The 3 Best Portable Blenders For Smoothies

Whether you want to make smoothies on the go or you simply like the idea of a smaller appliance that’ll take up less real estate in your kitchen, the best portable blenders for smoothies are lightweight and compact, allowing you to make a delicious personal-sized smoothie in a snap. Portable blenders tend to fall under two categories, and choosing between them will depend on your needs. True portable blenders are powered by batteries that can be charged via USB cable, so you can make smoothies literally anywhere. Bullet-style blenders aren’t quite as compact — though they’re still much smaller than standard blenders — and need to be plugged into an outlet, but they’re typically more powerful and better able to handle frozen fruit or ice. Both styles of blenders usually come with helpful accessories like a travel bottle or jar that can often be used for both blending and drinking a smoothie, so be on the lookout for those.

One important spec to pay attention to when purchasing a blender is the motor’s power, which is measured in watts. Generally speaking, the higher the watts, the better, but most blenders with 300 to 500 watts of power should be able to crush ice and make blended smoothies. That said, you’ll be hard pressed to find a battery-powered blender with that much power, so just know that if you opt for the convenience, you’ll likely have to pre-cut your ingredients before loading them in.

These three blenders are all compact in size, lightweight, and easy to use. Plus, Amazon reviewers report that they’re powerful enough to make delicious and nutritious smoothies with ease.

1. A Lightweight Rechargeable Blender

For true portability, this PopBabies blender is your best bet since it’s battery-operated, lightweight (just over 1 pound!), and compact in size. But don't worry, just because this pick is the gold standard when it comes to portability doesn't mean it can't make an amazing smoothie. With more than 3,000 reviews on Amazon and a solid 4.2-star rating overall, reviewers are quite pleased with how quickly this pick blends up ingredients. And the fact that you can use the included 17-ounce bottle for both blending and drinking your smoothie is just an added plus.

This pick comes with a funnel and an ice cube tray, and you can charge it using the included USB cable. All of the parts are BPA-free, and the bottle is dishwasher-safe. The blades are made from sturdy stainless steel. Choose from four colors — black, light blue, pale pink, and white.

Enthusiastic Amazon review: "I have been looking for a literally portable blender with good price and high quality for a long time. I got this PopBabies portable blender on Monday and I was so excited and can’t wait to use it. And I must admit that this blender is definitely a perfect choice. It’s easy to use and clean. I have made a cup of orange juice, milk banana shake, and smoothie and shared it with my roommates. They also love it. More importantly, it can crush ice cubes and frozen fruits! More importantly, the USB recharging ability is great and the charge lasts for a long time when it was fully charged. And it is also so nice that it comes with a funnel and ice cube tray. I love this blender so much. Perfect product!!! This is the best blender I’ve ever had. I will definitely recommend it to my friends!!!!!"

• Power: 175 watts
• Size: 3.2 x 3.2 x 10.2 inches (length x width x height)

2. A Powerful Personal Bullet-Style Blender

With a 900-watt motor, this bullet blender from Ninja is powerful enough to blend of all your smoothie ingredients with ease — including the often-difficult stuff like frozen fruit, nuts, and ice. But don’t just take my word for it; Amazon reviewers stand by this pick, too, giving it an impressive 4.6-star rating on the site, among 4,000 and growing reviews.

The blender comes with two cups — one holds 18 ounces and the other 24 ounces — to use for both blending and drinking the smoothie. The spout lid allows you to enjoy your smoothie easily on the go.

All parts of the blender are BPA-free and safe to clean in the dishwasher. However, this pick needs to be plugged into an outlet for power.

Enthusiastic Amazon review: "I've used this blender to make a smoothie almost every weekday morning for the past two years, and it still works just as good as the day I got it. It's so easy to use - great for a quick breakfast when you've got to run out the door. I love that you can use the blender jar as a cup with the lid that comes with it. It's loud but certainly not the loudest blender I've ever had. I mostly use it to blend fresh or frozen bananas with frozen berries, always with a splash of liquid, and it never gets stuck on the frozen stuff. [...] I seriously love this thing and if it ever wears out on me, I won't hesitate to buy the exact same one again."

• Power: 900 watts
• Size: 6 x 6 x 14 inches (length x width x height)

3. An Inexpensive Bullet Blender

This bullet blender from La Reveuse is plenty powerful for smoothie-making thanks to its 300-watt motor. And best yet, it comes with an unbeatable price tag of around $20. The blender is super simple to operate: Plug in the base, press and twist the 18-ounce bottle to click it into place, and push down on the bottle to start blending. Within 15 seconds, your smoothie should be ready to drink. A flip lid snaps directly onto the blending bottle so it's easy to drink on the go.

The blender weighs just over 2 pounds, so you can certainly tote it around wherever you please (you’ll just need access to an outlet to power it). This pick features stainless steel blades and is BPA-free. It also comes with an ice tray. It's unclear whether you can throw this blender in the dishwasher for cleaning, but reviewers report that they've successfully washed the bottle portion on the top rack.

Choose from a handful color options, and even an option that comes with an extra bottle.

Enthusiastic Amazon review: "Love everything about this! For the size it is-it packs a lot of blending power. It is very easy to use and the fact it comes with the portable cup is an extra plus! Very easy to clean as well. Have not had any problems!"

• Power: 300 watts
• Size: 5 x 5 x 15.3 inches (length x width x height)