In recent years, bullet blenders have become a staple in kitchens everywhere, and for good reason. Whether you’re whipping up a smoothie, protein shake, or even baby food, these compact, efficient blenders can handle it all.
But with so many options on the market, it’s not always easy to know which one is right for your health and wellbeing goals. From Nutribullet to Ninja, we’ve tested some of the best models to help you make the right choice.
What makes bullet blenders so popular?
Bullet blenders are known for their speed, power, and convenience for quick ways to hit nutrition goals. Unlike traditional blenders, these compact machines are designed for quick blending in small portions, making them ideal for those who are short on time or need to blend ingredients in individual servings. Most models come with a variety of cups and lids, so you can blend, drink, and store all in one go.
But while their efficiency and ease of use are undeniable, not all bullet blenders are created equal. Some boast more powerful motors, better blades, or improved ergonomics. Here’s what you should consider when choosing the best one for your needs.
Key features to consider when choosing a bullet blender
Motor power and performance
The motor is the heart of any blender, and a more powerful motor means quicker and smoother results. We tested motors ranging from 600 to 1200 watts, focusing on their ability to handle both soft and tough ingredients with ease. For the best performance, look for a blender with a motor that matches the types of ingredients you’ll blend most often, whether it's soft fruits or harder items like nuts and seeds.
Portion control
One of the key advantages of bullet blenders is their ability to blend individual portions. We examined each model for accurate measurement marks on the cups, making it easier to control your ingredients and avoid wasting food. Blenders with multiple cup sizes provide more flexibility, allowing you to blend larger or smaller servings depending on your needs.
Ease of use and controls
Bullet blenders should be easy to use, and we assessed each model’s user interface for simplicity and intuitiveness. Some blenders feature one-button operation, while others have more advanced settings for different speeds or pulse functions. We preferred models that were easy to set up and didn’t require complicated steps to get blending quickly.
Blades and consistency
The blades are critical for smooth, even results. We tested how well each blender handled tough ingredients like seeds, nuts, and frozen fruit for plant-powered smoothies. Models with high-quality stainless steel blades delivered the most consistent results, blending ingredients into a smooth, lump-free consistency across a variety of ingredients. The sharper and sturdier the blade, the more efficiently it could handle different textures.
How we tested
With the team on a health kick for various reasons from protein goals to getting in our recommended five-a-day. Each of us tested the best bullet blenders for our individual tastes and routines with a focus on performance, ease of use, and convenience. We blended a wide range of ingredients, from soft fruits and veggies to harder items like seeds, nuts, and ice, to evaluate the motor's power and consistency.
Portion control was a key factor, so we paid close attention to the included measuring cups and how easy it was to control serving sizes. We also assessed the user interface, looking for simplicity in the controls and quick, consistent blending results. Additionally, we tested the durability and design improvements, such as better lids, ergonomic features, and easier cleaning methods. The goal was to identify blenders that combine the best of modern design with practical functionality, ensuring easy and precise blending for every lifestyle.
Best bullet blenders at a glance:
Nutribullet Ultra 02312 Blender
Best for portability
I’ve long wanted to be a morning smoothie-making kind of person, but am always rushing out the door in first thing and dread cleaning up awkward machinery when I return from the office.
Which is why this Nutribullet blender is hands down the best for my busy lifestyle. The 1200 W motor powers through everything, from tough stems and seeds to skins, ensuring nothing goes to waste. I love how easy it is to use, thanks to the touchscreen display; I can choose between normal or pulse, depending on what I’m blending. It’s perfect for blending hard seeds and fruits, to ensuring my protein shakes are blended lump-free.
The 900ml and 700ml cups give me plenty of space for larger or smaller batches, and the to-go lid is perfect for meal prep. I can blend my smoothie, pop on the lid, and head out the door with no extra dishes to worry about! It’s the perfect blend of convenience and power for anyone on the go.
Buy now £149.00, Currys
Sage Super Q SBL920BSS Blender - Stainless Steel
Best for: more than a bullet blender
The Sage brand, made with Heston Blumenthal’s seal of approval, has become synonymous with clever design features for increased performance - and they’ve done it again. Using a high-tech Kinetix blade system, this bullet blends even really tough ingredients with ease to ultimate smoothness. It features a neat push and twist button that’s lovely to use and a grind and mill unit for nuts and seeds, while every element exudes high quality in its comfortable, easy grip and drink cup shapes and overall design. An overall winner that’s top quality, albeit expensive.
