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The 11 best hand blenders tried and tested on soups, smoothies, sauces and dips
The best hand blenders (sometimes called immersion blenders or stick blenders) don’t just help you make delicious soups and smoothies: many have attachments that can whisk, chop, grate and mash your way to lump-free sauces, smooth baby food, creamy mash and crunchy slaws.
Blitzing multiple ingredients is a great way to up your healthy eating game and reach the 30 plants a week target. Fussy kids need never know you’ve hidden extra veggies in their pasta sauce if a hand blender can whizz them into a smooth, soft texture. More compact than a full-sized blender, a hand blender should be easier to store in your kitchen drawers or cabinets.
Hand blenders can be as basic or as sophisticated as you need, whether you’re a keen home cook or just want to whizz up a few smoothies. I tested hand blenders from under £50 to over £200 by leading brands including Morphy Richards, Bosch, Kenwood, Braun and more. You can read my full reviews below, followed by answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. But if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at the top five:
The best hand blenders: At a glance
How to choose a hand blender
Chef Ben Palmer, 2024 winner of the BBC’s Great British Menu, regularly uses a hand blender in his kitchen. “I choose it over similar gadgets because it doesn’t take up much space, plus it’s quick and easy,” he says. Here are a few of the most important factors to consider, according to Palmer.
Basic features
Palmer says you should look for a wide range of controllable speeds, from slow to fast. “For anything that needs aerating, such as batter or a roux, I use a high speed at a tilted angle. But if you’re making mayonnaise, it’s not always good to go fast: a moderate speed is better. Anything with lumps, such as soups, should be started at a slower speed and speeded up towards the end.”
Size
Options range from simple compact hand blenders with the blending leg only, to multifunctional hand blenders that transform into choppers for chopping veg, crushing nuts and making dips, to food processors for slicing, dicing and grating and hand mixers for beating and whisking. Which is best for you partially depends on your budget but also how ambitious you want to be in the kitchen.
Power
Essentially, the higher the power, the more easily it can blend hard or tough ingredients. The hand blenders in this test ranged from 200W to 1200 W. Rechargeable cordless hand blenders are available and we tested a few, but mains-powered models are still the most common.