Best Personal Blenders in 2021 – Buyer’s Guide & Reviews

Are you planning to start eating right, but don’t have a ton of time to prepare the necessary leaner, greener meals to achieve that goal? If so, a good personal blender can at least give you a way to get some quick healthy beverages into your routine.

As single-serve units, these tools are particularly good for simple jobs like mixing smoothies or protein shakes. When it comes to prepping small batches of tasty frozen treats to take with you on the road, a blender is basically a must. 

From delivering health-conscious folks along the path of a well-balanced life to creating pre- and post-workout shakes for sports enthusiasts, the best personal blenders can make all the difference. 

Compared to the many other blender types out there, these space-saving appliances are more compact, less expensive, and a lot easier to operate. Despite the limited capacity and weaker blending power, they’re still strong enough to turn your favorite ingredients into heart-healthy frozen desserts. 

And they won’t even take over your counter space or lose functionality over time. With the best personal blender, getting more veggies into your daily life is no longer a boring chore.

How to Choose the Best Personal Blender

The best personal blender for you should be a well-made kitchen tool that fits your lifestyle and looks great in your kitchen. It also should come with a powerful motor to get your blending done in a short amount of time without making the usual mess that might result from using a full-size blender.

Besides the ability to create endless culinary creations quickly, your blender’s ease of use is also very important. As a result, no professional skills should be needed to make basic drinks. 

Whatever model you choose, be aware that personal blenders are generally only good for light-duty blending tasks. To prevent damage, tougher jobs like grinding nuts, crushing frozen fruits, and blending hot liquids should be avoided. 

And since the motors of personal blenders are not as powerful as their countertop counterparts, you’ll need to use more liquid and cut fruit into smaller chunks for best results. 

If you want an all-around kitchen workhorse that can cater to most of your daily needs, from crushing ice into snow to making a tasty, silky blended soup, you should consider purchasing a full-size countertop blender. If, on the other hand, you just need it for small jobs or personal smoothies, a personal blender will serve you well.

Below are some points that you should keep in mind when looking for a personal blender.

Motor Power

For most small blending tasks, any personal blender with a motor ranging from 175 to 300 watts is more than adequate. Such models are typically powerful enough to give you consistent results in about a minute. And due to advances in blades and motor technology, they get the job done without requiring you to cut your ingredients too small.

However, to ensure longevity and proper functionality, these lower-powered blenders shouldn’t be used continuously for more than one minute at a time. They shouldn’t blend with less than 1/3 of their volume filled with liquid either. Doing so can lead to damaged motors.

There are options on the market that work without these limitations. They’re usually more powerful devices with a wattage between 600 and 900 watts. 

These higher-powered personal blenders can work faster and more efficiently than the common weaker ones. They can even puree thick mixtures in seconds without getting hot or smelling like they’re burning. This makes them the perfect choice if you  often process things that are relatively tough and take several minutes. Just know you’ll pay extra for the privilege.

Speed Settings 

Using a personal blender involves engaging the cup with the base and then b until the contents reach your desired consistency. That’s why, unlike countertop or immersion blenders, these hand-held devices typically only offer one speed setting. 

There are also personal blenders with pre-programmed settings and a wide range of speeds, but they’re not common and can be quite expensive. And though these models allow for hands-free operation, the variable speed controls are often unnecessary and simply make them more complicated to use. 

Size and Capacity 

Since personal blenders are single-serving devices by definition, they really shouldn’t take up much space in your kitchen. Look for a blender with a small footprint that will fit neatly in your cabinet or tuck away in a drawer when not in use.  

In general, larger blenders will come with higher-capacity pitchers. For single-serving options, though, it’s usually best to choose a device with a 16-to-24-ounce capacity. This will make the cup about as compact as a travel mug, so you can enjoy your favorite beverages on the go. Often, the blending cup even fits snugly in a cup holder. 

Cleaning Process

Not only should a good blender be versatile, it has to be easy to clean as well. For safety and easy cleaning, consider searching for a machine that has dishwasher-safe lids, blending cups, and blade assemblies.

Accessories 

Blenders that come with only a single cup won’t take up much storage space, but multiple blending cups are always handy. You can prepare and store multiple beverages without cleaning between every use. Make sure the cups’ to-go lids seal tightly so you don’t have to worry about spills. 

Some personal units also come with a grinder cup or a food processor, but don’t expect them to work as well as a purpose-built appliance. Consider this a minor bonus capability.

