Best Immersion Blenders in 2021 – Buying Guide & Reviews

An immersion blender or, as we prefer to call it, a hand blender is a versatile appliance in a modern kitchen. Apart from having a compact size and easy-to-clean parts, it proves to be a great tool for multiple purposes. You can use it to puree soup, beat eggs or cream, chop vegetables, and so much more.

For less than $200,  you can own the best immersion blender with a motor and blades that are sturdy enough to deal with almost all types of greens. It can even remain effectively operational for at least three years with only moderate maintenance.

Immersion Blender vs. Countertop Blender

Unlike a food processor which contains a particular container for processing, or a hand mixer which mixes but does not blend, this tool does a good job of blending without needing a glass receptacle for food or liquids. The users can directly prepare soups, sauces or any pureed ingredients in the vessel in which they’re being prepared.

This means instead of transferring soup to a stand mixer in small batches, which is the main cause of splatters and burns, the machine itself allows you to mix the full quantity of the soup in the pot at once. Not to mention that will save us tons of time and hassle.

With a compact size, solid construction, and simple design all coming together in one piece of work, clearly there will be no problem in storing an immersion blender, especially when its stainless steel blending shaft can be detached from the main housing for ultimate storage convenience. 

If you have a restricted kitchen space and want to get rid of countertop clutter, you can store this hand-held device in a drawer when it’s not in use. You can also keep all its accessories and attachments organized and protected in the storage case, which can be either included with your blender or purchased separately. 

A hand blender is easier to clean, too. No manual effort is required. All of the attachments can be washed by hand and the wand can simply be wiped down between uses.

Due to limited power compared to its countertop counterparts, however, it seems to be not a good tools for tougher tasks such as grinding nuts or crushing frozen fruits over time. And while many high-end models can come with a variety of speed settings, from low to high, some other models only offer one speed, so texture consistency can be problematic when blending a large batch of food.

Let’s take a look at the table comparison below which details precisely the advantages and disadvantages of the two main types of blenders? While both gadgets seem to be designed to perform similar tasks, each has its own attributes, size and power.

	Immersion blender	Countertop blender
Pros	- Compact size - Easy to clean - Much handier for blending soups and sauce - Gives more self-control - Cheaper - Dishwasher safe	- More powerful - Excel at making milkshakes and smoothies - Pulse Option - Handles heavy duty tasks with ease - Larger blades - More speed options - Dishwasher safe
Cons	- Requires manual effort when blending - Can’t handle hard items well - No pulse option - Less powerful - Limited speed settings	- Takes up more space - Pricier

How to Buy the Best Immersion Blender

As mentioned above, there are hundreds of blender models on the market right now. Undoubtedly, it’s not that easy to find an immersion blender that can meet every single demand. That’s why the first thing you should do in order to find a unit that you’d be happy with is to understand which key features to consider before buying.

For advice on what to look for in a good immersion blender, here is our fixed set of criteria which is conducted based on our experiences and user reviews. Hopefully, this article can help you single out the most suitable unit for your needs and budget.

Motor Power

The motor is the most important component of any blender. The higher the wattage, the better the machine performs. So, first off, try to figure out how powerful your hand blender needs to be.

The power output of around 200 W will be enough for the basic tasks of whipping, blending, and chopping. However, if you’re trying to find a winner that is capable of performing heavy-duty tasks such as crushing ice or grinding seeds, a model with a motor that is at least 500 W totally warrants the investment.

Construction 

Ideally, you should buy a hand blender with a blade shaft made of stainless steel. Apart from being more durable than plastic components, this solid material can also be more efficient in preventing the risk of warping or cracking.

The high heat resistance is another advantage of stainless steel blending shaft over its cheaper, all-plastic counterparts. This property is necessary as it ensures the wand can rotate in hot liquide without warping. As a result, you can confidently use it to make hot soup or when it touches the hot side of a pot, there wouldn’t be any problems. 

Speed

Typically, a good blender should have at least three speed settings. But in the case of the immersion blender, due to its small size and limited functions, some models only come with two speed options: low and high. There are, of course, some advanced models that provide multi-speed controls, offering a high level of flexibility and consistency.

