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Make Smoothies On The Go With The Best Portable Blender

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A full portable blender cup next to the blender with the blades out

A blender is one of the most common kitchen appliances, and the best portable blenders are on the rise! As health awareness got firmly established as a prevalent trend, personal portable blenders quickly became a must-have! 

Nowadays, we have state-of-the-art blenders that exceed the limits of their initial purpose. Powerful blenders can make whipped creams, dough, heat soups, make nut butter, and much, much more.

So, in the following article, let’s talk about the best portable blender models, as well as what to look for in a blender. Make sure to check both the buying guide and reviews, making sure you make a valuable decision.

A portable blender cup with healthy ingredients inside

Top-Rated Portable Blenders

Best Overall
Magic Bullet MBR-1101 Blender
Magic Bullet MBR-1101 Blender
  • Quite versatile for a portable blender
  • Small and compact
  • BPA-free cups are safe for microwave use
  • Easy to clean
Premium Choice
Cuisinart CPB-300
Cuisinart CPB-300
  • You get 6 various size containers with lids in one package
  • Small and lightweight
  • Easy cleaning, whether you rinse it in tap water or wash in a dishwasher
  • Three modes of speed, including Pulse mode
Best Budget
PopBabies Personal Blender
PopBabies Personal Blender
  • Perfect for making baby food
  • Comes in a variety of fun color options
  • The package includes a plastic funnel and an ice tray
  • Made of completely non-toxic food-grade materials

Table of Contents

Other Recommendations:

Best Portable Blender – What to look for and how to choose?

Once you decide that you need a personal blender, it would be best to list the features you want it to have. Keep in mind that portable blenders rarely come with bells and whistles (so they can remain small and compact, aka portable). 

Although they all look similar, every unit from our portable blenders list has something unique to offer. 

So, here’s a set of questions you should ask yourself before you decide which of these models matches the best value personal blender that matches your requirements. 

What sort of food will I be blending often?

For example, some people utilize the power of the best personal blenders during summer only (for frozen drinks). If you recognize yourself, always aim for a blender that can deal with ice cubes. After all, most portable blenders crush ice, but many of them can only deal with smaller ice cubes. Not all blenders handle frozen fruit well, but most can help to a degree. A little patience can go a long way.

A portable blender container full of strawberries and ice

On the other hand, making healthy drinks on the go is a must. Making protein shakes and blending soft fruits is something each model can do. But, if you like to spice things up with more ingredients, check out the higher wattage blenders that can tackle virtually every component. 

How many people will be using the blender?

We all know that big appliances (i.e., masticating juicers) can serve even a dozen people if needed; the best portable blenders are another story. An excellent portable blender will serve 1 to 2 adults, but the best portable blenders will be able to provide more. 

Many parents opt for a portable blender to make quick liquid snacks for family members on the go. Protein shakes, fruity treats, even full-on vegetable smoothies are fair game, although in smaller quantities (kids’ servings). 

How much time can I afford to spend cleaning the portable blender?

This is a no-brainer – when it comes to cleaning, personal-sized blenders are by far the easiest to maintain. All you need to do is – go through the blender cups with some water and soap, and that’s that. Not to mention that the best portable blenders come with parts that are dishwasher safe.

Other blenders and juicers tend to clog up with too much pulp, so a full-on cleaning session is in order. Luckily, this is not the case with portable blenders, even with models that handle frozen foods and fibrous stuff, like coffee beans (yes, grinding coffee beans in is a great way to enrich your smoothies).

A slim blender surrounded with all sorts of colorful fruits

Other Blender and Juicer Considerations

The Best Portable Blenders – Reviews

Best Overall
Magic Bullet MBR-1101

While most portable blenders don’t offer much in terms of versatility, Magic Bullet Blender can offer a little more than your average single-serve smoothie maker. It doesn’t just blend or mix your drink - it can also chop, mix, and grind ingredients for your meals.

At the same time, it’s still worth remembering that the Magic Bullet blender is a small low-power device that may not have the muscle to pulverize hard ingredients like tough veggies, beans, or ice. However, it works well with leafy greens. Also, this blender easily pulverizes chopped-up frozen fruit and small pieces of ice.

The cup itself is pretty small, only 18 ounces, but the great thing is Magic Bullet blender comes with two more cups, 18 and 12 ounces each. This allows making more smoothies and meals and putting them away in your fridge to enjoy them later or taking them with you.

Besides the three cups, you also get 3 lids and 2 cup rings. Considering the blender’s low price, all this makes Magic Bullet quite a good deal.

Magic Bullet blender is made of lightweight plastic (BPA-free), so it’s easy to both keep it in the kitchen and take it with you when you need it elsewhere.

