Why Trust The Spruce Eats
Donna Currie has used a veritable flock of blenders, from manual to hand blenders to a high-end Vitamix, that she tested for The Spruce Eats. To make sure she found the perfect personal blenders for everyday use, she spent hours doing even more research online to narrow down the list to the best of the best.
This roundup was updated by Sharon Lehman, a home cook who happens to be a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. She researches and reviews small kitchen appliances for The Spruce Eats, and tested several of the blenders on this list, including the Nutri Ninja Pro, Magic Bullet, and BlendJet One.
Do I Need A Personal Blender
As with any kitchen gadget, a personal blender is handy as long as you use it regularly. If you only plan to make a smoothie once a month for you and your family members, then a jug blender will give you more versatility.
A personal blender does, however, take up a lot less space on the kitchen countertop than a jug blender, so if you dont need a large capacity, then a personal blender is far easier to store.
How To Choose The Blender For Smoothies
There are several factors that need to be taken into consideration when choosing the best personal smoothie blender. We will detail each one of them, trying to point out the most desirable standards you should be looking for:
Motor Power
The more power the motor of the blender has, the better its abilities to deliver the ultimate smoothies. In general, if you are looking for a really powerful blender, then you should check models that average between 800 1200 Watts.
Weight Speed
The speed is directly determined by the power of each model. However, the best blender for protein shakes and smoothies should include at least 3 different levels. Also, the more powerful a model is, the larger the motor and, as such, the heavier the machine will be.
Jar-size
The size of the jar is a pretty important factor you need to consider how many people you intend to use it for, and choose accordingly. If you have a full house, then you should be looking for a model that has at least 32 oz. capacity.
Storage Cleaning Ease
ompact blender will always be easier to store than a larger and more advanced model. However, most of them only offer one button for ignition, and will require manual cleaning. The quality blenders from our list are not much larger, and also feature a preset auto-cleaning feature.
Uninterrupted Power Supply
Quiet
Warranty
You should be looking out for those products that offer at least a 3 year warranty, lifetime support and, preferably, a money back policy.
Features
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Other Blenders To Consider
One thing to keep in mind is that all of the personal blenders we tested are not to be used with hot liquids. So if you are looking for a blender that you can also use to make soups, youll need a more traditional bar blender or a high-speed blender. Alternatively, you can buy a personal blender for smoothies and such, then invest in an immersion blender for tasks involving hot liquids.
Beth Lipton
Benefits Of The Best Personal Blender For Smoothies
Some small blenders are perfect for crushing touch ice and hard fruits, and it makes much smoother purees and beverages than any of the other options. High-performance blenders are not necessarily the biggest, and you will find the same efficiency in portable blenders most of the time.
Another advantage is small blenders are easier to use than big ones. All you have to do is to put all the fruits and vegetables inside with some water and blendâ with just a single button and your smoothies are ready for drinking.
Another important reason to get a personal blender for travel is that its easier to clean. There are travel blenders that are specifically suited for trips and outdoor purposes, and small blenders fall in that category.
They donât take up much space compared to the bigger blenders because they are smaller. Big blenders tend to take all the important spaces in your kitchen where other things may fit.
And lastly, they are less difficult to clean than other bigger blenders. This is only right since bigger blenders come with bigger blades which prove more difficult to clean. Portable sized blenders take all that trouble away.
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Also Great Under $: Sboly
A real contender for besting our under $30 pick, the Black + Decker Fusion Blade is the Sboly personal blender. Its just a couple of books more than the Black + Decker, but it has slightly more power and blended our smoothie in a mere 10 seconds.
Dimension-wise, the Sboly is virtually identical to the Fusion Blade, but the big difference is that the jar is made from Tritan, a BPA-free plastic that resembles glass, but it doesnt shatter and holds up its appearance after frequent dishwashings. The only downside is that the jars 2-¼ inch mouth prevented us from simply adding ingredients directly from a measuring cup. Still, the Sboly is a solidly built personal blender thats worth your consideration.
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Who Needs A Personal Blender And Why
The diminutive size of personal blenders, compared to full-size models with large pitchers, makes them a convenient and useful appliance for those who are most interested in making single-serving drinks with minimal cleanup.