Reviews of the Best Personal Blenders of 2021

Without further ado, let’s move on to our best personal blenders list. It will cover some of the most important characteristics of each unit so as to help you decide which one is right for you.

1. Ninja Fit – Best to Buy in 2021
2. Hamilton Beach 51101AV –  Best Personal Blender for Travel
3. Ninja Nutri Pro – Best Single-Serve Personal Blender
4. NutriBullet Pro – Best Bullet Blender 
5. Oster BLSTPB-WBL – Best Small(Mini) Blender 
6. Vitamix S30 – Best Vitamix Personal Blender

Top-rated Personal Blenders Comparison Chart

Here’s our picks for the Best Personal Blenders.

1. Ninja Fit – Best to Buy in 2021

Featuring a powerful 700-watt motor with patented stainless steel blades designed for heavy-duty usage, the Ninja QB3001SS is capable of breaking down even the toughest fruits and vegetables into creamy, drinkable smoothies or nutritious protein shakes. Just prepare yourself for its loud and obnoxious sound.

Pros

• Powerful
• Inexpensive
• Nice looking
• Does not leak

Cons

• Cups are hard to clean

The blender is among the best Ninja personal blenders on the market and comes at a reasonable price. It’s 13.7 inches tall with the cup attached, 6 inches wide, and 9.45 inches deep. The cup is quite tall, but still compact enough to fit in your fridge. However, due to its length and slim profile, it may be hard to reach the bottom and clean all the inside areas without using a bottle brush.  

Like most other single-serve blenders, it cannot be used to prepare hot soup. Plus, it doesn’t have a typical control panel, multiple speed settings, or even an on/off button. It’s operated by pressing the cup into the base unit. You have to hold the cup down to engage the motor; once you release, it stops.

While mostly considered a competitor to the Nutribullet Pro, this blender carves out a style of its own and is proving to be a top performer in the industry. 

This is among the few personal blenders on the market that doesn’t have blending time limitations. In other words, blade friction from prolonged operation (generally more than one minute) will not overheat the motor or heat up ingredients and generate dangerous pressures within the sealed blending cup. 

And just in case this does happen, the machine’s safety system will automatically activate a built-in thermal switch to shut off the overloaded motor. However, while this is a helpful and rather unique function, it’s still best not to run this Ninja for too long. Make your beverage and move on much like you would with other small blenders.  

Verdict

The Ninja QB3001SS is a basic yet powerful personal blender specifically developed for making salad dressing, mixing small batches of smoothies, crushing through frozen fruit, and more. It’s a great tool to chop and mix your culinary creations quickly and efficiently. We highly recommend it.

2. Hamilton Beach 51101AV –  Best Personal Blender for Travel

With its compact size, razor-sharp blending blade, and leak-proof on-the-go jar, this Hamilton Beach unit is portable and versatile and won’t cost you a fortune.

Pros

• Small size
• Inexpensive
• One-touch blending
• Nutrient extraction in seconds

Cons

• No included accessories
• Not good at blending frozen fruits

The blender is not super quiet, but it isn’t as loud as most larger ones. Unlike others that are too bulky and overwhelm the space or which don’t make sense with other parts of the kitchen design, this unit offers an elegant look, which can easily fit in with a variety of decors. It even has a wide range of colors for you to choose from. 

Since the power delivered by the motors is quite low (175 watts), however, the machine isn’t intended for tough stuff and cannot function continuously for more than one minute. 

This means it cannot handle frozen fruits or hard vegetables very well. If you intend to use it for almond butter, the resulting blend will have a clumpy consistency that simply won’t spread across a slice of toast. 

With four stainless steel blades running at 21000 RPM, this blender is perfect for smoothies. It will bring most fruits to a soft-serve consistency in as little as 30 seconds. To fully process fibrous greens like kale, however, it requires you to use a spatula to push ingredients toward the blades or the resulting blend will be a grainy, foamy soup with visible kale bits.

Hamilton Beach has some additional limitations. It can’t be used to process boiling liquids. And while it’s capable of grinding coffee beans, it can’t take more than 12 tablespoons (177 ml) at a time due to its small blending jar (14 ounces). Given its low price point, these disadvantages should be expected. Just keep them in mind when considering whether to purchase this unit.

Also, in exchange for its low price, the Hamilton Beach doesn’t come with any accessories. Its plastic jar doesn’t feel fancy or durable. With use, it will become discolored, ending up with a yellowish hue. 

