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Best immersion blender 2024: top hand blenders tested by our experts

We put the best immersion blenders through their paces for tasty smoothies and delicious soups

Best immersion blender - a lifestyle image of the Vitamix Immersion Blender making pasta sauce
(Image credit: Vitamix)

If you want the perfect appliance for making delicious seasonal soups and scratch salad dressings, look no further than the best immersion blender. Also known as stick blenders or hand blenders, these lightweight, portable devices are perfect for making smoothies and fresh drinks, too. 

Immersion blenders with attachments are also fantastic for whisking heavy cream or kneading cookie dough, and while they can't do everything the more traditional buys on our best blenders list can, their small size makes them an ideal addition to a busy kitchen or a must-have for smaller kitchens with little storage space for larger appliances. 

Our list of best immersion blenders is compiled after hard-won testing. We used them to make sauces for pasta dishes and dips such as hummus and baba ganoush. We even used some of our favorite models with mini chopper attachments to chop onion and garlic. 

Best immersion blender 2024: Jump Menu

Braun MultiQuick 9 Hand Blender MQ9199X

(Image credit: Braun)

1. The list in brief ↴
2. Best overall: Braun MultiQuick 9
3. Best premium: Bamix Immersion
4. Best cordless: KitchenAid Variable Speed
5. Most versatile: KitchenAid Cordless
6. Most stylish: Smeg
7. Best budget: Cuisinart EvolutionX Cordless
8. The ones that missed the list
9. How to choose
10. How we test
11. Immersion blender FAQs

If you want the perfect appliance for making delicious seasonal soups and salad dressings from scratch, look no further than an immersion blender. Also known as stick blenders or hand blenders, these lightweight, portable devices are perfect for making smoothies and fresh drinks, too. 

Immersion blenders with attachments are also fantastic for whisking heavy cream or kneading cookie dough, and while they can't do everything the more traditional buys on our best blenders list can, their small size makes them an ideal addition to a busy kitchen or a must-have for smaller kitchens with little storage space for larger appliances. 

Our list of best immersion blenders is compiled after lots of testing. We used them to make sauces for pasta dishes and dips such as hummus and baba ganoush. We even used some of our favorite models with mini chopper attachments to chop onion and garlic. After considering price, warranty, and value for money, these are the best immersion blenders you can buy. 

The quick list

If you're keen to get blending, here's the high-speed headlines for these immersion blenders. We go into more detail further down the buying guide.

The best immersion blenders we recommend in 2024

You can trust Homes & Gardens. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing the latest products, helping you choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

The best immersion overall

1. Braun MultiQuick 9 Hand Blender with Imode Technology

Powerful, versatile, perfect

Specifications

Attachments: Blending wand, whisk, masher, 20oz beaker, ice chopper
Power: 700W
Speeds: 3
Weight: 2lb.
RRP: $159.95

Reasons to buy

+
Plenty of attachments
+
Powerful motor
+
Less suction and risk of splashing
+
Flexible blending shaft

Reasons to avoid

-
One of the most expensive options on the market

The Braun MultiQuick 9 Immersion Hand Blender comes with a variety of attachments: a blending wand, whisk, and masher for making creamy potatoes and pure and a 2- Cup Chopper with Ice Crush Knife for crushed ice.

The blending wand is particularly innovative, with an easily-controlled flexible blending shaft that moves up and down with the press of a button to have even more reach around your bowl or pitcher as you blend. In our testing, this is the immersion blender that packed the most power, hands-down. It won on our soup consistency tests, and it also made some of the speediest and smoothest pestos of the machines we tested. 

It's a mixed bag though, with the whisk taking one of the longest times to create stiff peaks from egg whites. This was also pretty flimsy in comparison to models from KitchenAid. The mashed potato maker worked well, but we found that it jammed unless we fully peeled our potatoes. 

The pitcher is 20oz and the attachments are safe for dishwashing. You can also make the most of the splash control technology, which cuts down on suction and therefore reduces the risk of splashing when blending wet ingredients for soups and smoothies. 

