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How to Use an Immersion Blender for Soup

By: Author Jeff Campbell

Posted on  - Last updated:

Categories Blenders

Last night my oldest daughter made delicious minestrone soup and I wondered how to use an immersion blender for soup if I wanted a less chunky soup.

Immersion blenders work with a small blade that spins at the bottom of a long handle. The blade is protected by a wide-mouthed bottom which prevents splatter (to a degree). Because of the small nature of the immersion blender, it’s great for blending up chunky soup as long as the chunks aren’t too hard or too big.

An immersion blender is inexpensive, stores easily, and is simple enough for anyone, including my daughters, to use. But does it puree well enough to make a creamy soup?

So if you’re ready to learn how to use an immersion blender for soup, let’s dive in.

If you’re looking to buy any small kitchen appliance, don’t forget to check out my Recommended Products Page (click to see my page) which breaks down all my best picks by category.

I always hand-select items that I either own, have used, or have researched well to ensure they are great items. I also give not only top of the line as well as inexpensive alternatives so my choices work for any budget.

How does an immersion blender work?

An immersion blender works by having a small blade that spins at the bottom of a long handle. The blade at the end of the handle is covered partially by a wide-mouthed bottom on the handle and gets inserted into the pot of food to be blended. 

The wide mouth of the immersion blender helps prevents splatter (to a degree).  Since the immersion blender is a hand tool, it’s easy to use across the kitchen; in a mixing bowl on a counter or in a pot on the stove.

Because of the small nature of the immersion blender, it’s great for blending up chunky soup as long as the chunks aren’t too hard or too big.

Just lower the immersion blender down into the soup or whatever liquid you want to purée. Then gently squeeze the trigger and pulse or hold to get the desired consistency. You will need to move it around in the bowl or pot to ensure you hit everything. Also be careful to not pull it out of the liquid when blending as that can splatter (which will be hot if it’s a stovetop item).

The metal wand part typically detaches with 1 click and can go right in the dishwasher. Or just give that part a rinse in the sink and move on to the next project.

There’s almost no small kitchen appliance that works as well, as quickly, and cleans up so easily.

Can I use a hand mixer instead of an immersion blender for soup?

No. For most uses, a hand mixer will not replace the job of an immersion blender, particularly for pureeing large chunks of vegetables.

Let’s review how both work:

How a blender works

At its core, a blender turns food pieces into liquid. It works by having a small blade spin very fast at the bottom of the blender and as food items hit the blade, they get cut up.

Usually, blenders have more than 1 speed for easier or tougher jobs. They also need some liquid to start with to work well. In other words, putting a bunch of apple slices into a blender won’t quite create an apple smoothie; it will be like extra chunky apple sauce at best.

How a mixer works

A mixer, by comparison, combines (mostly) dry ingredients and is focused on mixing all the ingredients together so that all flavors combine throughout.

They work by having 1 or 2 wands that, unlike the blade of a blender, aren’t sharp. The wands (or paddles as they are sometimes called), spin (with multiple speed options) and combine the ingredients. While they can go fast, they would be hard-pressed to chop up cooked potatoes or carrots.

A mixer is obviously geared towards baking but not geared towards things like smoothies or soups. Both have equally important roles on your list of small kitchen appliances, but those roles are quite different.

An immersion blender and a hand mixer, thus, are the younger cousins of a regular blender and mixer. They are just handheld and have less powerful motors. But at the end of the day, to learn how to use an immersion blender for soup, you want to steer clear of mixers.

What can you use an immersion blender for?

An immersion blender is best for making:

  • Soups from items already cooked on the stovetop
  • Pesto
  • Whipped cream
  • Mayonaise
  • Salad dressings
  • Removing lumps from pancake batter

But don’t worry. I’ll go into greater detail on those in a second.

Because they are easily held with 1 hand and usually come with a long cord, immersion blenders are great for blending and pureeing on the stovetop.

They have many uses, are super-compact, and incredibly easy-to-clean.  They will make life in your kitchen significantly easier on a regular basis, especially for the low price! Immersion blenders range anywhere from $30-$60.

Sometimes referred to as a hand blender or stick blender, an immersion blender speeds up the process of puréeing, emulsifying, or beating ingredients together.

Sure you can get out a whisk and work till your arm is sore or you could carefully try and dump that large pot of soup into the small mouth of your blender or food processor, but why? You can actually get the same results much faster with less mess and a less sore arm with an immersion blender.

So what are the best uses for an immersion blender?

Delicious Italian Pesto

Just put fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, a few fresh garlic cloves, grated parmesan cheese, and enough extra virgin olive oil and blend away

Delicious Creamy Soups

Let your ingredients and broth cook on the stove top until tender. Then carefully immerse your hand blender into the soup and pulse until it reaches the desired level of puree you want. Be careful blending as if you have the blade too close to the surface it can splatter a little

Amazing Whipped Cream

Is there anything better than fresh whipped cream that doesn’t come out of a can?

I don’t think so! In a large bowl, combine heavy whipping cream, a dash of vanilla extract, and a small amount of powdered sugar and blend until it’s more solid than liquid

Mayonnaise to Die For

Most of us get our mayo from a jar, and that’s OK.

But once you try fresh mayo, you may never go back! Combine egg yolks, a high-quality low-flavor oil, and a little lemon juice with a pinch of salt. Start with just the yolks, lemon juice, and salt, and as you blend, slowly drizzle in the oil until it hits the right mayo consistency

Lump-Free Pancake Batter

No more lumpy batter!

Smooth, delicious pancakes are just a few minutes away with your immersion blender. Forget your old-school beaters and don’t even think about a whisk! The immersion blender will smooth out all those lumps in seconds for some truly delicious and fluffy pancakes.

Tantalizing Salad Dressings

Store-bought salad dressings usually contain gums to keep the ingredients combined.

They may also have low-quality oil and cheap vinegar too. Once you realize just how much better a freshly made salad dressing is with top-notch ingredients, you’ll never go back. Combine some balsamic or red wine vinegar, a tablespoon of dijon mustard, a little salt & pepper.

Then add a fresh garlic clove and any fresh herbs you like. As with the mayo, start to blend while you slowly pour in some extra virgin olive oil.

Can you purée with an immersion blender?

Yes; you can purée with an immersion blender. While an immersion blender can definitely blend, it actually works great at blending so fast to create a creamy and smooth purée.

By definition, puree, or purée as it’s supposed to be spelled, is “a smooth, creamy substance made of liquidized or crushed fruit or vegetables.

The immersion blender is actually great for puréeing soups.
 
Because the immersion blender allows more air into the blended mixture than a regular blender with a sealed lid, it works great to make a frothy foam on ultra-smooth creamy soups.

Final Thoughts

In this article, we took an in-depth look into the world of immersion blenders, a miracle tool that blends right where you are cooking instead of you having to transport the food to a countertop blender.

We examined how they work, why they are great, and what they do well and DON’T do well. Specifically, though, we looked at how to use an immersion blender for soup so you can get perfectly blended soup every time the EASY way.

What’s your favorite soup recipe?

If you’re looking to buy any small kitchen appliance, don’t forget to check out my Recommended Products Page (click to see my page) which breaks down all my best picks by category.

I always hand-select items that I either own, have used, or have researched well to ensure they are great items. I also give not only top of the line as well as inexpensive alternatives so my choices work for any budget.

Photo credits:

Best immersion blenders in the corner of kitchen counter by Your Best Digs is licensed by CC2.0

Jeff Campbell
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By Author Jeff Campbell

Posted on  - Last updated:

Categories Blenders