What we liked:

  • Quite versatile for a portable blender
  • Small and compact
  • BPA-free cups are safe for microwave use
  • Easy to clean
Premium Choice
Cuisinart CPB-300

This is a personal portable blender that provides a bit more than just smoothie making. Unlike many blending machines in this category, Cuisinart CPB-300 Blender has three speed options, including a Pulse mode.

The extra modes allow for more versatility. Instead of being limited to a couple of options (whipping up smoothies and shakes), you also get an option of making appetizers and desserts like frozen yogurt, pesto, salsa, or hummus. The 350 Watts of power is more than enough for all of these tasks. Not to mention that the blender does a decent job crushing ice, although you should do it with a lot of liquid for perfect results. 

When you buy the Cuisinart CPB-300 Blender, you also get a bonus of a smaller chopping cup and 4 travel cups that can easily fit into a cup holder in your car. All cups come with no-spill lids.

In terms of design, this portable blender is not incredibly glamorous but it looks good with its simple and clean combination of dark plastic and polished metal finish. All containers are made of impact-resistant, BPA-free plastic, so it’s not heavy at all and easy to wash in a dishwasher. The blending jug has measurement marks.

What we liked:

  • You get 6 various size containers with lids in one package
  • Small and lightweight
  • Easy cleaning, whether you rinse it in tap water or wash in a dishwasher
  • Three modes of speed, including Pulse mode
Best Budget
PopBabies Personal Blender

This is one of those portable blenders that are appealing to moms with younger children. If you need a compact but reliable machine to quickly whip up nutritious baby food, this might be an option for you.

Easy to use, easy to clean, perfectly safe, and small enough to take it with you wherever you need it.

But even if you don’t really need a baby food maker and just want a single-serve blender to make delicious fresh smoothies and whole juices, PopBabies Portable Blender will work for you just as well.

Its battery-powered 175 W motor ensures the blender has no problem chewing through frozen fruit and veggies, including leafy greens. So it becomes an impromptu food processor of sorts. 

It has a nice contemporary design that’s easy on the eyes and turns your interaction with it into an easy, trouble-free experience. Like some other options on this list, PopBabies Portable Blender can be charged using USB sockets and comes with a USB cable. The package includes a couple of nice extras: an ice tray for making small ice cubes to fit in the cup and a plastic funnel to add dry ingredients. The cup is 17 ounces total capacity but the actual usable capacity is 14 ounces.

Another nice thing about it is (unlike many other portable blenders) - this one can work while it’s charging.

What we liked:

  • Perfect for making baby food
  • Comes in a variety of fun color options
  • The package includes a plastic funnel and an ice tray
  • Made of completely non-toxic food-grade materials
Great Pick
Ninja QB3001SS Personal Blender

This compact personal blender can pack quite a punch, thanks to its impressive 700 W motor. While it doesn’t offer much on the versatility side, it’s great with what it’s initially supposed to do: making smoothies and other kinds of icy drinks (crushing ice is fair game). 

It chops and blends frozen fruits and veggies with great efficiency and precision, which makes it one of the best options among portable blenders.

There are no speed modes available - this Ninja portable blender doesn’t even have any power buttons. All you have to do is to push the cup down and it will start blending. This feature can be used as a Pulse mode, making the blender quite easy to use. 

This blender was specifically designed as a single-serve personal device and not a family blending machine, so two 16 ounce cups should be quite enough. Both come with sealable lids so you can rest assured your smoothie won’t get spilled all over you in a car or on the go.

All in all, if you are a very busy person but still find it quite important to eat healthily, this option might be great for you.

It’s small and light enough to fit in a piece of luggage without causing inconvenience. Additionally, the travel cups make it very easy to take your healthy drinks with you. Even if you place it in your kitchen, it won’t create clutter or stand on your way.

What we liked:

  • Powerful enough to blend frozen fruit and veggies and make icy drinks
  • Dishwasher safe
  • BPA-free
  • Very sharp curved blades blend everything finely and smoothly
  • Great no-spill lids for the cups
Minimalist Design
Kacsoo SPOW S610

Kacsoo SPOW S610 Glass Portable Blender is quite straightforward and simple: it’s a smoothie and whole juice maker and there’s nothing extra.

But this blender’s simplicity is also one of its strengths because it provides you with wonderful nutritious meals without the confusion of having all those bells and whistles. 

Its 126 W of power is enough for blending fresh fruit into whole juices and whipping ingredients into smoothies. Despite its size and lower power capacity, it can crush ice as well (as long as it fits normally). You’ll hardly be able to use it for milling, mincing, or grinding but it’s not what this device is intended for.

Unlike many blenders in this category, this Kacsoo SPOW Portable Blender features a 15-ounce cup made of high-impact boro glass. You still won’t be able to pour hot liquids into this blender but this glass is healthier and more durable than plastic.

The blender is cordless and comes with a USB cable so it can be recharged from any device with a USB socket, from desktop or laptop to any kind of power bank. It’s small enough to fit into your hand or a cup holder (or pretty much any bag save for a purse).

