The Vitamix Explorian E310 is a straightforward full-size blender. It's one of Vitamix's cheaper blenders with simple controls and without any automatic blending programs. Its 48-ounce capacity is smaller than most Vitamix blenders, but it's dishwasher-safe and comes with a two-part lid and tamper.
Our Verdict
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is remarkable for multi-purpose use. It does an amazing job at blending smoothies, is exceptional at crushing ice, and can even blend hot foods like soups. It also looks and feels extremely well-built, making it a superb choice for professional use.
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Remarkable build quality.
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10 speed settings.
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Creates well-blended smoothies in under a minute.
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Outstanding at making smoothies, soups and bar-quality ice.
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Bulky design.
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Non-removable blades makes cleaning difficult with stickier messes.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is fantastic for single-serving smoothies. It can make an extremely smooth puree of fibrous ingredients in its main jar, even if you're working with small batches, so it's very well-suited for blending a personal smoothie with fruit or leafy greens. It also easily crushes ice. However, some people may prefer a blender with a smaller jar for blending single-serves.
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10 speed settings.
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Creates well-blended smoothies in under a minute.
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Bulky design.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is excellent for multiple smoothie servings. If you fill the jar to its full 48-ounce capacity, it does a fantastic job of making a smooth blend with fibrous ingredients like kale. Some blenders, like the Vitamix A2500, can produce a similar result faster, but it's a minor difference. It also makes snow-like crushed ice, meaning you can use it for frozen drinks like slushies. It's very well-built and easy to clean.
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10 speed settings.
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Creates well-blended smoothies in under a minute.
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Bulky design.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is impressive for crushing ice. In under 30 seconds, it crushed ice that was nearly snow-like and had no chunks left over. The blender also looks and feels remarkably durable, so it should have no problem blending ice for longer periods.
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Remarkable build quality.
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10 speed settings.
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Outstanding at crushing ice.
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Creates well-blended smoothies in under a minute.
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Bulky design.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is amazing for making soups. It can hot blend and quickly make an extremely smooth blend with fibrous ingredients. Its large jar means you can make a lot of soup at once, and it's easy to clean by hand. You can also clean the jar and its lid in the dishwasher.
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10 speed settings.
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Works with hot liquids.
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Creates well-blended smoothies in under a minute.
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Large jar.
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Bulky design.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is excellent for professional use. It looks and feels remarkably well-built, so it should have no problem being used all day, and its main jar has a large capacity. This blender makes outstanding smoothies and nut butter and easily crushes ice. Some blenders can process fibrous ingredients a bit faster, however.
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Remarkable build quality.
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10 speed settings.
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Creates well-blended smoothies in under a minute.
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Outstanding at making smoothies, soups and bar-quality ice.
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Bulky design.
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Non-removable blades makes cleaning difficult with stickier messes.
- 9.2 Multi-Purpose
- 9.1 Smoothies (Single Serving)
- 8.7 Smoothies (Multiple Servings)
- 8.4 Ice Crushing
- 8.8 Soups
- 8.8 Professional Use
- Updated Oct 02, 2024: Compared it to the Vitamix Ascent X2 in jar capacity.
- Updated Sep 19, 2024: We've updated the results to more accurately reflect the blender's performance. The score for Fibrous Ingredients (Full Capacity) processing changed from 9.5 to 8.5 because of the blending time.
- Updated Mar 20, 2024: Compared its design to the Blendtec Total Blender Classic's in cleaning.
- Updated May 09, 2023: Compared its controls and programs programs with those of the Vitamix Propel 510.
- Updated Dec 02, 2022: Added the Ninja Chef Blender as an example of a blender that has blending programs.
- Updated Sep 26, 2022: Revised text due to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Jul 28, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated May 25, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Mar 26, 2021: We've retested 'Almond Butter', but the scoring of this box hasn't changed.
- Updated Sep 08, 2020: The smoothie tests layout has been modified.
