Credit:
Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
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Credit:
Reviewed / Timothy Renzi
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The GE immersion blender is the best on the market. It can process nuts and hard cheese in an instant, plus it's lightweight and easy to clean. Read More
This cordless immersion blender comes with a variety of helpful attachments to make it a do-it-all tool, but its short battery life can be frustrating Read More
With a unique blending head that won't suction to cups or scratch metal pots, this Breville is designed with users in mind, and it performs like a dream. Read More
This stainless steel immersion blender from All-Clad is the real deal—beautifully designed, incredibly sturdy, and eerily quiet when in use, despite its honking 600-watt motor. Read More
If you're looking for an immersion blender at a lower price point, Hamilton Beach offers this solid option, although you may be sacrificing some on quality. Read More
Immersion blenders, also known as hand blenders or stick blenders, are the unsung heroes of the kitchen. These skinny devices combine the power of a full-sized blender, the portability of a hand mixer, and the convenience of a food processor into one versatile package. It's the perfect tool for those with limited storage space—and those who just really love to cook.
Our favorite immersion blender, the GE G8H1AASSPSS (available at Amazon) , passed all of our tests with flying colors and works with impressive speed. But shoppers who prefer a cordless model should consider the Black and Decker Kitchen Wand (available at Amazon), which is conveniently wire-free and features a ton of handy accessories.
To find the best hand blenders, we tested top-rated models to see which excelled at our tests (without making a mess). We also considered their accessories, build quality, speed, noise level, and upkeep. After a week of making pesto, whipped cream, soup, and more with each contender, we found our top picks.
This GE immersion blender is the best we've ever tested.
The Black and Decker Kitchen Wand allows you to blend, whip, and process foods without a clunky wire.
Smart design
Powerful motor
Attachments are helpful
Pricey
Incredibly sturdy and beautiful design
Quick blending
Quiet when in use
Heavy
No attachment included
Lightweight
Affordable
Poorly constructed
Accessories don't work as expected
Big and pretty
Good for soup
It has no-scratch head
It doesn't come with attachments
Not efficient
It doesn't blend fast enough
The buttons light up
Whisk attachment
Poorly-constructed
It doesn't chop well
Sleek design
Five speed settings
Powerful
Top-heavy
Uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time
Difficult to clean
It comes with attachments
It has three speeds
It doesn't blend or chop well
Plastic parts painted to look chrome
Can handle pureeing liquids
Two-speed
Limited speed modes
Not powerful enough for complicated tasks
Possibly one of the most popular uses for immersion blenders, we made several batches of butternut squash soup and monitored how long it took each blender to puree.
Originally, Madison Trapkin and Cassidy Olsen—both former Reviewed Kitchen & Cooking editors—put a bevvy of blenders to the test in their own kitchens. Madison often referred to it as her single favorite small kitchen appliance because of its versatility and portability. She uses it for everything from smoothies to soups and sauces, and loves that it can be easily disassembled and stored in a drawer when done using it. Cassidy prized the minimalist appliance for its money- and space-saving qualities.
Then, current Kitchen & Cooking editors Danielle DeSiato and Monica Petrucci put these blenders through a second round of testing, adding newer models in to see how they measured up against our original favorites.
Since immersion blenders have such a wide range of capabilities, we developed a series of tests to evaluate them on as many skills as possible, including chopping, whipping, emulsifying, pureeing, and good old-fashioned blending.
First, we tasked all the blenders with making three main foods: whipped cream, butternut squash soup, and pesto. For each test, we used the proper blender attachments whenever available. That means using the whisk for whipped cream and the food processor for pesto, for example.
We took into account the time and effort required to achieve the desired results. We also considered how heavy the blenders felt in our hands, how difficult they were to clean, and how happy we were with the final products.
The blenders with deeper blending heads often trapped sticky foods, which had to be removed with a spoon.
