The Vitamix Explorian E320 is a powerful blender with easy-to-use controls and a compact design (relative to other Vitamix blenders).

If you’re wondering if this is the right blender for you, this guide has you covered!

In this guide, we’ll be going over:

• What can the Vitamix E320 do?
• Vitamix E320 specifications
• Vitamix E320 pros and cons
• Vitamix E320 reviews
• Who should/shouldn’t buy it
• How to use and clean it
• Where to buy

…Let’s get into it!

What Can The Vitamix E320 Do?

The Vitamix E320 has a powerful 2.2 HP motor that allows it to blend through practically any ingredient. This means this blender works great for making:

• Smoothies and other drinks
• Dips and spreads
• Dressings
• Sauces
• Soups
• Batter
• Dough
• Baby food
• Nut butters
• Frozen desserts

Does Vitamix E320 make hot soup?

Yes, the Vitamix E320 can make hot soup. Vitamix blenders have blades that spin fast enough to create friction and thus generate significant heat, and are made with materials that can handle hot temperatures.

In about 6 minutes of blending on high speed, the food in your blender will be steaming hot soup!

Can Vitamix E320 be used as a food processor?

For the most part, yes, the Vitamix E320 can be used as a food processor.

Like most Vitamix blenders, the E320 is extremely powerful and can blend, shred, chop, grind, and pulverize almost any ingredient. Especially thanks to its pulse feature, this blender is excellent for food prep such as course-chopping vegetables.

However, one limitation is that a blender like the Vitamix E320 is not able to finely slice foods like a food processor can – it will tend to be a much more mushy and blended result than what you would get with a food processor.

For a more detailed comparison of Vitamix blender vs. food processor, see this post.

Does Vitamix E320 juice?

No, the Vitamix E320 does not juice. It can certainly blend ingredients until completely liquified, but it does not remove all the solid material like a juicer does.

To get a juice-like result from the Vitamix E320, blend your ingredients on high until thoroughly smooth with no pieces or flecks left. Then strain through a fine-mesh sieve or even cheesecloth (depending on how thick your blend is). Straining will remove excess pulp, bits of fruit/veggie skin, seeds, etc. and leave you with an even smoother and silkier drink.

Vitamix E320 Specifications

Vitamix E320 Pros and Cons

Vitamix E320 Reviews

Here’s a summary of what people are saying about the Vitamix E320…

What they like:

• It’s not as tall as other models and can fit under the cabinets.
• It’s not as loud as other models.
• The size of the container – the wider container makes it so much easier to get a spatula around the edges and scoop everything out.
• Powerful – guaranteed to blend anything into a creamy and smooth consistency. Smoothies, soups, sauces, frozen desserts, muffins, etc.
• Most used and favourite kitchen appliance.
• Makes very smooth and creamy smoothies everyday.
• Can’t live without it. Use it to make cashew sauces, frozen fruit smoothies, hummus, etc.
• Makes great smoothies and soups.
• Blends well and has a lot of power for it being one of their most basic models.
• The power and the 64-oz container.
• Truly blends together everything and doesn’t leave large pieces or chunks.
• The look of the Vitamix – even though it is large, it is a beautiful piece of kitchen equipment and can be left out on the counter at all times.
• Have used it for frozen treats, batters, smoothies, shakes, even soups.
• Quality, design, and functions are incredible.
• An incredible value, price-wise.
• The wide container and the longer blades.
• Shape of the container makes it easy to clean around and under the blades where food can collect.
• The shiny plastic finish allows me to pour out almost every drop of my blends.
• The inner contour of the lid is easier to wash.
• Used for 15 years – never disappointed in its use. Powerful. Easy to clean.
• Can get smooth consistency in 45 seconds – much faster than other blenders/brands.

What they don’t like:

• Super loud
• Can’t mix small amounts
• Blender moves around so have to hold onto it.
• Fruits get stuck under the blade.
• Have to add lots of liquid to make any smoothie or it doesn’t blend well.
• When cleaning the blender with water and soap, the whole machine vibrates and moves around the countertop.
• It sometimes blends really well and other times not.
• “Feels like I spent a lot of money when I could have spent far less to get the same result.”
• Too noisy
• The blender keeps moving when you increase the speed above 5 and the whole counter top shakes.
• No proper manual to try the recipes – the cookbook has general recipes but not related to this model specifically.
• Good for a family but not a single person – container is too big to make 1-2 servings.
• On/off button flips so easily it can turn the blender on unexpectedly.
• Louder than expected at first and did shake a little, but got better after about a week of use.
• Not good for small portion sizes.
• Tamper is hollow and feels fragile.
• Won’t break up frozen berries – have to stop, stir manually, then start over.
• Did not blend small pieces of frozen fruits when making a smoothie – container too wide.
• Hard to read measuring lines on container.

