Top 10 Portable Blenders Reviewed
James
If you are interested in juicing, blending, or mixing up supplements at the gym, a portable blender may be right up your alley. Plenty of people are putting an end to the traditional shaker bottles and moving over to the portable blender for that smooth, frothy, and cool finish that you look for in your daily drinks.
The positives of these on the go outweigh the negatives. The compact design of these products allows you to have a delicious snack where ever you are! You can use them as portable smoothie blenders and hide them right in your desk at work, pack them away in your gym bag for your pre-workout drinks or post-workout drink, or you can simply create a healthy snack at home for one. Most of the best portable blenders on our list do not require a daily charge and get you through any meal!
This is the best product on our list that is currently in stock:
Lightweight
Six stainless steel blades
2,180 RPM motor
Anti-leak design
10 Best Protein Shaker Bottles
1. InstaShaker
1600 RPM motor
USB Port
BPA free
Easy clean
Can not crush ice or fruit
The InstaSkaker features a powerful 1600 RPM motor. It creates a vortex that will dissolve any lumpiness in your protein powder. You get a frothy drink that's easy to pound down when you need it.
Read moreThe protein shaker comes with a USB charger and cable, so you don't have to worry about changing batteries. It comes apart for easy cleaning. Instashaker offers a 12-month warranty in case something goes wrong; the design and materials are durable enough that we don't think anything will.
The food-grade material used in the construction of this bottle is BPA free and provides the same level of safety you'd get with a baby bottle. This protein shaker is easy to pull apart for cleaning, and strong enough not to break if you drop. You can also put the blender and blades in the dishwasher.
This protein shaker can be used for both hot and cold drink mixes. The blades are not strong enough to cut fruit or crunch ice, though. You can only use this product for powders and liquid but serves its purpose well as one of the best portable blenders on our list!
2. PopBabies
22000 RPM Motor
Detachable design
BPA Free
Free ice tray
Drinking from bottle a little awkward
This cute, efficient mini blender has a detachable blend chamber that you can use as a bottle to drink your protein shake as soon as you make it.
Read moreThe unit uses rechargeable lithium batteries and comes with a USB port for juicing up. PopBabies designed the blender for convenience and portability. The 7.4-volt motor is a behemoth for something this small, spinning the blades at an impressive 22,000 RPM. You can crunch ice, frozen fruits, veggies, or even seeds--all at once if you’d like to.
Construction materials are food grade and BPA free for safety. You can blend baby food with this unit. You get a free ice cube tray with your purchase. The secure lid helps keep the bottle leak resistant. The PopBabies mini blender can mix hot liquids as well as cold ones.
The PopBabies is stylish, strong, and remarkably convenient. We think it will soon become an indispensable part of your daily routine.
3. OrderGo
Lightweight
Six stainless steel blades
2,180 RPM motor
Anti-leak design
Smaller Cup
The OrderGo is something you can toss in your gym bag and forget about it until it’s time to use it. This sturdy little unit won’t get banged around or damaged in your bag, backpack, satchel or purse.
Read moreThis one features six tough stainless steel blades connected to a powerful 2,180 RPM motor. It can blend fruits and vegetables, along with protein powder, to produce a consistent smoothie every time and deliver the protein you need to turn and burn.
This product has a 14.3 ounce/422 ml capacity and can be used up to twenty times on full charge. The OrderGo body has an anti-leak design, and the cup comes with silicone to make sure it won’t leak. This lightweight dynamo is clean, durable, effective, and safe.
The bottle is lightweight and fits easily into your hand or onto the blender body. It is BPA free and dishwasher safe.
4. Gourmia GBJ190 Immersion
Handheld operation
Stick design
Stainless steel rod and blade
Free 500 ml sports bottle and lid
Can't blend ice
This stout little blending machine features an ergonomic comfort grip handle and a stick blender you can rinse off and use to stir up dinner.
