The Ninja Slushi is one of my all-time favorite kitchen appliances, but it's simply too large for my kitchen. Thankfully there are personal blenders that are smaller, cost a lot less, and make perfect slushies for one in just a few seconds — and here I've picked three of the best that can tackle ice and other frozen ingredients with ease.

Some single-serve blenders struggle to tackle any ingredients tougher than an apple, but each of the models here will crush ice effortlessly despite their compact size. Once you're done, you can take your drink on the road, to work — or just to the back yard for sipping in the sunshine.

Slushies made this way won't be identical to those created with a Slushi machine, but they can come close. The Slushi works by taking liquid ingredients and freezing them while stirring to create small ice crystals, whereas blenders create slush by chopping up large pieces of ice. If you want an undiluted slushie without added water, try freezing ingredients like juice or soda in an ice-cube tray. Provided you add the recommended amount of liquid to your blender's cup (usually around 6oz / 170ml) you should get a very similar (and equally tasty) result.

Ninja BlendBOSS

At 1,200 watts, the Ninja BlendBOSS has the most powerful motor of all the blenders in this list, and transforms ice and frozen fruit into slush with ease. It consists of a sturdy, unusually-shaped base (which reminds me of a UFO) and a Stanley-style cup, with a sip lid and straw that you can carry, or tuck into your car's cupholder.

It has three preset options (smoothie, ice crush, and blend) plus a pulse option so you can take control yourself. The preset programs will blend and pause in different patterns to ensure all the ingredients come into contact with the blades — and they're very effective. Our reviewer Karen Freeman reported that her smoothie with frozen berries "came out perfectly smooth [with] no chunks of blueberry skin or spinach" and the blender "turned ice into snow incredibly quickly and thoroughly" for iced lemonade. Your recipe needs to include at least 6oz / 175ml liquid along with the ice for proper blending.

Some single-serving blenders tend to jump across your kitchen counter when dialled up to full, but the BlendBOSS has a cleverly designed base with a circle of grippy silicone, plus suction cups to ensure it doesn't dance onto the floor when preparing iced drinks.

The only downside we found is that the lid of the chug cap sometimes fell down and bopped us on the nose mid-slurp, but that was only a very minor annoyance. This is otherwise a brilliant tool for making slushies and smoothies, and very reasonably priced too.

Read our full Ninja BlendBOSS review

Nutribullet Flip

Unlike the two other blenders here, which comprise a plug-in base that you keep in the kitchen and a detachable cup to take with you, the Nutribullet Flip is fully portable and rechargeable so you can whip up drinks on the move (particularly handy if you're at the gym and want a fresh protein shake, for example). Just add your ingredients to the cup, screw on the lid, flip it upside down and press the button. Thirty seconds later, you can turn it upright again and start sipping. What could be easier?

I was a bit apprehensive about drinking from the part of the blender that contains the motor, but you're in no danger at all of cutting yourself; the blade assembly is well away from the drinking spout and the motor can't activate unless the cover on the drinking spout is fully closed.

The Flip handles ice with ease, and I used it to prepare some very nice iced coffee drinks during testing. Particularly large frozen strawberries sometimes required a second blending cycle to be fully pulverized (the Flip only has one program) but nothing I tested could withstand a minute in contact with its blades. When you're done, the insulated cup keeps your slush and shakes cold for hours. You'll need to add at least 8oz / 235ml liquid along with your ice.

Something I particularly like about the Flip is that its blades are at the widest point of the cup, which means everything falls down onto them rather than getting stuck on the sides. It's especially easy to clean as well; add water and a drop of dish soap, run a cycle, then rinse.

Read our full Nutribullet Flip review

Ninja Blast Max

I awarded the Ninja Blast Max a full five stars thanks to its ability to turn even the toughest ingredients into a silky smoothie or tasty slush. Ice and frozen fruit were transformed into a frosty treat in no time at all, and tough fibrous vegetables like kale were no match for its powerful motor and super-sharp blades.

The Blast Max has a 'crush' setting specifically designed for ice, which turns rock-solid strawberries and raspberries into slushies in less than a minute. Alternatively, add plenty of ice, a shot of espresso, and a good splash of milk for a delicious iced coffee. Provided your drink includes at least 6oz / 175ml liquid, the Blast Max will handle it with ease. "The resulting blended iced coffee looked as good as anything you might get from a coffee shop, with a nice layer of foam on top and no chunks of unblended ice crystals," I said.

The Blast Max has a travel cup that detaches from the charging base for sipping on the move, with measuring lines clearly marked on the side. Ninja suggests that you might need to give it a little shake during blending to loosen any ingredients stuck to the sides that might miss the blades, but during my tests I never found that necessary.

The Blast Max is the most affordable of these three blenders right now, and no less impressive than the other two. For me, the only drawback was that, unlike the Nutribullet Flip, the Blast Max doesn't have an insulated cup to keep slushies frosty when you're on the go.

Read our full Ninja Blast Max review

In a small kitchen where storage is at a premium, I figured a portable blender would serve me fine. I quickly realised how limiting it was for my needs — as a home cook, I needed more than just smoothies for my breakfast.

After looking at several options, I got the Braun Multiquick 5 and haven’t regretted that purchase once. It might come with a few different attachments, but it’s still compact and powers well above its size would indicate.

I can still make smoothies, but now I also make soups, sauces and other dishes that I’ve been meaning to try now I have a hand blender.

Actually, hold on, there is one small regret that I do have: I paid full price for it and regret not waiting for the massive 57% discount available right now. If, like me, you’re looking to up your kitchen antics with something small and affordable, grab this EOFY deal on the Braun Multiquick 5 for the bargain price of AU$79 at The Good Guys.

With smoothies, the Multiquick 5’s motor can easily crush and blend frozen fruit and fibrous greens like kale.

Its heat-resistant immersion blender shaft attachment allows me to just stick (pardon the pun) the blender directly into a hot stock pot to blend or puree ingredients to make soup or sauce, saving me cooking time.

Even though the attachments can’t be stacked and need to be stored separately, the full package still earns its spot in my kitchen in spades as the blender shaft, whisk, masher and vegetable chopper don’t take much room.

Granted, the Multiquick 5 would be too small for some households, but it’s serving me very well and, honestly, given how versatile it is, it’s excellent value at this price.

Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender: one-minute review

American manufacturer Cuisinart is known for its range of high-quality kitchen appliances at affordable prices. The Power Blend Immersion Blender follows suit, offering versatility and convenience for less than $70 / £50 / AU$90.

his powerful four-in-one stick blender comes with several convenient accessories and attachments, including a food processor (with a mixing/chopping blade and reversible shredding/slicing disc), a chef’s whisk, a blending shaft, and a prep-and-store cup that makes prepping and storing foods like whipped cream and omelette mix a breeze. It’s even got an ergonomic handle design to make use and maneuvering more comfortable.

The results are impressive, with the Power Blend’s pressure-controlled speed giving you more control over its use and quickly whisking eggs, blending soups, and grating cheese.

However, it’s not without its flaws. This appliance may leave some food unprocessed or blended, and the blenders' pressure controls may not be suited to those with restricted hand or wrist movement (especially when turning it on). These may or may not be dealbreakers for you, depending on your individual needs, but they’re enough to hold the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender back from a position among our top blender picks.

• £49.99 (about $70 / AU$90) direct from Cuisinart
• Available at third-party retailers, such as Amazon and Costco
• Regularly discounted to £42.99
• Not available in the U.S. or Australia

The Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender is priced at £49.99 (about $70 / AU$90), making it more affordable than competitors such as the Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender ($79.99, roughly £60 / AU$110) and the Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 (£99.99, or about $140 / AU$210), which is one of the best blenders on the market. Unfortunately, this product isn’t available in the US or Australia.

Considering the versatility and power of the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender, it offers fantastic value for money. What’s more, third-party retailers like Amazon and Costco tend to offer a discount, bringing the price down to £42.99 – offering more bang for your buck.

• Value score: 5/5

Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender: specifications

Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender: design

• Comfortable ergonomic handle
• Dishwasher-friendly parts
• Pressure-controlled speed…
• …that can be tricky to use with the unlock button
• Motor can become warm

The Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender has a silver base that houses its motor and an ergonomic handle design that makes it comfortable to use and maneuver – especially if you have restricted mobility in your hand or wrist. Near the top of the handle is a variable, pressure-controlled speed button (with an LED light at the very top indicating the speed) and an unlock/on button.

At the bottom of the base is an attachment release button, with attachments able to be inserted and locked in with ease. This versatile immersion blender comes with three main attachments: a blending shaft, a 950ml food processor, and a chef’s whisk. In addition, the appliance comes with a canvas storage bag to keep all the bits in and a convenient 700ml prep-and-store cup and lid – though the cup lid did come unstuck a few times for us.

The blending shaft comes with a protective blade guard, allowing it to be used in glass, enamel, and non-stick vessels, while minimising splashing, which we found very effective. It also comes with a blade storage cover to allow the shaft to be safely stored. The full-sized chef’s whisk is attached to the base with a detachable gearbox and works a treat, especially when combined with the prep-and-store cup.

The food processor features a lid with a decent-sized feed chute (that could fit a large carrot vertically) and pusher, with a reversible slicing/shredding disc and mixing/chopping blade included and easily inserted into the work bowl.

To turn the appliance on, you need to press the unlock button while pressing the speed control button, before releasing the unlock, a bit like the mechanism seen on some lawnmowers. While this is a great child-safe feature, it took us a few tries to start the blender initially. Even when we’d worked out the system, holding both buttons simultaneously was uncomfortable, especially as you need to be mindful of the pressure you’re applying to the speed control.

While testing the chef whisk feature with some eggs in the prep-and-store cup. While trying to apply enough pressure to turn the blender on, we accidentally applied too much, resulting in our raw eggs splattering all over the kitchen.

This brings us nicely on to cleaning. Certain parts of the Power Blend are dishwasher safe: the food processor bowl, pusher, chopping/mixing blade, slicing/shredding disc, and prep-and-store cup and lid. However, the blending shaft and food processor lid need to be hand-washed, and the base should be wiped down. While the blending shaft and base are fairly easy to clean, the food processor lid is less so; it can't be immersed in water, so cleaning inside the feed chute is somewhat challenging.

Another issue we found with this stick blender was the heat the motor emitted when blending soup. We used the appliance for about two minutes, occasionally stopping and starting, and the handle was warm to the touch, suggesting the motor may be overheating. As such, we recommend not using this immersion blender continuously for too long or taking breaks if the handle begins to get quite warm.

• Design score: 4/5

Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender: performance

• Quickly blends chunky soups
• Convenient mini food processor attachment
• Impressive whisking
• Uneven cutting and some food left unprocessed

The first thing we tested was the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender’s blending shaft attachment. After boiling a chunky 1L of homemade vegetable soup (with carrots, onions, cauliflower, potatoes, and a leek) until the veg was soft, we let it cool before blending on a medium-to-high pressure.

After around two minutes of blending, the soup was pretty smooth, but a few rebel chunks of cauliflower remained. As mentioned previously, at this point, the handle began to heat up, so we didn’t want to push it any more.

Next, we tested the chef’s whisk attachment. While the whisk seems quite flimsy, it’s pretty impressive. After cleaning up our prior disaster – and becoming more mindful of how sensitive the pressure controls are – we applied minimum pressure to our remaining eggs (mixed with milk and herbs) and had perfectly whisked eggs in a matter of seconds. It was so quick, we didn’t have time to whip out our phone and time it.

The food processor was equally impressive, though it isn’t without its flaws. We tested the mixing/chopping blade first, adding all the ingredients for a saag paste (including garlic, wilted spinach, veggie oil, spices, and coriander). It took around 30 seconds to make the paste, but it was loud: around 88 to 90 decibels. While most of the paste was mixed well, there were some less mixed parts at the bottom, under the blades, though it wasn’t enough to be a dealbreaker.

We also tested chopping a red onion with this blade, chopped into large chunks. It only took three or four short, one-second pulses of high-speed power to chop the onion. However, this was also loud – between 90 and 94 decibels – the cuts were largely uneven. We were impressed that the results weren’t overly wet, as we’ve seen when chopping onions with other powerful food processors.

Next, we tested the shredding/slicing disc, beginning with shredding (or grating) 50g of mature cheddar cut into rectangular blocks to fit the feed chute. While the cheese was grated in under 10 seconds, there was a lot of unshredded cheese on top of the disc.

We also experienced this using the slicing disc with a large carrot. While it took less than five seconds to slice the carrot, the slices were uneven, and there were some unsliced carrot remnants on top of the disc afterwards.

Overall, the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender performs well, offering a lot of versatility and largely impressive results – but it does come with a few quirks that may irk some more than others.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender: also consider

If you're not sure whether this is the right blender for you, here are two other options to add to your shortlist.

How I tested the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender

I tested the Cuisinart Power Blend Immersion Blender by preparing a wide variety of foods, including eggs, curry paste, and vegetable soup. I also used its food processor attachment to shred cheese, and chop various vegetables, and compared the results with those from a dedicated food processor. I cleaned the blender thoroughly after use, following the manufacturer's instructions. For more details, see how we test, review, and rate products at TechRadar.

First reviewed June 2026.

Do you like the sound of "a fun portable blender with a sippy-cup lid"? If so, the Ninja Blast Portable Blender is on sale at Amazon for £35.99 (was £49.99) — and it will suit you brilliantly.

Capable of creating smoothies and protein shakes as well as blending ice and frozen fruit, the Ninja Blast makes healthy eating an absolute breeze. It's also chargeable via USB-C, which makes it easy to keep it powered up.

The last time this blender was on offer was back in January, but the latest discount sees it drop in price by a further £5. Given Ninja's excellent track record, our four-star review, and now this £14 price cut, we think this deal is worth a look.

Today’s best blender deal

Our Ninja Blast review rated the popular blender a respectable four out of five stars with positive things to say about its ability to handle fibrous foods, its easy-to-clean design, and the inclusion of a base and blade cover. It's a fantastic all-rounder that punches above its weight, especially at this price point.

As we've come to expect from Ninja products, the Blast also boasts a stylish design, which means it'll look great on any kitchen counter or in a utility room. And when you've finished blending up your favourite smoothie, take it with you courtesy of the integrated to-go lid with handle.

When it comes to the point of needing to recharge the device, this can be done via a USB-C cable. If you're anything like me, and given the fact that iPhones now use USB-C, you'll have tonnes of those lying around.

If the Ninja Blast is not for you, then have a look at our best blenders and best juicers guides. Alternatively, if you're in the mood for other kitchen gadgets to improve your life, then our air fryer deals and coffee maker deals pages are a great place to start.

Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk: one-minute review

The Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk does just what you'd expect, based on the name. The device comes with two different attachments, one for blending and one for whisking. The attachments are easy and intuitive to swap out. You can use the provided container or use just about any pot, bowl, or container you'd like. Make your favorite sauces, smoothies, whipped food, and more. The Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk offers three power levels.

Working with an immersion blender is a bit different from a standing blender; you need a bit of coordination to get everything blended properly. You need to hold down the power button as you blend, use an up and down motion, and use another finger to toggle the speed up or down. I ended up with some tiny ice shards in some of my smoothies, but further blending probably would have taken care of that.

Cleanup couldn't be easier. The motor/handle can be wiped down with a damp cloth if needed. All other parts can be popped into the dishwasher (top rack) or hand-washed with warm soapy water. All of the parts are light and easy to stash away, freeing up valuable counter space for other appliances.

Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk: price and availability

• List price: $79.99 (about £60 / AU$113)
• Widely available online and in stores

The Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk can be found at many major retailers across the US, both online and in stores. You can purchase it at Ninja's own website or at Walmart, Target, Macy's, Amazon, and many more. There are two color options: Dark Gray, which you can see in my photos, and Deep Navy. Additional accessories available for purchase include a 3-cup Power Chopper and 4-cup Blending Pitcher.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk: specifications

Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk: design and features

• Use provided container or just about any other
• Three blending speeds
• 750-watt motor

The clever design of the Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk allows it to be used in a lot of different situations. From blending sauce on the stove to cottage cheese in its own container or whisking egg whites in a shallow bowl, this appliance offers a lot of flexibility. The provided 3-cup plastic container is handy and even has a lid for storing leftovers. The blending blade is surrounded by a splatter shield to minimize mess as you blend.

Other thoughtful touches include the ease with which you can swap out the blending blade and whisk. All parts that contact food are designed to be dishwasher-safe, which makes cleanup super easy. They can also be easily hand-washed if you prefer.

The power button must be held down as you use the device, which takes a bit of coordination, especially if you change speeds while blending. It does take some getting used to, but I can't fault Ninja for that choice: it is clearly a safety feature.

• Design score: 5/5

Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk: performance

I tested the Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk on a number of different foods. I blended pasta sauce, hummus, smoothies, frozen yogurt, and cottage cheese. I whisked egg whites. It handled everything well without excessive mess or noise.

I made some pasta sauce from canned whole tomatoes. I placed the immersion blender directly into the pot on the stove. In less than a minute, the tomatoes were blended into a smooth puree. I was a little nervous that I'd end up with sauce all over my stove, but that was not the case at all.

I made two different smoothies, one with frozen cherries, almond milk, and yogurt and another with frozen mangoes and fruit juice. Both came out smooth and delicious.

I also made some different "frozen yogurts," which are similar to smoothies but with frozen fruit, ice, yogurt, and no liquid, so they are a bit more challenging for blenders. I made a banana-peanut butter flavor, banana-chocolate, and cherry. The banana versions also included some hemp seeds and protein powder. All of the seeds and powders blended up smoothly. I did get the occasional ice shard; I probably could have taken more time to be sure I blended every inch.

I blended the cherry one directly in the yogurt container (which only had about a half-cup of yogurt left at the bottom.) I just added frozen cherries and blended for a super-simple and healthy dessert.

I had about half a container of cottage cheese and I blended it right in the container. Just a few seconds turned the curds into a smoother texture, which I later used to make a chia pudding.

I made an ultra-simple hummus with ingredients I had on hand: a can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained), lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, garlic, and salt. It actually came out delicious, though I suspect that the addition of tahini would have made it even better and smoother.

I've never actually whipped egg whites before, but the whisk attachment made it super easy. The pictures below speak better than words. It was kind of magic.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk: also consider

If the Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk isn't exactly what you're looking for, you might consider the following:

How I tested the Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk

• I tested both attachments and all three power levels
• I made a variety of beverages and foods
• I cleaned it after every use, both by hand and in the dishwasher

I blended pasta sauce that started with a can of whole tomatoes. I made a simple hummus with a drained and rinsed can of chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and spices. I made several different kinds of smoothies and frozen yogurt with ice and/or frozen fruit, some of which included powders and seeds. I blended cottage cheese, right in its container. I whisked egg whites until they formed peaks.

Read more about how we test.

• The Nutribullet Power Core Blender is an extra-powerful countertop blender
• It has a 1,400W motor, and its blades can spin at 20,000rpm
• It's on sale now direct from Nutribullet for $99.99 / AU$179.95 (about £75)

Nutribullet has moved beyond shakes and smoothies with a new countertop blender that can handle family-size portions and tough ingredients — and it looks like a great tool for preparing my favorite vegetable soups.

The Nutribullet Power Core Blender has a 72oz / 2.1 liter pitcher, giving you space to blend family-sized portions, and has a seriously powerful motor tucked away in the base to handle even tough and fibrous ingredients; stringy celery and frozen veg might have finally met their match.

Nutribullet is best known for making some of the best blenders for whipping up single portions of blended beverages (such as the Magic Bullet and Nutribullet Ultra) but it's also making a name for itself with full-size appliances like the Nutribullet Triple Prep System, which we awarded four and a half stars in our recent review.

Faster than fast

I recently got my hands on the Ninja BlendBoss — a compact but heavyweight blender with 1,200 watts of vegetable-liquidizing power at its disposal. The Nutribullet Power Core has an even beefier 1,400-watt motor at its heart, with six-point stainless steel blades that spin at up to 20,000rpm — those carrots won't know what hit them.

Clean-up should be simple as well, as the pitcher, lid, and lid cap are all dishwasher-safe, while the base can be wiped clean.

The Power Core Blender is on sale now direct from Nutribullet for $99.99in the US and for AU$179 at JB Hi-Fi in Australia (about £75). International release dates and official pricing are yet to be announced, but I'm hoping to put the new blender through its paces and bring you a full review very soon.

The Magic Bullet Blender isn't a lifetime investment, but it offers plenty of use for under $30. Thanks to this latest sale, you can get the Magic Bullet Blender on Amazon for $29.95 (was $49.99).

This 11-piece set comes with three kinds of cups with reusable lids, including a lid for sipping on-the-go. If you don't know what to make, you could also consult the included recipe book with various kinds of foods like spreads and smoothies.

It's the best value bundle on Amazon right now, so don't bother buying the seven-piece set for the same price.

Today's best cheap blender deal

NutriBullet is the maker of some of the best blenders on the market. The Magic Bullet Blender is far from the most luxurious item in its catalog, but the value it delivers for the price is one of the reasons it's a bestseller.

The three cups are helpful if you want to blend more than one item and store it for more than a day, or share the blender with family or roommates. The reusable lid, in particular, is a plus if you don't want to invest in a portable blender, and the cup with the handle is helpful for grip. It's made of plastic instead of glass and only runs on 250W, but again, this is a budget buy.

If you're curious about Nutribullet's other offerings, I'd suggest our 4-star blenders like the Nutribullet 600 and Nutribullet Pro 900. The Nutribullet Magic Bullet Portable Blender is also worth checking out if you want a blender to take with you to the gym or office.

I’ve tested a lot of personal blenders and smoothie-makers here at TechRadar, including some super compact models that pack a real fruit-blending punch, but after using the new Ninja BlendBoss, I have a new favorite.

The BlendBoss was launched in the US late last year, and arrived here in the UK this week. Our US-based kitchen tech writer Karen Freeman has already given her verdict, awarding it an impressive four and a half stars out of five, but I was keen to try the funky-looking new appliance for myself now that it’s available on my side of the Atlantic.

The first thing you’ll notice about the BlendBoss is its unusual shape, a departure from most of our best blenders list. Its base, which contains its motor, is a flattened ball shape (or an oblate spheroid if you want to get technical), while its blending jug takes the form of a travel cup with a large carry handle. You can drink directly from the lid, or sip from the chunky straw provided (which has a soft silicone end to make sure you get every last drop from the bottom of the cup — a clever idea.

Lifting the BlendBoss out of its box, I was surprised just how much its base weighs. According to my kitchen scale, it’s 1.7kg (not including the plug), which is easily heavier than any other personal blender I’ve used to date. That makes sense when you check the specs, though. Whereas most of its smoothie-making rivals have a 800 or 1,000-watt motor, the BlendBoss’s base is packing a mighty 1,200 watts.

The weight helps keep the blender steady on your kitchen counter, too — aided by a set of three suction cups that hold it firmly in place. Got a wooden or textured counter that won’t give an airtight seal? No problem — the BlendBoss also has textured silicone between the suction cups for grip. That base isn’t going anywhere.

To really put the ‘smooth’ in ‘smoothie’, the blender comes with a guide telling you which order to add your ingredients for best results: liquid (at least 180ml), then dry or sticky ingredients like seeds or nut butter, fresh fruit and veg, yogurt, ice or anything frozen, and finally leafy greens.

To put it through its paces, I started off with a good dose of almond milk, with a scoop of vanilla protein powder, a tablespoon of chia seeds, a whole banana, two tablespoons of natural Greek yogurt, a handful of frozen berries (including several frozen together in a clump), and a handful of spinach leaves. I was particularly interested to see how the BlendBoss would fare with the seeds; I’ve tested some smoothie-makers recently that can tackle blackcurrant pips, but chia seeds are so tiny they could pose a real problem if not soaked first,

The BlendBoss has a handy preset for smoothies (Smoothie IQ), so I hit this button once and let it get to work. The blend cycle was thorough, with a couple of short pulses followed by a couple of longer ones. It’s one of the louder blenders I’ve tested, but if you’re not using ice or frozen ingredients then it won’t be quite so noisy.

Sipping my finished concoction, I found that I needn’t have worried about the chia seeds; the BlendBoss had pulverised them to oblivion, along with the seeds from my frozen berry mix. The clump of frozen fruit hadn’t been an issue either, and unlike some of my experiences with other blenders, there were no stray chunks of icy strawberry to worry about.,

So the BlendBoss had proved its ability to handle tiny ingredients. What about something bigger? I recently purchased a spiralizer for my stand mixer, which removes the core from your chosen fruit or vegetable while it slices. It works well on carrots, but at the end of the process you’re left with a hard stick of unspiralized carrot to deal with. I’ve been keeping them in the fridge for soup, but they seemed like an ideal challenge for the BlendBoss.

All blended drinks need a certain amount of liquid, so I started with 180ml of apple juice. I then added a carrot core (snapped in half) and half a conference pear for some more sweetness. I finished it off with the obligatory handful of spinach (mostly to ensure my creation turned out green rather than an unappetizing shade of beige).

It took about 10 seconds for the carrot to catch on the blender’s blades (I could see its orange form poking through the swirling mix of apple and pear), but once it hit them, it was instantly and effortlessly pulverised.

Once again, the resulting drink was extremely smooth. With other blenders I’ve often felt the need to peel conference pears to avoid the skin giving my juice a slightly gritty texture, but that wasn’t the case here. Once I was finished, cleanup was a breeze. Everything except the base can be washed with warm, soapy water, and all traces of smoothie will wash right off.