- Updated Sep 08, 2020: Review published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Vitamix Explorian E310 comes in a few different colors and is sometimes sold with different accessories. We tested the E310 variant in 'Black' that comes with a tamper. We expect our results to be valid for the other color variants, but we don't know how the bigger 64-ounce main jar or 20-ounce personal jars may affect the blender's performance. The E320 model also has a longer warranty and seems exclusive to Costco and Amazon.
| Model | Main Jar | Accessories | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|
| E310 |
48 ounces |
Tamper |
Black, Red, Slate |
| E310 | 48 ounces |
Tamper |
Black, Red, Slate |
| E310 |
48 ounces |
Tamper |
Black, Red, Slate |
| E320 |
64-ounce |
Tamper |
Black |
If you come across another model or your blender is different, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Blenders
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is a very well-built blender. It can easily process fibrous ingredients and hard ingredients like nuts and ice cubes, and it can hot blend. Its main jar is small for a full-size blender. Compared with other Vitamix blenders, it has a more basic design. It's not Bluetooth-compatible like the Vitamix A3300 or Vitamix A2500 and can't 'self-detect' what size of jar you're using.
If you want other options, check out our lists of the best Vitamix blenders, the best blenders for smoothies, and the best blenders.
The Vitamix A3500 is better than the Vitamix Explorian E310. The A3500 has a bigger capacity, a better ice-crushing performance, and processes big batches of fibrous ingredients faster. It's quieter and has more features, including blending programs and a programmable timer. On the other hand, the Explorian is more compact and lighter. Its smaller 48-ounce main jar is a bit easier to use to make nut butter and just as good for processing small batches, like for a single-serve smoothie.
The Vitamix 5200 is a little better than the Vitamix Explorian E310. They perform similarly, but the 5200 has a bigger capacity. It's a bit quieter when it's running and has a much longer power cord. However, its jar and lid are not dishwasher-safe, unlike the Explorian's. The Explorian can also process fibrous ingredients faster.
The Vitamix 7500 is a bit better than the Vitamix Explorian E310. It's slightly better built and has a bigger 64-ounce capacity. It's better for ice-crushing and much quieter when it's running. The Explorian is better suited for making nut butter and is better at processing small batches of fibrous ingredients for recipes like single-serve smoothies. Unlike the 7500, its jar and lid are also dishwasher-safe.
The Vitamix A2300 has more extra features than the Vitamix Explorian E310. The A2300 has a programmable timer and a digital blending time indicator, and it works with a companion app. It has a bigger capacity and does a better job of crushing ice, processes big batches of fibrous ingredients faster, and is quieter when running. On the other hand, the Explorian's controls just consist of a speed dial. Its 48-ounce main jar is more suitable for blending small batches of fibrous ingredients when making something like a single-serve smoothie.
The Vitamix A2500 and the Vitamix Explorian E310 have different strengths. The A2500 has a bigger capacity and more features, like a digital display and automatic blending programs. It's quieter. However, the Explorian performs better for certain uses. It blends small batches of fibrous ingredients much more efficiently. It's also significantly easier to use for thicker recipes like nut butter.
For most purposes, the Vitamix Propel 510 is better than the Vitamix Explorian E310. The Propel is smaller and quieter, has a few automatic blending programs, and has a longer power cord. It processes big batches of fibrous ingredients faster and has a better ice-crushing performance.
The main difference between the Vitamix 5300 and the Vitamix Explorian E310 is that the 5300 has a bigger 64-ounce capacity. You may also prefer the 5300 if you want an extra-long power cord. Otherwise, it does a better job of crushing ice and processing big batches of fibrous ingredients. The Explorian processes small batches quicker and makes smoother nut butter, but the differences in performance are pretty minor.
You may prefer either the Vitamix Explorian E310 or the Vitamix Explorian E520. The biggest difference is their capacity: the E520 has a 64-ounce jar, and the E310 has a 48-ounce jar. The E520 is a bit better suited for processing large batches of fibrous ingredients and ice-crushing. It also has a few automatic blending programs and a pair of tumblers with straws. They're meant for serving drinks like smoothies, but you can't use them for blending, unlike the personal jars that usually come with blenders. On the other hand, the E310 a much better choice for processing small batches of fibrous ingredients, like for a single-serve smoothie.