With single-serving cups and locking travel lids, they are a great choice for those who want to take their smoothies on the go, whether thats to the gym, class or work. Theyre perfect for protein shakes and smoothies, sports drinks and on-the-go meal replacements.
Even if youre not headed for a workout, they are a cost-effective solution for anybody who would otherwise be buying smoothies or green drinks from a smoothie shop. The relatively low price of personal blenders our top picks are $100 or under makes them even more attractive.
Plus, their compact size makes them great for those who dont have the extra counter space that larger, bulkier blenders would require, and need something small enough that it can easily store away in a cupboard if needed.
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The Best Personal Blenders In 2022
Personal blenders are significantly smaller than their full-size counterparts, and since you can drink out of the cup youre blending with, theyre great for protein shakes and smoothies. And because their cups feature convenient travel lids, its easy and convenient to blend your drink and take it with you to work, to the gym or just to run errands.
We ran nine of the top models on the market through a rigorous testing process, evaluating their ability to execute a variety of blending tasks. We also judged them on their design, construction, and perhaps most importantly how convenient and comfortable they were to drink out of.
Should I Use A Blender Or A Juicer
Use a juicer if you have trouble digesting fiber. Blending a smoothie uses every part of the fruit you put into it, including the fiber, which makes it a healthier option for most people.Avoid juicers for avocado, bananas, pineapple, yogurt and protein powder. Either add these ingredients to your juice or reach for your blender. Since these ingredients do not have a high volume of water content compared to their pulp, they may not be able to break your juicer, but most of the fruit will be thrown away with the rest of the pulp.
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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 .
- 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.
Nutribullet Pro Blender With Travel Cup Most Powerful
NutriBullet large capacity blender with travel cups
- Dimensions 12.01 x 7.72 x 15.94 inches
- Weight 5.5 lbs
This Nutribullet model is one of the best-selling portable blenders of 2022 and for good reasons. This compact size 13-peace portable blender is easy to assemble and makes it a top-notch choice for home use and on the go.
The 13 pieces include a power base, 32 oz. colossal cup, 24 oz. tall cup, flip-top to-go lid, handled lid ring, and non-handled lid ring.
The 900-watt motor is powerful and easily handles all your shakes, smoothies, sauces, and purees, and can be used for grinding, mixing, and stirring.
A hard copy recipe book is included, shipping is free and fast, and youll love the design and all the gorgeous colors you can choose from.
Nutribullet blender pros
- Versatile and feature-packed
- You can choose from the 3-cups according to your needs. Choose the best size for the gym, office, or outdoor.
- Powerful base
- Lasts for years with no malfunctions
Cons
- Heavy and not great for travel
Price best price on
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How To Clean A Blender
Staying on top of cleaning your blender is key if you want it to last as long as possible and if you want to avoid any nasty odors building up. Many blending jugs can be placed inside the dishwasher but you can also clean them by adding warm water and dish soap to the blending jug, placing the lid on, and blending up the soapy solution.
If youre struggling to get rid of any stubborn stains, create your own cleaning paste using 1 tablespoon of baking soda and mix it with 1 teaspoon of white vinegar. You can add this solution to the stains by using a clean scrubbing brush or a clean toothbrush.
How Do I Choose A Good Personal Blender
Other than ensuring it will fit on your work surface and do all the jobs you need it to, here are a few things to look out for:
- Dishwasher safe parts for ease of cleaning
- Good power the higher the wattage, the smoother the blend
- Automatic programmes that allow you to push a button and leave the blender to get to work on its own
- Different speed settings to give you more control
- A solid base and rubberised feet to stop it from moving around
- Spare cups and sports lids
- Extra features such as an ice crush button, and a container for chopping nuts, seeds and more
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Is A Nutribullet Better Than A Blender
This depends on your personal preferences. A Nutribullet is generally smaller than a blender, so although it takes fewer ingredients, its ideal for smaller kitchens. It also liquifies most hard, thick ingredients including root vegetables that many standard blenders cant. The Nutribullet is pretty versatile as it comes with a separate milling blade that can grind coffee beans, nuts and grains like whole oats if a recipe calls for oat flour.
However, its advised not to put hot ingredients like soups or stews in the Nutribullet as the steam can cause a build-up of pressure in the machine, unless of course you go for the top of the range Nutribullet Rx Blender which has been specifically designed to blend hot foods.