Having blended half the contents of my fridge’s salad drawer, I’m thoroughly impressed, and already considering more possibilities. Blended iced coffee has to be next on the list, and maybe even frozen spinach (though not together).

We’ll be making a video of the BlendBoss in action very soon so you can see how well this mighty smoothie-maker performs for yourself.

• The Ninja BlendBoss is available in the UK for £129.99 direct from Ninja
• It has a 1,200-watt motor to tackle tough smoothie ingredients
• Our US-based reviewer awarded it four and a half stars out of five

The Ninja BlendBoss – a funky-looking two-in-one blender and travel cup – is finally available to buy in the UK. Ninja has been teasing the arrival of the BlendBoss for several weeks now (a sneaky preview appeared on the company's website last month), and if you've been dying to get your hands on one, it's on sale now direct from Ninja for £129.99.

The BlendBoss consists of a circular base containing a powerful motor, with a travel cup that screws into place on top. Your smoothie is blended directly in the cup; once it's ready, just take the cup off the base, and replace the blade unit with the sip-and-straw-lid.

The travel cup is designed to fit in most cupholders, and the whole blender comes in a choice of fun colour combinations, so you'll actually want to carry it around. Options include Cyberspace (dark blue), Lavender Lemonade (lilac and pale yellow), Watermelon Bubblegum (pink and green), Stone Mint (grey), and Blue Raspberry (blue and turquoise).

The blender has three blending presets (smoothie, blend, and crush), which use different pulse, pause, and blend patterns to handle different ingredients. Want manual control? The BlendBoss also has a pulse button for exactly that.

I've tested a lot of portable blenders and smoothie-makers here at TechRadar, and although they all make light work of soft ingredients like bananas and strawberries, they often struggle with tougher customers like ice, frozen fruit, and kale. That's largely due to their motors, which are usually between 800 and 1,000 watts, and can't always power through anything especially hard or fibrous.

The Ninja BlendBoss is different. Although its base is larger than average, it's packing a 1,200 watt motor to make light work of troublesome ingredients. That's good news for anyone who enjoys slushies or green smoothies; trust me, having flakes of kale leaf stuck between your teeth is no fun at all.

Blending like a boss?

Our US-based writer Karen Freeman got her hands on the BlendBoss when it launched in the US, and was thoroughly impressed by its power — even when it came to tough ingredients.

"In every case, the blender was super fast and blended everything completely," she wrote. "Even the spinach in one of my smoothies was blended so fine that I couldn't see or taste the spinach at all."

After putting the BlendBoss through its paces with various different recipes, Karen concluded that "making silky smoothies has never been so much fun," and awarded the BlendBoss an impressive four and a half stars out of five.

I'm also putting the BlendBoss through its paces in my kitchen (a process that involves plenty of kale and blueberries), and I'll bring you a full video review as soon as I'm done.

Want more blender recommendations? Take a look at my complete roundup of the best blenders to find my top-rated options for whipping up homemade smoothies, sauces, soups, and dips.

As a fan of eating and drinking a little healthier each day, I invested in a portable blender last year – I’m so glad I did. Today, you can buy that same blender for even less than I paid. That’s because the Ninja Blast Portable Blender is at Amazon for £39.99 (was £49.99), which brings it down to its Black Friday price.

I love my Ninja Blast – even though I did pay full price for it back in the day. It’s Ninja’s most compact and quietest blender, meaning it can blitz frozen fruit or ice without a hitch. The cup has a 530ml capacity, so it's best for one drink at a time, which I can easily fit into my morning routine while I make breakfast. The rechargeable USB-C base is convenient, too, allowing you to take it anywhere you want.

Today’s best blender deal

Our Ninja Blast review is what sold the blender to me. Described as a “powerful portable blender”, it tackles fibrous foods with ease and has a "great to-go lid with a handle".

It’s lightweight and stylish wherever you use it. I tend to keep it in my kitchen, but it’s useful to be able to charge quickly via USB, which I only have to do once a week. I make a regular drink out of protein powder, frozen fruit, water, and some fruit juice. Once in a while, the frozen fruit gets stuck, but a quick shake gets it back on track.

While it’s not like one of the more conventional best blenders, as it’s a portable device focused on drinks rather than hot foods, it’s incredibly useful. I find it helps me keep hydrated in a more interesting manner.

Plus, it’s more convenient in many ways than the best juicers. I’ve found it to be one of my favorite devices in recent times, while being much cheaper than buying smoothies while out and about.

Thinking of other ways to improve your daily life? Check out the air fryer deals going on. They’re another game changer in life and a huge help when cooking. When improving your kitchen, take a look at the coffee maker deals going on right now too. They can all really benefit your life.

Nutribullet Flex Portable Blender: one-minute review

Nutribullet has cemented itself as a trusted name in the kitchen appliance space, with its blenders and juicers among the best in the market. The Nutribullet Flex Portable Blender offers this same quality in a more lightweight package, allowing for on-the-go blending.

The Nutribullet Flex is an upgraded version of the Nutribullet Portable Blender, adding a few welcome new features, including increased capacity and clear charge indicators. As such, it comes in slightly more than its predecessor, while still being affordable at under $100.

Considering the quality of this personal blender, it offers excellent value for money for those seeking a convenient, portable blender that produces optimal results with cold beverages and smoothies. Its lightweight design means you can easily disassemble the appliance and take it with you to work, the gym, or on vacation, while its rechargeability means you won’t be searching high and low for a plug socket.

Each of its four charges allows for approximately eight blend cycles (each lasts 30 seconds), meaning you can quickly mix your food and transport it with ease, using the convenient carry loop attached to its lid. If you’re looking for a personal blender that prioritises convenience, speed, and cold beverages, this is an excellent choice.

However, this blender lacks versatility and can struggle with some ingredients or recipes, so you’re best to stick to cold drinks and smoothies with this one. Its portability is always negatively impacted by its volume, which could restrict where you can use it, and the lack of storage for its sharp blades.

Nutribullet Flex Portable Blender: price and availability

• $69.99 / £59.99 / AU$99.95 at Nutribullet
• Available at third-party retailers, such as Amazon, Decathlon, and Target

Priced at $69.99 / £59.99 / AU$99.95, the Nutribullet Flex Portable Blender offers great quality for an affordable price. And, what’s more, we regularly see discounts on this appliance at Nutribullet and third-party retailers.

While it doesn’t offer as much versatility as many of the best blenders on the market, if you’re looking for a portable blender for cold drinks and smoothies, without breaking the $100 mark, this is a great choice.

For those who want to keep under the $50 mark, however, the Nutribullet Magic Bullet Portable Blender ($39.99 / £39.99 / A$79.95) offers a solid alternative. If you don’t mind splashing out a bit more for a more powerful, convenient on-the-go blender, we highly recommend the Nutribullet Flip ($99.99, roughly £80 / AU$150), especially if you intend to make a lot of frozen or icy beverages.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Nutribullet Flex Portable Blender: specifications

Nutribullet Flex Portable Blender: design

• Rechargeable, with plug-in option
• Tight seals prevent leaks
• Carry loop on sip lid for on-the-go drinks
• No storage for blade block

Out of the box, the Nutribullet Flex Portable Blender comes with a motor base, a 590ml cup, a sip lid featuring a carry loop for on-the-go use, and a blade block. While our model came in black, Nutribullet offers several colour options, including green and grey.

The blender is straightforward to assemble and takes up minimal space, making it ideal for smaller kitchens or communal work/living spaces. Disassembling the appliance also requires minimal effort; its parts are fairly compact, so they easily fit into an average-sized backpack or gym bag. Our only concern is a lack of storage for the blade block, which is sharp. Including a small hub for this could make the appliance safer to transport.

This portable blender’s 590ml cup offers enough space to make a single smoothie or drink for one, though it's worth noting that the 'max' line on ours was at 400ml, meaning, in reality, that’s the capacity you have to work with. The accompanying sip lid screws snuggly onto the cup, preventing any leakages, while its secure carry loop allows you to carry your finished drink in hand as soon as your blending is complete.

The blade block fits tightly onto the bottom of the cup and is locked into the motor base with a satisfying click. Again, we had no issues with leakages throughout our testing. The motor base has a minimalistic LED display, featuring a large power button. This simply requires one press to turn on. When turned on, a clockwise light ring appears around the button, confirming it's ready to be operated. Below this button are four LED lights, indicating the amount of charge the blender currently has.

The Nutribullet Flex Portable Blender is rechargeable, meaning it largely works wirelessly. A USB-C cable for charging is included, which plugs into a discrete port at the back of the motor base. However, no adapter is included. While you can use the appliance plugged in, it must have at least one charge (one white light) for this to work, and operating the blender plugged in pauses charging during the blend cycle. In addition, the provided cable is only 50cm long, restricting where you can place the appliance.

We found it took approximately 50 minutes for one light (charge) to appear, and the blender offered approximately eight 30-second blending cycles per charge. This does, however, seem to be variable and can depend on what you’re blending and if you’re overheating the appliance.

This blender’s lightweight design makes it fairly easy to transport, but you may want to consider where you use it. Nutribullet products are typically quite loud, and while the Flex Portable Blender is a bit quieter (depending on its use), we found it averaged a decibel reading of 82, roughly equivalent to the volume of traffic. So, while you can take it to work or the gym, your colleagues and peers may not appreciate it.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Nutribullet Flex Portable Blender: performance

• Best suited to beverages
• Blends smoothies consistently well
• Struggles with certain solid ingredients
• 30-second blend cycle may not be enough

We began our testing of the Nutribullet Flex Portable Blender with Nutribullet’s own Banana Kale smoothie recipe. Due to the size of the appliance, we had to half the recipe to ensure it fit the cup. This blender comes with a small leaflet instructing you on how to build a smoothie optimally, in other words, the order to add the ingredients. It’s a lifesaver for those new to smoothie making, and blenders, too, for that matter.

After adding the ingredients and securing the cup, we pressed the power button, which triggered a 30-second blend cycle – which you can stop at any time by pressing the button again. The results were impressive: the consistency was thick and creamy, but smooth. There were no lumps of unblended fruit or veg in the cup or under the blades.

Next, we used one of the recipes Nutribullet recommends for this appliance. Following the included QR code takes you to the Nutribullet app, which allows you to input your appliance type and dietary requirements and suggests recipes based on your needs. The app itself is a bit of a pain; it signed us out every time we closed it, and wouldn’t let us sign in again without creating a new account. The recipes, too, were limited to fewer than 10, primarily smoothies and lattes.

We tried the Strawberry Banana Smoothie, composed of almond milk, ice, chia seeds, half a banana, strawberries, and vanilla extract. We again built the smoothie as suggested, but found that – despite being recommended for the Portable Blender – the ingredients exceeded the max line. This is potentially because they’re for the non-Flex version of this device, but this isn’t specified in the app (nor is Flex specifically a choice when choosing your device). As a result, we had to remove a large amount of ice for the blender to function safely.

The results, again, were excellent. However, we did find a small lump of unblended banana in the final product, and some of our chia seeds had stuck to the side of the cup in a clump. Overall, this didn’t affect the final product and, again, there was no unblended residue stuck under the blades.

As part of our standard control testing for blenders, we don’t simply test smoothies, however. Nutribullet describes the Flex Portable as being for “on-the-go lifestyles,” and while that suggests it's primarily for beverages, it doesn’t specify it’s only for smoothies and cold drinks.

We tested Nutribullet’s hummus recipe, again halving the ingredients. While the bottom portion of the ingredients blended fairly well after one cycle, the top remained untouched. The blender struggled considerably with the thickness of the hummus, slowing it to a standstill at one point, despite our attempts to loosen the mixture. Similarly, the appliance struggled with ice.

We wanted to use our ice control tests to check the chopping abilities of the blade. Again, the bottom portion was chopped, but the top remained untouched.

Surprisingly, what did work well was mayonnaise, another of our controls. This recipe applies more to a standard blender, as it requires adding oil while the device is on. We, instead, stopped the blender short of its cycle to add more before blending further each time. The result was actually nice, well-blended mayonnaise.

While the Nutribullet Flex Portable Blender is capable of mixing some non-beverage recipes, it’s not recommended. This isn’t necessarily a big drawback for this product, which is likely aimed at those making beverages on-the-go rather than quick mayo for your lunchtime sandwich.

What is worth noting is its struggle with more solid, thicker ingredients and its lack of versatility. If you are in the market for a portable blender that focuses on making cold drinks and does that well, but doesn’t offer the capabilities of competitor products, this is an excellent choice.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Nutribullet Flex Portable Blender?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: one-minute review

The Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender with 26oz Travel Tumbler is ideal for people who want to quickly make smoothies, iced coffee, and other frozen beverages on the go. Just put your ingredients into the tumbler, screw on the blade lid, screw the blade lid onto the 1,200-watt motor base, and press one of the four blend mode buttons. There are three intelligent preset programs: Smoothie, Ice Crush, and Blend. These modes combine pulsing, blending, and pausing so you don't have guess. Unscrew the tumbler and screw on the drinking lid, grab a straw if you like, and you're on your way.

All three of the removable parts (tumbler, blade, travel lid) are easy to clean and dishwasher-safe. The base, which stays stable on your counter with suction cups, doesn't need to be washed. Simply wipe with a damp cloth if spills happen.

The Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender is aesthetically pleasing, with four whimsical colorways. The travel tumbler resembles trendy water bottle styles.

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: price and availability

• List price: $119.99 (about £90 / AU$180)
• Not widely available outside the US

The Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender with 26oz Travel Tumbler is available at all major retailers in the US, both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. Find it at Ninja's own website or at Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Amazon, and many more. It comes in four fun colorways: Lavender Lemonade (purple and yellow, as seen in my photos), Blue Raspberry (light blue and seafoam green), Watermelon Bubblegum (sage green and pale pink), and Cyberspace (gray and steel blue). It retails for $119.99 (about £90 / AU$180)

It's not widely available outside the US at the time of writing, though you may be able to find it imported via Amazon Marketplace.

• Value score: 4/5

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: specifications

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: design and features

• Blend directly into the travel tumbler
• Four blending modes (three are automatic)
• 1,200-watt motor

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender with 26oz Travel Tumbler is well-designed for its purpose. The powerful 1200-watt motor quickly and easily blends ice and frozen fruit for smoothies, iced coffee, and other frozen beverages to go. The tumbler is large but the tapered base fits into most cars' cupholders.

The tumbler has measurement markings on it, so you can combine your ingredients directly into it. The six-ounce marking also serves as the minimum liquid marking, since you must use at least six ounces of liquid in order for the BlendBOSS to blend properly. There is also a max fill line near the top, at the 24-ounce mark. This gives you space at the top to add whipped cream or other toppings after you're done blending.

There are four buttons on the base of the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender. Three of them are automatic settings that use a combination of pulses and pauses to take the guesswork out of blending. The first button, Blend IQ, runs for 60 seconds. The second, Smoothie IQ, runs for 55 seconds. Ice Crush IQ is the third button, and it goes for 50 seconds. The fourth button, Pulse, is the only manual button. Any blender can be pretty loud, though this one isn't louder than others I've used. The IQ buttons allow you to walk away while your treat is blending, so you don't even have to listen to it up close.

The base is pretty big and heavy for a tumbler blender, probably due to its 1200-watt motor. It does have two suction cups on the bottom to keep it from moving around when you blend. The blade lid and the travel lid both screw on securely and easily. The travel/chug lid has a button so you can pop it open, revealing the chug opening. When you close it, the lid is leak-proof.

I did have one issue with the chug lid. If you do indeed chug directly from the lid (as opposed to using a straw), the top of the lid falls down on your head when you're taking your last sips. I found that pretty annoying, and found myself either using a straw or removing the lid entirely and just drinking directly from the tumbler.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: performance

I made a number of different recipes to test out the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender, including several different smoothies, pancake batter, pasta sauce, and an iced drink. In every case, the blender was super fast and blended everything completely. Even the spinach in one of my smoothies was blended so fine that I couldn't see or taste the spinach at all. The ice in my iced lemonade was essentially turned to a slushy snow. I did try blending smoothies with less than the recommended amount (six ounces) of liquid, and ended up having to stop the blender, take off the blending lid, and stir around the contents. Everything else I made (with the proper amount of liquid) blended just perfectly without my having to do anything besides press the start button.

In the images below, I was making a smoothie with frozen blueberries and spinach, and it came out perfectly smooth. There were no chunks of blueberry skin or spinach.

Below are photos of the iced lemonade I made. The BlendBOSS turned ice into snow incredibly quickly and thoroughly.

I got a little creative below, making a protein pancake batter from cottage cheese, eggs, and oats. The result was a smooth liquid with no chunks at all.

Next I made some pasta sauce. Here I blended a can of whole tomatoes and cottage cheese. I didn't even do a whole blend cycle, a few seconds was all it took to turn that into sauce. I poured the contents of the blender into a pot I had on the stove with olive oil and browned garlic.

• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: also consider

If you're not sure about the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender, here are some other blenders you might like

How I tested the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender

• I tested all four blender buttons
• I used it for weeks to make a variety of beverages and foods
• I cleaned it after every use

I made a variety of smoothies, all of them with the minimum amount of liquid and heavy on the frozen fruit and ice. I made a cherry-yogurt-almond milk smoothie, a banana-yogurt-almond milk smoothie that included a number of powders and seeds, and a banana-blueberry-spinach-hemp seed smoothie. I made an iced lemonade beverage that included ice, water, and lemon balsamic vinegar. I made protein pancake batter with equal parts egg whites, cottage cheese, and dry oatmeal. I made pasta sauce with cottage cheese and canned whole tomatoes (added to browned garlic and olive oil on the stove.) Everything I made blended perfectly smooth with no evidence of seeds or skins.

Read more about how we test.

I love my Nutribullet. It's as simple as that. It's powerful and easy to use, and I can have my favourite smoothie ready to go in a matter of minutes. That's why I have absolutely no reservations recommending the Nutribullet Blender 900 at Amazon for £69 (was £89.99).

The NutriBullet Pro, or Pro 900 Series in some regions, is NutriBullet's most popular model and an ideal option for anyone new to the world of homemade smoothies. This £20 discount sees the four-star blender return to its record-low Black Friday price. That means you're unlikely to see a better price any time soon.

Today's best Nutribullet deal

We put this blender through its paces and wrote about it in our Nutribullet Pro 900 review. This Pro version is just the US name for it, so it's the same model as the Nutribullet 900 that's available in this UK deal.

The headlines of our review say that it's compact, convenient, simple to use, and ideal for smaller kitchens. All in, we awarded it a very respectable four stars. It's fair to say that the blender struggles a bit with thicker smoothies, but a simple midway shake does the trick. Also, for context, it's 50% more powerful than the original Nutribullet.

The capacity makes it ideal for two-person households or families wanting a smoothie treat every so often. If you're planning on adding nuts and seeds to your mix, then the blender can handle those too.

We've tested and rated all types of blenders, including top models from Vitamix, Smeg, and Nutribullet. Read all about our top picks, based on budget and features, in our guide to the best blenders.

The color experts at Pantone have announced their official color of 2026: a creamy white shade called Cloud Dancer that we'll be seeing everywhere over the coming months, from fashion to furnishings. It's soft and timeless, and as TechRadar's kitchen expert, I've put together a collection of appliances and accessories that will help you incorporate it into your home.

Earlier this year, KitchenAid announced that it was making all its automatic coffee makers available in soft Porcelain White, including one of my all-time favorites, the KitchenAid KF6 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine. It's incredibly easy to use, produces consistently delicious and well-extracted espresso with the thickest crema I've ever seen, and during my tests, I found it a pleasure to use every morning. Take a look at my full KitchenAid KF6 review for more details.

Want something more affordable? The De'Longhi Dedica Duo is the best compact espresso machine I've tested this year, leaving similarly priced manual coffee makers from other brands in the dust (see my De'Longhi Dedica Duo review). In soft Vanilla, it will add a touch of class to your breakfast corner.

If you've been considering picking up a KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer, creamy off-white Almond Cream is the perfect color for such a special investment piece, as it'll fit perfectly in just about any kitchen. I've owned mine for 13 years, and it still mixes and kneads just as well as it did on day one.

The Ninja Blast Portable Blender is an affordable way to add a dash of Cloud Dancer to your kitchen counter, and is one of the best blenders we've ever tested for making smoothies to take on the go, thanks to its unique sip-lid design. Take a look at our complete Ninja Blast review for the full lowdown.

Scroll down for my complete curated list of small appliances and accessories to bring the clouds dancing through your kitchen in 2026.

Cloud Dancer kitchenware

There are some excellent appliance bargains as part of Amazon’s October Prime Day sale, but you'll need to move fast, as it ends tonight. One standout offer is this Nutribullet Ultra Personal Blender at Amazon for $109.99 (was $174.99).

The $65 discount isn’t the biggest we’ve ever seen on it, but it does bring its price down to the same as it was last Prime Day, which is good value for what it offers.

The Nutribullet Ultra Personal Blender is Nutribullet’s most powerful single-serve blender with a 1200-watt motor, which is great for all your blending needs. It’s perfect for making everything from tasty smoothies to hummus, so it’ll be a good addition to your kitchen arsenal.

Today’s best blender deal

Our Nutribullet Ultra Personal Blender review gave it a strong 4.5 rating. We found it “aced most of [the] tests, delivering a silky-smooth smoothie and textured hummus with ease”. Food did “sometimes get stuck on the sides” and it “struggled a little with crushing ice” but we appreciated how “effective” it is in use and how it’s “quieter than many blenders”.

Those small issues are why it’s not listed in our look at the best blenders, but we’d still recommend it at this discounted price. It’s a useful option for those wanting something a bit simpler than the best food processors and more versatile than the best juicers.

The Nutribullet Ultra Personal Blender also benefits from taking up minimal space on your kitchen counter, so you won’t have to worry about rearranging all your other appliances.

Talking of other appliances, there are some enticing air fryer deals around if you want to streamline your cooking even further.

Nutribullet Triple Prep System: one-minute review

True to its name, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System is a blender combo that provides the functionality of three kinds of kitchen appliances in one. Nutribullet as a brand may have made its start with personal blenders, but the lineup has expanded to include

Alongside a 1,500 watt motor base, the system includes a long list of accessories: a 64oz pitcher, two travel cups with lids, a food processor work bowl, a shredding/slicing disc, a tamper, a food pusher, and a dough blade. So, it’s pretty much a full toolkit for any home chef looking to whip up smoothies, shakes, soup, dips, and more.

As expected, during my tests, there was almost no hurdle the Nutribullet Triple Prep System stumbled at. From chopping carrots to crushing ice, the machine proved to be an exceptionally useful assistant in the kitchen again and again. What’s more, it was more user-friendly than many

There are a few problems that held the Triple Prep System back from perfection though. For one, the blades in the pitcher can’t be removed, which makes hand washing a good bit more difficult than it needs to be. As well as that, it doesn’t perform well with very small batches, given its smallest container is 24oz.

Nutribullet Triple Prep System: price and availability

• List price: $244.99 / £229.99 / AU$349.95
• Available in the US, UK, and Australia
• Sold through Nutribullet’s website and other third-party retailers

The Nutribullet Triple Prep System is widely available to buy in the US, UK, and Australia. Across all three of these regions, you can pick up the Triple Prep System directly from the Nutribullet site or on Amazon. When it comes to third-party retailers in the States specifically, some of your other options are Target, Best Buy, and Walmart.

At over $200, the Triple Prep System is undoubtedly on the higher end of the Nutribullet range. It is one of the brand’s most multifunctional machines though, so it makes sense that it would set you back more than the rest. For context, you can get a basic Nutribullet personal blender for as little as $80.

Even with that higher price tag, if it saves you the cost of buying a blender and food processor separately, the Triple Prep System is incredible value for money. That said, it’s probably not a great idea to opt for it if you don’t plan to make use of its full suite of features.

• Value score: 4/5

Nutribullet Triple Prep System: specs

Nutribullet Triple Prep System: design

• Plenty of presets to choose from
• Smart attachment recognition
• Slightly large footprint, but accessories nest for storage

One of my favorite features of the Triple Prep System is how it smartly recognizes which container you have attached to the base, and changes which presets are available based on that knowledge. It even modifies the duration of presets depending on which attachment you’re using.

For example, the Smoothie preset runs for 50 seconds with the pitcher and 60 seconds when using the travel cups. More blending time for a smaller container may sound counterintuitive, but your ingredients having less space to move around means that the motor has to process for longer to ensure all of the mix comes in contact with the blades.

You wouldn’t have to know all that though, because the Triple Prep System makes that change for you. The touch button layout is clean and intuitive: you’ve got start/stop controls, a pulse button, and clearly labeled presets for smoothies, soups, frozen drinks, and food processing tasks. Any preset that isn’t suitable for your attached container conveniently disappears too, helping to make using the machine an almost foolproof experience.

The majority of parts are dishwasher-safe, which offers a welcome reprieve from having to scrub out smoothie remnants and soup leftovers by hand. The extractor blade isn’t suitable for dishwasher cleaning, but given the fixed pitcher blades caused me far more struggle when cleaning than the extractor blade, I didn’t find this to be too much of an issue.

Given the sheer number of functions this machine serves, its slighter larger footprint feels like a worthy trade. If you cook from scratch or make fancy drinks at home regularly enough, you can probably justify keeping the motor base on your kitchen counter between uses. When you go to store the Triple Prep System away in your kitchen cupboards, you’ll probably find its wealth of accessories and attachments more of a curse than a blessing.

