6 Best Personal Blenders: My Top Picks After Testing Over 90 Models

• Ninja Foodie Smoothie Bowl Maker & Nutrient Extractor: This model features a unique smoothie bowl cup which has a built-in tamper, so it doesn’t need as much liquid to blend ingredients to a smooth, thick consistency. This model tackled smoothies with ease and produced super-smooth results, but didn't perform as well in other tests.
• Magic Bullet Blender: This affordable personal blender does more than whirl smoothies — it also conveniently chops chunky salsas and grinds nuts thanks to an extra-small blending cup in the 11-piece set. It does have far less power than other models on this list at 250 watts and has a lot of pieces to store.
• NutriBullet Pro+ Personal Blender: This small personal blender has an impressive 1,200-watt motor and comes with a 32-ounce blender jar and a pulse function that helps distribute ingredients to create an even blend. However, some testers had trouble achieving a smooth consistency with frozen foods like fruit and ice.​
• Cuisinart CPB-300 Personal Blender: In Lab tests, this model was good at grinding coffee beans and blending fruit smoothies. However, we did find its larger footprint to take up a lot of countertop space for a personal blender.
• Smeg​ Personal Blender: This personal blender has a fun retro look and is shaped like a baby bottle, but the plastic is flimsy and didn't perform very well in our tests.​
• Our Place Splendor ​Blender​: Our testers liked this blender for its ease of use, stylish design and pulse function (not common in personal blenders). It made a decent smoothie, but the blender only blends for 45 seconds at a time and it required two cycles to get the job done. It also struggled in our margarita ​test, unable to dissolve the sugar and achieve a light and fluffy frozen cocktail.

Over the last decade, the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab has tested more than a hundred blenders, including numerous personal blenders, to find the best high-performance models. We test each with the same standardized recipes to see how they stand out. When we test personal blenders, we adjust the recipes accordingly.

✔️ Type: There are a few different types of personal blenders on the market:

• Standalone personal blender: The majority of models on this list are standalone personal blenders; they're compact but need to be plugged into an electrical outlet for power.
• Portable personal blender: The Ninja Blast Max is an example of a cordless personal blender designed to operate without needing to be plugged into an electrical outlet, providing portability and convenience. However, its battery requires charging, and it typically lacks the power of traditional blenders that connect directly to an electrical outlet.
• Personal blender attachment: Some full-sized blenders offer the versatility of attaching a personal-sized blender jar, allowing you to blend individual servings or small quantities. This feature combines the power of a full-sized blender with the convenience of preparing personal-sized portions.

✔️ Weight: Some heft is essential to keep the blender in place while using it. Look for heavier blending systems (or suction cups) to ensure your blender stays put — otherwise, you may have to hold it down while blending. Still, you'll want it to be light enough to maneuver easily from countertop to cabinet for storage.

✔️ Jar capacity: Though our top picks include options between 12 and 32 ounces, a 16-ounce cup is a sweet spot — it's big enough to hold a meal-size smoothie but not too bulky to carry. If you like blending anything from a small salad dressing to a large protein smoothie, many personal blenders come with different cup sizes to meet your various needs.

✔️ Cup style: If portability is important to you, assess cup style. Is it slim and easy to hold? Does it fit into your vehicle's cup holders? Does it have a lid that seals well? Does it have a spout or sports lid?

✔️ Settings: Personal blenders used to have minimal features — you just pushed the blender cup down to blend — but newer models have blending buttons and some even have pulse features, which help break down tough ingredients or coarsely chop a salsa or chimichurri.

✔️ Wattage: Higher wattage blenders handle more difficult-to-blend foods, like ice-filled beverages. (For context, the blenders we tested ranged in wattage from 250 to 1,200.) It's important to note that higher wattages don't always perform better — the shape of the cup and the ability to pulse help with blending too.

✔️ Ease of cleaning: If you're short on time and don't feel like taking a bottle brush to your blender, ensure it's dishwasher-safe. Thankfully, most personal blender cups are dishwasher-safe these days.

Personal blenders are ideal for blending smoothies, shakes or other beverages that you can sip straight out of the blending cup. They come with blending cups with a secure to-go lid, and some blenders include multiple cups. Personal blenders are best for smaller households and individuals who lead an on-the-go lifestyle, such as busy professionals, students or fitness enthusiasts.

The smaller blending cup is also handy for emulsifying a creamy salad dressing, whipping up one or two servings of blender pancakes and pulsing salsa.

Personal blenders generally last around five years with regular use and proper maintenance, though this can vary based on the brand, model and how often they’re used.

If you use your blender daily or for heavy-duty tasks (like crushing ice or blending frozen fruits), it may experience more wear and tear. Also note: Blenders with higher-wattage motors (900 watts and above) are often more durable and designed to handle tougher ingredients.

As a general rule of thumb, avoid overfilling the blending cup and always follow the manufacturer's maintenance instructions. Most brands offer warranties, so check for coverage if your blender stops working within the warranty period.

Personal blenders vary widely in power, ranging from 200 to 1,200 watts. The wattage level affects how well the blender can handle certain ingredients and how versatile it is for different tasks:

• Low-power personal blenders (200–400 watts): These entry-level models are ideal for blending soft ingredients like bananas, berries and yogurt. They're compact and often affordable but may struggle with frozen or tough items like ice, nuts or fibrous vegetables.
• Mid-range power personal blenders (500–800 watts): Most personal blenders fall in this range. These blenders balance power and versatility, making them suitable for everyday blending tasks like smoothies, shakes and light food prep. They can generally handle a broader range of ingredients, including frozen fruits and ice, though they may need extra blending time or smaller chunks of tough ingredients.
• High-power personal blenders (900–1,200 watts): These high-performance blenders have enough power to crush ice, blend hard or fibrous veggies and create smooth, creamy textures. High-power models are ideal for people who want a personal blender to handle tasks similar to full-size models, like making green smoothies or nut butters. They tend to be more versatile and durable but may also be larger and louder than their low-power counterparts.

Yes, you can put frozen fruit in a personal blender, but whether or not it blends effectively depends on the blender's power and the type of fruit you're using. Small blueberries or softer fruits like bananas are easier to break down than large strawberries or tough pineapple.

A high-powered blender is best for blending frozen fruit because it has enough motor power to break down frozen strawberries, pineapple and mango quickly and effectively, creating smooth, creamy smoothies without much effort.

Blenders under 800 watts might need help processing frozen fruit. Pro tip: Defrost your fruit a tiny bit before blending.

Eva Bleyer has professionally tested all kinds of kitchen equipment, from oven ranges to juicers, kitchen scales and blenders. Eva has rigorously tested over 90 blenders (30 personal models) in the Good Housekeeping Institute in the past three and a half years. As a trained chef from the Natural Gourmet Institute with a background in health-supportive cooking, she has extensive experience using blenders. As a commuter, she especially understands the value of a high-quality personal blender.

Perry Santanachote helped update this story. She is a freelance writer and editor with over 15 years of experience testing and writing about consumer products, including blenders and other kitchen accessories and gadgets.