I’m a firm believer that having one of the best blenders is the easiest way to level up your cooking at home, and squeeze in some extra nutrients. That means you need a blender that can cope with even the toughest ingredients. The Nutribullet Power Core does just that.
The Power Core costs less than $100, yet provides incredibly impressive performance and is easy to use. The large capacity means you can work in large batches, and the maintenance of the blender is really simple too.
Unfortunately, it’s extremely loud, and the motor creates a lot of airflow in your workspace. The limited speed settings could also put some users off, but I think it’s more than enough for home use. To find out more, you can keep reading this full Nutribullet Power core review.
Nutribullet Power Core review: Specs
Price |
|
Dimensions |
15.5 x 7.8 x 7.5 inches |
Weight |
7.5 pounds |
Capacity |
72 fluid ounces |
Power |
1400W (U.S.) / 1200W (U.K.) |
Blending speeds |
3 and pulse |
Blending presets |
Smoothie |
Nutribullet Power Core review: Price & availability
The Nutribullet Power Core is available from Amazon U.S. for $99 and Amazon U.K. for £99. This is an incredibly affordable blender, but that's not unheard of from Nutribullet. In fact, they make some of the most affordable high-performance blenders, including the Nutribullet Smart Touch for $99 and the Nutribullet Pro 900W for $84.
If you want the option of smaller capacity blends, look at the Ninja Detect Power Pro with BlendSense for $179, which, like the Power Core, holds 72 ounces but comes with a 24-ounce single-serve cup.
For more control over blend speeds, check out the Tribest Backspin for $499, which has 12 speeds, or the Vitamix Ascent X2 for $549 with 10 variable speeds. In short, if you want more control, you need to pay more because you only get three speeds with the Nutribullet Power Core. That said, for everyday use, this is enough.
Nutribullet Power Core review: Design
The Nutribullet Power Core is a blender that will look good in any kitchen. It only comes in matte black, so if color matching all your appliances is a dealbreaker for you, this may not be the one (unless everything you own is black). But for most people, the simplistic design will be a win.
The jug has measurements up the side, so I found it easy to measure my ingredients as I went. The lid also has a small measuring cap that can be removed to add more ingredients, such as seasonings, as you blend. This was great for making things like dips.
Because of the large handle, the jug is very easy to hold and pour even when it’s full and heavy. Also, the spout makes pouring accurate, and I didn’t have any issues with spilled smoothies.
The blender uses a six-point stainless steel blade, and this was very effective even on tough ingredients like dates and seeds.
Controls
The Nutribullet Power Core is very easy to use. All of the button controls are at the front of the machine, and since it’s so cheap, it’s very basic. For me, this is great because I don’t think blending needs to be complicated.
The power button is in the middle, and to the left you’ll find a smoothie preset and a pulse button. To the right, there are three buttons for low, medium, and high-speed blending.
Nutribullet Power Core review: Blending performance
To test the blending performance of the Nutribullet Power Core, I carried out my usual tests and made a smoothie, sorbet, and hummus. When blending, the noise level reached a high of 101 decibels. This is around the volume you can expect from a lawnmower, and according to Hearing Loss USA, “anything above 85 decibels can damage the small hair cells in your ears and affect your hearing health.”
This is very loud, even for a large blender. In comparison, the Vitamix Ascent X2 reaches about 81 decibels. I would seriously recommend using a pair of Loop earplugs if you’re using this blender often.
That’s not the only thing — the motor base also creates a lot of wind. If it wasn’t for the powerful suction cups keeping it stable on my countertop, I’m pretty sure this thing would have taken flight. It blew around containers and papers on my countertop, which was just plain annoying.
Also, since the jug is so big, it would have been great to have a tamper so ingredients could be directed toward the blades when it wasn’t as full. I ended up having to push the sides down with a spoon intermittently.
Smoothie
I added a bag of berry smoothie mix, dates, sunflower seeds and oat milk to the blender and used the smoothie preset for blending. This did a great job of quickly dealing with frozen ingredients and mincing the sunflower seeds finely.
I was most impressed by how the blender handled the dates, as their naturally sticky texture often clogs blender blades and leaves chunks behind. There was some texture from the fruit seeds, but I was left with a smooth drink, and the blades didn’t clog. For $99, this is an extremely impressive blender.
Sorbet
Next, I blended up a sorbet. This allowed me to see how the blender would perform with frozen ingredients without adding liquid. I added a bag of frozen mango that had been thawed for 10 minutes. I used the medium-speed setting, stopping to push the mango down from the sides intermittently.
Since this is a thicker consistency than the smoothie, I spent a lot of time getting the mixture off the side walls of the blender. The mixture was mostly smooth with a few rogue chunks of mango, but it was good enough for what I needed.
Hummus
Finally, I whipped up a quick hummus — and I mean quick. I added two cans of chickpeas, lemon juice and some seasonings to the blender and used the pulse setting as I slowly added extra virgin olive oil. This only took a couple of minutes.
I was very impressed with the results. I had a mostly smooth dip with only a few whole chickpeas. For the price, I couldn’t ask for more.
Nutribullet Power Core review: Storage & maintenance
Taking care of the Nutribullet Power Core couldn’t be simpler. Everything is dishwasher-safe apart from the motor base. This meant I could just pop the whole jug and lid into the dishwasher and give the motor base a quick wipe down with a cloth. To clean the jug by hand, use detergent and a soft sponge, but be very careful with the blades at the bottom.
You need to be prepared for it to take up a lot of space on your countertop, or potentially a whole shelf in your cupboard. It measures 15.5 x 7.8 x 7.5 inches and weighs 7.5 pounds. The 72-ounce jug detaches from the motor base for cleaning and easier storage.
Nutribullet Power Core review: Verdict
The Nutribullet Power Core is an incredibly affordable blender that delivers impressive performance for under $100. This easy-to-use blender made mixing up large batches of my favorite smoothies, sorbets, and dips an absolute breeze. It completely blended even the toughest ingredients like dates, seeds and frozen fruit, leaving no chunks behind. It’s a must if you need a big blender on a budget, and it’s dishwasher-safe, so very easy to maintain.
However, you’ll need to protect your hearing with some earplugs because it gets incredibly noisy. I’d argue it’s louder than should be possible for a blender. The motor also generates a lot of air, making the surrounding workspace insanely windy.
With only three speeds, some users may feel limited, but for casual blenders, this is more than enough. For reliable and impressive results on a budget, this blender is a great choice.
