Immersion blenders, also called hand blenders or stick blenders, are handy kitchen tools that can save you the trouble of pouring ingredients into a blender jar. They can blend directly in a container like a pot or pan, which is especially useful for blending hot ingredients for soup and sauce. The best stick blenders can also work as multi-purpose blenders, especially if you want to save space with something that can fit in a kitchen drawer. Many immersion blenders come with beakers or jars that you can use for blending and a whisk attachment for mixing up salad dressing or eggs. Some include food processor or hand mixer attachments, so they can help with chopping and mixing batters.
Cordless immersion blenders can offer comparable performance to conventional plug-in models and allow you to move around the kitchen. However, most immersion blenders aren't as powerful or versatile as the best full-size and personal blenders. They aren't as well-suited as a full-size or personal blender for big batches of smoothies, recipes like hummus or nut butter, or for crushing ice.
We've tested 20 immersion blenders, and below are our recommendations. For more options, check out the best blenders and glass blenders. If a few of your appliances could use an update, also check out the best air fryers and microwaves.
The Ninja Foodi Power Mixer System is the best immersion blender we've tested. It's an excellent choice for blending hot ingredients directly in a pot or pan, and its features make it a convenient multi-purpose appliance if your kitchen is short on space. It's small and has a detachable blending arm, so you can easily store it in a drawer, and it makes a mostly smooth puree with fibrous ingredients, which is important for well-blended soups and sauces. It also converts into a hand mixer. With the included beaters attached, you can use the blender to mix cookie dough or cake batter. A beaker and a whisk attachment for whipping cream or mixing salad dressing are also included. The blending arm and all accessories are dishwasher-safe.
There are downsides: it's loud for an immersion blender, and the motor body is heavy, so it's not as comfortable to hold onto as lighter models. If you don't bake much or already have a hand mixer, you might want an immersion blender that doubles as a food processor instead. The Breville Control Grip is an immersion blender with a bowl and blade meant for chopping and slicing. However, its blending arm doesn't handle raw fibrous ingredients as well as the Ninja's. If all you need is a blender and any extra attachments will gather dust in the cupboard, consider one of the cheaper options below.
The KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender is a more basic and less expensive option. Unlike the Ninja Foodi Power Mixer System, it doesn't include mixer or food processor attachments, so it's not quite as versatile. However, it's a good option for blending soups, sauces, and other liquid recipes like smoothies. It comes with a plastic pan guard to protect non-stick pans from getting scratched by the blade bell and a beaker for blending smaller quantities of dip or dressing. A pressure-sensitive button on the motor body controls its blending speed, and it's quieter than the previous pick.
However, it doesn't blend fibrous ingredients as smoothly as the Ninja, so if you use it to blend a big pot of soup with kale or broccoli, you'll notice more unprocessed bits left over. It also takes longer to process ingredients, but it's a little lighter, so it's less tiring to hold onto when you need to blend for several minutes. Unfortunately, some parts of the blender feel cheap or plasticky, and the blending arm isn't dishwasher-safe.
The best budget immersion blender we've tested is the NutriBullet Immersion Blender. This straightforward blender doesn't come with a food processing attachment, a pan guard, or a beaker. However, its whisk attachment helps make whipped cream or hollandaise sauce. Its blending performance resembles the KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender. It makes a fairly smooth blend with fibrous vegetables like kale and broccoli, so it can produce well-blended soups and sauces.
Since it doesn't come with a beaker, you need to use your own container when you're not blending directly in a pot or pan, which is slightly inconvenient if you want to make a quick smoothie or whip up a small batch of salad dressing. The blender is decently well-built and quiet but makes more noise than the KitchenAid, so it'll be more annoying when you need to blend for several minutes. The detachable blending arm isn't dishwasher-safe, but it's easy to clean by hand.
If your kitchen is short on outlets or you'd rather not manage a cable near the stove, you might prefer a cordless immersion blender. The best one we've tested is the KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender. This decently well-built blender comes with a beaker you can use for blending with a matching storage lid. While it takes longer to process fibrous ingredients than our top pick, it produces similar results, so recipes like kale smoothies or broccoli soup will only have a few small unprocessed pieces left over. There's also a plastic pan guard included to protect non-stick cookware.
