry container blast things out and up.
Another way to think about it, the wet container creates a super smooth texture of your recipes with a vortex. The dry container keeps things chunky with a reverse vortex.
Because I predominantly make smoothies, dips, soups, nut butters and other creamy items the wet container works perfectly for me. The dry container is great if you plan on grinding coffee beans, making nut flours, milling grains, etc.
7. Getting Thick Ingredients Out
When you blend thick ingredients like hummus or nut butters you absolutely need the under blade scraper. This is like a squeegee for the sides of the container and gets under the blades easily, which means you’re not wasting any ingredients. I chat about this more on my Vitamix Comparison and Accessories post.
One of my other favorite hacks after you’ve made almond butter and scraped out as much as you can is this. Add a cup or two of Cashew Milk (or other nut milk) and a banana, then blend. You’ve now got an almond butter banana smoothie to enjoy and a fairly clean container.
8. Cleaning Your Container
Cleaning your Vitamix container is super easy. Just fill it halfway with warm water and a drop or two of dish soap. Then run it on high for 30 seconds. If you have a cleaning cycling on your machine, you can press that button as well.
Over time, you may notice that your Vitamix container has become cloudy. The best way to prevent this is with a thorough cleaning after every use and to not allow residue to sit in the container. But if you do have a cloudy container, it’s usually from blending spices, blending mineral rich ingredients or from hard water.
Here’s how you can clean that film off your container:
- Pour one cup of white vinegar into the container.
- Fill the contain half-full with warm water.
- Let the container soak in an upright, standing position for several hours or even overnight.
- Pour the contents out and use a soft pot scrubber to clean the remaining residue.
Blending rough ingredients like sugar (to make powdered sugar) can also create minuscule scratches to the inside of the container, making it appear cloudy. Unfortunately, this isn’t reversible.
If you do plan to blend rougher ingredients regularly, I recommend you purchase an extra container (I have several myself) so that you’re always blending rough ingredients in one container and smooth ingredients in another container.
This post was generously sponsored by Vitamix. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors and their products I genuinely use and love.
How can I order the instruction book for the model vm0197
You can probably reach out to Vitamix for that!
Great tips
Thanks for the tips just got mine so a newbie
Thank You great ideas.
is there a special order to chop things for pasta salad?
Thank you, I learned a lot, like why high speed is best for 2 reasons. Cools the motor so less stress on machine and better results!
Just starting out
Is it possible to enter a recipe I developed on my own into the Vitamix perfect Blend app to i can use my scale to do measurements?
Hi, just got my vitamix. My son makes smoothies that consist of (in this order) boost, peanut butter, protein powder, banana and a few ice cubes. The peanut butter always sticks to the side. Do you have a suggestion? Thank you!
Hi Rae- it sounds like you need some liquid in your smoothie. This is also ideal for blending in the Vitamix! I would pour in a bit of water or non-dairy milk.
Hi! I really enjoyed your hack video. I do have a question. How do you use the Vitamix to shred cheese. I have a Kitchen Aid but if I have the Vitamix out anyway, I’d rather use it. I know the cheese needs to frozen slightly but I just can’t figure it out!
Thanks
Hi Laura – you would need the new food processor attachment for your Vitamix to shred cheese. I have another blog post that reviews that product!
I cannot get my ice slushy without foam when I’m done and ready to pour my cocktails. Pls help. I have a wet vitamin 5200. Pls and thx
Hi Cathey – It sounds like you might just need to lower the speed a little. That usually prevents the foam.
I can’t express how grateful I was when I discovered your web site. Now, roughly 2 months later, my respect for your work has blossomed. I have replaced most of my plastic with glass and more Weck jars. I look forward to replacing plastic bags with the stand up bags that are washable.
The fact that this diet is anti-inflammatory is what got me here, the other 90% of the lifestyle really hooked me. I was partly there but you helped me put it all together, not that I find this kind of transition easy, its your easy going style and smile that kept me encouraged. And, by the way, my husband who produces documentaries was very impressed by your ability to use the technology to produce such stunning presentations. Brava!!
