8 Best Personal Blenders So You Can Smash It On The Go posted by Taylor Munsell Pin Share Tweet Email SomethingSwanky is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. For optimal health, you’re supposed to be eating 2.5 cups each of fruit and vegetables per day. Unfortunately, it’s difficult for many of us to keep up that quota in a way that’s both quick and delicious. There is a solution, though: personal blenders. I absolutely love my personal blenders. They’re extremely convenient, and, thanks to the nutrient extractor contained in most models, the meals they whip up are super healthy as well. I’ve done a lot of research into the best ones over the years when searching for models to buy. In this post, I’ll tell you what I look for in a personal blender and even list my eight favorites. Table of ContentsAbout Personal BlendersDifference Between Regular Blenders and Personal BlendersWhat to Look for When Purchasing a Personal Blender8 Best Personal Blenders1. Overall: Ninja® Nutri-Blender Pro2. Value: Hamilton Beach Personal Blender3. Powerful: Nutribullet Rx4. Versatile: Magic Bullet5. Quietest: BLACK+DECKER FusionBlade Personal Blender6. Smoothie Bowls: Ninja® Foodi® Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor7. Travel: Magic Bullet Mini Blender8. Battery-powered: PopBabies Portable, Personal USB Rechargeable Small BlenderRecipes to TryPersonal Blender FAQ About Personal Blenders So, what is a personal blender exactly? Difference Between Regular Blenders and Personal Blenders Personal blenders are smaller than “normal blenders.” They generally use plastic to-go cups as the blending container, meaning you can just unscrew the cup and drink your smoothie straight out of that when it’s done blending. This saves you time and eliminates the need to clean an additional container. These things may sound like a small deal, but I’ve found that the best way to maintain a healthy diet is to make it as easy as possible for yourself. If eating healthy is quick and hassle-free like it is with a personal blender, you’re much more likely to stick to it. What to Look for When Purchasing a Personal Blender Of course, the personal blender you go for depends on personal preference of what exactly you want out of your choice. Some aspects to consider are Grab n’ Go – The defining feature of a personal blender is the grab n’ go functionality, so you definitely need to make sure it has one or more to-go cups included.Size – You probably want something small that will take up minimal counter space. Most personal blenders are small and light enough to transport around with you without a problem. Some aren’t, though, so you need to make sure.Power – Wattage is incredibly important in determining whether smoothies are smooth. You definitely don’t want to buy a personal blender with less than 175 watts. Note that volts are not the same as watts.Clear measurement marks – Ideally, you want easy-to-read marks that won’t wash off.Quiet – How much noise does the blender make when it’s running?Price – Obviously, you need something that will fit your budget. You can use these criteria to look for personal blenders yourself. Alternatively, you can look at the handy categorized guide of eight excellent personal blenders I’ve included below. 8 Best Personal Blenders Here are my eight favorite personal blenders based on my own research. I’ve put the blenders into “best of” categories like “quietest,” “most powerful,” “battery-powered,” etc. Below the table listing the “winners,” I talk a bit about why each one made the cut. CATEGORYMODELWATTAGEOverall[amazon link=”B08QXJ31WR” link_icon=”none” title=”Ninja® Nutri-Blender Pro” /]1100Budget[amazon link=”B00QNUCV0I” link_icon=”none” title=”Hamilton Beach Personal Blender” /]175PowerfulNutribullet Rx1700VersatileMagic Bullet250Quietest[amazon link=”B00LU2HXTI” link_icon=”none” title=”BLACK+DECKER FusionBlade Personal Blender” /]275Smoothie BowlsNinja® Foodi® Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor1200TravelMagic Bullet Mini Blender200Battery-Powered[amazon link=”B07NSSCCLY” link_icon=”none” title=”PopBabies USB Rechargeable Small Blender” /]175 1. Overall: Ninja® Nutri-Blender Pro by [amazon link=”B08QXJ31WR” link_icon=”none” title=”Ninja” /] [amazon fields=”B08QXJ31WR” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Nutri Pro with Auto-iQ, 1100-Peak-Watt, Personal Blender”] This personal blender model is my absolute favorite for general use because it does everything well for a reasonable price. The 1,100-watt motor is more than you could ever need, and that