The manufacturer advertises 30 minutes of battery life, although thicker mixtures and harder ingredients deplete the battery faster. That said, it stands out from other battery-powered hand blenders because the battery is removable. You can use the same battery with five other KitchenAid Go appliances, including a personal blender, so you can save money by purchasing the other appliances without the battery included. This blender isn't very loud when it's running, but keep in mind that it's not as well-built as the Ninja Foodi Power Mixer System despite its higher price. It's even less suitable for tough blends like nut butter or hummus.
If you want a smaller, lighter immersion blender, consider the Braun MultiQuick 5. This well-built blender is lighter than the other picks on this list, so you might prefer it if you use your immersion blender to blend big batches and sometimes find it tiring to hold onto the whole time. The blending arm is quite short, which can be a problem if you need to blend in deep pots, but it also makes it easier to store in a kitchen drawer. It's a little more expensive than the KitchenAid KHBBV53 but has a sturdier build and comes with a whisk attachment for making whipped cream and salad dressing. There's also a 20oz beaker included to use for blending.
The narrow blade guard makes ice crushing almost impossible, but it can power through thicker mixtures and produce smooth nut butter or hummus. It's not very loud and is easy to clean by hand—however, the KitchenAid and the Ninja Foodi Power Mixer System are better for processing fibrous ingredients. This blender leaves behind more noticeable grains and leafy bits when blending ingredients like raw kale or broccoli. Cooked ingredients are easier to blend, so you may not notice as much of a difference in recipes like soups, but the Braun isn't ideal if you want the silkiest blends from fruits and vegetables.
We've made minor updates to the text for clarity and checked that all the products are in stock.
Sep 27, 2024: We've updated the text and checked that the picks represent the best recommendations. We also added links to our air fryer and microwave recommendations.
Aug 16, 2024: We've made minor updates to the text and checked that the products are in stock.
May 22, 2024: The text has been updated and checked for accuracy, but there hasn't been a change to our recommendations.
Apr 26, 2024: We've replaced the KitchenAid KHBBV53 with the KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender as the cordless pick because of its better build quality and blending performance.
What is an immersion blender?
Immersion blenders, also called stick blenders or hand blenders, are meant for processing hot ingredients directly in a pot or pan. They can also be used for a variety of other blends, although they don't usually offer the same power as full-size blenders. Their smaller design can save space in your kitchen.
Unlike other kinds of blenders, immersion blenders require you to hold them while using them. They usually aren't as powerful as full-size blenders and process ingredients more slowly. We've found that the blender's weight, controls, and the shape of the motor body can all affect how easy a particular immersion blender is to use.
How do we test immersion blenders?
We test them almost the same way as we do with full-size and personal blenders, with some small differences. We measure blending arm length as well as other dimensions. We don't crush a dozen ice cubes at once with an immersion blender like we do for full-size blenders. Immersion blenders aren't given a capacity score since, even if a beaker is included, you can use the blender in your own container.
What are immersion blenders used for?
They were originally designed for hot blending and are well-suited for that. You can blend pureed soup or sauce without pouring hot ingredients into a blending jar. Their compact design is also helpful for blending small batches of dips, dressing, or even single-serve smoothies without pulling out your big full-size blender. You can usually store them in a kitchen drawer, so they can also appeal to people looking to save valuable counter space.
Can you use immersion blenders for smoothies?
Yes, but other blender types are better. Some can make a mostly smooth blend with fibrous ingredients like blueberries and kale in liquid recipes, which is important for well-blended smoothies. Some models come with beakers that are a good size for single-serve smoothies. However, immersion blenders usually don't process ingredients as quickly as personal or full-size blenders.
Can you froth milk with an immersion blender?
Generally, blender blades aren't the right shape for frothing or foaming milk and can't produce the same quality foam as dedicated milk frothers. You also need to heat the milk beforehand, unlike frothers, which also heat the milk. If you want an appliance for lattes and cappuccinos, some immersion blenders have special accessories for milk frothing, like the KitchenAid 5-Speed Hand Blender and Bamix Mono M133.
How do you clean immersion blenders?
Immersion blenders are usually pretty easy to clean. You don't need to deal with blades fixed to the bottom of a jar, which is the most common design for full-size blenders. The blending arm is almost always detachable, so you can easily rinse it in the sink.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best hand blenders for most people. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
If you'd like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all our immersion blender reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no blender is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.