Buy now £449.95, Amazon
Nutribullet Blender Combo
Best for: value-for-money
You’ll be hard-pressed (ahem) to find someone who doesn’t know about the beauty of the Nutribullet. It is one of the most straightforward appliances on the market; add fruit to one of the many containers included, twist the lid shut, slot onto the base, push - and you’re in the money.
The Blender Combo model brings the juicing element into the equation, allowing you to blitz your favourite fruits and vegetables with ease. Thanks to an innovative OneTouch technology, the Blender Combo can utilise a pre-programmed nutrition extraction cycle to ensure you’re getting the most out of your juices. The 1.8-litre jug blender can blend hot and cold in any one of the three Nutribullet vessels included in the set.
The brand has also recently launched The Juicer to further streamline the process.
Buy now £130.00, Argos
Smeg PBF01 blender
Best for: Style on the go
This is one of the latest additions to the Smeg range and it takes the idea of a mini blender and runs with it. The pint-sized kitchen gadget would almost be a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it-device if it wasn’t for the signature aesthetically-appealing 50s design that will fit seamlessly among the brand’s other toasters, kettles and the likes. It comes in seven colourways that include pastel pinks and blues as well as the classic red and black.
The Italian appliance label has produced one of the most minuscule blenders on the market that is ideal for smaller kitchens, but it doesn’t end there. Alongside the compact 33.5cm x 14.2cm base is not one but two ready-to-go 600ml containers, the same that are set inside the base. This means all it takes is switching out the blending attachment for the lid to take your milkshake on the move. Twist this lid and you have an easily sippable smoothie. It has 300W power and minimal buttons, just push down for the mixing magic. What’s more, the blender has been made from 50 per cent certified recycled content.
Buy now £110.00, Argos
Cuisinart Cordless On the Go Blender
Best for: sleek sophistication
With its sleek silver body and polished chrome trim, this is so beautiful and shiny that I preened like a magpie when it came out of the box. It’s an on-the-go blender that is so gorgeous that you’d be proud to be seen with it anywhere.
The idea is that you charge it up (a two-hour charge makes eight smoothies) and take it with you – to the office, to the gym, to the park, wherever. Once charged you can whip up a beverage just about anywhere – in a board meeting, while lifting weights or peddling a paddleboat across a lake. You name it.
But, would you want to? It may be lightweight and cordless once you’ve charged it – but you still have to haul all of the ingredients around to make your smoothie. I can’t see it myself.
Of course, you can just leave it at home on the worktop, its compact size and battery power (no ugly trailing cords) make it ideal for small kitchens and cramped worktops – an important consideration when viewed against a lot of the other models on the market with their sizeable footprints – all of those hefty bases, blending cups and lids have to live somewhere.
This one has a neat base fitted with a power button and one slimline-lidded 450ml bottle. On the plus side, this takes care of storage issues, on the downside, it’s only suitable for one person. Plus, this type of style comes with a hefty price tag. But if you want a bit of gadget glamour in your chic studio apartment, this one’s for you.
Buy now £69.99, Amazon
VonShef UltraBlend Smoothie Maker
Best for: value-for-money
This is a good mid-price buy and is clearly chuffed with its 1,000-watt motor capacity, proudly displaying the fact in silver lettering on the front. I put in some chunky carrot pieces, broccoli stems, cabbage stalks and lemon peel to test it out – and it coped very well, nicely diced up, no lumpy chewy bits and all blended beautifully. And luckily, more power doesn’t equal more noise.
It works very simply – there are no bells, whistles or buttons, just press down the blending cup on the base and it does its thing. The instructions are also very basic – just one leaflet with a series of illustrated how-to’s – no colour pictures and no recipe suggestions (which was slightly disappointing, being quite partial to recipe suggestions). It also comes with a tall 800ml and medium-sized 500ml cup, one flat lid and one lid with a drinking flap.
Buy now £42.99, Vonhaus
Salter NutriPro 1000 Multi-Purpose Blender
Best for: stability
This also doesn’t have the bells and whistles of some of the others but it’s nice and simple to use and does a good job. Plus it has a slightly more powerful motor (1200 watts) than the other model in the mid-price range.
It has two blend modes: push down to pulse and twist to blend - with the latter working continuously while you walk away and admire it doing its thing. The sturdy base has suction feet for increased stability while the motor is running. It comes with a 1 litre and 800ml cup and two lids - one flat, the other has a drinking flap. One detail that I loved on this model was the max fill symbol (marking the level to which you can add liquid) - which is indented so you can feel and see it.