Though having a wide range of settings is not really necessary, various speeds are nice to have. Since it may take a bit of practice to operate it smoothly despite the fact that this type of machine is very easy to use, it can be helpful to be able to start slow and progressively increase the speed to avoid spilling or splattering food.

Additional Attachments

Additional attachments are usually available on some of the more expensive models, such as whisks, blades, mixing, and chopping cups.These specialist accessories expand the applications of the hand blender and further increase their utility in your kitchen. 

Say for example, if there is a whisk attachment included, your tool can do more than just blending soup or making healthy beverages; you can use it to make fresh whipped cream — the amazing topping for your pies, cupcakes, and trifles. 

Easy to Clean

While it seems as if the most important aspect of a good immersion blender is its motor power, the ease of cleaning is can also be a significant factor. As it isn’t a tool only used for a minute or so at a time, a well-designed blade guard that keeps food from getting stuck and a detachable shaft that makes for easy cleaning will be a real convenience.

The attachments need to be dishwasher–safe as well. If not, you’ll have to wash them by hand. Clearly, apart from prep time, you may have to spend more time on the cleaning process.

Brands

A few quick notes on some well-trusted brands, taken from my own experience:

Cuisinart: Most Cuisinart models are designed for heavy duty applications. With impressive design and construction, they appear to make the cooking process simpler for us users.

Breville: Breville is one of the top kitchen appliance manufacturers on the market today. They provide affordable kitchen equipment which is highly recommended by many professional cooks and experienced homecooks.

KitchenAid:  KitchenAid has always been a personal favorite of many people, and it has yet to fail us when it comes to preparing food.

Warranty

Sometimes, new products fail to do the job for which they’re being advertised, so choosing a blender with a warranty covering defects at least one year after purchase or delivery is a must.

Reviews of the Best Immersion Blenders 2021

Once you have gone through our buying’s guide detailing the most important factors of a good hand blender, let’s move on to the product summary of the top 5 blender brands.

1. Mueller Ultra-Stick Immersion Blender – Best to Buy 2021
2. KOIOS 12-Speed Hand Blender – Best Cordless Immersion Blender
3. Breville BSB510XL – Best Breville Immersion Blender
4. KitchenAid KHB2351CU – Best Immersion Blender for Baby Foods
5. Cuisinart CSB-179 – Best Cuisinart Immersion Blender

1. Mueller Ultra-Stick Hand Blender – Best to Buy

The Mueller is particularly designed for those who need convenience and speed, as it’s among the fastest, most efficient hand blenders on the market that can quickly make small batches of soups, creamy, smoothies, and baby food — without causing the risk of hand and wrist aches.

From the outside, while the blender looks nice and sturdy but a bit on the light side, its all-copper motor is believed to last three times longer than its conventional competitors. Most impressively, it offers a powerful 500-watt motor and outstanding performance for just under $50. 

Owing to the compact size and not being overly heavy, it’s much more convenient than a traditional blender which is normally bulkier and takes up more space.Thanks to the 2 available pushbuttons (on/off and turbo mode), easy operation is guaranteed, and a vast amount of food can be easily blended whether you are using the blender as a chopper, grinder or mixer. 

The Mueller’s speeds can be adjusted in eight increments each for both High and Low settings. Since its speeds work much more efficiently than most of the blenders on our list, it allows you to start low and increase as you go without the risk of splattering. Still, the blender cannot work for longer than one minute or it’ll be overheated. 

The ergonomic grip offers a non-slip and comfortable grip. Together with the S-shaped and whisk attachments, this ensures you can easily perform a wide range of cooking activities such as whipping eggs, mixing peanut butter, pureeing fruits, beating eggs, and blending smoothies. As a nice bonus, the attachment comes off too easily on its own while in operation.

Of course, the Mueller is without drawbacks. We found the lack of a lid to cover the attachments is a liability as the exposed blades, when not in use, can be dangerous.

Not only this, the vacuum created by the blending action inside the stainless steel blending cup could cause the attachment to twist off unexpectedly. For optimum safety, there should be a more secure way to lock these parts in place. 

