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Throughout college, my most-used item was my cheap, portable blender<\/a>. It ended up with it during a white elephant gift exchange, and for the next few years, it moved with me between multiple dorm rooms and apartments. (It mostly <\/em>got the job done. Well enough, at least, that I kept putting off making an upgrade.) Despite whipping up a smoothie every other day, though, I always stashed it away in my cabinet. Why? To put it simply, it was absolutely nothing <\/em>to look at.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n To be fair, the vast majority of blenders aren\u2019t<\/em>. Sure, function is certainly more important than how good it looks on the counter, but sue me if I want my kitchen to look just as aesthetically-pleasing<\/a> as the rest of my space. If you have similar priorities \u2014 and minimal space \u2014 I just tried out a new item that you\u2019ll want to get your hands on immediately. I didn\u2019t know what I was missing out on before I tried the mini version of Beast\u2019s Oprah-approved blender<\/a>, but now that I\u2019ve put it to the test, I\u2019m never going back. This absolutely stunning appliance doesn\u2019t sacrifice style for utility, and given how often I\u2019ve been using it, I don\u2019t see it ever<\/em> moving off of my counter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Oprah said the Beast<\/a> is \u201calmost too chic,<\/a>\u201d and I\u2019m totally on the same page: It\u2019s hard to believe that it\u2019s a high-performing blender. The Terra color looks exactly like it does online, and it enhances the natural, boho-esque vibe I have going on in my apartment. And the ribbed design on the plastic vessel doesn\u2019t only look good \u2014 it also increases turbulence, helping the contents blend more thoroughly.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Appearance aside, what\u2019s most impressive about this blender is its effectiveness and practicality. It\u2019s a little under five pounds, so it\u2019s easy to move around the kitchen and makes the perfect smoothie portion for one person. It only has one button, which, if you press for over a second, turns on its minute-long blending cycle. (Which is more than ideal for those like me that favor simplicity.) The small light found right above the button lets you know if everything is ready to go, based on the color \u2014 white means it\u2019s go time, amber means that a piece isn\u2019t fully attached, green means blending is in-progress, and flashing amber means the motor is overloaded. At 600 watts, it\u2019s also powerful enough to crush frozen ingredients, and with its pulse function, it\u2019s a meal prep superhero, saving you the trouble of mincing garlic or chopping onions by hand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Finally, the basic set, which comes out to $99, includes a 22-ounce vessel, drinking lid, storage lid, two straws and a straw cap, and cleaning brushes for both the straws and the blades. The Plus bundle<\/a> that I tried out comes with two smaller blending vessels, two extra storage lids, and a carry cap. (Whew! You really do get a ton of bang for your buck.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Even though the small size and portability is central to the appeal of the Beast Mini<\/a>, it\u2019s shockingly sturdy and involves no manual effort (unlike my previous portable blender). For my first test, I loaded up the vessel with chopped apples, a banana, an orange, and added enough milk and juice to get things going. After pressing the reset button on the back of the base, the small white light indicated that my mixture was ready for blending. True to its claim, my smoothie was ready in the blink of an eye, with absolutely none of the pesky, unblended chunks of fruit that I got used to seeing when I used my old blender. After twisting on the drinking cap and sticking the reusable straw in, I had the perfect on-the-go drink \u2014 it turns into an ultra-stylish bottle, and I absolutely can\u2019t wait<\/em> to bring it with me to work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A few smoothies later, I decided to give dip-making a go \u2014 more specifically, I decided to try my hand at this garlic salsa verde recipe<\/a>, courtesy of our SVP of content, Faith. (For a smaller amount, I halved the recipe.) I tossed in my three garlic cloves first, which, following a few pulses, ended up perfectly minced. That was followed by a bunch of cilantro, a bit of jalap\u1ebdno, and lime juice, and since I wasn\u2019t shooting for a chunky consistency, I set the blender to its minute-long cycle. Expectedly, it came out just as smooth as I was hoping it would be.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In both cases, cleanup took hardly any effort. After a quick rinse in the sink, I put a little dish soap and water inside the vessel, and that and the blades came out spotless after a few pulses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n As its name suggests, the Mini<\/a> isn\u2019t meant for bigger portions, especially in the case of soups and smoothies, so keep that in mind. You might want to opt for the original version (which we reviewed here<\/a>.) However, if you find yourself prepping meals for two or more people quite often, the smaller Beast will come in handy for chopping and mincing ingredients quickly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDesign Features That Stand Out<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Should You Buy the Beast Mini Blender Plus?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n