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See why.The Best Immersion Blenders
From velvety purees to silky smoothies, a good immersion blender can handle it all. We put several to the test and found the best.
By Published May 9, 2022
Top Picks
See Everything We Tested
What You Need To Know
The best immersion blenders are great for blending hot soups on the stovetop and can also blend frozen fruit for smoothies and even emulsify mayonnaise. Our winner, the Braun MultiQuick 5 Hand Blender, is lightweight and compact. We love its satisfyingly simple controls and impressive pulverizing ability. It’s also considerably less expensive than many models on the market.
What You Need to Know
Anyone who has pureed hot soup in a countertop blender knows it can be a hassle. It often has to be done in batches, which requires an extra pot or bowl. You also have to let the soup cool down a little so that pressure doesn't build up inside the blender and cause the lid to pop off. But the best immersion blenders (also called hand blenders or stick blenders) get the job done efficiently, tidily, and safely; all the blending is done directly in the pot. You can also use them for many of the tasks you’d lug out your regular blender for, including crushing ice and making frozen cocktails, emulsifying salad dressings, and blending sauces and marinades. They’re also generally easier to clean and store than countertop blenders, and they often cost less.
Each immersion blender consists of the same two components: a cylindrical handle that houses the motor and controls and a detachable blending shaft. On one end of the blending shaft sits a blade housed in a cup-shaped guard. A handful of models are cordless and are rechargeable using charging cables or docks. Some models also come with whisk attachments, plastic blending jars, and even chopping chambers with extra blades that look like small food processor bowls. Interested in what factors make the best immersion blenders, we tested a lineup of models, including their extra attachments when available.
What to Look For
- Simple, Intuitive Controls: We preferred models with one or two easy-to-interpret power buttons that required only one hand to use. Our favorites had two buttons for two simple speed options or single buttons that adjusted the speed as we increased or decreased pressure.
- Fewer Speed Options: The best models had only a few (two to four) speed options. Fewer speeds made blending more efficient; instead of wasting time choosing between up to 15 speeds, we could pick from just a few and save ourselves the hassle.
- Comfortable Grips: Our favorite handles had well-designed grips that comfortably fit many different hand sizes. They were 5.5 inches in circumference or less, and they were coated in soft, grippy plastic or silicone to prevent slipping.
- Lightweight, Compact Construction: Operating any immersion blender for a substantial amount of time can be tiring, but l...
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
- Controls: 3 stars out of 3.
- Comfort and Handling: 3 stars out of 3.
- Blending: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
We’ve recommended this model for more than a decade, and it’s easy to see why. Its lightweight construction and comfortable grip made it a breeze to maneuver around any vessel. Its ventless, bell-shaped blade guard kept food flowing freely and prevented splattering. Its two speeds, which were both powerful enough to pulverize frozen pineapple, are controlled by two simple buttons that we could operate with one hand. This machine was also durable: It blended 25 smoothies in a row without breaking a sweat. We also liked its clearly labeled, easy-to-operate eject buttons. This reliable model would be a great addition to your kitchen.
- Controls: 3 stars out of 3.
- Comfort and Handling: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Blending: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
We were impressed by this model’s comfortable grip and well-placed trigger-style power button, which increased or decreased the speed depending on how hard we pressed. Its scalloped, bell-shaped blade guard—which had no vents or gaps—kept food circulating freely and prevented splattering. This blender also consistently churned out silky soups and smooth mayonnaise. It was short enough to maneuver fairly well, but its weight fatigued many testers’ hands after about 30 to 45 seconds of blending.
Recommended
- Controls: 2 stars out of 3.
- Comfort and Handling: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Blending: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
This model blended some of the smoothest soups and smoothies in our tests, and we really liked its comfortable grip, which made the blender feel like a natural extension of our hands. Its ventless, bell-shaped guard limited food splatter. We also liked its clearly marked eject mechanism. But this model was a bit too heavy, and we didn’t like its speed dial, which required a second hand to adjust while blending. It also included a range of 15 speeds; we noticed little to no differences between them until we hit number 13.
- Controls: 2 stars out of 3.
- Comfort and Handling: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Blending: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
This model blended well, making smooth soup and breaking down frozen pineapple for silky smoothies, leaving only tiny bits of kale. We liked its lightweight build, which allowed us to nimbly navigate large Dutch ovens and bowls without fatiguing. But its flat, disk-shaped blade guard kept food from circulating, and we didn’t like its speed dial, which required a second hand to operate while blending.
Recommended with reservations
- Controls: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Comfort and Handling: 2 stars out of 3.
- Blending: 2 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
We appreciated this model’s simple controls, which consisted of only a couple buttons. Like the other models, its blending shaft detached and rinsed clean easily. We also liked that this model was cordless, but whatever advantage that offered during handling was eclipsed by its long length, which positioned our hand far from the food we were blending and made it cumbersome to handle. Its flat, disk-shaped blade guard also prevented good circulation in narrower vessels.
- Controls: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Comfort and Handling: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Blending: 2 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
We liked that this cordless model didn’t tether us to an outlet. We also liked that it was lightweight and easy to handle. But its stainless-steel grip was slippery; the vents in its blade guard caused it to splatter badly; and we weren’t a fan of its controls, which included a slightly confusing unlock button. We also didn’t like that its charging station took up space on our counters, as opposed to the simple charging cables from other cordless models.
- Controls: 3 stars out of 3.
- Comfort and Handling: 0.5 stars out of 3.
- Blending: 2 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
We loved this model’s simple controls: one button to engage the blade and another to select one of five speeds, which were displayed on a series of large, visible lights on the top of the handle. It also blended fairly effectively, but our affection stopped there. The blade guard’s vents caused it to splatter badly, and the blender was too heavy and too long, tiring our arms and making for awkward maneuvering. The blade guard was also very large, which made it difficult to operate in smaller containers.
Not Recommended
- Controls: 0.5 stars out of 3.
- Comfort and Handling: 2 stars out of 3.
- Blending: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
This model’s controls were the most puzzling in the lineup. We had to press and hold down a safety-lock button every single time we wanted to blend. If we paused the blender, we had to press and hold down the safety-lock button again before resuming blending, which was confusing and slowed us down. The strangely shaped handle was also uncomfortable for some testers. This model blended fairly well, but the vents on its blade guard caused it to splatter.
- Controls: 2 stars out of 3.
- Comfort and Handling: 1 stars out of 3.
- Blending: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup and Durability: 3 stars out of 3.
This model was among the heaviest and longest in our lineup, which made it awkward to maneuver and tiring to operate. We didn’t like its controls, which consisted of two buttons on the handle and a dial on top that required a second hand to switch speeds. Its large blade guard made blending in smaller containers difficult, and it had wide vents that allowed lots of splattering, dirtying our aprons, counters, and backsplash.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
Chase Brightwell
Chase is an associate editor for ATK Reviews. He's an epidemiologist-turned-equipment tester and biscuit enthusiast.
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