10 best immersion blenders in 2026 (725+ compared)

The best immersion blenders commonly cost about £40-£90, while the full market runs from £10 to £1,000. At the lower end of that band you already get 700 W, several speeds and a four-point blade, as on the Steba MX 40. Paying towards £90 buys a stainless shaft that copes with boiling soup, smoother speed control and a fuller set of attachments rather than a far stronger motor.

Below £30, models such as the Tristar MX-4850 run on about 250–350 W with two speeds and no extras. They purée cooked vegetables fine but labour in nut butters and thick batters. Commercial blenders at around £860 and above are a different class, with long shafts and motors built to run for hours in catering kitchens.

The chart below shows the price distribution of immersion blenders.

The best immersion blenders usually run on 600–1,000 W and spin their blades at about 13,000–16,000 rpm. Watts show how hard the motor pushes before it slows in thick food. Rpm sets how fast the blade cuts once it moves freely. A strong model holds its speed when you push it into chickpeas for hummus, and that is where the extra watts pay off.

Top speed matters less than it sounds. Soups and smoothies turn smooth at around 10,000 rpm when the blade shape is right. Professional machines prove it: the Robot Coupe MP 600 turns at just 9,500 rpm on an 850 W motor and still handles big stockpots, because torque counts more than raw speed.

For soups, purées, mayonnaise and smoothies, 700–800 W covers everything you need. Frozen fruit, nut butters and doughy batters reward a motor of 1,000 W or more. Below 400 W, motors bog down in anything thicker than cooked carrots.

How does stepless variable speed control differ from multi-speed buttons and turbo mode?

Stepless control lets you pick any speed between minimum and maximum, through a dial or a trigger that speeds up the harder you press. Multi-speed models give you fixed steps instead, from 2 buttons on cheap blenders to dials with 6–12 notches. Pressure triggers, as on many Braun models, let you start slowly in a tall beaker and ramp up without changing grip. That cuts splashing sharply when you whip cream or blend hot soup.

Turbo is a separate button that runs the motor at full power whatever the speed setting. On a 12-step dial set to step 3, one press gives a short burst for the last lumps of nuts or fibrous ginger, then you let go and drop back. With a stepless trigger, a full squeeze already reaches top speed, so turbo adds little. For baby food and sauces, a slow start of around 3,000–5,000 rpm matters more than any turbo.

No, corded immersion blenders remain the better buy for most kitchens. A mains motor delivers a steady 800 W or more for as long as you blend, while a battery model runs for about 20–30 minutes per charge and rarely matches mains torque. That is enough for a pot of soup but weak for nut butter or frozen fruit. Corded models also cost less for the same blending power.

Cordless models make sense when your socket is far from the hob or you move between the stove and the table. Quick jobs suit them too, such as a protein shake or a small portion of baby food. A full charge often takes 2–3 hours, so you have to plan ahead before a big cooking session.

The most useful extras are a chopper bowl, a whisk and a measuring beaker, and together they replace a small food processor. Mid-range blenders usually ship with two of them. A tall beaker of about 600–800 ml keeps splashes in and fits the shaft snugly. The chopper handles onions, herbs and nuts, while the whisk whips cream and egg whites.

Bigger kits add a potato masher, slicing and grating discs or a vacuum pump for storage containers. The Steba MX 40 comes with 7 accessories, a lot for a mid-price model. Sets like this turn the blender into a compact prep station, but every extra piece needs a drawer.

A sensible set for most kitchens is beaker, whisk and a 400–600 ml chopper. A masher only earns its space if you make mash every week. A firm click-on fit matters more than the number of pieces, because a loose coupling wobbles at full speed and wears out fast.

How do food choppers, whisks, and potato mashers expand stick blender capabilities?

A chopper bowl turns your stick blender into a mini food processor, a whisk lets it whip, and a masher lets it make mash that stays fluffy. The chopper is a 350–750 ml bowl with its own S-shaped blade, and it chops an onion in 3–5 pulses or grinds nuts in about 15 seconds. The whisk attachment has a small gearbox that slows the motor to a few hundred rpm for cream, egg whites and light batters.

The masher is the most specialised piece. A spinning blade would release starch and leave a gluey paste, so the masher pushes potatoes through a perforated disc at low speed instead. Together the three cover jobs that would otherwise need a food processor, a hand mixer and a ricer. A small chopper still has limits: past about 200 g of meat or a full bag of nuts, you have to work in batches.

The easiest blenders combine a two-step safety lock, a slim soft-touch grip and a shaft that clicks off for the dishwasher. A lock that needs a button press before the trigger works stops the blades starting while you lift the blender out of the pan or change an attachment. With blades turning at over 10,000 rpm, that small extra step protects your fingers.

Grip matters most during long batches. A handle about 4–5 cm across suits most hands, and rubber inserts keep it steady when your fingers are wet. Balance counts as much as total mass: a 1 kg blender with the motor close to your hand feels lighter than a head-heavy 0.9 kg one. Buttons under your index finger let you hold speed without a cramped thumb.

Cleaning is quickest with a detachable stainless shaft and a beaker that go in the dishwasher, while the motor body only needs a wipe. A 10-second run in warm soapy water clears the blade before food dries on. Chopper lids with gears inside are usually hand-wash only, so the manual's dishwasher list is worth reading before you buy.