Certain parts of the system (like the shred/slice disc) slot together or into each other so it does seem like there was some effort made to save space. However, it still is a system that requires some generous-sized kitchen cupboards.

• Design: 4.5/5

Nutribullet Triple Prep System: performance

• Consistently great results with smoothies and soups
• Does a great job crushing ice
• Struggles with very small batches

Blenders are Nutribullet’s bread and butter – particularly ones for making smoothies. With that in mind, it made a lot of sense to start my testing there.

The smoothie recipe that’s used during TechRadar’s testing processes is a doozy in a couple of respects. It includes blueberries, which have skin and tiny seeds for the blender’s blades to try to contend with. But it also contains kale: the fibrous leafy vegetable that’s the enemy of many at-home smoothie lovers. While kale is great for sneaking nutrients in your drinks, it can be really difficult to completely break down if your blender isn’t up to the task – and plenty of blenders aren’t.

Thanks to the Triple Prep System’s 1,500W motor and the guidance of its smoothie preset, I managed to blitz up a thick, tasty smoothie with virtually no off-putting ‘bits’. Any grittiness from the berries’ seeds disappeared entirely and no chunks of leaf remained.

Roughly the same was true when I tried to replicate the smoothie in one of the travel cups. Upon very, very careful inspection, there were minuscule flecks of unprocessed kale floating in the smoothie but these were few and far between, and weren’t large enough to detect in the mouth when drunk.

Crushing the ice in the travel cup gleaned far less than ideal results so I opted to try it in the pitcher instead. Don’t get me wrong, I was reasonably satisfied with what the travel cup produced: well-crushed ice with some little chunks that escaped the wrath of the extractor blade. However, I wanted to see if the added surface of the pitcher would produce a better end result.

Sure enough, without much fuss, the pitcher’s blades managed to pulverize the cubes into fine, icy grounds that were just perfect for a snow cone or daiquiri. The Triple Prep System’s volume output hit a peak of 96db during this part of the test (roughly equivalent to some power tools). While this level of noise is certainly not pleasant to be exposed to for too long, it is a good bit higher than the blender’s average which was closer to 87db.

As testing continued, the Triple Prep System continued to impress. After mixing up a hummus recipe in the food processor’s work bowl on the ‘dip’ preset and scraping the sides, I was treated to a creamy dip with zero unincorporated segments of chickpeas. Thicker blends sticking under the blades and on the edge of the container was a notable problem with the Nutribullet SmartSense that I found added extra time to making this simple, delicious recipe. Thankfully, the Triple Prep System avoids the same mistake.

Next, I put its shred/slice disc to work on a block of cheese and found that it provided a result that was really consistent. However, the slight inconvenience of chopping the cheese small enough to fit through the narrow gap in the food processor’s lid might make this a less attractive option in the future.

The only real disappointment I experienced during testing was how the Triple Prep System performed making mayonnaise. The pitcher was obviously too large to properly blend a batch, so I opted to use the food processor work bowl instead. The issue is that – even when I doubled the usual recipe – the container was still far too spacious.

An alternative mayonnaise recipe written specifically for a Nutribullet suggested using a 18oz cup, but the Triple Prep System not only doesn’t include a container that small but doesn’t have any more compact attachments that would allow you to gradually drip oil into the emulsion as it’s blending. So, unless you’re anticipating mixing up an industrial-sized tub of mayo, it’s worth doing this recipe by hand or with an immersion blender.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Nutribullet Triple Prep System?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Nutribullet Triple Prep System: also consider

If you’re on the look-out for options that are similar to the Nutribullet Triple Prep System, here’s some alternatives worth considering:

How I tested the Nutribullet Triple Prep System

Alongside my usual kitchen tasks, my testing involved using the Nutribullet Triple Prep System to make TechRadar’s standard test recipes.

Throughout this process, I assessed the effectiveness of both manual and preset blending. I used a decibel tracker to determine how loud the blender is during use and after each blend, I cleaned the blender attachments and accessories by hand.

Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: one-minute review

Nutribullet is a brand most well known for its compact personal blenders which – while suited to blitzing up smoothies and protein shakes – aren’t exactly heavy duty pieces of culinary tech. But models like the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo aim to up the power and functionality without compromising too much on simplicity or affordability.

By combining a full-sized pitcher with Nutribullet’s familiar single-serve cups, and adding a smart auto-cycle that adapts blending power on the fly, it aims to cover the needs of both speedy smoothie lovers and home chefs.

For the most part, it succeeds. Most everyday tasks are handled quickly and consistently. The SmartSense auto cycle is genuinely useful for hands-off blending and the 1,500W motor packs more punch than most people will ever need.

But all that isn’t without its caveats. The SmartSense Blender Combo struggles with thick or dry blends and requires you to intervene a couple of times during the blending process to ensure all the ingredients are within reach of the blades. You’ll also find that very small batches of dips don’t quite reach high up enough to get blended.

Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: price and availability

• List price: $164.99 / £149.99 / AU$299.95
• Available in the US, UK, and Australia
• Reasonable price for a two-in-one blender combo

In the US, UK, and Australia, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo is available to purchase on the Nutribullet site. and from third-party retailers like Amazon.

In terms of cost, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo sits on the mid/high end of the Nutribullet range. Understandably, you’re paying more than you would for a dinky personal blender, but it won’t quite set back as much as a top-of-the-line food processor/blender combo.

Similar models from other brands include the Cuisinart Velocity Ultra Trio

• Value score: 4.5/5

Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: specs

Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: design

• Five blending speeds and an auto mode
• Pitcher with fixed blades and a vented lid
• Travel cups with extractor blades

The Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo consists of a blender base which can either be attached to the included 64oz pitcher, 32oz travel cup, or 24oz handled travel cup. All three of these add-ons are made from BPA-free plastic, meaning you can enjoy the lightness and durability of the material without worrying about harmful chemicals leaching into your soups and smoothies.

The SmartSense Blender Combo box contents also included a tamper but during testing, I found that it offered very little in the way of practical help. A far more useful tool was a cheap silicone spatula I tend to use while baking. It had the flexibility necessary to scrap the edges of the blender jug, but didn’t tend to get ingredients stuck to it like tamper did.

Like the rest of the build, the attachments of the SmartSense Blender Combo are sturdy enough to inspire confidence. The only real concern I’d have is the possibility of stains or scratches developing after long-term use, but even this would just be a superficial complaint. Not to mention, a good thorough clean after every use helps to prevent this. Thankfully, attachments for the SmartSense are dishwasher-safe so this task is a little easier.

Blending with the travel cups is done with a separate extractor blade but in the case of the pitcher attachment, the blade is sealed into the base. This means that, when you’re hand-washing your blender (which those of us without dishwashers are cursed to do) it’s a little difficult to clean. Without being able to pop the blade out and wipe it down, it’s best to blitz some warm water and soap in the pitcher to loosen some of the debris that tends to get stuck underneath. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it definitely adds an awkward extra step to maintaining the machine.

One great thing about the pitcher’s design is that its lid has a vent which allows you to add ingredients mid-blend and – crucially – allows for steam to escape when making hot recipes. I’ll admit that throughout my years in the kitchen, I’ve occasionally taken my chances blending hot sauces and soups against manufacturers’ instructions. To try to reduce steam production and the chances of the lid blowing off from the pressure, I’d let everything cool down a bit before pouring it in. But even with these attempts to mitigate risk, the likelihood of getting scalded (or at the very least making a mess of your kitchen) means that blending hot food in an unvented blender is a terrible idea. A tiny gap in the lid makes a big difference when it comes to making this blender an even more versatile piece of kitchen kit.

Controls on the motor base are exceedingly simple to navigate. There’s an on/off button, which – alongside powering the machine on and off – also prompts the appearance of rather cute “hello” and “goodbye” messages on the base’s LED screen. The plus and minus buttons are used to adjust between the 5 power settings, but you can skip all that by using the Auto button that activates the load-sensing setting and estimates the right blending speed and time for you.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: performance

• Makes stellar smoothies with virtually no nasty bits
• Crushes ice (with some assistance from you)
• Dry blends were a disappointment

Coming in at 1500W, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo should have more than enough power to handle most jobs. Testing started with a smoothie recipe from the Nutribullet site consisting of blueberries, milk, banana, and kale.

Fibrous green veg really puts blenders through their paces, so it’s a great way to reveal just how well it performs. Frozen kale tends to produce fewer gritty chunks than its non-frozen counterpart, but it turns out it’s oddly difficult to find pre-frozen kale in the UK, so I just proceeded with the fresh version instead.

Thankfully, the power of the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender managed to blitz away any unpleasant texture to produce a smooth, thick end result. Despite my expectations, the kale didn’t pose any problem for the SmartSense.

In fact, the only inconsistencies that were left after blending were the tiny seeds from the blueberries. Personally, this isn’t the kind of textural inconsistency that gives me the ick but even if it was, it seems a tad unfair to expect a blender under $200 to have the seed-pulverizing powers of something like a Vitamix A3500.

The SmartSense Blender Combo also makes light work of crushing ice cubes, on the condition you scrape the ice from the sides midway through. The blades certainly don’t have any difficulty slicing through rock solid chunks of ice (and in fact, the machine doesn’t even go past 95db while doing it) but the structure of the pitcher means that the ice tends to pool around the edges before it’s done being crushed. The good news is after a little intervention, you should be able to rustle up your own daiquiris or frappuccinos at home no problem.

Despite delivering a pretty stellar performance in the realm of drinkable delights, the next hurdles for the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender really exposed the machine’s weak points. One of the fatal flaws of the SmartSense Blender Combo is the placement of the pitcher’s fixed blades. They sit just a little too high and don’t cover enough surface area across the pitcher’s bottom so it’s frustratingly easy for ingredients to escape the blender’s vortex.

During the hummus-making phase of testing, I found that the machine consistently created a tasty, well-incorporated dip. However, achieving that result required me to intervene two or three times to redistribute the ingredients and make sure none of my chickpea mixture avoided blending.

This blade placement problem majorly impacted my ability to make mayonnaise with the blender too. Due to the sheer size of the pitcher, I found I had to double a normal batch in order to have my yolk/vinegar/mustard emulsion even touch the blades at all.

Even then, I couldn’t maintain a consistent enough vortex to create a satisfying result. If you’re truly set on making mayonnaise with the SmartSense Blender Combo, the best way to do it is to mix up your emulsion by hand and then put it back into the blender for the step where you gradually incorporate oil.

One other very notable development during my tests is just how redundant the Auto function felt. While the SmartSense name definitely provides a fancy selling point, I found that I actually didn’t appreciate the automation of the blending process. It’s not like the SmartSense Auto blending ever got things too far wrong but rather I preferred to keep my eye on what I was working on and adjust the power as needed.

I can definitely see the appeal of this for folks who find their attention pulled by kids or pets while in the kitchen, but the removal of control actually made things less convenient in my experience, so I mostly opted for the manual options.

• Performance score: 3/5

Should you buy the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: also consider

If you’re on the look-out for options that are similar to the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo, here’s some alternatives worth considering:

How I tested the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo

Alongside using it for some of my usual kitchen tasks, I put the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo through its paces with TechRadar’s usual test recipes. During my tests, I alternated between using the Auto and manual speed controls to determine the best approach for each recipe. I used a decibel tracker to determine how loud the blender is during use. After each blend, I cleaned the blender attachments and accessories by hand.

If there's anything I've taken a liking to more this year than ever before, it's kitchen appliances. There's always something brewing in my kitchen, so when the opportunity arose to try out a gadget from the iconic Australian brand, Breville (known as Sage in the UK), I jumped at the chance.

I'm no stranger to Breville's extensive coffee machine line – a bucket list item for me is the Oracle Jet – and its range of air purifiers. However, I had yet to have a true hands-on experience with Breville's impressive range of food processors, particularly the Paradice 9.

The Paradice 9 acts as a mid-range option in Breville's food chopper lineup, costing a hefty $399 / £299 / AU$529, and a notable step down from its bigger sibling, the Breville Paradice 16 at $699.95 / £579.95 / AU$899. Cost aside, the Paradice 9 has received glowing reviews, including sister site Tom's Guide's 4.5 stars, as it is a beyond-capable processor and has a lifelong 30-year warranty on the heavy-duty induction motor. It's also storage-friendly, using its own bowl as a home for its multiple attachments (unlike the 16's two separate storage containers).

Speaking of attachments, included in the box is an adjustable slicing attachment, a dicing attachment, a dough blade, the 'S' chopping blade and a reversible shredding disc. It also comes with a wide chute and pusher, which acts as a safety precaution to accidental blending, as you need to have the pusher in place to start the machine. But once locked and loaded, the Breville Paradice 9 can slice and dice in under 10 seconds… or so most reviews say.

To put all the attachments to the test, I challenged them with three core recipes: homemade nut butter, shredded cheddar cheese and a pumpkin pie made from scratch.

But enough with the dillydallying – here's how the Breville Paradice 9 fared in my recipe round-up!

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

As a staunch Halloween fan and PSL drinker, it was only fitting to use the Breville Paradice 9 to make a pumpkin pie. Canned pumpkin pie mix is synonymous with Thanksgiving in the US, but here in Australia, I needed to make it from scratch.

After purchasing the finest Kent pumpkin I could find, I got to prepping, starting by locking the dicing grid and blade attachment to the Paradice 9 bowl. Setting up the attachment was a little finicky, as you have to place the separate, sharp blade in the direction specified on the attachment. But after I figured it out, I was dicing pumpkin cubes in no time.

The finished cubes were smaller than I'd hoped, but that's expected with this machine due to the smaller dicing grid. But, this doesn't discredit the machine's ability to dice, as my whole pumpkin only took 5 minutes to blitz.

However, the processor's performance was undermined by a frustrating design flaw: the dicing grid consistently trapped the last slice of pumpkin. I did use the provided pusher attachment to try to get it out, but found it was easier to push the remaining pieces out with a butter knife.

After roasting the pieces for 45 minutes, I popped the 'S' blade onto the processor base to puree the pumpkin. Much like the dicing grid, it took less than 2 minutes to pulverize the pumpkin into a soup-like consistency, evenly thinning out chunks into a fine puree.

Once the puree was done, it was onto doughing, using the pastel blue dough attachment. It was my first time making shortcrust pastry in a food processor, so I was rather skeptical about it. Typically, when making dough or pastry, I whip out my KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer and dough hook attachment, with dough drops forming within 10 minutes. But, in this case, the Paradice 9's dough attachment and pulse button cut my usual time in half, making a perfectly shaggy, ready-to-knead dough in under 5 minutes.

For quickening the manual processes of chopping, blending, mixing and kneading, the Breville Paradice 9 was a worthy addition to an already labor-intensive recipe. I appreciated the wide feeding chute and bowl capacity, especially while pureeing over a kilo of roasted pumpkin, as I could do it all in one go.

A point of annoyance, though – cleaning the 'S' blade was often a challenge, as food residue tended to fuse it to the spindle, making it difficult to separate.

Recipe Verdict: Was using the Breville Paradice 9 in this recipe magical? No. Useful? Yes, but it didn't bring any new tricks that a lesser-priced food processor couldn't also do. For the amount of money, it didn't prove its worth for the basic functions alone. For this particular recipe, it did save me time and energy, but I still had to do some manual work to get the job (and the cleanup) done.

• Value for money score: 3 out of 5

Nut Butters

Nut butters, particularly peanut butter, are a staple in our pantry, so making my own was right at the top of the agenda. For both recipes, I used store-bought roasted and salted nuts, though you could do the whole process at home with raw nuts if you prefer. But both recipes were simple enough, only needing two ingredients: nuts and oil.

First up was maple cashew butter, using a flavored bag of salted cashews. I poured the whole bag in and pulsed a few times, as per Breville's instructions. After a rough paste started to form, I added two teaspoons of oil and processed for another minute until it formed a spread-like consistency.

Next was peanut butter – a hot commodity shared between my dog and my husband. Peanut butter was even easier than cashew, blending into a thick and creamy paste shortly after my initial pulsing was done. I added in one teaspoon of oil for good measure (though in future, I'd probably leave it out), and I had a delicious peanut spread ready for consuming.

Recipe Verdict: The Breville Paradice 9 wowed me in how speedy it was, and in both instances, I was pretty impressed with how my nut butters turned out. Suffice to say, I was also convinced that the induction motor was going to give out at any second, but it didn't, and for that, I am grateful. Overall, the Paradice 9's blitzing abilities had me almost change my own value proposition.

• Value for money score: 5 out of 5

Grated cheese

Now, the true test in my eyes was seeing how the Breville Paradice 9 fared when grating cheese. I have had many issues with automatic graters in the past, including when using my KitchenAid shredder attachment, as more times than not, the cheese, no matter the hardness, would get stuck. And much to my surprise (not), cheese did get stuck in the Paradice 9.

But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Breville's instructions say to freeze cheese for 45 minutes. I froze mine for a lot longer, keeping it in the freezer overnight, so it was firmer than required. Grating soft white cheeses, like mozzarella, is not recommended as per Breville's manual – and for most processors – as they tend to clog shredding attachments.

Cutting the cheese into cubes, I fed the pieces through the wide chute, using the pusher as I went. Initially, the reversible shredding disc performed exceedingly well, leaving very few crumbs behind. By the time I was halfway through my block, my fears actualized, as noticeable cheese buildup started forming on the disc.

Much like the dicing grid, there's always going to be some cheese left unshredded, regardless of what food processor you use. But to me, it was just another niggle that I wanted the Breville Paradice 9 to conquer, and it fell short of doing that.

Aside from that, the shredded cheese was evenly grated, and each strand was perfect for melting and folding into dishes. I also had a much easier time cleaning the shredding disc though, and getting out the cheese remnants felt like a breeze compared to pushing out pumpkin chunks.

Recipe Verdict: Ultimately, it suffers from the same buildup issue as cheaper models, which is a disappointing result for a premium machine.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Final thoughts

While I thoroughly enjoyed my hands-on time with the Breville Paradice 9, I came away with mixed feelings. Despite it being seriously speedy in how it pureed, sliced and diced food items, it didn't perform anything revolutionary that a standard, non-Breville processor couldn't also achieve. My KitchenAid shredder attachment performs just as well, and other alternatives, such as the Ninja Quad Blade Food Processor or the Kenwood MultiPro Express, are just as capable – for less than half the price, too.

For a mid-range food processor, it certainly has strengths – it’s compact, powerful and comes with a solid range of attachments. I appreciated the wide chute and the clever storage design that keeps everything tidy in one bowl.

While the Paradice 9 excelled at making smooth nut butters, purees and doughs with incredible speed, it was let down by fiddly dicing and grating attachments that trapped food and made cleanup frustrating.

Sure, the Paradice 9 certainly saves time and effort, but it doesn’t entirely eliminate manual work – and at $399 / £299 / AU$529, it might not feel like a must-have for everyone.

So, who is the Paradice 9 for? If you're a heavy user who values raw power, a compact design and a long warranty, the high price might be a worthy investment. However, if you're looking for a machine that magically eliminates the common frustrations of food prep, you'll be disappointed.

At this price, you're also forced to consider if it's worth spending more for the larger Paradice 16 with more bells and whistles, including a French fry attachment. But regardless of what model you choose, you're still investing a pretty penny into a Breville appliance.

• Final verdict: useful, efficient, but not revolutionary.

Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6: one-minute review

The Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 (sometimes known as the Serie 6) is an ergonomically designed stick blender, particularly well suited for users with limited hand mobility as a result of its curved body that sits comfortably in the hand, and trigger-style control.

The ErgoMaster has a 1,000W motor, and comes with a blending foot, a mini-chopper with two blades (one for general use, one for ice), a balloon whisk, and a 600ml mixing vessel. Attaching and removing accessories is easy, requiring no awkward twisting motions, and many of the components are dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup.

During my tests, the main blender foot produced silky-smooth sauce and soup in just a couple of minutes, while the mini-chopper attachment processed herbs, onions, garlic, cheese, and nuts quickly and evenly. The ErgoMaster's instruction manual offers advice on quantities, how to prepare ingredients, and the length of time for which you should blend.

The balloon whisk worked especially well, whipping egg whites to stiff peaks even faster than my hand mixer (ideal for meringue and light sponge cakes).

The only attachment that didn't meet my expectations was the mini-chopper's ice blade, which took a lot longer than anticipated, and produced ice that was quite unevenly crushed.

The ErgoMaster has a premium build, sporting a stainless steel body and soft-touch handle for comfort, but I found that the metal heated up noticeably when I'd been using the blender for several minutes (when blending soup and sauces, for example). Fortunately, the grip itself never became hot, but it did take the appliance some time to cool down after use.

Overall, the ErgoMaster Series 6 is a super-versatile multifunction blender that's particularly beneficial for those with hand mobility issues, although if you want to process ice regularly, you'd benefit from picking up a personal smoothie-maker as well.

Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6: price and availability

• List price £99.99 (about $140 / AU$210)
• Often available for less during sales events
• Not widely sold outside Europe

The Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 stick blender was released in 2023, and has a list price of £99.99 (about $140 / AU$210), although it’s often available for a discount, particularly during sales events such as Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday.

It’s available direct from Bosch, and from third-party retailers such as John Lewis and Amazon. You’ll find today’s best prices below. Note that the ErgoMaster Series 6 isn’t sold widely outside Europe.

Its price is pretty much standard for a high-end hand blender, and similar to the Ninja 2-in-1 Immersion Hand Blender and Mixer, for example. If you want something a little less expensive, the ErgoMaster Series 4 sports a plastic body rather than stainless steel, and is priced at £84.99 (about $110 / AU$180).

• Value score: 4.5/5

Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6: design

• Comfortable to hold and easy to operate
• Particularly good for people with restricted mobility or hand strength
• Includes well-made mini-chopper and balloon whisk attachments

The Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 is a solidly made stick blender that, as the name implies, is particularly comfortable to hold and use. The body of the blender, containing the motor, has a curved shape that sits better in the hand than a straight-sided cylinder, and rather than a button, the blender is activated by gently squeezing a large trigger-style control.

It’s a thoughtful design, and would be particularly good for anyone who doesn’t have full strength in their fingers, since the trigger doesn’t require much pressure and its operated using your whole hand, rather than just a single digit. The more firmly you hold the trigger, the faster the blender will mix.

The blender's body is stainless steel, while the hand grip is made from a soft-touch plastic. The trigger button is ridged to prevent slipping.

The ErgoMaster Series 6 comes with a set of attachments for different ingredients: the standard blender for soups and sauces; a mini-chopper with two blades (one for ingredients such as cheese, nuts, and vegetables, and one for ice), and a whisk. To remove an attachment, hold down two large buttons on the handle (one on either side) and pull gently. To attach one, simply push it gently into place. There’s no need for awkward twisting movements that you might find uncomfortable if you have limited mobility in your hands.

You also get a tall mixing vessel with a capacity of two and a half cups, or 600ml, which is useful for blending or whisking wet ingredients such as cream or eggs. It’s a useful addition, and its shape makes it possible to whisk relatively small quantities that might be tricky to whip in a bowl without spillage.

The only downside is that this vessel isn’t totally cylindrical, which means it can be difficult to remove thick ingredients with a spatula. Ingredients tend to become stuck on the flat sides where the volume measurements are embossed. The tall vessel also has no pouring spout.

Not all of the blender's components are dishwasher-safe, but the metal blending attachment, the whisk, the large vessel, the bowl of the mini-chopper, and the chopper’s two blades all are, which makes maintenance easy.

The blender is accompanied by a manual with diagrams explaining how to prepare different ingredients, and how long it will take to blend or chop a particular quantity. For example, a smoothie made using a 40:60 ratio of fruit to liquid should take 60-90 seconds to blend at full power in the tall mixing vessel.

• Design score: 5/5

Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6: performance

• Main blender foot works well for smooth sauces and soups
• Excellent mini chopper for small ingredients, with clear instructions
• Whisk attachment is particularly effective
• Ice blade is disappointing

I started testing by preparing some ingredients for a pizza sauce (you can find the sauce recipe on Good Food) using the mini-chopper attachment and the cutting blade, and following the preparation instructions in the manual.

Herbs don’t need any special preparation, so I added my basil to the bowl and gave it a few pulses of around one second each. After around six pulses, the leaves were chopped into small, even fragments ideal for cooking (the manual suggests it could take up to 10 pulses).

The chopper also worked very well for preparing onion (roughly chopped into wedges first) and garlic (peeled, but added whole). I was impressed by how evenly and quickly the ErgoMaster prepared all of these ingredients. If you have a condition such as arthritis, for example, you might find fine knifework difficult and usually opt for pre-chopped ingredients. With this blender, you’ll be able to buy cheaper whole produce and prepare it easily yourself.

Once my pizza sauce had cooked down, I used the main blender foot to whizz it all to a smooth consistency. Exactly how long this takes will depend on the quantity and consistency of the ingredients, and the desired texture. I wanted my sauce as smooth as possible, and found that blending took about three minutes.

It wasn’t much faster than using my jug blender (which would be my usual choice; it too has a 1,000W motor, the same as the ErgoMaster), but then you don't have to pour hot liquids, and there’s much less washing up afterwards. The only requirements are that you take the pan off the heat and ensure the end of the blending foot is submerged before you start the motor – and don’t immerse it beyond the "maximum" level.