After these tests were completed, we combined their results with the blenders’ “subjective” scores. That includes less concrete aspects like appearance, build quality, and how much we enjoyed using them.
Some immersion blenders were clearly more powerful than others, thanks to their higher wattage and larger size. But we found that bigger didn’t always mean better. Larger hand blenders are usually louder, heavier, and more difficult to use. The ideal immersion blender balances power with agility—blending or pureeing soup shouldn't feel like taking a trip to the gym.
Immersion blenders can be used to make so many different things, it would be easier to list the tasks they can’t achieve (e.g. toasting bread, deboning fish, cleaning your sink) than the ones they can. But they’re especially great at substituting for countertop blenders in small-batch recipes without moving ingredients from the pot or bowl they’re already in. This makes pureeing soups, sauces, and dressings in a multi-step recipe even easier (with fewer dishes to wash).
We made pesto with several immersion blenders, comparing the results side-by-side to see how well the ingredients were processed.
Immersion blenders don’t come attached to a container. Rather, they’re a wand with the blender blades attached to the bottom. When you have a blender cup, mixing bowl, pot, or Crock-Pot with food you want blended, the immersion blender can help. Place the blender blades into the food you’re blending, making sure they’re fully submerged in the food, and slowly move the blender around until you achieve the consistency you want.
Some immersion blenders have protective designs that keep them from damaging the bottoms of your cookware, while others will require careful attention to preserve your pots and bowls.
There are plenty of blender options, from full-sized blenders for family-sized smoothies and party cocktails to personal blenders that are great for post-gym smoothies on the go.
Immersion blenders are uniquely-shaped, and more versatile than other kinds of blenders. Their wand construction and lack of fixed blending containers make them portable, simple, and perfect for hot liquids or foods. They often come with food processor and whipping attachments that make them true multi-use tools.
Immersion blenders are typically made for shorter bursts than larger models. They’re also usually geared more towards softer foods than hard or fibrous foods. (That’s why our pesto challenge helped us find the best, most versatile immersion blenders of all.)
To get the most out of your money, we recommend a blender that’s durable and powerful enough to be a regular workhorse in your kitchen. We prefer to see a variety of attachments to handle different use cases, and we like for the blender (or at least parts of it) to be dishwasher-safe for convenient cleanup.
You should also consider whether you care about having a corded or cordless immersion blender. Cordless options can give you a little more maneuverability and space efficiency. If you enjoy cooking but aren't trying to feed a family or outfit a full kitchen, an immersion blender can help you cover all your blending bases without taking up too much room.
Cassidy covered all things cooking as the kitchen editor for Reviewed from 2018 to 2020. An experimental home chef with a healthy distrust of recipes, Cassidy lives by the "Ratatouille" philosophy that, with a few techniques and key tools, anyone can cook. She's produced in-depth reviews and guides on everything from meal kits to stand mixers and the right way to cook an egg.
Madison Trapkin
Contributor
Madison covered all things cooking as the kitchen editor for Reviewed in 2021. Formerly the editor-in-chief of Culture Magazine, Madison is the founder of GRLSQUASH, a women's food, art, and culture journal. Her work has also appeared in The Boston Globe, Cherrybombe, Gather Journal, and more. She is passionate about pizza, aesthetic countertop appliances, and regularly watering her houseplants.
She holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia and a Master's of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy from Boston University.
Monica is Reviewed's Kitchen & Cooking editor and an avid home cook; she's been testing a wide range of kitchen products at Reviewed for over a year. Previously the Digital Editor at Culture Cheese Magazine (and a former barista), she's also had her work published in The Boston Globe, Modern Luxury, Boston Magazine, and more.
Managing Editor, Kitchen & Appliances. Danielle has a B.S. from Syracuse University and a AAS in Culinary Arts from Newbury College. Previously, Danielle was a Test Cook and Associate Editor at America's Test Kitchen, as well as a freelance recipe developer and food writer. She’s the mom of two boys and loves making pizza on Friday nights.
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