![Best Personal Blenders](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.allrecipes.com/thmb/QNbYTGVr9lbodWKHc59kEbchaYM=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/alr-best-personal-blenders-tout-1c0f8e189a224f13b112df8c6b96a3f8.jpg)
Allrecipes / Brian Kopinski
My current blender is clunky, loud, takes up way too much space, and honestly just doesn’t blend that well (seriously, how hard is it to blend thawed and sliced bananas and strawberries?!). To replace it, I’ve turned my attention to personal blenders. There are so many perks to these little machines. Since I live in a fairly small apartment, the compact personal size is ideal. I also live alone and prefer to make quick, single-batch smoothies out of fruits and veggies that are starting to go bad (yay for limiting food waste!).
Lucky for me, Allrecipes just tested a bunch of personal blenders—18, to be precise. On top of that, Allstar Aimee Broussard tested an additional three blenders and gave her thorough insights. Out of a total 21 blenders, the following seven impressed us the most.
About Our Tests
We put 18 blenders to the test in home kitchens, simulating everyday use by making smoothies, sauces, hummus, pesto, red sauce, salsa, and more. Once each blender had been put through the paces, we ranked them on several important categories:
- Design: How intuitive is the blender? Are the controls easy to use? Do the materials seem high-quality, or on the cheap and flimsy side?
- Performance: Did the blender incur any damage over the course of testing, such as scratches or dents? While blending, did any leakage occur? How well did it integrate ingredients? What was the texture like?
- Convenience: Did any features, settings, or characteristics make this blender more or less convenient to use? How easy and convenient is it to travel with and use outside the home?
- Ease of Cleaning: How easy or difficult is the jar to clean? Does it have ridges that trap materials and make it difficult to use a sponge? If the blender has an auto-clean function, how effective is it?
We also asked Allstar Aimee Broussard to help us out. She tested three blenders and ranked each one on the same criteria.
Our Top Pick
Ninja Nutri-Blender Plus Compact Personal Blender
Why It’s Great: Super intuitive; blends quickly; dishwasher-safe parts
Grain of Salt: Requires some shaking to blend evenly
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
Allrecipes / Hildara Araya-Gonzalez
Allrecipes / Hildara Araya-Gonzalez
Best Budget
Hamilton Beach Personal Blender with Travel Lid
Why It’s Great: Runs quiet; compact size; tight seal; one-touch button operation
Grain of Salt: Tricky to remove lid; struggles with frozen ingredients
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
Allrecipes / Patty Blayer
Allrecipes / Patty Blayer
Allrecipes / Patty Blayer
Best Portable
Ninja Blast Portable Blender
Why It’s Great: Blender shape funnels ingredients down; doubles as travel cup; available in several colors
Grain of Salt: Pre-cut ingredients recommended; not ideal for sticky ingredients
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
Allrecipes / Elle Wignall
Allrecipes / Elle Wignall
Allrecipes / Elle Wignall
Best for Thick Drinks
NutriBullet Ultra Personal Blender NB50500
Why It’s Great: Illuminated controls; comes with three cups; very powerful blades
Grain of Salt: Hefty; fairly loud
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)
Allrecipes / Danielle Ransom
Allrecipes / Danielle Ransom
Allrecipes / Danielle Ransom
Best Small
Magic Bullet Mini Blender
Why It’s Great: Straightforward; ideal for single servings; easy to attach and detach parts
Grain of Salt: Leafy pieces can catch on blades; lacks a drinking lid with spout
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
Allrecipes / Elizabeth Leonard
Allrecipes / Elizabeth Leonard
Allrecipes / Elizabeth Leonard
Allrecipes / Elizabeth Leonard
Best Design
SMEG Personal Blender
Why It’s Great: Fun retro aesthetic; handles frozen fruit and fibers well; simple dial controls
Grain of Salt: Quite loud; ingredients can stick to blades
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
![A purple smoothie blending in the SMEG Personal Blender on a counter next to other kitchen appliances](https://www.allrecipes.com/thmb/hRurHl_ZZDN0vCC4BSQy8ueW1bk=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/alr-personal-blenders-test-smeg-pbf01-john-somerall-08_crop-c1c3411483ae462dadd524d5c769d3bb.jpeg)
Allrecipes / John Somerall
Allstar Pick
Magic Bullet Blender
Why It’s Great: Portable and lightweight; easy to store; affordable pricing
Grain of Salt: Tricky to get texture fully smooth
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
Allrecipes / Aimee Broussard
Allrecipes / Aimee Broussard
Allrecipes / Aimee Broussard
Allrecipes / Aimee Broussard
Our Takeaway
The Ninja Nutri Blender Plus Compact Personal Blender won the blue ribbon spot in this roundup thanks to its straightforward design and intuitive controls. It has a powerful motor that can punch through ice, whole fruits, and grains with ease. If you want to take your smoothie or shake on the go, the Ninja Blast is the best option. Just blend up your ingredients and walk out the door with the whole thing in hand.
