Alison Barretta
The best hand blenders make it easy to create a range of dishes in a matter of minutes, from soups, smoothies, and sauces, to dressings and batters.
Unlike even the best blenders, hand blenders (also known as immersion blenders) are very lightweight and compact, taking up less storage space in your home. They're also often much more simple to use than regular blenders while being able to puree, blend and mash as well as whisk, chop and grind.
The best hand blenders
Best overall
With multiple attachments and a powerful motor, this sets you up for complete kitchen success. It's reasonably priced, a nice weight, and has stood the test of time (5 years) in our test kitchen.
Most versatile
The secret to a versatile hand blender is all in the speed options. This has six, very distinct settings, from a gentle pulse through to power that packs a punch. It's excellent value for money and stylish too.
Best for mashing
Easy to use, whether you're working with liquids or tougher vegetables, this is the luxury experience. If you need a helping hand with mash, look no further.
Best budget
Another brilliant buy if you're watching your wallet, this is simplicity at its finest. It works well across the board and suits pared-back chefs.
Best for accessories
If you want a hard-working hand blender that'll cover food chopping, mashing whisking and more, this is the one for you. It's a space-saving hero.
Best for soups
You'll get the most control over different speed settings with this Australian brand's famous blender. It nailed everything from pancake batters to salsas in our tests, but where it really shone was on soups.
Best hand blender overall
The Russell Hobbs Desire 3-in-1 Hand Blender streamlines the cooking process by eliminating the need for endless appliances (yes, even the best food processors!), which is why it's made the top of our edit of the best immersion blenders.
This 500W hand blender spins at 12,000rpm, so its stainless-steel blades have no problem crushing hardy items like ice in seconds. It has two speeds, comes with a mini chopper, whisk and a 700ml beaker, plus a detachable blending arm—a handy feature. Its versatility will save you both storage space and time, equalling convenience and delicious culinary creations.
However, it's worth noting that the extra attachments need to be stored, so it's perhaps not the most space-saving of all our picks. We also like that it’s black, rather than the more common white and metal finishes, making it slightly more sleek and a good pick for those after something more stylish. Plus, the detachable parts are all dishwasher safe so it's an easy one to clean—just pop them in, sit back, and relax.
Most versatile hand blender
As well as being nice and powerful, we love that the George at ASDA Stainless-Steel Hand Blender has six speeds rather than the more common two (something even the best stand mixers struggle with), meaning it’s easier to keep some texture in your food if you don’t want everything blitzed to a pulp.
It’s a no-frills option, which is fine given that it's only £15 (it's available in the UK only). As such, there are no attachments, but what it lacks in extras it more than makes up for in power and professional good looks. We love the quality feel of the blender, and its durable design which would work well in a kitchen with little ones.
There's also no doubt that this model offers great value for the price, with its simple-to-use functionality, and the fact that it is incredibly easy to clean. Simply put, the George at Asda Stainless Steel hand blender is a super sleek and affordable stick blender that enables you to blend and puree with relative ease.
Best hand blender for mashing
If you like mashed potato as much as we do, the Kenwood Triblade System Hand Blender is almost worth buying for the masher attachment alone—you’ll never have to use a potato ricer or traditional masher ever again, which is a big part of why it's made it onto our list of the best hand blenders.
This model has two speeds (if you count the pulse function) as well as three blades for blending food more quickly, a 750ml beaker with a lid, is dishwasher-safe and has a rubber grip on the handle. It's an excellent tool for creating soups too, which is another brilliant reason to buy this hand blender. Not to mention, the Kenwood is simple to clean after usage with dishwasher-safe parts. It is super easy and gentle to use as well, especially for those with arthritic thumbs.
Best budget hand blender
Considering the Dunelm Hand Blender costs less than £20 (it's another UK-only model), we’re surprised it packs a powerful 600W punch, which is why it’s included on our list of best hand blenders. This blender option features a durable, long-lasting stainless steel blade, a stainless steel shaft, and a basic on-off Turbo switch, making it very simple to figure out how to use.
We also like the unusual gray color and the fact that it’s so compact (less than 40cm), making it great for smaller kitchens with less storage space, or if you generally struggle with kitchen storage ideas. It has two speeds, but doesn’t come with any attachments which might put some shoppers off. However, this isn’t a deal-breaker; if you don’t actually want or need any extras, it’s a very good entry-level model that does exactly what it says on the tin.
Best hand blender for accessories
Yes, we know it’s not cheap, but if you think of it as an investment and as several small appliances in one, the Dualit 88910 Hand Blender Set's overall value for money is difficult to argue.
At 700W this model is among the most powerful hand blenders on our list, making it ideal for blending more difficult food items. It's also handy when It comes to clean-up, with dishwasher-safe parts. The Dualit comes with lots of helpful kitchen extras including a generous 1-liter jug, 600ml chopping bowl and a whisk.
Despite the somewhat clunky handle, this Dualit model is otherwise sturdy, sleek and professional-looking, which is why it's one of our best hand blenders.
