The Best Personal Blenders, According to Our Rigorous Testing

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 gets loud while blending.

Taking everything into account, the Ninja Nutri Blender Pro is the top 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 to hold. The cups, lids, and blades are dishwasher-safe; if you choose to wash them by hand, just 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 significantly.

We also tested the Ninja Nutri Blender Plus, and the results were very similar across the board. However, 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.

Price at time of publish: $100

• Motor: 1100 watts
• Cup capacity: 2 24-ounce blending/travel cups
• Dimensions: 6.89 x 5.98 x 14.29 inches
• Price at time of publish: $90

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.

NutriBullet is a well-known brand for a reason: Its personal blenders get the job done—and the original model is a highly rated bestseller. It has a moderate price and is very easy to use, so it's a great option for someone who wants a no-frills option that breaks down fruits and veggies so that seeds and fibers are barely noticeable. For a reasonable price, you get a blender base, a 24- and 18-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.

Price at time of publish: $70

• Motor: 600 watts
• Cup capacity: 18- and 24-ounce cups
• Dimensions: 11.61 x 6.85 x 12.28 inches
• Price at time of publish: $80

Pros: This model easily crushes ice and comes with four travel cups.

Cons: It's not the most durable.

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 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.)

Price at time of publish: $80

• Motor: 350 watts
• Cup capacity: 8- and 32-ounce blending jars and 4 16-ounce travel cups
• Dimensions: 10.12 x 15.75 x 10 inches
• Price at time of publish: $70

Related: The Best Vitamix Blenders That Are Worth the Investment

Pros: It has a very sleek and expensive-looking design with an intuitive dial.

Cons: It struggled to crush ice.

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."

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.

Price at time of publish: $170

• Motor: 600 watts
• Cup capacity: 20-ounce blending/travel cup
• Dimensions: 5.39 x 5.39 x 14.06 inches
• Price at time of publish: $130

Pros: It's cordless and charges via USB-C, so you can make smoothies practically anywhere.

Cons: Smoothies come out chunky after blending for over a minute.

The BlendJet 2 is completely cordless, so it's the most portable personal blender on this list. You can take it to work, the gym, or even camping 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.

Price at time of publish: $50

• Motor: 5V
• Cup capacity: 16-ounce cup
• Dimensions: 9 x 3 inches
• Price at time of publish: $50

Pros: It takes up very little space, and the cups are easy to wash.

Cons: This blender isn't powerful enough to fully blend ice or berry seeds.

This customer favorite is 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.

Price at time of publish: $39

• Motor: 250 watts
• Cup capacity: 12- and 16-ounce blending/travel cups, 1 party cup
• Dimensions: 13.19 x 6.93 x 10.63 inches
• Price at time of publish: $40

Conclusion

After rigorous tests and many, many smoothies, we settled on the Ninja Nutri Blender Pro as our top choice for a personal blender. It has a powerful motor, automatic programs, and generously sized cups.

The Tests

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 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.

Factors to Consider

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 we tried was 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.

What Didn't Make the List

An earlier version of this list recommended the trendy Beast Blender. Though it produced perfect fruit and green smoothies, has pulse and one-minute blend options, and looks nice enough to keep on the counter, we ultimately removed it after gathering some more long-term insights.

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. Assistant Digital Editor Alex Loh noted that her Beast blending cup started to smell a little funky after a while; though it hasn't impacted the taste of her smoothies, we found this and the other issues to be deal breakers, especially for such an expensive item.

However, if you can get past these cons, it did score 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. Plus, it comes with a two-year limited warranty.