Read moreIt is a versatile general purpose blender and fitness drink mixer all in one package. You can mix a protein shake in the detachable bottle body, then take that part with you to the gym. The stick mixer, without the bottle, does double duty in the kitchen. With this portable blender there are fewer parts to keep track of, as you can leave the actual blender part at home when you head to the gym.
The dial has six-speed settings, but this is a seven-speed blender, which is a bit confusing. The highest setting is turbo mode, which is past six but not marked as seven.
The stick blender is stainless steel, with a 300-watt motor to grind out a shake with the perfect consistency each time.
All of Gourmia's blenders are ETL certified for safety and quality. All of these great benefits make this product one of the best portable blenders on our list!
5. PROMiXX 2.0 (2019 Model) Vortex
12,000 rpm motor
Ergonomic design
12 month warranty
Stainless steel design
AAA batteries can't be charged
The Promixx vortex has a sleek modern look, with a sturdy 12,000 RPM motor under the hood. Not only that, it offers a sleek design that allows it to be stylish and also easy to transport! Throw this portable smoothie maker in your bag and make smoothies at your desk, all day!
Read moreThis bladeless one boasts an athlete tested ergonomic handle design that fits naturally into your hand for pouring. A motor-powered vortex does the work of blending your powder, with no blades to need cleaning. The removable bottle is impact and odor resistant, certified BPA, and DEHP free.
The mixer is quieter and weighs less than its bladed counterparts. It charges for on the go use with an included USB charger. The unit does not have an AC power cord for plugging into a wall. You can mix cocktails, baby food, eggs, and, of course, your favorite workout drink with the vortex mixer.
The ProMixx cleans easily with warm water, and a bit of detergent dropped into the blend chamber. Power it on, and the vortex does the internal cleaning for you. This product includes a one year warranty with your purchase.
6. Cozibot Travel
Abundant safety features
Quick charging
Portable and compact
Attractive design
Can only crush ice cubes the size of the included tray
This rechargeable miniature shake and smoothie factory let you stay powered up even when you are traveling with a modernistic bullet design.
Read moreThe entire unit can fit in most car cup holders. It comes with a carrying bag, or you can toss it in your gym bag. The finish, in a pleasant mint green shade, is durable enough to avoid damage. You get the full range of juicer and mixer options, with the ability to blend ice for cold drinks as well as seeds, veggies, and frozen fruits. Cozibot promises a thirty-second crush time against any material.
It is something you can use in the gym and away from it. Between uses, cleaning the Cozibot is simple. The base and mixing chamber come apart for hand washing with warm water and detergent.
Cozibot packed an array of safety features into this compact unit that's less than nine inches tall. The switch won't start until the lid is closed. Plastics and other materials are BPA free. Food grade parts mean you can use this to feed babies. The battery is protected from both overcharge and rapid discharge, and silicone gaskets make sure the lid is watertight.
7. Oberly
Easy operation
Rechargeable battery
Lightweight
Compact
Charges a bit slow
This is a single serving, fast-acting, 13 ounce capacity blender with batteries that recharge through a USB port.
Read moreThe unit takes between two and three hours to charge fully. After that, you can get around 10 blended drinks before the unit needs another charge. If you need something before you hit the gym, or for recovery afterward, this is more than enough to meet your needs.
Safety features include an interlock that won't let the motor start if any of the pieces are not snapped in place. Operation is smooth; you can add in your ingredients and turn the unit on. There are also temperature sensors to prevent the blender from overheating during heavy use.
The Oberly is also a multi-use product on the list, crunching ice, veggies, and frozen fruits if smoothies are your thing. All materials are food grade and BPA free. A 3.7-volt motor powers the six-pointed blade. The lightweight unit is just nine inches tall, portable enough to be your new sidekick.
8. BlendJet
Portable
Four cutting blades
Easy to clean
Fast charge
Can't crunch ice
The BlendJet is a pretty standard lower priced battery powered blender, with fruit and protein powder mixing capabilities via four blades.