Designed as a combination of plastic, brushed metal finish, and glass, Kacsoo SPOW S610 Glass Portable Blender has a sleek clean high-tech vibe about it.

This blender only has a single-speed option. You switch it on by pressing the power button on the bottom side of the device (use the same button to switch it off). The manufacturer also added a safety switch. Just move it to a locked position and rest assured that your blender won’t turn on accidentally. This is something that parents with small children can appreciate.

What we liked:

  • Fully portable, compact, and battery-powered model (cordless)
  • Perfect for making whole juices
  • Safe to wash and use; features a safety switch
  • USB chargeable

The Best Portable Blender FAQ (aka The Buying Guide)

What is the best personal blender?

When buying a portable blender, you need it to be compact, lightweight, and powerful enough to provide you with nutritious smoothies and icy drinks on the go.

There are other aspects to consider too, of course – like capacity, quality, and safety of materials, whether the blender is cordless or not.

First of all, it’s the Ninja Personal Blender (QB3001SS). This small appliance can deal with flying colors with all the tasks mentioned above. It’s a personal blender that’s exceptionally versatile and quite powerful for its size, having a 700 W motor.

Magic Bullet blender is not too far behind it, a product from the manufacturer who gave us the popular NutriBullet blender. It’s a smaller, more compact version of the NutriBullet machine.

While it can’t boast the same power capacity, it’s quite a robust blender to use for whipping up your smoothies.

Small smoothie cups with green smoothies inside

What is the best travel blender?

Besides performing their primary tasks, travel blenders must not take much space in your luggage while being safe to use and easy to clean.

Personal blenders with the optimal combination of qualities that make them stand out among other category appliances are Cuisinart CPB-300 Blender and PopBabies Portable Blender.

Apart from being a dependable and quite powerful smoothie maker, Cuisinart CPB-300 has several speed modes that make it more versatile than many blenders of its kind. PopBabies Portable blender is a small single-serve device perfect for traveling and making smoothies and baby food.

Besides, this one is cordless, so it offers more freedom to use in any place with USB sockets available.

Which is better: Ninja or NutriBullet?

Both Ninja Personal Blenders and NutriBullet Blenders are great personal blenders with undeniable advantages, making it hard to choose. Besides, it depends on what exactly you want to use your blender for.

But with all things considered, it seems that Ninja is a more favorable option for many reasons.

First of all, Ninja doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. It’s a pretty straightforward portable smoothie maker that’s more than capable of performing well with basic tasks.

Most importantly, it has proven reasonably reliable and suitable for years of use. NutriBullet, its popularity notwithstanding, may not be as versatile as the manufacturer claims to be. Besides, it has a history of issues that may sway you towards choosing the Ninja device.

A top view of a strawberry smoothie with some mint

Is NutriBullet better than Magic Bullet?

Nutri Bullet blenders and Magic Bullet blenders are personal single-serve blenders from the same manufacturer. One of the main differences between them is power capacity. The Magic Bullet blender is a low-power personal smoothie maker, while NutriBullet has a robust 600 W motor.

This means that while you can use the Magic Bullet device for whipping up smoothies with softer ingredients, NutriBullet will have no problem chewing through larger and stricter pieces of fruit and veggies.

On the other hand, Magic Bullet is a more compact and affordable option. It may not be capable of making nut butter, but it does well when providing you with nutritious drinks.

So if you are looking for more power and versatility, you might want to opt for the NutriBullet blender. But if all you want is a primary but reliable and budget-friendly smoothie maker, the Magic Bullet will be a better pick for you.

A blender cup full of kiwi, cucumbers, bananas, and healthy greens

Why is Nutribullet so good?

The NutriBullet blender has become quite popular with customers recently, and there is a good reason for that. First of all, it’s quite a powerful blending machine for its size (even the blender cup).

So if you dream about a personal blender that can still deliver fantastic results on a par with powerful countertop machines – NutriBullet is something you might want to consider.

Second, it’s pretty versatile. Unlike many other personal blenders, NutriBullet can do much more than making shakes and smoothies. It’s also quite good at chopping and milling, and it works great with ice and dry ingredients.

It doesn’t take a lot of space and will probably easily fit on a shelf or in one of your kitchen cabinets. Also, it’s more affordable than a sizeable high-power machine. All of these things make it a great choice. 

Conclusion

Nowadays, portable blenders are considered a must-have item, and it doesn’t seem like this trend will change dramatically. As long as people are interested in healthy eating, portable blenders will demand.

The number of options to choose from is massive, and you have to decide for yourself which features are checking the right boxes for you. No matter what you choose, you are taking a step towards a better, healthier life!

At The Home Dweller, we like to get into the details of home appliances and homestead topics. So, if you know someone that needs a portable blender, feel free to send them this article and help them out. 

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