The Best Personal Blenders for Solo Smoothies and Small-Batch Sauces

I write about kitchen gadgets for a living, so it should come as no surprise that my kitchen is covered in countertop appliances. I’ve got a rice cooker, a countertop oven, an Instant Pot—this is a very incomplete list. But the kitchen appliance I use the most? A personal blender I stole from my parents when I was in college.

• The best personal blender overall: Nutribullet Ultra
• The best budget personal blender: Thyme & Table Single-Serve Blender

Sure, I love my Vitamix (which is also on my counter). But I’ve found that even the best full-size blenders are less effective making single-serving smoothies or small-batch soups and sauces, and besides, it never feels worth the effort of pulling mine out and cleaning it when I’m only cooking for myself. As a person who drinks a smoothie at least twice a week, I rely on my small bullet-style blender to get the job done.

Here’s the thing, though: There are a lot of bad personal blenders out there. That’s why we set out to find one that could deliver silky smooth sauces and grit-free green smoothies, all while being compact and easy to clean. After testing eight models, we’ve found two that’ve earned our seal of approval.

What we love: The biggest problem with most personal blenders is that they lack the motor power that makes something like a Vitamix so effective. Not so with the Nutribullet Ultra, which has an impressive 1,200-watt motor that cut through everything we threw at it with shocking ease for a blender of this size. For reference, our favorite Vitamix, the 5200, has a not-actually-that-much-more-powerful 1,380-watt motor, and a standard Nutribullet model has a wattage of 600.

This is hands down the most powerful personal blender we’ve ever used, and the benefits of that superior wattage shone through in our testing. The Ultra was able to turn a pile of fibrous kale (with stems!), frozen fruit, and almond milk into a creamy smoothie with ease, and it produced beautifully emulsified, supremely smooth pesto in 30 seconds flat—something no other personal blender we tested could do.

That top-notch blending performance is also partially due to the design of the titanium-coated stainless-steel blade, which has six prongs, as opposed to the four I’ve seen in most comparable models.

Even setting aside the stellar performance and powerful motor, there's a lot to love about this mini blender design-wise. It’s equipped with thoughtful features that make it more pleasant to use than other models: very strong suction cup feet that do an excellent job at keeping the unit stable on the counter while the machine is running, a thick-rimmed lid that doesn’t leak, and sleek, intuitive to operate touchscreen buttons. Its two modes allow you to run a 30-second blend cycle, or press and hold to blend or pulse.

The Ultra comes with two extra BPA-free blending jars (including a handled one), and two to-go lids. I've been using it to take smoothies on my morning commute.

What we’d leave: Though this is an impressive little machine, a personal blender will never afford you the blending power of a premium full-size model like a Vitamix, so it’s important to set reasonable expectations. If you’re looking to crush ice cubes in large quantities or make nut butters, this is not be the blender for you. Other than that, at $165 at the time of writing, this is a great value for the amount of horsepower you’re getting—especially when compared with a Vitamix, which will run you anywhere from $380–$750.

Good to know: For an additional $80, you can upgrade to the Nutribullet Ultra Plus+ Compact Kitchen System, which includes the motor base, two blending cups with to-go lids, as well as coffee/spice grinder (keep it for spices, use a burr grinder for coffee) and mini food processor attachments. There are also a number of other models in the Nutribullet lineup, including the Pro+, Pro 1000 (reviewed below), Pro, and classic Nutribullet.

The best budget personal blender: Thyme & Table Single-Serve Blender

Thyme & Table Single Serve Blender

$60

Walmart

What we love: This blender from Walmart-exclusive brand Thyme & Table was a pleasant surprise in our most recent round of testing. At just $60, it’s less than half the price of our top pick, but still feels sturdily constructed and well-designed. The base itself is made of plastic but has a nice weight to it, and the suction feet on the bottom do a good job of stabilizing the blender as it runs.

Like many of the blenders on this list, this one has two modes: blend and pulse. We used the blend mode for both the smoothie and pesto test and achieved relatively smooth mixtures in just one 30-second blend cycle both times (though each needed a couple of extra seconds of blending to reach an optimal consistency). This makes sense given the Thyme & Table's powerful 900-watt motor (the same wattage as our previous budget pick, the Zwilling Enfinigy, which costs $40 more).

We also appreciated that the included blending cup is wide enough that you can fit your hand and sponge inside it, which makes for easier hand-washing—though the cup (and other accessories) is also dishwasher-safe.

What we’d leave: Our main gripe with the Thyme & Table is that it only includes one blending cup—and from the looks of it, the brand does not currently sell additional cups or lids sans blender.

