You probably think of immersion blenders as big, intimidating machines that require a lot of attention to avoid making a mess.

But there’s actually nothing particularly complicated or difficult about using an immersion blender, and with a little bit of practice, you can easily create smooth and creamy soups, sauces, and even froth milk and make whipped cream without splattering food all over the kitchen.

Here are a few things to keep in mind using an immersion blender without splashing and splattering.

7 tips for blending with an immersion blender

Submerge blades in liquid

If you’re blending a smoothie, make sure the blade of the immersion blender is submerged in the drink.

That way, it will blend the ingredients without making a mess. You can also use an immersion blender to mix sauces or soups, just make sure the blade is completely covered in liquid.

This is important because it ensures that the ingredients are evenly mixed and that there won’t be any splashes.

Use Deep Pots/Container

Immersion blenders allow you the ease of blending in the pots or bowls of your choice.

If you try to blend a small amount of food in a large-diameter pot, it can be problematic because the blender won’t fit well in the pot.

Using a deep container, such as a coffee mug, is just large enough to fit the head of the blender and will make blending easier.

A shallow container will not submerge the immersion blender blade assembly properly into the ingredients and cause splashing.

Use a light touch

Using a light touch when blending ingredients is important so that you don’t end up splattering food all over the kitchen. It will also prevent your containers from scratching when using stick blenders.

If you use too much force, the blender can’t do its job properly and will leave chunks in your food.

Instead, gently push the blender up and down to make consistent puree and smooth blends.

Avoid unnecessary movements

If you move your hand blender around in the bowl, it will create a vortex and splashes in the mix.

To avoid this, keep the hand blender steady and don’t move it around.

Use a lid

Using a hand blender can create a mess because the blades spin quickly and can splatter food. You can use a lid to cover the pot in which you are blending the food, which will help to prevent splatter.

If you don’t have a spatter guard, you can make your own using a paper plate.

Cut out the center of the plate and place it over the pot in which you are blending the food. This will help to prevent splatter and make cleanup easier.

Choose proper speed

If you have an immersion blender with more than one speed, start with the lowest speed.

This will help mix all of the food together without creating too much splashing.

If the ingredients aren’t mixing together smoothly, increase the speed gradually until they do.

You can think of it like stirring a pot of soup on the stove – you wouldn’t want to use high heat right from the start, or the soup would splash all over the place.

Hold the blender at a proper angle

If you want to blend your soup using a hand blender, you can hold the blender against the side of the pot to create a current that will pull the soup around the pot and through the blender.

If the top of the immersion blender isn’t getting pulled down, it’s usually less messy to stop and stir it than to bring the blender up toward the surface.

You can use a soup pot for puree or soup for easier blending with an immersion blender.