9 Creative Ways to Use Your Blender ...

Perhaps one of the most popular and useful ways to use your blender is to make a mean batch of hot and steamy soup! I like to toss whatever ingredients I want into my soup straight in the blender. In just minutes I have a thick, hearty, slightly sweet and amazingly savory soup that hits the spot every single time. You can make any kind of soup you want in your blender from fresh or canned ingredients. If you have a Blendtec, you can even use the soup button, and the blender actually cooks your soup as it blends it, or you can use a household blender, and just pour the ingredients into your pot and heat until warmed.

You can also make homemade vegetable broth in your blender the same way you make soup. Just add whatever ingredients you want in your broth, and blend. Then strain through a colander, or even a nut milk bag. I like to use a whole onion, 2 cloves of garlic, mushrooms, a red bell pepper, 2 carrots, 3 stalks of sea salt, and black pepper. Just add the ingredients to 6 cups of water, or however many cups you’d like, then blend and strain.

Salsa is my jam you guys! Okay, maybe not my “jam” like the jelly kind of jam, but you know what I mean! Salsa is my favorite condiment, and for years I bought the shelf kind, until I made my own. Now, I make one huge batch in my blender, and I can have it whenever I want. Plus it’s easy to put in mason jars too for easy keeping. I use two 15 ounce cans of Muir Glen fire-roasted organic canned tomatoes, 2 pieces of fresh cilantro (stems removed), 1 red bell pepper seeded, juice from 2 limes, ¼ of an onion, 1 garlic clove, and black pepper. Then just puree or pulse if you like yours chunky, and ta-da! Easy, flavorful salsa whenever you want it! You can also use fresh tomatoes for this if you like, and I’d use about 6 roma tomatoes here or 4 large regular tomatoes in place of the canned.

Homemade tea is a delightful treat in the summer or winter. It's made from nothing more than water and your favorite herbs, roots, or flowers. For example, I like to take lavender, ginger, and chamomile to make my own tea for bedtime, and I simply just blend, strain, and heat. Or, you can use anything such as peppermint leaves, spearmint leaves, lemon peels, orange peels, cinnamon sticks, rose petals, etc. The possibilities are endless. Homemade teas are one of the most unconventional ways to use your blender, but truly one of the absolute best!

In the summer, I’m sure you’re not in the mood for hot soups or hot tea, so how about some superfood fruit sorbet instead? Sorbet is an easy to mix fruit puree that’s the best replacement for ice cream you can get your hands on. Did I mention it’s dairy-free and low calorie? If you need a bit of healthy protein, you could always add in some yogurt to make it more like ice cream, whether you use a vegan blend, or a milk-based yogurt. Just be sure to use the frozen setting, or add a bit more liquid to your blender to get it going. If you have a Vitamix, use the tamper.

Have you caught onto the homemade coconut butter trend yet? Oh my. This rich, indulgent, pure white butter is the next best thing to heaven on a spoon, I tell ya! It is so good, you just have to try it. I make homemade coconut butter in my blender with 2 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Then just blend on high and use the tamper with the Vitamix, or just use the high setting on the Blendtec. This won’t work in a homemade blender in this large of a batch, but it may work in smaller batches. In about 2 minutes, you have a thick, rich coconut butter you can use on oatmeal, in smoothies, or just eat it right off the spoon!

You can use just about any type of blender to make salad dressings, and if you’re not already taking advantage of this way to use your blender, make it priority this spring and summer. Homemade salad dressings are so much healthier than storebought, and they’re really so much tastier.

Homemade nut milks are so easy to make in your blender, and one of the more popular uses for blenders today. All you do is just blend 1 cup of nuts per 3 cups of water, any sweeteners you want like a date, honey or stevia, and you might want to even add in some salt or cinnamon. Just strain them through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag over a large bowl, and pour into a sealed continer like a mason jar. It will keep in the fridge about 3 days. You can use it for cereal, oatmeal, smoothies, coffee, tea, or just drink it straight. It's so sweet, rich, and creamy, and also very economical per serving.

Okay, now this is one of my more creative recipes when I was out of the real deal. I used to use a dairy-free creamer in my coffee, but now I use this version. Plus, it’s really easy and takes no more than 2 minutes. You can even keep it in your fridge as the almond milk is in good date. I take a whole carton of unsweeetened almond milk, 2 tablespoons of alcohol-free vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon pure stevia. Then, just blend, and keep in the fridge like you would almond milk. It’s really like a more flavorful milk, but it makes a delicious coffee creamer that’s a little more potent in flavor.

My Blendtec blender is by far my favorite blender of choice, and perhaps my greatest kitchen asset. I even use it more than my stove since it does so much. You can make anything from homemade flours, nut butters, baby food, sauces, purees, batters, and just about anything else you want in the blender. Have you ever used your blender in a different way besides smoothies and shakes?