Read moreThis product charges on a USB cord, and the charge is good for between 8 and 12 mixed drinks, according to manufacturing information. There are four sharp steel blades, allowing the blender to power through powder or soft ingredients. You wash the blender by separating the base from the bottle.
BlendJet bases its designs on a survey of fitness blender owners. The blending chamber is a removable seventeen-ounce bottle, small enough to fit in any car cup holder.
The BlendJet one comes with a 3-year guarantee from the manufacturer. It comes in one color, which is blue. BlendJet has a fun website where you can find different drink recipes to try!
9. Hamilton Beach
Hamilton Beach is a trusted brand
Detachable cup
Easy to operate
Dishwasher clean
Chopper blades not included
You can get one of these products with or without both an extra jar and an extra lid. This product powerful enough to chew through the ice to make chilled drinks, smoothies, or milkshakes! The impressive blades will withstand most materials so that you can use it over and over without having to worry about dulling the blades! That is why this product ended up on our best ten!
Read moreThe Hamilton Beach portable blender lets you make protein drinks, smoothies, juices, purees, and even baby food with fast one-touch operation. The 14-ounce blend chamber detaches so you can grab it on the way out the door. You can run the blade and lid through the dishwasher together. The BPA free unit is light, compact, and ready for your fitness adventures.
If you live in a small space, you could save a lot of counter space with Hamilton Beach. The measured pulse delivers consistent drinks every time, with a shake or smoothie feel according to what you use for ingredients. Open lines on the jar front let you mix powder and liquid to your exact specifications.
Though we've written up the single-serve, Hamilton offers a smaller version, and a stainless steel one, along with a full size powered one in the same product line. The unit we've reviewed is 12 inches high and weighs two pounds when assembled.
10. Cusinaid Personal Smoothie Blender
Lightweight
20 ounce detachable bottle
Easy operation
Non slip feet
Not clear if machine can safely cut ice
This compact option is powered by a 24,000 RPM motor, with a 20 ounce plastic blend chamber that doubles as a water bottle. The Cusinaid Portable Smoothie Blender will make any drinks that your tummy desires!
Read moreThe lid has a safety feature that will not let the four blades start until the lid is snapped firmly in place. It is good to have if you are allowing young kids or teens to share your blender. The blender will shut itself off after two minutes to prevent overheating. We can't imagine why anyone would make it run that long, though, as the chopping and blending would finish long before then.
The locking blades are protected by a lid designed not to leak. The feet are suction cups to keep the personal option stable and attached at all times. The bottom base is designed to reject heat safely, although there is an interlock to shut off the blender if it overheats.
The dishwasher safe goes bottle is a generous twenty ounces made of BPA free plastic. Cusinaid offers a one year warranty on the product.
Criteria Used for Evaluation
Battery Life
if it's lightweight and portable, but it still needs power, battery life matters.
While reviewing the best portable blender options, we noticed that the lower end models, the less expensive ones with fewer special features, used AA batteries. These batteries are useful, but they begin losing power the minute you install them. It means replacing the batteries, very often. It isn't hard, and you can typically tell when a portable blender is running low on battery power, but it still may not be cost-effective to save money now and always have to buy batteries throughout the life of the product.
Most of the protein shaker bottles we looked at, though, had batteries you can charge. Often, these products are described as USB options. Charging this product, if you use it daily, is just as easy as charging your phone or tablet. You may find yourself in a place where there are no charging ports, while away from home, but those places are getting more and rarer these days.
A lot of these come close to bypassing the battery issue entirely. They are the ones with removable blend chambers. If your drink is already blended when you leave the house, you won't have to worry about batteries. It's good to see manufacturers adapting to customer demands and introducing innovations that then become industry standards.
Durability
A portable blender has to house and protect a lot of moving parts in a small shell.
Manufacturer's warranties are a good rule of thumb for gauging durability. A company offering a 30-day guarantee may not be as confident in its product as one that comes with a year warranty. So when you are shopping for a portable smoothie blender, it is a good idea to look at what each product can offer you in terms of confidence as well as price.