On the bright side, the included lid fits tightly on the jar. It has a sliding spout on top specifically designed for convenient drinking. 

Some users worry about the fixed blade assembly. It cannot be removed, so it may create a very minor risk of personal injury. We find that unlikely, though — the blade assembly is permanently attached to the jar and will not easily come apart. Surely, there won’t be any problem when you use it as a to-go cup. 

Verdict 

The Hamilton Beach lives up to its reputation with an efficient motor and four patented, stainless steel blades at a very inexpensive price. Other than the minor problems we mentioned, it is  a great purchase for improving your daily meal with more greens, and for quick smoothie energy boosts so you can keep up with your family’s fun activities.

3. Ninja Nutri Pro – Best Single-Serve Blender

While costing the same as our top pick, the Ninja Nutri Pro comes with a more powerful motor. It can thus do the same work in less time and should have a long functional lifespan.

Pros

• Powerful and works well for the price
• Compact size
• Fast
• Solid design
• Portable, easy-to-clean cups

Cons

• Loud
• Cannot pulverize seeds
• Requires shaking when blending

Developed with a 900-watt motor, the blender itself does a great job of pureeing both soft and tough foods— to include carrots, spinach, and others— even when they’re frozen. 

It’s also helpful when making salsa, spreadable butter, and salad dressing. Don’t be surprised, though, if it sometimes requires a few shakes or stirs to make sure everything is chopped smoothly. For ideal blending and to save time, you should use short “pulses” or cut the ingredients into smaller pieces. 

We found that the Ninja Nutri Pro does not pulverize seeds particularly well, despite claiming so in advertisements. Dry blending with this blender too often may result in a damaged motor. And since its cups cannot be used for hot blending, make sure any sauces you’re creating have cooled to room temperature first.  

To use the machine, simply place your prepared fruits or veggies into the container, add the appropriate level of ice or water, and then cover it with the lid. The blades are built into the lid, so turn this cup upside down and fit it properly into the base to activate the motor.

Thanks to its simple design, the cleaning process is also a breeze. It’s even easier to clean than a juicer. With the exception of the motor base which should be cleaned by hand using a damp cloth, all the removable parts are dishwasher safe. Just make sure you separate all parts from each other before putting them in the dishwasher. 

Some users have claimed that their cups have begun to leak after a few days of use. But we’re quite certain this is mainly a problem for those who don’t read the instructions— don’t try to put too much stuff in the unit at once. Leaving enough air in the mug or liquid will run out any gap it comes across. If you follow the instructions, you shouldn’t have any issues.

Of course, there are drawbacks. (1)The blender is not horribly loud, but still noisy enough to wake up your roommate if you make a breakfast smoothie. (2) Mold will gradually build-up in the rubber gasket, causing unpleasant odors. This is not a common occurrence but can be prevented if you remember to wash the gasket before the first usage and in between uses.  

Verdict 

The Ninja Nutri Pro is an appealing countertop appliance for those with limited kitchen space and little time to spare. If you want a personal blender that can do a bit more than smoothies and protein shakes, go with this model. Though its 900-watt motor doesn’t deal well with dry blending, it still works well enough to break down tough ingredients without compromising durability.

4. NutriBullet Pro – Best Bullet Blender

At less than $100, the NutriBullet Pro is an ideal balance of style, power, and durability. Compared to older versions such as the NutriBullet NBR-1201, this  upgrade offers a stronger motor, better performance, and is absolutely worth the extra money.

Pros

• Hassle-free cleaning
• High power
• Excels at making smoothies
• Affordable price

Cons

• Useless books
• Overuse will damage the motor

Like the Hamilton Beach, this blender requires only minimal manual effort. To use the machine, all you have to do is push the vessel and attached blade assembly down onto the main unit and then gently rotate it to activate the motor. The Lock On Mode ensures your blender will run safely without risk of components separating during operation. 

Packing an exceptionally powerful 900-watt motor, the NutriBullet Pro blends frozen fruits without any resistance. When making smoothies or any other nutritious beverages, you don’t have to stop the process to shake or stir the contents in order to achieve the right consistency. 

That being said, this blender is not ideal for grinding dry ingredients such as grains, nuts, or coffee beans. It also cannot be used as an ice crusher or and should never be run without liquids. Trying to do so will result in damage to the motor and the blade. 

