The 8 Best Personal Blenders, According to Our Rigorous Testing
Amazon
Best Overall
foodandwine - 80 Available at Amazon
Best for Smoothies
foodandwine - 155 Available at Amazon
Best Rated
foodandwine - 50 Available at Amazon
Best for Crushing Ice
foodandwine - 70 Available at Amazon
Best Design
foodandwine - 100 Available at Amazon
Best Portable
foodandwine - 50 Available at BlendJet
Best Single-Serve
foodandwine - 34 Available at Amazon
Most Affordable
foodandwine - 18 Available at Amazon
TABLE OF CONTENTS
On This Page
The 8 Best Personal Blenders in 2021
How We Tested
What to Look for in a Personal Blender
How to Clean a Personal Blender
Blenders are an essential kitchen appliance (especially if you like to make smoothies at home), but they often take up a lot of space on the counter or in cabinets. That's what makes personal blenders so convenient. Not only are they space-saving in the sense that they're smaller and more compact than full-size models, but they're also saving you space because you blend in the same exact cup that you drink from.
Related: The Best Vitamix Blenders on Amazon, According to Thousands of Rave Reviews
To help you figure out which personal blenders are actually worth buying, we put 16 of the most promising models through a series of tests and took note of how they performed. Keep reading to learn more about our eight favorites, along with how we tested (hint: a lot of smoothies were involved), what to look for when shopping, and how to clean your personal blender.
The 8 Best Personal Blenders in 2021
Best Overall: Ninja Nutri Blender Pro
This blender has a powerful motor, automatic programs, and generously sized cups that earned it the top spot on our list.Best for Smoothies: Beast Blender
Our testers gave this blender five-star ratings for the perfect fruit and green smoothies it produced.Best Rated: NutriBullet Original
It has more than 24,000 perfect ratings on Amazon and is the perfect balance of price and performance.Best for Crushing Ice: Cuisinart CPB-300 Personal Blender
We were pleasantly surprised by how well this blender crushed ice in just 30 seconds, but its smoothies didn't turn out as great.Best Design: Zwilling Enfinigy Personal Blender
The matte-black base, easy-to-use dial, and locking travel lid are standouts in this blender's design.Best Portable: BlendJet 2
This portable blender is cordless and charges via USB-C, so you can make smoothies practically anywhere.Best Single-Serve: Magic Bullet Blender
It comes with 12- and 16-ounce cups that are ideal for single servings of smoothies and dips.Most Affordable: Bella Personal-Size Rocket Blender
If you're looking to spend as little as possible, opt for this personal blender that costs just $18.
Best Overall: Ninja Nutri Blender Pro
To buy: $80 (originally $90) at amazon.com
Pros: The automatic programs and manual controls are convenient; the base has built-in suction to keep it in place on your counter.
Cons: It's pretty loud while blending.
Motor: 1100 watts
All things considered, the Ninja Nutri Blender Pro is the best overall personal blender we tested. Its 1100-watt motor, the most powerful on this list, can handle frozen fruit and leafy greens without a problem. It blends tasty smoothies and completely crushes ice in practically no time thanks to its dedicated AutoIQ programs that automatically set the time and pulse patterns. The display also has a countdown timer, so you know exactly how much longer it needs to blend. During our testing, we even found that it makes the perfect chunky salsa—something most of the other personal blenders we tried failed at.
The Ninja blender comes with two 24-ounce cups that are big enough for hefty servings but still easy enough to hold. The cups, lids, and blades are dishwasher-safe, but if you're washing them by hand, be mindful of the sharp blades. While the to-go lids are easy to drink from (one tester said they have the "perfect drinking spout"), they aren't totally leakproof: When we intentionally knocked a full smoothie cup off the counter, it spilled a lot.
We also tested the Ninja Nutri Blender Plus, and the results were very similar across the board—but with the lack of automatic programs and buttons for more control, along with a less powerful motor, we think it's worth the extra $10 for the Pro version.
