The 6 best personal blenders in 2026, tested and reviewed

Taking up only 16 square inches of counter space, the Ninja Fit is about as powerful as larger blender bases with 700 watts of power. Plus, it comes with two 16-ounce bottles and spout lids. For size and accessories, the Ninja Fit is all the occasional smoothie-maker or a small household reasonably needs, unless they're making nut butter and processing food daily.

In our testing, 700 watts churned out smoothies as quickly and evenly as any human could reasonably demand of a machine. While you will have a harder time making things like almond flour, we managed to do so during testing. It might take more time and coaxing than, say, with a top-rated Vitamix.

Apart from that, the Ninja Fit has no real downsides. If you're after quick, consistent smoothies from a machine that doesn't take up too much counter space, the Ninja Fit is the best option without spending more than you need to.

The Magic Bullet is nearly synonymous with personal blenders, and that's because it's among the best. It's just powerful enough to do what most people require of a blender, like making smoothies or cocktails, and it takes up very little space. The perfectly portioned blending and chopping cups are easy to clean and come with reliable lids. There are also many optional accessories.

We're big fans of the 11-piece bundle, especially for the price — it comes with a standard, 19-ounce tall cup, a 12-ounce short cup, and a 22-ounce travel mug, with two lip (rim) rings, two "stay-fresh" lids, and a folding to-go lid that inspires confidence.

During testing, we weren't able to crush ice very effectively. It took about 40 seconds to eliminate errant chunks of ice, but most of us will be satisfied with a 40-second smoothie. We also found that the motor can accidentally engage when the cups aren't firmly in place, but deliberately operating the blender, especially with practice, easily addresses that.

The 11-piece Magic Bullet is more than sufficient for most small-household, RV, or boat needs; I spent six months on a sailboat using one to make smoothies daily.

If you want something compact yet powerful enough to handle tougher ingredients, the Beast Mighty 850 delivers strong performance in a sleek stainless-steel design. Its 850-watt motor blends smoothies, frozen fruit, and ice efficiently, outperforming similar-sized personal blenders while maintaining a small countertop footprint. It's also one of the best-looking options we've tested, with a durable metal finish that feels more premium than the typical plastic base.

The Mighty 850 comes with a large blending vessel that works well for single servings or slightly bigger batches. Additional compatible vessels are available if you prefer different sizes, making it easy to customize based on your routine, like other beast models.

The ribbed blending vessel can take a little extra effort to clean by hand, but it is top-rack dishwasher-safe, and, in our testing, the blender consistently produced smooth results with frozen fruits and nut-based blends. While it's not the fastest option for grinding nuts into flour, it handles most everyday blending tasks with ease and looks great doing it.

The BlendJet 2 is portable, water-resistant, and powerful enough to handle the demands of a regular smoothie drinker. It avoids becoming overly clunky, accessory-laden, or too heavy to be considered portable in the first place. Whether it's smoothies, cocktails, protein shakes, or baby food, you won't have any trouble processing the usual ingredients with the Blend Jet.

It also crushed ice as well as some of the smaller AC-powered units we tested. We don't recommend crushing a ton of cubes, as it'll burn through the battery much more quickly, but the blade's capability speaks well for its sharpness and speed.

A carrying loop and lock mode make it extra reliable on the go, as does a water-resistant USB-C port that's even submersible. We ran it under water in the sink and left water standing in it for 30 minutes before rerunning it without a hitch.

Cleaning is also a piece of cake. Per the manufacturer's instructions, we filled the jar attached to the basin with soapy water, closed it, ran the blades for a few seconds, rinsed it out, and it was sparkling. Try this with other blenders, but it's often not recommended as blades can tarnish, among other things.

The one thing we really dislike about the BlendJet 2 is the shockingly short 30-day warranty (albeit money-back). For a similar option with a one-year limited warranty, look to Oster's Blend Active. It's a little smaller and less powerful, but it works well enough for smoothies, shakes, and baby food, and costs less than half the price.

The top pick in our guide to the best immersion blenders, Breville's Control Grip immersion blender is ergonomic, chops and purees everything we've asked it to, and comes with two jars, a blender tip, and a whisk tip, which should cover all your food-mixing and blending needs.

Generally, an immersion blender works more like a freestyle tool, allowing you to blend and chop just about any food you'd care to. However, unlike our other recommendations within this guide, immersion blenders are geared toward anything but smoothies (not that you can't make smoothies with one).

All of the things most regular blenders struggle through are where Breville's Control Grip excels, even where lesser models often struggle: think chopping, mixing, pureeing, and emulsifying everything from ice cubes to kale.