Carole G
Hi Carole – I’m so happy to hear you’ve discovered Downshiftology as well and are a part f this community now! The transition stage is always the hardest, but once you figure out the steps to get there, it becomes so easy :) And I’m glad both you and your husband enjoy the content I am putting out there. Means so much and keeps me motivated to do more.
Just one more quick request…..A “freezing” / meal prep video would be awesome. Sometimes I waist food then find out later I could have frozen it ?! I can never figure out what dishes / fruit & veg freeze well and what doesn’t.
Any tips would be great, thanks!
That’s a great idea for a future video! I’ll definitely keep it in mind. Thanks Melissa!
Hi Lisa,
I just watched your Kale chip video and wondered if you could do a video of Cucumber chips or if you know an easy way? I followed a recipe once and it was a bit of a disaster. Not only did it take over 45 min in the oven, the results weren’t great. They shrunk so much there was barely anything left. I don’t know if it’s not a good idea because there is so much water or if it’s all about technique. Chips are a problem for me and I’m always trying to find a tasty healthy alternative.
Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to make your channel. It’s been a game changer for me!
Melissa X
Hi Melissa – I’m so happy you love my recipes and videos! I’ve actually never made cucumber chips, but I will have a recipe for zucchini chips coming to the website soon. Because both of those items are predominantly water, I’d assume they’re similar in terms of baking. So keep your eyes peeled for that upcoming recipe! :) x
Hi Lisa, have been following your posts and sites a while now – love how easy it make it look. Finally bit bullet and bought a Vitamix on weekend whilst large local dept store had big discount. Am loving it – some what lost for choice as to what to make! Tired the almond butter recipe tonight and after two 1 min high blends I’ve not managed to get smooth butter, I added a little more oil…any other suggestions? I used same qtys you suggested
Hi Sarah – Thank you so much for the kind words and I’m so glad you’re enjoying your Vitamix! For the almond butter, definitely make sure you roast the almonds ahead of time. This brings out the nuts natural oils and makes them easier to blend. I’ve made the recipe both with and without roasting the almonds and you definitely have to add much more oil if you don’t roast them.
Thank you so much for the info. Love my Vitamix! I find that if I leave it on my counter I use it way more.
You’re welcome, Ann! Thank you for the kind comment. :)
We have been married 30 yrs and went through 2 blenders and a smoothie maker in the first 10. Bought a Vitamix and never looked back! Well worth the money. I got a reconditioned one and have never had a problem. Last year we bought a smaller container and two personal sized containers for smoothies. Work great. I do need that under the blade scraper!! I live in Ohio and proud to support a locally owned company!
That’s awesome Michelle! I’m in the same boat, bought a Vitamix several years ago and never looked back! :)
Hello.i’m prospecting the market thinking to buy a combo (blender + processor) and i’d like to be vitamix. But before doing so, point no.2 from the above post made me think twice. I’m cooking for 1 person, small portiones. Is there anywhere i could find the min quantities to use so that a vitamix do its best? What would you advise – would vitamix be useful for me for small portiones? thanks in advance.
Love your posts! Tricks and knowledge! Where do I go to enter draw? New to all of this!
Thanks ??
Hi Heidi – Make sure you sign up for my email list in order to automatically enter the Vitamix giveaway. We send out emails every Wednesday but we’ll be announcing the winners after May 7th.
I Will love to have a vitamix Blender <3 Thank's for all the good recepies.
Hi Charlotte – Thanks! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes. Make sure to sign up for my email list in order to enter the Vitamix giveaway! :)
I love your videos! I am a professional singer, and a breast cancer survivor, so I have a lot of reasons to eat healthily. I also love to cook! I try to eat what they call 80/20, which means 80% heathy, and 20% treats or not so healthy! I would love to get a Vitamix, but they are a bit expensive. One day soon I hope. Maybe I’ll win! :) Still, I love all your videos on how much you can do with it. Thank you for all your help!
