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While I own a magnificently powerful Vitamix, I rarely pull it out since I’ve started testing personal blenders. Unless you make smoothies for your whole family and big-batch dinners on the regular, or you rely on an extra-strong motor to create your own alt-milks and nut butters, a more compact model can do almost everything a large one can. Sometimes it can do it even better, like if you’re whipping up a dip or dressing that would get lost in a cavernous 64-ounce blending jar. Not to mention that personal blenders are generally significantly cheaper than full-size blenders.
To find the very best models out there, I consulted expert cooks and recipe developers about the ones they use in their everyday life. All the picks on this list are dishwasher safe, and all, except for two I’ve noted below, have 600-watt motors. I’m currently using our best overall pick and will be trying out even more going forward so I can compare them directly. And if you’re also in the market for a space-saving immersion blender, you can read my guide to those as well.
Update on January 14, 2025: Added testing notes to the Magic Bullet; updated prices and checked stock for all products.
What we’re looking for
Capacity
I’ve listed the maximum capacity each blender jar holds. The numbers vary a decent amount here. The largest jar has a capacity of 32 ounces, helpful if you do heavier-duty cooking. The mid-size ones are around 19, perhaps a better pick if your main use will be daily smoothies you want to drink straight from the blending vessel. And the smallest of all is just six ounces, perfect for dressings, flavor-packed pastes, and more.
Size
The depth, width, and height of each appliance will determine where you can store it, so I’ve listed each measurement.
Power mechanism
I’ve described how each machine operates, whether you push and twist the jar down to blend or you press a button. I’ve also noted if there are any extra settings, like for smoothies.
Best personal blender overall
Capacity: 32 oz. | Size: 12.01” x 7.72” x 15.94” | Power mechanism: Push down and twist
I have come to rely heavily on my Nutribullet Pro. Though it’s still much smaller than a full-size machine, it has the largest capacity of any personal blender on this list, meaning I can use it to whip up a salad dressing to keep in the fridge all week long, blend enough sauce to coat more than a full pound of pasta, and chop salsa for a generous bowl when friends come over. The two blending jars come with lids that turn them into storage containers, so I never have to decant into something separate if I’m saving the contents. The blades are powerful: I can throw parsley stems and whole cloves of garlic into a salsa verde and it blitzes them into oblivion. And the operating mechanisms are straightforward. I simply add all my ingredients to the jar, twist on the cap, attach that to the base, and press the whole thing down to blend. My hand acts as the power button, meaning I can easily pulse by pressing down and lifting up as needed. And the jar takes up hardly any space in my dishwasher.
This is also the model most of the pros I talked to recommend. “It’s powerful enough to get through a lot of the same stuff as a Vitamix,” says recipe developer and cookbook author Jess Damuck, who uses hers for dips, sauces, dressings, and smoothies. “I use it with a lot of frozen fruit, ice, and nuts, and it hasn’t had a problem.” Food writer and recipe developer Grace Elkus notes that she doesn’t even have to worry about making sure her mostly liquid ingredients are at the bottom. Usually, this helps ensure that everything blends smoothly, but Elkus says the Nutribullet can wade through anything. Strategist managing editor Kelsie Schrader has been making smoothies weekly in hers for the past six months and says they get perfectly blended in less than a minute. “It hasn’t slowed down at all,” she says.
Best less expensive personal blender
Capacity: 18 oz. and 12 oz. | Size: 4.5” x 4” x 11.8” | Power mechanism: Push down and twist
The cheaper Magic Bullet is made by the same company as the Nutribullet. While its 250-watt motor isn’t quite as powerful as the Nutribullet’s 600-watt one, it’s a solid machine that will get most basic blending jobs done. For comparison, it takes me a bit longer, by about 30 seconds or so, to blitz up tougher ingredients, like herbs for a smooth green sauce — and it feels like it’s working a bit harder to get there. But the machine is well-built. Its stature is incredibly similar to the Nutribullet, though overall smaller in size, which is a plus for storage. Though of course, this makes it tough to blend larger-batch sauces and smoothies, so keep that in mind.
