What is a smoothie blender?
A blender for smoothies (or a personal blender) does a similar job to a jug blender, but is typically used for smoothies and for blending smaller amounts, offering speed and convenience.
Personal blenders can also be used for making pesto, hummus and sauces. But, generally speaking, they aren’t for blending hot ingredients like soup. However, the CookWorks Two Piece Blender can be used to blend soups, so be sure to check the instructions on your blender before buying. Some also come with attachments that allow you to grind coffee and ice, and to chop nuts.
They're most useful if you want to take a smoothie with you on the go in the mornings, or if you’re on a health kick and having smoothies for more than one meal a day.
How to choose a good blender for smoothies
Other than ensuring it will fit on your work surface and do all the jobs you need it to, here are a few things to look out for:
Dishwasher-safe parts for ease of cleaning
Good power – the higher the wattage, the smoother the blend
Decent blades – stainless steel is generally best
Automatic programmes that allow you to push a button and leave the blender to get to work on its own
Different speed settings to give you more control
A solid base and rubberised feet to stop it from moving around
Spare cups and sports lids
Extra features such as an ice crush button, and a container for chopping nuts, seeds and more
What's a good wattage for a smoothie blender?
Most standard blenders use around 500 watts which is sufficient for general smoothie ingredients such as bananas, apples, carrots, yoghurt etc.
The higher the wattage, the more powerful the blender and the smoother the result. This will also determine the price of the blender. However, bear in mind that blenders with a higher wattage are generally noisier, as has been reported with some Nutribullet models which use 1000 to 1200 watts.
Do I need a smoothie blender?
As with any kitchen gadget, a personal blender is handy as long as you use it regularly. If you only plan to make a smoothie once a month for you and your family members, then a jug blender will give you more versatility.
A personal blender does, however, take up a lot less space on the kitchen countertop than a jug blender, so if you don’t need a large capacity, then a personal blender is far easier to store.
Are portable blenders worth it?
Mini or portable personal blenders are designed to be taken on the go. A drinking cup with a blade at the bottom, you simply load up your ingredients into it before you leave the house and then blend when you’re ready for your smoothie.
They’re great if you want to have a smoothie in the office or for weaning when you're on the move. But if you’re mostly having your smoothie first thing in the morning, you'll be better off with an ordinary personal blender that comes with additional travel cups should you need them.
The best portable blender to buy is the BlendJet 2 Portable Blender, which is compact, leak-proof and great value for money.
Is a Nutribullet better than a blender?
This depends on your personal preferences. A Nutribullet is generally smaller than a blender, so although it takes fewer ingredients, it’s ideal for smaller kitchens. It also liquifies most hard, thick ingredients including root vegetables that many standard blenders can’t. The Nutribullet is pretty versatile as it comes with a separate milling blade (at no extra cost) that can grind coffee beans, nuts and grains like whole oats if a recipe calls for oat flour.
However, it’s advised not to put hot ingredients like soups or stews in the Nutribullet as the steam can cause a build-up of pressure in the machine, unless of course you go for the top of the range Nutribullet Rx Blender that has been specifically designed to blend hot foods.
What is the best Ninja personal blender?
Ninja is enormously popular in the blender market and makes two blenders, both of which we feature here. If it’s within your budget, the Ninja Blender with Auto-IQ is the best Ninja personal blender to buy for its power and useful blending programmes. For those looking for a slimline blender, the Ninja Nutri Slim Blender is the better option.
What is the best cheap blender?
We looked at several budget personal blenders and the one we think offers the best value for money is the Cookworks 2 Piece Personal Blender, which comes with two Tritan jugs, makes a mean smoothie and is priced at under £20.
Which blender is best for home use?
After carefully assessing the latest blenders, we believe that the Nutribullet 600 Series Blender is the best for home use. It has ultra-sharp Japanese blades and can pulverise the toughest ingredients within minutes. It also gets star ratings for being easy to use and easy to clean.
The cups are dishwasher safe and the size and flip-top lids make them ideal for on-the-go smoothies.
How we chose our recommendations
Recommendations from families
As always, we scoured the Mumsnet forums for recommendations and also made a note of any products that hadn’t impressed Mumsnet users. For instance, some blenders can only take a limited capacity and are fiddly to use and wash, while others aren’t powerful enough to crush ice or coffee beans but work well with most fruits and veggies.
Expert reviews
We also researched which personal blenders had aced tests with organisations, such as Which?, been awarded accolades with other reviews websites, and had impressed customers in product reviews.
Consumer feedback
We also spent hours scouring the internet for consumer suggestions and real recommendations from those who have personally bought and used the products themselves, paying special attention to features like value for money, the look and style of the product, its durability, power and capacity, ease of use and number of buttons/controls, plus additional accessories like jugs or cups with seal-proof lids.
Best products
We took all that information and made up a shortlist of personal blenders that had cropped up time and again in our research. For our final recommendations we picked the 10 best personal blenders from our shortlist that we felt offered the best range in terms of style and price, ensuring there was something there that would appeal to everyone.
About the author
Tammy Jacks has 15+ years' experience in the publishing industry, enjoying a long and fruitful career as Managing Editor and Health & Beauty Editor for Woman & Home magazine in South Africa. She later went on to become Assistant Editor of popular South African parenting title Living and Loving, and has written for lifestyle publications including Oprah Mag SA, Health Intelligence, Your Family and Longevity. She has also edited books for popular fitness influencers and health professionals.
Tammy has always been passionate about fitness, wellness and nutrition and is a keen marathon runner and cyclist. She is also a mum to a busy six-year-old girl.