After years (and years) of yearning for a high-performance blender — to make really smooth soups, quick sauces and marinades, nut butters and milks, and of course smoothies — I finally got one.
Based on my research, I picked the Optimum 9400 blender, distributed by Australian company Froothie, as an alternative to the better-known Vitamix or Blendtec. It’s a vortex blender that’s just as high-performing, if not more so, and the 2-liter (2-quart) jug works for both dry and liquid ingredients.
I have been so happy with it I entered into a partnership with the brand and have a discount to offer. If you’re interested in buying a Froothie blender for yourself, use promo code CD-Optimum-Blender-20 to get $20 off your purchase of the Optimum 9400 or 9200A on the US store.
The same code will get you 20€ off on the French site, the Belgian site, or the Luxembourg site. You’ll get 15 CHF off on the Swiss site.
For my Canadian friends, the code is CD-Optimum-Blender-25 and you’ll get CA$25 off on the Canadian site.
Here’s my detailed review of the Optimum 9400 blender by Froothie:
Multiple uses of the Optimum 9400
I use the blender almost every day, to:
• Makes smoothies with fruits and vegetables, for myself and my children, such as this Green Smoothie Bowl. See also: My best tips for smoothies.
• Make super smoooooth soups, such as this Fennel Soup with Lime and Cashew Cream.
• Make nut butters — I make my own Nutella, coconut butter, and also this Crunchy, Lightly Salted Almond Butter.
• Mix dips and spreads in the blink of an eye, such as this Hummus.
• Make my own non-dairy milks after soaking, blending, and straining nuts and/or grains, to make oat milk, rice milk, almond milk, cashew milk…
• Prepare all sorts of raw recipes, such as these Raw Buckwheat Crackers or my Homemade Lärabars.
• Make ice cream without an ice cream machine, such as this Instant Banana Sorbet.
• Mix muffin batter and cake batter in a flash, with just the pitcher to clean.
• Crush ice for cocktails and summer lemonade!
Here’s a video that shows me using the Froothie Optimum 9400 blender in my Paris kitchen!
Why I love my Optimum 9400 blender
• The large capacity of the pitcher means I can blend a whole batch of soup in one go. A single pitcher works for both dry and liquid ingredients (unlike in competing models).
• It is tall, but doesn’t take much space on the counter, which means I can keep it out for daily use.
• It is really impressively powerful and you get really really smooth results.
• I love to see the vortex form in the middle and crush everything in its wake. At full speed, it’s so fun to witness. (Yes, I am a kitchen dork.)
• The blender has many, many uses (see above) that make my life easier daily, and justify the investment.
• Cleanup is super easy (see below).
Cleanup
Cleaning the blender after using it is a very quick process. To get as much as I can out of that tall jug, I use one of my beautiful tasting spoon from Earlywood, which have a long handle but a small bowl, and are therefore perfect for the job. Then, I just press a drop of dish soap into the jug, half-fill it with hot water, and run the blender on high for a few seconds. Pour out, rinse — you’re done!
The negative
There are two minuses I want to draw your attention to; they are in fact related to the nature of a blender and not specific to this model:
• When the preparation is a bit too thick and a bit too dry, the blades have trouble “catching” it. Depending on the recipe, you have to scrape it back toward the center, or add some liquid so a vortex can actually form in the mixture.
• At full speed, the blender is loud for those around you (I find I’m not bothered by it myself because I’m the one in control). Not great at dawn, or when the kids are napping.
Technical Specifications
Here are the characteristics that convinced me:
• 2,611-watt blender,
• 6 stainless steel blades,
• A single 2-liter (2-quart) jug that works for both dry and liquid ingredients,
• 9 speeds for fine control,
• A security system that switches off the motor if it’s overheating.
To learn more about the blender, check the product page and view some videos on the official YouTube channel.
And if you want to buy one for yourself or for a loved one (what a fabulous gift!), don’t forget to use my exclusive Froothie promo code CD-Optimum-Blender-20 (CD-Optimum-Blender-25 for Canada). Details at the top of this review!
