Blending Hot Foods in a Blender
A blender can be a useful tool, but blending hot foods can be dangerous. Here’s how to safely blend hot foods in a blender.
A blender can be a useful tool in the kitchen and is great for making salad dressings, smoothies, homemade applesauce, healthy waffle batter, and much more.
However, it is important to understand that blending hot foods, such as soup or homemade applesauce, in a blender can be dangerous and can cause severe burns if certain precautions are not taken.
When hot food is inside your blender and you put a lid on top, it heats up the air above between the food and the blender lid, and causes pressure to build up in the blender jar. This pressure can actually cause the top to blow right off as hot food explodes out the top of the blender jar.
NEVER blend hot foods in a blender without following these safely instructions!
How to Blend Hot Foods Safely
1. Fill the blender jar only one-third to one-half full.
Filling the jar more than halfway can cause too much steam to build up and can blow the lid off the blender.
2. Remove center piece (feeder cap) of blender lid.
3. Place the blender lid (minus the feeder cap) securely on the blender.
4. Cover the blender lid with a clean kitchen towel. (I like to use one that is folded to be just slightly larger than the blender lid.)
The hot steam needs an easy escape route (through the feeder cap and then through and out the edges of the towel) once the blender is turned on so that pressure doesn’t build.
5. Hold the lid on securely and start blending on lowest speed.
Gradually increase speed as needed.
Following these instructions can help prevent severe burns; but please still use extreme caution when blending hot foods!!!
Update: The new Blendtec blender has a special lid that vents steam pressure without needing to remove the center part. It seems to work very well, but still use caution.
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I’m glad you posted this! I just got the Aldi version of a Vitamix or Blendtec and tried making my bulletproof coffee in it this morning & made a HUGE mess!! It was probably around 8-12 oz. of coffee in a 64 oz. blender jar, but it still blew the top off! I knew you couldn’t fill a blender jar with hot liquid, but this was a small amount and still made a huge HOT MESS!! I will try taking the center piece out and see if that works. Thanks!
Oh no! The steam can really build up and make quite an explosive mess : ) No fun cleaning up!
Be careful even when you take the center piece out; the steam can burn you.
Best wishes.
Jennifer
i’m glad your posted about this, I was making soup and after the soup cool off i pour it in the the blender and the blender over heated, top exploded all over my face my chest and my hand, i had second degree burns.
Please be careful
STAY WELL
MARY
Thanks for your article. Like Kathleen above, I’d like to blend my bullet proof coffee. I also need a blender to handle smoothies. We originally used a NutriBullet and the coffee destroyed it in about a month. Nutribullet now says to not put any hot liquids in any of their models….SO, we are looking for a blender under $200 that will take care of hot and cold with at least 1000 watts. I’m open for suggestions.
The Ninja (BL642) blender is 1500 watts, but when I tried it, it could not get my waffle batter or sauces smooth.
I’ve heard that the Oster VERSA (1400 watts) and the Dash Chef Series (1400 watts) are very good blenders, but I haven’t tried them.
Jennifer, you rock!! You just saved me from a future of endless frustration and stained walls. Duh, create space for the steam to vent out… makes sense but somehow I never realized. Thanks for sharing this!!!!
You’re welcome, Lillian. I’m so happy it was helpful. 🙂
Hi! If you take the piece out of the lid, won’t the liquid come out of that opening?
Hi Priscilla,
If the blender isn’t too full and I start the blender on a very low speed, the liquid doesn’t splash out for me. I usually put a clean kitchen towel on top of the lid to be sure.
But, of course, when you try this, I advise extreme caution. Hot liquids can burn.
The new Blendtec blender has a special lid that vents steam pressure without needing to remove the center part. It seems to work very well, but still use caution.
Jennifer
Am Millicent from Kenya, and I really really need hot blender. How can I get it and how much. Thank you
Thats not intirely true i tryed it with the lid off and it still gets hotter
Unfortunately, I read this good advice after I blended hot soup with the center lid in place. Now I have an air lock and cannot open the lid. Any advice??
Thank yoi,
Thank you for sharing, Angeleen! I just did the same thing. I’ll wait until morning. 🙂
Patience and hope won the day. I tried blending again a few times, then went to bed. This morning, the lid came off. So I guess the pressure dissipated?
Good lunch to all
Hello!Could I ask a qiestion.It is important for health.
It is I want to make a face mask with avocado.So,I cut avocado into pieces first.Then, blend the pieces.Here,danger is come!?I was wrong.To blend,I put a little hot water into
the blender.It’s still ok.But,the trouble is the blender I put the
hot water is made up of plastic?I think it may be cancer.Because I have been heard that plastic together with hot water can cause Cancer.? So,my avocado is gone!?
So,What should I do this avocado smoothie?Should I use as face mask or throw it??Please suggest me,madam!?
I wishI’d read this before ending up in emergency with first degree burns to my face and neck. I had no idea.of the risk, I just thought the lid was the protection. . Wrong! It blew off and all hell broke loose. Very painfull adn a very messy litchen to come back to clean up.
Oh, no, Angela. I am so sorry this happened to you. 🙁 🙁 🙁
I hope you heal quickly. And I hope others see this post and other warnings so this can be prevented.
thank you for sharing ////