Jenifer
Hi Jenifer – Thank you for the kind words and the support of my website. Yes, eating 100% healthy isn’t always realistic but I like to think we always have to live a little and enjoy a treat every once in a while. :)
Definitely sign up for my email list and see if you can win! I’ll be crossing my fingers for you!
Lisa I already get your email list so how do I sign up to win the vitamix
Hi Pamela – We’ll be selecting our lucky winners for the 3 prizes from our email list so if you’re already on it, then you’re all set. We’ll be announcing our winners after May 7th. :)
Would love to win a Vitamix. Because you give so many useful ways to use it.
Hi Marguerite – Make sure to sign up for my email list to be entered to win the Vitamix giveaway. :)
THE TAMPER IS YOUR FRIEND….lol
It definitely is! :)
Bonjour Lisa,
I discovered you! I have been whaching your videos and j’aime ça beaucoup !
I was wondering if you use microwave to cook and warmup your foods from the fridge (specially your meals preparations for the week). I don’t like microwave, but I do not know many techniques to warm up the foods from my fridge.
Would you please help?
Merci beaucoup Lisa!
Tchau,
Irene
Hi Irene – Happy to hear you’re loving all my videos so far! As for heating up my food, I normally do use a microwave.
I‘m a recent owner of a Vitamix.
Your Videos gave me the impetus, especially „what i eat vitamix Edition „
Even though it was an expensive investment, I do not regret it. I love your Recipes and hope many more will follow. Greetings from Germany
Hi Sabine – Yes, the Vitamix is definitely and investment but just like you said, I think its completely worth it! Thank you for the kind words and support! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes. :)
You have one little edit you might want to do, though I did get a childish laugh out of it, most of the way down in one spot it says but butters instead of nut butters.
Oh gosh! I’ll make sure to fix that right now. Lol! Thanks Cyndee! :)
I just wanted to say, “Thank You” for creating your channel as you share your lovely recipes with wonderfully and informative directions. I’m thrilled that I discovered your channel about 4 months ago. I really enjoy the recipes that include the Vitamix as I hope that one day I’ll be able purchase one and re-create your beautiful recipes. I was wondering if you could one day, possibly creating same recipes while using your Vitamix and share your thoughts, differences, and or experiences between Vitamix versus Blendtec as Costco sells both machines.
Hi Eva – Thank you so much for the kind words. I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes and videos! I’ve only owned Vitamix blenders so, unfortunately, I can’t comment on the differences between Vitamix and Blendtec.
Great job!I have one the 1st vitamix machine stainless steel has a wood tamper I put up in the cupboard I bought another used for a few years gave it to my daughter and bought another 2014 from Costco with also dry container this year I bought the smoothie personal 3 cup attachment $129.00 love it! Think might like to up grade to newer always pass to my family have 5 granddaughters now starting out! Would love to hear from you Thankyou so much for sharing your recipes with all!??❤️
Hi Norma – Yes, these blenders are such a good item to pass down to family. You have definitely been avid supporter of Vitamix for years, just like me! :)
Make sure you sign up for my email list (if you haven’t already), to be entered in the Vitamix giveaway! Thank you so much for your support, Norma.
I’ve had a Vitamix since 2009 and I was loading it wrong! I’ve always added the liquid on top. It works, but did tend to overheat. Thanks for the tips!
I’d love a chance to win the new model, but could never figure out how to enter. I did sign up for the email list, though.
Hi Terri – Oh no, yep it seems such a simple thing to add the ingredients in a certain way, but makes a huge difference and a little easier on the motor. :)
If you’re already on the email list then you are all set! We’ll be announcing the winner after May 7th.
I am hoping to get one some day! I think I would use it all the time. We are trying to eat healthier and this would help with that.
