Best Handheld Blender For Smoothies

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How To Choose The Best Hand Blender For You

Gear Heads | Make Smoothies and Margaritas Anywhere with Portable Blenders

How much should I spend?

If you pay less than around £30, you shouldnt expect a whole host of attachments. But if you buy the right one, you should still wind up with a whizzy machine that makes rich and creamy soups and sauces . Spending more money than that will get you either some useful attachments generally for chopping and whisking or a machine that works more quickly, quietly or with more precision.

Alternatively, your dosh may be going on a machine that isnt prone to overheating mixtures such as mayonnaise or a machine that is really lightweight. But what splashing the cash wont automatically do is get you a better machine, with many low-cost machines outperform higher-cost ones at the basics.

READ NEXT: The best hand mixers to buy right now

What features should I look out for?

At the very least, you should expect your hand blender to be comfortable to hold, easy to assemble and use and a good performer at the tasks you need it for, while also being easy to clean afterwards. Beyond that, features are nice-to-haves and youll need to tick these off against your top personal preferences.

What material is best?

  • Metal whisk
  • Mini-chopper
  • Grater/slicer
  • Double beater
  • Beaker
  • Masher

Other Immersion Blenders We Tested

We found that Cuisinart makes the best budget blenders in each category, with attachments included and without. For a straightforward option, the Cuisinart Smart Stick can’t be beat. For $40, you get two speeds and no extrasjust a strong hand blender that can tackle both puréed soups and frozen fruit. If you do want to get into the attachment game, you can upgrade to the $74 model, which is the same basic hand blender with a cup, mini chopper, and whisk included. For a first foray into immersion blending, it’s an economical and effective way to go.

The rest of the blenders we tested were not quite up to snuff. The KitchenAid 3-Speed Hand Blender handled the soup and the smoothie well power-wise, but we had trouble getting the locking mechanism to work. After several tries we finally just held the top and bottom parts together. This presented a problem with the smoothie because the cup kept moving around on the countertop.

Who Should Get This

An immersion blender is definitely worth investing in if you make pureed soups. You could use a blender or a food processor, but an immersion blender just makes it one-pot cookery, chef Rudy Speckamp told us. Having an immersion blender makes it easy to puree soup directly in the stockpot, rather than ladling the cooked ingredients into a blender in several batches and then pouring each batch into another bowl or pot before finally combining them and reheating them in the pot. Immersion blenders also work well for small batches of smoothies, baby food, or even dips, pesto, or mayonnaise. If yours comes with a whisk attachment, it can make whipped cream to top a pie or an ice cream sundae.

An immersion blender wont work for heavier tasks, and most wont make a silky-smooth texture. A food processor, with its various blades and disks, works best for most chopping, dicing, or shredding, and a full-size blender makes smoother purees and smoothies.

An immersion blender is definitely worth investing in if you make pureed soups.

We recommend upgrading from an old immersion blender only if your current model fails to make smooth textures, if its difficult to hold and use, or if you want more attachments, such as a mini chopper or whisk.

Read Also: How To Make A Strawberry And Banana Smoothie

A Popular Pick Thats Great For Food Processing

Amazon

  • 1500-watt motor and variable speed and pulse controls
  • Radial cooling fan and thermal protection system
  • Aircraft-grade stainless steel blades

The Vitamix 5200 Blender is on the cheaper, simpler end of Vitamix modelsand its less techy, with knobs instead of an LCD screenbut in my experience, it performed better than some of the more expensive Vitamix options.

For starters, the Vitamix 5200 has a smaller footprint which makes it easier to store. It was also more powerful and fast than competitors on several of the functions I tried. The ice function impressed me as much as it did with the BlendTec blender, achieving pure snow in five or ten seconds. But the smoothie was a fail each time I attempted itchunky, icy, way too thick, and in my opinion, not drinkable. It seems the 5200 performs better when theres more in the pitcher , and when the contents arent frozen.

But the nut butter was a totally different story. Within 15 minutes, the Vitamix 5200 had transformed roasted almonds into spreadable butter. The only read drawback is that the blender is loud when its in action. If youre OK with the sound, the 5200 is the way to go for food processing.

Best Immersion Blender: Mueller Austria Ultra

Handheld

When you think of a blender for smoothies, an immersion blender probably isn’t what comes to mind, but they shouldn’t be overlooked. This best-selling handheld device from Mueller Austria has more than 31,000 five-star ratings on Amazon. It’s so versatile you can use it for practically any type of recipe, not just frozen beverages. Plus, this model comes with two attachments for blending, whisking, and frothing ingredients. Simply place all your ingredients in a sturdy cup or bowl, blend, and enjoy.

“My granddaughter is partial to the smoothies and I had no problem blending the frozen mixed berries,” one reviewer claims. “I haven’t had any issues with it getting hot too fast, but haven’t found it necessary to blend anything for longer than one minute intervals. I do like that it’s equipped with a safety mechanism that turns it off when overloaded. I find the weight of the handle gives me more control and it works fast enough not to strain my hands and arms.”

