Cuisinart Hurricane Pro Review

Cuisinart is widely known for inventing the Food Processor category in the early 1970's and became famous when culinary experts like Julia Child hailed their flagship product as a revolutionary new kitchen appliance. Today, they make a wide variety of kitchen products, from Toaster Ovens to Stand Mixers. In our testing, we found the Cuisinart Custom 14 food processor to still be one of the best performing, and also relatively affordable.

The Hurricane Pro is Cuisinart's top-of-the-line blender, as well as their most highly regarded model. And, in our tests, it didn't disappoint.

Delivering a comparable performance to the Cuisinart, both the Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series and the Vitamix Pro 750 were nearly tied for the top score overall. The A2500 is a little more expensive, but held up very well to our grueling testing process, showing no signs of wear. The Pro 750 scored very well, but it is a bit on the pricey side.

Our top-performing Cuisinart Hurricane Pro.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Performance Comparison

To determine which blender is truly the best of them all, we bought the top models available on the market today and tested them head-to-head. We conducted over a dozen different assessments for each product, grouped among five weighted metrics: Smoothies, Ice, Convenience, Pureeing, and Grinding.

The Hurricane made deliciously smooth and tasty smoothies!

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Smoothies

Earning the most weight out of any of our rating metrics, the set of tests comprising our Smoothie metric take credit for 30% of the total score. We ranked and compared the performance of each blender at making a green smoothie, fruit and oat smoothie, and a berry smoothie, as well as an Oreo malt. The Cuisinart performed exceptionally well.

Our scoring for smoothies was based on ratings of four different types of smoothies, each blind tasted by our panel, and rated relative to the competing blenders.

Smoothies Test Score Comparison

	This Product Cuisinart Hurricane Pro	Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series	NutriBullet Blender	Hamilton Beach 58148A	Nutri Ninja DUO Blender
Awards
Price	$400 List $375.00 at Amazon	$520 List $499.95 at Amazon	$100 List $98.99 at Amazon	$30 List	$180 List $179.99 at Amazon
Smoothies Score	9.0	9.0	8.3	5.9	4.4
Berry Smoothie (30%)	9	10	8	6	4
Green Smoothie (30%)	10	10	9	6	5
Fruit Nut & Oat (25%)	7	6	8	5	2
Oreo Milkshake (15%)	10	10	8	7	8

The Hurricane started off with an excellent performance in our green smoothie test. We used the "Green Smoothie" preset which ran the blender for 1:30.

The Hurricane stormed right through the tough cell walls of our greens making a smooth leaf free beverage.

Credit: Austin Palmer

This smoothie was exceptionally smooth, almost completely passing through the sieve without any issue.

The Hurricane tore through the greens leaving not much left in its path of destruction on the sieve.

Credit: Austin Palmer

The Hurricane Pro continued its stellar performance into our Oreo malt test, creating an awesome malt when we followed the manufacturer's instructions and didn't even require any intervention on our part to stop and scrape the inside of the pitcher. This model did continue into the berry smoothie assessment with a strong performance, but it was surpassed by all three Vitamix blenders.

Just a touch of a preset away from an ultra smooth berry smoothie.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

We used the "Fruit Smoothie" setting, which ran the Hurricane for about 45 seconds.

A berry good smoothie made by the Hurricane.

Credit: Austin Palmer

The smoothie was well-blended, but there were still some berry seeds that did not get pulverized which got caught in the sieve.

The Hurricane left very little behind in the berry smoothie test.

Credit: Austin Palmer

The Cuisinart finished out our test with a good showing in our fruit and oat smoothie. This is a difficult recipe, as it only has strawberries, bananas, almonds, yogurt, oats, and maple syrup in it — not a huge amount of liquid.

The Cuisinart Hurricane Pro tied for 2nd top performer in our super thick smoothie of oats and yogurt.

Credit: Austin Palmer

The finished product was drinkable, but still thicker than the smoothie made by the Vitamix 5200.

The Cuisinart Hurricane Pro was a top performer for making frozen drinks.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Ice

Ranking next in terms of importance, our Ice metric takes responsibility for 20% of the total score and was one of our favorites to test.

This metric consisted of two tests: crushing ice only and blending a margarita. The Cuisinart crushed it, earning the highest score possible and tying with a few other models.

Ice Test Score Comparison

	This Product Cuisinart Hurricane Pro	Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series	NutriBullet Blender	Hamilton Beach 58148A	Nutri Ninja DUO Blender
Awards
Price	$400 List $375.00 at Amazon	$520 List $499.95 at Amazon	$100 List $98.99 at Amazon	$30 List	$180 List $179.99 at Amazon
Ice Score	10.0	10.0	10.0	7.3	8.1
Straight Up Ice (35%)	10	10	10	6	10
Margarita (65%)	10	10	10	8	7

We followed the manufacturer's directions for crushing ice and the Hurricane Pro rose to the occasion. This blender crushed all of the ice without difficulty and didn't even require us to use the "Pulse" function. This appliance also produced a stunning blended margarita that was extremely well-blended and incredibly smooth. To do this, we ran the blender at speed 10 for 45-90 seconds, per the instructions.

The Hurricane's pitcher and lid are dishwasher safe.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Convenience

On par with our Ice metric, our Convenience metric is also responsible for 20% of the overall score. We rated each product if it is dishwasher-safe, if the pitcher could adequately dry when placed on the motor base, whether or not each appliance has a digital timer or preset functions, and their labeling, as well as the difficulty in washing the components by hand and removing the lid. The Cuisinart again scored very well, tying for the top spot.

