Whether you're making soups, smoothies, or other mixes, blenders are a useful tool in any cook's kitchen. However, if you're low on space, you may not want a bulky, full-sized appliance that takes up a lot of room on your kitchen counter. Fortunately, there are a lot of smaller-sized options on the market. Personal blenders have a smaller footprint than full-size models, and they let you make single serves of your favorite foods. Immersion blenders are ideal for blending hot ingredients, and they're easy to store in a kitchen drawer.
We've tested over 40 blenders, and below are our recommendations for the best mini blenders. See also our recommendations for the best blenders, the best immersion blenders, and the best personal blenders.
The Ninja Foodi Power Nutri DUO is the best mini blender we've tested. This well-built personal blender is short and compact, making it easy to store on your kitchen counter or in a cupboard without taking up a lot of space. It comes with three jars: two identical 24-ounce jars and one 14-ounce Power Nutri Bowl that comes with manually rotating arms to help push food into the vortex.
Overall, it has a very versatile performance. It makes incredibly smooth, spreadable almond butter and a fantastically silky smoothie. You can even use it to crush ice cubes into a snow-like blend for slushies and other frozen drinks. It's very easy to clean by hand, but you can also put the jars, lids, and blades into your dishwasher for an easier clean-up.
Unfortunately, like most of the personal blenders we've tested, you can't use it to blend hot ingredients for soups or purees. Also, its controls offer one speed setting, which may be disappointing for some users. That said, this small model packs a big punch, and it ranks among the best personal blenders we've tested.
If you prefer a mini blender with better build quality, try the Breville Boss To Go Sport. While it's more difficult to clean and comes with fewer jars than the Ninja Foodi Power Nutri DUO, it feels much more solidly-built. The base is made of metal that feels sturdy, and the two jars that are included, a 23-ounce main jar and a dual-walled 15-ounce additional jar, feel quite durable. It can make a fantastic smoothie, bar-quality crushed ice, and spreadable almond butter. Unfortunately, while a quick rinse with water should take care of most liquidy foods, you may need to use a brush to clean stickier foods like nut butter off the blades.
Go for the Ninja if you want something easy to clean and don't mind trading off build quality for the best blending performance. However, if a sturdy, premium-feeling build is a priority for you, the Breville is worth considering.
The Bamix Mono M133 is the best small immersion blender that we've tested. This very well-built model is small enough to easily fit in a kitchen drawer. It comes with a 20-ounce heat-proof beaker and lid, so you can easily store whatever you make.
It has two speed settings and is one of the quietest blenders that we've tested. You can use it to blend hot ingredients for soups and sauces, and it produces bar-quality ice in about four minutes. It even comes with a whisk attachment and a beater attachment, which are advertised for making foods like whipped cream or mayonnaise, although we don't currently test those. When you're done using it, it's easy to clean by rinsing with soap and water.
Unfortunately, it's not ideal for making smoothies, since it tends to leave unprocessed chunks of frozen fruit and leafy greens even after a few minutes of blending. Also, while the beaker is dishwasher-safe, the blades aren't. That said, this compact model is one of the best immersion blenders we've tested.
The best small blender in the budget category that we've tested is the Ninja Nutri Ninja Pro. This affordable mini blender comes with a 24-ounce main jar, plus an 18-ounce jar, and a 12-ounce jar. They each come with a to-go lid so you can easily bring your drink with you to work or the gym.
It makes a decent smoothie quite quickly in its 12-ounce jar. It can also crush ice into a snow-like consistency in less than a minute, so you can use it for your favorite frozen drinks. When you're done using it, clean-up is easy since a rinse with soap and water should take care of most messes, even if you've been working with sticky food. The jars and lids are all dishwasher-safe, too.
Unfortunately, it's not safe to use with hot ingredients. Also, it struggles to fully blend almonds into a smooth, spreadable butter. That said, if you're looking for an affordable mini blender for your smoothies, slushies, or shakes, it's a solid option.
The best cheap mini blender that we've tested is the Magic Bullet Mini. This affordable blender comes with a 13-ounce main jar and a small, eight-ounce additional jar. It's one of the most compact options that we've tested, and won't take up too much space on your kitchen counter or in a cupboard.
It makes a good, grainless smoothie in its main jar, which comes with a matching to-go lid so you can bring it with you, and a cup ring so you can drink right from the jar. The additional jar is a bit small for smoothies, but it's a good size for making dips and dressings. This blender is simple to use, with one speed setting, and it's fairly easy to clean when you're done using it since most liquidy messes are easily rinsed away with soap and water.
Unfortunately, it's not the most versatile because it can't crush ice and isn't safe to use with hot ingredients. It also struggles to produce smooth, spreadable almond butter. Otherwise, if you need a mini blender for your morning smoothie and want something cheap, it's worth considering.
Jan 22, 2021: Verified that we're still recommending the best products for our users and that they're in stock.
Dec 11, 2020: Added the Oster MyBlend to Notable Mentions.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best mini blenders for most people. We factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
If you'd like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's the list of all our reviews for personal and immersion blenders. 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.