Updated May 27, 2017
This is a common concern when buying a Vitamix machine. Do you really need the Vitamix dry container? The dry blades are shaped to push ingredients up, in order to minimize packing into the bottom corners. The dry container fits C- and G-Series Vitamix machines. That includes almost all of the current machines, but note that this container does not work with the personal size S-Series, and it does not work with the Ascent Series. (A dry container for the Ascent Series rumored to be in the works.) For more information about the different models, see my comparison page.
I’ve heard salespeople selling Blendtec machines say that an advantage of the Blendtec is that it does not need a separate container to grind dry items, whereas with the Vitamix you “need to buy a second container.” It turns out that this is not true, and it’s just a sales tactic. The standard Vitamix container will do a perfectly good job of grinding grain, as I will show in the video below.
The real reason to get a dry container is that grinding very hard items like grains will pit and scratch the inside of the pitcher near the blades. In addition to the aesthetic “cloudy” marring of the container, the scratches make the container more likely to hold smells. You can get rid of lingering odors by running the machine with vinegar or a few drops of bleach in water, but it’s nice to not have to worry about that. I’ve never run anything garlicky in my pitted up dry container, but I did grind cinnamon in it a while back, and I can still faintly smell it.
Having a second container is also convenient because to grind grains the container needs to be totally dry, and if you made a smoothie in the morning the container might still be wet. Sometimes I end up using both containers for a single recipe, such as mega muffins.(Although if you just had one container you could dump the dry mixture into a bowl and then re-use the container.) If you are going to get a second container, it might as well be one with blades optimized for dry ingredients.
For these reasons the dry container is worthwhile, as long as you plan on grinding dry things like grain. But if you’re on a tight budget, you can get away with just using the single container, and possibly deodorizing it when needed. (Over time, depending on what you blend, your wet container will probably get scratched up as well, just not nearly as fast or as much as with grinding dry grains. I suspect that things like chia seeds in smoothies can scratch it, but I think that the scratching is reduced if you do not put the seeds at the very bottom, so I now generally add chia seeds to the middle of my ingredients instead of the bottom.)
I’ve always used the dry container for grinding grain, but this past weekend I decided to test a wet blade. I was surprised at how good a job it did of grinding 1-2 cups of wheat berries at a time, which I used to make pancakes and bread. The only difference I noticed was during the bread kneading I found the dough did not “lift” off the blades as much, but it still worked.
For the video I ground one cup of wheat berries for one minute in a container with the standard “wet” blades, and then pushed it through a sieve to see if there were any unground bits. There were a few, but they were small enough and few enough to not be a problem for my purposes. (In fact, when I used the same strainer on flour I ground for the same amount of time with my dry container, there were actually slightly more unground bits!) If you are looking to make a really fine flour you could stop the machine and stir the flour packed into the corners back in using a chopstick, and blend a bit longer; if you want it extra fine you could sift it.
Vitamix warns that you should not blend dry ingredients for longer than 2 minutes because the heat could damage the container. 1 minute to 90 seconds is generally all you need. I further avoid heating by storing the grain in the freezer so it starts the grinding process cold.
I need the chia seed powder. Can I use the wet container to blade chia seed? Will the raw chia seed turn into chia seed powder if I use the wet container? Thanks
Yes the wet blade should work for that. (The dry seeds may scratch the container a little more than typical wet blends, but it shouldn’t be a big deal). Just make sure the container is totally dry before putting the seeds in.
Thank you very much for the quick response! ^____^
I have been reading here for hrs now.SO much good info..my question is about dry and wet containers..I have the 2200 commercial model…there is no dry or wet is there? I also have solid black cover so cant use tamper or put veggies in while blending..when I am using recipes here that call for those should I just disregard or is it not possible to make those recipes without those features? I love my Vitamix..still works great..I bought it for $ 5.00 at thrift shop 10 yrs ago
The 2200 is a very old model (from the 70s or early 80s), so the current containers do not fit it. That said, I think you should be able to make most of the recipes on this site.
Will the narrower 64 oz dry container fit my 300 Vitamix? Thanks
Yes.
Wife loves her vitamix, and thanks for the heads-up on the QVC deal – SCORE!!!
hi there,
has anyone here brought their US 110V Vitamix & used it in UK 240V?
the reason i asked is i’m looking for a very good quality stepdown transformer brand in the UK that is safe to use for my Vitamix.
any help will be appreciated.
many thanks.
Really wanted my first Vitamix to be the 750 but it seems from comments that unless I use the supplied recipes my mixtures will be compromised. Is that true?
I don’t think there’s any reason why non-recipe mixtures would be compromised. In addition to the presets, the Pro 750 has full manual control. It’s just that if you change the quantities a lot from the supplied recipes, the presets do not always work as well.
Have been looking on ebay for replacement container for a Total Nutrition Center model VMO 103. Any suggestions on what container (model/number is compatible with this machine? Thanks!
That machine is essentially the same as a 5200. The 32 (wet or dry), 48, and tall 64-oz containers are compatible.
Thanks!!
I find I can consume more good stuff by making smoothies and so I like to put some seeds and nuts in them. Will it be worth it to get the dry container just for this use?
The Vitamix wet containers work extremely well for blending seeds and nuts into smoothies. So if that’s all you want to do, there’s no reason to get the dry container.
Thank you.
