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A personal blender is ideal if you happen to’re making smoothies, soups, and even frozen cocktails for one. They pack a lot of the identical options as full-sized blenders in a pint-sized bundle that’s good if you happen to’re low on counter house. As an condo dweller who has lived in school crustzones, outdated buildings with no dishwashers, and barely extra appropriate locations, a personal blender has saved me loads of time, house, and cash. I don’t make a lot smoothie that some goes to waste as a result of I neglect about it in my fridge. Plus, in my expertise, personal blenders are simpler to scrub than their full-sized counterparts. More typically than not, you possibly can simply throw in some cleaning soap and water, re-run the blender, rinse, and use it once more the subsequent day … or for your subsequent meal. The best personal blenders match neatly onto counter tops and in cupboards with out skimping on energy.
How we selected the best personal blenders
This isn’t our first time at the blender rodeo. We’ve taken a spin by the best blenders and know what makes a sure blender a reduce above the relaxation. We made certain every personal blender had no less than 700 watts of energy, with a give attention to something round 900 watts. In our expertise, something in the 700-900W vary is able to crushing ice and smoothing even the most freezer-burned bananas. We carried out our personal testing—I’ve consumed plenty of liquid meals in the technique of researching and scripting this story—and made certain additionally to seek the advice of the evaluations to get a full image of the personal blenders’ energy.
The best personal blenders: Reviews & Recommendations
Blending one thing right into a slurpable slop is an effective way to eat extra vegatables and fruits, and a personal blender is a simple conduit to make it occur. One of our selections ought to assist you deal with your physique extra like a temple and fewer like a rubbish disposal.
Best total: Ninja BL660 Professional Compact Blender
Specs
- Dimensions: 17 x 6 x 8 inches
- Capacity: 16-ounce personal cup; 72-ounce blender
- Wattage: 1,110 watts
Pros
- Powerful
- Two sorts of blenders in a single
- Doesn’t take up a lot house on counter
Cons
- Blades can miss small grains like chia and flax seeds
I’m a creature of behavior, and my morning breakfast has been the identical for a couple of yr. I’m an individual who doesn’t love an enormous meal very first thing in the morning, so I are likely to gravitate towards a protein-rich, fruit-forward smoothie. I’m not a gatekeeper, so my recipe is 1/2 of a frozen banana (an entire one if you need a creamier texture); Aldi model Cherry Berry combine to my coronary heart’s content material (the best frozen fruit mix, in my view); a giant spoonful of full-fat Greek yogurt for that magical protein (or a scoop of your favourite vegan protein powder); and sufficient orange juice to get it {smooth}, however not liquidy, which is normally to the max fill line. That morning breakfast smoothie will get made on this Ninja BL660 Professional compact blender, which isn’t displaying any indicators of slowing down after a yr of every day use.
It has a 1,100-watt motor, which is greater than sufficient to demolish fruit chunks. My frozen bananas get frozen due to my freezer, which makes issues frosty at even the lowest setting, and I’ve by no means had a chunky smoothie in my time making them with this blender. It comes with two personal 16-ounce blender cups and a full-sized 72-ounce blender attachment for bigger meals. The cups are fabricated from robust BPA-free plastic and are dishwasher-friendly. There are 4 velocity settings—three presets and a pulse button—alongside with a separate velocity button for the single-serve cups.
I’d take this blender with me on an island if I needed to. However, there are moments when the chia seeds in my smoothie aren’t as pulverized as I’d like them to be. The identical goes for bigger flax seeds. It’s not a significant downside for me, however the grainy texture generally provides me the ick, which makes me … not end the smoothie. I do know I’m not alone in getting grossed out by that form of texture.
If you’re additionally trying for one thing with a meals processor attachment on high of personal mixing cups and blender, Ninja has a blender with all three that’s just like the BL660.
Best design: Our Place Splendor Blender
Specs
- Dimensions: 5.5 x 6.1 x 8.5 inches
- Capacity: 750 mL for personal blender
- Wattage: 1,000 watts
Pros
- Stylish
- Incredible mix capabilities
- Easy to make use of
Cons
- Quality management and consumer expertise points
If you’d somewhat have a blender meant to be proven off somewhat than hidden in a cupboard, the Our Place Splendor Blender is the most trendy blender we discovered. It is available in colorways that match Our Place’s different merchandise, like its Wonder Oven (which we included in our sensible oven roundup) and the well-known Always Pan.
The Splendor Blender isn’t only a fairly face. It packs 1,000 watts of energy that demolished even the smallest of chia seeds in lower than a minute. Although it solely has two settings—pulse and mix—the “blend” possibility ramps up velocity over the course of 45 seconds. The max fill line is 16 ounces, however there may be some additional wiggle room between the fill line and the blender base, so it’s extra forgiving than different personal blender programs. I used to be reaching for this blender over the Ninja BL660 for a time frame, primarily based on its ease of use and ultra-smooth mixing skills.
