6 Best Immersion Blenders That Are Worth Every Penny

• Our top picks
• How we picked these products
• Breville Control Grip Immersion Blender
• 2) Two-Speed Hand Blender
• 6) Braun MQ7035X 3-in-1 Immersion Hand, Powerful 500W Stainless Steel Stick Blender Variable Speed + 2-Cup Food Processor, Whisk, Beaker, High Quality Faster, Finer Blending, MultiQuick
• All-Clad Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender
• Cuisinart CSB-179 Smart Stick
• 5) KitchenAid 2-Speed Hand Blender, Guava Glaze
• Are kitchen scales worth it?
• Are kitchen scales worth it?

We’re firm believers that there is no such thing as a bad time for soup—who doesn’t love a fresh summer gazpacho or creamy pumpkin soup for those chilly fall nights? If you think you have what it takes to graduate from soup student to consommé connoisseur, the natural next step is to pick up a quality immersion blender. But which immersion blender is best? Don’t let the wide range of available options get you all mixed up. Read on for all our immersion blender tips, including our recommendations for the best ones to buy.

Want more appliance help? Check out the best blenders, plus Alton Brown’s genius immersion blender hack.

Our top picks

How we picked these products

Ready to dive in, but not sure where to start? We turned to our friends at the Good Housekeeping Institute to find the best immersion blenders. Their team of on-staff experts—which includes all types: engineers! data analysts! registered dietitians!—rigorously put everyday products to the test (and then more and more tests) in their New York City-based labs to determine which ones you can trust. They pored over dozens of hand blenders to evaluate everything from their ability to purée large batches of soup and crush ice to details like user-friendliness, cleanability, ergonomics and design, weight, and even quality of customer service.

Breville Control Grip Immersion Blender

$119.95

With a whopping 15 speed settings, we were just as blown away by the Breville Control Grip Immersion Blender as we were by its convenient, dishwasher-safe attachments, which include a blender, food processor, and whisk. At a capacity of 42 ounces, the included mixing jar is by far the largest on our list, and the accompanying lid also serves as an anti-slip mat to place under the jar. This immersion blender also won’t cramp your cooking style (or your hand) thanks to its soft, narrow handle and easy to hold “on” button.

Though it requires more of an up-and-down motion to produce a perfect purée, its unique design prevents that dreaded bottom-of-the-pot suction vortex. Per the Good Housekeeping Institute, “Unlike other models that create a vortex that pulls food into the blades and suction themselves to the bottom of the container, the Breville’s blade guard is uniquely shaped to prevent this.”

2) Two-Speed Hand Blender

$38.99

Who says you can’t blend on a budget? The Hamilton Beach Two-Speed Hand Blender may not be powerful enough to handle a hearty cashew butter or a frozen fruit smoothie, but the Good Housekeeping Institute lab testers found “it can fully purée a thick soup, though it may take longer than with some other models.” This hand blender only offers two blending speeds (high and low), but the two large buttons are easy to maneuver.

With a wide circumference and slightly slippery grip, its 5-inch plastic handle may be a bit too short and unwieldy for that big pot of Sunday gravy, but is perfect for small batches. The blending attachment wasn’t as sturdy as others on this list, but we still liked that all clean-up entails is throwing it on the top rack of your dishwasher.

6) Braun MQ7035X 3-in-1 Immersion Hand, Powerful 500W Stainless Steel Stick Blender Variable Speed + 2-Cup Food Processor, Whisk, Beaker, High Quality Faster, Finer Blending, MultiQuick

$79.95

If you look at cooking the same way you look at the DMV—you just want to get in and get out—the Braun MultiQuick 7 might be the tool you’re looking for. With a dishwasher-safe mixing jar, food processor, and whisk attachment, this immersion blender prevents splatters by adjusting the height of its blade to the height of the food you’re emulsifying.

Most impressive of all, the Good Housekeeping Institute notes, “Unlike the other immersion blenders we tested, the Braun has a variable speed button–the harder you press the more powerfully it blends.” Furthermore, the conveniently narrow bell-shaped blade guard has no vents for food to get stuck in, but the blade attachment does tend to collect water, so you’ll need to fully dry it to avoid any unwanted additives in your culinary creations.

All-Clad Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender

$229.95

No outlet? No problem! As portable as it is ergonomic, the stainless steel All-Clad Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender has a battery life of over 15 minutes on the highest speed setting when fully charged. At about the same price as the Breville Control Grip, you definitely get less bang for your buck with no included accessories besides the blade attachment.