Read more: Braun MultiQuick Immersion Hand Blender review 

The best premium immersion blender

Everything about this is premium

Specifications

Attachments: Three blades, stand, bowl
Power: 120 V
Speeds: 2
Weight: 2.86 lbs

Reasons to buy

+
Range of super-sharp blades
+
Really quick to whizz up soup
+
Consistent results
+
Convenient docking station

Reasons to avoid

-
Not dishwasher safe
-
Blades are fiddly

Bamix are well-known for their excellent blenders, and this is exactly why they have a stella reputation.

On test, it blended tomatoes and onions into a perfect tomato sauce for pizzas, made a silky smooth hummus and a delicious carrot soup. It also made a great smoothie, so if you can't stretch to the budget of a full-size blender, this could be a cost-saving alternative. It comes with a handy stand to hold the blender when it's not in use and you'll get a spice grinder (which I used for nut butter) and a range of blades. 

However, bear in mind that this immersion blender isn't dishwasher safe. We felt a little nervous changing the blades to begin with, but quickly worked it out.

Read more: Bamix Immersion Blender review

The best cordless immersion blender

Best cordless immersion blender

Specifications

Attachments: Chopper, blender, whisk, scratch-resistant cap
Power: 180W
Weight: 3lb.
Number of Speeds: Variable
RRP: $59.99

Reasons to buy

+
Pan guard included 
+
Variable speed trigger
+
Plenty of colors
+
Blending cup comes with a lid

Reasons to avoid

-
More comfortable for right-handed users
-
Trigger control can make it hard to keep consistent speed

Immersion blenders don't always work well with non-stick pans because they can scuff up the coating with their metal blending wands. Enter the KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender, which has a plastic cover dubbed a pan guard that keeps the 8" removable blending arm with a 4-point stainless steel blade far away from the base of your pan to give you some extra peace of mind when cooking.

We found in testing that this immersion blender was a little more comfortable for our right-handed tested than our left-handed tester. It did second-best in our soup blending test, with very seamless blending and the variable blending paddle coming in helpful to start smoothly before amping up the power. 

The 3-cup blending jar comes with a lid, perfect for storing sauces or soup in the fridge, and we were taken with the style of the design which could slot easily into any kitchen, with a number of colors to choose from. 

Read more: KitchenAid Variable Speed corded hand blender review

The best cordless immersion blender

4. KitchenAid Cordless Variable Speed Hand Blender

For cord-free blending with lots of attachments too

Specifications

Attachments: Chopper, blender, whisk, scratch-resistant cap
Power: Lithium ion battery
Weight: 2.4lb
Settings: Variable
RRP: $159.99

Reasons to buy

+
Takes only 2 hours to charge
+
Variable speed trigger
+
Plenty of colors
+
Comes with a chopper, pitcher, and more

Reasons to avoid

-
Battery life is limited to 20 minutes

The KitchenAid Cordless Variable Speed Hand Blender liberates even the best immersion blenders of a cord. 

It takes only two hours to charge this immersion blender to its full 20-minute run time. The attachments are generous, too. There's a jug with a 4-cup capacity, as well as a mini chopper and whisk. 

Great touches include the scratch-resistant cap for the blender head and the variable speed trigger. We really liked the blending cup, which has a lid with a removable insert so you can add your blending attachment to make mayonnaise or sauces without any splashing or mess. 

This immersion blender also comes in a range of colors including black, red, blue velvet, and white. Our best portable blender guide has more examples. 

This immersion blender is with our testers and these are our initial thoughts

The most stylish immersion blender

5. Smeg Hand Immersion Blender with Accessories

If you're searching for style, look no further

Specifications

Attachments: Blending wand, whisk, blender jug, masher, guard, food chopper
Power: 350 w
Weight: 4 lbs
Settings: Two speeds
Dimensions: 2.56"D x 2.56"W x 16.31"H
RRP: $189.95

Reasons to buy

+
Lots of useful attachments
+
Looks beautiful
+
Easy to hold
+
Two speeds

Reasons to avoid

-
Lots of accessories to store
-
High price tag

Smeg are always supremely stylish and luxurious. Their hand blender ticks all the boxes for someone who is looking to kit out a luxury kitchen, as well as those who need a hard-working appliance too.