Buy It: $30

Recommended Reading: How To Make A Strawberry Smoothie Ingredients

Blender For Thick Smoothies

Some questions must have come to your mind, HOW TO CHOOSE A BLENDER WATTS, DO WATTS MATTER IN BLENDER for thick smoothies, and how right blenders power helpful in making thick smoothies? Then here are your answers. If you are health conscious and want a blender for thick smoothies then you dont need a high power blender. A 500 watts power mid-range blender is perfectly suitable for making thick smoothies. Thats why these blenders are called the best blender for thick smoothies.

In a market, there are many types of blenders for thick smoothies. You must choose the blender, which has suitable power and control. For delicious smoothies you also need a blender consists of powerful sharp blades that can smoothly chop food into smoothies.

Besides all these aspects, the main point is blender power. The excessive the wattage the more powerful blender is.

What To Consider Before Buying An Immersion Blender

Blade guard: Thisis the dome-shaped part of the blender that covers the blades. We found that wide blade guards with large vents do a better job of circulating the food around for better and faster blending. They are also easier to clean because food stuck under the blades is more accessible. Just make sure the blade guard will fit easily in your favorite pots and smoothie cups.Handle and grip: To operate the immersion blender, youll have to grip the handle with one hand and press the on, off, or speed buttons with your fingers, so it should feel comfortable to hold and operate. Your hands will fatigue if the handle is too large, the buttons are too small or awkwardly placed, or if the blender feels heavy. Also, the buttons should be easy to press without much force. Ideally your fingers should fall naturally on the buttons when you hold the handle. We found non-slip rubber handles to be softer and easier to grip.Design: Look for a compact enough model that’s easy to store in a kitchen drawer. Though immersion blenders are super easy to clean, we prefer models that have a removable blender attachment and are dishwasher-safe.

Corded vs. cordless: Cords offer constant power, but an electric cord can get tangled, burned, or could knock things over on a busy kitchen counter and stove-top. Cordless models are portable and convenient, but may lose power before you can finish the job.

  • Lacks additional accessories

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Hamilton Beach 59770 Turbo

The 200-watt Hamilton Beach hand-held blender will make you forget about the heavy mixer and special bowl. Blend drinks right in the glass, puree soups in the pot and whipe cream in a portable bowl. This is the perfect appliance to blend small amounts. Use it at home or take it with you when you travel to help you keet a healthy routine. It has two helpful attachments: an 8-1/2-inch sharp-bladed blending wand with a protective plastic sleeve, and a 7-1/4-inch stainless-steel whisk. Both attachments twist securely onto the power handle and easily remove for hand washing.

How We Tested The Immersion Blenders

Acai Berry Smoothie | KitchenAid 2 Speed Hand Blender

We tested each immersion blender in a few ways. First, if any models came with chopper attachments, we used those to cut onions. Then we added those onions into the base for a blended creamy carrot soup, with each batch made using the same process, in the same pot. We made smoothies using frozen fruit, soy milk, and greens if the blender came with a cup we used that, and if not we used our own. Finally, we tested the whisk attachments by timing how quickly and evenly each whipped a cup of heavy cream. For each immersion blender we also evaluated the following factors.

Ultimately, the most important thing was how well it blended both the soup and smoothie. Weve heard anecdotally that some immersion blenders do fine with soups and sauces but cant take on the tough chunks in a smoothie, so we wanted to make sure the ones we selected were up to any task.

If its awkward to use or makes your hand or wrist hurtor if it sounds like an airplane landing in your kitchenyoull be less likely to use it.

We evaluated how easy it was to get the blender set up and working quickly. We were looking for a blade end that was easy to detach once the job is done, but not so easy that it won’t stay on while blending.

One immersion blender had a lock so you couldnt start it by accident, which is great for cleanliness as well as safety another had a cover for the blade for storage. We considered any special additions like that.

Read Also: Quick And Easy Breakfast Smoothies

Immersion Blender Vs Countertop Blender

Unlike a food processor which contains a particular container for processing, or a hand mixer which mixes but does not blend, this tool does a good job of blending without needing a glass receptacle for food or liquids. The users can directly prepare soups, sauces or any pureed ingredients in the vessel in which theyre being prepared.

This means instead of transferring soup to a stand mixer in small batches, which is the main cause of splatters and burns, the machine itself allows you to mix the full quantity of the soup in the pot at once. Not to mention that will save us tons of time and hassle.

With a compact size, solid construction, and simple design all coming together in one piece of work, clearly there will be no problem in storing an immersion blender, especially when its stainless steel blending shaft can be detached from the main housing for ultimate storage convenience.

If you have a restricted kitchen space and want to get rid of countertop clutter, you can store this hand-held device in a drawer when its not in use. You can also keep all its accessories and attachments organized and protected in the storage case, which can be either included with your blender or purchased separately.

A hand blender is easier to clean, too. No manual effort is required. All of the attachments can be washed by hand and the wand can simply be wiped down between uses.