The 15 different settings, while somewhat bewildering, allow you to dial your mixing speed, and trigger control makes for an easy grip that we appreciated during extended use.

Designed with protein shakes in mind, BlenderBottle's Strada is our favorite manual blender bottle. Built for long-term dependability with BPA- and phthalate-free plastic, surgical-grade stainless steel, and a secure lid that snaps shut, you won't find your shake soaking the bottom of your bag.

The interior markings help you portion drinks without guesswork, and the stainless-steel BlenderBall whisk quickly breaks up powder clumps (a common issue with manual blender bottles) for impressively smooth shakes.

All in all, this is a well-made but straightforward option that won't churn a smoothie out of bananas and strawberries. Still, it does an extraordinary job with powder-based shakes and infusions, doubles well as a water bottle, and also comes with a flexible carry loop that attaches nicely to a gym bag.

Capacity: Personal blenders range in size from single-serve, one-and-a-half cup capacities (like the smaller Ninja Fit jars) to about four-cup capacities (like the Beast's 1000 ml jar), which is just enough for a small household or a batch of cocktails. Depending on how many people or servings you're blending for, and how much space you want to dedicate to your blender, you can consider sizing up or down appropriately.

Power: A 250-watt blender will take its time, but with good, sharp blades, it can make a smoothie every bit as good as more powerful machines. A 1000-watt blender will not only handle ice crushing and smoothies with ease and speed, but also nut flours and butters, too.

Range of speeds: This isn't required, but on more powerful machines, we think it's a benefit for versatility. Multiple speeds tend to enable a wider array of functions beyond the basic, requisite smoothie-making.

Ease of use: Complicated interfaces only get in the way with blenders, as do jars and bottles that tend to cause ingredients to clump together and not blend. Similarly, jar interiors and lids with grooves or that are difficult to access and clean are disadvantages, unless they're dishwasher safe.

Before testing, we spoke with Erika Wong, a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and PureFish's in-house blending specialist, who also worked as a counselor at Massachusetts General Hospital to find out what makes a top-notch personal blender in general, and then pared down those criteria to accommodate smaller, less-powerful, and more portable and storable options, looking to speed, power, and simplicity in use and cleaning.

Ice: We blended 3 ounces of ice in each blender, timing it and noting any necessary pulsing, prodding, or shaking to achieve as uniform shavings as possible. Some blenders didn't cut it.

Frozen strawberries: We also blended 3 ounces of frozen strawberries, which broke down a little more easily than ice cubes, showing that some blenders could handle frozen fruit, if not ice cubes.

Almond flour: We put 2 ounces of toasted almonds into each blender, timing the process and noting when the flour either didn't form or clumped badly. We found a few models that didn't perform and disqualified them.

Strawberry-banana smoothies: We made strawberry-banana smoothies with frozen strawberries and fresh bananas because of the difference in texture (and also this particular flavor combo's popularity). Aside from time (pricier blenders were 10 to 15 seconds quicker), we encountered hardly any issues with all the blenders we tested.

Can a personal blender crush ice?

Yes, but some models work better than others, and some don't break ice into even pieces. A machine with about 350 watts of power will crush ice well enough, while a 700-watt machine will do so quickly and uniformly.

Why should I get a personal blender?

Personal blenders are great for kitchens that don't rely on blenders heavily, smaller spaces, and people who blend in smaller batches and don't require a big, robust blender.

What features should I prioritize when shopping for a personal blender?

Start with motor power — around 350 watts is sufficient for basic smoothies, while 700 watts or more blends frozen fruit and ice more quickly and evenly. Cup size also matters; most personal blenders range from about 14 to 27 ounces. Look for dishwasher-safe, BPA-free vessels and simple, one-touch controls for everyday convenience.

How do personal blenders compare to full-sized blenders in terms of performance?

Personal blenders are designed for single-servings and smaller tasks, so they generally have lower-wattage motors and smaller capacities than full-sized blenders. While personal blenders can handle smoothies, ice, and light nut blends, they typically don't process thick doughs or heavy-duty recipes.

Can personal blenders handle hot ingredients?

Most personal blenders are best suited for cold or room-temperature ingredients. Blending hot liquids can create pressure inside sealed cups, which may cause leaks or splattering. If you plan to blend hot ingredients, an immersion blender or full-sized blender designed for heat is usually a safer choice.

What are common troubleshooting tips for personal blender issues?

If your personal blender won't start, check that the cup is properly aligned and locked into place, since many models won't run unless fully secured. For uneven blending, try cutting ingredients into smaller pieces and adding liquid first to help the blades move freely. To prevent buildup that can affect performance, avoid overfilling the cup and clean the blade assembly after each use.