Laura, one of our expert testers, bought this when she moved into an urban apartment. She's been using it continuously for over half a year and says that it's the most used appliance in her kitchen; it's compact and incredibly competent. The food chopper is fantastic for everything from hummus to oat flour. She's also found the whisk and mashing functions extremely useful alongside the blender jug too. Each accessory covers a range of kitchen functions as if it were designed for purely that use. 

The only thing we could fault was how well it blended smoothies compared to the best blenders on the market. Although this was generally excellent, when it needed to really chop up spinach, there was still some crunch left behind.

The accessories are all really useful, but they require more storage space. Smeg offer cable storage and some pieces slot together, but Laura has still had to devote some considerable cupboard space to storing hers.

Laura has a review for this blender coming soon

The best immersion blender for budgets

6. Cuisinart EvolutionX Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender

Proof that a competent, cordless blender doesn't need to cost the earth

Specifications

Attachments: Blending wand, whisk, blender
Power: 7.4 volts of lithium ion
Weight: 2.35lb.
Settings: No variable speeds
RRP: $79.95

Reasons to buy

+
Cordless control
+
Powerful whisking
+
Reasonably priced
+
It's easy to switch out attachments
+
Only takes 2 hours to recharge

Reasons to avoid

-
Safety lock is fiddly

Pick the Cuisinart EvolutionX Cordless Rechargeable Hand Blender if you want a cordless hand blender that doesn't cost the earth. It's surprisingly well priced given its premium looks and powerful lithium-ion motor. When we used it to make soup the blender didn't give us the smoothest consistency overall, but it handled a variety of ingredients very well and was one of the fastest to reach stiff peaks when we used the whisk attachment on egg whites. 

The freedom of cordless immersion blenders is something you'll never realize you needed, but it means you can move around your entire kitchen and even blend your soups directly in the pot you cooked them in, with far easier cleaning after, too. The 30oz blending cup is large enough to make a morning smoothie, and it has a 20-minute runtime with only 2 hours of charging time. 

In testing our one gripe was the safety lock, which certainly keeps the immersion blender a lot safer, but needs to be re-activated even if you momentarily take your finger off the trigger. 

This immersion blender is with our testers and these are our initial thoughts

The ones that missed the list

We don't want to overwhelm you with choice, but if you didn't quite find what you were looking for, here are three more options that we tested and loved.

How to choose the best immersion blender for you:

Finding the best immersion blender is all about knowing what you need to use it for. While we were taken by some multi-taskers, there is no point in buying an immersion blender with a mini blender or masher attachment if you don't plan on using it. That's especially the case if you're paying a premium for the added attachments. 

Some will already have machines in the home that are designed to take the place of these attachments, and many food processors also come with mini chopper attachments, so take a good look at what you already have, from a hand mixer to an extra-large jug for blending into, and then evaluate what is missing from your kitchen or needs replacing. 

Power is important, so take a look at what motor power is. While soups blend up very easily, and heavy cream won't take much power to whip up nicely, there is a case to be made for opting for a powerful model if you intend of making purees, dips, or thick sauces. 

How we tested these immersion blenders

Cuisinart EvolutionX Cordless Hand Blender

(Image credit: Future)

At Homes & Gardens, we put a lot of thought into how we test, and for our best immersion blender guide we decided to bring our candidates into our testing facility and compare them side-by-side. 

There was a lot of discussions about which soup would be best suited to seeing how capable an immersion blender is, and we settled on a humble English pea and mint soup. Peas come with small but noticeable skins, and mint can be quite a harsh herb to blend, so we felt that we would be able to taste the difference in power and effectiveness with this recipe. We cooked up a big batch, divided it between all of the blenders, and ran them for the same amount of time before doing a blind taste-test to see which was the smoothest.

