The NutriBullet Pro 900 is the best small blender for smoothies for most people. Wirecutter has picked it for years, and it turns kale and frozen fruit drinkable with one push-and-twist control. Pick the Ninja BlendBOSS if you want a tumbler you can carry, or the NutriBullet Ultra if noise is the problem.
8 picks, best first. Price bands are from Amazon as of Oct 24, 2026.
For one smoothie a day, a personal blender is enough and quicker to clean. Very thick or frozen blends may need a shake or more liquid.
About 1 month Wirecutter’s payback estimate for the NutriBullet Pro if you’d otherwise buy a smoothie on the way to work
Most are: blend warm water and a drop of dish soap for 30 to 60 seconds, then rinse. On personal cups, pull the gasket under the blade now and then.
30 to 60 s Vitamix self-clean time, per listing
Mostly, if you check recalls and skip hot liquids. The BlendJet 2 recall covered 4.8 million units, and the maker has since gone out of business, so its free fix is gone. NutriBullet warns against blending hot ingredients in sealed cups.
329 reports of blades breaking on recalled BlendJet 2 units. Source: CPSC
Raspberry, blackberry and chia seeds are tiny and hard; only the strongest blenders grind them fully. A narrow jar helps: ATK credits the 5200’s jar for fine texture without extra air.
4 in Vitamix 5200 jar diameter. Source: America’s Test Kitchen
Best personal blender for a small kitchen
The default answer for one smoothie a day: one control, two cups, and Wirecutter’s long-running pick.
This listing comes with the 900-watt base, a 32-ounce cup, a 24-ounce cup, a flip-top travel lid and the extractor blade. Twist the blade off and rinse it; the cups go on the dishwasher’s top rack.
Sources: Wirecutter, Tom’s Guide, Saveur, The Gadgeteer
Best for protein shakes on the go
Blend in a 26 oz tumbler with a chug spout and straw. RTINGS rates it excellent for single-serve smoothies.
In the box: 1,200-peak-watt base, the 26-ounce tumbler, a leakproof lid with chug spout and detachable straw, and the CrushBlade assembly. Three Auto-iQ programs (Smoothie, Ice Crush, Blend). Parts are BPA free and dishwasher safe.
Sources: RTINGS, Tom’s Guide
Quietest personal blender
Quietest personal blender.
Listing: 1,200-watt motor, glow interface with auto smoothie and pulse, Tritan Renew cups (BPA free, dishwasher safe), titanium-coated Rapid Extractor blade.
Sources: RTINGS, NutriBullet
Cheapest personal blender with programs
Cheapest personal blender with programs.
Listing: 1,100-peak-watt base, Pro Extractor blades, two 24-ounce cups with spout lids, 2.6-foot cord, dishwasher-safe parts.
Sources: RTINGS
Best for thick smoothie bowls
The personal blender for spoon-thick bowls, thanks to a 14 oz bowl maker with a built-in tamper.
Listing: 1,200-peak-watt base, 24-ounce cup with to-go lid, 14-ounce smoothie bowl maker with built-in tamper and storage lid, Hybrid Edge blades, dishwasher-safe parts.
Specs from the Amazon listing; no independent lab test found yet.
Best-looking personal blender
Saveur picks the Beast Blender as its best-designed blender. America’s Test Kitchen’s personal blender winner is the larger Beast Mega 1200, a different model from this 1,000-watt one.
The listing we received has no bullet points, so specs beyond the 1,000-watt motor are unconfirmed here.
Listing title: 1,000-watt Beast Blender in Pebble Grey.
Sources: Saveur
New cupholder tumbler from NutriBullet
A refreshed 700-watt NutriBullet with a 21-ounce handled tumbler that fits car cupholders and an 18-ounce cup. Not yet independently tested.
It runs an auto cycle when you push and twist, which the listing says smooths most ingredients, including frozen fruit, in under a minute.
Listing: 700-watt base, twist-on extractor blade, 21-ounce tumbler with to-go lid, 18-ounce cup, dishwasher-safe parts.
Specs from the Amazon listing; no independent lab test found yet.
Cheapest three-cup set
A low-cost twist-to-blend personal blender with three cups. Not independently tested; treat it as a starter.
Fine for soft fruit and protein powder. For frozen-heavy smoothies, spend a little more on the Pro 900.
Listing: 900-watt motor, two 23-ounce cups and one 17-ounce cup with lids, suction-cup base, dishwasher-safe cups.
Specs from the Amazon listing; no independent lab test found yet.
| Blender | Type | Main jar | Cups | Tamper or bowl tool | Fits 18 in cabinets | Warranty | Price band | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NutriBullet Pro 900 | Personal | 32 oz cup | 32 + 24 oz | No | Yes | See box | Under $100 | One smoothie a day |
| Ninja BlendBOSS | Personal tumbler | 26 oz tumbler | Tumbler | No | Yes | See box | Under $100 | Commuters, gym |
| NutriBullet Ultra | Personal | Cup | Yes | No | Yes | Blade 5 yr | $100 to $250 | Quiet single serve |
| Ninja BN401 | Personal | 24 oz cups | 2 × 24 oz | No | Yes | See box | Check price | Budget shakes |
| Ninja SS101 | Personal + bowl | 24 oz cup | Yes | Bowl maker | Yes | See box | Check price | Smoothie bowls |
| Beast Blender | Personal | See listing | See listing | No | Yes | See box | $100 to $250 | Design |
| NutriBullet 700W | Personal | 21 oz | Yes | No | Yes | See box | Under $100 | Cheap tumbler |
| KOIOS 900W | Personal | 23 oz | 3 | No | Yes | See box | Under $100 | Starter |
“Check” and “See box” mean the listing doesn’t say. Price bands come from Amazon as of Oct 24, 2026; prices change.
Yes, for one or two servings. Wirecutter found the NutriBullet Pro’s blending on par with mid-range full-size blenders. They are weaker with very thick blends and can’t do hot soup.
A personal blender blends in the cup you drink from and fits under any cabinet. A full-size blender has a pitcher for batches, a tamper and often hot-soup ability.
A few cubes with liquid, yes. NutriBullet says its higher-powered personal blenders are better for regular ice and frozen fruit than the Pro.
Seat the gasket fully, don’t fill past the max line, and replace a cracked or stretched gasket. Black+Decker’s tips also say liquid first and start low.
NutriBullet says the Ultra is its quietest, with a design that produces lower-frequency sound. Tom’s Guide found the BlendBOSS louder than expected.
The BlendBOSS for blending in a tumbler; RTINGS reviewed it in 2026. The Nutri-Blender Pro BN401 if you want programs for less.
A personal blender. The NutriBullet Pro 900 is Wirecutter’s pick and takes the least counter space. The BlendBOSS is better if you carry the drink out the door. If you want Vitamix texture in a small jar, the E310 holds 48 oz.
The Ninja BN751 ships with a 72 oz pitcher and two 24 oz cups, and the NutriBullet Full-Size Combo adds 32 oz and 24 oz cups to a 64 oz pitcher. The Super Q includes one 24 oz personal cup. Sets change, so check what is in the box.