Portable blenders – AKA personal blenders – are a perfect buy if you love to blend and drink on the go, tend to make single-serve portions, or if you have a smaller household and don't need a full-size appliance.
We've tested the best personal blenders, including corded and cordless models, for everything from power to portability, blending function and ease of cleaning, putting them through their paces for everything from smoothies to salsas to ensure we can report back meticulously on performance, weight and ease of use.
While the on-the-go, take it to the gym portability is the main reason you might want to buy a portable blender, don't think these compact wonders can't do everything the bigger traditional best blenders can. Most personal blenders can take on the same blending tasks, just in smaller quantities, which might just suit you perfectly.
Best portable blenders 2023
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Why you should buy it: Long-lasting rechargeable battery; crushes ice and frozen berries with ease.
Powerful blending
Lindsey, H&G's Director of Home Ecomms, was pleasantly surprised by how well the Cuisinart EvolutionX tackled the trickiest of ingredients, including ice and frozen fruits. 'You may have to make sure frozen ingredients are prepped in smaller pieces; a standard-sized ice cube posed no problems, but anything slightly bigger will get stuck between the blade and the side of the cup, as I realized when trying to blend half a frozen banana,' she reports.
Ease of use
Using the blender couldn’t be easier: everything goes into the 16-ounce cup, then you press the button to activate the single-speed motor until you’ve got your desired mix. It also comes with a travel lid to drink straight out of the container.
Battery life
The battery lasts for up to 20 minutes, which was more than enough to prep multiple smoothies, as well as salsas or pastes, or use over a period of time without recharging. 'My main gripe is that it won't work when it's plugged in, so make sure it's topped up on power if you plan on using it at home,' says Lindsey.
Our Cuisinart EvolutionX Cordless Blender review has more information
Lindsey oversees homes content at a range of publications. She's been working with home product testing for more than a decade. Specializing in everything homes and gardens-related, Lindsey tests the latest in greatest in small appliances and power tools as well as managing our team.
Why you should buy it: Versatile – the pulse mode means you can make chunky dips, too.
Pulse mode
While this portable blender is a handy on-the-go buy, the fact that there's a blending mode and pulse setting means you can use it at home to make dips, and power through thicker ingredients. 'This is useful if you've been browsing the best food processors but can't afford the space or budget to buy one – this personal blender can step into some of those functions,' says Millie, our Head of Reviews, who tested this portable blender.
Great blending
Millie used the BlendJet 2 to make a fresh fruit smoothie. 'While it struggled a bit with tougher ingredients like the core of berries, overall it did an impressive job,' she reports. 'And because it's cordless, you can shake it when blending to make sure that ingredients for dips are incorporated. This came in very useful when I made pesto from scratch.'
Ease of cleaning
There's an in-built blade that isn't removable, so you will have to drink out of the blending cup or pour your drink out. Cleaning is easy: just pour in some water and dish soap and run a blending cycle, or shake.
Our BlendJet 2 review has more information
Millie is our Head of Reviews, testing products and writing for Homes & Gardens for years. Millie specializes in small appliances, but as a lover of al fresco dining, she's also always on the hunt for the best grills and pizza ovens for entertaining friends and family.
Why you should buy it: Powerful 1100W motor, larger blending capacity than smaller models; best for home-only use.
Powerful blending
The sheer power of the Ninja Nutri Blender Pro with Auto-IQ puts it above some countertop blenders and gives you a bit more flexibility with the ingredients that you can tackle. The blender handled soft fruits with ease, but add tougher fruits or even frozen ingredients and you can see what the 1100W motor is really for: here, you get similar smooth results as you’d expect from a much larger blender. Although it can handle dry ingredients, the Nutri Pro didn’t do a particularly good job, with uneven chopping and blending.
Ease of use
This single-speed blender is also really easy to use: everything gets loaded into a cup, then you press down to engage the motor. It features the same Auto-iQ programming found in its countertop blenders, like the Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System, to take the guesswork out of blending. There are travel lids for the included 18oz and 24oz cups, and everything (including the blades) can go in the dishwasher.
Best for home use
This model is corded, and the base is chunky too, but you do get greater capacity and a powerful blend. This, we think, makes it a good middle ground for any of you who don't have space for or need a bulky traditional blender, or who want one for their RV. It's not one you're going to take to the gym, which is why it's number two on our list.
We're big fans of the Ninja brand and this portable blender is on our testing wait list; it makes this list because we've previously reviewed the earlier Nutri Pro model, which has 900W of power; this one has even more to offer, and 96% of independent, verified users on Amazon recommend it
Why you should buy it: Lightweight; long-lasting battery; supremely portable.
Portability
Not only is it seriously lightweight (only 1.5lbs) but the NutriBullet GO Portable Blender also has a clever two-part design that means you can carry around the bottle, full of fruits or protein shakes, and the blending unit separately. If you're wondering which Nutribullet to buy, this is your best portable bet.
