5 Best Personal Blenders for Smoothies & Salsa Out of 30 We Tested

• Cuisinart CPB-300 Personal Blender: In Lab tests, this model was good at grinding coffee beans and blending fruit smoothies. However, its larger footprint took up a lot of countertop space for a personal blender.
• Magic Bullet Blender: This affordable personal blender does more than whirl smoothies—it also conveniently chops chunky salsas and grinds nuts thanks to an extra-small blending cup in the 11-piece set. It has far less power than other models on this list, at 250 watts, and a lot of pieces to store.
• Ninja Foodie Smoothie Bowl Maker & Nutrient Extractor: This model features a unique smoothie bowl cup with a built-in tamper, so it doesn’t need as much liquid to blend ingredients into a smooth, thick consistency. This model tackled smoothies with ease and produced super-smooth results, but didn't perform as well in other tests.
• NutriBullet Pro+ Personal Blender: This small personal blender features a 1,200-watt motor, a 32-ounce blender jar, and a pulse function that helps evenly distribute ingredients. However, some testers had trouble achieving a smooth consistency with frozen foods like fruit and ice.​
• Our Place Splendor ​Blender​: Our testers liked its ease of use, stylish design, and pulse function (rare in personal blenders). It made a decent smoothie, but the blender only blends for 45 seconds at a time, and it required two cycles to get the job done. It also struggled in our margarita test, unable to dissolve the sugar and achieve a light, fluffy frozen cocktail.
• Smeg​ Personal Blender: This personal blender has a fun retro look and is shaped like a baby bottle, but the plastic is flimsy and didn't perform very well in our tests.​
• Zwilling Enfinigy Personal Blender: This stylish blender delivers smooth results quickly, blending smoothies in under 90 seconds and crushing ice with ease, though it has a lower wattage and a smaller 20-ounce jar compared to other models.

Experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab have tested more than 100 blenders over the past decade. For this story, we evaluated over 30 personal blenders. We use consistent recipes across models—such as smoothies, milkshakes, and frozen drinks—and adjust portions for personal blenders.

✔️ Type: There are a few different types of personal blenders on the market:

• Standalone personal blender: The majority of models on this list are standalone personal blenders; they're compact but require an electrical outlet for power.
• Portable personal blender: The Ninja Blast Max is a cordless personal blender that operates without a power cord, providing portability and convenience. However, it requires charging and typically lacks the power of traditional blenders that plug directly into an electrical outlet.
• Personal blender attachment: Some full-sized blenders offer the versatility of attaching a personal-sized blender jar, allowing you to blend individual servings or small quantities. This feature combines the power of a full-sized blender with the convenience of preparing personal-sized portions.

✔️ Weight: Some heft is essential to keep the blender in place while using it. Look for heavier blending systems (or suction cups) to ensure your blender stays put—otherwise, you may have to hold it down while blending. Still, you'll want it to be light enough to maneuver easily from countertop to cabinet for storage.

✔️ Jar capacity: Though our top picks include options between 12 and 32 ounces, a 16-ounce cup is a sweet spot—it's big enough to hold a meal-size smoothie but not too bulky to carry. If you like blending anything from a small salad dressing to a large protein smoothie, many personal blenders come with different cup sizes to meet your various needs.

✔️ Cup style: If portability is important to you, assess cup style. Is it slim and easy to hold? Does it fit into your vehicle's cup holders? Does it have a lid that seals well? Does it have a spout or sports lid?

✔️ Settings: Personal blenders used to have minimal features—you just pushed the blender cup down to blend—but newer models have blending buttons, and some even have pulse features, which help break down tough ingredients or coarsely chop a salsa or chimichurri.

✔️ Wattage: Higher wattage blenders handle more difficult-to-blend foods, like ice-filled beverages. (For context, the blenders we tested ranged in wattage from 250 to 1,200.) It's important to note that higher wattages don't always perform better—the shape of the cup and the ability to pulse also help with blending.

✔️ Ease of cleaning: If you're short on time and don't feel like taking a bottle brush to your blender, ensure it's dishwasher-safe. Thankfully, most personal blender cups are dishwasher-safe these days.

Personal blenders vary widely in power, ranging from 200 to 1,200 watts. The wattage level affects how well the blender can handle certain ingredients and how versatile it is for different tasks:

• Low-power personal blenders (200–400 watts): These entry-level models are ideal for blending soft ingredients like bananas, berries, and yogurt. They're compact and often affordable, but may struggle with frozen or tough items like ice, nuts, or fibrous vegetables.
• Mid-range power personal blenders (500–800 watts): Most personal blenders fall in this range. These blenders strike a balance between power and versatility, making them suitable for everyday blending tasks like smoothies, shakes, and light food prep. They can generally handle a broader range of ingredients, including frozen fruits and ice, though they may need extra blending time or smaller chunks of tough ingredients.
• High-power personal blenders (900–1,200 watts): These high-performance blenders have enough power to crush ice, blend hard or fibrous veggies, and create smooth, creamy textures. High-power models are ideal for people who want a personal blender that can handle tasks similar to those of full-size models, like making green smoothies or nut butters. They tend to be more versatile and durable but may also be larger and louder than their low-power counterparts.

Yes, you can put frozen fruit in a personal blender, but whether or not it blends effectively depends on the blender's power and the type of fruit you're using. Small blueberries or softer fruits like bananas are easier to break down than large strawberries or tough pineapple.

A high-powered blender is best for blending frozen fruit because it has enough motor power to break down frozen strawberries, pineapple, and mango quickly and effectively, creating smooth, creamy smoothies with minimal effort.

Blenders under 800 watts might need help processing frozen fruit. Pro tip: Defrost your fruit a tiny bit before blending.

Eva Bleyer has professionally tested a wide range of kitchen equipment, including ovens and ranges, juicers, and blenders. Eva has rigorously tested over 90 blenders (30 personal models) in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab over the past four years. As a trained chef from the Natural Gourmet Institute with a background in health-supportive cooking, she has extensive experience using blenders. As a commuter, she especially understands the value of a high-quality personal blender.