The rundown:

In summary, the main positive reviews of the Vitamix E320 pertain to its power and versatility, as well as the low-profile container which makes it easier to clean around the bottom.

The main negative reviews pertain to it being loud, moving while blending, and the container not being good for small batches, especially without a lot of liquid.

Who Should/Shouldn’t Buy the Vitamix E320?

The Vitamix E320 is the right blender for someone who:

• Wants something reliable, tough, durable, dependable; a blender that they don’t have to worry about.
• Wants a versatile blender to make anything in (not just smoothies or simple drinks).
• Wants a simple and intuitive Vitamix without any fuss or fancy features, that’s easy to use.
• Wants a blender that they will use everyday (not just take out once in a while to blend something).
• Wants to invest in a long-lasting Vitamix.
• Wants a shorter Vitamix to fit in their cabinets/on their counter more easily.

The Vitamix E320 is not the ideal blender for someone who:

• Wants a good blender for smoothies and other drinks, but not much else.
• Wants a blender that’s small, light, and easy to store away/transport.
• Doesn’t need to make blends in a powerful blender very often
• Wants a blender with smart technology, preprogrammed/automated settings.
• Wants a blender they can throw in the dishwasher.
• Typically blends small/single-portion sizes.
• Wants a quiet blender.

How to Use the Vitamix E320

1. Put your ingredients in the blender jug. For optimal blending, add the ingredients in the following order: first liquids, then soft ingredients, then hard/frozen ingredients.
2. Secure the lid on the jug and place the jug on the motor base.
3. Turn on the blender (on/off toggle at the base). Make sure the speed control dial is at the lowest speed.
4. Press the start/stop switch to start the motor.
5. Slowly increase the speed using the dial. Or set the speed and use the pulse switch.
6. While blending, use a tamper through the lid if needed to help push the food into the blades. Add more liquid/ingredients through the lid if needed. Stop to scrape down the sides if needed.
7. Once well blended, dial down the speed back to the lowest, press the start/stop switch to stop the motor.
8. Serve. Rinse and wash jug as soon as possible.

How to Clean the Vitamix E320

The Vitamix E320 can be cleaned by using the blending method: fill the container with warm, soapy water and blend on high for about half a minute. This method is especially helpful for cleaning around the blades where it is otherwise difficult to reach. Works best if done right after blending, before any food can harden and get stuck.

If you need a bit more of a scrub to get it clean, wash the container by hand with soap and a non-abrasive sponge. The good thing about the wide, low-profile container is that it is easier to access the bottom and corners of the container.

Does Vitamix E320 self clean?

The Vitamix E320 does not exactly self-clean per se, but the blending method described above is a way of getting it to clean itself with minimal effort on your part; you just set it up and it does the work, then you rinse it after.

The only issue with the blending method of cleaning is that it doesn’t always work perfectly for sticky and thick blends, so you may still have to go in and give it a quick scrub yourself. Also, the tamper needs to be manually cleaned.

Where to Buy the Vitamix E320

You can buy the Vitamix E320 directly from Vitamix (although it is currently out of stock), or from other retailers like Amazon or Costco.

Conclusion

The Vitamix Explorian E320 is a simple and intuitive classic Vitamix model that has the power and versatility to cover all your blending needs – from smoothies to hot soups!

The low-profile container of the Vitamix E320 has the major benefit of being easier to store and clean than the standard tall Vitamix container, but also makes it challenging to blend small batches.

This blender is certainly not cheap, so be sure to weigh the pros and cons of this blender before deciding if it is the right investment for you!

If you’re interested in other similar Vitamix blenders, be sure to check out this Vitamix E310 review, this Vitamix E310 vs E320 comparison, and this Vitamix E320 vs 7500 comparison.

Do you have the Vitamix E320? If so, let me know what you think of it in the comments below!