Power
Our tester, H&G's Reviews Editor Millie Hurst found that it was capable of blending fresh fruits with ease, but struggled with ice cubes due to its limited power. 'For shakes and smoothies, however, this is a great-value portable blender,' she reports. It's worth noting that the Nutribullet GO won't blend unless it is attached securely to the base, which is a good safety measure to prevent any mishaps. It switches off automatically after a 30-second blend, so when we did need to blend for a longer period of time, we'd have to start a new cycle.
Quiet operation
If you are up and out early like Millie, you'll appreciate how quiet this personal blender runs. 'Your family won't hear you blending early in the morning, nor will it disturb colleagues if you use it at work, it's super quiet,' says Millie.
Our Nutribullet GO Portable Blender review has more information
Why you should buy it: Powerful enough for ice-crushing; very fast; short charge time, good battery life.
Powerful ice crushing
'Though we don't have a review of this blender written up yet, I've owned one myself and can tell you that the BlenderX Cordless Portable Blender outperformed the other portable blenders when it came to ice crushing,' says H&G's Reviews Editor Millie Fender. 'Great if you love a frozen smoothie. I also and we like that it comes with a larger 20. oz plastic cup.'
Simple to use
'It's very easy to use, a case of simply screwing onto the plastic cup to start blending,' says Millie. 'The singular front button glows when charging, and when the blender is turned on. There is a screw-on cap that keeps your blades protected when not in use.'
Best for home/RV use
'My main issue was the weight of this portable blender because the base is hefty,' says Millie. 'It weighs 4.62 pounds in total, and this is why it sits at number five. However, it does comes with a carry bag and suction cups to keep the base attached to your counter, so I think it's perfectly suited for use in RVs or camping trips. For taking in your handbag though, it's maybe a little weighty.'
Where to buy the best portable blenders
Looking for more personal blenders to shop? These are the best retailers to try:
- Amazon portable blenders (opens in new tab)
- Macy's portable blenders (opens in new tab)
- Best Buy portable blenders (opens in new tab)
- Target portable blenders (opens in new tab)
- Bed Bath & Beyond portable blenders (opens in new tab)
- NutriBullet portable blenders (opens in new tab)
How we tested portable blenders
How we test blenders is something we're proud of. Our on-staff reviews team tests in both our test kitchen and in their own homes, and not just over the course of a day, but over weeks. Often, we're lucky enough to keep the products, which means we can continually update our buying guides with comments about longevity.
For this portable blender guide, we first tried blending smoothies. We tried a mix of frozen and fresh fruits, mixed with regular or nut milk, and a drizzle of honey. If the blender has an automatic shutoff we made a note of how many tries it took to get the smoothie to the perfect consistency.
We also tried making pesto in our portable blenders, which allowed us to see how they handled less wet ingredients. This also helped us see if any odors would remain inside the blending cup after use.
Finally, we made crushed ice to see if the blenders could handle a few ice cubes. This is a big challenge for a portable blender, but some surprised us with how well they did.
We tested both corded and cordless personal blenders because while a cordless blender is rarely as powerful as a corded one, the very best can manage what most of us want from them: well-blended smoothies we can make on-the-go.
Our review and testing guidelines provide more insight into our processes, and our testers for this guide are listed below.
Portable blender FAQs
How do I choose a portable blender?
Portable blenders (also known as travel or personal blenders) are typically designed to make smoothies directly into travel mugs. They’re built for quick, grab-and-go operation, and are designed to be easier and quicker to use than their full-sized models.
There are lots of different models and no right choice, as it depends on how you want to use the blender. If you travel a lot and want a blender that you can throw in your luggage, then size is all-important. Look for a smaller, lighter blender, even if you have to compromise on a smaller travel mug as a result.
If you’re going camping a lot and won’t have power, then look for a battery-powered model that you can charge and use when you’re out.
Smaller blenders tend to have lower-powered motors, so will work well with soft fruits and for making most smoothies, but you’ll find they struggle with (or can’t handle) ice or frozen ingredients.
If you mostly make smoothies at home, then you can get a model with a bigger base and a larger motor. With a bigger motor, you’ll be able to make a wider variety of drinks.
For home use, you may find it useful to get a blender with different accessories, such as a chopping bowl for preparing ingredients for cooking, or a grinder for dealing with spices.
How much does a portable blender cost?
As they’re smaller and aren’t as powerful as full-size blenders, prices are much lower. An entry-level blender should cost under $50, and give you basic smoothie making with softer fruits.
At the high-end, you can spend up to $150 on a model with more accessories and more powerful motors to give you more flexibility.
Is a portable blender as good as a full-size blender?
A portable blender is different from a full-size one. Most portable models are designed to be quick and easy to use, with one-button operation and single-speed motors. They’re typically as good as large models for smoothies.
Travel blenders are generally quite limited, though: you can make smaller quantities, they’re not built to run for as long, and they don’t have the controls of a full-size model.
You usually can’t use hot liquids in personal blenders, either, as the travel cups are made from plastic that could be damaged by the heat.
If you want to vary what you can make, and have more control over the process, a full-size blender makes sense and, as our guide showed, you can always add a travel cup to your model to give you that blend-and-go convenience.
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