Not all immersion blenders come with added attachments, but we tested those that did. Whisks were tested with egg whites, seeing how long it would take for the whisk to create stiff peaks of an equal amount of egg white in each test. When an immersion blender came with a mini chopper, we used that to make a pesto. Some came out like a smooth sauce and others like a roughly chopped dip, which could be good or bad depending on what you plan on cooking. 

We also took into account how easy the products were to clean, and how it felt to use them. 


Immersion blender FAQs

How does an immersion blender work?

An immersion blender consists of a shaft with blades at one end. Its motor drives the blades round. It’s designed to be immersed into a liquid – for example a soup or sauce in a pan – hence the name, and is therefore different from a food processor with a bowl into which liquids are poured for blending. As you are holding the blender you can move it around in the liquid as necessary to ensure blending is even.  

What does an immersion blender do?

Use an immersion blender for one-pot cooking on the stovetop. It can be used to blend soups, for example. But it’s also useful for making fruit smoothies or milkshakes. An immersion blender can also be used to make pesto or purée a tomato sauce for your pasta dishes. Consider using it to speed up tasks such as beating eggs, making pancake batter and whipping cream. And an immersion blender can also be used for making baby food. 

Braun MQ9199XL alongside immersion blenders from cuisinart and kitchenaid

Assessing immersion blenders in our test kitchen

(Image credit: Future / Millie Fender)

What is the purpose of an immersion blender?

The purpose of an immersion blender is to – you’ve guessed it – blend, but also to whisk, chop, mash and even chop ice if your model comes with these attachments. It can be used for many of the same tasks a standard blender is kept on hand in the kitchen for. It’s a handheld blender (which is the name sometimes used) so that you can put the blades into a pot of soup on the stove, or a glass or other container in which you want to make a smoothie or a milkshake, for example.

Will an immersion blender scratch a Dutch oven?

An immersion blender shouldn’t scratch a Dutch oven. The reason is that’s it’s typically designed so the blades don’t make contact with the bottom of the pan. However, that said it is possible to touch the bottom or the sides of a Dutch oven with the blades, so be sure to use it carefully in the center to avoid this happening.

Will an immersion blender scratch pots?

While an immersion blender is generally designed to avoid the problem of the blades coming into contact with the bottoms of pots, it is possible for this to happen. It is therefore important to use it carefully to avoid making contact with the bottom or sides of a pot with the blades. Hold it high enough to avoid scratching the base of the pot.

KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender

Directly comparing immersion blenders

(Image credit: Future/Millie Fender)

Can an immersion blender replace a food processor?

An immersion blender could replace a food processor. Depending on the model and its attachments, an immersion blender could perform tasks such as blending, whisking and chopping. However, immersion blenders can't slice, grind, or knead, but a food processor can. 

A food processor takes up more room in storage, whether that’s on the countertop or in a cabinet. A handheld immersion blender, on the other hand, takes up a lot less room because it doesn’t come with a bowl for the ingredients you need to blend.

Can an immersion blender replace a hand mixer?

An immersion blender can replace a hand mixer in your kitchen with the right attachment. An immersion blender shouldn’t be your choice of appliance for folding, or creating bread doughs, for example. That’s because an immersion blender has blades that cut the ingredients on which it’s used. However, a whisk attachment means you can whip cream, which replaces a hand mixture. 

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Laura Honey
eCommerce Editor

Laura is our eCommerce editor. As a fully qualified barista, she's our expert in all things coffee and has tested over thirty of the best coffee makers on the market. She has also interviewed Q-Graders and world-leading experts in the coffee industry, so has an intimate knowledge of all things coffee. Before joining Homes & Gardens, she studied English at Oxford University. Whilst studying, she trained as a master perfumer and worked in the luxury fragrance industry for five years. Her collection of home fragrance is extensive and she's met and interviewed five of the world's finest perfumers (also known as 'noses'). As a result of this expansive fragrance knowledge, she always puts quality and style over quantity and fads. Laura looks for products which have been designed simply and with thoughtful finishes.  

With contributions from