Personal chef and recipe developer Jane Morgan, who has had hers for four years and says it’s still going strong, likes the 18-ounce jar for smoothies but prefers the smaller 12-ounce jar for emulsifying dressings because the blades have a lot of contact with the ingredients inside. She also uses it for prep work, like mincing garlic, making a mirepoix for Bolognese, or grating Parmesan. Strategist newsletter editor Ashley Wolfgang has been using a Magic Bullet nearly daily to make smoothies for the last decade (she replaced it recently with a new one, as it finally wore down). She primarily uses it for smoothies and says it “blends everything I throw in there super smoothly, including frozen fruits, in just about 30 to 45 seconds.”
Best personal blender with smoothie setting
Capacity: 18.6 oz. | Size: 5.39” x 5.39” x 14.06” | Power mechanism: Dial with smoothie setting
I have tested and love the larger version of the Zwilling Enfinigy, so it’s no surprise that the smaller model comes highly recommended by recipe developer Farideh Sadeghin. She used to rely on her mini Cuisinart food processor, but in the year that she’s had the Zwilling, she has been turning to it more often for sauces and herb oils. “It does the same thing but with a lot more power,” she says. And whereas her Vitamix will take ingredients from full form to supersmooth in a matter of seconds, this machine is more likely to leave a bit of texture, which is a plus for pestos and certain marinades. Sadeghin appreciates the measurements on the side of the jar to help guide proportions but otherwise says her favorite thing is that there aren’t too many bells and whistles. “It’s just easy to use,” she says. It has a designated smoothie setting that runs for a set cycle, and you can easily pulse by holding the dial to the left for as long as you want it to run.
Most stylish personal blender
Capacity: 21.6 oz. | Size: 4.13” x 4.13” x 13.43” | Power mechanism: Power button
The Beast is a particularly attractive personal blender. It has a cylindrical fluted jar and comes in quite a few pretty, muted colors (though somehow, I think it manages to escape the just-for-Instagram look of some other aesthetically minded kitchen products). Still, Elkus, who recently added one to her personal blender lineup, notes that other people always comment on the nice design when it sneaks into her social photos. She says the accessories are really nice: “It doesn’t feel like the jar you just blended in. I would never even consider transferring this one. And the jar has this cap that you can stick a straw right into, which I prefer to drink out of if I’m taking my smoothie in the car or even just into my office.”
The Beast operates with one button: If you press it, it pulses. If you hold the button down for a prolonged second, it will automatically blend for a minute (winding down and then back up several times over the duration to incorporate everything more evenly). Elkus does warn that it’s not quite as responsive as her Nutribullet, so sometimes she has to scrape down the sides for chunkier, harder ingredients like frozen fruit to reach the blades. “But once it gets going and everything is moving around, it’s great,” she says. “It’s never gritty.”
Best full-size blender with small jar
Capacity: 56 oz., 6 oz. jar | Size: 9.02” x 7.59” x 15.8” (with the full-size blender jar), 3.6” x 3.6” x 4.68” (for the six-ounce jar) | Power mechanism: Variable speed dial with smoothie, crushed ice, and icy-drink settings
If you plan to stick to single-portion smoothies and small-batch sauces, one of the picks above will certainly save you money. But if you think you might appreciate having a machine that will allow for bigger batches, even only now and again, it may be worth it to splurge on a full-size model (with an ultrapowerful 1200-watt motor) that offers compatible smaller jars. Several of the models on my list of the best blenders have them, but this KitchenAid comes especially recommended by chef Camille Becerra, who notes that even at its regular size, “it doesn’t take up too much space.” (Indeed, the base is on the smaller end in width and depth of all the full-size blenders I recommend.)
The jar that she has attached to it the vast majority of the time is a mere six ounces — the smallest capacity of any on this list, and the smallest capacity of any of the compatible jars offered with other recommended full-size models. “I’m not going to make sauces more than six ounces that sit in the fridge for days,” she says, “so this helps visualize the right amount.” She appreciates that the machine still goes to full power because it lets her make supersmooth pastes from fibrous ingredients like ginger and lemongrass. Should you want to go a bit bigger, there’s a 16-ounce jar, too.
More blenders we’ve written about
Our experts
• Camille Becerra, chef
• Jess Damuck, recipe developer and cookbook author
• Grace Elkus, food writer and recipe developer
• Jane Morgan, personal chef and recipe developer
• Farideh Sadeghin, recipe developer
• Kelsie Schrader, Strategist managing editor
• Ashley Wolfgang, Strategist newsletter editor
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