Best for Smoothies: Beast Blender
To buy: $155 at amazon.com
Pros: It looks nice enough to keep on the counter and has pulse and one-minute blend options.
Cons: There are a lot of parts to clean, and the ridges on the cup make it difficult to wash by hand.
Motor: 1000 watts
No matter what type of smoothie you prefer, you can count on the Beast Blender for the smoothest, most drinkable results in just one minute. Out of all the models we tested, the Beast scored the highest (a perfect five-star rating) for the fruit smoothie and green smoothie tests, chopping up everything from bananas and frozen peaches to celery and spinach into the perfect consistency. Even though it's quite heavy, the personal blender has a sleek, modern design that'll look nice sitting on your countertop. (It comes in light gray and black.) The Beast personal blender is even a favorite of Laura Denby, a professional chef and our food product reviews writer, who's described it as "incredibly efficient" and "quiet."
One of our testers said that the blending cups were "crystal clear" at first, but after months of making frozen strawberry smoothies and homemade nut butter, "they're so scratched that they look almost foggy." Another thing to keep in mind is that the blending vessel has 12 ridges that make it hard to clean by hand—but if you have a dishwasher, it's safe to put it on the top rack. We like that it comes with a carrying cap and lid, but found the center placement of the spout a bit awkward to drink from. It's also worth noting that it comes with a two-year limited warranty.
"I have yet to run into an issue with the performance of the Beast blender. The blades are still functioning the same as when I first started using it. The only issue I've run into so far is that the blending cup has started to smell a little funky. Even though it's a little annoying, it hasn't impacted the taste of my smoothies, so I'm still using [it] on a daily basis."
—Alex Loh, assistant digital editor
Best Rated: NutriBullet Original
To buy: $50 (originally $60) at amazon.com
Pros: It's the ideal balance of price and performance.
Cons: It doesn't have any controls or programs—just place in and twist to blend.
Motor: 600 watts
NutriBullet is such a well-known brand for a reason. Its personal blenders get the job done—and the original model alone has more than 24,000 five-star ratings on Amazon. It has a moderate price and is very easy to use, so it's a great option for someone who wants a no-frills personal blender that breaks down fruits and veggies so that seeds and fibers are barely noticeable. For $50, you get a blender base, a 24-ounce cup, a to-go lid with spout, and a lip ring for sipping directly from the cup.
We also tested the NutriBullet Pro and found it to perform almost exactly the same as the original blender. The main differences? The Pro has a stronger 1000-watt motor and has suction on the bottom of the base to keep it in place on your counter—and it costs $30 more than the original. But when we made green smoothies with celery and spinach and fruit smoothies with frozen peaches and berries, there were barely any differences in the results between the two NutriBullet blenders.
"I primarily use the NutriBullet for making smoothies in the morning. It has other features but I never really had the need for them until recently. I actually have started making pestos, sauces, and dips in it!"
—Melissa Epifano, ecommerce writer
Best for Crushing Ice: Cuisinart CPB-300 Personal Blender
To buy: $70 (originally $130) at amazon.com
Pros: This model easily crushes ice and comes with four travel cups.
Cons: The blender base looks and feels slightly cheap.
Motor: 350 watts
Even though Cuisinart's personal blender came with a sticker on it that said "Crushes Ice!," we weren't expecting it to actually be able to do that because its motor is only 350 watts. But we were pleasantly surprised with the results: It crushed 6 ounces of ice after just 30 seconds of pulsing, which is much faster than most of the other blenders we tested. The Cuisinart blender also has high and low speed settings. It made a green smoothie that was surprisingly tasty without much effort, but the fruit smoothie didn't yield the results we'd hoped for. There were a lot of seeds left over after blending for a minute and 20 seconds, and it tasted like the smoothies made in some of the cheaper blenders that didn't even make this list.
