The 5 Best Cheap Blenders - Spring 2022 Reviews

The best cheap personal blender we've tested is the Magic Bullet Mini. It's small, compact, and won't take up very much room on your kitchen counter or in a cupboard. The 13-ounce main jar comes with a lip ring and to-go lid, so you can drink directly from it or take it with you on the go.

It has a simple, easy-to-use design and makes a good, uniformly-textured smoothie in less than two minutes. While you may need to shake the jar to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated, it does a good job processing fibrous greens like kale. It's easy to clean if you've been working with liquid ingredients since a quick rinse with water takes care of most debris. There's also an eight-ounce additional jar, which is a bit small for smoothies, but it's a good size for whipping up dips and dressings.

Unfortunately, it's not a very versatile blender since it can't hot blend or crush ice. It takes more than 10 minutes to make poor, sticky almond butter, so it's not well-suited for that purpose. If you want something cheap and compact to use for your morning smoothie, it's a solid choice.

The NutriBullet Immersion Blender is the best cheap immersion blender we've tested. This inexpensive model is decently well-built and has a dial on its handle that allows you to fine-tune the blending speed. Aside from the multi-purpose blades, it comes with a whisk attachment intended for tasks like making whipped cream or salad dressing.

You can use it to blend hot ingredients for recipes like soups, sauces, and purees. It does a good job incorporating fibrous ingredients like kale into a silky smoothie. It's also quite versatile since it can make small batches of crushed ice for cocktails and does a passable job of tougher jobs like making almond butter.

Unfortunately, the blending arm isn't dishwasher safe. This immersion blender also doesn't come with a jar or beaker you can use for blending or storing what you make, which is a bit inconvenient. Otherwise, it's a good option if you're looking for a cheap, compact blender, especially if you want to be able to blend directly in a pot or pan.

If you're looking for a cheap immersion blender with a jar, you may prefer the Cuisinart Smart Stick Two-Speed Hand Blender. This model isn't as well-built as the NutriBullet Immersion Blender, but it comes with a 24-ounce beaker that you can use for blending, measuring, and storing what you make. It's also easier to clean when you're working with sticky ingredients. You can use it to blend hot ingredients directly in a pot or pan. It does an adequate job of making almond butter and can produce crushed ice with an okay texture. Unfortunately, it struggles more than the NutriΒullet with ingredients like raw kale, so green smoothies have a leafy texture.

If you want an immersion blender that makes good smoothies or has better build quality, go for the NutriBullet. If you want one that comes with a jar that you can use for blending, go for the Cuisinart.

The Oster Pro 1200 is the best blender in the budget category that we've tested. This full-size blender comes with a 48-ounce glass jar that you can use to blend hot ingredients for soups and sauces. There's also a 24-ounce jar with a matching to-go lid that you can use to make good single-serve smoothies.

It has three speed settings and a few preset modes for different recipes, including 'Smoothie', 'Green Smoothie', and 'Food chop/Salsa'. It's versatile since it can handle tougher tasks like processing almonds into smooth butter and making bar-quality crushed ice. It's easy to clean by hand, and the jars, lids, and blades are all dishwasher-safe.

Unfortunately, it has a mediocre build quality, and its gear design, in particular, may not be very durable. There's also no tamper included that you could use to stir your recipe mid-blend, although it does have a two-part lid for the main jar that allows you to add ingredients without stopping the machine.

If you're looking for a budget-friendly blender for ice crushing, try the Ninja Professional Βlender 1000. It's not as versatile as the Oster Pro 1200 since it can't hot blend and doesn't come with any personal-sized jars, but it's much better for ice crushing. It takes less than a minute to make snow-like crushed ice in its 72-ounce pitcher, so it's a great option if you want a blender to make crushed ice for frozen drinks, cocktails, and desserts. It feels sturdier than the Oster and is also very easy to clean by hand. The jar, lids, and blades are dishwasher-safe, but the lid and blades need to go on the top rack.

If you want a more versatile blender that you can use for hot blending or make better-blended smoothies, go for the Oster. Consider the Ninja instead if you're looking for a blender to help make frozen drinks and desserts.