I was surprised by just how quiet the blender foot was in use. It registered under 40dB, which is around the same as the hum of my fridge. It was louder when mixing harder ingredients, but still far less noisy than a jug blender.

I also used the ErgoMaster to prepare a roasted red pepper and sweet potato soup (the soup recipe is also from Good Food). Although the ingredients were tougher, the overall volume was lower, and the blending process took about the same time.

While blending the soup and sauce, I noticed that the body of the blender was heating up. The handle itself never became hot, but the metal part below was distinctly warm after the motor had been running for a few minutes, and it took quite a long time to cool back down afterwards.

The mini-chopper made light work of cheese, breaking it down into crumbs ideal for melting. It’s necessary to cut it into 1cm cubes first, but this is certainly easier on the hands than using a box grater, particularly for hard cheese such as parmesan. I used 100g of mature cheddar, and it was finely chopped in 20 seconds.

Our standard battery of blender tests here at TechRadar also includes nuts. I used 150g of shelled, toasted hazelnuts, which I was preparing to use in dukkah. The smaller the nuts, the longer you need to pulse the blender, and it took the maximum recommended 30 seconds to break them down; but there was none of the dust that’s usually created when I chop nuts using my Kenwood food processor. Another win for the ErgoMaster.

The only ingredient that the ErgoMaster really struggled with was ice. As per the instruction manual, I used the chopper’s ice attachment with 100g of ice, and pulsed for five seconds. When I released the trigger, the ice was barely touched. Chopping it to a usable texture took closer to a minute, and even then it was rather rough. If you want to chop ice regularly (particularly in large volumes), you’d be better served by a smoothie maker.

By contrast, the whisk attachment is superb, and performed even better than my Dualit hand mixer. I used the tall mixing vessel with the whisk, and it whipped two eggs to stiff peaks in 30 seconds. I used these to make a half-quantity of meringue (see the Lightest Ever Meringues recipe on Good Food) and they were ready to be baked within two minutes.

Overall, the Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 is a great stick blender, particularly for those with mobility issues in their hands, and an excellent chopper and whisk. It’s a piece of cake to use, and could happily replace several small appliances in the typical kitchen. Just avoid ice, and you won’t be disappointed.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 ?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

How I tested the Bosch Serie 6 ErgoMaster

I used the Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 in my kitchen for two weeks, during which time I prepared a selection of my favorite recipes that I'd normally prep using a jug blender to compare the results for speed, texture, and noise.

As with all our stick and jug blender reviews, I also tested the ErgoMaster's performance with onions, cheese, nuts, and ice to see how quickly and evenly it could process these common ingredients. For more details, see how TechRadar tests, rates, and reviews products.

First reviewed August 2025.

Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: One minute review

The Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus is a high-end juicer that tackles a variety of foods and drinks with ease. It definitely compares with some of the top picks on our best juicer guide.

The juicer comes with a hopper extension, so you can make larger batches of juice. There are three different strainers included: juice, smoothie, and blank (for thicker foods like sorbet). These accessories allow you to make so many different kinds of foods and beverages. It also comes with three different cleaning tools, which should give you some idea of what's involved in cleaning the machine after use. None of the parts are dishwasher-safe.

I found using the machine to be pretty easy once I figured out how all the parts go together, and it's even kind of fun watching it do its thing. I enjoying throwing a bunch of whole fruits; peels, seeds, stems, and all into the hopper and having delicious, healthy juice a few minutes later. It's kind of satisfying watching the pulp come out the side as fresh juice pours into your juice cup. Some of the pulps can even be used to make other recipes, which I did when I made oat milk.

Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: price and availability

• List price: $739.99 (about £550 / AU$1130)

The Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus is currently only available on Kuvings' own website, but should be widely available soon. Other models of Kuvings juicers are available at most of the typical big box stores and high-end kitchen chains.

At $739.99 (about £550 / AU$1130) this isn't a cheap juicer. Additionally, I got the citrus attachment, which allows you to make citrus juice without peeling the fruits or putting them in the hopper whole. The citrus attachment, exclusively for the AUTO10 series, sells for $42 (about £30 / AU$60)

Value score: 3/5

Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: design

• Various strainers included
• Hopper extension for large batches
• Powerful motor

Kuvings' Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus is a big boi. It weighs 17.4 pounds (7.9kg) so you won't be sliding it in and out of your cabinet easily. It's also quite tall, at 20 inches (529 mm) and it does not fit under the upper cabinets in my kitchen, even without the hopper extension.

The footprint is 8 inches (209 mm) by 10 inches (256 mm), which is pretty reasonable. Just keep in mind that you'll also need clearance for juicing cups in front of the machine (for juice) and on the side (for the pulp).

Not only will you need adequate counter space for the juicer, but you'll need space to store all of the parts. Some of the parts do nest together, but not all of them, so keep that in mind.

Putting the parts together isn't terribly intuitive, but there are clear instructions in the owner's manual. If that's not enough, Kuvings has a number of instructional videos on their YouTube channel to help you get it all sorted out. Once you have put together the parts a couple of times, muscle memory takes over and it's pretty quick and easy.

The Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus is a low speed compression juicer. The juicer utilizes a juicing screw which nests into one of the three included strainers inside the juicing bowl.

There is a spigot on the front of the juicer, which you can open and close. Use the large plastic juicing cup which is included to capture your juice/beverage/food, or make your items directly into the container of your choice. Place the smaller included juicing cup on the side, underneath the pulp chute, to capture the pulp that is left over after making juices and plant milks. You can discard the pulp, compost it, or even use it to make recipes.

I also got the citrus attachment, which is sold separately. This reamer-style attachment lets you make citrus juices without having to spend time peeling.

Lemons and limes can be tossed into the main juicer whole, but orange and grapefruit juices are better without the peels. If you'll be making orange or grapefruit juice regularly, you'll either need to peel them before dropping into the hopper or buy the citrus attachment to avoid this tedious task.

Design score: 4/5

Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: performance

• Handles a lot of fruits and veggies fast without removing peels, seeds, or stems
• Doesn't mix thicker items well
• Cleanup is a hassle

I made a delicious green juice from Kuvings' website called Spring Detox Juice. The recipe consisted of kale, grapes, kiwis, pears, and limes. Conveniently, I only had to remove the stems from the grapes. Everything else I just cleaned and then threw in whole, just as they are pictured above. As recommended, I used the juicing strainer, which has a fine mesh that keeps the pulp out of your juice. Even with all the tart and bitter ingredients, the juice was smooth and sweet without any added sugar or sweeteners.

Using the optional citrus attachment (sold separately), I made orange juice with navel oranges. Four small-to-medium oranges yielded just about 6 ounces of juice. I just washed each orange, sliced it in half and then pressed it onto the citrus attachment. The juice was good but a little bit tart. Obviously the oranges that you use will determine how the juice tastes.

This juicer lets you make a variety of nut milks and other plant milks. I’d never had oat milk before so I thought I would try making it. I used the recommended juicing strainer. The resulting oat milk did indeed look like milk. I put the oat milk on my cereal; it tasted kind of bland but OK. I also used it in smoothies, chia pudding, and even ranch dressing, and it was totally fine. I had heard that oat milk generally has a slightly slimy mouth feel and I did notice that, but only when drinking it plain.

I used this double recipe from Kuvings' website, Oat Milk & Oat Pulp Cookies. After making the oat milk, I used the pulp to make cookies, which reminded me of healthy cookies that I’ve made before with oats and bananas. They were pretty bland because there was no sweetener in them. If I were making them again, I would definitely add a sweetener or mashed banana. Using the oat pulp instead of whole oats was fine. I also think the oat pulp would be great for making dog treats.

Next, I wanted to test out the smoothie strainer, which has larger holes than the juicing strainer. Smoothies don't produce any pulp, as everything goes right into your cup. I make Kuvings' Banana Protein Smoothie Recipe, which was just bananas, milk, and nuts. This recipe was pretty disappointing. The taste was fine, since I do like bananas and nuts, but it was a bit liquidy and bland for my taste. I also noticed that the ingredients weren't fully blended together, as they would be if I'd used a blender.

I ended up pouring the results into a blender with some vanilla yogurt and ice to make myself a thicker and more flavorful smoothie.

To test out the blank strainer, I made Kuving's Dragon Fruit Sorbet. The recipe calls for just two frozen fruit ingredients, dragon fruit and bananas, but I couldn’t find frozen dragon fruit in the stores I checked, so I used cherries instead.

I’ve made fruit-only sorbets many times with other kitchen appliances. The Kuvings juicer does just as good a job as those other appliances and the sorbet is delicious. If you’d like a sweeter sorbet, you would need to add some kind of sweetener, but I like plain old fruit as is. The juicer does not mix the two fruits together. You have to add the two frozen fruits a little bit at a time, alternating between them. The result is a swirled rather than uniform sorbet.

The Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus does a great job making juices and plant milks, which is probably the primary reason anyone would buy it. Making juice is very easy, since you don't have to peel or cut the ingredients before popping them into the big hopper.

It also does a good job making sorbets, as long as you don't mind that the ingredients are somewhat swirled rather than fully mixed. Smoothies came out all right, but I really wouldn't bother making smoothies in this juicer unless you don't have a regular blender.

The hardest part of using this machine is cleanup, for sure. Not only are there a lot of parts to clean, but there are a lot of nooks and crannies. Three different cleaning tools are included in ensure you can get every part clean. None of it is dishwasher-safe, so you'll need to wash it all by hand.

Performance score: 4/5

Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: Score card

Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: should you buy it?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: also consider

Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus: How I tested

I made orange juice with the citrus attachment (sold separately). I made a green fruit/veggie juice as well as an oat milk with the juicing strainer. I baked cookies from the oat milk's oat pulp. I made a fruit smoothie with the smoothie strainer. I made a frozen fruit sorbet with the blank strainer.

First reviewed: August 2025

Beast Mighty 850 Plus: two-minute review

If you're tired of personal smoothie makers that struggle with ingredients tougher than milk and bananas, the Beast Mighty 850 Plus could be the best blender for you. Rather than running on a rechargeable battery like many of its rivals, the 850 Plus is mains-powered and has a considerably more powerful motor, paired with a tough blade unit.

That means you won't be able to blend a protein shake in the changing room after a gym session, but if you're interested in making green juices and fresh smoothies using tough fruits and vegetables, it'll produce much smoother and more palatable results.

During my tests, it turned kale, oat milk, and blueberries into a very drinkable beverage with no flecks of leaf to get stuck in my teeth. It also totally blitzed frozen blackcurrants, eliminating the gritty seeds that usually make them a troublesome ingredient.

The disadvantage of this power is that the 850 Plus is relatively noisy. However, a single blending cycle is enough to tackle just about anything you can throw at it, so you'll only have to endure the noise for one minute.

This is an attractive appliance that comes in a range of colors, so you can pick one to suit your kitchen. (I chose white, but black, muted blue, and sand are other options.) It comes with three different-sized blending vessels (the small one is particularly good for salad dressings), plus a choice of lids for carrying your creations on the move.

The vessels have ridges on the sides that look interesting, but can be an issue if you're using a sticky ingredient like peanut butter, which can get a bit stuck. Beast supplies a long-handled cleaning brush to remove this debris, but almost all the components are dishwasher-safe, and I found this a much easier way to get everything squeaky clean.

Beast Mighty 850 Plus: price and availability

• Available in the US and UK for $149 / £149.99
• Beast Health also offers a more affordable model and a premium one
• Costs more than most personal blenders, but is more powerful

The Beast Mighty 850 Plus is available direct from Beast, and from third-party retailers, including Amazon, for $149 / £149.99. At the time of writing, Beast Health blenders aren't available in Australia. You'll find today's best prices listed below.

The 850 Plus sits in the middle of Beast Health's range of personal blenders. If you want something a little more affordable and don't mind sacrificing some power and accessories, the Beast Mighty 650 costs £119.99 and is only available in the UK.

The company's top-end model is the Beast Mega 1200 Plus, which is priced at $199 / £199.99. Extra blender vessels in various sizes are available to buy separately.

The Beast Mighty 850 Plus is relatively pricey for a personal blender (for example, the Ninja Blast Max and Nutribullet Flip are both around $89.99/£89.99), but the price difference is understandable considering what you're getting for your money. The 850 Plus has a more powerful motor than those other two, and runs directly from the mains rather than a rechargeable battery. It also comes with a bigger set of accessories, including three different-sized blending vessels.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Beast Mighty 850 Plus: design

• Stylish blender with three vessels and a choice of lids
• Controls are very simple to use
• Ingredients can stick in ridges after blending
• Dishwasher-safe components

The Beast Mighty 850 Plus is a particularly stylish blender with a large base that houses its powerful motor and a set of three blending vessels with ridged sides. It comes in a variety of colors, including Cloud White (shown here), Mist (slate blue), Sand, and Carbon Black.

Its vessels have capacities of 415ml, 638ml, and 786ml; the larger two are ideal for smoothies and protein shakes, while the smaller one works well for portions of salad dressing or sauce. You also get a screw-on lid, a drinking lid with a carry cap and straw lid, two drinking straws, and a set of two cleaning brushes (a large one for the vessels and a small one for the straws).

The large brush is particularly useful if you plan to wash the blender vessels by hand because ingredients (especially sticky ones) have a tendency to accumulate in the grooves on the sides. Many personal blenders can be cleaned by adding water with a squirt of dish soap and running a blending cycle, but the Beast blender needs more thorough cleaning.

Thankfully, the blade unit, blending vessels, and caps are all safe to wash in the top drawer of a dishwasher. and came out perfectly clean during my tests. The only parts of the blender that aren't dishwasher-safe are the base unit and the straws.

Unlike some personal blenders we've tested here at TechRadar, the Beast 850 Plus doesn't have a rechargeable battery. This means you can't use it to blend ingredients on the move, but the fact that it runs directly from the mains means it can offer more blending power than portable smoothie makers.

Its controls are very simple to use, with a large yellow power button at the back and a 'blend' button on the front. Pressing this button once will pulse the blender, and holding it briefly will initiate a minute-long blending cycle.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Beast Mighty 850 Plus: performance

The Beast Mighty 850 Plus lives up to its name, with the best blending performance of any personal smoothie maker I've tested to date.

I started by testing the blender with a particularly tough ingredient: mixed frozen berries. These pose two challenges: first, frozen strawberries are essentially big chunks of dense ice that many blenders struggle to break through, and second, blackberries and blackcurrants are full of tiny seeds that can leave a smoothie feeling gritty in the mouth if not completely blended.

I added a good handful of the frozen fruit to the blender along with oat milk and a scoop of vanilla protein powder, and was pleasantly surprised when a single minute-long blending cycle obliterated even the largest strawberries to create an icy shake, while also obliterating the gritty seeds.

The 850 Plus crushes ice cubes equally well, and one blending cycle turned a double shot of espresso with ice and milk into a perfect iced coffee.

I also tried the 850 Plus with our standard testing smoothie – Nutribullet's Banana Kale Blueberry Freeze, which often poses a challenge for blenders due to its high content of fibrous green veg. I added the ingredients to the largest blending vessel, then ran a single blending cycle to see how well everything was combined.

Some blenders (such as the Nutribullet Flip) require a second cycle to break up the kale, but the 850 Plus thoroughly blitzed all the ingredients first time, creating a very drinkable smoothie with no flecks of leaf to stick to my teeth.

The blender averaged around 80dB at the start of a blending cycle. dropping to 75dB once the ingredients started to break down. This makes it one of the loudest blenders I've tested to date, which can be explained by its more powerful motor, but is worth bearing in mind if you're particularly sensitive to noise.

• Performance score: 5/5

Beast Mighty 850 Plus: also consider

If you're not sure that the Beast Mighty 850 Plus is the right blender for you, here are two others to consider.

Should you buy the Beast Mighty 850 Plus

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

How I tested the Beast Mighty 850 Plus

I used the Beast Mighty 850 Plus for a week, making a variety of recipes, including TechRadar’s standard banana, blueberry, and kale smoothie, which we make with all the personal blenders we test.

I used the blender to tackle ingredients I knew to be particularly tough, including large frozen berries and ice, making sure to select the most appropriate blend setting each time.

I measured the volume of the blender during use with a decibel meter app on my phone.

For more details, see how we test, review, and rate products at TechRadar.

First reviewed July 2025.

Whether you've been hit by a heatwave or want some succulent summer sun fun, an ice cream maker is an excellent addition to your kitchen; and none compare to the Ninja Creami. Best of all, it's on sale right now for Prime Day, but I've actually found a better deal on the Ninja Creami, now $169 (was $199) at Walmart.

• Check out Amazon's full sale

That beats Amazon's current Creami deal for $199. This is far from the best price we've ever seen for the model; while its list price was $229 at launch, and it sold at that price for the majority of its first two years on the market, nowadays it's most frequently priced at $199, so this isn't really a deal at all. The deal to really avoid, however, is this Ninja Creami Deluxe, now $249 (was $279) – except the retail price is actually $249 and it was only listed higher for less than a day back in 2023.

Today's best ice cream maker deals

Ice cream makers have regained popularity in recent years, but it's not just for the novelty of at-home soft serve. Certainly, in the case of the Ninja Creami, it's so users can have a bit more control over what goes into their sweet treats, whether that's down to dietary preferences or restrictions.

Each of these options gets you freshly made ice cream in less than an hour too, and if that's not the best way to beat the heat this summer, I don't know what is.

More options

Amazon's early Prime Day sale - quick links

• Amazon Prime membership: free 30-day trial
• Amazon Devices: up to 56% off smart home gadgets
• Appliances: 60% off Ninja and Tefal
• Gaming: gaming headsets from £22.99
• Headphones: Sony, Apple Bose from £19.99
• Health: up to 63% off Philips and Oral-B
• Laptops: Lenovo, HP, and Acer from £159
• Phones: Google and Samsung from £129
• Smart home: Ring & Blink cameras from £15.99
• Toys: up to 60% off Lego and Barbie
• TVs: cheap TVs from £139.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark and Dyson
• Wearables: up to 25% off Fitbit and Garmin

We're coming to the end of Prime Day, and what a year it's been, with some of the best devices I've tried and tested as a home tech expert seeing huge discounts across the board. For example, my favorite portable blender, the Ninja Blast, is now on sale for $44.99 (was $69) at Amazon. A similar UK deal sees the device drop to £38.99 at Amazon (was £49).

• See all of today's best Amazon deals

We see some great deals on fan favorite appliances during Amazon Prime Day, and this one's a doozy. Now, it's not the lowest price we've ever seen on the Ninja Blast; that was last year's $39/£34 price tag, but it's only a $/£5 difference on a popular, highly capable product. In 2025, this is, in all likelihood, the lowest price we'll see, so don't miss out! Make sure you check the price before adding to your basket, too; only certain colorways offer this deal price.

Today's best Ninja Blast deals

I've had two years with the Ninja Blast, and in that time it's often been a constant companion. Whether for post-gym workouts, frozen drinks on a hot day or smoothies in my latest health kick; wherever I go, so too does my Ninja Blast.

Even at its retail price, it's far from expensive, but a $20/£10 saving is nothing to be sniffed at, too. It earned four stars in our review, mostly losing points for the fact that it'll occassionally get stuck. Nothing that a quick flip and shake of the blender can't fix, but worth noting!

If you'd like to explore your options, then our best blenders should be the next place you go.

Amazon's Prime Day sale - quick links (US)

• Amazon Prime membership: free 30-day trial
• Amazon Devices: up to 56% off smart home gadgets
• Appliances: 60% off Ninja and Tefal
• Gaming: gaming headsets from £22.99
• Headphones: Sony, Apple Bose from £19.99
• Health: up to 63% off Philips and Oral-B
• Laptops: Lenovo, HP, and Acer from £159
• Phones: Google and Samsung from £129
• Smart home: Ring & Blink cameras from £15.99
• Toys: up to 60% off Lego and Barbie
• TVs: cheap TVs from £139.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark and Dyson
• Wearables: up to 25% off Fitbit and Garmin

Amazon's early Prime Day sale - quick links (UK)

• Amazon Prime membership: free 30-day trial
• Amazon Devices: up to 56% off smart home gadgets
• Appliances: 60% off Ninja and Tefal
• Gaming: gaming headsets from £22.99
• Headphones: Sony, Apple Bose from £19.99
• Health: up to 63% off Philips and Oral-B
• Laptops: Lenovo, HP, and Acer from £159
• Phones: Google and Samsung from £129
• Smart home: Ring & Blink cameras from £15.99
• Toys: up to 60% off Lego and Barbie
• TVs: cheap TVs from £139.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark and Dyson
• Wearables: up to 25% off Fitbit and Garmin

There's nothing as refreshing as an ice-cold smoothie or freshly made slushie. Just throw some ice, fruit (ideally frozen) and juice or milk into a blender, and within minutes you can be sipping on a delicious frosty beverage. However, not all blenders are up to the challenge. Some struggle to crush ice, while others leave balk at the sight of a frozen strawberry, leaving you hot and bothered.

That's where I come in. I'm TechRadar's kitchen tech expert, and I've been hard at work blitzing heaps of frozen fruit to bring you this definitive list of the three best blenders for making smoothies and slushies at home.

All three of these are personal blenders, which means you can whip up a batch of your favorite beverage and then enjoy it straight from the blending vessel, with no pouring and no mess. Two of them are also cordless, so you can carry them with you to blend smoothies on the move, while the other has detachable drinking cups with an optional straw lid for easy slurping.

1. Ninja Blast Max

The Ninja Blast Max is, as the name suggests, supremely powerful, and is the only blender I've tested to date that's capable of obliterating big frozen strawberries in a single blend cycle. Frozen fruit is a super convenient and affordable way to make protein drinks more palatable while also cooling them down, and with the Blast Max, you can be sipping a delicious chilled smoothie in less than two minutes.

Like the Nutribullet Flip below, this is a cordless blender, which means you can take it to the gym to mix up a fresh shake as soon as you've finished your workout. It tucked nicely into the side pocket of my backpack and will fit in most cupholders as well.

The Blast Max is also superb when it comes to fibrous vegetables, so if you'd like to whip up a glassful of green juice, you can do so without worrying about unpalatable graininess. Every time I test a blender for TechRadar, I whip up a batch of Nutribullet's Banana Kale Blueberry Freeze, which is packed with an alarming amount of kale, and the Blast Max is one of very few that could make it palatable in one cycle.

It's not a quiet blender, and reached a maximum of 85dB when tackling particularly tough ingredients. It also had a slight tendency to wander across my kitchen counter when working hard, but the motor in the bottom is quite heavy, and I never felt like there was a risk of it tipping over.

Read my full Ninja Blast Max review

2. Nutribullet Flip

The Nutribullet Flip is a powerful personal blender with an ingenious design that eliminates any possible spillage when you're preparing your smoothie in a hurry. Most blenders have blades at the bottom, and when you've finished mixing your concoction, you have to turn them upside down, unscrew the blending unit, and replace it with a lid. It works OK, but there's a chance that you might end up with drips of sticky shake on your clean kitchen floor.

The Nutribullet Flip's blades are incorporated into the lid, so you simply load up your ingredients, tip it upside down and press the 'blend' button, then turn it the right way up and start sipping. No need to undo anything first.

Drinking directly from the part of the blender containing the blades and motor might seem alarming, but it's totally safe. The blender won't activate with the sip lid open, and the blades are well away from your mouth.

When it comes to the blending itself, the Nutribullet Flip makes light work of most ingredients and will whip protein powder, fresh berries, banana, and your choice of milk into a delicious smoothie in a single minute-long blending cycle. If you want to incorporate some leafy greens into the mix, I found that the Flip needed two cycles to properly process kale to avoid little bits that stick to your teeth.

Ice was no issue for the Flip (the iced coffees I made with it were divine), but frozen berries required two cycles as well – particularly chunky strawberries. The results are worth it, though, with the blender turning them into a fresh, fruity slush.

Read my full Nutribullet Flip review

3. Beast Blender Mighty 850 Plus

The aptly named Beast Blender is the only appliance I've tested to date that can turn blackcurrants into smooth puree, with no seeds. Usually, I try to avoid adding frozen currents to my smoothies because the results are almost always unpleasantly gritty, but the Beast Blender made light work of these tricky little customers.

This particular version of the Beast comes with three different-sized vessels and a choice of lids, including one that can accommodate a reusable silicone straw for easy sipping. Unlike with the Nutribullet Flip above, you'll need to remove the blade and motor unit and replace it with a cap before drinking, but in my experience this wasn't a particularly messy process (especially since this isn't a cordless blender, so you won't be doing the actual blending outside your kitchen).

I'll bring you a comprehensive review of the Beast Blender Mighty 850 Plus very soon, once I've tried it with a generous handful of kale thrown into the mix. Considering how well it copes with tiny pips, I've got high hopes.

Recipe ideas

If you need some inspiration, here are some slushies and smoothies that you can make with your brand new blender (including a couple of boozy evening options):

• Strawberry watermelon mocktail from Ninja Test Kitchen
• Spiked strawberry lemonade from Ninja Test Kitchen
• Pink power smoothie from Nutribullet
• The ultimate sangria from Nutribullet
• Minty watermelon strawberry refresher from Beast Health
• Cherry cream smoothie from Beast Health

You might also like

• The viral Ninja Creami Swirl ice cream maker is finally on sale, and I can't wait to start making protein ice cream at home
• This almond and cinnamon smoothie is an easy, delicious way to get more protein
• These air fryer egg muffins have become our favorite foolproof high-protein breakfast

I love a good smoothie, particularly on a baking hot day, but no matter how many blenders I try (and there have been a lot), there's one tasty ingredient they all seem to struggle with: blackcurrants. A big handful of mixed frozen fruit makes a delicious post-gym drink when blended with a scoop of protein powder, a banana, and plenty of oat milk, but without fail, I end up with gritty seeds that stick between my teeth and form a layer of silt at the bottom of the cup.