The Leftovers: Other Personal Blenders We Tested
The other two blenders that Allstar Aimee tested were the Nutribullet Rx Cooking Blender and the Cuisinart CPB 300 350-Watt Blender. Both models were certainly serviceable, but had just a few things that kept them from making the list.
The Nutribullet Rx was a bit pricey and bulky for a personal blender. It could certainly be a splurge pick if you have the budget and space. Aimee did note that the Rx was wonderfully powerful, able to tackle oats, ice, frozen fruit, and chickpeas “like a champ.” In fact, it overblended at times.
The Cuisinart 350-Watt Blender, on the other hand, is slim and lightweight, which makes it easy to store. Aimee liked the low and high settings on the control panel, though the lower setting required additional time to blend all ingredients evenly. The slim blending jar makes it really tricky to clean by hand, so it’s better suited for those who have access to a dishwasher.
![Nutribullet Food Processor](https://www.allrecipes.com/thmb/XeU2a0Hl4CL1vHmfrA0yo6GsjKs=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/alr-nutribullet-food-processor-aimee-broussard-02-19fb0954a16a411c8ef128ddf3780868.jpeg)
Allrecipes / Aimee Broussard
How to Pick the Right Personal Blender
Capacity
By and large, personal blenders tend to be on the smaller side. They’re meant for single-serve or small-batch recipes. But even personal blenders have a range of jar sizes available. “Larger” cups tend to be in the 18- to 20-ounce range (though there are some models that can get up to 32), while mini cups can be as small as 8 ounces. Many personal blenders will come with multiple blending cups with different sizes, so look for those if you want some versatility.
Power
Ask yourself: what do I plan on making with a personal blender? Your answer can actually inform what sort of blender you buy. If you want nice and thick milkshakes, hummus, and smoothies, you may need a more powerful motor (think 900 to 1,000 watts or more). It’s not easy to puree ice and nuts, after all. If you’re leaning towards softer ingredients and silky results, a lower power motor will serve just fine.
Ease of Cleaning
Enjoying a milkshake is much more fun than cleaning the blender after making one, but it’s a job that must be done. I hate scrubbing dishes, so I’d prefer a model with dishwasher-safe cups and parts. Luckily, most personal blenders have this handy feature. A quick and easy way to clean most any blender is just by adding soap and warm water to the blender and, well, blending! The suds will circulate and clean the interior, then you just need a quick wipedown with a dish towel.
Accessories
A personal blender is much more than just a motor base. The blending cups are equally important. Most double as travel cups, too, which is nice. Some will come with an assortment of lids—from solid storage caps to flip-top lids to pouring spouts that make drinking on the go easier. A bundle may come with several cups in differing sizes or shapes. If you want to get the most out of your blending experience, look for retail options with several accessories.
Common Questions
What can you make in a personal blender?
These machines are versatile tools. Smoothies may be the most common creation made in them, but you can make so much more. Other great options include milkshakes, hummus, salsa, soup, salad dressing, sauces, pancake batter, slushies, horchata—the list goes on and on. Just keep in mind that personal blenders are best suited for small-batch and single-serve recipes. Save giant batches for a more standard blender. I’m definitely looking at smoothies and boozy milkshakes, myself.
How do you make a smoothie in a personal blender?
The beauty of a smoothie is that you can use so many ingredients to concoct different delicious flavors. While the ingredients may change recipe to recipe, the basics remain largely the same. However, the order in which you put the ingredients into the blender can make a big difference, especially for weaker motors. Ideally, you’ll want to follow this sequence:
- Liquids (juice, water, milk, coconut water)
- Dry ingredients (sugar, cocoa, protein powder)
- Leafy greens (kale, spinach, celery)
- Soft ingredients (yogurt, honey, fresh fruit, tofu)
- Nuts and seeds (chia, flax, sunflower seeds)
- Frozen ingredients (frozen fruit, ice)
Be sure to remove any stems or fruit leaves before adding to the blender. Also, if you’ve got a lower watt motor, try cutting fruit into chunks before adding for easier blending.
Can you juice ingredients in a personal blender?
Believe it or not, you can make juice in a blender. Similar to making a smoothie, cut up some juicy fruits and some optional leafy greens, then blend away. If the results look too thick, add some water for a more juice-like consistency. You can also strain out excess pulp and fruit bits for a smoother glass (personally, I can’t stand pulp and bits in my drinks, so I would double strain to catch them all).
Why Take Our Word for It?
Writer Allison Wignall loves a good smoothie, especially if strawberries are involved. She created this roundup with thorough research and insights from the Allrecipes test kitchen. Her work has been featured in Food & Wine, the Spruce Eats, Travel + Leisure, Southern Living, and more.
Allstar Aimee Broussard is the founder of the Traveling Apron Recipe Swap, a cookbook author, and a food columnist.