The blender comes with four travel cups, which is a major plus because forgetting to wash your cup one day won't stop you from using it, but we were disappointed to find that the lids broke very easily. One of our tests involved knocking a fully-closed cup off the counter, and with this one from Cuisinart, almost the entire drink spilled on the floor. Another thing to keep in mind is that the base looks and feels slightly cheap despite its neutral black and silver design. One tester said the blade was slightly intimidating to wash with a sponge, but they were happy that their "hand fit inside the cup just fine for cleaning." (The cups are dishwasher-safe, but the blade isn't.)
Best Design: Zwilling Enfinigy Personal Blender
To buy: $100 at amazon.com
Pros: It has a very sleek and expensive-looking design with an intuitive dial.
Cons: It struggled to crush ice.
Motor: 500 watts
All of our testers agree that the Zwilling Enfinigy blender has a top-notch design that looks more expensive than it really is. The matte-black base is sleek and attractive enough to keep on your counter when not in use, and the intuitive dial allows you to precisely control the settings (either manual pulse or automatic smoothie). We were really impressed with the to-go lid, too. Not only does it have a spout that's easy to drink from, but it also has a flip-top design that locks to prevent accidental spills.
During testing, the Zwilling personal blender had especially great results when making fruit smoothies and salsas. In fact, one tester said this blender was "the only one so far that got the perfect salsa texture without being smoothie-like." But despite its serrated blades, the blender wasn't able to crush ice very well. However, if you aren't planning on crushing a container full of ice to use in drinks, then you'll likely find that this personal blender is ideal for all of your other needs. You'll also appreciate that it comes with a three-year limited warranty.
Best Portable: BlendJet 2
To buy: $50 at blendjet.com
Pros: It's lightweight and quiet enough to bring to work and use in an office kitchen.
Cons: Smoothies come out chunky after blending for over a minute.
Motor: 5V
The BlendJet 2 is completely cordless, so it's the most portable personal blender on this list. You can take it to work or the gym without worrying about finding an outlet because it charges via USB-C. It only takes about an hour and a half to fully charge—and yes, you can plug it into your laptop. At just 1 pound, the portable blender is also lightweight enough to throw in your bag. When you place your order, you can purchase a warranty through Extend that starts at $5 for a year of coverage.
The BlendJet comes in dozens of bright colors and patterns, including black marble and leopard. You can sip directly from the cup without any extra attachments or lids, but since it only fits 16 ounces, you may need to make smaller smoothies. We had to cut our test recipes in half, and the smoothies and salsa still had a lot of chunks. It didn't handle ice very well, either. There's only one button that blends in 20-second intervals, and it'll definitely take at least five cycles for a smoothie. But at least it's really easy to clean—just add soap and water directly to the blender and turn it on. It won't replace your at-home blender, but it works as a portable option in a pinch.
Best Single-Serve: Magic Bullet Blender
To buy: $34 (originally $40) at amazon.com
Pros: It's compact and takes up very little space.
Cons: This blender isn't powerful enough to fully blend ice or berry seeds.
Motor: 250 watts
If you've ever searched for a personal blender on Amazon, you've probably come across the customer-loved Magic Bullet. It's basically a smaller, less powerful, and more affordable version of the NutriBullet (they're made by the same company). Not only is the entire blender very compact, but the 12- and 16-ounce cups are perfect for single servings of smoothies, dips, and more. And they're still very easy to wash, unlike some of the narrower cups we tried. You can fit your hand inside the cup to clean with a sponge, and the shallow blades feel safer to put your hands around.
In the majority of our tests, the results came out pretty good, especially for a blender of this size and price. The smoothies were consistent and drinkable, although we could still notice berry granules and some celery fibers throughout, which is to be expected. The travel lid is a bit awkward to drink from because there's a flap that kept moving while we sipped the smoothie.
We also tested the even smaller Magic Bullet Mini and found that it'd be too tiny for everyday use, but it might work for baby food.
"I've owned this Magic Bullet blender, without exaggeration, since 2006. I mostly use it for smoothies but do occasionally make a quick sauce or marinade in it as well. There were other blades that came with it that were supposed to be for chopping vegetables, but without being able to control the speed, I find that everything gets pureed whether you like it or not, so I stick to making things with it that I actually want fully blended. I'm actually amazed it's lasted this long and I'm going to keep using it until it fully breaks down on me."
