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 be blended directly in a container, such as a pot or pan, which is especially useful for blending hot ingredients for soups and sauces. 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 for blending, as well as a whisk attachment for mixing salad dressing or eggs. Some models include food processor or hand mixer attachments, which can help with chopping and mixing batters.
We've tested 21 immersion blenders, and below are our recommendations. While cordless immersion blenders can offer comparable performance to conventional plug-in models, allowing you to move around the kitchen, most aren't as powerful or versatile as the best full-size and personal blenders. They also aren't as well-suited for making large batches of smoothies, recipes like hummus or nut butter, or for crushing ice. For options suiting those needs, check out the best blenders and the best glass jar blenders. If a few of your appliances could use an update, check out the best air fryers and the best microwaves.
Quick Look
We've tested more than 125 blenders since 2020. We always buy our own products from major retailers, just like you, to keep our reviews independent and unbiased. Each blender goes through the same set of tests, so you can easily compare models, regardless of price or features. We keep the blenders we test even after the review is published, so we can go back and retest them to answer questions from our users.
Check out our How We Test Blenders article to learn more about our purchasing, testing, and writing procedures.
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Best Immersion Blender
Soups9.2Fibrous Ingredients (Full Capacity)7.6Build Quality6.5See all our test resultsNoise7.5The best immersion blender we've tested is the Vitamix 2-Speed Immersion Blender. This straightforward model is a great option if you mainly need your immersion blender for blending soups, sauces, and other hot dishes directly in the pot or pan. It creates a very smooth blend with fibrous ingredients like kale or broccoli, allowing you to make well-blended soups and purees. It's not very loud, which makes it more convenient to use for blending big batches or multiple servings.
While Vitamix's full-size blenders typically stand out for their sturdiness, they're mostly made of plastic, and their build quality is only average. Also, while it's a great option for blending in your own pots and pans, if you're looking for a more multi-purpose hand blender, you might prefer one of the options below that comes with more accessories.
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Best Mid-Range Immersion Blender
Soups9.4Fibrous Ingredients (Full Capacity)8.0Build Quality8.0See all our test resultsNoise6.7The Ninja Foodi Power Mixer System is the best mid-range immersion blender we've tested. If you're looking for a blender that can handle hot ingredients but also works as a multi-purpose blender in a pinch, it's worth considering. It makes a smooth blend with fibrous ingredients, making it a great choice for blending hot ingredients for soups and sauces. It also comes with a beaker and whisk attachment for whipping cream or mixing salad dressing. Plus, it converts into a hand mixer. With its included beaters attached, you can use it for mixing cookie dough or cake batter. The blending arm is detachable for easier storage, and all accessories are dishwasher-safe.
There are a few downsides: it's loud for an immersion blender, and the motor body is heavy, making it uncomfortable to hold onto after a few minutes of blending. If you don't bake much and won't use the mixer attachment, you might prefer one 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.
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Best Budget Immersion Blender
Soups9.0Fibrous Ingredients (Full Capacity)6.0Build Quality6.5See all our test resultsNoise5.2The best budget immersion blender we've tested is the Cuisinart Smart Stick Two-Speed Hand Blender. This inexpensive option takes more time to blend fibrous ingredients, but produces mostly smooth results, comparable to those of the Vitamix, especially when working with smaller batches. It's fairly well-built, with a reasonably sturdy plastic design, and it includes a 24oz beaker for blending smoothies or smaller batches of sauces. It's also quite light, which is a plus when blending larger batches.
However, it's loud, so the noise gets annoying quite quickly. While none of the blenders here are suitable for tougher blends like nut butter, it's particularly unsuitable, as the motor base can overheat if you use it to power through thick recipes.
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Best Cordless Immersion Blender
Soups9.1Fibrous Ingredients (Full Capacity)6.8Build Quality7.0See all our test resultsNoise7.7If 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 well-built blender comes with a beaker for blending and a matching storage lid. It takes longer to process fibrous ingredients than our top pick, but it produces similar results, so recipes like kale smoothies or broccoli soup will have only a few small, unprocessed pieces left over. A plastic pan guard is also included to protect non-stick cookware from scratches by the blade cover.
The manufacturer advertises 30 minutes of battery life, although mixing thicker mixtures and harder ingredients depletes the battery faster. Unlike most immersion blenders, its battery is removable. You can use the included battery with five other KitchenAid Go appliances, including a portable personal blender. Once you have one battery, 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, and it's even less suitable for tough blends like nut butter or hummus.
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Best Small Immersion Blender
Soups8.9Fibrous Ingredients (Full Capacity)5.8Build Quality7.5See all our test resultsNoise7.5If you're looking for a smaller and lighter immersion blender, consider the Braun MultiQuick 5. This well-built blender doesn't weigh as much as other models recommended here, and you might prefer it if you use your immersion blender to blend big batches for several minutes. The blending arm is quite short, which might be a problem with particularly deep pots, but it also makes it easier to store in a kitchen drawer. It's a little more expensive than the KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender, but it features a sturdier build and includes a whisk attachment for making items like whipped cream or salad dressing. There's also a 20oz beaker included to use for blending.
It can also power through thicker mixtures and produce smooth nut butter or hummus. It's not very loud, and it's easy to clean by hand; however, previous picks do a better job of 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 still isn't ideal if you want the silkiest blends from fruits and vegetables.
Notable Mentions
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All-Clad KZ750DGT:
The All-Clad KZ750DGT does a good job of processing fibrous ingredients into a smooth blend. It has a longer blending arm than the Vitamix 2-Speed Immersion Blender, but it's louder and has a less sturdy design.
See our review -
KitchenAid 5-Speed Hand Blender:
The KitchenAid 5-Speed Hand Blender has a bowl and blades for food processing. It's not as well-built as the Ninja Foodi Power Mixer System and doesn't perform as well at blending fibrous ingredients, but it comes with various extra blades, including an 'S-blade' that works well for crushing ice. There's also a frother/beater attachment for mixing batter or foaming milk.
See our review
Recent Updates
Nov 05, 2025:
We've removed the nutribullet Immersion Blender since it's been discontinued, and replaced it with the Cuisinart Smart Stick Two-Speed Hand Blender as the budget option. We've also added the Vitamix 2-Speed Immersion Blender as our top immersion blender, and made the Ninja Foodi Power Mixer System our mid-range pick instead.
Apr 23, 2025:
We've made minor updates to the text for clarity, but our recommendations haven't changed.
Mar 25, 2025:
We've made minor updates to the text and checked that the products are in stock.
Jan 27, 2025:
We've made minor updates to the text and checked that the products are in stock.
Dec 17, 2024:
We've added the Vitamix 2-Speed Immersion to the Notable Mentions.
FAQ
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 assigned a capacity score, as they can be used with any container, including a beaker.
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 the 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.
All Reviews
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.