Does anyone know if I can use a personal 20oz smoothie container on my 5200? Has anyone attempted it?
The 20-oz container can only be used on the S-Series models. Its bottom is a different shape, and the gear on the bottom that drives the blade has a different number of teeth.
Hi. Great article. If one grinds nuts often, would the grain container be worth it? e.g. soaked almonds for recipes, dry nuts for toppings?
Thanks!
I’d say, probably not, unless you want to grind the largest possible volume of nuts at a time. My guess is that with the wet blade you could grind up to 1 cup to a very even size, but if you want to grind more at a time, the dry blade will be helpful in circulating the grinding nuts.
Thanks!
THANK for your blog I have decided to get a Vitamix dry container .. but am unsure whether the 32 or 48 oz. Would better serve … do you have insight to share about this? Thank you for your feedback!
The dry container only comes in 32 oz…
Hi, I have the 6300 with large wet container. I am debating between a 32 oz wet or 32 oz dry container. I will be primarily using the 32 oz container for all my needs as we make small portions and the 64 oz is too large for me. Not much into dry grinding grains right now. Will the 32 oz dry container be able to handle wet grinding or should I opt for 32 oz wet one?
It sounds like the wet 32-oz container would be best for your needs. You can wet grind with the dry blade, but the wet blade will wet grind better.
Why don,t Vitamix use a toughens glass container, like some other blender manufacturers, to prevent scratching and spoiling the appearance?
The explanation I’ve heard is that Vitamix machines have so much more power that glass would be dangerous. Under normal operation it would be fine, but they have to be prepared for the fact that some people will accidentally drop things in like a metal spoon.
Great blog and very helpful. I just purchased a 7500 Vitamix and love it already!
Two questions:
1) Am I correct that I can grind whole peppercorns in my Vitamix wet blades container?
2) Is there a secret to clearing a very cloudy (but not scratched) container? I’ve tried mixing hot water with a drop of Dawn, a cup of vinegar, & a TBSP of baking soda & blending. Cleans it, but still just as cloudy. Evidently my spinach & pineapple smoothies cause this?
Love my Vitamix, but do wish I could keep it clear & pretty.
Thanks!
Pat
1) Yes, you can, although grinding spices will scratch the container faster than typical use, similar to the way that grinding dry grains does.
2) I believe that the type of build up in your container can depend on the properties of your local water. I’ve heard of two strategies of removing the build-up. 1) Leave a 50:50 water-vinegar mixture in the container for a couple hours, then scrub with a non-abrasive scrubber or towel (check in a small spot to see if your scrubber scratches the container). While mixing vinegar and baking soda together will make some nice bubbles, for most things I think that they will neutralize each other, and not be an effective cleaning combination. 2) An alternative is to use baking soda on a paper towel to scrub the residue off. Apparently the baking soda helps scrub, but it does not scratch the container.
To avoid build-up in the future, you can either wipe out your container with a towel each use (after rinsing it with soap and water), or use a bottle brush or non-abrasive sponge to scrub it when you’re washing it out.
Did you use essential oils in it?
No. The smoothies include spinach, celery, carrots, apple, pineapple (including the core), banana, turmeric, moringa powder, maca powder, golden flax, chia, and black pepper.
Thanks – great info on here!!
I have the 64oz wet container and am trying to decide between the 48 and 32 wet container to go under my cupboards. Both will fit height-wise and they are roughly the same price so should I go just a step down or all the way to the 32. I mostly blend smoothies and soups but would like to get into small quantities of nut butters etc. Have any of you swapped down container size? Is the 32 too small? The 48 not small enough? Oh the dilemma!!
Thanks
If you have the 64-oz container, I recommend going with the 32-oz container. The 32-oz container is just a bit less bulky than the 48-oz one, which makes it marginally handier. And if you ever need to blend more than 32 oz, you can break out your 64-oz container. For someone who only wants to use one container, I would recommend the 48-oz one, because it gives you that extra capacity.
I would like to make pecan and walnut flour. Has anyone tried it in the dry container? How did it come out?
I haven’t made those myself, but I’ve heard of people making walnut flour. For best results, I’d recommend starting with chilled nuts from the freezer, which will give you more time to process them before they turn to nut butter. From my experience with nut butters, pecans release a lot of (delicious!) oil, so those in particular you would have to be careful to not over process.
My first vitamix wet container was very cloudy now I have a new vitamix wet container that I have used almost daily and it still looks brand new after 2 years only because I have changed my method of cleaning/drying. After using it I clean as recommended in the manual, then I use small amount of liquid soap on a wet towel or paper towel and rub with a little pressure all around the sides making sure not to touch the blades, just to make sure it is clean. Rinse and dry as much as possible with a dry towel /paper towel. Then air dry. (Note: if your container is already cloudy this will not change anything). I do not have a dry container but I use a coffee grinder $15 for my nuts /seeds/cinnamon sticks. Hope this helps.
Thank you very much for your detailed analysis, it is very much appreciated!
Thank you for the info.
I just have a question.
How well does Vitamix 750 or 5200 work for making a flour out of rice grains? I usually make foods from rice flour once a week. So how well does it work if i use on weekly basis to make rice flour?
I appreciate your feedback.
If you are going to regularly grind flour, I would recommend the dry container. You can make flour in the wet containers, but it might not work quite as well, and also it’s nice to not completely scratch up your main container.