The best portable blenders of 2023, according to experts

Feb 17, 2024

With a compact portable blender, making smoothies, protein drinks and/or the occasional frozen margarita on the go, has never been easier. Portable blenders, which are small lightweight appliances you can carry with you or tuck away in a drawer in a dorm or office, let you whip up drinks no matter where you are or how much counter space you have. They’re great for post-gym smoothies or afternoon snacks from your dorm room. And unlike a standard blender, the vessel that it blends your ingredients in is usually the same one you’ll end up drinking from so you can quickly grab and go.

To learn more about portable blenders and what key factors to look for when shopping, we spoke with fitness and nutrition experts, a dietitian and a cookbook author. Based on their tips and advice, we rounded up the best portable blenders on the market.

SKIP AHEAD How we picked the best portable blenders | The best portable blenders in 2023 | How to shop for portable blenders | How to safely use a portable blender | How to clean a portable blender

The right portable blender for you depends on where and how you plan to use it. When shopping, our experts recommend keeping the following in mind:

Below, we compiled the best portable blenders based on our experts’ guidance and recommendations, and our own experience. We also included picks that are highly rated with at least four stars from over 500 reviews.

Corded portable blenders require access to electric outlets so they're great to use in gyms, dorms or offices.

This powerful but portable blender is a favorite of Mecayla Froerer, a master trainer for iFIT and NordicTrack. At least four to five times a week she uses it to blend frozen fibrous fruits and vegetables with protein powder. Michael Silverstein, personal chef and author of “New Keto: Dinner in 30” and “New Comfort Cooking,” also uses it weekly to prepare sauces like pesto and chimichurri, salad dressings and baby food. Silverstein uses it to grind peanuts into a smooth butter.

Both Silverstein and Froerer like its small overall size and portability. While it’s similar in design to the Original Magic Bullet (also made by Nutribullet), it’s more powerful and can easily handle leafy greens, nuts and seeds, according to Froerer.

The Nutribullet Pro 900 comes with dishwasher-safe cups and lids, plus you can choose from 12 colors.

Capacity: 32 ounces (2 cups included) | Dimensions: 12 x 7.7 x 16 in. | Weight: 4.7 lbs | Settings: 1 speed

Melanie Marcus, RD, a culinary nutrition expert, and nutrition and health communications manager for Dole Food Company keeps one Ninja Fit in her home kitchen and another at the office so she always has one available to blend a quick drinkable meal. Even when using kale and ice cubes, she says her drinks come out perfectly smooth. The two-cup tumbler helps her control portion size and the max-fill line keeps her from overpacking the appliance, so ingredients can swirl in the jar during blending, says Marcus. It only has one speed, which she says makes it intuitive to operate.

Capacity: 16 ounces (2 cups included) | Dimensions: 4 x 4 x 13 in. | Weight: 3 lbs | Settings: 1 speed

I’ve been using this compact blender, which comes with a base and two dishwasher-safe cups, for 20 years. In my experience, it’s a great size for a single serving and I find it very effective at giving smooth results.

To blend, you add ingredients to one of the included plastic cups and twist on the bladed lid. Then, you’ll turn the cup upside down and place it on the base. From there, you press down on the top and the blender starts running. You can also use a lock-on mode for a hands-off operation.

Capacity: 20 ounces, tall cup; 12 ounces, short cup | Dimensions: 4 x 4.5 x 11.6 in. | Weight: 4 lbs | Settings: 1 speed

This highly rated blender, which has an average of 4.7 stars from 100,676 Amazon reviews, is a great choice for those looking for a model to travel with. In my experience using an earlier version of this model, it’s easy to operate, but does require two hands: one to push a button and the other to hold down the lid. After your drink is ready, you can remove the jar from the base and drink from the blending vessel with the blade still secured to the bottom. The cup and lid are not dishwasher-safe however, so you’ll need to hand wash them, according to the brand. The base comes in six colors including black, blue, raspberry and red.

Capacity: 14 ounces | Dimensions: 3.5 x 3.5 x 12.3 in. | Weight: 2 lbs | Settings: 1 speed

Highly rated, with a 4.8-star average rating from 5,294 Amazon reviews, this blender is a great option for those looking for power and flexibility. In addition to manual and pulse options, it has two preprogrammed settings — one for smoothies and one called crush for frozen drinks that are made with ice. Its pulse feature also doubles as a mini chopper for making guacamole or salsa, or chopping nuts. At 6 pounds, this blender is heavier than other options on our list so it’s a better choice to take with you to a cabin or beach house as compared to a daily commute to and from work. All of the parts except the base are dishwasher-safe.