The Vitamix Professional Series 750 and the Vitamix Explorian E310 have different strengths. The 750 has a bigger 64-ounce capacity and includes a few automatic blending programs on its control dial. It's better at crushing ice and blends bigger batches of fibrous ingredients faster. On the other hand, the Explorian is better for small batches, like for a single-serve smoothie.
The Vitamix A3300 is a bit better than the Vitamix Explorian E310. The A3300 has a bigger capacity and is a little better for ice-crushing. It's also much quieter when it's running and has a few automatic blending programs and a programmable timer. On the other hand, the Explorian is better for processing small batches of fibrous ingredients, like for single-serve smoothies.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 has a slight edge in performance over the Braun TriForce Power Blender. Both are well-built and versatile, but the Explorian is better for blending big batches of fibrous ingredients, is a little easier to use for recipes like nut butter, and is easier to clean by hand. However, they perform similarly overall, and the Braun's controls include several automatic blending programs. It's sold with a 20-oz personal jar included.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is a better blender than the KitchenAid K400. The Vitamix is better built and much easier to use for recipes like nut butter. Its smaller jar is better suited for blending small batches, like a single-serve smoothie. It comes with a tamper and has a wider range of speed settings. It's also easier to clean by hand. However, the KitchenAid K400 has a slightly bigger capacity and a few automatic blending programs.
For most purposes, the Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the Hamilton Beach Professional Quiet Blender. The Vitamix has better build quality and a much larger capacity, and it does a better job of making nut butter and processing small batches of fibrous ingredients. That said, true to its name, the Hamilton Beach is much quieter when it's running. It's easier to clean by hand and has automatic blending programs.
For most purposes, the Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the Blendtec Classic 575. The Vitamix has a significantly better build quality. It's also better at processing small batches of fibrous ingredients and much better for making thick mixtures like nut butter. On the other hand, the Blendtec has a bigger capacity and does a slightly better job of crushing ice.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 and the Blendtec Designer 725 have different strengths, and you may prefer either, depending on your needs. The Vitamix can hot blend and does a much better job of processing thick mixtures like nut butter. It makes a smoother blend with fibrous ingredients. On the other hand, the Blendtec's main pitcher has a much bigger 90-ounce capacity, and you may prefer it because it also comes with a personal jar and to-go lid for single-serve smoothies.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the KitchenAid K150. The Vitamix makes a smoother blend with fibrous ingredients, is better for crushing ice, and is better suited for tough tasks like making nut butter. It has more speed settings and is easier to clean by hand. On the other hand, the KitchenAid blender is smaller and quieter.
For most purposes, the Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the Blendtec Total Blender Classic. The Explorian is much sturdier and makes a smoother blend with small batches of fibrous ingredients in less time. It's also much easier to use for recipes like nut butter and hummus. The Explorian is quieter but still very loud overall. On the other hand, the Total Blender makes more uniformly crushed ice. It has several automatic blending programs.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is better for most purposes than the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ. The Vitamix has a much better build quality and performs better for most uses, including processing fibrous ingredients and hard food like nuts. You can also use it to blend hot ingredients. On the other hand, the Ninja is a little better for crushing ice and comes with a bigger 72-ounce pitcher.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is a better blender than the Hamilton Beach Power Elite Multi-Function. It has a much better build quality and a significantly better performance, especially for tough tasks like making nut butter and crushing ice.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is a bit better than the Breville The Q. The Vitamix has a better build quality, offers a wider range of speed settings, and is easier to use to process small batches of fibrous ingredients, making it more suitable for single-serve smoothies. On the other hand, the Breville has a bigger capacity and is easier to clean by hand. Some may prefer it because it's much quieter when it's running and has automatic blending programs.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ for most purposes. The Vitamix has a much better build quality and can blend hot ingredients for soups and sauces. It's much better for processing big batches of fibrous ingredients and making nut butter. On the other hand, the Ninja is quieter and has automatic blending programs. It comes with personal jars for single-serve smoothies, although the Vitamix is still better at processing small batches of fibrous ingredients.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is better for most purposes than the Ninja TWISTi High-Speed Blender DUO. It has a better build quality, a larger capacity, and a better performance when processing fibrous ingredients, nut butter, and ice. It can process hot ingredients. On the other hand, the TWISTi comes with a personal jar with a to-go lid for smoothies.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the Ninja Professional Blender 1000. The Vitamix has a significantly better build quality and a more versatile performance since it can hot blend. It's better at processing small and big batches of fibrous ingredients and is easier to use to make nut butter. It's also much easier to clean by hand. However, the Ninja is quieter and does a slightly better job crushing ice in its main pitcher.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is a better blender than the Ninja Mega Kitchen System. It has a better build quality and can achieve a smoother blend with fibrous ingredients like kale and hard ingredients like nuts. It's also safe for hot blending and easier to clean by hand. On the other hand, the Ninja comes with personal jars that you can use to blend silky single-serve smoothies. Its 72-ounce main pitcher is also slightly better for ice-crushing.
