Countertop blenders, food processors, and stand mixers are three appliances that do different things in the kitchen. However, they all do things that you can substitute with an immersion blender, which is also known as a hand blender or a stick blender in other parts of the world. Sure, the results usually won’t be as good as using one of the standalone machines, but immersion blenders get you close enough that many people don’t mind. Even better, immersion blenders do their thing without taking up any countertop space, requiring just spare room in a drawer for storage, making it an excellent alternative for various food prep tasks in space-starved kitchens.
The best immersion blenders can do many of the jobs you will otherwise carry out using countertop blenders and food processors. We’re talking about blending, pureeing, emulsifying, and more. From soups and sauces to frothy batters and even smoothies, a powerful immersion blender is usually good enough to let you get the job done.
The best immersion blenders also don’t limit you to whatever containers come with your appliance, since you can stick them on any pot, bowl, jar, or whatever other containers you have in the kitchen. They’re incredibly versatile. Even better, many contemporary immersion blenders come with accessories and a mini-chopper, allowing you to further expand what you can do with the appliance.
These are the best immersion blenders to bring space-saving versatility to your kitchen.
NutriBullet Immersion Blender Deluxe Set
Pros
- Inexpensive
- No splatter
- Surprisingly effective, despite the weaker motor
Cons
- Plastic body
- Motor gets hot
Power: 350W
Speed settings: 2
Accessories: Whisk attachment, chopper jar attachment, blending cup with lid
Nutribullet made its name in personal blenders (they even have a travel mug with a built-in blender), so it’s no surprise to see them release an immersion blender. What’s more surprising is they opted to go for an entry-level model with a weaker 350W motor and cheap-feeling plastic body. Despite the weaker motor, we were amazed at how well it handled frozen fruits and ice, turning them into a velvety smoothie in around three minutes. We used it for soups, sauces, and even whipped cream using the whisk attachment, with the device doing a great job on all of them. While more expensive options definitely turned out creamier, smoother, and fluffier results, we have no issues with the quality of food this thing turns out, especially for home cooking. The most surprising part to us is that it creates no splatter, which is not something we expected from an inexpensive option, although it is expectedly noisy. It also got a bit too hot during our use, so while it’s good enough for hoe use, it might get tricky if you plan to use it for multiple batches of food items.
Braun MultiQuick 7
Pros
- Unique flexible shaft moves blade up and down
- Creates powerful vortex
- Trigger-style speed control button
Cons
- Rubber grip attracts dust and lint
Power: 500W
Speed settings: Variable
Accessories: Whisk attachment, chopper jar attachment, blending cup
In our opinion, this immersion blender offers the best value in the category. Its combination of blending power, price, and overall functionality just hits the right spot. Equipped with a 500W motor, it has enough power to blend, whip, and pulverize anything its blade touches, creating a powerful vortex when blending liquids that renders everything smooth and creamy, with no solid bits. There are some really nice design touches here that set it apart from the pack, such as the extra milling blade on the primary attachment, the flexible shaft that moves the blade up-and-down, and a trigger-style control button that makes the blade spin faster the harder you squeeze. That last one is particularly more intuitive and comfortable than most other immersion blender controls we’ve used, which is great. We also loved the rubber grip, which is easy to secure in hand, although it is a bit too grippy that it tends to accumulate dust.
All-Clad Stainless Steel Immersion Blender
Pros
- Powerful motor crushes ice easily
- Easy to operate
- Blends food faster than others
Cons
- Bigger and heavier than others
- No attachments
Power: 600W
Speed settings: Variable
Accessories: None
We know people who own an All-Clad immersion blender for going on a decade, so we had high hopes for this model. Off the bat, it feels substantial, definitely longer and heavier than many others in the list. The motor’s power perfectly matches that heft, too, as it tears through frozen fruits and veggies with relative ease, while churning out mayonnaise and whipped cream in just a few ticks. Heck, even the ice we put through it got crushed evenly at a very fast pace. You will have to be intentionally thorough when using the device on liquids (such as when pureeing), too, since it doesn’t seem to draw in everything towards the blade as effectively, so you can end up with occasional strings and chunks of solid food items. If you take the extra time to do that, though, everything blends and pulverizes thoroughly in pretty short order. Of all the entries in the list, this one really feels built to last, so we’re not surprised why many people have owned a similar blender for so many years. One thing to note is that the blender wand is hollow, so you need to make sure to keep the inside cleaned up, too.
KitchenAid Go
Pros
- Cordless design lets you use it anywhere
- Blends, grinds, and emulsifies well
- Lightweight build
Cons
- Battery only last 30 minutes max
- Need to press power button the whole time
Power: Unlisted
Speed settings: 3
Accessories: Removable pan guard, blending jar with lid
There aren’t many cordless immersion blenders in the market, especially with All-Clad discontinuing their cordless model. The best battery-powered option right now should be this one from KitchenAid, which is surprisingly more lightweight than traditional corded models, even with a battery in tow. One of the main reasons there aren’t many cordless models is that you have to limit the power, so the battery doesn’t drain quickly. That definitely seems to be the case here. While it emulsified, blended, and pureed just as well as the others, it did so in a longer time frame. We also didn’t like that you had to press on the power button the entire time (a way to save battery power, most likely), which isn’t the most comfortable, especially since it takes longer to finish. It’s worth noting that it still finishes jobs pretty fast, just noticeably longer than its corded counterparts. If you can live with that, the cordless nature means you can do your blending and emulsifying anywhere you want, which is very convenient. Just make sure to regularly charge it, since it has a maximum 30-minute runtime.
Breville Control Grip
Pros
- Ergonomic pistol-style grip
- Unique non-suction blending
- Zero spatter
Cons
- Takes a bit longer than others
Power: 280W
Speed settings: 15
Accessories: Whisk attachment, chopper jar attachment, blending cup
First off, we love the ergonomic pistol-style grip on this immersion blender, which keeps it comfortable even for longer blending sessions. It works a little differently than other immersion blenders in that it doesn’t create a vortex that sucks in solids towards the blade. Instead, you have to move it around thoroughly, which does extend the blending time a bit. It still gets the job done, though, which is what really matters, albeit at a slightly longer time. That same design also allows it to eliminate spatter completely, since there’s no suction whatsoever, making it incredibly easy to move the blades all throughout your mixing vessel. The blade guard has non-scratch rubber edges, too, ensuring no damage to your bowls and pots, no matter how many times you use it. We love the accessories, too, which are on the larger side (especially for the blending jar), although you might not appreciate the amount of space they will take up during storage.
Vitamix Immersion Blender
Pros
- Tremendous blending power
- Doesn’t scratch cookware
- Easy controls
Cons
- Vents can occasionally block with fibrous solids
- Very loud
Power: 625W
Speed settings: 5
Accessories: None
The most expensive option in the list, this immersion blender is also the most powerful, coming with a motor rated at 625W. It performs every bit as powerfully as you’d expect, even shredding ice faster than other options in the list, which is partly because of the motor, but also because they paired it with a four-pronged blade (as opposed to two-prongs like others). If you want the smoothest, creamiest, most velvety textures, this is definitely the way to go. This thing creates a deep, powerful vortex that really sucks food in, ensuring it puts everything through the blades in a thorough manner. However, you want to gradually work up to the higher speeds, though, that same vortex can easily cause liquids to spatter if you don’t watch out. We also liked that the blade comes with plastic guards that won’t scratch, so you can use it with pricey cookware without any worries.
