We Tested 21 Personal Blenders to Find the Ideal Single-Serve Machine

Our Top Pick

Ninja Nutri-Blender Plus Compact Personal Blender

$80 at Amazon $109 at Walmart $80 at Wayfair

The top spot goes to the Ninja Nutri Blender Plus Compact Personal Blender. It’s a wonderfully simple machine that packs a big punch with a fairly small countertop footprint. Load up ice and ingredients into the 20-ounce blending cup, twist on a lid, mount it to the motor, and push. Yes, that’s right, push. There aren’t any buttons or a control panel, instead, you press down on the cup, and it blends—which means you control how long you blend, all while watching the ingredients through the clear cup. Some may prefer a set-it-and-forget-it approach (don’t worry, there are models like that later in the list), but the more hands-on version gives you total control over the results of your smoothie, milkshake, salsa, or pesto sauce. 

The straightforwardness of the blender is incredibly refreshing—maybe as refreshing as a slush punch you could whip up. The blending power truly impresses. The 900-watt motor base coupled with razor-sharp blades can tackle ice, whole fruits, and grainy ingredients and produce something rich and smooth. In testing, it yielded a ridiculously creamy hummus without a single trace of grit. There were a few moments where the cup needed a shake to ensure the ingredients mingled, but given the size and the grab-and-go nature of the cup, it’s a super easy fix. The included travel lids screwed on tightly, didn’t leak once, and were a cinch to drink from. All in all, it’s a fantastic little blender ideal for making a smoothie in the morning and enjoying it on your morning commute. 

The Details: 900 watts; (3) 20-ounce cups; 4.7 x 4.7 x 13.8 inches

Best Budget

Hamilton Beach Personal Blender with Travel Lid

Orig. $21 $20 at Amazon $18 at Target $21 at Walmart

Even smaller personal blenders can get pricey. If you want a mini workhorse that gets the job done, Hamilton Beach has a model for just under 30 bucks. Like the Ninja blender, this model doesn’t have a control panel or programmed settings—just a single power button. Set up and use proved to be incredibly easy in testing, with all parts locking into place with a twist. The 14-ounce blending jar doubles as the travel cup itself, just pull it off the motor and go. I will say, the bottom looks a bit awkward since it contains the blades and base, but it’s certainly not the biggest deal in the world, especially since the tapered bottom fits into most cup holders. 

The corded blender has a 175-watt motor, which isn’t the strongest in the game. As such, it struggled a bit with frozen ingredients and ice. Thaw some fruit out and add plenty of liquid, however, and it will yield creamy results in about a minute. The lid screwed on tightly…maybe too tightly. In fact, it was downright frustrating to take off, which is strange because there are a number of reviews that had the opposite problem—with the lid being loose. (I mean, I’d prefer the too-tight lid myself for non-leaking purposes). Either way, just pay attention to the lid if you travel with the cup. 

The Details: 175 watts; (1) 14-ounce cup; 3.5 x 3.5 x 12.25 inches

Best Portable

Ninja Blast Portable Blender

Orig. $60 $50 at Amazon Orig. $60 $50 at Target $50 at Macy's

It’s back to Ninja for the Best Portable category. The Ninja Blast is sleek and pleasing to the eye, available in a variety of colors (if you’re anything like me, you prefer bright and colorful kitchen gear). The 18-ounce blending cup is marked with measurements and has a clearly labeled max fill line so you don’t overload the appliance. In testing, the grooves of the blender helped funnel the ingredients of an avocado salsa down to the blades for smooth and even results.

The Ninja Blast won the portable category thanks to the fact that you take the whole thing on the go. Yep. The whole thing. Just pick it up like a water bottle and head on out. No need to detach a cup from the motor base or fiddle with lids. The top cap flips open for sipping access. It even has an easy-carry handle. That said, the cup is removable if you want to toss it into the dishwasher for a quick clean—although running some soapy water through the blending cycle proved just as effective. 