For most purposes, the Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the Blendtec Chef 600. The Vitamix has a significantly better build quality and can make a much smoother blend with hard ingredients like nuts. That said, the Blendtec's pitcher has a bigger capacity, and its ice-crushing performance is somewhat better.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the Breville the Fresh & Furious for most purposes. The Vitamix has a better build quality and performs better when processing fibrous ingredients, making nut butter, and crushing ice. You can also use it to process hot ingredients. The Breville is much quieter when running and has a few automatic blending programs, which you may prefer to the Vitamix's speed dial.
For most purposes, the Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the Ninja Chef Blender. The blenders perform similarly, but the Vitamix has a significantly better build quality. It's also quieter, although both blenders are on the loud side. You may prefer the Ninja if you want features like automatic blending programs and a programmable timer. Its main jar also has a larger capacity.
The Vitamix Ascent X2 and the Vitamix Explorian E310 have different strengths. The X2 has a better build quality, and its controls include automatic blending programs. It's much quieter. The Explorian manages some blends a bit faster, like ice-crushing and blending fibrous ingredients.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the Vitamix ONE. Unlike the ONE, the Explorian can blend hot ingredients, make snow-like crushed ice, and produce smooth nut butter. It also has a bigger capacity and a significantly better build quality.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is a better full-size blender than the Ninja Blender Duo with Auto-iQ BL642. The Vitamix is much better at processing ingredients like kale in its main jar. It's also easier to use for tough tasks like making nut butter. You can use it for hot blending, and it's easier to clean by hand. On the other hand, you may prefer the Ninja because it comes with personal jars for blending single-serve smoothies. Its main pitcher has a bigger capacity and is a little better for crushing ice.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is a better blender than the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201. The Vitamix is better built and makes a much smoother puree of fibrous ingredients. It can hot blend and is easier to use for tough recipes like nut butter.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is a better full-size blender than the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher System. The Vitamix has a much better build quality and makes a smoother blend with fibrous ingredients. It's safe to use for hot blending and has a much wider range of speed settings. On the other hand, the Ninja comes with more extra accessories, including a personal jar for single-serve smoothies and a dough blade for forming dough.