Best hand blender for soups
With over 30,000 reviews on Amazon, the top-rated Mueller Austria Immersion Hand Blender is hailed for its versatility and can help you to create a medley of dishes like salsa, pesto, pancake batter, and more. This particular option is great at blending tough-to-crush textured foods—yes, even peanut butter. For this reason it's a great pick for those who want their hand blender to work hard at more difficult-to-blend food items.
We love its sleek design (it's one of the most stylish picks on our list), as well as its impressive power, speed variables, and its various different functions that add much-needed convenience. It has dishwasher-safe parts and it's certainly an affordable option, too.
How to choose the best hand blender
A hand blender is a kitchen essential, so it's important to consider some key features to make sure you are purchasing the right machine. It might help you to think about:
- Weight and size—the best hand blenders are supposed to be portable, light and easy to hold. If a hand blender is too heavy it’ll not only make your arm ache but also be trickier to maneuver. Pay attention to the size of the blender—if the handle is too chunky you’ll find it harder to grip, while the end that actually blends the food (known as the guard over the blade) shouldn’t be too wide or it’ll be difficult to fit inside small bowls and jugs to blend effectively. Be wary also of too many buttons and where they’re positioned—too far from the top of the handle is a no-no. Another feature to look out for is a rubber grip on the handle, which can make blending much more comfortable and reduce the chance of any accidents.
- Design—stainless steel or black appliances tend to look the most stylish and go with almost any type of kitchen decor. White hand blenders tend to be the cheaper options so they don't have that luxe feel you may be after with your kitchen gadgets. Consider how important a good-looking blender is to you (for example, while you be leaving the blender out on your countertop?) It can also be helpful to think about how easy each hand blender would be to store—some are much more streamlined and space-saving than others.
- Efficiency/power—arguably the most important thing to consider is how well a blender works at mixing your food. We've evaluated this for you, but it can also be helpful to peruse the wattage of the device, which is a good indicator of how powerful it is. Anything above 250W should be more than enough for a hand blender, but many of the models in our list go above that.
- Attachments and accessories—additional attachments minimize the need for extra appliances. Every hand blender will have the basic blending function, but consider whether you need it to also be able to chop, whisk, or froth ingredients too, for example.
- Corded or cordless—cordless models can be much easier to move around with in your kitchen, but you'll have to remember to power them up before using them to make your favorite blender recipes. On the other hand, corded hand blenders are always ready for use, but the cable may make food prep awkward and may increase the chances of things being knocked over.
How we tested the best hand blenders
In order to properly assess the best immersion blenders on the market, we individually tested each one of them by using them to make things like soups and sauces. We evaluated each one primarily on:
- Ease of use—our expert assessed each blender on how easy it was to set up and put together. During testing, we assessed whether or not there were clear instructions for each blender, or if the set-up process felt confusing and difficult. We also looked at how easy each model was to clean—including whether it had dishwasher-safe parts.
- Functions—not all hand blenders have the same capabilities. Pricier models tend to have more attachments, such as whisks and mini choppers. Our tester evaluated how useful these extra attachments were, and whether in each instance it was worth paying the extra for them, or whether they felt unnecessary.
- Performance—most importantly, we tested how each blender performed as we prepared different recipes. Did it leave us with a smooth mixture, or were there some bits of food it couldn't tackle? How long did it take to blend ingredients—did the machine work fast or were we left tackling the recipe for too long? Did all of the attachments perform their promised task properly?
- Value-for-money—we examined whether some of the more expensive models here are really worth splashing the extra cash on, or whether you'd get just as good an experience from more affordable models.
FAQs
Do I need to buy a hand blender with attachments?
Some of the more expensive hand blenders come with jugs, different blades, masher and whisk attachments and are definitely worth considering if you don’t have—or don’t want—additional electrical whisks or processors taking up space in your cupboards. But, if you already have those gadgets and don’t want to double up, a no-frills model is ideal and can be picked up for a great price.
Hand blenders are one of the few kitchen appliances that can fit in a drawer, so look for compact ones if that’s where you plan to store it. If they have a removable blender attachment for easier storage and cleaning, so much the better.
Are hand blenders worth it?
If you're looking to make a soup, a sauce, or if you're even trying out an easy smoothie recipe, a hand blender is absolutely worth it. The best hand blenders save you the trouble of getting out your bigger blender to whizz up your ingredients, saving your hands when it comes to lifting saucepans, and the extra effort.
In fact, many recipes even call for hand blenders as the best way of mixing your food together, so in some instances it's even recommended that you use a hand blender over a regular blender. In fact, there are a huge amount of specific immersion blender recipes out there for you to try.
And if you're wondering whether a hand blender will help you keep on top of your help, you can find out the answer to the question—are smoothies good for you?—in our guide.
Final thoughts
A hand blender is the ideal accessory for minimising all the extra appliances in your kitchen. A good one will cover blending, chopping, mashing, and more - and all these models can deliver on them all.