I sometimes manage to ignore it, particularly on a hot day, but it does spoil the enjoyment of an otherwise delicious drink. That was until I tried the Beast Mighty 850 Plus, which is the first appliance I've found that can successfully pulverize those little pips, leaving me with a berry-infused smoothie that's actually, well, smooth.

The Beast blender comes in three versions - the Mighty 650, the 850 Plus, and the top-end Mega 1000 Plus. The number of each model corresponds to the wattage of its motor, and the 'Plus' refers to a pack of additional blending vessels, lids, and straws for preparing and preparing different portions.

The 850 Plus that's currently gracing my kitchen is the mid-range model, and comes bundled with 638ml, 786ml, and 415ml vessels, plus a drinking lid with carry cap, a straw cap and two straws, a pair of cleaning brushes, a blade unit, and the base containing the blender's motor.

Despite its imposing name, the Beast is extremely easy to use, and I barely needed to glance at its modest instruction manual. After loading your chosen vessel with ingredients (you're advised to use plenty of liquid but take care not to exceed the 'max' line), just screw the blade unit on top, then flip it upside down and attach it to the base with a quick twist.

You'll notice a single LED on the front of the blender base. Orange means that the base is powered on (using a large yellow button on the back) but has no vessel attached, white means that it's ready to start blending, and green means blending is in progress.

I'll have to mix up a portion of TechRadar's standard test smoothie over the weekend (Ninja's Banana Kale Blueberry Freeze, which poses a challenge for any blender and can be a challenge to chug), but I wasn't able to face that amount of greenery first thing this morning, so instead I tossed in a ripe banana, a good glug of oat milk, and a big handful of frozen forest fruits into the largest vessel, and screwed it in place.

Sometimes I pick out just the strawberries and raspberries in the hopes of achieving a seedless smoothie, but by this point I was reaching the bottom of the bag and there was very little left except blackberries, redcurrants, and blackcurrants - all delicious, but full of tiny pips. Hoping this time would be different, I mentally crossed my fingers.

When the LED turns white, pressing the front button for less than a second will perform a quick pulse, while holding it briefly will start a one-minute blending cycle. I'll use a decibel meter to check how loudly the Beast roars during my full review, but my initial impression is that it's no louder than a typical smoothie-maker, despite its powerful motor. It is, however, more stable. Some compact blenders tend to wobble across the kitchen counter when tackling tough ingredients, but not this one.

I suspected that completely pulverizing the frozen fruit might involve running it twice, as it has for some other blenders I've tested, but after one minute my concoction looked sufficiently smooth, so I flipped over the Beast, removed the blending unit, attached the drinking lid, and pushed a straw through its silicone top.

The result? A smoothie that was startlingly seed-free, despite being loaded with pips that would be skipped by a lesser blender's blades. No grit – just a smooth, tasty concoction that was a pleasure to sip.

It's impressive stuff, and I'm looking forward to testing it out with some other tricky recipes over the coming days.

So far my only reservation is that all of the Beast's blending vessels have vertical ridges, which look stylish but seem to be a bit trickier to clean by hand than a conventional smooth blending jug. However, according to the manufacturer, everything except the blending base is dishwasher-safe, so hopefully that won't be an issue.

Come back soon for my full review, and to see whether the Beast can earn a place in TechRadar's roundup of the best blenders you can buy today.

• The KitchenAid Pure Power Blender is available to buy now in the US
• It's competitively priced for a full-size jug blender at $129.99
• It can crush ice, and is suitable for hot ingredients thanks to its steam valve

KitchenAid has launched a new blender that can blend hot and cold ingredients, and has a surprisingly palatable price tag. The KitchenAid Pure Power blender is available to buy now direct from KitchenAid for $129.99 (about £100 / AU$200).

That's pretty much what I'd expect to pay for a portable smoothie-maker from the likes of Nutribullet or Ninja, and half the price of the top-rated model in our roundup of the best blenders, the Braun TriForce Power Blender.

Despite its low MSRP, the KitchenAid Pure Power Blender is a full-size appliance with a 68oz / 1.8-liter jug that's big enough to whip up dishes for a family of four. It's particularly well suited to making soup thanks to a steam vent, which means it's safe for blending hot ingredients straight from the oven or pan.

The blender's asymmetrical blades are strong enough to crush ice, and according to KitchenAid the motor is powerful enough to handle frozen fruit for smoothies and slushes. From my experience testing blenders, I've found that frozen strawberries are the hardest to blend, so I'm interested to see how well the Pure Power Blender copes with these tough little customers.

Easy cleaning

The Pure Power Blender has a control dial on the front that lets you adjust the speed of the blades so you can create a chunky salsa or super smooth mayonnaise, and there are three presets available at the touch of a button: smoothie, ice crush, and clean (just add water and a drop of dish soap to the jug, run the cycle, then rinse it out).

The KitchenAid Pure Power Blender is available now in matt black, and will launch in extra colors in July. I don't yet have details of its pricing and availability outside the US, but I'll keep you updated as soon as I know more.

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• Salter's latest air fryer looks a lot like the award-winning Ninja Double Stack – and it's less than half the price
• Ninja's best coffee maker just got a makeover, and it looks so good it's selling out already

Amzchef Slow Juicer SJ-036: one-minute review

The Amzchef Slow Juicer SJ-036 is frankly a joy to use. Easy to assemble, use, and clean, this masticating slow-press juicer provides consistent, excellent results. If you want a juicer with a bunch of bells and whistles, you won't find it here. Instead, this appliance focuses on providing high-performance features, like its auto hopper, non-drip spout, and powerful auger, which reduces the need to pre-cut fruit and veg (though you may need to cut some) and allows for it to be largely automatic – with minimal mess.

You can add large chunks of food to this juicer, which makes prep easy, but the user manual advises removing seeds and peels from foods like oranges, lemons, and melons. After prepping, you simply add your food to the juicer, lock the lid, and turn the knob on the side, ensuring the pulp and juice cups are under their respective spouts. The juicer then uses its power auger to juice your items, pushing the solid fiber and pulp out the side, while its triple filter ensures the juice left is smooth. I found the auger left minimal residue in the feeding cup and it is incredibly satisfying watching the pulp ooze out the side.

While you can leave the appliance to automatically juice your food, you may need to utilize the pusher accessory to push down some foods – I only needed to do this once, however – or use the knob's Reverse function if any food gets stuck. You also need to watch for when the juicing is completed, as the appliance doesn't automatically turn off when finished and is surprisingly quick due to its 250W motor. In most cases, my juicing was complete in one to two minutes, though tougher foods took up to six.

The overall result every time was smooth juice with minimal pulp, enough to be healthy but not enough to make the juice unpleasant. That powerful auger utilized nearly every element of what it was fed, with the pulp spout churning out mostly solid remains that indicate it squeezed almost every ounce of juice from my foods. Clean-up was equally impressive, with the detachable parts easily hand-washed with only water.

If you're looking for a no-nonsense slow juicer that provides consistently high results, the Amzchef Slow Juicer SJ-036 is a worthy investment.

Amzchef Slow Juicer SJ-036: price and availability

• Price: $299.99 / £199.99
• Available in the UK and US, but not Australia
• Regular discounts available

The Amzchef Slow Juicer SJ-036 is a premium cold press juicer. Available in the US and UK at $300 / £199.99, respectively, this appliance is pricer than several others on our best juicers list. So, if this is a bit out of your price range, the Amzchef Slow Juicer ZM1501 is a more affordable alternative. However, we regularly see discounts (up to $100) on this product, so it's worth keeping your eyes peeled during sales periods.

While the Amzchef Slow Juicer SJ-036 is pricey, it's worth the investment if you regularly juice, as it offers a high-quality masticating juicer that's easy to use and maintain.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Amzchef Slow Juicer SJ-036: specifications

Amzchef Slow Juicer SJ-036: design

• Stylish modern design
• Surprisingly tall, needs unobstructed counter space
• Powerful auger and auto hopper
• Triple filter for smooth juice
• Anti-drip spout

The Amzchef Slow Juicer SJ-036 has a stylish, minimalistic modern design and comes in black or silver. Assembly is straightforward thanks to the handy user manual. You attach the juicing bowl to the power base, followed by the auger, and then the feeding cup, which locks into the bowl with ease. You then add the juice cup under the juice spout on the front and the pulp cup under the pulp spout on the left-hand side. The feeding cup lid has a safety clock, which you can click open and close fairly easily. The juicer won't function if the lock isn't clicked in, as this indicates the top is open, a welcome safety inclusion that should prevent any kitchen disasters.

What I like most about this juicer is how seemingly simple its design is and how easy it is to operate. On the right-hand side is just one knob with three options: on, off, and reverse. There's no smart control here, simply turn it on to juice and off when it's done. You need to manually turn it off when the juicing is finished, so an automatic option would be helpful, but this method does give you more control over its operation.

Turning the appliance on is when you see how impressive the design is. The automatic hopper pulls food into the powerful squeezing auger, churning it to extract the juice before using the triple filter to separate the pulp from the juice, satisfyingly spewing the pulp out of its respective spout and holding the remaining juice. The no-drip juice spout means the juice stays put until you've turned the appliance off and you're ready to open it. The juice spews out pretty fast, so I advise opening it slowly to avoid splashback.

Cleaning, likewise, is easy. The user manual advises handwashing with (it seems) just water and a cleaning brush is provided for tougher residue. Largely, I only needed the brush for the filter and chutes, with remains in the detachable parts easily washing away under the tap.

It's worth noting, however, that this juicer stands pretty tall when assembled, at 17.2in. Plus, you need to account for opening the lid. So, I had difficulty opening it due to my upper kitchen cabinets and needed to move it to a counter space that wasn't vertically obstructed. This may not be ideal if you have a smaller kitchen.

• Design score: 5/5

Amzchef Slow Juicer SJ-036: performance

• Smooth juice with minimal pulp
• Discarded pulp is largely solid
• Only takes a few minutes to juice
• Consistently good results

The Amzchef Slow Juicer SJ-036 performs to a high standard and I found it near flawless during my testing. I first tested a green juice, consisting of broccoli florets, ginger, celery, an apple, pear, and parsley. While the apple and pear needed de-seeding as advised in the user manual, and the celery cut into smaller chunks to fit the chute, minimal prep was required and all the ingredients easily fit in the feeding cup.

Within about two minutes of turning the appliance on, 197g of fairly solid pulp had been extracted and I was left with around 375ml of clear juice with minimal foam. Only some small remnants of parsley snuck into the juice, but these weren't overly noticeable or unpleasant. Very little was left in the juicing bowl that wasn't pulped or juiced. I was impressed that – while fairly loud at a max volume of 85.5 decibels – this juicer wasn't

I was particularly impressed with how the appliance juiced 200g of unpeeled carrots. The result, again, was 100ml of crystal clear juice with no foam, which only took one minute. This one minute is fairly loud, with a max decibel reading of 85.5, but wasn't as ear-splitting as some juicers can be.

Orange juice, using five large oranges, took a slightly longer six minutes, however. Mainly because I tested whether adding each ingredient one by one results, as Amzchef says in its juicer tips, in a higher yield. I didn't see a noticeable difference, so it's really up to you whether you'd rather juice more efficiently or quickly.

I added the oranges (unadvisedly) with their peels on but cut into wedges. This resulted in a lot of pulp (411g) and roughly 375ml of delicious orange juice, which had some nutritious pulp in it but not enough for it to be an issue.

Much like with my carrots, my 100g kale test resulted in wonderfully pure kale juice, with just a little foam. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how disgusting kale juice is and this juicer couldn't fix that.

• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Amzchef Slow Juicer SJ-036?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

First reviewed April 2025

• Nutribullet and McLaren have teamed up for a set of three themed blenders
• Each blender features McLaren's signature gray and papaya livery colors
• The original versions of all three received high scores from our reviewers

Nutribullet, maker of some of the world's best blenders, has teamed up with the McLaren Formula 1 team for a set of F1-themed soup and smoothie-makers. The collaboration might sound like a belated April Fools joke, but it's very real, and the three race-ready blenders are available to buy now direct from Nutribullet.

According to Nutribullet, the three blenders are "infused with McLaren’s signature papaya aesthetic – blending speed, precision, and innovation from the racetrack to the kitchen."

The trio include the Nutribullet x McLaren F1 Team Portable – a new version of the Nutribullet Portable Blender we reviewed last year. Our tester Victoria Woolaston praised its light weight, which makes it ideal for carrying to the office or gym, and its very reasonable price tag. Its battery life was also impressive, and she found it lasted around two weeks between charges in typical use.

She did note that it struggled somewhat with particularly tough ingredients, and it was sometimes necessary to run two blending cycles to incorporate difficult vegetables into smoothies, but no more so than other single-serve blenders at this price point.

Pulp position

Also on the starting grid is the Nutribullet x McLaren F1 Team Pro 900: a papaya and graphite-hued version of the more powerful Nutribullet 900. Our reviewer Emily Peck found that the 900 produced consistently good results, and noted that it's a particularly good pick for small kitchens.

"There's only one setting, but it offers you 50% more power than the original Nutribullet, with the speedy blade delivering super-smooth results," she said.

Finally, there's the Nutribullet x McLaren F1 Team Ultra. The original Nutribullet Ultra earned four and a half out of five stars in our review, producing silky smoothies and nicely textured hummus with ease. It's also one of the quietest blenders we've tested to date.

There's been a trend in kitchen appliances recently for subtle, natural shades like buttery yellow and leafy green, but if that's not your style then one of these blenders could add a welcome shock of color to your kitchen. You could even use one to whip up a quick papaya and coconut smoothie for refreshment during this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.

You might also like

• The Ninja Blast Max is so powerful it can obliterate frozen strawberries and even make kale smoothies delicious
• Nutribullet's new blender makes everything from nut milk to soup with a single touch
• I've finally found a green smoothie that doesn't taste like eating raw veg

Ninja Blast Max: one-minute review

The Ninja Blast Max is an updated version of the company’s portable smoothie blender, with a more powerful motor and upgraded blades – and it works brilliantly. The Max is more expensive then the original Ninja Blast, but the price difference is easily justified by the improvement in performance.

Unlike every other personal blender I’ve tested to date, the Ninja Blast Max transforms difficult, fibrous ingredients such as kale into a silky smoothie with just a single blending cycle, leaving behind no unpleasant fragments. In my time using the blender, I didn't experience any problems with ingredients becoming stuck to the sides of the cup and missing the blades either, which is unusual for a blender this size.

The Max fared equally well when it came to blending large frozen berries, which usually prove too much of a challenge for portable smoothie makers. The blender’s "crush" setting is made for tackling ice cubes, but works equally well for rock-hard frozen fruit, pulverizing it to slushie consistency within a minute.

The blender cup is easy to detach from the charging base, enabling you to sip your smoothie on the move, or take your protein shake to the gym. It fits into a typical cupholder or the side pocket of a backpack, and has a robust silicone carry handle. The only downside is that it isn't insulated to keep your creations cold. If Ninja could add a second, insulated cup to the package alongside the first, it would be pretty much perfect.

Ninja Blast Max: price and availability

• Available in US and Europe
• List price $89.99/£89.99 (about AU$140)
• About the same price as Nutribullet Flip

The Ninja Blast Max launched in September 2024. It’s available direct from Ninja, and from third-party retailers such as Amazon for $89.99/£89.99. That’s about AU$140, but at the time of writing it isn’t for sale in Australia.

That’s a significant price increase from the original Ninja Blast, which had a list price of $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$79.99; but it’s understandable considering the upgraded motor, blades, and battery.

The Blast Max is roughly the same as the Nutribullet Flip, which is a more direct competitor, and is priced at $99.99 (about £80 / AU$150). The Ninja Blast Max definitely delivers more blending power than the Flip, delivering more bang for your buck.

• Value score: 5/5

Ninja Blast Max: design

• Cup is easy to remove from the charging base and carry
• Simple to keep clean
• No leaks when blending, or carrying the cup

The Ninja Blast Max has two components: the base, which contains the battery and motor, and a removable cup with the blade unit at the bottom and a flip-top lid on top. The sip lid also has a silicone handle for easy and comfortable carrying. The cup easily tucked into the side pocket of my backpack, and will fit in most standard cupholders, too.

The base unit has a charging port at the back, with a rubber cover to protect against dust and splashes (although you should never immerse the base in water, and always remove the cup before cleaning).

The base has an attractive ombre finish, and is available in seven color options: Sea Glass, Ivory Cream, Dusty Pink, Gray, Silver, Lavender, and Navy (although not all retailers will stock all seven).

It has a central power button, with a green light that blinks during charging, and controls for three settings: Crush (for ice), Blend, and Smoothie.

The cup has a slightly tapered shape, becoming narrower at the bottom to encourage ingredients to fall onto the blades, but not so narrow that anything becomes stuck. The instructions explain that you can gently shake the blender to dislodge any pieces of fruit or veg that escape the blades, but during my tests I didn’t find this necessary.

The cup has a maximum fill line positioned at the 15.8oz / 450ml mark. That’s the same as the Nutribullet Flip, but the Ninja Blast Max’s removable base means it’s much lighter to carry. The lid creates an extra tight seal when you’re on the move, and I never noticed any leaking when I was blending or carrying it.

The Ninja Blast Max is very easy to keep clean. Like most portable blenders, all you have to do is add some water to the cup with a squirt of dish soap, run a brief blending cycle, then rinse the cup and lid thoroughly and allow them to dry. You can also wash the cup and lid by hand when they need cleaning more thoroughly.

The only downside is that, unlike the Nutribullet Flip, the Ninja Blast Max doesn’t have an insulated cup to keep your creations chilled on the move.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja Blast Max: performance

• Excellent at blending tough vegetables such as kale
• "Crush" mode is great for ice and frozen ingredients
• Ingredients don't become stuck in cup and miss the blades

The Ninja Blast Max is the most powerful personal blender I’ve tested, capable of turning even tricky ingredients into a creamy smoothie.

After charging the blender for a few hours until the light on the front remained a steady green, I started off by making TechRadar’s test recipe – Nutribullet’s Banana Kale Blueberry Freeze.

Its ingredients are simple enough, but the kale usually presents a big challenge for small blenders, which tend to leave shreds of leaf intact. I loaded up the banana, kale, blueberries and almond milk, then hit the button for the blender’s Smoothie mode. This runs a series of pulses, which pulverizes the ingredients then allows them to settle before hitting them with the blades again.

The results were extremely impressive. Usually I have to run a portable blender for at least two cycles to create something smooth enough to drink, and even then I usually find scraps of kale sticking to my teeth. That wasn’t the case with the Ninja Blast Max, which blended everything together into a tasty and silky smooth drink (even if the color wasn't terribly appealing).

Frozen berries are another tough challenge for a portable blender, and defeated the Nutribullet Flip when I tested it last year. It took two full blending cycles to turn frozen forest fruits into something drinkable, so I was curious to see how the souped-up Ninja Blast Max would fare.

I decided to make a shake using a scoop of vanilla protein powder, oat milk, and a handful of large frozen strawberries, which are the fruits that seem to defeat most blenders. I used the Ninja Blast Max’s Crush setting, which is designed for tackling ice.

Blending the frozen fruit was quite loud, briefly reaching 85dB during pulses (about the same as a standard jug blender, or heavy traffic), but the noise was only brief and became quieter as each pulse of the Blast Max pulverized the strawberries. The blender has a tendency to move about slightly when blending tough ingredients, but it wasn't in any danger of falling over.

Once the cycle was over, I had a delicious pink concoction, with no pieces of unblended berry, and a much nicer texture than a typical protein shake. Again, the drink was silky smooth, with no graininess.

I also tested the blender’s ice-crushing abilities, using it to prepare a blended coffee drink. As with all personal blenders, you need to add a minimum amount of liquid before you can crush ice. For this test, I used barista-standard caramel plant milk, with a double shot of espresso.

Again, I used the Crush setting, and I could hear the ice being shattered even faster than the fruit with each pulse. The resulting blended iced coffee looked as good as anything you might get from a coffee shop, with a nice layer of foam on top and no chunks of unblended ice crystals.

You could also make an excellent espresso martini in the same way if you don’t have access to a cocktail shaker.

• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Ninja Blast Max?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja Blast Max: also consider

If you’re not sure whether the Ninja Blast Max is the right blender for you, here are two other options to think about.

How I tested the Ninja Blast Max

I used the Ninja Blast Max for a week, making recipes including TechRadar’s standard banana, blueberry, and kale smoothie, which we make with all the personal blenders we test.

I used the blender to tackle ingredients I knew to be particularly tough, including large frozen berries and ice, making sure to select the most appropriate blend setting each time.

I measured the volume of the blender during use with a decibel meter app on my phone.

For more details, see how we test, review, and rate products at TechRadar.

First reviewed April 2025.

Are you tired of part-blended smoothies and lumpy protein shakes? If so, help is at hand in the form of the Nutribullet Flip – now just $72.99 (was $99.99) at Amazon.

The Nutribullet Flip launched last year, and has a smart design that I've not seen in any other wireless personal blender. Instead of the blending unit sitting in the bottom, they're incorporated into the lid at the widest point, which means your ingredients are much less likely to get stuck or miss the blades.

It's one of the best blenders I've tested for shakes and smoothies, and it makes a fantastic iced coffee as well. Just throw in a double espresso, a handful of ice, and your choice of dairy or plant milk, turn it upside down and hit the power button. After one 30-second cycle, you'll have a delicious, perfectly blended frappe. It's great for frozen cocktails and slushies too. .

Today's best Nutribullet Flip deal

Once you've made your drink, you can sip it straight through the blender's lid, with no need to risk mess by pouring it or unscrewing the motor. There's no risk of cutting yourself; the blade assembly is well away from the sip spout, and the lid also has a hole for a metal straw (included in the package) for supping shakes and iced coffees.

The whole blender super compact too, so you can carry the entire blender to the gym for fresh protein shakes the moment you've finished your workout, or take it to the office. During my tests it completed 13 full blending cycles on a single charge, so you'll only need to plug it in once a week at most. For more details, check out my full Nutribullet Flip review.

If you're not sure the Nutribullet Flip is right for you, here are all today's best deals on the rest of our top-rated blenders so you can pick something that better suits your culinary needs:

If you're looking to kickstart your 2025 fitness goals early, then the one Cyber Monday deal you need to buy is an ice cream maker.

Hear me out. If you want to lose weight or transform your physique, the most important thing you can do is eat in a calorie deficit. By limiting calories (in a sustainable fashion), you can start to shed body fat, reduce your BMI, and get healthier.

But if you're anything like me, a killer sweet tooth can derail even the most intense gym regimen. So what if you could make delicious, healthy (er) ice cream at home, and satisfy those sweet cravings without torpedoing your diet? Step forward, the Ninja Creami.

Today's best Ninja Creami Cyber Monday deal

A Ninja CREAMi can be used to make delicious ice cream of any kind, but it's also a secret fitness weapon.

I use it to make pints of ice cream that only clock in at around 400 calories, with 40 grams of protein for good measure.

I can eat an entire pint every day, and come away completely satisfied that I've had my sweet treat for the day, helping me to ditch denser, unhealthy treats like sweets, cake, and chocolate.

Of course, you can always use one for an indulgent recipe too when the mood strikes.

More of today's Cyber Monday sales in the US

• Amazon: TVs, smart home & air fryers from $12.99
• Apple: AirPods, iPads, MacBooks from $89.99
• Best Buy: $1,000 off 4K TVs, laptops & headphones
• B&H Photo: up to $900 off cameras, laptops, accessories
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs at Best Buy from $69.99
• Dell: best-selling Inspiron & XPS laptops from $279.99
• Dreamcloud: mattress deals from $349 + free shipping
• Holiday: decor, lights, Christmas trees & PJs from $10.99
• Home Depot: 40% off tools, appliances & furniture
• Lowe's: holiday decor, appliances & tools from $17.31
• Nectar: up to 50% off all mattresses
• Nordstrom: 46% off boots, coats, jeans & jewelry
• Samsung: $1,500+ off TVs, phones, watches & appliances
• Target: save on furniture, Halloween, tech & clothing
• Walmart: cheap TVs, robot vacs, furniture & appliances

More of today's Cyber Monday sales in the UK

• Amazon: up to 68% off toothbrushes and TVs
• AO: savings on games consoles and appliances
• Argos: up to 50% off toys, Lego, TVs and gifts
• Boots: up to 50% off Dyson, Oral-B and Philips
• Currys: big deals on TVs, appliances, laptops
• Dell: laptops, desktops, monitors from £299
• Dyson: up to £150 off
• Ebay: up to 50% off refurbished tech
• EE: up to £600 off Samsung and Apple
• John Lewis: up to £300 off appliances and TVs
• LG: £1,000 or more off TVs and appliances
• Samsung: up to £600 off TVs, phones and tablets
• Very: up to 30% off phones, appliances & clothing

Cyber Monday is the perfect time to upgrade your kitchen appliances, and if you love your soups and smoothies, I've rounded up all the best Cyber Monday deals on powerful blenders from big brands like KitchenAid, Ninja, Vitamix. and Nutribullet.

