Portable blenders are an even smaller version of personal blenders. They’re also good for smaller amounts of sauces and dips. Most are set up to take your blended smoothie immediately on the go straight from the base with the addition of a sippable lid. Personal blenders are smaller machines designed to take up much less space in your kitchen and make single-serve rather than larger batched recipes. But if you’re not planning to throw anything more challenging than an ice cube in the blender and just want a simple smoothie from time to time, this less-expensive category is right for you. Standard blenders aren’t equipped to handle the same heavy-duty blending as high-performance models-especially if you want them to last. The best blender overall The runner-up The best budget blender The best personal blender How we tested Types of blenders Other blenders we tested A note on portable blenders The takeaway Keep reading for our favorite blenders and for the specifics of how we tested for what to look for when you’re blender shopping, scroll to the bottom of the page. But to help you along we did the heavy lifting for you (seriously, a lot of these are heavy), testing over a dozen full-size countertop models and a range of personal-size models to find the best blender on the market. So as you look at our top picks it’s important to consider what you’re actually going to use your blender for. They go from straightforward ice-cube-crushing machines to sleek kitchen appliances decked out with touchscreens and tons of extra features.

As higher performance blenders have asserted themselves in home kitchens, the range of what you can get in a blender is huge. If so, finding the best blender-full-size, personal, maybe even portable-is crucial. Perhaps you aspire to fill your diet with nutrient-packed smoothies, homemade almond milk, or tropical cocktails.

The beast blender