Go deep into the evaluations of the Always pen, and also you’ll see complaints about the pan’s worth, with clients saying it doesn’t carry out the manner a $145 pan ought to. Sadly, the Splendor Blender faces related points. Although I used to be deeply impressed with the Splendor Blender’s mixing skills, there are some high quality management and consumer expertise points. The blade itself caught after one month of use. This prevented me from utilizing the blender since the blade couldn’t flip and, thus, couldn’t lock. In the technique of trying to lock the blender, the skinny blender deal with began to interrupt. Additionally, the blade base bought caught in the blender cup and nothing—no hot-to-cold water swap, no quantity of manpower, no web hack—bought it unstuck. The blender’s mild blinks when not in use, which is annoying. You must unplug the blender to cease this subject. There is a one-year guarantee and a 100-day return window if you happen to’re not completely satisfied with your buy, and Our Place rectified my state of affairs with a brand new unit. When the Splendor Blender works, it’s unbelievable; when it doesn’t, it’s disappointing. I’ve hope, nevertheless, {that a} Splendor Blender 2.0 would alleviate these ache factors for a fair higher mixing—and consumer—expertise.
Best transportable: Cuisinart RPB-100 EvolutionX Cordless Rechargeable Compact Blender
Specs
- Dimensions: 3.5 x 3.9 x 11.69 inches
- Capacity: 16 ounces
- Wattage: N/A
Pros
- Portable
- Easy to make use of
- Dishwasher protected
Cons
- Not the strongest selection on this record
This blender nabbed the high spot in our best transportable blenders roundup, and it made the reduce right here for its cup capability and battery energy. Like others on this record, it has a 16-ounce mixing cup. And, like the top-spot Ninja, you may make a smoothie with a single contact. Simply screw the blender base onto the cup, flip it over, mix, after which flip the base over and exchange it with the included flip-top journey lid.
The RPB-100 can run for up to twenty minutes per cost, which means you may make a number of smoothies per day. It takes about two hours to recharge the blender absolutely—I like to recommend charging it between meals or if you’re not residence. It’s additionally dishwasher-safe. Use that point spent hand-washing a blender cup on …making one other smoothie or extra sauce.
Best for smoothies: NutriBullet NB9-1301K Pro
Specs
- Dimensions: 7.72 x 12.01 x 15.94 inches
- Capacity: 32 ounces
- Wattage: 900 watts
Pros
- Large personal cup capability
- Lots of included equipment
- Thorough mixing
Cons
- Extractor blade base extensive and will be laborious to open
Many sleepness nights of my childhood have been spent watching Magic Bullet infomercials and being mesmerized by the substances turning into different meals. When I struck it out alone, I sought out a NutriBullet—Magic Bullet’s bigger and extra highly effective sibling—after utilizing a roommate’s for years. If you’re simply trying to make smoothies for one and don’t want a number of velocity settings, the NutriBullet NB9-1301K Pro is an astonishing selection. The blade’s form blends all the pieces—even small seeds—however its low profile lets you stuff up the included cup with out overflow. 900 watts is greater than sufficient energy to mix ice, frozen fruit, and the hardest of kale, and its 32-ounce cup is one in all the largest on this record. The blender additionally comes with tons of equipment, like to-go lids, lip rings, lip rings with handles, and a recipe e book. Talk about stretching your greenback.
The NutriBullet extractor blade is a bit extensive, and when you’ve got small palms like mine, you may need a tough time re-opening the cup if you happen to screw it on too tight. You can discover third-party lid wrenches on the web, however they won’t be appropriate with this explicit mannequin. However, you should use the energy of growth and contraction to open it.
Best finances: Ninja QB3001SS Ninja Fit Compact Personal Blender
Specs
- Dimensions: 4.3 x 4.3 x 13 inches
- Capacity: 16 ounces
- Wattage: 700 watts
Pros
- Compact
- Great kind issue
- Easy to make use of
Cons
- Not the strongest on this record
The Ninja Fit blender is analogous in idea to the NutriBullet—one setting, push to mix—at a fraction of the value. It makes use of a blade just like our best total decide, so we contemplate it the best of each worlds when it involves kind issue and ease of use. It clocks in at 700 watts, the lowest wattage on our record. You’ll must run it a bit longer to get the identical smoothness, however hey—consider all the cash you saved in the course of. However, in comparison with different worth personal blenders—which clock in at 250-300 watts—you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
This equipment comes with two single-serve cups, two journey lids, a base, and an extraction blade, which isn’t unhealthy for the nearly $70 value. Other firms would cost you that quantity for one lid and cup. I like that the journey lids come with a bit that snaps over the sip opening. It’s one factor to have a journey lid, however it’s one other to have one which received’t leak if it falls over otherwise you drive over a bump.