Verdict 

All in all, the Mueller Ultra-Stick is a good device at this price. Is it going to last forever? Not a chance. Can you grind a huge amount of ice cubes at one time with it?  It’s unlikely. Can you run it for 3 hours every day? Not a good idea. But if you need an immersion blender for light home use, then this might be worth considering.

2. KOIOS Powerful 2-in-1 Hand Blender – Best Cordless Immersion Blender

Apart from blending well, the KOIOS is now one of the most powerful blenders in the market. Although it’s only about half the price of many other popular brands, its exterior design has shown itself to be superior to every passing trend and seems to be built to last a lifetime.

The device has an adjustable dial on the top of the handle that can increase or decrease the speed, helping it to achieve a wide range of textures. It also has an ejection button to detach the attachments for easy cleansing, which is a handy implement that many older models lacked.

Additionally, the instructions are pretty clear and emphasize safe use, and the simplicity of this blender makes it easy to operate. Regarding the stainless steel blades, the motor enables them to reach a high enough speed to create enough friction heat to turn ingredients into hot liquids in under six minutes.

Apart from a whisk attachment and a 20-ounce pitcher, included in this set you will also have a 17-ounce food processor bowl with an S-blade inside. This add-on works like any other food processor except the motor is the blender body on top of the bowl. The processor chops vegetables quite nicely and can even grind roasted nuts. Unlike the wand which can work with any pitcher or container, the S-blade only works with the bow though.

There is a warning not to use the device for more than two minutes consecutively, with the intent to protect it from overheating. My advice: let it “relax” for about 20 seconds between each cycle and then continue using for another 2 minutes.

Verdict

The KOIOS is among one of the least expensive blenders on our lists that performs well a wide variety of blending tasks without any hassle. It even works far better than its higher-priced counterparts as long as you avoid using it extra-long. 

3. Breville BSB510XL – Best Breville Immersion Blender

It’s no wonder that the Breville Control Grip has been rated the best quality immersion blender by a leading consumer magazine. Built with stainless steel, this device ensures machinery durability and long-term functionality without worrying about any breakdown issue.

With 15 variable speeds, it gives users precise control to get the texture they want, ensuring all the ingredients are blended evenly and thoroughly. All of the attachments are easy to clean which is a plus. They’re also very practical.

For example, the whisk attachment does a decent job of beating eggs and making whipped cream. The chopping bowl is just the right size for chopping vegetables, onions and more. You may not have to take out your large food processor for a large batch of very good basil pesto. The Breville is a food processor in its own right.

The only concern is how very tall the unit is; it is top-heavy, leading to some instability when leaving it in a standing position when pausing during use. Regardless of the undesirable length, we’d still highly recommend this product set.

Verdict

People love Breville products. Their construction and quality are normally very good and the one in this deal is no exception. Powerful yet quiet, the machine itself has made cooking much more convenient. Though it’s expensive, it’s an incredible blender and well worth the investment. 

4. KitchenAid KHB2351CU 3-Speed – Best Immersion Blender for Baby Food

Let me start by saying that this product appears well constructed, easy to use, and decently powerful. Not only does this 3-Speed hand blender let you blend, crush, chop, puree and whisk to make smoothies, milkshakes, and soups, it also does an incredible job at making baby food.

Unlike others, it comes with a storage bag for some of the attachments, which may be nice if you usually travel around. Also included is a whisk and a small chopper attachment for limitless options and greater versatility.

In particular, the chopper attachment is great for processing hard cheeses, nuts and creating graham cracker crusts, while the whisk is capable of whipping cream, beating eggs, and mixing things. However, it may take a lot longer to whip cream than a dedicated mixer does.

There are some aspects that I’m quite disappointed in regarding the blender cup. Firstly, it is very prone to scratching although I have been very cautious when holding it.

Next, it’s extremely easy to cause splashing, no matter how slowly I try to go. You may get splatters all over the counter and end up wasting a lot of food. It’d be better if this part was built with a lid and a hole in the middle that fits over the immersion part of the blender to keep foods from jumping out.