Another word of caution: the machine isn’t intended to run for more than 60 seconds. Between each cycle, let the motor cool down for 5 minutes, as recommended by the manufacturer.

As for accessories, two to-go lids, two 32-ounce BPA-free cups, and four lip rings come included, making it a convenient way to take your morning shakes on the road.

The set also includes the Nutribullet Pocket Nutritionist and Blasting For Optimum Health Recipe Books. Sadly, both of them seem to contain a lot of useless information, as noted by several users. Some even claimed that these two books are printed with the purpose of advertising the brand rather than providing users with useful recipes or any meaningful health education.

Verdict 

Despite the minor nitpicks, so far, NutriBullet has successfully made many versatile, high-quality personal blenders, and this one certainly fits that bill. It is solidly built and can pulverize almost everything. If you want to prepare a balanced meal with perfect nutrition, it deserves a spot on your countertop.

5. Oster BLSTPB-WBL – Best Small (Mini) Personal Blender

We think most people will find the power and size of the Hamilton Beach 51101AV to be adequate for creating personalized drinks, but if you’re looking for a stronger motor, yet don’t like the weight and size of the larger blender like the Ninja Fit, the Oster BLSTPB-WBL is worth your consideration.

Pros

• Quieter than most
• Simple cleaning
• Compact

Cons

• Can’t blend hot liquids
• Weak at pulverizing tough ingredients

The blender is very similar to the Hamilton Beach 51101AV in terms of size, function, and portability. The main differences are that it has a stronger motor and allows for hands-free operation. 

Like other personal blenders, its 250-watt motor is not intended for heavy-duty jobs, but it’s still powerful enough to extract all sorts of nutrients and vitamins from your greens. Plus, given its 90-day quality assurance guarantee and 24-month warranty, this blender is surely reliable enough to warrant your investment. 

The 20-ounce on-the-go cup is built vertically so it sits on the counter without dominating the space. Some may think it is too small, but believe us, it’s roomy enough to keep you hydrated.

It’s not without its drawbacks, though. The locking mechanism on the lid is not too secure and the “sport bottle” is narrow enough that it’s hard to reach the bottom for cleaning. These are minor disadvantages but since convenience is a major deciding factor in personal blenders, it’s good info to know up front. 

As a nice bonus, the lid, plastic cup, and blade assembly are all dishwasher-safe. They are also BPA-free and ETL-certified to ensure healthy and safe drinking in accordance with FDA guidelines. 

Verdict 

The Oster BLSTPB-WBL personal blender is made for people who need convenience and portability. Compared with larger blenders, it isn’t as good at blending frozen fruits, but when it comes to a quick and effortless way to create a single smoothie, shake, or juice serving, this machine won’t certainly let you down.

6. Vitamix S30 S-Series Blender – Best Vitamix Personal Blender

Made in the USA with foreign components, the Vitamix S30 model is composed of much higher quality materials and superior engineering techniques compared to many others in the single-serve segment.

Pros

• Dishwasher safe parts
• Variable speed control
• Solid construction
• Space saving

Cons

• Pricey
• Heavy
• Not suitable for blending hot foods

Despite the tiny size and lower motor power, it functions as well as the larger versions, having no problem pulverizing flaxseed, raw carrots, pineapple, frozen foods, and ice. Just make sure there is a little added liquid at the bottom of the container to support the operation.

Built primarily for individual use, this model is an amazing gadget that perfectly meets the needs of a single person, or perhaps two people who are light eaters. Its size is really a bit too small for a family of 3 or more. Unless you’re making a very small batch of smoothies, the full-sized Vitamix blender is a better choice for a family.

Furthermore, in spite of its advertising, this isn’t a light-weight appliance. If you are looking to travel with it, you may get a workout.

In other areas, it’s relatively quiet, easy to clean, has good sized blending cups, and super sharp blades. It also comes with variable speed controls. The pulse function offers users complete control, so they can alter the speed to suit the task at hand. Plus, the small footprint design manages to look elegant while only taking up a little space.

Verdict

By choosing the Vitamix S30 over the other single-serve blenders, you will get a higher-capacity blending container, more generous warranty period, and various speed controls. There is no denying that its price is a bit on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for. We consider this machine a good investment.

Conclusion

The best personal blenders should provide a quick and easy way to make smoothies or protein shakes at home. With thousands of models out there, the Ninja Fit stands out from the rest with its compact design and consistent performance. If you’re looking for a decent single-serve blender but don’t want to break the bank, go for this model.