Whether you’re in your smoothie era, you’re eager to try that whipped feta dip you saw on TikTok or you have an idea for a pureed soup using up the produce in your fridge, the Splendor Blender by Our Place may be just the finishing touch your kitchen needs.
Our Place isn’t just a kitchenware brand for those looking to master an effortlessly Instagrammable countertop aesthetic; it’s for the aspiring or pro home cook who seeks convenience and ease while preparing meals. Do-it-all gear and gadgets are core to the Our Place ethos (think: the cult-favorite 10-in-1 Always Pan to the multifunctional Dream Cooker and Wonder Oven), but when it comes to the Splendor Blender there’s only question we have: Can it blend?
What we discovered is that this really, really pretty blender — it comes in four colorways: Steam, Char, Blue Salt and limited-edition Spice — is also quite powerful. Here’s exactly what you can expect from the $125, newly released blender and whether or not it’s a worthy investment for your unique needs.
Though its only power setting can come on a bit strong, Our Place's compact countertop blender makes quick work of pulverizing ingredients for smoothies and beyond, and looks good while doing it in four eye-catching, display-worthy colorways.
What we liked about it
It has a lightweight yet durable design
The Splendor Blender comes with a 750-milliliter blending vessel for larger smoothies that allows you to blend and sip from the same cup, Magic Bullet-style. Plus, for an added $65, you can grab the Everything Kit, which includes a 32-ounce pitcher for bigger meal prep jobs and a 450-milliliter vessel for smaller portions.
Also included: a smartly designed lid to help store your ingredients properly or to conveniently transport them. Its plastic material is also free of “forever chemicals,” such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), known to harm human health.
A heavy and cumbersome blending vessel adds unnecessary time and effort to your prep work, but not this one. Its pitcher, drinking and storage containers are all made of a featherlight plastic that’s as easy to handle as it is to store in a crowded cabinet. I’m no stranger to blenders that shatter on impact with other appliances in the cupboard or with the light tap of an egg (true story), but this one is built for the rough-and-tumble of kitchen experimentation and storing in cramped quarters.
It features intuitive controls
Older models make you play the guessing game when determining whether the pitcher is affixed firmly onto the base. That’s not the case here. A flashing light lets you know you still need to lock it in place in a clockwise fashion in order to safely operate the appliance, while a solid light lets you know you’re set to get blending.
The blend function begins a 45-second blend cycle, which, from my experience, is more than enough to emulsify your ingredients in one click. The pulse feature allows you to tack on extra time as you go, or you have the option of engaging it continuously to further break down your ingredients hands-free for a coarser texture. Three simple buttons help streamline your task while preventing a case of decision fatigue.
It’s extremely powerful
In less than 20 seconds, my smoothie blend of water, banana, frozen tropical fruits and protein powder was emulsified to near perfection. With other models I’ve tested from brands such as Cuisinart, Oster and Black+Decker, I’ve previously had to make several blending go-arounds to create an adequately smooth texture, which involved manually mixing and tasting as I went. Its 1,000W power output combined with six razor-sharp stainless steel blades worked wonders in whipping up a smooth and even-textured drink in record speeds.
After blending a cottage cheese avocado crema dip (don’t knock it till you try it), I was shocked at how fluffy and velvety it turned out with such little effort. The amount of money this device can help you save by DIY’ing your own gourmet sauces is pretty significant.
It’s the prettiest blender you’ll ever own
I’ve never owned a blender I actually wanted to display on my countertop. Between a clunky glass vessel to a been-there-done-that black and stainless steel design, blender fashion is anything but exciting. But with the Splendor Blender in the Spice colorway, I feel like I’m introducing Pantone’s 2024 Color of the Year, Peach Fuzz, into my kitchen as if I’m some sort of celebrity interior designer.
It features a curved silhouette like something I’ve seen in a living room end table I’ve been pining over for months, and its buttons are low profile enough to give it that sleek look we’re currently seeing across kitchen trends, from counter-depth fridges to appliance garages that conceal the presence of your belongings altogether. You won’t want to hide this appliance, though, because it’s both really easy on the eyes and something you’ll want to quickly access for nearly every meal.
What we didn’t like about it
It won’t replace other appliances like food processors
Whereas food processors work to chop, slice or blend using a wider horizontal space, the Splendor Blender is shaped taller and vertically, which will pose a challenge when blending larger chunks of food. When blending inch-wide cubes of roasted sweet potato for a brownie recipe (they were on sale, I couldn’t resist), I noticed the bottom half of the pitcher blended quickly while leaving large chunks on top virtually untouched. To blend everything evenly in one go as I did with my smoothie, I would have needed to add extra liquid to the recipe, which would have compromised its texture. If your recipe calls for enough liquid to generously cover the contents of your pitcher (the brand recommends using at least 25% liquid), by all means, proceed; however, if you’re working with dry or moist ingredients, opt for another appliance.
It’s a bit of a challenge to clean
Hand-washing the blender with soap and warm water proved to be a somewhat arduous task, though this isn’t so much a criticism of this blender itself but of blenders as a whole. The sides of the pitcher feature shallow grooves that will collect residue from your recipe, requiring you to go in with a long dish brush. Thankfully, you can remove the blade base to access the bottom portion of the pitcher in order to manually target those caked-on grooves.
Like any blender, however, the hand-washing method might also yield water stains if you’re air-drying it on a rack. I wouldn’t recommend cleaning the blade base by hand, though, since it’s incredibly sharp.
That said, you can certainly add water and a dash of dish soap to the blender to self-clean, or pop the device in the dishwasher on the top rack except for the blender base, which relies on electricity.
It’s powerful — to a fault
Unlike certain blender models from brands such as Vitamix and KitchenAid that feature variable speed levels, this one goes guns blazing at first click. This unnecessarily introduced lots of air into each recipe without the option of blending gradually and with control. Additionally, it caused the motor to heat up and elicit a rubbery smell on a few occasions. I noticed some of this heat transferred into my avocado crema recipe, which gave it a lukewarm temperature that didn’t fare well with the refreshing zesty vibe I was going for.
Additionally, this level of strength caused the unit to move unassisted on my countertop, despite the presence of a grippy silicone base. While it shifted around 2 to 3 inches diagonally, I wouldn’t say it’s a deal breaker for the average user since this type of “behavior” is common among blenders; plus, it’s a testament to the sheer power of its motor. However, if you have young children or pets, or if you plan to use the blender on a narrow countertop or ledge, definitely use extra precautions or hold it down manually to secure it in place. And, as with any blender, always keep a close eye on it while it’s in use.
Bottom line
If you’re still looking for your next dream blender to help you stay on the pulse of TikTok dip trends, breakfast smoothies and soups to warm your cold winter heart, the Splendor Blender is an aesthetically pleasing option that delivers on power.
While there are certainly cheaper blenders on the market (we love the Ninja Professional Plus Blender With Auto-iQ with plenty of presets at just a couple bucks less or the personal Magic Bullet for a fraction of the cost), you can’t put a price on a really ridiculously good-looking blender that works like a charm.