—Ariel Scotti, writer, ecommerce partnerships
Most Affordable: Bella Personal-Size Rocket Blender
To buy: $18 (originally $30) at amazon.com
Pros: The affordable price and silver base that doesn't scream "cheap."
Cons: It makes smoothies with a weird consistency.
Motor: 285 watts
At just $18, the Bella personal blender is by far the most affordable option that we tested. Even though it's a cheaper option, it still comes with plenty of additional cups and types of lids. You definitely get what you pay for, though: There are no special settings or programs to choose from, and both types of smoothies ended up with an inconsistent texture that was quite gritty and chunky. It struggled to crush ice and blend celery, so the appliance was loud and gave off strong smells during those tests.
Bella's personal blender is a decent option for anyone looking for the most affordable blender, but don't expect it to last a while—plenty of reviewers mention having issues with warranty claims and replacement parts. So if you can swing it with your budget, we'd recommend spending a bit extra for a more reliable personal blender on this list.
How We Tested
When coming up with a list of which personal blenders to test, our main criteria was that the blending cup doubled as a drinking cup (a.k.a. no pitcher-style blenders that also came with a to-go cup). Our product reviews team tested 16 different personal blenders in total to come up with this list of the eight best. We put each blender through multiple tests to find out how well they work for different uses. We made two types of smoothies: one with mostly frozen fruit, and a green version to see how well they blend fibrous celery and leafy greens.
Even though most personal blenders aren't designed to handle ice on its own, we also tested their ability to crush ice. (That's how we found out that the Cuisinart blender was best for crushing ice—it performed the best in that test by far.) We also made salsa in each blender, but we were actually disappointed in the results for most of them, since it often turned out looking like baby food. In between the tests, we washed all of the blending cups, lids, and blades by hand to see how easy they were to clean.
Finally, we put each blender's cup through a drop test (as long as it came with a travel lid) to test its durability. We tipped them over on the counter and then knocked them on the floor to see if there was any spillage or damage.
Courtesy of Amina Abdelrahman
What to Look for in a Personal Blender
There's a lot to consider when shopping for a personal blender, so we outlined the most important factors below to make it easier to figure out which is best for your needs. Based on our testing experience, we've determined that these are the four most important things to think about before buying a personal blender:
Wattage: The blenders on this list have motors that are anywhere from 250 to 1100 watts, which is a pretty big range. This is a good indicator of how powerful it is, so keep in mind that the higher the number, the stronger and more efficient the blender will be.
Cups: If you prefer bigger smoothies, make sure to pick a blender that comes with larger, 24-ounce cups. Some are as small as 12 ounces, so you may need to cut down your recipes to fit in them. If you plan on drinking your smoothie while on the go, make sure the blender comes with a travel lid with a spout.
Settings: Built-in programs and different speed settings give you more control over the results, but many personal blenders only have one setting (particularly those that you just place in and twist to turn on).
Price: Don't forget to consider the value of a personal blender before you buy. Think about what features and aspects you'd be willing to splurge on or give up to get the best personal blender for your needs. For example, the most expensive option on our list is the modern-looking Beast for $155, but you can also spend almost half of that on a Ninja blender and get smoothies that are just as tasty.
Courtesy of Amina Abdelrahman
How to Clean a Personal Blender
Personal blenders are generally pretty easy to take care of, but when it comes to cleaning, always make sure you follow the instructions for your specific model. That being said, you can generally assume it's safe to wash the cup, lid, and blade by hand with soap and water. The placement of the blade can definitely affect how you clean it; there are blenders on this list with shallow, easy-to-clean blades as well as blenders with multiple serrated blades that were quite intimidating to wash by hand.
Some of the blenders on this list have completely dishwasher-safe parts (like our top pick, the Ninja Nutri Pro), which make cleanup a breeze. A few brands, including the BlendJet, even recommend adding soap and water directly to the cup and blending.
