If you want to recreate a celebrity-inspired Erewhon smoothie at home, you’ll need to invest in a high-powered blender.
If you don’t have the kitchen real estate to dedicate to a pitcher-style blender or you’re only smoothie prepping for one, a powerful portable blender is your best bet. Portable blenders are lightweight and compact, and many are cord-free. The blending container often doubles as a travel mug which means fewer dirty dishes — always a bonus for those with busy schedules.
We tested 11 top-rated blenders from Ninja, Nutribullet, Beast, Hamilton Beach, and more to find the best products for every need, whether you want a high-powered machine for crushing ice into party-ready cocktails or you need something battery-operated and suitcase-friendly for drinks on the go.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/nutribullet-e4deef79db17428880cb35dc568d8c49.jpg)
-
Easy on/off
-
Excellent blending abilities
-
Pulse feature
-
Removable blade for easy cleaning
-
Includes two bottles with lids
We love that this portable blender from Nutribullet is sleek, simple, and powerful. It turns on automatically when you lock one of the two included blending bottles in place on the base — all you have to do is press a single button to get the motor working. One of our testers has had this blender for over six years and still uses it regularly, reporting that it’s held up great.
The blender aced our kitchen tests, including making icy lemonades and smoothies with frozen fruit. When you’re done, the blade at the base is removable and dishwasher-safe (though we recommend hand-washing to keep it nice and sharp). The blender includes two plastic travel cups with lids, so you can blend and go without dirtying another dish.
Capacity: 24 and 32 ounces | Weight: 6.2 pounds | Wattage: 1200 watts | Power Source: Electric | Accessories: 2 blender cups, 2 travel lids with drinking spouts
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Beast-Mini-Blender-Plus-3489eb6384f6400cbc9ad6daa36262f6.jpg)
-
Compact and lightweight design
-
Intuitive control panel
-
Smooth, efficient blending
-
Blending carafe doubles as travel cup
-
Includes cleaning brush
It’s hard to find a better-looking portable blender than the Beast Mini Plus. This modern-looking appliance is sleek enough to display on the kitchen counter, and it comes in several aesthetic colors.
This blender also performs. It quickly blended up an icy Brazilian lemonade made with whole limes and took just over 30 seconds to make a smooth and fluffy cottage cheese queso. Our Orange Julius smoothie came out tasty and smooth, with no pesky chunks of frozen banana lurking at the bottom of the cup.
The Beast comes with two blender cups with interchangeable lids. There’s also a drinking lid with a handy loop for transit and a drinking straw. The blender has a straightforward single-button control — a quick press will set the blender off on a one-minute preset program, while a longer press will initiate pulsing.
Capacity: 18 ounces | Weight: 4.81 pounds | Wattage: 600 watts | Power Source: Electric | Accessories: 2 blender cups, 2 lids, 1 drinking lid, 2 straws, cleaning brush
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/KitchenAid-Go-Cordless-Personal-Blender-dc32ed5935fe4e4cb0734a283a9eebd1.jpg)
-
Strong and consistent performance
-
Motor sounds reliable and steady
-
Wireless with USB charging
-
Two-button control panel
-
Simple to clean
-
Lid can be challenging to remove
-
Takes slightly longer to blend thick ingredients
-
Blade not removable for cleaning
If you want to blend on the go or have limited electrical outlets in your kitchen, a wireless portable blender like this KitchenAid model is a smart choice. The blender is smooth and powerful. It performed especially well when blending ice for lemonade and frozen fruit for smoothies, though it took slightly longer than other models to produce a lump-free cottage cheese queso. The blender also comes with one travel cup and two lids.
Though the blade is not removable on this blender, it’s still quick and easy to clean and top-rack dishwasher-safe. We struggled a little to remove the lid after blending, so if hand dexterity or grip strength is a concern for you, this may not be the best choice. At $100, however, this is a high-value option that’s powerful and feels durable and well-made.
Capacity: 16 ounces | Weight: 9 pounds | Power: 12 volts | Power Source: Rechargeable battery | Accessories: Removable battery, 2 travel lids
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Nutribullet-Flip-Insulated-Portable-Blender-0b3136395b014947bcdd72e45b170dad.jpg)
-
Lack of visibility during blending
-
Control panel has a learning curve
-
Blade not removable for cleaning
This is the smallest and lightest portable blender we tested, and it doesn’t sacrifice power for portability. The blender container is an insulated travel cup, which is great for keeping smoothies chilled on the go.
It has a single-button control for single-speed blending, though a light on the front indicates charge level and blending states. Though this blender didn’t produce our favorite queso (the thicker mixture got stuck in the blender cup), it did make an evenly blended lemonade and a quick Orange Julius smoothie. We also don’t love that you can’t see the contents during blending, so the only way to check that you’re done is to unscrew the bottle and take a peek. But overall, this is a good option if portability is paramount and you’re mostly sticking to smoothies.