Capacity: 24 ounces (2 cups provided) | Dimensions: 6.3 x7 x 14.29 in. | Weight: 6.3 lbs | Settings: 2 speeds

Cordless portable blenders, like their name implies, are wire-free. They don’t require nearby outlets and instead charge via a USB cable.

Jay Patruno, RD, CPT, nutrition and coach development manager at Orangetheory Fitness has used this blender every day for the past six months at his home, the gym or in a hotel room as part of his workout regimen. He says it’s powerful enough to pulverize frozen fruit, nuts and seeds for protein drinks.

I also have experience using this model for the past year. When I use it to make smoothies or frozen cocktails with full-size ice cubes, my drinks come out with an even texture, free of any bits of fruit or ice. Unlike other cordless blenders I’ve tried, when you press the power button, it keeps running so you’ll need to keep an eye on the blending process and stop it when your drink looks thoroughly mixed.

At 4.8 pounds, it’s a great option to bring with you on road trips or backyard snacking sessions. All of the pieces except the base are top rack dishwasher-safe.

Capacity: 16 ounces | Dimensions: 4 x 3.5 x 11.7 in. | Weight: 4.8 lbs | Settings: 1 speed

If your primary consideration is portability, consider the BlendJet 2. Both Froerer and Patruno depend on this blender to make daily fitness drinks at their offices or while traveling.

When I don’t want to pull out a full-size model, I use this model (which you'll need to hand-wash) to make fruit smoothies. I like that it’s powerful enough to create the vortex needed to whirl and crush juice, yogurt, frozen fruit and full-size ice cubes into thick, even-textured smoothies. When you press the start button, it automatically runs for 20 seconds. To add more time, you run another cycle, plus you can also pulse your mixture.

The jar has measurement markings, but I found them difficult to read since they don’t contrast with the jar. When your smoothie is blended, you can remove the lid and sip immediately from the blender. To prevent the blade from accidentally spinning while you’re drinking, you can lock it into place by holding down the power button for 3 seconds. It's available in 26 colors and patterns.

Capacity: 20 ounces | Dimensions: 3 x 3 x 9 in. | Weight: 1.3 lbs | Settings: 1 speed

I created thick, frosty smoothies and pina coladas with this small, rechargeable model. It comes with a mini ice cube tray, which you’ll need to use in place of full-size cubes, according to the brand. After blending, you’ll remove the cup from the base, but the blade will remain in the bottom of the jar as you drink. In my experience, the narrow jar mouth is pleasant to drink from, but difficult to fill since fruit has to be cut into very small pieces and adding ingredients like yogurt or powders can be messy. (It does come with a funnel to help add ingredients.) Plus, the cup has easy-to-read measurement markings. All of the pieces, except for the base, are dishwasher safe.

Capacity: 15 ounces | Dimensions: 3.2 x 3.2 x 6.1 in. | Weight: 1.3 lbs | Settings: 1 speed

Before purchasing a portable blender, consider the following:

Portable blenders come in two versions. Corded models are great to take to offices or gyms since you’ll need to plug them into an electrical outlet, while cordless blenders are better for taking to picnics, beaches or while camping since they charge with a USB cable. A cordless blender will stay charged anywhere from about five to 20 minutes, based on my experience using them. Both models make drinks in a single-serve cup and are easy to carry with you or stow away in a cabinet or closet.

On some models, you’ll remove the lid to drink your beverage, but the sipping experience is not always optimal since the blade sits at the bottom of the jar. With others, you’ll replace your blending lid that has a blade, with a sipping lid, which turns the jar into a travel tumbler.

While portable blenders with around 900 watts will perform better than ones with around 200 watts, other factors including the blade, the shape and size of the cup and the way they interact with each other are more important factors than the motor in determining how well a model works, according to experts in our guide to the best blenders of 2023. When you are comparing a blenders' power within a few hundred watts of each other, don’t be swayed by a higher number if another model better suits your needs when it comes to price, size, reviews or features, for example.

At Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

Sharon Franke is a freelance journalist who specializes in writing about kitchen equipment. For more than 30 years, she worked at the Good Housekeeping Institute where she was director of the Kitchen Appliances Lab. She has extensive experience trying portable blenders; for this story she spoke to four experts, including two fitness trainers, a dietitian, and a cookbook author. Franke also researched dozens of highly rated portable blenders online.

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Sharon Franke is a journalist and product tester who specializes in kitchen equipment. Sharon worked at the Good Housekeeping Institute for 30 years where she served as Director of the Kitchen Appliances Lab and oversaw the testing and editorial coverage of cooking appliances and equipment.