If you own a blender, there’s a good chance it spends more time sitting on the counter than actually doing anything. Maybe you bought it with plans to make smoothies every morning. Maybe it came out a few times during summer for frozen drinks. Then life got busy, and eventually it became another appliance you barely notice.

But a good blender can do a lot more than turn fruit and ice into a drink. It can help with meal prep, homemade sauces, snacks, desserts, and plenty of everyday kitchen tasks. You can even use it to make some pantry staples at home for less money.

Before you shove yours into the back of a cabinet, give it another shot. Here are 12 easy ways to put your blender to work.

Nut Butters

Nut butter can be surprisingly expensive, especially if you prefer natural peanut or almond butter. With a blender and a bag of roasted nuts, you can make your own at home.

Add the nuts to the blender and let it run. They’ll go from chunky pieces to a thick paste before turning smooth and creamy. You’ll need a little patience, and you may need to stop and scrape down the sides.

Add salt, honey, cinnamon, or cocoa powder if you want to change the flavor. You can also make a small batch whenever you need it instead of buying another jar.

Oat Flour

If you have rolled oats in the pantry, you already have what you need to make oat flour.

Just add the oats to your blender and process them until they reach a fine, flour-like texture. Use the homemade flour for pancakes, muffins, cookies, or other baked goods that call for oat flour.

It’s a handy trick for those times when you run out of regular flour or don’t want to buy a separate bag of specialty flour.

Homemade Hummus

Hummus is one of those foods that looks like it should take more work than it actually does.

Add chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil to the blender and let it run until smooth. Add a little water if the mixture is too thick, then taste it and adjust the salt, lemon, or garlic.

You can make it extra creamy or leave it a little chunky. Serve it with vegetables, pita bread, crackers, or spread it on sandwiches.

Creamy Soups

Your blender can handle plenty of hot ingredients, though you’ll need to follow your blender manufacturer’s instructions for blending hot liquids.

For a simple creamy soup, sauté your vegetables, add broth, cook until everything is tender, then blend until smooth. Tomato basil, butternut squash, carrot, and potato soup all work well.

Some high-speed blenders can also heat soup while blending, which can make the process even easier.

Whipped Cream

You don’t need a mixer to make a small batch of whipped cream.

Add cold heavy cream, a little sugar, and vanilla to your blender. Blend in short bursts and watch closely. Once the cream thickens and starts holding its shape, stop blending.

It happens quickly, so don’t walk away. A few extra seconds can take whipped cream from fluffy to overly thick.

Fresh Pesto

Fresh pesto is another recipe that comes together quickly in a blender.

Add basil, garlic, nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil, then pulse until you reach the texture you like. You can leave it slightly chunky or blend it into a smoother sauce.

Toss it with pasta, spread it on toast, spoon it over roasted vegetables, or use it on sandwiches. It also freezes well, so making extra can save you time later.

Frozen Cocktails

A blender that can crush ice has plenty of uses beyond the occasional summer margarita.

Frozen cocktails, fruit slushies, frozen lemonade, and other icy drinks are easy to make at home. You can also use the blender for smoothie bowls or frozen fruit desserts.

Once you start keeping frozen fruit in the freezer, you’ll probably find plenty of reasons to pull the blender out.

Baby Food

For parents, making baby food at home can help cut grocery costs.

Steam or cook fruits and vegetables until they’re soft, then blend them into a smooth puree. You can leave the texture a little thicker as your baby gets used to different foods.

Making it yourself also lets you decide exactly what goes into each batch. Portion the food into small containers or freezer trays so you have individual servings ready for later.

Fresh Salsa

If chopping tomatoes, onions, peppers, and other salsa ingredients feels like too much work, let the blender handle part of it.

Add tomatoes, onion, peppers, cilantro, lime juice, and salt, then pulse a few times. Check the texture between pulses so you don’t accidentally turn your salsa into a completely smooth sauce.

It’s a quick way to make fresh salsa for tacos, chips, burrito bowls, or grilled chicken.

“Nice Cream”

Frozen bananas can turn into a surprisingly creamy dessert with the help of a blender.

Peel and freeze ripe bananas, then blend them with a small splash of milk until smooth. Add peanut butter, cocoa powder, strawberries, blueberries, or cinnamon for different flavors.

The result has a texture similar to soft-serve ice cream and takes very little work. It’s also a great way to use bananas that are getting too ripe instead of throwing them away.

Homemade Mayonnaise

Homemade mayonnaise may sound like a recipe that requires a lot of effort, but a blender makes the process much easier.

Add an egg, mustard, lemon juice, and other seasonings, then slowly add the oil while blending. The mixture should thicken into a creamy mayonnaise.

You can adjust the flavor with garlic, herbs, hot sauce, or extra lemon juice. Since homemade mayo contains raw egg, use properly handled, pasteurized eggs if appropriate and keep the finished mayo refrigerated.

Pancake or Waffle Batter

Your blender can also save you from washing another mixing bowl.

Add the pancake or waffle ingredients to the blender and blend until combined. Pour the batter straight from the pitcher onto your griddle or waffle maker.

It’s especially useful for batters that tend to develop lumps. Just avoid overmixing, since too much blending can make pancakes or waffles less tender.

Once you start using your blender for more than smoothies, it can earn its spot on the counter. From homemade nut butter and oat flour to quick sauces, soups, desserts, and breakfast batter, there are plenty of reasons to keep it within reach.