How we tested personal blenders

To test personal blenders, we first put them to work making green smoothies full of fibrous kale (with the stems), frozen blueberries, frozen mango, and a splash of almond milk. Then we made batches of classic pesto to see how well each blender handled a mix of leafy basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and cheese.

What makes a good personal blender

Zwilling Enfinigy Personal Blender

$100

Amazon

$130 $100 (23% off)

Zwilling

$130 $100 (23% off)

Sur La Table

This model from Zwilling earned the top spot in the personal blender category for years and rings in at just two thirds the price of the Nutribullet Ultra. It’s one of the most stylish personal blenders we’ve come across, with a sleek, well-constructed base, intuitive knob-controlled interface, and chic fluted blending cup. It has two modes: Turn the control knob to the right to activate the automatic smoothie setting, or hold it down to the left to run the manual blend/pulse mode.

While not quite as effective as the Ultra, the Zwilling did a great job at both of our tests. It broke down tough kale stems and left no garlic chunks or stray basil leaves in the pesto. Performance-wise, it was on par with the Thyme & Table model in our most recent round of testing, so it ultimately lost the top spot solely due to its higher price tag. That said, this is an excellent blender that would serve you well.

Beast Mighty 850

$139

Beast

This model from Beast is certainly a looker, with its pretty ribbed cups and range of color options. I also appreciated that it came with three different-sized cups and a range of useful lids (including one with a straw), and that it has a comparably compact base. Which is why I was sorely disappointed when I had to run the thing 10 times to get my smoothie to blend properly—so many times, in fact, that steam(!) came out when I finally went to open the lid. Given its 850-watt motor, I was honestly surprised. It fared slightly better in the pesto test, but still took several cycles to fully blend.

Despite its poor performance in our official testing, I ended up taking this model home and have found that it’s been perfectly effective for blending my own morning smoothies, which consist of frozen fruit, almond milk, protein powder—and importantly, no fibrous kale stems. And I do really love the straw lid, which enables me to take my smoothie on the go or easily carry it around the house while I go about my morning. If you don’t intend to be as hard on your blender as we are in our Test Kitchen, you may actually love this model—but, especially given the relatively hefty price tag, we can’t recommend it as an all-arounder.

Beast Mega 1200

$184

Beast

$184

Amazon

At 1200 watts, the Mega is the most powerful blender Beast makes. But power isn't the only thing that sets it apart from the Mighty. It also has a larger base and bigger, wider blending cups. In testing, the Mega performed well: it produced a fully blended smoothie in about one and a half 1-minute cycles and a smooth pesto in just one cycle.

That said, the Mega's wider blending cups can be awkward to hold and drink from with one hand. Because of this, we wouldn't recommend it if your main use is making smoothies to take on the go. However, if you're primarily looking to make soups, sauces, or other larger-batch recipes, its powerful motor and spacious blending vessels could make it worth considering.

The Beast Mighty (L) and the Beast Mega (R).

Alaina Chou

Beautiful by Drew Barrymore Personal Blender

$35

Walmart

The appliances in Drew Barrymore’s Beautiful line have claimed the top budget pick spot in some of our other product tests (see stand mixers and toasters), so we were eager to try out the brand’s personal blender. It’s very cheap (just $35 at the time of writing), and the build quality feels as such. The plastic base and cups don't feel the most sturdy or durable. We also disliked that the largest blending cup has only a 16-ounce capacity. However, this blender performed decently for something of its price. While it took a little longer to achieve a smooth texture, it was able to get there in about 90 seconds in both of our tests. We also appreciated that it comes with a range of attachments, including (but not limited to) three blending cups, two blades (one for grinding and one for blending), and a straw lid. If you’re looking for the cheapest option that can get the job done, this model is worth considering.

Our Place Splendor Blender

$135

Our Place

$135

Amazon

The Our Place Splendor Blender looks a bit like a toy, but it has an impressive 1000-watt motor and was surprisingly effective in our most recent round of testing. It has three buttons: pulse, blend, and off. The 45-second blend cycle was able to produce a fairly smooth smoothie (though it would've benefited from an extra ten seconds to eliminate some grittiness), and I achieved a luscious pesto in one and a half cycles. We ultimately think our top pick outperformed the Splendor Blender by a hair, and appreciate that $165 can get you the Nutribullet plus three blending cups and two lids—whereas that same $165 gets you just two cups and one lid with the Our Place.

• Read all about the best full-size blenders
• Curious which Vitamix blender is right for you? We’ve got you covered
• Read why we love immersion blenders for making soups, purees, and even smoothies