Is a NutriBullet blender worth it? | CHOICE

The NutriBullet first appeared on TV infomercials where it was promoted as a miraculous health-boosting machine that could transform regular fruits and vegetables into superfoods.

While some of these claims were over the top, the NutriBullet's user-friendly design and high-powered blending performance have made personal blenders more and more popular, and there are now a number of similar products on the market from competing brands. We explore the NutriBullet blenders we've tested in our labs to help you find the best blender for your needs and budget.

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NutriBullet is synonymous with single-serve blenders, the kitchen appliance most commonly used to make smoothies as well as dips, salad dressings, sauces and cocktails. The NutriBullet range has expanded in recent years to include high-performance blenders (and even juicers and cooking appliances), which can tackle tasks like crushing ice and milling nuts.

While traditional blenders have a large jug with a lid that sits on top of the base, single-serve NutriBullets have a cup which locks into the base to activate the blender.

The so-called 'single-serve' blender may actually be big enough for two

Basic models only have one speed and no buttons or controls, making them simple to operate. Once your smoothie is blended, you can drink directly from the blending cup, cutting down on washing up.

CHOICE kitchen tester Chantelle Dart says that, for many people, a so-called 'single-serve' blender may actually be big enough for two. "The larger cups generally make enough smoothie to serve two people," she says.

Read more: What to know before buying a blender

In our blender reviews, our kitchen lab experts tested the NutriBullet Pro 1000, Select 1200, Smart Touch Blender Combo and Blender Combo 1200. We asked them about each model's performance, key features and limitations.

The NutriBullet Pro 1000 is one of the more basic options from the range.

The Pro 1000 is a single-speed blender that comes with two cups. With the addition of some water it can purée and crush frozen fruit and ice.

"It gave excellent results for green smoothies and kale but it's not a great option if you want to crush ice," says Chantelle. Read the full NutriBullet Pro 1000 review.

Read more: Is the Ninja Blast portable blender worth buying?

The NutriBullet Select 1200 comes with control buttons.

The NutriBullet Select 1200 is a step up from the Pro 1000 in terms of price and features – it has three different speed settings and a vented pitcher for blending warm liquids. It performed almost identically to the Pro 1000 for smoothies and ice, but scored much lower than the Pro 1000 on the kale test, which rates how well blenders handle fibrous vegetables.

Unlike the entry-level NutriBullets, the Select 1200 comes with control buttons, which Chantelle says makes the machine easier to use.

"There are two speed settings, plus an extract mode, which alternates pulses with continuous blending to achieve a smooth result," she explains. "There's also an on-off switch, which is slightly more convenient than the traditional design."

Read the full NutriBullet Slect 1200 review

The Smart Touch Blender Combo has a touchscreen control panel with manual and pre-programmed settings.

The NutriBullet Smart Touch Blender Combo is classified as a high performance blender and allows you to switch between single-serve cups and a larger blender jug for the times you want to make big batches. It also has a touchscreen control panel where you can operate the blender manually or through pre programmed settings.

It received excellent scores across the majority of our tests – blending soft food, crushing ice, chopping carrots, making a green smoothie, strawberry sorbet, dry milling nuts and parmesan cheese. It performed only OK in our kale test and for making nut butter. It's also very noisy when using the high speed setting.

Chantelle says "if you're using the large blender jug for small quantities, you might have trouble pushing ingredients down to the bottom – the tamper is quite short and doesn't reach far down into the jug."

Read the full NutriBullet Smart Touch Blender Combo NBF07520 review.

The NutriBullet Blender Combo 1200 lets you switch between single-serve cups and a larger blending jug.

The NutriBullet Blender Combo 1200 gives you the best of both worlds, allowing you to switch between single-serve cups and a larger capacity blending jug. It has low, medium and high speeds as well as a pulse function and 'extraction' setting which automatically blends and pulses, which NutriBullet says "creates the perfect smoothie".

The Combo 1200 aced a number of our tests, achieving top marks for crushing ice (although you need to add liquids first) and creating a soft frozen smoothie and green smoothie using the extraction mode.