Features Of The Product
When it comes to recommending blenders, I go straight to the one everyone will love. In that case, I am confident to recommend NutriBullet ZNBF30500Z Blender, due to the powerful features that come with it:
Pros
It is expensive.
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Flaws But Not Dealbreakers
Even though we like the tight-fitting travel lid, the spout for drinking is very small, measuring 1 inch by ¾ inch. Its very difficult to drink a thick smoothie without using a straw. But we prefer straws to smoothie sipping, so this doesnt bother us one bit.
The NutriBullet Pro isnt the sleekest machine we tested. The branding is splashed all over the front, and if youre logo averse, this can be troubling. If aesthetics are that important to you, consider getting the Breville Boss To Go.
In 2014, Consumer Reports declared the NutriBullet Pro a safety hazard after a piece of the blade broke off due to a stress test where they blended 7 large ice cubes 45 times. Later that year, after an initial investigation, the Consumer Product Safety Commission concluded that there was no reason for a recall. In September of 2016, Consumer Reports restored the NutriBullet Pro to their product rankings, giving it an overall score of good. We think a stress test of that magnitude is unrealistic. Personal blenders arent meant to crush large cubes of ice over and over again. CNET conducted stress tests on the NutriBullet Pro and found no problems of breakage or malfunction.
Best Overall: Nutribullet Pro 900 Series
The NutriBullet Pro 900 is the best combination of every nice-to-have feature in one package and at a price much more affordable than the Vitamix S30, which comes in at 3x the cost: $375 to the NutriBullets $91 at the time of this writing.
The bullets blending speed, at 12.47 seconds, is almost five times better than the group average of 58 seconds. The power makes blending fun, too it might not make you healthier by default, but if its more enjoyable to do, it may make you more likely to reach for a smoothie than a sandwich.
The wide base also makes it easy to make shakes without mess and also clean up without pain. Its a bit loud, but nothing out of the ordinary for such a powerful blender.
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Will A Personal Blender Crush Ice
It definitely will, Gorin assures. Some high-speed blenders even have a frozen drink setting. But be sure to pulse on this setting, being mindful of the power buttons sensitivity, to crush ice to your desired consistency. If you overdo it, youll have a watery mess rather than a thick frozen treat.
Oberly Portable Blender 6
Oberly Portable Blender
- Dimensions 3.15 x 3.15 x 9.45 inches
- Weight 1 lbs
The Oberly small yet mighty 6-point blade portable blender comes with a battery that lasts for 10-12 shakes or smoothies in one charge, and a smart safety system .
Its small size and carry handle make it a great fit for travel, and the price is lower than average.
The self-cleaning mode allows you to easily wash the blender without leaving any dead corners. All you do is add a bit of soap, a bit of water, and click the switch to start automatic cleaning.
This USB juicer bottle comes with a built-in 2000mAh rechargeable battery that can be easily charged by a power bank, computer, laptop, mobile phone, or any USB device.
Made from high-quality BPA free and PP food-grade material
Price check price
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Things To Consider Before Purchasing The Best Blender For Smoothies And Ice
If you’re in the market for a new blender, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Not all blenders are created equal – some are better for making smoothies, while others are better for crushing ice. Here are 8 things to consider before purchasing the best blender for your needs:
1. Price
Not all blenders are created equal – some are more expensive than others. Make sure you’re aware of what you’re getting for your money.
2. Power
The more powerful the blender, the better it will be at crushing ice and blending ingredients. If you plan on using your blender to make smoothies often, consider investing in a model with more power.
3. Size
Blenders come in all different sizes, so make sure you pick one that will fit comfortably on your countertop.
4. Design
Some blenders are more stylish than others. If design is important to you, be sure to pick a blender that will suit your taste.
5. Ease of use
Some blenders are more difficult to operate than others. Make sure you pick a model that is easy to use.
6. Capacity
Blenders come in all different sizes, so make sure you pick one that will fit comfortably on your countertop.
7. Warranty
Most blenders come with a warranty, but not all warranties are created equal. Make sure you read the terms and conditions of the warranty before purchasing a blender.
8. Accessories
Some blenders come with accessories, while others do not. If you’re looking for specific accessories , make sure the blender you choose comes with them.