The 8 Best Immersion Blenders of 2020

Best Overall: Cuisinart CSB-179 Smart Stick Hand Blender

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Cuisinart may be the most familiar name in food processors, so we’re confident in the brand's knowledge of spinning blades, no matter what size they are. This immersion blender has a button for continuous or pulse blending, and variable speed control so you can choose exactly the speed that’s right—no need to rely on a preset high and low that might not be perfect.

It comes with a jar that’s perfect for blending smoothies or making mayonnaise, a chopper attachment that’s great for making salsas, and a whisk attachment for making whipped cream or beating eggs.

Best Budget: Kitchen Aid 2-Speed Hand Blender

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This simple two-speed blender has a removable blending arm that makes cleaning easier and comes from a brand that’s much-loved when it comes to kitchen appliances and gadgets. The blender doesn’t include a lot of accessories or frills that add to the price, so it’s quite affordable despite the quality.

This does include a handy blending jar with a lid, so it can be used for storage before or after foods are blended. The soft-grip handle is easy to hold when blending, so it’s comfortable to use, no matter how much you need to blend. Like many KitchenAid products, this comes in a wide range of colors, so you can match this to your stand mixer or kitchen décor, or add a pop of crazy color to the kitchen.

Best Cordless: Cuisinart CSB-300 Rechargeable Hand Blender with Electric Knife

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Cordless immersion blenders make sense from the usage viewpoint, but they’re not as easy to manufacture since the motor needs to be strong and the battery needs to last long enough to do its job. Cuisinart has solved that problem with this 5-speed cordless blender that is advertised to run 20 minutes on a single charge. When it’s time to recharge, it has a quick-charge feature, so you’ll be back at work in no time.

This includes a whisk attachment for whipped cream and other fluffy, aerated mixes and a 4-cup measuring cup with measurement marks, a pouring spout, and a handle.

Best for Baby Food: Braun MultiQuick 5 Baby Hand Blender

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While any immersion blender can be used to puree cooked carrots and bananas, this set was created with babies in mind. This has an extra blade and larger cutting area, so purees are smoother faster.

The bell-shaped shroud over the blades keeps splashing to a minimum, so there will be less mess and less to clean up when cooking is done. This has two speeds, so you can adjust the food texture to suit your baby’s needs.

The included 1 1/2-cup chopper lets you chop as well as puree, so you can add some texture to the baby’s puree, or make some salsa for yourself at the end of the day.

This includes a 20-ounce blending beaker that’s the perfect size for the blender, so you don’t have to scramble for a jar or glass to use. You can also use the beaker for making smoothies or cocktails. A flexible silicone freezer tray lets you make and freeze up to nine portions in advance, then just pop them out and thaw or heat them when you need them.

Best for Food Processing: Breville All In One Processing Station

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While most immersion blenders are designed to mimic the functions of a blender, this one also takes on many of the functions of a food processor with a 6-cup processing bowl that is powered by the blender body. You can do more than just chop in that bowl—it even includes an adjustable slicing blade with 19 thickness settings, so you can slice potatoes for chips or carrots for soup. A reversible shredding disk lets you choose from two different shredding options, while the processor bowl’s s-blade lets you chop, blend, or puree, just like a larger food processor.

Another unique accessory is the Variable Mashing Leg that lets you choose fine, medium, or coarse mashing with the twist of the head, so you can use your immersion blender for mashing potatoes without the risk of turning them into glue.

When you’re using the immersion blender in its traditional mode, the shape of the blade housing reduces suction, so it won’t get stuck to the bottom of your containers while you blend, and it has 15 speeds, giving you greater control of the result. Ice crushing blades and a whisk attachment are included, making this an incredibly versatile appliance.

Best for Easy Cleaning: All-Clad KZ750D Stainless Steel Immersion Blender

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This may be one of the easiest immersion blenders to clean since the shaft removes from the body of the blender, then the shaft and blades are dishwasher safe so you don’t need to worry about protecting the motor from water or hand washing yet another item. The removable shaft also gives you options for storage in small spaces where the full blender might not fit as well.

Of course, cleaning doesn’t matter if the blender doesn’t perform, but you needn’t worry about that since this blender has the All-Clad name backing it up. This is a high-powered immersion blender that has a variable-speed control dial, regular and turbo modes during blending, as well as easy pulsing so you’ll have complete control of the texture of your refried beans, soups, or pureed vegetables. You can even use this for a quick chop of nuts since the blade shroud gives you plenty of space.

While this doesn’t include any accessories that you might find with other blenders, a mini chopper, and a whisk are available for purchase, if you need those options.

Best Commercial Blender for Home Use: Waring (WSB33X) 7" Light-Duty Quik Stik Immersion Blender

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Made for commercial kitchen use, but priced in line with home-use immersion blenders, this has the power to blend three gallons of soup. While this is called a light-duty blender, it’s designed for light duty in a professional kitchen environment, so it will be more than enough for your home kitchen.

This is lighter in weight than more robust commercial units, so it’s easy to hold and use. It has two speeds so you can control the texture of your food, operated with a simple button. This doesn’t come with any extras, but it’s a powerful choice for cooks who prefer commercial appliances.