Our Convenience score is based on 7 different tests to explore factors such as ease-of-use and ease-of-cleaning.

Convenience Test Score Comparison

	This Product Cuisinart Hurricane Pro	Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series	NutriBullet Blender	Hamilton Beach 58148A	Nutri Ninja DUO Blender
Awards
Price	$400 List $375.00 at Amazon	$520 List $499.95 at Amazon	$100 List $98.99 at Amazon	$30 List	$180 List $179.99 at Amazon
Convenience Score	6.9	7.2	5.2	5.5	6.4
Dishwasher (30%)	8	8	4	8	8
Hand Washing (15%)	7	8	8	10	4
Drying (10%)	8	7	1	1	1
Digital Timer (5%)	8	8	3	3	8
Labeling (10%)	6	5	6	6	6
Presets (15%)	7	5	3	3	5
Removing The Lid (15%)	4	8	10	2	10

The Cuisinart is all set for the dishwasher, with the pitcher, blades, and lid all completely fine being put in the dishwasher. The pitcher is large enough to wash easily by hand and can be placed back on the base to dry. This model has a digital timer and a handful of presets, like Clean, Soup, Smoothies, and Ice Crush. You also have the option of selecting Fruit or Green for the smoothie preset. The presets are clearly labeled and easy to understand.

The Hurricane Pro showing off its nice digital display.

Credit: Austin Palmer

The lid seals well, so it can be a little difficult to remove and this blender is relatively quiet, measuring in at 83.5 dba on our meter.

The Hurricane ready for making some mouthwatering nut butter.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Pureeing

Our Pureeing metric is responsible for 15% of the total score, and based on three different tests. The Hurricane Pro did quite well, earning another perfect score of 10 out of 10, tying for the best performance with a few others.

The three different tests used to score each product include our nut butter test, a pureed tomato soup test, and the third test to seeif the blender could actually heat the soup.

Pureeing Test Score Comparison

	This Product Cuisinart Hurricane Pro	Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series	NutriBullet Blender	Hamilton Beach 58148A	Nutri Ninja DUO Blender
Awards
Price	$400 List $375.00 at Amazon	$520 List $499.95 at Amazon	$100 List $98.99 at Amazon	$30 List	$180 List $179.99 at Amazon
Pureeing Score	10.0	10.0	10.0	6.1	3.4
Nut Butter (45%)	10	10	10	8	3
Tomato Soup (45%)	10	10	10	5	4
Heating (10%)	10	10	10	2	2

The Hurricane did extremely well in our nut butter test, creating a nice and creamy spread after about 8 minutes of blending. We used a pound of almonds and honey roasted peanuts, as well as some oil for our recipe. This blender also made quick work of our tomato soup, creating a silky-smooth soup that poured right through our sieve.

The Hurricane also heated up the soup more than enough, ending at 150°F after 6 minutes of blending.

The lid seals on tight preventing leakage.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

This model also doesn't leak when filled to its maximum fill line, holding 8 cups of water without issue.

Grinding a lot of hard foods dented our blades slightly, we don't recommend consistently grinding with this blender.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Grinding

Taking credit for the remaining 15% of the overall score, our Grinding metric consisted of three tests. The Hurricane finished out our review with a solid performance, earning an 8 out of 10 for its showing.

The Grinding score was based on performance in grinding corn meal from popcorn, grinding sugar into powdered sugar, and grating parmesan cheese.

Grinding Test Score Comparison

	This Product Cuisinart Hurricane Pro	Vitamix A2500 Ascent Series	NutriBullet Blender	Hamilton Beach 58148A	Nutri Ninja DUO Blender
Awards
Price	$400 List $375.00 at Amazon	$520 List $499.95 at Amazon	$100 List $98.99 at Amazon	$30 List	$180 List $179.99 at Amazon
Grinding Score	8.4	8.2	6.7	2.7	3.2
Sugar (25%)	8	9	7	2	2
Parmesan (40%)	9	7	7	2	5
Flour (35%)	8	9	6	4	2

Following the manufacturer's directions for making powdered sugar yielded poor results, but the Hurricane actually made excellent powdered sugar when it was given some additional time.

The Hurricane delivered one of the best performances of the entire group, creating finely ground parmesan cheese, similar to what you would find in a shaker in a pizza parlor. This blender also did very well in our cornmeal test, grinding the popcorn into a flour so fine that 95% of it passed through our sieve without issue.

Get ready for making some cornbread with the Hurricane, it performed great in our flour testing.

Credit: Austin Palmer

Should You Buy the Cuisinart Hurricane Pro Blender?

We would highly recommend the Cuisinart Hurricane Pro to anyone interested in a top-performing blender. Earning one of the top scores of the entire group, the Cuisinart Hurricane Pro is undeniably a phenomenal blender that won't disappoint. It makes excellent smoothies, purees well, and makes a magnificent margarita. Our only reservation is the wear and tear that this model exhibited at the conclusion of our testing, which shouldn't be a huge problem if you are not crushing ice, grinding nut butter, or grating parmesan cheese on an extremely frequent basis.

What Other Blenders Should You Consider?

If the price tag of the Hurricane Pro leaves you with second thoughts, then we'd suggest you consider the NutriBullet Blender, which sells for a third the price and yet still offers excellent performance. It tied the Hurricane on both Ice and Pureeing in our tests and performed well above average on Smoothies and Grinding. Given the huge cost savings, it might be just the right balance of price vs. performance.