It’s important to say at the start that this is not a supersized version of the Nutribullet personal blender, which is made for smoothies and drinks with frozen fruit and ice. Although you can make iced drinks with this blender, that’s not its forte and it’s not intended to be used as an ice crusher without adding other liquid. If you’re primarily looking for an appliance to make blended ice drinks and cocktails, you might be better off something like the Zwilling Efinigy table blender, which has a dedicated ice crushing setting.
Design and build
1650ml jug capacityAppliance 41cm highSuction cups on base
The Nutribullet blender is distinct from a lot of other stand blenders that we’ve tested in that it doesn’t have a retro look. Nor is it a generic, squared-off jug on a podium. Instead, it has a curved, modern design with a distinctive, angled control panel built into the base. The base itself is heavy, weighing 219g. But it’s not just the weight that’ll keep it steady. Underneath are four suction pads to keep it secured to your countertop. We tested it on a variety of surfaces and it was equally solid on stone, granite and wood. It comes with a suggestive looking plastic tamper that’s designed to push ingredients down into the blended liquid without getting in the way of the blades. Don’t be tempted to stick a spoon or another kitchen implement into the blender to mix things up: that’s how bad things happen.
It’s a tall blender, standing over 41cm high, with a maximum width (including handle) of 25cm. As it’s so heavy, it would be best if you could find a dedicated spot for it on your countertop. It’s not the kind of appliance you’d want to be dragging out of an overhead cabinet unless you want to learn more about head injuries. But whether you leave it out or tuck it away, it’ll take up a chunk of space. The large plastic jug has easy-to-read measurements in cups, ounces, litres and ml. It has a total capacity of 1650ml (7 cups) and a liquid capacity of 1400ml (6 cups). Unlike personal Nutribullet blenders, it has integral blades: that is, the blades are built into the bottom of the jug and can’t be removed. If you want to use your blender to make small volumes of viscous sauce (under 250ml/ 1 cup), it’s likely to get annoying (and potentially dangerous) trying to scrape it out from under the blades. A smaller appliance would probably suit you better.
Where cleaning is concerned, the jug is dishwasher safe but the easiest way to clean it is to add a couple of drops of washing-up liquid and a little warm water and blend it on low for 20-30 seconds. Cleaning it like this before the ingredients have a chance to dry and stick is quick and effective and will save you from having to get close to the sharp blades.
The control panel comprises three function keys (low, high and pulse) and an on/off button. As a safety feature, the appliance won’t begin blending until the jug is locked into place. This blender can deal with both cold and warm ingredients and as such has a two-part venting lid. If you’re blending hot items, pressure builds up, the lid can pop off and you could wind up with a surprise kitchen redecoration. If you remove the clear central plug from the lid, you can blend hot items while allowing steam to vent. Still, we’d recommend holding a tea towel over the aperture to prevent bits of food from escaping during the process.
Even with the inner section securely attached, the lid itself doesn’t form a very tight seal. Many blenders can be held upside down while full without spilling any liquid. We tried that with the Nutribullet and initially liquid leaked out around the edge before the entire lid dropped out. Fun.
Performance
Standard blender 1,000W in UK; 1,200W in USCan only crush ice in liquidCan blend hot ingredients
The standard UK and US Nutribullet blenders are slightly different. In the US, it has a 1,200W motor and an additional medium blending setting, while the UK version, which we’re reviewing, only has a 1,000W motor. This is still a powerful blender but US buyers will get a bit more bang for their buck and should bear that in mind when reading our performance review. One of the first questions people tend to have when considering a blender is: can it crush ice? The UK manual is extremely clear that it is only to be used with some liquid ingredients inside the jug, so it shouldn’t be used solely as an ice crusher. However the manual is also weirdly silent on whether it’s recommended to crush ice as part of a blended drink or smoothie.
Obviously, we tested that out right away. The iced smoothie we made was decent enough, although it wasn’t as fast and the results not quite as even as the Zwilling or the KitchenAid blenders we’ve tested. I also had to keep a hand on top of the lid as flying ice cubes made it levitate during blending. But where the Nutribullet blender excelled was at blending ingredients like nuts, which other blenders can leave grainy. I threw a handful of cashew nuts into a green goddess mix and the resulting sauce was creamy and silky, not gritty. It can also be used with hot ingredients, so it’s ideal for blending vegetables and hot broth to make soups, or roasted tomatoes to make sauce. If you’re primarily looking for a blender to make sauces, soups and dips, this is an excellent option at this price point.
Price and availability
If you’d like to up the wattage and get more speed settings, you can buy a 1,200W version of the Nutribullet blender, but it only comes in a combo bundle, which also includes three travel cups and lids and a removable set of blades, so you can blend straight into the to-go cups. You can also buy the combo set in the US for $149.99.
Verdict
This is an excellent blender at a very good price point. Its strengths, however, lie more in making soups, sauces and dips, rather than blended ice drinks. If you have a personal Nutribullet blender, this would complement rather than replace it. Its large size makes it a solid option for a family, although if you live alone and want to get into batch cooking, you’ll find its speed and large capacity very handy. To see all the blenders we’ve reviewed, rated and would recommend, check out our round-up of the best blenders we’ve tested. Emma is Home Tech Editor at Tech Advisor. She covers everything from kitchen appliances to smart home devices, from floor care to personal care to air care technology. She’s particularly interested in environmentally conscious brands and products that save people time and money.
