Immersion blender substitutes
Immersion blender substitutes — 6 options, ranked
Also called stick blender, hand blender, wand blender
Use Countertop blender
Use a countertop blender, which makes soup smoother than a stick blender does. With hot liquid, let it cool 5 to 10 minutes, fill the jar no more than half full, take the center cap out of the lid, hold a folded towel over the opening, and start on the lowest speed. Blend in batches and pour each into a second pot. If you want the soup left chunky, mash it in the pot with a potato masher.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Let hot liquid cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Ladle it in until the jar is no more than half full, remove the center cap from the lid, cover the opening with a folded kitchen towel held down by hand, start on the lowest speed and raise it slowly. Pour each batch into a clean pot and reheat at the end.
- Best for —
- pureed soups
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
Updated 8 Oct 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what’s the immersion blender doing?
Pick your caseWhat are you blending?
Use a countertop blender in batches: cooled 5 to 10 minutes, jar no more than half full, center cap out, towel over the lid, lowest speed first. A food mill or sieve also gives a smooth soup and takes out skins and seeds.
Notes on countertop blender or food mill or fine-mesh sieve
Mash it in the pot with a potato masher until about half the solids are broken up. Or blend 2 cups in a countertop blender and stir them back in.
Notes on potato masher or countertop blender
Whisk it by hand, adding the oil a few drops at a time at first, or make it in a countertop blender with the oil poured through the lid in a thin stream.
Notes on whisk or countertop blender
Use a food processor, with the solids lifted out of their liquid first.
Notes on food processor or food mill or fine-mesh sieve
Whisk it by hand or use an electric hand mixer.
Notes on whisk or electric hand mixer
An immersion blender brings the blade to the food. That saves ladling hot soup into a blender in batches, lets you stop when the soup is half smooth and half chunky, and makes small emulsions such as one-egg mayonnaise in a narrow cup. It is less powerful than a countertop blender, so the substitutes often give a smoother result. What they cost is convenience: a transfer, a second pot, or some effort by hand.
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of immersion blender | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Countertop blenderpureed soups | See notesTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Potato masherchunky bean, lentil and potato soups | See notesYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 3 | Food processorthick purees and mashes | See notesTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Food mill or fine-mesh sievetomato sauce and tomato soup | See notesTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Whiskmayonnaise and aioli | See notesTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | Electric hand mixerwhipped cream and beaten egg whites | See notesYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Sealed personal blender for hot liquid | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Countertop blender
More powerful than a stick blender, so soups and sauces come out smoother.
The cost is transferring hot liquid in batches.
- Best for
- pureed soups, tomato sauce and gravy, smoothies and milkshakes, mayonnaise, hollandaise and dressings
- Texture
- smoother and more aerated
- Prep
- Let hot liquid cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Ladle it in until the jar is no more than half full, remove the center cap from the lid, cover the opening with a folded kitchen towel held down by hand, start on the lowest speed and raise it slowly. Pour each batch into a clean pot and reheat at the end.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
A sealed, full jar of hot liquid can blow its lid off and scald you, which is why the jar is half filled and vented. You cannot blend only part of the pot in place, so for a soup that is half smooth and half chunky, blend 2 cups and stir them back in. There is one more pot and a jar to wash.
Potato masher
Breaks soft-cooked food down in the pot, with no transferring and nothing to plug in.
- Best for
- chunky bean, lentil and potato soups, thickening chili and stew, applesauce and refried beans, rustic tomato sauce
- Texture
- thick and chunky, not smooth
- Prep
- Cook the vegetables or beans until a fork crushes them easily. Take the pot off the heat and mash straight down, working around the pot, until about half the solids are broken up or the soup is as thick as you want.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
It never gets smooth. Fibrous vegetables such as celery, leeks and greens stay in strands, and skins stay in pieces. A metal masher scratches nonstick and enameled pots; use a nylon one or mash gently.
Food processor
Purees thick mixtures well and handles cooked vegetables with very little liquid.
- Best for
- thick purees and mashes, bean dips and hummus, pesto and salsa, baby food
- Texture
- slightly coarser than a blender
- Prep
- Lift the solids out of the pot with a slotted spoon and process them with just enough liquid to move, staying below the liquid fill line marked on the bowl. Stir the puree back into the rest of the liquid in the pot.
The bowl leaks thin liquid through the center shaft and under the lid when it is filled past the line, so it is a poor tool for a brothy soup. The result is slightly grainier than a blender's. Let hot food cool for a few minutes first.
Food mill or fine-mesh sieve
Pushes soft food through small holes, which purees it and strains out skins, seeds and fibers in one step.