Hi Stella – Definitely sign up for my email list and see if you can win the Vitamix giveaway. :)
Hi Lisa,
Very helpful information. Thank you from New Jersey, USA
Ana
Thank you, Ana! I appreciate the kind words! :)
HI Lisa, im still not sure how to sign up for the Vitamix contest? I’m already on your email list for the website. But yes please, pick me! ?
Haha! If you’re already on the email list then don’t worry, as you’re already enrolled in the giveaway! I’ll be announcing the winner after May 7th. Thank you so much for the support, Nancy (and putting a smile on my face)! :)
Hi Lisa,
Your videos and recipes are simple to follow, straight to the point and so very helpful for a family who are transitioning to a 360 lifestyle! Thank you for introducing my family to this healthier habits in living a clean lifestyle.
I have always seen and heard about the use of vitamin and would love to own a Vitamix one myself:)
Keep creating the good content like you do always.
Thank you so much, Merlin, for the positive feedback! I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes and that they are helping in the transition to healthier habits. Make sure you sign up for my email list to enter the Vitamix giveaway. I’ll be crossing my fingers for you! :)
I would love to own a Vitamix blender! Since reading your site I have lost 30 lbs. eating cleaner and more mindful of ingredients. Without being preachy, I have been inspired by your straight forward video lessons and tips for a healthier lifestyle. Making foods from scratch is fun!
Wow, Hillary! Congratulations, that’s absolutely amazing! I’m SO happy for you! Thank you for the kind words, and I’m so glad my recipes and videos are making a difference in people’s lives! :)
You’re automatically entered to win the Vitamix blender when you sign up for my email list. More details in our email, and we send out emails every Wednesday. Good luck!
Hi. Have wanted a Vitamix for a couple of decades. In current houseshare, there’s a Vitamix ? – tho’ the Vitamix is old and has a handmade wooden lid that doesn’t protect the tamper ?. Sooo…. HOW to enter for my own proper new Vitamix?
Thanks.
You can enter Vitamix giveaway by signing up for my email list! I’ll be crossing my fingers for you! :)
I would love to have a Vitamix. I was in Costco today and thought of you and your review, that I need to go back and watch again. They had the E320 for $279.
Thanks Sheena! I’m having a Vitamix giveaway so you should definitely signup for my email list and see if you can win! :)
Thanks so much for the tips!
I’ve been watching your channel & using your recipes for
several months now & enjoy everything! I have a reputation for rarely repeating the same recipe twice, but I find that I am turning to your channel and using your recipes many times… To the surprise and delight of my husband!
Thank you for all you do, Lisa.
Thanks, Jane! I appreciate the kind comments and I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes and channel! :)
This is a sign! I literally sent your other vitamix video to two people today because I want to purchase! I have been looking at Vitamix.com and YouTube all day trying to figure out which blender to purchase. I’ve been going back and forth with my budget because I really want the A3500! For you to upload this today I feel let’s me know I’m moving in the right directions! Love your vids and recipes! Thabks for superb content always!
Ha, It’s definitely a sign, Adisa! I’m giving away a free Vitamix, so make sure to sign up for my email list for more details. :)
Lisa, I love your channel and blog. I would so love to have a Vitamix in my own kitchen to make all of your yummy recipes :-) Congrats on the 500K
Thanks Diane! I appreciate the kind words and support. I’m having a giveaway for a free Vitamix, make sure to sign up to my email for more details. :)
I just got the little scraper to use when I make nut butter and hummus
Hi Martha – its one of my favorite tools! You’ll love it! :)
Lisa Thank very much for you tips on how to use vitamix, i just got me :-)
Thanks Angelica! And congrats on getting your first Vitamix! :)
Thank you for this post!! I want a Vitamix so badly. It is on my wish list and now I know how to maximize its use. Love your posts and you tube videos! I use so many of your recipes now!!?
You are so welcome, Lynne! I’m so glad you love my website and videos.And yes, I can’t express enough how much I love my Vitamix! :)