The Details: 7.4 volts; (1) 18-ounce cup; 3.54 x 3.54 x 10.71 inches

Best for Thick Drinks

NutriBullet Ultra Personal Blender NB50500

$149 at Amazon $120 at Williams-Sonoma $150 at Macy's

Want to make a thick milkshake? A peanut butter-forward smoothie? Maybe some delicious hummus? You’re going to need a strong motor to power through thicker blends. This Nutribullet Ultra has a 1200-watt motor and six stainless steel, titanium-coated blades, making it a true powerhouse of a personal blender. With that strength behind it, it is a bit bigger than the others on this list—weighing 11 pounds—so keep that in mind. In testing, it proved to be one of the louder blenders, too. 

But the power can be well worth the minor downsides. The Nutribullet Ultra was one of the fastest blenders tested, pulverizing and evenly incorporating ingredients in under 30 seconds—even with frozen fruit, protein powder, and fresh bananas. In another test, spinach leaves initially stuck to the blades a bit, but after a quick shake, the results were perfectly blended and silky. 

The Details: 1200 watts; (2) 24-ounce cups, (1) 32-ounce cup; 5 x 4.75 x 7.9 inches (base only)

Best Small

Magic Bullet Mini Blender

$36 at Amazon Orig. $25 $20 at Walmart $40 at Macy's

Personal blenders are already small, but there are plenty of reasons to go smaller: limited kitchen space, making a snack for the kiddos, needing only a single serving, and so on. This blender lives up to the Mini in its name. There are two blending cups—a 14-ounce and a teeny 8-ounce. The first is ideal for single-serve smoothies or shakes, while the latter is perfect for making salad dressing or a bit of sauce. One tiny downside to the cups, though, is that it doesn’t have a spouted lid for drinking. Instead, the bundle comes with fully covered lids for storage and a “lip ring” that makes it more comfortable to drink from the cup, but it is otherwise fully open—therefore, it’s prone to spilling and not very portable. It’s best for at-home enjoyment. 

In testing, the Mini Blender handled both frozen and fresh fruit just fine, though it’s recommended to use some pre-crushed ice instead of full cubes. Leafy ingredients took a bit more finesse to blend since they kept clinging to the blades. It took a few shakes to knock them loose, but eventually, they combined with the pine nuts, olive oil, and parmesan to make a delightfully blended pesto. The Magic Bullet Mini Blender wasn’t too loud, but it wasn’t all that quiet either—sort of a “middle of the road” on noise. 

The Details: 200 watts; (1) 14-ounce cup, (1) 8-ounce cup; 5.4 x 5.2 x 11 inches

Best Design

SMEG Personal Blender

Orig. $215 $170 at Amazon $170 at Williams-Sonoma View on Smeg.com

Let’s get retro! Smeg is known for its aesthetically-pleasing designs from decades past—all with modernized functionality, of course. This personal blender is a perfect example of that. Both the motor base and the blending cup have a smooth, rounded shape that feels very 70s. The blender has a dial to switch between three modes: off, low, and high. Each blending jar is made of durable Tritan plastic, which makes it a great option for taking the cup on the go. 

In terms of blending capabilities, it handles most ingredients with ease—though the order in which you add the ingredients is important to avoid anything sticking, particularly with thicker ingredients like peanut butter (granted, that’s pretty common with blenders). It tackled ginger and oats surprisingly well, without any large chunks or strands left behind after about a minute of blending. Similar to other blenders, leafy ingredients can stick to the blades, so you may need to give the jar a good shake once or twice before things are incorporated evenly. It is on the louder side, so maybe don’t run it while others are trying to sleep. 

The Details: 250 watts; (2) 20-ounce cups; 5.5 x 5.5 x 13 inches

Allstar Pick

Magic Bullet Blender

Orig. $50 $40 at Amazon $40 at Walmart $50 at Macy's

We weren’t the only ones to test personal blenders; Allstar Aimee Broussard got in on the action, too. She tested three blenders, incorporating them into her cooking routine, and of those three her top pick was the Magic Bullet Blender. She praised its compact nature and the portability, as well as its ease of cleaning (and she called it “cute,” which it definitely is). 

Aimee recommends the blender for quick and easy smoothies. She did note that her drinks rarely got silky smooth, with bits of strawberry seeds left behind—which shouldn’t bother folks who prefer pulp in their drinks (personally, I can’t relate, but you do you). 

The Details: 250 watts; (2) 18-ounce cups, (1) 12-ounce cup; 4.5 x 4 x 11.8 inches