Other factors that go into durability include materials and anti-leak measures. Any product that leaks are a product that nobody wants to use. Silicone gaskets, snap-on lid tops, and quality plastic blend chambers all help prevent leakage. Steel blades are the industry standard, but how long will the blades on these products stay sharp? And can you sharpen them? If not, can you buy replacement blades, or do you have to buy a new one? These are smart questions to ask.
Ease of Use
Mini blenders don't get very complicated, but there are still some ease of use consideration.
We've mentioned water bottle blend chambers before, but we are coming back because they can be substantial.
Most of us want a portable or single protein shaker, in the first place, for speed and convenience. We may have an older style glass pitcher sized protein shaker around somewhere, but we don't want to lug that out every time we need a fitness drink. The single-serving shaker means you can always make an exact amount, and the water bottle models expect you can take part of it with you. With a larger one, you would be washing both it and your drink cup out later.
On/off switches are essential, too. Some of them have to be held down through the whole blend cycle, while others you can press and trust the auto-stop. You may find standing and holding the button inefficient or just tedious. Since this is your investment, designed to suit your life, the type of switch could be a deciding factor when looking through the best portable blenders.
Effectiveness
Effectiveness is not always objective or easy to measure.
Effectiveness, past the primary chopping function of any product, becomes a matter of personal taste and individual needs.
If you are interested mainly in smoothies and shakes, you will need a product that can handle ice, veggies, frozen fruit, or perhaps even nuts and seeds. Anything less would be ineffective.
If your sole purpose is to mix sports powders into pre or post-workout drinks, you may be interested in a water mixer. These do not have any blades to go wrong or need replacing. A simple one, just a step or two up from a protein shaker bottle, will be all you need.
Besides the personal factors, every one of these needs a good motor, the ability to charge quickly and hold a charge, and a consistent outcome, with smooth drinks as desired.
Weight
Nearly all these blenders are designed for when you're on the go.
There are not any heavy portable options.
We still considered weight, though, because we didn't want our readers getting caught up in an abundance of features, not realizing that all those features could add weight or bulk and make the protein shaker harder to carry.
If you only ever plan on using the product at home, the weight will not be necessary. Typically, if you are going that route, you will opt for one with a water bottle blend chamber. Today's plastics aren't lighter than air, but the cup won't weigh much more than what you drink from it.
Expert Interviews & Opinions
Battery Life Durability Ease of Use Effectiveness Weight
If you have done much home appliance shopping, you may have noticed there were both food processors and blenders in the same shelf area. While these two appliances serve similar needs, they are not the same.
Blenders are usually only powerful enough to mix liquids and powders. Their effect is similar to stirring a drink with a spoon, but faster and more powerful so the ingredients won't separate and none of the powder will settle.
Food processors are tough and hardy. They are the workhorses of kitchen cooking. With its bigger motor and different blade design, a food processor can cut through seeds, nuts, veggies, ice chunks, and even dough as if it were never there. It is what you would need to use a puree.
When it comes to actual cooking and meal prep, you will probably need a food processor. You can use a blender to make smoothies, juices, and sometimes dressings.
In recent years, though, portable blenders have given the mighty food processor a run for its money. A unit half as big as an older food processor--or even smaller--might be able to chop semisolids as well as any processor. The disadvantage with a blender like this is that you would have a hard time making a meal with it.
We all know that a portable blender can give you a finer consistency drink, in less time, than a bottle with a shaker ball would. Many times, you may have made your protein potion, only to finish your workout and find that half the powder was stuck to the bottom of the bottle.
But protein shaker bottles are not ready to go extinct just yet.
Protein shaker bottles are less expensive than portable blenders. For someone just getting into weightlifting, who isn't planning on making any complicate smoothies, this may be just the thing. You can't break the ice in a shaker bottle, but you can use it to keep your drink cold. Down the road, a beginner can decide if they need a portable blender or not.