- Best for
- tomato sauce and tomato soup, applesauce and fruit purees, smooth vegetable soups, mashed potatoes
- Texture
- very smooth, with no skins or seeds
- Prep
- Set the mill or sieve over a bowl or second pot. Ladle in the cooked solids with some liquid and crank, or press them through the sieve with the back of a ladle. Scrape the puree off the underside, then stir it into the remaining liquid.
It is slow, and a sieve takes real effort for more than a quart or two. It only works on food cooked very soft. It does not emulsify, so it cannot make mayonnaise or a dressing.
Whisk
Does the emulsifying and smoothing jobs: anything that is liquid already and only needs to be combined.
- Best for
- mayonnaise and aioli, vinaigrettes, smoothing lumps out of gravy and sauces, hollandaise and whipped cream
- Texture
- the same for emulsions; slightly looser mayonnaise
- Prep
- For mayonnaise, set the bowl on a damp towel so it stays put, whisk 1 egg yolk with the mustard and acid, then add about ¾ cup of oil a few drops at a time until the mixture thickens, and after that in a thin stream. For lumpy gravy, whisk hard off the heat, then strain it if lumps remain.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
It cannot puree solids, so it does nothing for a chunky soup. Hand-whisked mayonnaise takes several minutes of steady whisking and breaks if the oil goes in too fast at the start.
Electric hand mixer
Beaters break up very soft food and whip air into liquids, which covers some of what a stick blender's whisk attachment does.
- Best for
- whipped cream and beaten egg whites, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, mayonnaise, soft-cooked squash or potato soup
- Texture
- partly smooth, with small pieces
- Prep
- Use a deep bowl or pot, keep the beaters fully under the surface, and start on the lowest speed. For soup, take the pot off the heat first.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
Beaters do not cut, so the soup ends up partly smooth with small pieces left, and fibrous vegetables wrap around them. It splatters in a shallow pot. Overbeaten potatoes turn gluey, so stop as soon as they are smooth.
Sealed personal blender for hot liquid
not applicable
A bullet-style blender whose cup screws shut onto the blade has no vent.
- Best for
- cold smoothies, dressings and sauces only
Hot soup or sauce in a sealed blending cup builds steam pressure that can force the cup off or spray scalding liquid when it is opened. Makers of these blenders say not to blend hot liquids in them. Cool the food to room temperature first, or use a vented countertop blender, half full.
Don’t swap it here
1 case- SafetyHot liquid in any sealed blender: a full jar with the lid locked, or a screw-on personal blender cup.Use a vented countertop blender filled no more than half full with a towel over the open cap, or cool the food first.
Questions
5 questionsWhat can I use instead of an immersion blender for soup?
A countertop blender, working in batches. Let the soup cool for 5 to 10 minutes, fill the jar no more than half full, remove the center cap from the lid, cover the opening with a folded towel and start on low. Pour each batch into a second pot. For a chunky soup, use a potato masher in the pot instead. For a smooth soup with no blender at all, push it through a food mill or a fine-mesh sieve.
Can I use a regular blender instead of an immersion blender?
Yes, and it purees more smoothly. The only changes are that the food has to be moved to the jar in batches and hot liquid has to be vented: half-full jar, center cap out, towel over the lid, lowest speed first.
Can I use a hand mixer instead of an immersion blender?
For whipping cream, beating egg whites, mashing potatoes and making mayonnaise, yes. For soup, only partly: beaters break up very soft vegetables but do not cut, so the soup stays slightly lumpy, and a shallow pot splatters. Take the pot off the heat and keep the beaters under the surface.
Can I make mayonnaise without an immersion blender?
Yes, with a whisk. Whisk 1 egg yolk with the mustard and lemon juice or vinegar, then add about ¾ cup of oil, a few drops at a time until it thickens and then in a thin stream. A countertop blender or food processor also works, with the oil poured in slowly through the lid while the motor runs.
Can I use a food processor instead of an immersion blender?
For thick purees, dips and baby food, yes. For a thin soup it is awkward, because the bowl leaks liquid when filled past its fill line. Scoop out the solids, process them with a little of the liquid, and stir the puree back into the pot.
Tips for substituting immersion blender
5 tips- Fill a blender jar no more than half full of hot liquid, take out the center cap, and hold a folded towel over the opening. Start on the lowest speed.
- Set a second pot next to the blender before you start. Pour each blended batch into it so smooth soup never goes back in with unblended soup.
- For a soup that is half smooth and half chunky, blend 2 cups of it and stir that back into the pot.
- Cook vegetables until a fork crushes them with no resistance before mashing or milling. Undercooked carrots and potatoes stay lumpy no matter which tool you use.
- For hand-whisked mayonnaise, add the first ¼ cup of oil a few drops at a time. Once the mixture is thick and pale, the rest can go in as a thin stream.