The best hand blenders to buy to help you easily whip up sauces and soups

If there’s one thing in our kitchen that we’d struggle to live without, it’d be one of the best hand blenders. Our guide highlights top-performing options that are functional, versatile, and allow you to create a medley of dishes. Plus, we’ve answered common questions you may have on your shopping journey.

When it comes to culinary pursuits and gastronomic delights, hand held blenders, or immersion blenders, have an indelible impact, conquering small and large kitchen tasks with relative ease. Their esteemed reputation comes from their design, where you’ll find a motor on one end and blades on the other. Both versatile and functional, they have the capacity to do almost everything in the kitchen – which is why you need to make sure you have one in your cooking arsenal.

The best blenders can whizz up sauces, soups, batter and dressings, and can even finely chop herbs and vegetables - unless you have the best food processor to hand to help you do that. Hand blenders, on the contrary, are ideal for making smoothies (especially if you don’t have a separate blender for smoothies), and pureeing liquids, like soup, dressings, whipped cream, the list goes on. They’ll streamline your process from start to finish, eliminating all the mess, stress, and vexing hunger pangs.

If you don’t already own a hand blender, or are looking to replace an old one, here’s a brief overview of what you should look for when buying one (and we really recommend that you do – it’s a game-changer). These main factors influenced our testing methodology, examination, and research. For further elaboration, check out our FAQ section.

Handle and grip: Look out for easy-to-press buttons and non-slip rubber handles, which are comfortable to hold and not too hefty

Design: Think compact, portable, easy to clean, and dishwasher friendly - without sacrificing functionality, convenience, and versatility

Blade Guard: Blade guard affects your blender’s ability to circulate food without creating tremendous mess. Wider blade guards with larger vents are simple to tidy up and maneuver for accessing leftover food.

Additional attachments and accessories: Additional attachments minimize the need for extra appliances and their manpower. It’s crucial to own a device with accessories that allow for chopping, processing, whisking, or frothing.

Cord vs. Cordless: There are pros and cons to both options. Cords provide consistent power, while cordless models don’t get tangled in a bunch and ultimately, prevent things from knocking over. It boils down to what you prefer.

Learn more about our favorite hand blenders, below.

The best hand blenders

The Desire 3-in-1 Hand Blender streamlines the cooking process by eliminating the need for endless appliances.

This 500W hand blender spins at 12,000rpm, so its stainless-steel blades have no problem crushing ice in seconds. It has two speeds, comes with a mini chopper, whisk and a 700ml beaker, plus a detachable blending arm, all of which are dishwasher-safe. Its versatility will save you both storage space and time, bringing you convenience and nothing less than stellar creations. We also like that it’s black, rather than the more common white and metal finishes. Plus, the detachable parts are all dishwasher safe - just pop them, sit back, and relax. 

As well as being nice and powerful, we love that this design has six speeds rather than the more common two, meaning it’s easier to keep the texture in your food if you don’t want everything blitzed to a pulp. It’s a no-frills option as there are no attachments, but what it lacks in extras it more than makes up for in power and professional good looks. Shoppers love its innovative quality and durable design, great value for the price, and simple-to-use functionality (and it's incredibly easy to clean!). Simply put, the George at Asda Stainless Steel hand blender is a super sleek, holy grail kitchen essential that enables you to blend and puree with relative ease.

If you like mashed potato as much as we do, this is almost worth buying for the masher attachment alone – you’ll never have to use a potato ricer or traditional masher ever again. This design 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. Shoppers also say it's an excellent tool for creating soups and for those with arthritic thumbs - not to mention, simple to clean and prepare.

Considering this hand blender costs less than £15, we’re surprised it packs a powerful 600W punch, which is why it’s included on our list of best hand blenders. This option features a durable, long-lasting stainless steel blade, a stainless steel shaft, and a basic on-off Turbo switch.

We also like the unusual grey color and the fact that it’s so compact (less than 40cm). It has two speeds but doesn’t come with any attachments. 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.

Yes, we know it’s not cheap, but if you think of it as an investment and as several small appliances in one, its overall value for money is difficult to argue with. At 700W this model is among the most powerful hand blenders on our list, has dishwasher-safe parts and comes with lots of extras including a generous 1-litre jug, 600ml chopping bowl and a whisk. It’s also really sturdy, sleek and professional-looking.

This 200W design is ideal if you want control over the speed that you blend – simply twist the top of the handle until you have the desired speed and press ‘go’. There is also a pulse function for chopping rather than pureéing. While it has a detachable blending arm and blades for easy cleaning, this particular stick blender doesn’t come with any additional attachments. It's an excellent option for newbie chefs who want to create sauces, smoothies, and soups; along with parents who want to mash veggies and delicacies for their children.

With over 30,000 reviews on Amazon, the top-rated Mueller Austria Immersion hand blender is hailed for its versatility, working to seamlessly concoct a medley of dishes like salsa, pesto, pancake batter, and more. This particular option blends through tough-to-crush textured foods - yes, even peanut butter. Shoppers love its sleek design, enduring power, speed variables, and its functions that add much-needed convenience to culinary curation.

For the certified bad chef, the KOIOS 800W Immersion Hand Blender is no frills, stick-to-the-basics option that simplifies whisking, blending, pureeing, the list is endless. That being said, advanced cooks will enjoy its versatile attachments, sleek, but durable stainless steel design, and powerful blade. Simply put, it's culinary greatness that's accessible to the masses.

If you're still uncertain about which hand blender to buy, take a look at the below FAQ's for some more guidance on choosing the right model for your needs.

FAQ about hand blenders

What do I need to think about when buying one of the best hand blenders?

The best hand blenders – also commonly known as immersion or stick blenders – are supposed to be portable, light and easy to use, while also being powerful. If a hand blender is too heavy it’ll not only make your arm and hand ache very quickly but also be trickier to maneuver as you’re blending. 

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.

Hand blenders tend to have one or two power buttons built into the handle – a sensible position for easy use. Ideally, you’d be able to pick up the blender to see how it feels in your hand but, if you’re buying online, be wary 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.

If you're wondering how to clean a blender, it's also worth noting that hand blenders are usually much easier cleaned than regular blenders - given that they're often smaller and have less attachments. 

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 gadgets 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 sometimes even a smoothie - a hand blender is absolutely worth it. A hand blender saves 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 blender recipes online even call for hand blenders as a way of mixing your food together - so in some instances it's even recommended that you use a hand blender over a regular blender. 

How powerful should my blender’s wattage/motor be?

We recommend hand blenders that exceed 100 watts of power, which will allow you to mix more liquids and thereby get more for your investment. That being said, wattage doesn’t translate to enhanced functionality. Focus on how power is delivered, particularly the technology and speeds involved; and how they operate. That’ll determine whether or not your blender is a quality deity, or a bogus sham.

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