That said, the All-Clad is the quietest model on our list, as well as one of the safest—according to the Good Housekeeping Institute, all you need to do to use the built-in safety feature “Tap a button on top to unlock, then press the trigger to operate. It will automatically lock itself if you don’t press the trigger after 30 seconds.” Also available in a corded model, this gadget takes about two hours to charge (which means you will need a bit of extra space, not to mention a spare outlet) to accommodate the charging unit.

Cuisinart CSB-179 Smart Stick

$69.95

Despite having narrow blade guards, the Good Housekeeping Institute found the Cuisinart Smart Stick was powerful enough to “fully [purée] a thick vegetable soup in 90 seconds, but not enough to blend a smoothie.” All you need to do is start on a low setting and slowly increase the power by adjusting the speed dial to produce a smooth, splatter-free purée. The built-in safety feature requires two hands to operate it—one to hold the shaft of the immersion blender and the other to press the “unlock” button and activate the trigger.

However, the narrow and ergonomic handle is easy to maneuver without feeling too cumbersome and long enough to be perfect for deep pots without causing any of that dreaded suction. Though the blending attachment is hand-wash only, the mixing jar, food processor, and whisk attachment are all dishwasher safe.

5) KitchenAid 2-Speed Hand Blender, Guava Glaze

$69.87

Looking for a quiet, easy-to-use immersion blender that makes a post-workout smoothie that rivals your gym’s barista? Despite being one of the less expensive models on our list, the KitchenAid 2-Speed Hand Blender is impressive. Plus, you can snag it in a variety of fun colors to match your kitchen decor! With none of that dreaded suction to the bottom of its mixing jar, you’ll have no trouble blending your favorite frozen ingredients into a creamy concoction.

Per the Good Housekeeping Institute, “While it can crush ice to make a thick smoothie, it struggled to purée a vegetable soup in two minutes.” Nevertheless, there’s a lot to like about this 9-speed gadget, including an easy-to-press trigger, ergonomic rubberized handle, and thick power cord that seamlessly maneuvers around a crowded counter top without bunching up or getting tangled. Like the blender attachment, the included 3-cup mixing jar is dishwasher-safe, and it features a lid to make storing leftovers a breeze (though it lacks a lip for easy pouring).

Are kitchen scales worth it?

We certainly think so! An immersion blender (also called a “hand blender”) is a quick and easy way to elevate the 4 S’s of comfort foods: soups, stews, sauces, and smoothies. Not only can they simplify your cooking and clean-up, but some options are even equipped with other functions, such as chopping, frothing, puréeing, whisking, emulsifying, even juicing watermelons. That being said, you should know that immersion blenders shouldn’t be used over direct heat, so just be sure to remove your batch of potato soup or tomato sauce before you begin to blend. This can help not only prevent damage to the appliance itself, but also to you—splattering hot soup all over your kitchen and your person sounds like one of our worst nightmares! You can also use a narrow, cylindrical container if splatter is a big concern, and some models even come with one included with your purchase.

Are kitchen scales worth it?

Great question! There’s more to immersion blenders than just plugging it in and taking all your rage out on your produce. (Or maybe that’s just us?) Keep these factors in mind while you shop:

Performance: Whether you live for your post-workout smoothie or, like Adam Driver, you enjoy a good soup, your ideal immersion blender depends a lot on what you’re looking for in your day-to-day. (For example, you’d want one with the ability to chop frozen fruit and ice for those smoothies.) Meanwhile, you won’t need to necessarily consider attributes like wattage—according to the Good Housekeeping Institute, wattage was not an indicator of quality or performance in their hand blender tests.

Attachments: What’s the current state of your small appliance situation? If you just glanced at your cupboard knowing you’re a bit of a kitchen tool collector, we’re not going to judge, but you should definitely take that into consideration when deciding which immersion blender is best for you. While it’s always nice to get some extra bang for your buck, you may not even need to spend those bucks at all if you already have, for example, a food processor to chop your veggies.

Ease of Use We’re not just talking capabilities here—if you’re going to be holding your hand blender for a few minutes at a time, you want something easy and ergonomic to hold. Ideally, an immersion blender will only require one hand to use, but if you want a model with safety features, some might require two hands to operate. And unless you want to maximize your time and turn your cooking session into a simultaneous workout, weight is another factor to consider when purchasing. Finally, you’ll want to do some self-reflection: Are you the type of person who hand washes your small appliances, or does just the thought of an errant piece of wet food grazing your hand make you want to toss your attachments into the dishwasher and never look back? Regardless of your personal preferences, cleanability and disassembly are both important details that should not be overlooked in your search for the best hand blender.