My favorite deal right now is the Nutribullet Flip personal blender, which is down to $60.99 (was $79.99) at Amazon. I tested this powerful little cordless blender earlier this year, and drank more smoothies in the space of a week than I had in the previous 12 months. What makes it special is the ingenious blending lid, which ensures all ingredients make contact with the blades when you flip it over and means you're not left with unblended chunks of fruit. It's a record-low price right now, and would make a great Christmas gift.

Read on for more of the best Cyber Monday deals on top-rated blenders. Not in the US? Scroll down this article for some excellent deals on blenders near you.

Today's best blender deals

If you're not sure which blender is right for you, take a look at our full roundup of the best blenders for our top recommendations. We put every blender we review through a standardized set of tests including making hummus, mayonnaise, a fruit smoothie, ground nuts, and crushed ice, so you can see how they perform in real life.

More of today's Black Friday sales in the US

• Amazon: TVs, smart home & air fryers from $12.99
• Apple: AirPods, iPads, watches from $89.99
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs & laptops
• B&H: $600 off Nikon, GoPro, Canon & Sony
• Dell: Inspiron & XPS laptops from $279.99
• Dyson: up to $250 off vacuums
• Home Depot: 40% off tools & appliances
• Roborock: up to $700 off robot vacuums
• Saatva: up to $600 off luxury mattresses
• Samsung: $2,500+ off TVs, phones & appliances
• Shark: up to 55% off
• Target: furniture, decor, tech & clothing
• Walmart: cheap TVs, robot vacs & AirPods
• Wayfair: 70% off furniture & decor

If you're serious about to trying to cut back on calories and trim down a little, then buying a Ninja Creami might be one of the best decisions you ever make.

Right now, Ninja's cult-status ice cream machine is on sale at Amazon in both the UK and the US for the Amazon Prime Day sale. Normally $200/£200, you can score one on either side of the Atlantic for just $159 in the US or £149 in the UK, the latter matching the UK's lowest-ever price.

• Shop more Prime Day deals

While the financial savings you'll make are pretty cool, the impact the Ninja Creami could have on your life is immense. I've had one for over a year, and don't regret buying it, even at full price.

Today's best Ninja Creami deal

My biggest downfall is my sweet tooth when it comes to staying fit and healthy. I've spent years trying to find a solution, and the Ninja Creami is the best I've found.

You can mind a multitude of recipes online that will help you create delicious macro-friendly ice cream that you can enjoy every single day and never get tired of.

Personally, I've adopted an almond milk-based recipe that packs in 40 grams of protein and is less than 400 calories. It keeps me full when I'm craving something sweet, and more importantly, it's delicious.

The Ninja Creami is really easy to use, it has a few different settings depending on the type of dessert you want, but otherwise, it's incredibly simple. It's also very easy to clean, and using it day-to-day is very straightforward. Most of the mechanism is packed into the top of the Creami too, keeping the profile narrow, so it doesn't take up too much room in your kitchen either.

Not in the UK? Check out more Ninja Creami deals where you are below:

More Amazon Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: up to 50% off
• Appliances: deals on coffee makers and blenders
• Health: 45% off Oral-B and Philips
• Laptops: best-ever MacBook Pro deals
• Phones: power banks from $17.99
• Smart home: cameras and doorbells from $17.99
• Tablets: Fire tablets from $49.99
• Toys: up to 20% off Lego and Hasbro
• TVs: cheap TVs from $73.99
• Vacuums: up to $450 off Dyson and Roborock

More Amazon Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Devices: up to 60% off Echo & Fire TV
• Appliances: 60% off air fryers and coffee makers
• Gaming: gaming headsets from £22.99
• Headphones: Anker and Samsung from £16.99
• Health: up to 63% off Philips and Oral-B
• Laptops: HP and Lenovo from £169
• Music: Music Unlimited - 4 months free
• Phones: Google and Samsung from £84.99
• Smart home: Ring & Blink cameras from £15.99
• Tablets: Fire tablets from £29.99
• TVs: cheap TVs from £139.99

The sequel to Amazon Prime Day (coined "Big Deals Day") is almost here and naturally, there are tons of early deals taking advantage of this period. Amazon is especially discounting some of the best blenders, including the Ninja Blender and Ninja CREAMi Deluxe.

The Ninja Blender is on sale for $119.99 at Amazon while the Ninja CREAMi Deluxe is on sale for $219.69 at Amazon. Both are excellent appliances, with the former being perfect for a wide range of tasks including blending, food processing, and making frozen drinks. Meanwhile, the latter uses a tech patent previously reserved for restaurants, which results in denser ice cream with less air and therefore much richer and more intense in flavor.

Ninja blenders open up your culinary forte with homemade salsas, smoothies, and sauces, while ice cream makers are the perfect way to customize frozen treats in your own home. If you want to get your hands on Ninja appliances close to their lowest prices ever offered, make sure to take advantage of these deals before they end!

Today's best Ninja deals

Follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings, and hot deals!

Nutribullet has taken the wraps off a new blender that can automatically detect the ingredients you've loaded into the jug, and set the blend mode, time, and speed accordingly. No more lumpy, underblended smoothies or clumpy, overworked almond flour.

The Nutribullet SmartSense blender can handle hot and cold ingredients, and comes with a full-size jug with a vented lid and pouring spout to safely handle hot soups and drinks.

If you want to get more creative, there's also a Blender Combo pack, which adds two single-serving blending cups for making smoothies (much like the Nutribullet Pro+ 1200) and an extra durable extractor blade for crushing ice, cracking open seeds, and shredding the tough skin of vegetables that could pose a challenge for most blenders.

Milks without the mess

One of the SmartSense's most interesting promises is the ability to make fully emulsified plant milks (such as almond and oat) with no need for straining, which is usually one of the messiest parts of making DIY dairy alternatives.

According to Nutribullet, the SmartSense is also capable of making "delicate alternative flours", which we're hoping includes extra-fine almond flour suitable for macaroons (without turning the nuts into butter). We'll soon find out when we put it though a battery of tests in our own kitchen to see whether it deserves a place in our roundup of the best blenders.

The NutriBullet SmartSense Blender is available now from Amazon and direct from Nutribullet for $119 (about £90 / AU$170). The SmartSense Blender Combo Pack can be purchased from Amazon or Nutribullet for $149.99 (about £110 / AU$220).

You might also like...

• The Ninja Blast finally sold me on portable blenders
• Can a blender be used as a food processor?
• The five best dishes to make in a blender

NutriBullet sales are essential for anyone looking to save cash on one of the most popular blenders on the market. We regularly see discounts on the full range and some particularly strong discounts around major holiday events. That's why we're rounding up all the bets NutroBullet deals on a selection of the most popular models - from the NutriBullet Pro to the RX right here.

The NutriBullet was founded in 2012, with its first model introduced as a single-serve countertop 'personal' blender. Since then, the company has produced several different models with enhanced capabilities, such as nutrient extraction and Bluetooth technology. Each blender includes a powerful motor that can whip up a smoothie in seconds, and you can swap the extractor blade for a flip-top lid so that you can enjoy your concoctions on the go.

The top models we've listed below are the NutriBullet Pro 900 Series, the NutriBullet RX, the Original NutriBullet, the NutriBullet Baby Bullet, and the NutriBullet Balance. For each model, we've included the main features, as well as capacity, number of attachments, motor power, and, most importantly, the best online price.

The best cheap NutriBullet prices and deals

The original NutriBullet 600 Series is perfect for people who want to make the occasional smoothie. It features a 600W motor and extractor blade that blends fruits and veggies in seconds to create delicious and healthy smoothies. The compact blender is also dishwasher safe, and includes a 24oz / 710ml container with lid that you can take on the go.

The NutriBullet 600 retails for $59.99, but because it's an older model, you can typically find the blender on sale. It comes with a 24oz / 710ml tall cup with comfort lip ring, 18oz / 530ml short cup, and a handled comfort lip ring.

The Original NutriBullet is perfect for people who want to make the occasional smoothie. The Original NutriBullet features a 600W motor and extractor blade that blends fruits and veggies in seconds to create delicious and healthy smoothies. The compact blender is also dishwasher safe, and includes a 24oz / 710 container with lid that you can take on the go.

The Original NutriBullet retails for $59.99, but because it's an older model, you can typically find the blender on sale. It comes with a 24oz / 710ml tall cup with comfort lip ring, 18oz / 530ml short cup, and a handled comfort lip ring.

The NutriBullet Pro, or Pro 900 Series in some regions, is NutriBullet's most popular model and it’s a fantastic blender for smoothie newbies. It features a powerful 900-watt motor and extractor blade to pulverize and puree fruits and veggies effortlessly. You can easily make a smoothie in under 60 seconds – just push, twist, and blend for fast and convenient ‘NutriBlasts’, as NutriBullet calls your creations.

The NutriBullet Pro 900 Series currently retails for $79.99 / £79.99 and includes a 900-watt motor base, extractor blade, flip top to-go lid, 32oz / 909ml colossal cup with lip ring, and a 24oz / 680ml tall cup with a handled lip ring.

If you're trying to get the most out of your fruits and veggies, the NutriBullet RX is the blender for you. The RX is NutriBullet's most powerful nutrition extractor ever, featuring a 1700W motor that can easily liquefy even solid ingredients. The blender can create single and family-sized servings, and even features a heating cycle for soups and sauces. The NutriBullet RX also includes hands-free smart technology, with auto start/stop functionality.

The NutriBullet RX comes with 10 different attachments including an extractor blade with cleaning brush, 30oz / 890ml short cup with comfort lip ring, SouperBlast Pitcher with vented lid, 45oz / 1330ml oversized cup with pitcher lid, Nature’s Prescription Book, and a stay-fresh lid. Because of the extra power, attachments, and functions, the RX is more expensive than most NutriBullet blenders, currently retailing for $179.99 / £129.99

Make a week's worth of baby food in minutes with the NutriBullet Baby blender. Designed with parents in mind, the miniature mixer includes convenient attachments that allow you to easily store and keep track of your baby's food. The baby care system includes a silicon-based batch tray, so you can save your baby's purees in the freezer and pop them out when needed. The baby blender also comes with six date-dial storage cups to help you keep track of freshness, and a spill-proof tray to help you keep everything organized.

The NutriBullet Baby blender retails for only $49.99 / £53.87 and includes a motor base, extractor blade, batch bowl, easy pop freezer tray with lid, six storage cups with tray, short cup with lid, and a recipe book and user guide.

Shop more cheap NutriBullet deals

• Walmart
• Amazon
• Best Buy
• Bed Bath & Beyond
• Overstock

See more appliance deals with our list of the best cheap coffee maker sales and the best Instant Pot deals.

You can also see the best sous vide cooking machines and the best cheap air fryers on sale.

Nutribullet Flip: two-minute review

The Nutribullet Flip is designed to make the process of blitzing smoothies and shakes as mess-free as possible – and it works. Simply add all your ingredients to the cup, put on the blending lid, before flipping the cup upside down and pressing the power button; then simply flip it back the right way and drink straight from the cup. There's no need to pour out the drink into another vessel, nor remove the cap – and during several weeks of testing, the blender didn't leak at all, even when inverted.

The Flip's blades are positioned at the widest point, which means ingredients don’t become stuck, and the motor is more powerful than that of most personal blenders, which means it tackles ice with ease. During tests, we found that large pieces of fruit (such as frozen strawberries) sometimes required a second 30-second cycle to be completely blended; but the results were usually impressive.

The insulated cup keeps your finished creations cold for hours and you can swap to a lid without the integrated blender if you want to travel light. The Flip comes with a cover to protect the blades, if you decide to switch the cap, which is a nice touch.

Cleanup is extremely straightforward – just add a drop of dish soap and some water, run it for 30 seconds, and then rinse. There's no scrubbing necessary, and food doesn't accumulate around the seal or blades.

During tests, I was able to run it for 13 30-second cycles on a full charge (blending a banana milkshake) before it ran out of juice, so you should be able to use it for several days before having to reach for the USB-C charging cable. Note that thirty seconds after a blending cycle has finished, the Flip will go into sleep mode to conserve power.

The Nutribullet Flip isn't made for solids, and it isn't the cheapest portable blender around. However, if you’re looking for something that will fit in your cup holder in the car and is powerful enough to make an iced coffee in 30 seconds, this is the one for you.

Nutribullet Flip: price and availability

• List price: $99.99 (about £80 / AU$150)

The Nutribullet Flip launched in July 2024, with a list price of $99.99 (about £80 / AU$150). That puts it in between the Ninja Blast at $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$79.99 and the Smeg Personal Blender at $169.95 / £109.95/ AU$199. It's worth bearing in mind that Ninja's blender is considerably less powerful and struggles to blend frozen ingredients, so if you want a portable blender for icy drinks then the Nutribullet Flip may be worth the extra expense.

At the time of writing, the Nutribullet Flip is only available in the US, but you can find it for import via Amazon UK (built to US and Canadian electrical standards).

• Value score: 5/5

Nutribullet Flip: specs

Nutribullet Flip: design

The Flip is a new type of personal blender that aims to make the whole experience of making smoothies, shakes and the like as mess-free as possible by positioning the blades and motor in the top of the cup. Once your beverage is blended, you just turn the whole blender upside down, open the sip cap, and start drinking. There’s no need to remove the lid (unless you want to) and no risk of spillage. It’s a similar concept to the Ninja Blast, but while the Blast’s blades are in the bottom, the Flip has them in the lid.

Drinking through the part of the blender that contains the blade might seem strange, but the moving parts are well away from your mouth, so you won't come into contact with them. The blender won’t run with the sip lid open either, so there’s no chance it will activate while you’re enjoying your smoothie.

The box contains the main cup, the blending lid (with the blades and motor), a to-go lid that you can use to minimize weight if you don’t need to blend on the move, a stainless steel drinking straw with a cleaning brush (the lid has a hole to insert the straw), and an instruction booklet. The blender itself is available in black, stainless steel, or white (shown here).

To make your drink, load your ingredients into the cup (making sure that the liquid sits between the "minimum" and "maximum" markings inside), screw the lid into place, flip it upside down, and press the single button to start a 30-second cycle. Unlike some personal blenders, the Flip isn’t made for hot ingredients. It also requires a minimum amount of liquid, so you won’t be using it to make dukkah or crush nuts.

• Design score: 5/5

Nutribullet Flip: performance

The Nutribullet Flip isn’t intended for solid food, so I couldn’t run TechRadar's usual full battery of tests; for example, mayonnaise was out of the question, because you can’t pour in oil mid-blend. However, I did whip up several batches of our control smoothie recipe, which consists of almond milk, kale, blueberries and banana.

There were no leaks whatsoever during testing and after one 30-second cycle the smoothie was mostly blended. However, as you can see in the photo below, a chunk of unblended banana remained. Running a second cycle resulted in much better, smoother results.

It was a similar story when making a shake using milk, protein powder, and frozen berries. Nutribullet’s documentation says that the Flip can handle “most frozen fruit”, but the largest strawberries required two cycles to blend completely. Running the blender twice isn’t a big deal, but it might have been nice if there were two settings, one for 30 seconds and one for a minute for tackling tougher tasks; or, the blender defaulted to 45 seconds as a compromise.

The Flip performed best when making iced coffee, delivering perfect results. Considering my experience of making a smoothie with frozen berries, I had expected the Flip to require two attempts to crush ice cubes with milk and a shot of espresso; but it took only a single cycle to produce a perfect cold beverage. It proved much more effective than the Ninja Blast, partly thanks to the Flip’s more powerful motor (11.4V compared to 7.4V) and partly due to the design of the blender iteself.

Having the blades at the widest part of the cup means it didn’t suffer the Blast’s issue of ice cubes becoming stuck in the middle. As such, there was no need to shake the Flip mid-blend to loosen things up; it would make a mean espresso martini. Do ensure you heed Nutribullet's warning that never fill more than 25% of the cup's total volume with ice.

Although the Flip is decidedly top-heavy when used with the blending lid attached, it didn't at all feel awkward when being used as a drinking vessel. There’s no risk of any accidents with the mechanics when you're drinking from the blending lid; in fact, you’re so far away from the blade in the lid that you’ll have to hold the Flip at an angle for a few seconds before the liquid runs out if you’ve made a particularly thick drink.

One of the biggest advantages of the Nutribullet Flip is just how easy it is to clean. Simply squirt in a little dish soap, add some water, and run the blender for a 30-second cycle. Once complete, rinse out the suds and it’s ready to use again - no scrubbing required, with even bits of fruit skin and kale fully removed. The cup and to-go lid are dishwasher-safe, but both proved so quick and easy to clean by hand, I didn't find it necessary to add them to the appliance. Nutribullet warns that you should never try to clean the motor base, blade, and lid unit by immersing it in water or detergent, or putting it in the dishwasher.

I actually found myself using the Flip far more often than I might if it required more intense cleaning. Sure, I could use my usual shaker to prepare my post-run protein drink, but the flip did a better job of mixing the ingredients, and I could even throw in some fruit for good measure.

The Flip is charges using the USB-C cable supplied in the packaging. The color of the light around the button once you’ve screwed on the lid indicates the current charge level: green is high, orange is medium, and red is low; the color changes during charging, with solid green (not blinking) indicating a full charge. Before using it for the first time, you should charge the Flip for at least two hours.

During blending with ice, the Nutribullet Flip's noise levels reached a maximum of 79dB, which is similar to the Smeg Personal Blender (80dB) and around 10dB quieter than most countertop blenders we’ve tested. 

According to Nutribullet, the Flip can run up to 15 cycles on a single charge. After fully charging the blender, I added a banana, oat milk and cocoa to the cup, and was able to run 13 complete cycles before it ran out of power. That's pretty close, and means you'll be able to go several days between charges in regular use.

• Performance score: 4/5

Nutribullet Flip: should I buy it?

Nutribullet Flip: also consider

Nutribullet Flip: how I tested

I spent two weeks testing the Nutribullet Flip using a variety of different ingredients, both fresh and frozen, and different liquids including water, plant and dairy milks, and juice. For easy comparison with other devices, I used Nutribullet's own Banana Kale Blueberry Freeze recipe, which we use to test all blenders.

I weighed the blender with both of its lids to be certain of its weight, and measured the noise produced by the blender using a decibel meter.

I fully charged the Nutribullet Flip using the supplied USB-C charging cable, then added a banana, cocoa powder, and oat milk, and counted how many full cycles it was able to complete before the battery ran down.

Read more about how we test.

First reviewed August 2024

If you like the thought of whizzing up a delicious beverage without having to store a bulky food blender, then we’ve got you covered. There’s a tasty limited deal on offer now that you can get the Ninja Personal Blender and Smoothie Maker QB3001 at Amazon for $44.99 (was $69.99).

We are big fans of this bite-sized blender, and a generous 36% off makes this a particularly tempting deal. We’ve not seen it for a lower price since back in 2022, so if you’ve been holding out for the cheapest price, this might well be as close as you're likely to get.

Today's best Ninja QB3001 blender deal

When we reviewed this Ninja Personal Blender and Smoothie Maker, we were impressed at its ability to crush nuts and fruit, along with the expected blending of fruit and veg. We also appreciated its compact size and useful 16 fl oz cups.

If this deal hasn’t tempted you, we have a whole selection of alternatives in our best blender buying guide. Alternatively, we’ve also picked out the best cheap Nutribullet deals, if you want to check out other potential personal-sized blender bargains. 

Right now, you can grab the Ninja Creami ice cream and smoothie maker for just £149.99 at John Lewis – A huge saving of 25% off the usual price, and the cheapest it's ever been. 

The Creami has proved enormously popular since its launch earlier this year thanks to its sheer speed, letting you churn a 500ml batch of ice cream or sorbet in three minutes or less, compared to half an hour for a conventional ice cream maker. 

"I was surprised by how easy it was to use considering its many features and functions and loved how many things you could use it for," said reviewer Bethan Girdler-Maslen at our sister site T3.com. "I’ll definitely be using it throughout the year and not just during the summer."

You can experiment with tastes and textures to your heart's content, and there's even a mix-in function that evenly distributes fruit, nuts, chocolate, or other delicious treats throughout the finished dessert.

Today's best Ninja Creami deal

The Creami includes a recipe book full of ideas for tasty desserts, and includes both dairy and non-dairy options.

When you buy it from John Lewis, you'll also get free click-and-collect delivery (to a Collect+ point, or a John Lewis or Waitrose store near you) and a two-year guarantee included. Now that's a cool deal.

Not in the UK? Check out more Ninja Creami deals where you are below:

KitchenAid Go Cordless blender: two-minute review

The KitchenAid Go Cordless Personal Blender (or Portable Blender, in the UK) is part of the brand's range of cordless kitchen appliances, all of which are compatible with the same removable, swappable battery. It's too bulky and heavy to be an on-the-go blender that you'd take out with you, but rather seems to be aimed at those that are short on power outlets and/or kitchen space.

The blending cup is a good size for a generous single-serve smoothie or protein shake. The blade section screws on to the top and then the whole thing flips over and is twisted on to the motor section. Blending is operated by button, and there's one speed and a pulse function. 

When you're done blending, you remove the cup and blade – carefully, as it is possible to twist the cup off the blade accidentally, leading to your mixture pouring all over the blender – and either decant or swap the blade for the to-go lid (well-designed, with a carry loop that screws off to become a smaller opening to sip from). The battery slots on and off easily and provides a maximum of 20 minutes' blending time. 

In terms of performance, the KitchenAid Go Cordless is a little underwhelming. On test, it coped well with soft ingredients and very liquid blends, but struggled a little with tougher ingredients and frozen fruit. All the corded options in our best blender guide pack more power and can deal with more challenging blending tasks. 

Price-wise, it's in the mid range. It feels well made and good quality, and perhaps worth it if you specifically want the Go range with its swappable batteries. However, depending on your priorities, there are cheaper options that are more powerful or more portable. That's the short version; read on for my full KitchenAid Go Cordless Blender review. 

KitchenAid Go Cordless blender review: price & availability

• List price with battery: $129.99 / £179 / AU$228
• List price without battery: $99.99 / £149 / AU$159
• Launched May 2024, available in the US / UK / AU

In the US the version with the battery is $129.99 (reduced to $99.99 at time of writing) while the version without is $99.99 (down to $79.99). In the UK it's £179 or £149 if you already have a battery. In Australia, the version with a battery is AU$228 or the version without is AU$159. That puts it in the mid-range price bracket of blenders overall. 

You're definitely paying for the convenience of it being cordless and part of the Go set, with swappable batteries. If that's not your priority, there are plenty of better-value options. 

In terms of performance, it's more similar to a personal, on-the-go blender (i.e. not super powerful), which you can pick up for a much lower price. For example, the Nutribullet Magic Bullet Portable Blender costs $39.99 / £39.99 / AU$79.95. Alternatively, the cheapest countertop model from that brand, the Nutribullet 600 Series, costs $69.99 / £59.99 /AU$99.95, and it's significantly more powerful than the Go.

With all kitchen appliances, it's worth shopping around major sales events like Amazon Prime Day or the Black Friday sales, as we often see discounts around then. And to save money on KitchenAid products, do check out our KitchenAid promo codes page. 

• Value for money score: 2.5 out of 5

KitchenAid Go Cordless blender specs

KitchenAid Go Cordless blender review: design

• Cordless with removable battery, but too bulky to be a to-go blender
• Well-designed to-go lid screws on to blend cup
• Dishwasher safe (apart from the motor section, obviously)

The KitchenAid Go Cordless Personal blender is part of the Go range, which includes six cordless appliances, all compatible with the same swappable, rechargeable battery.

The whole thing is cordless, but how useful that is is limited by the fact that it's not compact or light enough to be considered an 'on the go' blender. I guess the range is aimed at those who are short on outlets and/or space in their kitchen, because it is fairly compact. It's also quite nice to not have to be tethered to a power outlet in general, and especially so if you happen to run the Homes channel for a major tech website and have approximately 12 kitchen appliances all vying for socket space at any one time. 

The 12V battery charges via USB-C and clips off the main unit by pressing two large, squeezable buttons on either side. It comes on and off easily. On full charge, it offers up to 20 minutes of use, with the battery level indicated by four LEDs. You could keep a spare to hand if you were worried about being caught short in a blending emergency. 

The blade section is separate and can be screwed on to the blending jug, and then twisted into place on the motor unit. It's a motion similar to a Nutribullet, but unlike that brand it won't automatically begin blending when the blade is twisted on. Instead, blending is operated by two wide, narrow buttons on the front of the blender – one for 'on' and one for 'pulse'.

The blending cup is made from BPA-free plastic and feels nice and robust. With a capacity of 16oz / 473ml, it's a good size for a single-serve smoothie or protein shake. When you're done blending, the blade can be screwed off and a replaced by the to-go lid. This is especially well-designed; there's a carry loop that can be removed to reveal a narrow opening to drink through.

My main issue with the design is that if you're not paying attention, it's fairly easy to accidentally unscrew the jug from the blade, rather than the whole thing from the motor base, leading to whatever you were blending pouring out over your blender. It's obviously partly just user error, but I did manage this this twice while testing the Go, and have never had the issue with any Nutribullet I've tried. There's still hummus stuck in the buttons. 

Cleaning

The cup, blade and to-go lid are all dishwasher-safe; the latter two on the top rack. That makes cleaning super-simple, unless you don't have a dishwasher. Sadly, I fall into that camp. So how easy is it to hand-wash? It's okay. The blade isn't as fiddly as, say, a Nutribullet one (the bane of my life), but it's also not exactly a breeze to get clean, with a few inaccessible nooks and crannies. I think that's unavoidable with most blenders, though. 