Capacity: 20 ounces | Weight: 3.45 pounds | Power: 11 volts | Power Source: Rechargeable battery | Accessories: 1 travel cup, 1 lid, charging block and cable, cleaning brush, straw
Other Portable Blenders We Tried
- Hamilton Blender with Travel Lid: This portable blender from Hamilton Beach is more intuitively designed and easy to use, though you have to apply constant pressure on the blender cup for the motor to run, so it’s a more hands-on experience than other options. It also struggled with our thicker queso ingredients and leaked a bit during testing.
- Ninja Blast Portable Blender: This is a highly portable, light, and compact blender, but you have to bring the entire motor base with you if you’re traveling with your smoothie. It was also inconsistent and difficult to clean because of the non-removable blade.
People / Nick Simpson
Benefits of Portable Blenders
“Portable blenders are a quick and convenient way to get a lot of nutrients into your diet through smoothies and soups,” says Haylie Pomroy, health strategist and New York Times best-selling author of The Fast Metabolism Diet. “Newer ones are more lightweight than ever before and can serve as a blender and a drinking vessel.”
Experts Also Recommend
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/magic-bullet-11-piece-blender-set-f5ebc19019064a9fa363078f862e2aee.jpg)
Catherine Smart, co-founder and CEO of Not Just Co., lists this among her favorite portable blenders. “What the Magic Bullet lacks in simplicity, it makes up for in versatility, with the ability to whip cream, chop chunky salsa, and, of course, blend up a smoothie. Who needs knife skills when you’ve got one of these?!” she says.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/BlendJet-Portable-Blender-for-Smoothies--Shakes-95f9a178108d47dabe6068a310910c2a.jpg)
Pomroy is a fan of the BlendJet “because it’s lightweight and you drink right out of the blender, so you don’t have more than one thing to rinse out.” She adds, “It’s great for travel or as a spare blender to have at the office.” The cordless blender charges with a USB — one hour-long charge yields about 15 blends.
What to Know About Portable Blenders
Capacity
Portable blenders are by nature more compact than your typical countertop appliances, which makes them great for smaller homes, offices, and dorms. For most, the blender container doubles as a travel cup. Depending on how big of a smoothie you’re in the mood for, you may prefer a blender with a larger cup, up to 32 ounces. Otherwise, 16 to 18 ounces is the average capacity for most portable blenders.
Power Source
We found great blenders that have to be plugged in, as well as several powerful battery-operated models, like the Nutribullet Flip. You may prefer a battery-powered blender if you plan to do the actual blending (not just the drinking) on the go or if you have limited access to electrical outlets in your kitchen. These are also handy for RVs and camping, though they’ll need recharging. Electrical blenders may be more powerful and are always ready to use — no charging necessary.
Cleaning
The easiest-to-clean blenders can be fully deconstructed. That means you can remove the blade and unscrew the blender lid to clean all the nooks and crannies. Bonus points if the cups, lids, and blades can all be tossed in the dishwasher. However, be sure to read the fine print, because not all of our picks are dishwasher-safe, and your best bet to preserve sharpness is to hand-wash the blades.
Price Range
Portable blenders are more budget-friendly than larger countertop models, and we didn’t find a huge price discrepancy when it comes to quality, high-value options. The priciest blender on our list, the Nutribullet Pro Plus, regularly costs $130, and the least expensive choice is the Nutribullet Flip, which is around $100.
People / Nick Simpson
Behind the Scenes
We tested 11 top-rated blenders, including six portable and five pitcher-style blenders. It took our team of expert testers 20 hours to assess each product in our PEOPLE Tested kitchen. We rated each blender on its design, ease of use, performance, and ease of cleaning. We used each blender to whip up three very different recipes to test its versatility and performance.
- Queso Test: We processed 15 pounds of cottage cheese queso to see how well each model could work through thicker, gummier textures.
- Lemonade Test: We filled the blenders with ice and whole limes for a batch of Brazilian lemonade to test how well the motors and blades could handle hard ingredients and stringy citrus.
- Smoothie Test: We whipped up Orange Julius smoothies with frozen blueberries and bananas to see how easily the blenders could process a smooth and uniform smoothie. We looked out for chunks of unprocessed bananas at the bottom of the jar and noted how long it took.
- Ease of Cleaning: Finally, we tested how easy the blenders were to clean, noting handy features like removable parts and special cleaning brushes.
The Nutribullet Pro Plus scored top marks across every assessment in our tests, and we think it offers the best value and performance.
People / Nick Simpson
Why Trust PEOPLE?
Lizzy Briskin is a contributing shopping writer for PEOPLE. She is also a trained chef, recipe developer, and food writer. She has a culinary degree from Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and was formally the food editor at Real Simple and Food Network Magazines. She now contributes recipes and food content to outlets including Wirecutter, Delish, The Kitchen, and SELF. She appreciates the smaller capacity of a portable blender for sauces and single-serving smoothies.
What Is PEOPLE Tested?
We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs.
But we don’t stop there: We also regularly re-review the categories in which we’ve awarded the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval — because the best product of today might not be the best of tomorrow. And by the way, companies can never buy our recommendation: Their products must earn it, fair and square.
In short, PEOPLE Tested provides recommendations you can trust — every day, every purchase.
