Is Cuisinart's portable blender the secret to sensational smoothies? It certainly passed the handbag test

Portable blenders are having a moment, and it’s easy to see why. We want smoothies on the school run, protein shakes between meetings, and something a little greener than a coffee when we’re out and about. The promise is simple: bring what you blend anywhere, but the reality doesn’t always live up to the hype.

Cuisinart, a brand I already trust for robust, well-designed kitchen kit, has entered the portable space with the Blast & Go Personal Blender. While it’s obviously not trying to compete head-to-head with the best blenders you’d keep permanently on your counter, it does aim to be genuinely useful, something you’ll actually reach for rather than abandon at the back of a cupboard.

After testing it at home, on the go, and yes, loose in my handbag, I can confidently say this is one of the more considered portable blenders I’ve used. It’s compact, smartly designed, and surprisingly capable, with just a few caveats worth knowing before you buy.

Cuisinart Blast and Go Portable Personal Blender review

• RRP: £69.99
• Dimensions: 9.4D x 10.5W x 30H centimetres
• Weight: 950g
• Charge: USB-C, 20 blends from one
• Speed: 20,000 RPM
• Settings: Blend, smoothie
• Capacity: 500ml

Who would the Cuisinart Blast and Go Portable Personal Blender suit?

The Cuisinart Blast & Go is ideal for anyone who wants quick, single-serve blends without the faff of a full-sized machine. If you’re a smoothie-for-breakfast person, a gym-goer who likes fresh protein shakes, or someone who wants hummus or dressings in small batches, it fits neatly into your routine.

It’s especially good for commuters, office workers, and anyone short on kitchen space. That said, if you regularly blend thick nut butters, large batches of soup, or family-sized portions, you’ll be better off with a more powerful countertop model.

Unboxing the Cuisinart Blast and Go Portable Personal Blender

Unboxing is refreshingly simple. Everything arrives neatly packed in a very compact box: no unnecessary bulk, no awkward polystyrene. Best of all, all the packaging is recyclable, which feels like a small but meaningful win.

You’re not overwhelmed with accessories either. It’s very much a “what you see is what you need” situation, which suits the streamlined nature of the product.

What is the Cuisinart Blast and Go Portable Personal Blender like to use?

In essence, this blender is a bottle you can carry around and that’s exactly what makes it so appealing. The blending cup doubles as your drinking bottle, and there are just two buttons (blend and smoothie) to get things going, so there’s no learning curve at all.

In testing, I made a berry smoothie, a small batch of hummus, soup (from cooled, roasted vegetables) and crushed ice. Smoothies were effortless, blending to a smooth, drinkable consistency in seconds. I carried mine pre-made to work, or blended on the way to the gym with protein powder and this didn't falter once. There was no leaking, I could blend from anywhere (as long as I had charge) and even when I had sticky peanut butter and dry protein powder, the blades still made light work of my oats, spinach, berry seeds, and almond milk. It's a really impressive portable blender for smoothies.

One of my favourite parts of these tests are the handbag tests. I filled it, secured the lid, and carried it around with me for a whole day: I was jostled on the tube, threw my bag down at the office, and even went to a park and spun my bag around (for the purposes of testing). There were no leaks, no drips, no sticky surprises at the bottom of my bag. That alone will win it a lot of fans.

Now, I know you're not going to do this, but one of my tests is making soup. You can't put hot ingredients into the Cuisinart Blast and Go Portable Personal Blender, but I roasted vegetables, let them cool, and added them to the blender with some stock. I only needed to press blend once to get this impressively creamy soup you can see in the image. It was, pre-blending, butternut squash, cashew nuts, ginger, garlic, coconut milk, and chilli. The texture was totally faultless, even cold.

Hummus and ice both worked well too, though recipes with lower liquid content needed a little encouragement, a quick shake between blends did the trick and felt entirely expected for a portable blender of this size.

Cleaning the Cuisinart Blast and Go Portable Personal Blender

Cleaning couldn’t be simpler. Add water and a drop of washing-up liquid to the bottle, secure the lid, and blend for a few seconds. Rinse, and you’re done. I gave mine a shake to free-up any debris or dirt that might be hiding under the blades and I'd recommend that you do too, but it is really easy.

Because everything is self-contained, there’s no awkward blade unit to wrestle with or multiple parts to dry, which makes it particularly appealing for everyday use. The other important element is to remember that you need to charge yours. Mine was spot on the 20-use mark: after twenty runs through the tests, I needed to plug it in. That's great stamina for a battery-powered blender.

Should you buy the Cuisinart Blast and Go Portable Personal Blender?

If you’re looking for a portable blender that’s genuinely practical, the Cuisinart Blast & Go is a strong choice. It’s compact, well-made, easy to use, and performs reliably for smoothies, dips, and crushed ice, as long as you’re realistic about capacity and thickness.

It won’t replace one of the best blenders for heavy-duty kitchen jobs, but that’s not the point. For busy days, small spaces, and blending on the move, it’s a stylish, sensible addition that’s likely to earn its place in your routine rather than gathering dust.

How we test

At woman&home, we have a series of standardised tests that we put every blender through. They range from smoothies (a classic combination) through to dips and crushed ice. I give the blenders as much of a challenge as you might expect from your everyday life, and then some.

I aim to give you a good idea of the power and speed of each blender, but I'll also talk about how it looks, what it's like to use, and whether it's easy to clean. By the end of the review, you should have a really clear idea of whether this is the right blender for you. If you want to find out more, you can always email me, or visit our dedicated page for how we test blenders.