It’s soup season, and the time to bring out the immersion blender, the trusted kitchen tool.
We really like the convenience of using our immersion blenders. We pull it out when we’re making this favorite Cream of Chicken Soup, this Cauliflower Soup, this Butternut and Lentil Soup, blending this pareve Alfredo sauce, making homemade mayonnaise, and so many more.
We also like the convenience of the mini chopper attachment when we don’t want to take out a whole food processor. Blenders and food processors work very differently in the way they blend and chop, so we like having both options.
We find that in kosher kitchens, an immersion blender tends to get used on the fleishig side of the kitchen. For most of us, our high quality traditional blenders, like the Vitamix and Ninjas, are used for dairy (i.e. smoothies and such), and immersion blenders tend to be more practical when used for meat/pareve dishes, like soups and dips. If you don’t want to have two of everything, we find that works.
But which immersion blender is *the one*?
Best for Life: Basic Immersion Blender
Braun MQ5 Hand Blender
Why We Like It: It’s simple enough. The Braun has stood the test of time. While you might think of an immersion blender as a less costly kitchen appliance, why not invest in one that’s simply going to last and last? One of us has been using the same Braun for 20 years already! It does a perfect job every time. We’ve found that cheaper brands that we’ve tried (for pareve, for Pesach, etc.) have broken or simply didn’t blend as smoothly.
Best Blender + Mini Chopper Combo
Braun 500 Watt Immersion Blender with Mini Chopper
Why We Like It: If you really want the best of both worlds, we recommend going with the 500 Watt Blender and getting the mini chopper too.
Best Overall Value
Amazon Basics 500 Watt Immersion Blender
(Available With or Without Attachments)
Why We Like It: “Surprisingly good!” Honestly, the Amazon Basics blender blew us away! We didn’t expect it to work as powerfully and swiftly as it did! We were very pleasantly surprised when its blending power exceeded our expectations. Unlike the Braun, though, we can’t yet vouch for longevity because we haven’t owned it for quite as long.
Best Budget Pick
The KOIOS Immersion Blender with Attachments
Why We Like It: Do you only pull out your immersion blender once a month, or more often? If you don’t use an immersion blender that often, and want to be able to get both the blender plus the mini chopper function for under $30, the KOIOS has been reliable for us. Some of us have owned this for a number of years already, and while the Braun/Amazon machines are more powerful, this does the job. It will last a number of years (although not forever), depending on how often you use it.
Best If You Need Two Blenders
Peach Street 800W Immersion Blender
Why We Like It: The Peach Street Blender is not expensive and works well! We like it because it comes in multiple color options, so if you need two immersion blenders, for either meat/milk/pareve, it’ll be easy to tell which is which, especially if you have kids helping out in the kitchen.
The mini chopper is also surprisingly super efficient.
We tested out the Cuisinart as well because it’s a reputable brand and has a mid-price point, and we expected good performance, but are not recommending it at this time as we were underwhelmed with its quality and longevity.
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