Protein shaker bottles have fewer parts to break down, overheat or need replacing. They are easier to clean, usually just having a cup, sip lid, and metal ball. Batteries never need changing. You don't have to worry about losing your cup and ending up with just the base--if you lose the shaker cup, you lose the whole thing! And, of course, the protein shaker bottle will be cheaper to replace.
Other Factors to Consider
Use
Each entry on our top ten list only needed to do one thing well: mix protein or other workout powders into the liquid of the user's choice. Everything else was just gravy.
But everybody likes gravy, so we also considered whether the unit could handle ice, veggies, frozen fruit, seeds, or nuts. Many of them can. If you can get one of these heavier-duty units, for close to the same price as a powder only one, it may be worth it to have all those other options.
Capacity
None of the detachable bottles we looked at could hold more than 20 ounces. If they got much bigger, they wouldn't be portable anymore.
Some held as little as 12 ounces.
We considered capacity but did not give any units low ratings for having lower capacities. Everyone's needs are different. The bigger a bottle gets, the harder it is to keep in your cup holder. You may need something you can carry in your hand for walking or running, and a large capacity bottle is too cumbersome. We have tried to provide enough information for you to decide how much liquid is right for you and how much isn't.
Frequently Asked Questions
q: Are speed settings important on a portable Blender?
It depends on what you are blending, but, typically our answer is no. If you were buying something bigger, for kitchen use, speed and consistency settings would be vital if you wanted to follow recipes. But for something you will use to make a recovery drink or even a smoothie, you need something that will be more efficient than stirring or shaking.
q: Can I use this product for hot drinks?
We do not recommend using any small bottle for hot liquids unless the manufacturer specifically says you can. Too much heat can cause the inner components to wear down more quickly. Coffee, especially, can stain the inside of the blend chamber and affect the flavor of drinks. And unless your product has a locking lid, there is a burn danger if hot liquid sprays out of the top. Also, the gaskets used in the lids are not always rated for hot liquids. Even if they don't spray, the heat can cause leaks that will get worse over time.
q: How does a vortex mixer work, if there are no blades?
First of all, it is essential to remember that vortex mixers are only active for blending liquids. The water shooting through the chamber will dissolve your powder with its pressure, but no consumer vortex mixer can crush something like a pea.
The vortex mixer has a motor in the base that transmits its rotating energy into a vortex or whirlpool inside the chamber. There are usually small blades, like on a windmill, that is responsible for agitating the water and creating the pressure that will blend your ingredients.
The water pressure is also enough to blend liquid soap, making many vortex mixers self-cleaning.
q: Can't I crush smaller ice cubes in a portable blender that says it can't do ice?
You can, but this is likely to burn out the motor, dull or break the blades, and void the warranty. If you want a small unit that can handle ice but don't plan on making elaborate smoothies or juices, you may wish to buy one that has its ice cube tray. The ice you make in this tray will be the maximum safe size for your product of choice.
q: I see that nearly all these products with plastic parts are rated BPA free. What are BPAs again?
BPA, or bisphenol A, is a chemical additive that naturally makes plastics stronger when added in the manufacturing process.
BPAs were standard in plastic products of all kinds for decades. Since the early 2000s, scientists and health care professionals became concerned because BPA does not entirely bond with plastic when it is added. Some of the BPA stays in the product's contents, where it can leak into food, drink, or even your skin. Some of the ones on our list are BPA free.
Studies have indicated, though not conclusively shown, that BPA can cause infertility, certain forms of cancer, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and other serious health effects.
For this reason, many consumers and manufacturers steer clear of BPA. Safe exposure levels are still unclear. Canada, China, the EU, and a few other countries have already banned the additives.
Sources
- , Smooth operator: What can you do with a blender versus a food processor?, Electronics Reviews Site
- , Blender Safety, Educational Website
- , Blender FAQ, Kitchen Equipment Site
