You Just Got a Fancy Blender ... Make These 14 Recipes!

Whether you were gifted a new blender by a loved one or yourself, these 14 recipes are a perfect place to put their power to good work—from the best homemade mayonnaise you'll ever make to quick and easy "nice" creams, smooth and creamy vegan sauces to classic French crepes.

Swiss chard, lemon, and parmesan pasta heaped in a low bowl. — Alison Bickel

If you recently became a proud owner of a fancy blender (Vitamix or otherwise), congratulations! A blender is a powerful, transformative tool in any home kitchen and can help you make so many different things, from fabulous soups to quick desserts, velvety sauces to your favorite morning smoothies. In case you're new to blender ownership or it's been awhile since your previous one had to be retired, we've compiled these 14 recipes to put your new one to work spanning the gamut from breakfast through to dessert.

Before you dive right in and get that blender spinning, double check that you know how to properly filling your blender. We also have a pro tip for a super simple and easy way to wash your blender after you use it, so don't miss that either!

1. Banana Nice Cream

Banana Nice Cream Variations in Three Small Bowls Next to Two Spoons and a Kitchen Towel — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

"Basic vanilla nice cream is fantastic, but once you’ve savored that, try making chocolate, peanut butter, strawberry, or whatever your heart desires." —Robin Asbell, Simply Recipes Contributor

2. Vegan Queso

Plated Creamy vegan queso recipe — Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

"I find that the combination of carrots and Yukon gold potatoes make for the most cheese-like flavor and texture in this recipe, but you can sub in other vegetables too, if you like. Russet potatoes or sweet potatoes can stand in for the gold potatoes, and you can use cauliflower, yellow beet, or parsnip in place of the carrot." —Coco Morante, Simply Recipes Contributor

3. Easy Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)

Easy Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo) in a Bowl — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

"This recipe calls for a room-temperature egg. If you don't plan ahead (that would be me, usually) you can put the egg in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to gently take off the chill of the fridge." —Elise

4. Easy Pasta with Winter Greens

"Any pasta shape will work here. My preference is for fat, fun shapes like rigatoni, but the smooth texture of the sauce works with many shapes like orecchiette, pappardelle, and spaghetti." —Laurel Randolph, Simply Recipes Senior Editor

5. French Crêpes

"Experiment with adding other flours, such as a combination of white and whole wheat flour. Savory crêpes from Brittany are traditionally made with buckwheat flour! You may need to adjust the quantity of milk when working with whole grain flours to get the right consistency." —Sally

6. Homemade Mayonnaise

homemade mayo on a wooden spoon — Alison Bickel

"There’s not much of a difference between whole-egg mayos and yolk-only ones, so I prefer to use the whole egg." —Sara Bir, Simply Recipes Senior Editor

7. Easy Tomato Soup

A bowl of tomato soup with bread on the side for dipping — Alison Bickle

"This soup uses flour to help thicken it a bit. If you are gluten-free, skip the flour, and instead mix together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water. Stir it into the soup when you bring it to a boil, and let it simmer." —Summer Miller, Simply Recipes Contributor

8. 5-Minute Chocolate Mousse

5-minute mousse in a cup with some whipped cream and shaved chocolate pieces — Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

"You don’t really need to add any toppings to the mousse, but a dollop of whipped cream and some chocolate shavings are a nice option if you’d like to fancy it up a bit." —Coco

9. Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce

Blender Hollandaise Sauce in a white bowl with sauce dripping off of a spoon. — Cambrea Bakes

"If the butter is only barely warm, it won’t heat the yolks enough to thicken the sauce. If the sauce is emulsified but too thin, pour the sauce into the pot you melted the butter in and heat over low heat, whisking constantly until it gets more body." —Elise Bauer, Simply Recipes Founder

10. The Creamiest Vegan Pasta

Pan of Super Creamy Vegan Pasta Topped with Parsley and Some Wrapped Around a Pair of Tongs. Next to the Pan, Two Bowls of Ingredients (One: Cashews and Two: Nutritional Yeast) — Simply Recipes / Micah Siva

"Be sure to purchase cashews that are unsalted. Oftentimes, recipes require soaking cashews overnight to soften, but I prefer to boil them in a plant-based milk to soften them in just 10 minutes!" —Micah Siva, Simply Recipes Contributor

11. Horchata

A large mason jar of easy homemade horchata with a cinnamon stick inside is in front of a similar glass and a pitcher of homemade horchata. A small bowl of rice and cinnamon sticks are to the left. — Marta Rivera

"If you’re lactose intolerant, keep your stomach happy by replacing the sweetened condensed milk with lactose-free condensed milk. If, however, you stick to a vegan diet, a condensed coconut milk may be substituted with the understanding that the flavor of the rice may be weakened." —Marta Rivera, Simply Recipes Contributor

12. Creamy Pumpkin Soup

"If you'd like it to be a little thinner, just stir in some extra broth or water. Taste to check the seasonings again, and add more salt if needed." —Elise

13. Green Goddess Pasta Salad

Bowl of Green Goddess Pasta Salad — Simply Recipes / Lori Rice

"This recipe calls for medium shells, but you can use any type of short pasta shape you have available, like gemelli, farfalle, penne, orecchiette, rigatoni, or fusilli." —Devan Grimsrud, Simply Recipes Contributor

14. Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Simple peanut butter banana smoothie topped with sliced bananas and a bunch of bananas and a small container of peanut butter behind it. — Alison Bickel

"Making this smoothie with a frozen banana is key. The banana lends natural sweetness, and when frozen, does wonders for the texture." —Katie Morford, Simply Recipes Contributor