The instructions are easy to follow and while it doesn’t come with a recipe book, the box informs me that there are 50 healthy ‘getting you started’ recipes online. Which is useful - but not as good as an actual recipe book.
Buy now £59.99, Robert Dyas
Ninja Foodi Power Nutri Blender 2-in-1 with Smart Torque & Auto-iQ
Best for: hi-tech excellence
‘More than smoothies’ says the Ninja Foodi and so I thought I’d try out one of its ‘extra-curricular’ activities and make hummus – using its very handy recipe book. All of the ingredients (mainly a tin of chickpeas and some spices) went into the blender cup and onto the stand with its handy LED display, I selected ‘mix’ and 20 seconds later I had my first ever homemade hummus. And it was good.
Easy and quick – the recipe book said it would take 5 minutes, but they had clearly allowed an over-generous 4 minutes to open a tin of chickpeas and some spice jars. In the book, there are also some other great recipes on offer - including smoothies, fruit bowls, butter, parfait, pâté, pesto, and guacamole.
In fairness, all of the bullets will make hummus, but the Ninja makes the process a bit easier. A paddle attachment at the top of the blender cup pushes the ingredients down towards the blades at the bottom which keeps everything moving so that nothing sticks to the side.
The LED display on this model is a nice touch, with pre-set options for blending (smoothies and shakes), crushing (ice, tough fibrous whole fruits and veg), mixing (smoothie bowls and frozen yoghurt), power mixing (nut butter and hummus) and pulsing. Or you can just use the stop/start option for manual use.
I made a smoothie later using the ‘blend’ button, watching proudly as it counted itself down from 40 seconds. It has a powerful 1100-watt motor which did make me jump when I first turned it on but it takes all the guesswork – and in fact all the work – out of blending.
It also comes with a 400ml bowl with a paddle for blending thicker textures, a 700ml cup for smoothies and dressings, a flat lid and a drinking lid.
Buy now £99.99, Ninja
Tefal Freshboost Stainless Steel Blender
Best for: vacuum technology
You get a lot of kit with the Tefal – owners of small kitchens be warned. As well as a hefty stainless base with an 80-watt motor and a four-setting dial, there are two 600ml cups for blending, two flat lids, two lids with drinking flaps and a large vacuum dome for extracting air.
The ‘extracting air’ feature is a clever touch and sets this model apart. Place all of the ingredients into the blender cup and attach to the base, then place the vacuum dome over it, slide the lock to ‘air out’ and press to start. You’ll hear a high-pitched whining noise, but don’t be alarmed – it’s just the air being sucked out. I confess though, that no matter how many times I used this, the sound of the motor kicking into action once the air had been sucked out made me jump every time – if that cat had still been around, she would have had a heart attack on the spot. And the noise of it blending was a bit like foxes fighting – this won’t win any prizes for quiet operation.
On the plus side though, there is no frothy foam at the top of the drink once blended and the ingredients don’t separate – no matter how long you leave it to sit. This is a nice advantage over all of the other models – just check the vicinity for frightened cats before you switch it on. It comes with nicely detailed instruction books, a handy quick-start guide and a colour recipe book.
Buy now £99.99, Amazon
Tower T12060MNB Cavaletto 300W Personal Blender
Best for: small square footage
Such a neat little model. To any of you with spatially challenged worktops, this is the perfect buy. With a small footprint, though, comes a short wire, so you will need to place it fairly near a socket.
Easy to use, just click the blending cup into place, push the button on the front and it mixes like a dream. The blending cup comes with its own lid so you can turn it into a bottle and carry it away with you – or just pop it in the fridge to top up your drink throughout the day. It’s a good size, holding a max of 600ml - while they’ve even included a second 600ml bottle for a flatmate or to pop in the kid’s lunchbox.
With a 350-watt motor, it’s not as powerful as some of the more expensive models so you might find small pieces of fruit skin in your smoothie. Not enough that you’d really notice though, and it offers great value for money.
Buy now £29.99, Robert Dyas
Verdict
For those looking to stay on track with easy nutritious smoothies without the faff, Nutribullet Ultra 02312 Blender is the best choice for anyone looking to fuel their busy days with minimal hassle.
Its powerful 1200 W motor makes light work of even the toughest ingredients like seeds and raw vegetables, ensuring every smoothie is packed with nutrients and nothing goes to waste.
Of course, it isn’t a silent operation but at least the noise gives you a jump start in the morning and it beats a lot of others on the market at this price. The intuitive touchscreen is a dream, just a quick tap to select your setting, and you’re good to go for the day.