For most purposes, the Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender. The Vitamix is better built and does a better job of processing fibrous ingredients and making nut butter. It's easier to clean by hand and is dishwasher-safe. On the other hand, the Ninja's main jar has a bigger capacity. It offers many automatic blending programs, while the Vitamix only has a speed dial. It's also a better choice for crushing ice.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the Ninja DUO. The Vitamix has a significantly better build quality. It makes a smoother puree with large batches of fibrous ingredients and can hot blend, so it's much better for recipes like soup. It's more suitable for blending hard ingredients like nuts and is easier to clean by hand. The Ninja DUO's main pitcher has a bigger 72-ounce capacity and comes with a pair of 20-ounce jars for making single-serve smoothies.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is a better blender than the Ninja Smart Screen. The Vitamix has a better build quality, is easier to clean by hand, and makes a much smoother blend with fibrous ingredients like kale. On the other hand, the Ninja has the edge when it comes to crushing ice, and its main pitcher has a bigger capacity.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is a better full-size blender than the KitchenAid Diamond. The Vitamix has a significantly better build quality and overall performance, and it gives you more control over the blending speed. However, the KitchenAid is quieter when running and has a bigger 60-ounce capacity.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the NutriBullet Blender Combo. Both blenders are well-suited for recipes like smoothies, but the Explorian can process big batches of kale smoothies or broccoli soup faster. It's much sturdier and more versatile since it can hot blend and crush ice. On the other hand, the NutriBullet comes with personal jars for blending single-serve smoothies. Its main pitcher has a bigger capacity as well.
Test Results
The Vitamix E310 is a big blender. It's tall, so you may need to store it on your kitchen counter if you don't have room in a spacious cupboard. You can remove the jar for easier storage, however.
The Vitamix E310 has a fantastic build quality. Similar to the Vitamix A2500, it's made of metal and plastic that feels very sturdy. There aren't any noticeable flaws in the build, and it looks and feels very premium and high-end.
It comes with a 48-oz jar, like the higher-end 'X' series Vitamix blenders, like the Vitamix Ascent X2. While most Vitamix blenders come with 64-oz jars that are better for big batches, the 48-oz jar is easier to use for recipes like nut butter.
The jar and lid are made of plastic, and both are dishwasher-safe.
This blender has four sharp blades that you aren't meant to remove. While you could remove the blade assembly, doing so would void the warranty. On the bright side, the jar is dishwasher-safe to make cleaning a bit easier.
The lid has two tabs that clip onto the jar to help it stay in place. The middle part is removable, which gives you a fairly big opening to use the tamper that comes with the blender or add ingredients mid-blend. It's also dishwasher-safe. Some other Vitamix models, like the Vitamix Venturist V1200, have similar lids that are made of clear plastic, so you can see down into the blender while it's running.
The Vitamix E310's thick power cord is long enough to reach most outlets near your counter. While it has a stowaway compartment to hide the cable when not in use, it can be a bit difficult to stow it properly.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is superb for blending small batches of fibrous ingredients. It makes a very silky, grain-free puree with ingredients like kale in under a minute. It's a very easy process, and there's no need to use the tamper.
It's also fantastic for processing fibrous ingredients at full capacity. If you use the jar's 48-ounce capacity, it makes a perfectly smooth puree with ingredients like kale. There's no need to use the tamper either, so it's an easy process. A few blenders we've tested, like the KitchenAid K400 or the Vitamix Venturist V1200, achieve an equally smooth texture faster.
This blender is exceptional at crushing ice. It creates mostly snow-like ice quickly, with just a few wet icy patches. You need to pulse manually at the beginning for the best results.
It's fantastic for making nut butter. It makes remarkably smooth nut butter that's easy to spread on toast. It's an easy process since it doesn't take very long or much effort. You just need to use the tamper to stir the ingredients for the best results.
It's a loud blender. It makes a lot more noise than other Vitamix models like the Vitamix A2500, and standing next to it for more than a few minutes will be annoying.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 offers a wide range of speed settings, like most Vitamix blenders, so you can easily fine-tune the speed.
This blender has a speed dial with indications for speeds 1-10, but it rotates smoothly without set increments, meaning you can make small speed adjustments. There's also a switch for pulse mode and on/off. However, unlike similar models, like the Vitamix Explorian E520 and the Vitamix Propel 510, it doesn't have any blending programs.
The Vitamix E310 is easy to clean. A quick blend with water and a few drops of soap in the jar takes care of most liquid ingredients. Unfortunately, it can be a bit tricky to clean under the blades. You may need to use some cleaning tool, especially if you've worked with sticky ingredients like nut butter. If you're looking for a blender that's easier to clean by hand, you might prefer the Blendtec Total Blender Classic, which has blunt blades.