The most annoying thing is that the cup is narrow enough that unless you have freakishly small hands, or a child who's keen on washing up, you're going to struggle to get to the bottom with a cloth or sponge. Of course, you can employ the method of adding soapy water, screwing a lid on and doing a vigorous shake, but that doesn't always dislodge stuck-on food. As with any blender, it helps massively if you remember to rinse everything straight after blending, so no food gets dried on in the first place.

• Design score: 4 out of 5

KitchenAid Go Cordless blender review: performance

• Blends soft ingredients effectively; good for smoothies 
• Not powerful enough for ice and hit-and-miss with frozen berries
• Best for liquid blends like smoothies and protein shakes

First I tested the KitchenAid Go Cordless blender's smoothie-making prowess with a banana, blueberry and spinach smoothie. I used sliced and frozen bananas and blueberries, and the motor wasn't powerful enough to deal with that – the mix jammed the mechanism. I wouldn't necessarily expect a smaller blender like this to be able to tackle frozen ingredients, although KitchenAid does claim this is powerful enough to blend ice (I did try with ice, with predictably underwhelming results; the cubes just pinged it about in the blending cup).

I left the ingredients to defrost, and then it had no issues whipping them into a mostly smooth concoction. Nothing got stuck up the sides while I was blending, and only a berry or two managed to elude the blades.

Blenders are designed mostly for drinkable/spoonable concoctions, but I also gave the Go Portable a go with hummus and pesto. It managed hummus pretty well, provided I added enough liquid (the pulse button was useful for getting ingredients moving when required), but it was useless when it came to pesto, leaving lots of unblended leaves at the top of the jug. Overall, I'd recommend it for smoothies and soft ingredients, but nothing more challenging.

When running, the blender makes quite a piercing sound. No blender is quiet, but I'd say this one is a bit more jarring than most.

• Performance score: 3 out of 5

Should you buy the KitchenAid Go Cordless blender?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the KitchenAid Go Cordless blender

• Made a smoothie, hummus and pesto, and tried crushing ice
• Hand-washed all components to see how easy it was to clean
• Compared the Go's performance to other blenders I've tried

To test the KitchenAid Go Cordless blender, I used it to make smoothies with frozen and then defrosted fruit, taking the results out with me to test the to-go lid. I also tried blending up hummus, pesto and ice. I made a note of the consistency of results, ease of use, and whether the ingredients needed a mid-blend shake-up. I also assessed the blender's build quality and noise levels in use. I hand-washed the cups and blade after each test to see how easy it was to clean. I compared my results to other blenders and choppers I've used.  

Read more about how we test

First reviewed July 2024

KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender two-minute review

The KitchenAid brand needs little to no introduction, but the concept of battery-powered kitchen appliances like the KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender might be unfamiliar to many people.

The beauty of the KitchenAid Go range of appliances is that they all use the same removable, swappable battery. This means if you invest in several appliances from the range they can share batteries, so you can save some cash and buy some of them without a battery included.

The KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender is designed to be used just like any other hand blender. But because it doesn’t need to be near a power outlet, you have a lot more freedom to blend soups on the stove or blitz a fruit puree on the dining table, something you'd struggle to do with any of the best blenders.

On test it certainly proved it was up to the job, creating smooth soups, milkshakes, and pureed vegetables. But I did manage to break the pan guard on the first use, which was a bit of a negative. You can read more about that in the performance section below.

Overall though, I found it easy and comfortable to use. And if you get frustrated by the lack of available power outlets in your kitchen, it could be a game-changer.

• KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender with battery for $99.99 at KitchenAid

KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender review: price & availability

• List price: US$129.99 / £179 / AU$268
• Availability: US / UK / AUS

The KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender is currently available in the US, UK and Australia. It can be purchased directly from KitchenAid.

It’s available with or without the battery. The prices above are for the model that includes a battery. Without a battery it’s around $30/ £30 / $69 cheaper at $99.99 / £149 / AU$199.

It’s important to point out that while KitchenAid does sell the compatible battery as a standalone accessory, it costs $49.99/ £69 / AU$69. Therefore if you're in the US or UK it's always cheaper to buy the appliance with the battery bundled in.

• KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender with battery for £179 at KitchenAid

Being cord-free does come with a premium price tag. A standard variable speed corded hand blender from KitchenAid will cost significantly less at around $60/ £109.

Whether or not a cordless hand blender is worth the additional investment does depend on your individual budget as well as your kitchen setup. But for many people it does solve a frustrating problem of working around the position of power outlets.

Discounts are sometimes available, so if the premium price tag is a sticking point for you, it’s worth keeping an eye out for a discount. For example at the time of writing there was a $10 reduction on the hand blender on the US KitchenAid website.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender review: design

• Built-in safety feature
• Well balanced
• Straightforward controls

The main hand blender features a removable blending arm with a stainless steel blade. This twists easily onto the main body of the blender. At the very top of the body, above where you hold it, is where the battery attaches.

The blender dimensions when assembled, including the battery are: 16 x 2.8 x 3.1" / 40.5 x 7 x 7.9cm (h x w x d). The weight is 1.9lbs / 880g which will feel weighty for some people, but it’s pretty well balanced so that the weight is distributed down through the blender and not into your arm.

As well as the main hand blender, in the box there’s also a 23.6oz / 700ml BPA free blending jar, with a handy lid, so you can easily store your creations in the fridge. There's also a plastic pan guard that clips onto the end of the blender to avoid damaging pans if you’re blending something directly in a non-stick pan.

There’s one main power button and the firmer it’s pressed, the higher the blending speed. However, the blender won’t work unless the unlock button beneath it is pressed simultaneously. At first this can feel like a bit of pain, but you soon get used to it and it’s a great safety feature - something that’s often lacking with hand blenders.

The removable battery comes with a USB charging cable, but no plug, so you’ll have to supply your own or buy the separate charging dock for $29.99 / £29. The battery itself features four small lights that each represent 25% power. So by pressing a button on the side of the battery, you can get a rough idea of how much power is left depending on how many lights illuminate.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender review: performance

• Speedy blending
• Comfortable to use
• Good battery life

For my first try with the KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender I made a protein shake. I added 8oz milk, a sliced banana, a scoop of protein powder and a heaped teaspoon of peanut butter to the blending jar and blended until it appeared smooth.

I stopped blending after 40 seconds and the drink was well mixed and pretty smooth. There was still a slight graininess so it wasn’t as smooth as if I'd made it in a high powered blender, but it was a pleasant texture nonetheless.

I tested the noise level when blending the protein shake and it hit 94dB on my noise meter, which is pretty loud and equivalent to a motorcycle at 50ft. But I must admit that I didn't think it was loud during use, I’ve certainly used louder hand blenders over my years of kitchen appliance testing.

I was concerned that with the battery on top, the hand blender might feel weighty or unbalanced, but thankfully that wasn’t the case. I actually found it very comfortable to use.

To test out its ability to puree I used it to make pureed potatoes. Now, to clarify, this is essentially a mash potato, but when you blitz the cooked potato with a hand blender it creates more of a silky puree texture than a fluffy mash.

This is where I had a bit of a mishap. I’d attached the pan guard so that I could puree the hot, freshly cooked potatoes in the pan. However, during blending I heard a funny noise and when I checked, the pan protector had come off and subsequently been chopped by the blade.

While I am pretty certain I had attached it correctly, I can’t say for definite whether it was the thick gloopiness of the potato puree that dislodged it, or incorrect installation. Either way though, I would urge you to exercise caution when using it in thicker foods. And it was disappointing to break it on the first use.

After retrieving all the broken plastic, I carried on pureeing the potatoes, which took around 90 seconds in total for a small pan of potatoes. I wouldn’t advise using this method for a big batch of potatoes though.

Next time I used it in a pan, I had to do so without the broken pan guard. This time, I was blitzing a homemade pea and mint soup. This task was a breeze for the hand blender and the soup was smooth after just 2 minutes of blending.

The variable speed button does noticeably increase the blending speed the firmer it’s pressed. But to be honest, I found that I naturally tended to press it all the way in and had to really think about loosening my grip for a slower speed.

Pancake batter was no match for this hand blender. In just 15 seconds my egg, milk, and flour were combined into a lump free batter. Similarly, 6.6oz of fresh raspberries were liquified in just 20 seconds. The seeds weren’t pulverized, but I’d have been very surprised if they were.

The battery takes around three hours to charge. But after all of the above tests it still showed 75% power on the battery level indicator lights. I had to use it for a further 6 minutes at full speed before the battery level was drained to 50%. It’s encouraging to know I could use it for several blending tasks and not need to recharge it too often.

The main blade is the only part that can’t go in the dishwasher. But on the whole, as long as I rinsed it immediately after use, it came clean very easily. The blending cup, lid, and pan guard can all go in the dishwasher. That said, none of it is too tricky to wash by hand either.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

How I tested the KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender

I set up the KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender in my own kitchen at my house. I used it several times for a variety of foods, including soup, pancake batter, protein shakes, pureeing potatoes, and pureeing raspberries.

I used it in hot food in a pan as well as for smaller volumes in the supplied blending cup. During this time, I was paying attention to the ease and comfort of use, as well as any issues or problems that arose. I also kept an eye on the battery to see how quickly it was drained.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed July 2024

KitchenAid Go Cordless Food Chopper two-minute review

KitchenAid is a trusted kitchen appliance brand that already offers a range of food choppers, but the KitchenAid Go Cordless Food Chopper stands out for being battery-powered. Moreover, the same battery can be used across the KitchenAid Go range of appliances.

Whether you’re short on space, short on power outlets, or you simply want the best blender to use wherever you choose, having a battery-operated food chopper can offer the convenience you crave.

The size and functionality is similar to KitchenAid’s plug-in 5 cup food chopper, except the KitchenAid Go Cordless Food Chopper offers two speeds and the freedom of not having to place it near a power outlet. But with this convenience comes a higher price tag.

On test, it reliably chopped, mixed and whipped its way through a variety of ingredients. I was relieved that the battery lasted long enough for several uses and didn’t need charging at all during testing. Plus all the accessories can be easily washed in the dishwasher.

It’s compact and easy to move around, which also means it doesn’t take up too much storage space. But the flip side of this is that its capacity won’t be enough for everyone. Read on further for my in-depth review of its design and performance.

• KitchenAid Go Cordless Food Chopper with battery for £179 at KitchenAid

KitchenAid Go Cordless Food Chopper review: price & availability

• List price with battery: US$129.99 / GBP £179 / AU$228
• List price without battery: US$89.99 / GBP £149 / AU$159
• Availability: UK / US / AUS

The KitchenAid Go Cordless Food Chopper can be purchased with or without the battery. This makes a lot of sense because the KitchenAid Go Cordless Collection is a range of battery-powered small kitchen appliances that all work using the same removable, swappable battery.

The prices above are for the version that includes the battery, and buying it without the battery will save you $30/ £30 / AU$69. A word of warning though, a spare battery will cost $49.99 / £69 / AU$69. So if you're in the US or UK and think you may need it, then it makes sense to buy it bundled in with the appliance itself.

Being cord-free does come with a premium price tag, however: a standard variable speed corded food chopper from KitchenAid will cost significantly less at around $70/ £109 / AU$159.

Whether or not being cord-free is worth the extra investment will depend on your circumstances. For example, in a kitchen that lacks power sockets it’ll be worth considering spending the extra for the convenience of battery power.

Of course, you can always keep your eyes peeled for a discount. In the US it was on sale at the time of writing for $99.99 including a battery, so if it’s not discounted when you look, check back again later.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

KitchenAid Go Cordless Food Chopper review: design

• Compact and easy to store
• Streamlined appearance
• Simple to use and assemble

The KitchenAid Go Cordless Food Chopper is a 39.9oz / 1.18 liter capacity food chopper. In addition to a chopping blade, it comes with a plastic whisking accessory.

There are two speeds to choose from, each speed represented by a button that has to be held down for the duration of the chopping or whisking task. Alternatively, the buttons can be pressed briefly but repeatedly, for a pulse action. There are no other controls to worry about, so using it is very straightforward.

The removable, swappable battery is charged via the supplied USB cable, but you’ll have to supply your own plug. Or, you can invest in a charging dock if you prefer.

In terms of dimensions, it measures 10.4 x 5.7 x 7.2" / 26.5 x 14.5 x 18.4cm (h x w x d) and weighs just 2.9lbs/ 1.3kg. It’s compact compared with a standard food processor, but still a usable size for chopping small to medium quantities and portions. It’s small and light enough to store neatly away in a drawer or cupboard, without being a hassle to move around.

The BPA free clear plastic bowl slots directly into position without a twisting or locking action. The lid however, does have to be twisted to lock it into place. On top of the lid there’s a handy little hole for drizzling oil or water in during mixing.

Unlike many other KitchenAid appliances, it doesn’t come in a multitude of colors, just the matte black finish. The appearance overall is streamlined and inoffensive.

• Design score: 5 out of 5

KitchenAid Go Cordless Food Chopper review: performance

• Fast, efficient chopping
• Copes well with all ingredients
• Useable capacity for smaller batches

For my first test I added roughly 7oz of a mixed whole nut selection including brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and pecan nuts. I was looking for a chopped, not ground nut texture, so I pressed the lower speed button for quick one second bursts to pulse the nuts.

I stopped pulsing once there were no large nut pieces left, which took about 20 pulses. The finished texture of the nuts was a combination of chunkier chopped pieces and some powder. But in my experience it’s quite difficult to achieve a consistent chopped nut texture, especially when chopping a variety of nuts at once. With that in mind, this wasn’t a bad result.

When I needed to chop some whole dried apricots, I started off trying to pulse them like with the nuts, but it was quickly obvious this wasn’t doing a lot. So instead I kept the lower speed button pressed.

The apricots were chopped up in just 30 seconds and the pieces were impressively even given how sticky and difficult-to-chop dried apricots can be.

To make hummus, I put all the ingredients into the chopper and blended on the lower speed setting. It took just 25 seconds to create an evenly textured, slightly coarse hummus. It did wobble a little during blending but not so much that I felt the need to put a hand on the top to steady it.

Just before the end, I poured some extra olive oil in through the drizzle hole at the top. It’s very convenient to be able to do this without taking the lid off.

It’s not too noisy and since it’s generally only used for short bursts, I didn’t find the noise offensive. My noise meter registered 84dB on the lower speed setting and a slightly louder 88dB on the higher speed setting. These are pretty average noise levels for a blender or one of the best food processors.

When making a falafel mixture I used the chopper for several stages. First I chopped a small red onion. I peeled and quartered the onion before adding it to the chopper, then chopped on high speed for five seconds. I scraped down the sides and chopped for a further five seconds, which was all that was needed for a finely chopped texture.

Next I added roughly 1oz / 30g of parsley and cilantro including stalks, and again it speedily chopped the fresh herbs in just five seconds on the high speed setting. Finally I added all the falafel ingredients back into the chopper and blended it for 30 seconds on the lower speed, followed by 30 seconds on the higher speed.

The falafel mixture is relatively dry and heavy, so I had to stop mixing every 15 seconds and scrape down the sides. But the end result was beautifully evenly mixed and chopped.

To try out the whisk accessory I whipped up a ½ pint / 300ml carton of heavy cream on the high speed setting. After just 20 seconds I switched to the lower speed and it took only another five seconds before it was thick and whipped.

The battery life will vary somewhat depending on the type of use. But to give you a realistic observation from my time using the chopper, after all the chopping, mixing and whisking I’ve described above, the battery level still displayed 75%. After a further two minutes chopping on high speed, it was down to 50%, but I think that’s still pretty impressive, given how much I used it.

A full charge takes around three hours, but you can buy more batteries if you’d prefer to always have a backup charged and ready to go.

Any appliance with a sharp blade is always going to be a bit of a pain to clean. But all in all I didn’t find cleaning the parts by hand to be too tricky. In part this is because everything is small and cleans quickly. Additionally, though, after making particularly messy or oily mixes I just popped all the parts into the dishwasher, which was an easy and convenient way to clean up.

• Performance score: 5 out of 5

Should you buy the KitchenAid Go Cordless Food Chopper?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

How I tested the KitchenAid Go Cordless Food Chopper

I used the KitchenAid Go Cordless Food Chopper in my own home. I kept it on my kitchen counter for several days and used it to chop a variety of single ingredients, as well as to mix up hummus, and even whip cream.

I kept a keen eye on the battery to see how much I could use the chopper before it needed a re-charge. And I also noted how easy it was to clean, as well as any other design quirks or ease of use issues that I came across during normal day-to-day use.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed July 2024

Nutribullet 600 Series: two-minute review

The Nutribullet 600 Series is a simple, affordable and effective model from the brand behind many of the best blenders on the market. It offers one blending speed and a twist-to-blend mechanism that works well, although some might prefer a good old-fashioned button instead. 

On test, I found it tackled frozen berries, fibrous fruit and nuts with ease, although wasn't powerful enough to crush ice. If that's a priority, you should opt for the 900 Series (which you can read about our Nutribullet 900 review), which is identical except for having a more powerful motor (900W vs 600W for the 600 Series), and being more expensive as a result.

It's not ideal for creating chunkier blends, because the single, fast speed means the lower ingredients immediately get pulverized into a paste, while the higher ones never reach the blades at all. I managed to use it to make a (rather wet) hummus, with a bit of shaking up in the middle on the process, but it was pretty useless when it came to pesto. (Really, blenders are designed to be used for creating liquids – if you want to be making salsas, pestos and the like, you're much better off reaching for one of the best food processors instead.)

The build quality is solid, as I'd expect from Nutribullet. And because it's a well-known brand that specializes in blenders, you have the benefit of a wide range of compatible accessories – cups of different sizes, and assorted lid options. Some are included with certain configurations of the 600, but if not they're available to buy if you need them. 

This budget model is pared-back in terms of functions and features, but it does the essentials (blending, even tough ingredients) really well. If you just want something reliable and effective for your morning smoothie, then it's a good shout. Read on for my full Nutribullet 600 Series review.

Nutribullet 600 Series review: price & availability

• List price: $69.99 / £59.99 /AU$99.95
• Available: US / UK / AU
• Lower-middle of the Nutribullet range, and budget price bracket overall

Price-wise, the 600 sits towards the lower-middle of the Nutribullet range, and in the budget price bracket overall. For the price, I think it's excellent value. It's simple in design and function, but does the essentials well. 

In the US, there's only one option. It comes with a blending cup and separate takeaway cup with lid and handle, and has a list price of $69.99. 

In the UK, you can choose the 'starter kit' version with just the blending cup, which costs £59.99. Alternatively, the 600 Series comes with an extra takeaway cup and costs £69.99. I'd actually recommend this second version, because it's super useful to have a lid, and not to have to decant your smoothie into a separate cup. 

In Australia, the version with a cup is called the 'Essentials set' and costs AU$109.95, while the no-cup version is AU$99.95. The takeaway cup is a little different with that version compared to the UK and US versions. 

The main difference between the different Nutribullets is the wattage – which translates roughly to 'how powerful is it?'. The 600 Series has 600W of power. The Magic Bullet To Go is cheaper ($58.95 / £34.99 / AU$59.95) but has only 200W of power, which means it's for very basic blending jobs only.

The version up is the 900, with 900W of power, and a list price of $109.99 / £89.99 / AU$99.95 (read our Nutribullet 900 review for more on that one). Here's a quick rundown of the pricing for each model, or head to the comparison table in this review for more on how the different models match up:

• 250-watt Magic Bullet ($49.99 / £34.99 / AU$72.95) 
• 600-watt Nutribullet 600 Series ($69.99 / £59.99 / AU$99.95)
• 900-watt Nutribullet Pro 900 ($109.99 / £89.99 / AU$99.95)
• 1200-watt Nutribullet 1200 Pro+ ($119.99 / £119.99  / AU$189.95) 
• 1200-watt Nutribullet Ultra ($149.99 / £149.99 / AU$189.95)

Small appliances often attract discounts around major shopping events like the Black Friday sales or Amazon Prime Day deals, so that can be a good time to shop if it suits when you need to buy.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Nutribullet 600 Series specs

Nutribullet 600 Series review: design

• Twist-to-blend, no presets or pulse option
• To-go cup / lid included with some packages, or can be purchased separately
•  BPA-Free cup is dishwasher-safe, but blade isn't

The Nutribullet 600 Series has the classic Nutribullet design. The motor that powers everything is built into the base, while the extractor blade that does all the hard work comes in its own separate unit that screws onto the blending jug. The jug and blade then twist on to the base, which is weighty (so it won't go juddering across your countertop as you blend) but smartly designed. 

Rather than having buttons, this twisting mechanism is what starts and stops the blending. It's straightforward and works well, but some people might find a button easier to operate. If you're seeking presets or different blending speeds, you'll need to look elsewhere – this is an on/off situation only.

Nutribullet as a brand has a few different sized blending cup options, as well as handles, lids, sip rings (to cover the screw threads for more comfortable drinking) and drinking lids, that can be used with the Nutribullet blender range. Some 600 Series packages come with to-go accessories included, but if yours doesn't then they can be purchased separately to increase the versatility of your blender.

Cleaning

In terms of cleaning, the cups can be popped into the dishwasher on the top rack, but the blade isn't dishwasher-safe. Nutribullet recommends rinsing it under warm water to clean it, but I think this is one of the trickier blenders to clean. Mixture builds up around the edge of the blade section, and when the cup is removed, spills into the screw threads, which are very difficult to get properly clean. Food also gets stuck in crevices between the wide, flat blades. 

Even if you rinse (or, as I find most effective, add water to the cup, screw on the blade, and vigorously shake) straight after blending, there'll often be a bit of residue left in the nooks and crannies. And if you leave food to dry on the blade... forget about it. 

• Design score: 3.5 out of 5

Nutribullet 600 Series review: performance

• Effectively blends frozen berries to a smooth consistency
• Drier mixes often leave paste at the bottom and unblended mix at the top
• Not powerful enough for making crushed ice

I tested the Nutribullet 600 by making a smoothie and some hummus. Let's start with the smoothie. I added a puck of frozen spinach, frozen blueberries and frozen banana, alongside almond milk. It blitzed the fruit fine, but struggled with the frozen spinach. I'm not surprised, as it was a fairly large and solid chunk. After leaving it to melt slightly, it managed to break the spinach up fine. I'd surmise from this that it would be powerful enough to create crushed ice. 

For the hummus, it worked effectively, but required just the right amount of liquid. Too little liquid and it blended the ingredients next to the blade too effectively, leaving a paste at the bottom and never reaching the ingredients at the top. I had the same issue with pesto. I tend to reach for a food processor (or even just a mini-chopper) when I need to create a chunky blend, and to be fair that is the tool that's designed for the job. 

I'd say the fact that this model is powerful enough to blend frozen berries to a smooth consistency means it'll be plenty powerful enough for most people's needs. If you're regularly needing to tackle larger chunks of hard ingredients, you might consider one of the models with higher wattage. Smaller, handheld models often don't have the power to tackle anything hard (so while I haven't tested the To-Go blender from Nutribullet yet, I suspect it wouldn't have enough blending power for frozen berries).

There's only one blend speed here, but it'll work for most blending jobs. It's also easy to 'pulse' by just twisting the cup quickly, although some people may prefer buttons and presets. 

Like all blenders I've tested, it's noisy, although it doesn't feel overly so, and it's not at a particularly ear-splitting pitch. If you're very sensitive to noise, the pricier Ultra is designed to be quieter and operate at a more ear-pleasing pitch, relatively speaking (read TechRadar's Nutribullet Ultra review for more on that model). 

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Nutribullet 600 review: comparison table

Keen on the Nutribullet brand, but not sure which model is right for your needs? Here's a quick run-down of the differences between them...

Should you buy the Nutribullet 600 Series?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Nutribullet 600 Series

• Made a smoothie, hummus and pesto, and tried crushing ice
• Assessed how easy it was to clean
• Compared performance to other blenders and choppers

To test the Nutribullet 600 Series, I used it to make hummus, a smoothie and pesto, as well as seeing if it could crush ice. I made a note of the consistency of results and whether it needed a mid-blend shake-up. I also assessed the build quality, how easy the blender was to use and if it was overly or unpleasantly noisy. I hand-washed the cups and blade after each test to see how easy it was to get clean. I compared my results to other blenders and choppers I've used.  

Read more about how we test

First reviewed June 2024

Breville Paradice 16: Two-minute review

When it comes to premium kitchen appliances, Australian brand Breville (known as Sage in the UK) has become synonymous with quality and innovation (just ask my mother – she’s still using her Breville mixer from circa 1987). And I’m convinced the Paradice 16 food processor is no exception – it’s so solidly built, and with a powerful 900W motor that comes with a 30-year warranty, there’s a good chance one of my kids will inherit it and continue using it.

The Paradice 16 is essentially a brawnier version of the Breville Kitchen Wizz 15 Pro, meaning it can handle a lot more than the older 5 star-rated food processor. It launched alongside the Breville Kitchen Wizz 16 (called the Sage Kitchen Wizz 16 in the UK and Breville Sous Chef 16 in the US), which is practically identical but doesn’t come with what the Aussie brand is calling the Paradice Kit.