What To Know About Immersion Blenders

Immersion blenders can come with a lot of accessories or just the basic stick blender. Figure out what will suit your storage and usage purposes. If you already have a great mixer and food processor, you may not need an immersion blender with all of the bells and whistles. If you are used to making large batches of soups, smoothies and more, you might be better off with a stand-alone immersion blender the accessories that come with hand blenders are designed for small batches.

Speaking of accessories, the most common ones are a whisk attachment and a mini chop food processor. The whisk attachment can be handy for quick jobs like whipped cream, but it is not designed to take the place of a hand mixer so keep that in mind. Same goes for the mini chop attachments: You can easily whip up a small batch of pesto, but if you need to make a big batch of hummus or nut butter, a regular food processor will serve you better.

Jill Novatt

Immersion blenders come with or without a cord. If you have a lot of counter space and can keep it on the counter charging, then you may want the cord-free ease of a cordless. If space is tight, consider a model with a cord so you dont have to worry about charging before use.

Jill Novatt

Jill Novatt

Also Check: How To Make A Frozen Blueberry Smoothie

What Is The Best Immersion Blender

To summarize, we think the Braun MQ9007 MultiQuick 9 Immersion Hand Blender is the best immersion blender you can buy. It has a very powerful 700 watt motor and a masher attachment for creaming potatoes and pureeing root vegetables.

If you want the best immersion blender for soup without worrying about other attachment options, we like the Vitamix Immersion Blender. It is also very powerful and is designed to do one thing very well indeed.

The budget-friendly choice comes from Nutribullet. The NutriBullet Immersion Blender has two attachments and two speeds, all for a fraction of the price of some of the best immersion blenders on the market.

Best Commercial: Waring Wsb70 Heavy Duty Immersion Blender With Variable Speed Motor

Multifunctional Hand Blender Handheld 300w Motor 5 Speed ...

If youre thinking of starting your own restaurant or soup kitchen, you may want to consider this industrial-strength immersion blender from Waring. Its 21-inch removable stainless steel shaft lets you blend huge batches up to 200 quarts. At 750 watts and 5,000 to 18,000 RPMs, this beast can break down anything you throw its way.

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Russell Hobbs Desire 3

Best cheapo blender

It might be just a hand blender, but the Bosch MSM6S90BGB is a more than capable bit of kitchen gear that boasts a beefy 750-watt power output. And, being a Bosch it also means that you get solid build integrity, some cool design curves and a very practical selection of tools and accessories for getting your blending done.

Theres more though, with QuattroBlade technology plus a sizeable quota of 12 speed settings. The unit can be used in free-form style or you can pair it with the included jug that pretty much morphs the little Bosch into a food processor. Doing that limits mess thanks to the sealed in lid, which is a real plus if youre a bit of a buffoon in the kitchen.

However, the unit seems pretty capable of keeping control of both liquids and solids even if youre going freehand. Were big fans of the Turbo option, which can take care of anything thats stubbornly refusing to be blended.

The Bosch MSM6S90BGB Hand Blender lets you hit the ground running thanks to its array of very handy accessories that can tackle all sorts of culinary chores. The 1.25 litre jug is a practical size and everything is dishwasher safe, so youre basically good to go and can keep your prized new appliance looking good too.

The Kenwood HDP406WH Hand Blender is ready to take on a raft of blending options thanks to its combination of a powerful 800-watt motor and Triblade technology.

They Include Useful Accessories

There are a number of hand blender models that come with additional accessories such as whisks, chopper and grinder and mixing bowl. You are likely to come across machines that include both small and large chopping tools along with storage jars.

The mixing bowl or jar included with hand blenders can be used if you need to combine ingredients in a separate container. Modern blenders come with 3 and even 5 speeds, which can be used for different purposes.

There are also hand blenders that include dough hooks for kneading dough for pizza and breads. Whats great is that the dough is kneaded the same way you would do using your own hands.

Recommended Reading: Best Easy To Clean Blender For Smoothies

Ninja Bl610 Ice Crushing Blender Best Value

Are you looking to save money? You may be interested in the Ninja Professional BL610 Countertop Blender, which we recommend as the best blender for crushing ice and frozen drinks for the money.

This seven-pound model is low-cost and lightweight but still has a strong 1,000-watt motor that can quickly crush ice and frozen fruit. It has a BPA-free, dishwasher-safe pitcher with a large 64-ounce blending capacity and a sturdy six-blade assembly, plus a simple interface with pulse, low, medium, and high options.

The BL610 has a reasonably appealing design and works well with ice but is also quite loud and requires tamping for smooth blends. The pitcher isnt as durable as wed like, cracking and leaking with heavy use, and the sharp blades can be difficult to clean and become dull when blending ice. Ninja offers a basic one-year warranty that doesnt cover the pitcher.

To conclude, we think this is the best blender for ice for the money.

If youve got extra room in your budget, you may want to give the Vitamix 7500 Blender a look. This high-end model has a powerful all-metal drive and plenty of useful features but is also heavy and has less durable components.

In testing, we found that the gears and blades arent very durable and may break down over time. In the end, this model is more expensive than its features can fully compensate for. Vitamix offers a good seven-year warranty.

  • Less durable blades and gears

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