Verdict

The KitchenAid 3-speed is a reliable hand blender with a razor sharp blade locked into a solid motor body for safe and easy operation. It has a bunch of advanced features and a kit of useful attachments which will impressively satisfy all your different cooking styles. We highly recommend it. 

5. Cuisinart CSB-179 – Best Cuisinart Immersion Blender

Versatile and sturdy, the Cuisinart CSB-179 is among a few powerful hand blenders on the market that comes with an impactful set of attachments ( a 3-cup chopper/grinder, a chef’s whisk, and a 2-cup mixing/measuring cup). 

We appreciate that all of the attachments are top-rack dishwasher-safe, easy to wash, and of high quality. More impressively, the whisk can be easily attached to the motor, which plugs into the wall and controls the speed and power. 

Made of heavy-duty stainless steel and powered by a 300-watt motor, Cuisinart CSB-179 works well and is strong enough to turn your green ingredients into an energetic frozen dessert in no time at all. For sure, this blender will take your strain out of everyday cooking tasks without any resistance. 

The other impressive feature of the Cuisinart CSB-179 is that it lets you pulse without having a pulse button. Whether you want to make chunky salsa with herbs or to quickly pulverize nuts into a fine texture instead of a creamy substance, the device’s pulse function will make all the differences. 

With different speed settings, the Cuisinart CSB-179 allows you to customize the power for what you are blending. Since these power controls are exceptionally well designed and easy to use compared to others, you can get complete control over how fast you want to blend .

The Cuisinart CSB-179 doesn’t have a “Turbo” button for giving it an extra burst of power when needed, which is often found on most similar stick blenders. It has an “On” button and a “Lock” button as a safety feature instead. 

Due to the razor sharp blade provided with this device, the Lock button is specifically formulated to prevent the blender from activating unwantedly. While this feature means to reduce the possibility of personal injury, honestly, we don’t think it is unnecessary and needs to be redesigned. 

To be more specific, with the Lock function, the Cuisinart CSB-179 requires the joint operation of two buttons. Imagine how awkward and uncomfortable it will be to get started with the job when you have to push the two buttons simultaneously with both hands. 

Verdict 

The Cuisinart CSB-179 is built vertically so it sits on the counter corner without dominating the space. Despite the inexpensive price, it comes with most of the advanced features that you have expected from a decent immersion blender. So, if you’re on a budget and just want to buy something basic, this machine is the way to go.

Top-rated Hand Blenders Comparisons

Product	Item weight	Motor power	Warranty
Mueller Ultra-Stick (Editor's Choice)	2.15 pounds	500 watts	2 years
KOIOS Powerful 2-in-1	2.3 pounds	500 watts	2 years
Breville BSB510XL	3.8 pounds	280 watts	1 year
KitchenAid KHB2351CU	2 pounds	85 watts	1 year
Cuisinart CSB-179	2.8 pounds	300 watts	1 year

FAQ

1. How do I clean an immersion blender?

Cleaning an immersion blender is a quick and easy process. One of the simplest ways is to swish it around in hot soapy water for a few seconds.

2. Can an immersion blender crush ice?

Theoretically, we can use an immersion blender to crush ice. However, from my personal experience, it would be better not to try crushing too many ice cubes at a time.

3. Can we make fresh whipped cream with an immersion blender?

Rather than using a stand mixer or a food processor for just a small quality of fresh whipped cream, you can utilize a hand mixer to complete this task quickly and efficiently.

Just combine all ingredients in a bowl, then whisk them together on high speed until soft to stiff peaks form (for about 15-20 seconds).

4. Can you put an immersion blender in hot soup?

Absolutely, yes. Making hot soups is pretty much exactly what this machine is designed for. There’s almost no challenge in using it on hot mixtures.

Conclusion

The best immersion blenders should be compact, versatile, and easy to use. Even the basic models should take less than 60 minutes to get the job done as well as come with the ergonomically-designed handles for non-slip and comfortable grip.

All things considered, OXA Smart is a decent hand blender and we highly recommend it to users who want an affordable stainless steel model that can blend almost everything, quickly and effortlessly.