Nutribullet Blender Combo

30 second review  

The Nutribullet brand is a firm favorite when it comes to personal cup blenders for smoothies and health drinks, and the Nutribullet Blender Combo combines the convenience of personal cup blenders with the versatility of a full-size jug. It’s a great option for larger households that can use it to make one big smoothie instead of several individual portions.

The Nutribullet Blender Combo is good value compared to other similar products, but with its smaller price tag come fewer blending functions and speeds. What it lacks in functions, however, it makes up for in accessories, with two blending cups if you’re in the US (three if you’re in Australia and the UK), as well as a large full-size jug.

If you’re looking for lots of accessories and you want a blender that won’t cost you a fortune, this Nutribullet is a good choice, however, it doesn’t offer much control in terms of speed and won’t cope well with small quantities. 

Nutribullet Blender Combo price and availability 

• List price: $139.99/ £149.99/ AU$249.99 

The Nutribullet Blender Combo is available in the US, UK, and Australia from a range of retailers.  

Design 

• Three blending speeds plus a pulse function
• A pre-programmed nutrition extraction cycle 
• 64oz/ 1.8-liter jug 

The Nutribullet Blender Combo has a small base unit, and while it doesn’t have the finessed design and multiple color options available with some of the more premium brands, it won’t look out of place in any kitchen. The base of the US model is black, while in the UK it’s silver, and it has a small footprint, so won’t take up too much space on your kitchen counter. It measures 9.6 x 6.9 x 16.9 inches / 24.5 x 17.5 x 42.8cm (w x d x h) so although it’s not wide, it is quite tall. If you haven’t got space to keep it on the countertop, its relatively light weight; of 7.3lbs/ 3.3kg makes it easy to move in and out of a cupboard as required.

There are two personal blending cups that attach to the easy-twist extractor blade, and each comes with a go-to lid, so you can blend your drink in the cup, then remove the blade and attach the lid so that you can enjoy your drinks on the go. The personal blending cups come in two different sizes: 32oz/ 900ml and 24oz/ 700ml, while consumers in the UK and Australia also get a 17oz/ 500ml smaller cup included with the blender.

The Nutribullet Blender Combo’s main blending jug has a 64oz/ 1.8-liter maximum capacity, but take note: for liquids the capacity is reduced to 56oz/ 1.65 liters. The jug with the extractor blade attached fits easily onto the base, and there are suction cups on the bottom of the motor unit which secure it all firmly to the countertop so it doesn’t move while you’re using it. It also comes with a tamper that can be used to move ingredients around while blending – in our opinion this feels a bit plasticky, but it does the job.

There are three speed settings on this blender – low, medium and high as well as a pulse function, so it’s really easy and intuitive to use straight out of the box, although with just three settings you don’t get the level of control that some other blenders offer. There’s also one auto program called Extract, which is a nutrition extraction cycle designed for smoothies.

(Image credit: Future)

Performance 

• Crushes ice effortlessly 
• Blades don’t sit low enough to blend small quantities 
• Easy to use 

This simple blender is so easy to use,  you’ll barely need to look at the instruction manual. It turned ice cubes into finely crushed ice on the medium speed setting with no effort at all, although with a maximum noise level of 87dB, it was quite loud. There wasn’t any leaking from any part of the jug or lid when we filled it to max with water and blended at high speed (noise level 83dB).

We used the medium power level to chop some hazelnuts and the machine was able to break them down into a very fine texture which resembled ground nuts rather than chopped pieces. The texture was consistent, with just a couple of larger pieces still present, and the noise level was 85dB during this test.

(Image credit: Future)

We made a smoothie in the large 32oz/ 900ml cup, which was easy to use and attach to the main body of the blender. We used the Extract program to blend spinach, pineapple, banana, apple juice and yogurt and it completely liquidized most of the ingredients, although there were a few very small specs of spinach that weren’t completely pulverized. However, they were tiny pieces and didn’t affect the overall texture which was thick and smooth. The to-go lids have a good-size drinking hole and didn’t leak when turned upside down, even when we gave them a good shake.

The Nutribullet Blender Combo blender wasn’t able to make emulsified mayo when we tried with a small two-egg-yolk recipe as the blades were too high to blend the small amount of mixture below. We tried doubling the recipe, and on the second attempt it made a good, emulsified mayo and worked much better with this larger quantity, although it was still a little runnier than we would have liked. We used the low speed for making mayo, and at 84dB it wasn’t any quieter than other settings. The low speed still seemed very aggressive, though, particularly for a delicate recipe like mayonnaise.

There’s no cleaning program, but the accessories are all dishwasher-safe, which makes cleaning easier.

Should I buy the Nutribullet Blender Combo? 

Buy it if… 

You’re looking for a blender that comes with personal cup attachments
The Nutribullet Blender Combo comes with two (or three in Australia and the UK) good-size blending cups with to-go lids. 

You want dishwasher-safe accessories
All of the accessories are dishwasher-safe, and the base is easy to wipe clean. 

You want a budget-friendly model
This is a good-value blender that still performs well. 

Don’t buy it if… 

You’re looking for lots of auto programs
This basic model has just one auto program, so you have to use the manual speed settings. 

You need lots of blending speeds
With just three blending speeds, this blender doesn’t allow for very nuanced adjustments. 

You’re looking for a blender that comes in a choice of colors
It only comes in one color – black or silver, depending on where you’re located – so look elsewhere if you like to color-coordinate your kitchen appliances.