kind of power will really liquefy anything, even tough ingredients like seeds or powders, given that you add enough liquid to the smoothie. The Auto-IQ feature helps too, because it provides two specially-programmed blade motions that obliterate anything in the specific jar that goes with this model. I’d be remiss not to mention the device’s ice crushing abilities, too—they’re off the hook. Speaking of the jars for this smoothie maker model, they’re a perfect size and shape! At 24-ounces, the two grab n’ go blending cups are big enough to bring along as much smoothie as you want and even some for sharing! The cups and everything else that comes with the blender are dishwasher-safe, too, so they’re easy to clean. This is my pick for best portable blender, and I use it almost every day. It’s a jaw-droppingly good deal for only $100. 2. Value: Hamilton Beach Personal Blender by [amazon link=”B00QNUCV0I” link_icon=”none” title=”Hamilton Beach” /] [amazon fields=”B00QNUCV0I” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”Hamilton Beach Shakes and Smoothies Blender”] This is pretty much the cheapest good-quality personal blender you can get. It has 175-watts of power, meaning it won’t totally liquefy everything like the big boys with over 800-watts. That being said, it will make pretty good smoothies with a nice creamy consistency in just a few seconds and even has ice crushing capabilities for frozen drinks. The interface is nice and simple, too, with only one button on the front for blending. The jar is not terribly big at 14-ounces, but that should be plenty for people in need of a quick breakfast or a midday health fix. The casing is very pretty, too, mainly because of the color options. My favorite is raspberry red, but the model is also available in four other super-cute shades. 3. Powerful: Nutribullet Rx by Nutribullet With a 1700-watt motor, the nutribullet Rx is one of the most powerful personal blenders on the market. It guarantees that you will have something more akin to a juice than a smoothie, no matter what you put in. It will produce the drink very quickly, too, so it’s great for people who want to whip up something in just a few seconds. This model comes with a few different types of blending containers. The 30-ounce and 45-ounce smoothie containers are excellent for making large batches of smoothie, especially because the motor is so strong and the blades are so sharp. An included Stay-Fresh airtight lid helps ensure the larger batches don’t go bad, even if you leave them sitting all day. There’s also the heatproof SouperBlast pitcher with a vented lid to prepare soups or hot drinks in large batches. 4. Versatile: Magic Bullet by Nutribullet The magic bullet is perhaps the best choice for your non-smoothie blending needs. The 250-watt motor isn’t as powerful as some personal blenders, but there are definitely times when you don’t want to just liquefy your ingredients. When making salsas, salad dressings, or sauces, for example, it’s nice to have something with a little texture. This model does that wonderfully, creating nice even consistency without leaving large chunks. It’s also incredibly easy to use: just load in your ingredients, line up the tabs on the cup with the tabs on the blender base, hit “blend,” and in a few seconds you’ll have a chunky and delicious concoction! Let me mention all the cups included too. The personal blender comes with tall and short grab n’ go cups along with a mug with a handle. It also includes a convenient flip-top lid and several airtight lids that fit on all of the cups. 5. Quietest: BLACK+DECKER FusionBlade Personal Blender by [amazon link=”B00LU2HXTI” link_icon=”none” title=”BLACK+DECKER” /] [amazon fields=”B00LU2HXTI” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”BLACK+DECKER FusionBlade Personal Blender”] This blender is whisper quiet while it’s at work. It’s my go-to when I want to make a smoothie early in the morning before the rest of my family is awake. That low-noise functionality is pretty impressive given the fact the motor is 275-watts. That may not sound like a lot of power, but it has especially sharp blades that together with the middling motor can blend almost anything you’d want. It can even handle ice cubes and tough ingredients like green vegetables. It comes with two blending cups that are 20 ounces each, which is the perfect size in my opinion. The cups have matching lids, too, and they definitely look nicer than the travel cups included with most personal blenders. The blender itself has a lean, compact design as well, so it looks slick and doesn’t take up as much counter space as most competitors. 