It was only OK for blending kale and blending strawberry sorbet, however. It struggled to make nut butter and struggled with chopping carrots. Our experts say it's quite easy to use, but is very noisy when processing on high speed.

Red the full NutriBullet Blender Combo 1200 review.

Ninjas generally outperform NutriBullets in our tests, scoring significantly higher for ice crushing and kale processing. But NutriBullets are usually a little easier to use and there's a wider variety of models to choose from.

NutriBullets (left) are generally outperformed by Ninjas (right), but are usually easier to use.

In terms of design, NutriBullets and Ninjas are very similar. The standard models of both brands have just one speed, plus a pulse function, and they come with a few different cup sizes. Both brands have more premium models that offer extra features and accessories such as hot blending and full-sized jugs.

While NutriBullet and Ninja are the leading brands on the market, we've tested cheaper products that receive higher CHOICE Expert Ratings.

Read more: Should you buy a stick blender?

NutriBullet has branched out from blenders and into other product categories: there's now a NutriBullet juicer, rice cooker, air fryer and stick blender on the market and our experts have put them all to the test.

Read more: Juicers vs blenders: Which should you buy?

Our testing has shown NutriBullets consistently produce good smoothies, easily processing fresh and frozen fruit, as well as vegetables like cucumber, celery and green spinach. For some, these capabilities justify the price tag.

The Smart Touch Blender Combo has been the most impressive NutriBullet model we've tested so far – one to consider when shopping for a blender. Our experts found that the Select 1200 and Combo 1200 struggled with blending coarser vegetables, and all models (except the Smart Touch Blender Combo and Combo 1200 which performed excellently) performed poorly in the ice-crushing test. These results may give some people pause before they lay down their hard-earned money.

Our lab tests have revealed blenders from other brands that performed better than the NutriBullet overall, including some with much lower price tags

"Unlike some other single-serve blenders, NutriBullets can only blend ice if there's also liquid in the jug," says Chantelle. "But they have no problem processing frozen ingredients in smoothies."

Importantly, our lab tests have revealed blenders from other brands that performed better than the NutriBullet overall, including some with much lower price tags. So look closely at features and check out our full blender reviews before you buy.

We've tested to find you the best.

No, not unless you have the NutriBullet Juicer NBJ07100. Blenders and juicers are often compared against each other, but they actually work very differently. While a juicer extracts the liquid from fruits and vegetables and discards the pulp, a blender liquifies the entire fruit or vegetable.

With most models, it's best not to. It may be tempting to whip up a quick soup in your NutriBullet, but most models aren't capable of processing hot liquids.

In fact, Chantelle says blending hot liquids in a NutriBullet cup is dangerous: "The cups are sealed, so the pressure and heat have nowhere to escape, which could result in hot liquid exploding out of the blender, causing serious injury."

The cups are sealed, so the pressure and heat have nowhere to escape, which could result in hot liquid exploding out of the blender, causing serious injury

The NutriBullet Select 1200 comes with a vented pitcher, meaning it's capable of processing hot foods such as soup. But Chantelle says you should still let the liquid cool down before blending.

Only with certain models. The NutriBullet Smart Touch Blender Combo and Blender Combo 1200 are capable of this task.

If you have a different NutriBullet model but you want to blend nuts and seeds, you may be able to buy a milling blade attachment as an optional extra.

You may expect a smaller blender to be quieter, but we've found most single-serve blenders tend to be just as loud as their full-sized counterparts.

The NutriBullet Select 1200, Smart Touch Blender Combo and Blender Combo 1200 were particularly noisy in our tests. By contrast, the Pro 1000 was the quietest single-serve blender we tested.

You can expect small kitchen appliances to last anywhere between four and 20 years and in some cases they can be cheaper to replace than repair. NutriBullet sells accessories like blades and blending jugs, so consider if it's cheaper to replace the accessories rather than buy a whole new blender.

NutriBullets come with a one-year warranty, but the company recommends replacing the blades every six months. Our tester Chantelle says limiting blending to one minute at a time and hand-washing your NutriBullet can extend its lifespan.

If you're ready to dispose of your product, disposing of it through a recycling centre is a sustainable option to consider.

We've tested to find you the best.

Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.

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