What to contemplate when shopping for the best personal blenders
Getting a {smooth} mix for sauces, soups, and smoothies is of utmost significance when it involves a personal blender. “Blend” is in the title! Here’s what you must look for so your meals are to your liking.
Power, wattage, and velocity
Personal blenders are available in all combos of wattages and speeds. Typically, personal blenders begin at 250 watts and go up to 1,500 watts. The larger the watts, the extra highly effective the blender, and, in flip, the simpler it will likely be to chop by ice and frozen fruits and veggies.
Speeds discuss with the revolutions per minute (RPMs) of the blade. Although most firms don’t record the particular RPMs for every velocity setting, it’s protected to imagine that the larger the velocity, the larger the RPMs, and the finer the meals. Higher speeds result in {smooth} liquids, whereas low speeds are higher for chunky salsas and purees.
Container materials and design
There is such a factor as a glass blender cup—take this Black and Decker blender, for instance. When it involves personal blenders, we suggest sticking with plastic. Personal blender blades relaxation nearer to the cup than regular-sized blenders. I, a raging hypochondriac, would somewhat deal with the menace of microplastics (all the pieces on this record is BPA-free, for what it’s price) than little shards of glass. Plastic can also be much less susceptible to breaking, though it can get discolored and maintain odors. Most firms promote alternative cups on their website in case this occurs.
Grooves and indentations direct the meals, which means meals received’t keep on with the sides of the blender. Wide openings make it simpler so as to add substances, however a wider cup doesn’t imply it can carry extra quantity. The Our Place Splendor Blender has a wider circumference than the Ninja BL660, however each fill traces cease at 16 ounces to forestall overflow.
Many firms will say that their blender has a “self-cleaning” design. Technically, all cup-style blenders are self-cleaning. Simply add some dish cleaning soap to the cup, fill with water, run, rinse, and bam: Clean blender. You ought to nonetheless run it in the dishwasher so it doesn’t develop and create a brand new creature (which is one other mouth you’ll must feed).
Blades
Personal blender blades are available in a wing, star, X-shape, or mixture of any of the three. More blades imply extra contact with meals, which ensures for a finer, smoother mix. Blade type impacts efficiency: X-style blades are nice for chopping, and wing-style blades are good for crushing ice. Some firms promote separate blades for particular functions. For instance, NutriBullet sells a lid designed for milling grain.
FAQs
Q: How lengthy do personal blenders final?
Personal blenders final 3-5 years, relying on care and high quality. Clean it based on the producer’s directions. Throwing a blender in the dishwasher when it’s hand-wash solely will reduce its lifespan. Giving the motor a relaxation, letting the blender quiet down after use, and discontinuing use if the motor overheats are different methods to elongate your personal blender’s lifespan.
Q: Are dearer blenders higher?
It relies upon. More costly blenders are likely to have extra highly effective motors, which makes mixing, chopping, and pureeing simple. This provides you constant outcomes and a greater texture. However, blade design can also be essential. I like the Ninja BL660, however its towered wing blender blades—a totally totally different design from the X-shaped personal blender blade—chops greater than blends, which is okay for me, however might not be high quality for you. Instead of taking a look at value, contemplate options that assist create a vortex for a {smooth} mix.
Q: Are small blenders price it?
We suppose so. Traditional blender cups are too giant if you happen to’re making personal-sized blended meals. They additionally require much less clean-up than conventional blenders, and also you save precious dishwasher and sink house if you use them.
Final ideas on the best personal blenders
If you’re cooking for one and don’t need a full-sized blender taking up treasured counter house, a personal blender is your best guess. You could make a one-size portion each time, which means you cease meals waste in the course of. I’ve had loads of do-it-yourself sauces go to waste as a result of I made an excessive amount of of it in a full-size blender and let the relaxation rot in the freezer. Personal blenders are simpler to retailer and clear, with detachable bases and dishwasher-safe cups. Some personal blenders even come with full-size blender cups if you happen to’re cooking for a celebration. Regardless of the place you’re at in life, a personal blender can preserve you fueled at each step of the manner.
Why belief us
Popular Science began writing about know-how greater than 150 years in the past. There was no such factor as “gadget writing” once we revealed our first subject in 1872, but when there was, our mission to demystify the world of innovation for on a regular basis readers means we might have been throughout it. Here in the current, PopSci is absolutely dedicated to serving to readers navigate the more and more intimidating array of gadgets on the market proper now.
Our writers and editors have mixed a long time of expertise masking and reviewing shopper electronics. We every have our personal obsessive specialties—from high-end audio to video video games to cameras and past—however once we’re reviewing gadgets outdoors of our fast wheelhouses, we do our best to hunt out reliable voices and opinions to assist information individuals to the very best suggestions. We know we don’t know all the pieces, however we’re excited to dwell by the evaluation paralysis that web procuring can spur so readers don’t must.