6. Smoothie Bowls: Ninja® Foodi® Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor by Ninja Kitchen The 14-ounce smoothie bowl included with this model is the best way I’ve found to blend ingredients without much liquid content into a super thick concoction. The bowl actually has built-in tampers that push ingredients towards the whirring blades, meaning that you don’t need to add liquids like water or juice to make sure the dry ingredients get blended. This results in foods like nut butter and ultra-thick smoothies that other blenders I’ve seen simply can’t make. Let’s not forget that this blender has a 1200-watt motor. It’s great at producing liquified smoothies in the two included 24-ounce nutrient extractor cups, especially since it has four preset auto-iQ programs that are designed specially for this model’s specific dimensions. 7. Travel: Magic Bullet Mini Blender by Nutribullet This is the best electric personal blender for traveling around with, bar none. It’s only 5.4” x 5.2” x 11” and weighs just 1.7 pounds. It includes two sizes of cup, a short cup and a party mug with a handle. It has an aesthetically pleasing design, too, so it will definitely spruce up and compact kitchen you bring it to. Oh, and did I mention this travel blender only costs $30? 8. Battery-powered: PopBabies Portable, Personal USB Rechargeable Small Blender by [amazon link=”B07NSSCCLY” link_icon=”none” title=”PopBabies” /] [amazon fields=”B07NSSCCLY” value=”thumb” image_size=”large” image_align=”center” image_alt=”PopBabies Portable Blender”] If you’re okay with sacrificing some power for cordless capabilities, this personal blender is a great choice. It’s only 3.2” x 3.2” x 10”, and it can be charged via USB, which makes it infinitely portable. It’s obviously not as powerful as a corded personal blender at only 175 watts, but it’s really cool to have for day trips or events. I got one of these last year, and I bring it everywhere with me. If I’m being honest, half the reason is so I can enjoy the looks of surprise and envy from those around me when I pull my loaded-up smoothie out of my purse and whip up a fresh drink on the spot! Recipes to Try Once you have a personal blender of your own, start making the most of it right out of the box by trying these fantastic on-the-go smoothie recipes: Copy Cat Recipe: Jamba Juice Peanut Butter Moo'd Get the Recipe Easy Green Smoothie Get the Recipe Starbucks Vanilla Bean Frappuccino {dairy free} Get the Recipe Skinny Saturday: Frozen Hot Chocolate Get the Recipe Personal Blender FAQ How powerful are personal blenders? I’ve seen personal blender motors with anywhere from 150 to 1700 watts of power. Anything below 450 watts probably won’t actually liquefy ingredients, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for things like salad dressings and sauces but which probably isn’t the best for smoothies. From 450-900 watts will liquefy the ingredients, but it may have issues with small or tough ingredients like seeds and root vegetables. Anything above 900 will likely liquefy anything put in there. The higher you go above that, the faster the liquifying process will occur. Can you put frozen fruit in a personal blender? It depends on the wattage of the personal blender. If the motor runs at less than 450 watts, I would not recommend using frozen fruit because it will often not be blended fully and will come out as icy chunks in the smoothie. Over 450 watts, and frozen fruit should liquefy just fine like regular fruit. There’s a small chance frozen fruit could damage the blades on lower-end personal blenders, so it’s a good idea to thaw the frozen fruit at room temperature for a few minutes if you’re using one of those. Can a personal blender crush ice? In general, yes, ice crushing for frozen drinks is a standard feature of most personal blenders. See the tips about blending frozen fruit in the previous question to avoid damaging your blender’s blade, though. Get Blending! Whether you have a tiny kitchen with minimal counter space or one of those industrial-sized kitchens you see on shows like Chopped with room for every kitchen appliance known to man, a personal blender is a great tool. The meals it produces are quick, healthy, and go down easy. Plus, there are thousands of unique and delicious smoothies out there for you to explore. The first time you whip up an awesome meal in just a few minutes, and head out the door sipping those sweet sweet nutrients, I guarantee you’ll be happy with your purchase.