And it’s this ‘kit’ that sets the Paradice 16 apart from any other food processor I’ve tried – it uses two attachments to perform precision dicing in two different sizes. It includes an 8mm and a 16mm dicing disc which are paired with their own slicing attachments to perform a 2-in-1 function simultaneously for the perfect dice. The kit also includes a potato peeler, but I found this attachment to be rather superfluous – it might be able to peel 6-7 potatoes at a time, but the peeling isn’t even and the potatoes need to be round and of a specific size.

Other than its peeling and dicing prowess, the Paradice 16 can help with all the other usual food-prep chores – slicing, shredding, pureéing, kneading dough and whipping. It even has a French fry attachment to cut evenly-cut chips.

While its 16-cup / 3.6L capacity bowl is great for large quantities, it inherits the Kitchen Wizz 15 Pro’s smaller 2.5-cup / 1L inner bowl for the smaller jobs. There’s also a smaller chute included that can shrink the 140mm main chute to just 45mm for when you don’t need to shove a large potato into the bowl below.

The Paradice 16 is remarkably easy to use and its 900W motor makes it quite powerful. It's also what makes it rather noisy and heavy too. Breville doesn’t specify how much the base alone weighs, but I suspect it comes close to the 9kg / 19.8 lbs that the Kitchen Wizz 15 Pro weighs with the bowls fitted. And that’s not taking into account the two large boxes filled to rafters with the various attachments and blades. Yes, there are two. So, unlike the Kitchen Wizz 15 Pro, which comes with one box of attachments, you’re going to need a lot of storage space for the Paradice 16.

You’re also going to need a decent amount of spare cash to get your hands on this kitchen pro, but then pros don’t come cheap, do they?

Breville Paradice 16 review: Price and availability

• Announced late 2023
• List price of $699.95 / £579.95 / AU$899

There’s no denying the Paradice 16 is an expensive food processor at its $699.95 / £579.95 / AU$899 price point. However, it can be a worthwhile investment if you really put all its functions and abilities to good use. Its performance and durability also justify the expense. It's a case of ‘you get what you pay for’ and, in this instance, you're getting a lot.

If you don’t need all the bells and whistles that the Paradice 16 offers, you can opt for the Kitchen Wizz 16 (Sous Chef 16), which is identical but misses out on the Paradice Kit for dicing. It will set you back $499.95 / £469.95 / AU$729.

If that’s also too high a price, the Kitchen Wizz 15 Pro will set you back £419.95/ $399.95 / AU$699. There are cheaper alternatives available from other brands like KitchenAid and Ninja Kitchen, but none of them do as much as the Breville Paradice 16.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Breville Paradice 16 specs

Breville Paradice 16 review: Design

• Similar design to older Breville Kitchen Wizz series food processors
• Heavy base
• Two large storage boxes for the attachments

Breville is doing well sticking to its design aesthetic – rounded corners on the brushed stainless steel base housing the motor and controls give it a slight vintage look, but that base is heavy as! Not only does it weigh quite a bit, it’s also a bulky appliance, measuring 45 x 28.7 x 23.4 cm (17.7 x 11.3 x 9.2 inches) for the main unit. You also need to factor in two storage boxes for the various blades and attachments – each measuring 21.1 x 32 x 27.7 cm (21.1 x 32 x 27.7 cm).

One of these boxes houses the Paradice Kit, which contains two dicing blades – one 8mm and the other 16mm – each of which has a paired slicing blade that works in tandem. The paired blades are color coded, which is handy. Also in the Kit is the potato peeler. The other box is home to the other attachments – adjustable slicer, reversible shredding disc, French fry disc, Quad blade, dough blade, mini blade and the smaller-capacity 2.5-cup / 1L inner bowl.

So this is an appliance that is best left on the kitchen counter, plus you’ll need the additional storage space for the attachments. While it might be space-saving if you stow the attachments out of their boxes, I wouldn’t recommend it – the blades are ridiculously sharp and accidents can happen.

No matter what you need the Paradice 16 for, all the parts quickly click together and setting it up is very intuitive. Labels are provided on the bowl and lid to mark which direction they need to be turned to lock into place. The main bowl has a pronounced lip for pouring and a chute that can be configured to fit different-sized foods – going from a wide 140mm to a narrow 45mm.

The magic happens in that heavy base, which has three large buttons – power, start/stop and pulse. There are also up and down buttons to set a timer, which is displayed on a small screen in the middle of the base.

Given the large number of attachments that ship with the Paradice 16, I would suggest you take a look at the user manual. While there are no recipes on there, it is helpful in figuring out what blade you can use for what purpose and, handily, how to get the best results with the peeler.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Breville Paradice 16 review: Performance

• Simple to assemble
• Powerful and noisy
• Very versatile

I’m a busy mum, so as soon as I got the Breville Paradice 16, I began experimenting with all the attachments to see which would best streamline my cooking process, so I got familiar with them rather quickly.

While I didn’t find myself reaching for the dicing kits too often, I found the others quite useful, particularly the S-blade (what Breville calls the Quad blade). It’s the go-to for a lot of chopping, mixing and pureéing. The Paradice 16 fitted with the Quad blade effortlessly blitzed right through cooked chunky vegetables to create a smooth, creamy consistency I wanted for a soup.

The slicing discs, which come in different thicknesses, I found to be incredibly useful for prepping salads – the uniform slices made for some beautiful presentations and also made sure I had even cooking in my gratins. I also used the shredding disc frequently for quick coleslaws and to hide vegetables in my Bolognese sauce – such a breeze to add extra nutrition into my kids’ meals without them noticing.

I found the julienne blade to be a bit of a novelty, but it worked wonders for making carrot-stick snacks and garnishes. The plastic dough blade surprised me with how well it kneaded dough for homemade bread and pizza for the kids, saving me time and effort.

My absolute favorite attachment, however, has to be the French fry cutter – fresh chips are always a hit in my home and the Paradice 16 makes it quick and easy to make fries for impromptu snacks or family meals.

The biggest disappointment was the peeler attachment. While handy, it’s a bit hit and miss. Breville says it’s best for potatoes, but I hoped it would work for other fruit and vegetables too. Unfortunately, the produce you need to peel has to be of consistent size, which isn’t ideal for anyone who shops for the ‘odd bunch’ at farmers’ markets.

Let’s talk about power. The Breville Paradice 16 boasts a 900-watt motor, which is quite powerful. During my tests, this strength translated into incredible speed and efficiency no matter the task at hand. It’s also what makes the appliance quite noisy, clocking up an average of 85dB in most of my sound tests measured using the Decibel X iOS app – that's about how loud heavy traffic would sound, or a noisy bar.

I used the Breville Paradice 16 to make a variety of dishes and each task was completed quickly and with professional-level precision, cutting my prep time in half.

That said, I found that food would occasionally spill out of the small bowl and into the main canister, which annoyingly increased my cleaning-up time when this happened.

• Performance score: 5 / 5

Should I buy the Breville Paradice 16 food processor?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

If you’re not sure if the Breville Paradice 16 is for you, I’ve listed a couple of other options below for you to consider.

How I tested the Breville Paradice 16

• Used over a period of two months for various food-prep tasks
• Tested the different blades to see how well they perform
• Different types of raw and cooked produced were used, plus flour was kneaded

As soon as I received the Breville Paradice 16, I first spent some time getting familiar with the different blades and spindles supplied in the box. I read the user manual to get an idea of what the appliance was capable of.

I used it to prep for various other dishes. Over a period of a couple of months, I used the food processor to knead dough for homemade bread and pizza, plus create fillings for quiches and sausage rolls. As I mentioned earlier in the review, I also used it to make Bolognese sauce with hidden vegetables and veggie soup, and also used it to slice fresh salad produce. I also tried the peeler and the grater attachments.

I took note of how easy it was to clean the different parts of the food processor, including the attachments. While Breville claims the bowls are dishwasher safe, the manual recommends not doing so regularly, so I resorted to using the dishwasher once only to clean the smaller bowl, but hand-washed everything else.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed July 2024]

My sons are obsessed with hummus. Dipping cucumbers and carrot sticks into hummus is their go-to snack and we get through pots and pots of the stuff. 

Yet hummus doesn't come cheap so, as part of my test of the best blenders, I recently had the idea of trying to make my own – and I was shocked at how easy it is. I'd always assumed it was a complicated recipe, or one that took a fair amount of skill, but all I needed was my trusty blender. 

I even made my own tahini to put in the hummus and my kids said it was almost as good as shop-bought hummus – which is high praise indeed. Below, I show how to save a fortune buying hummus in the shops by making it at home. Plus you can add whatever flavors you want. 

Easy hummus recipe

The hummus recipe I have followed is from the Nutribullet blog and it's so simple, it's even called Easy Hummus. 

Easy hummus ingredients

I prefer to use chickpeas in water but you can also use chickpeas in oil. My sons don't like the taste of cumin but I love it, so feel free to add or remove this to suit your personal taste. Similarly, you can increase or decrease the amount of garlic, or even roast peppers and blend them through the hummus for a different take on the original. 

I also recommend buying good quality olive oil. It does add to the initial outlay but you'll save money in the long run and it makes a huge difference to the taste and smooth texture. 

I explain below how to make your own tahini but if you prefer to use shop-bought tahini, skip these steps. 

• 340g chickpeas – drained
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 60ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp tahini – you can buy tahini, or make it at home
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin

Tahini 

• Sesame seeds 
• Olive oil
• Pinch of salt

To make easy hummus you will need the following equipment:

• Blender – I used the Braun TriForce (read my Braun TriForce Power Blender review)
• Spatula
• Frying pan, if you're making your own tahini

Easy hummus method

Step 1: Add the sesame seeds to the frying pan and gently toast, on a low heat, until the seeds start to turn golden. This releases their natural nuttiness. 

Step 2: Blend the toasted sesame seeds until they form a powder.

Step 3: Add a pinch of salt and olive oil to the seed powder and blend until smooth. Tahini should be pourable so keep adding oil slowly until you reach the desired consistency. 

Step 4: Pour the tahini into a jar. 

Step 5: Add the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, cumin and 2 tbsp of tahini to the blender. 

Step 6: Blend for 10 seconds. 

Step 7: Using the spatula, scrape the hummus mix off the sides of the blender onto the blender blades.

Step 8: Blend for a further 10 seconds, or until the hummus reaches your desired consistency. 

Step 9: Serve. 

Easy hummus verdict

Being able to make hummus whenever I or my sons want it is a gamechanger. As is having a jar of tahini on hand for other recipes too. I've added chilli to the hummus for dinner parties, roasted vegetables and blended them through the hummus to elevate the flavor, and even experimented with truffle olive oil. It's easy, versatile and delicious. 

The hummus only lasts a day or two when made at home but if your family is anything like mine, it won't last that long anyway. 

Blender deals

If you're yet to take the plunge and buy yourself a blender, or are looking to upgrade, check out our top-rated blenders below, all available to buy now for the best prices.

KitchenAid Mini Food Chopper: two-minute review

The KitchenAid 3.5 cup Mini Food Chopper (it's called the Mini Food Chopper 830ml in the UK) is the smallest appliance in the KitchenAid food processing range. It’s a sensible purchase if you want to chop, mix, or puree small quantities, and don’t want a full-sized food processor taking up precious countertop or cupboard space. 

The KitchenAid 3.5 cup / 830ml Mini Food Chopper currently has a list price of $54.99 / £89 / AU$129. This is a little on the expensive side considering it only has one accessory and limited functions, especially as KitchenAid also sells a larger-capacity version, the Food Chopper KFC0516,which comes with an added accessory for only $64.99/ £109 / AU$139.

The 3.5 cup / 830ml Mini Food Chopper arrived ready-assembled, and after washing the work bowl, lid, and multipurpose blade, it was simple to put back together, as there are only four parts. As the name suggests, the bowl has a capacity of 3.5 cups / 830ml. The dimensions of the Mini Food Chopper are 6.9 x 5.6 x 8.7 inches / 178 x 143 x 222mm, and it weighs 2.6lbs /1.2 kg.

There are two speeds to choose from which are engaged by moving the lever on the base unit of the processor to the left to chop, or to the right to puree. One element of the design that may not be a concern for some, but which I wasn’t very fond of, is that there's only one button on the processor that operates the chop, puree, and pulse functions. You press and release the button multiple times to pulse, and press and hold it to chop or puree, using the lever to determine which function is performed.

There's a little drizzle basin in the clear plastic inner section of the lid, which works well when you want to drizzle in liquid slowly while the Mini Chopper is in operation. Another convenient design feature is the spout on the work bowl, which enables you to pour out the finished product or drain off excess liquid.

The Mini Chopper’s design stays true to the classic KitchenAid aesthetic. The majority of the processor’s body is colored, with a black plastic base section, and a silver KitchenAid band wrapped around. Onyx Black, Empire Red, and Contour Silver models are available in the US, UK, and Australia. There are more colors available – White, Almond Cream, Pistachio, Ice, Blue Velvet, Aqua Sky, and Matte Black – but the availability of these depends on your location. The power cable is on the short side, but due to the chopper's small size and lightweight it isn’t much hassle to move it closer to a plug socket.

The noise level when the Mini Chopper is chopping or pureeing is quite loud. Worse still is the pulse mode. When I chopped some almonds during testing the sound was almost deafening, so this may be one to avoid if you have particularly sensitive ears, or if you plan to chop hard ingredients such as nuts on a regular basis.

Thanks to the minimal number of parts, cleaning up is quick and easy. The work bowl, lid, and blade are easy to hand wash, and they’re top-rack dishwasher safe.

While its functions may be limited compared with larger models like the KitchenAid 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor, the Mini Chopper does its job well. It was able to turn two slices of wholemeal bread into breadcrumbs in 10 seconds, and made quick work of chopping an onion too, with no oversized pieces remaining. The multipurpose blade had no problems with cutting up carrots and cucumbers either.

Chopping almonds was an unpleasant experience, however. The amount of noise the pulse function makes is already loud, but after adding a bunch of almonds and firing them around a small plastic container, I thoroughly regretted not wearing ear protection. After processing, the sizes of the almond pieces were inconsistent, and there was lots of dust in the bottom of the work bowl, plus a thin layer up the sides of the work bowl and inside the lid. Some dust had found its way inside the fitment ring of the blade as well. 

As per our testing protocols, I attempted to combine a pastry mixture. At one stage when mixing the flour, margarine, and water, the mixture stopped combining; after a while it began to mix again, but there was a layer of unmixed ingredients at the bottom. To be fair to KitchenAid, they don’t claim that the Mini Chopper can mix something as dense as pastry dough, so I couldn’t blame it for struggling a little.

The cost of the KitchenAid 3.5 cup / 830ml Mini Food Chopper in the UK and Australia is a little on the steep side. There are cheaper alternatives from other reputable brands; however, they tend to have a capacity of around 1.5-2.5 cups / 350ml-550ml, so you wouldn’t be able to process as much in one go. This chopper lives up to the standard I would expect from KitchenAid – the materials are high-quality, and it feels solid and dependable in use, but with the larger KitchenAid Food Chopper KFC0516 costing just a little more, perhaps you could be getting better value for money.

KitchenAid Mini Food Chopper: price & availability

• List price: $54.99 / £89 / AU$129
• Currently available in the US, UK, and Australia

The KitchenAid 3.5 cup / 830ml Mini Food Chopper retails at $54.99 / £89 / AU$129. Curiously, the price of the US model is just over half the cost of the equivalent UK and Australian models – this might simply be due to the fact that KitchenAid is a US brand.

Although it's a good-quality appliance and chops ingredients well, the price tag is a little steep considering its limited capabilities. This is especially apparent when you compare it to its sibling, the KitchenAid Food Chopper KFC0516, which only costs $64.99/ £109 / AU$139, and has a larger capacity and additional features.

The Mini Food Chopper is available to purchase in the US, UK, and Australia now. Five color options are available in the UK and Australia, while in the US you can choose from nine colors. I’ll go into the colors available in more detail in the design and features section.

• Value for money score: 3 out of 5

KitchenAid Mini Food Chopper specs

KitchenAid Mini Food Chopper: design & features

• Compact and lightweight
• Single button and lever controls
• Useful spout and drizzle basin

I found that it could be a bit fiddly to mount the work bowl on to the base and put the lid on at times, due to the twist-to-lock mechanism, and on occasion the lid would go past where it’s supposed to stop. To be honest, I prefer the one-click system of some of their larger models, such as the KitchenAid 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor. At this size and price point, however, you can’t expect everything.

At 6.9 x 5.6 x 8.7 inches / 178 x 143 x 222mm, the Mini Food Chopper is compact enough to leave on the countertop without it being obstructive, and small enough to stash away in a cupboard. It weighs just 2.6lbs /1.2kg, so it's easy to lift and move around. The design is simple, but efficient enough. The base unit has a lever that moves from left to right to go into chop or puree mode, and the single button protrudes out from the lid and sits at the top of the work bowl handle.

One small downside for me is that to chop or puree you need to hold the button down continuously. With this small capacity, I doubt there’s much I’d end up processing that would take long, but I prefer a one-press system over a press-and-hold. The Mini Food Chopper is capable of pulsing too, to use pulse it’s a case of repeatedly pressing and releasing the button until you have the desired result. The two different speed settings and the pulse function mean that it’s possible to chop, mix, or puree ingredients with one small appliance.

The outer edge of the lid is black plastic, with a clear circular middle section that has a built-in drizzle basin. The purpose of the drizzle basin is to allow you to fill it with a liquid, such as oil, so it can slowly incorporate with the ingredients in the work bowl as you continue to process them. Another simple but useful feature is the spout on the work bowl. This allows you to easily pour out what you’ve processed, or remove liquid from the contents of the work bowl.

There’s no doubt that this Mini Food Chopper is a KitchenAid. There are some attractive color options available, although most of the jazziest colors are only available in the US. Three colors are available whether you’re in the US, UK, or Australia: Onyx Black, Empire Red, and Contour Silver. The other color options are White, Almond Cream, Pistachio, Ice, Blue Velvet, Aqua Sky, and Matte Black, but availability will depend on your region.

I hand-washed the work bowl, lid, and blade multiple times between ingredients while testing, and all of the parts were easy to clean, and they can be placed in the top rack of a dishwasher.

• Design & features score: 4 out of 5

KitchenAid Mini Food Chopper: performance

• Processes quickly
• Made breadcrumbs in seconds
• Chopping nuts is unpleasant

The KitchenAid Mini Food Chopper’s capabilities may be limited, but what it can do it does well, and fast. It swiftly processed two slices of wholemeal bread, taking only 10 seconds to create fine breadcrumbs. It happily chopped through carrot, cucumber, and onion, producing fairly consistently sized pieces. 

The Mini Food Chopper could also chop up almonds, but I must admit this was a rather unpleasant experience. I found that the chop and puree settings sounded loud compared to other KitchenAid food processors I’ve tested, but the pulse mode was louder still, and I was very much unprepared for the near-deafening sound of pulsing the almonds. I’d suggest avoiding chopping up hard ingredients like this, or if you have to, wear some ear protection. This may sound like overkill, but as someone who has tinnitus, my ears were still ringing over a week later. You have been warned. 

To make matters worse, the resulting consistency of the chopped almonds was disappointing. The pieces of almond were inconsistent, ranging in size from large pieces down to dust. This dust also crept up inside the fitment ring of the multipurpose blade, which meant that almond dust got everywhere when I removed the blade as it caught me off guard.

When testing food processors, we use them to perform a variety of tasks, one of which is combining a pastry mixture. This isn’t something that KitchenAid claims the Mini Food Chopper can do, but I thought I’d give it a go. This is not an appliance for pastry-making, but given that fact it didn’t do terribly. At one point, it stopped combining the flour, margarine, and water, as everything stuck to the sides of the work bowl; it began to mix again after a while, but there was a layer of ingredients left at the bottom. It did okay though, all things considered – the motor showed no signs of struggleing, and there were no signs of it overheating, so despite the less-than-perfect results.

If you like the sound of the KitchenAid 3.5 cup / 830ml Mini Food Chopper but would like a slightly bigger capacity, or a bit more versatility, then the 5-cup / 1.19-litre KitchenAid Mini Food Chopper KFC0516 may be more up your street.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Should I buy the KitchenAid Mini Food Chopper?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

KitchenAid Mini Food Chopper: also consider

How I tested the KitchenAid Mini Food Chopper

• I assessed the setup and performance
• I processed a variety of ingredients
• I checked how easy it was to clean

To put the KitchenAid 3.5 cup / 830ml Mini Food Chopper through its paces, I used the chopping blade and different speed settings to chop carrot, cucumber, onion, and almonds. I also used it to process bread to make breadcrumbs and combine flour, margarine, and water to make pastry. These are the same tests we run for all food processors, making it easy to see how different models compare. 

I tested how easy it was to clean the processor parts by hand-washing, and using the dishwasher to establish how well you can clean the parts with either method. 

Read more about how we test

First reviewed June 2024

KitchenAid 7-cup Food Processor: two-minute review

The KitchenAid 7 cup Food Processor (known as the KitchenAid Food Processor 1.7L in the UK) is compact, thoughtfully designed and has proven to be a great time saver when meal prepping.

Something to mention straight off the bat is that the UK and Australian models have a couple more accessories than the US model, which is reflected in the price. At the time of writing, the 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor is on sale for $84.99 / £143.65 / AU$219, while the list price is $99.99 / £169 / AU$299. The US model KFP0718 is essentially the same as the UK and Australian KFP0719 models, with all models coming with a multipurpose stainless steel blade and a reversible slicing and shredding disc, but only the UK and Australian models coming with a thick-slice disc and a plastic dough blade. For this review, I tested the UK version of the KitchenAid Food Processor 1.7L.

Setting up the KitchenAid 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor was straightforward. All of the accessories were neatly stored inside the work bowl, which is a convenient feature, saving you from cupboard-diving each time you want to process something. And the accessories fit into place with ease: there are markers on the top of the disc and the drive shaft to ensure you place it in the correct position for either processing or storing. 

The 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor is available in a range of colors that will fit in with most kitchen decors. It doesn’t take up unnecessary space, measuring 9.7 x 7.7 x 15.4 inches / 245 x 195 x 390mm and weighing just 6.6lb / 3kg. The work bowl easily clicked into place every time thanks to its convenient twist-free design, and although I had the occasional issue putting enough pressure on the lid to get the latch to shut, the lift-out design of the hinge made it simple to remove. One downside with the design, however, is that the work bowl handle can only be positioned on the right-hand side, which could prove inconvenient for some users. 

Using the two feed tubes and pushers was easy, but the bigger feed tube still isn’t big enough for larger-diameter fruit and veg, so if you want large, neat circles of sliced cucumber, you may be out of luck. If you get into the habit of buying slimmer cucumbers though, you’ll probably be fine. 

There are two speed settings labeled 1 and 2 on the easy-to-press buttons, with one being low speed, and two being high. There is also a Pulse button. Speed one and two aren’t overly noisy, but the noise level was uncomfortably loud when using the Pulse function, especially when chopping almonds.

Everything but the base unit is top-rack dishwasher-safe, which proved to be a great time saver. These parts were easy to hand wash too, although removing pastry from tight areas proved difficult. At the end of the testing, I put the work bowl, lid, and accessories in the dishwasher. Everything came out fine, although the work bowl did show some water marks.

The performance of the KitchenAid 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor was adequate. For my tests, I used it to slice or chop carrots, onion and cucumber, as well as whizzing bread into breadcrumbs, finely chopping almonds and combining the ingredients for pastry. It managed all these tasks quickly and with no trouble. 

However, the consistency of the processed foods wasn’t the best. There is only one grade of shredding, which seems to be somewhere between fine and medium. For example, the processed carrot looked somewhat unappealing; it certainly wouldn’t have fared well if subjected to a Rate My Plate jury. A fair amount of carrot also ended up inside the lid, which wasn’t ideal. When chopping the almonds the results were inconsistent, with pieces that ranged in size from large to dust. There were also occasions where ingredients such as breadcrumbs, almond dust, and pastry mixture migrated inside the fitment ring of the chopping blade, which proved tricky to remove when hand washing.

Overall, there are a few issues with the KitchenAid 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor, like that smaller feed tube and the uneven shredding, which may mean it doesn't quite stand up against the best food processors on the market. However, if you want something that is compact for the capacity available, has convenient accessory storage, and has a no-twist design, then this is a food processor to consider. The consistency of the processed food may not be Instagramable, but it’s the taste that counts, right?

KitchenAid 7 Cup Food Processor: price & availability

• List price: $99.99 / £169 / AU$299
• Often available for cheaper
• Currently available in the US, UK, and Australia

The KitchenAid 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor is currently on sale at $84.99 / £143.65 / AU$219, (usually $99.99 / £169 / AU$299). If you’re querying why the US model is cheaper than the UK and Australian models, it is because it comes with fewer accessories. I will elaborate further on the accessories in the Design and features section below. 

The 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor isn’t the cheapest. There are similar products on offer from our pick of the best food processors. These include the Cuisinart Easy Prep Pro FP8 food processor, which is slightly lower in price and comes with two reversible shredding and slicing discs, plus a small bowl add-on to use when the large work bowl feels excessive for the task. Or, you could spend just a little extra for more versatility with the Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor with Auto-IQ, which is currently on sale for $179.99 / £169. The KitchenAid 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor has some innovative design features and performed adequately during testing though, so it’s still worth considering.

The KitchenAid 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor is available now, on the US, UK, and Australian KitchenAid websites as well as various third party retailers.

• Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5

KitchenAid 7 Cup Food Processor specs

KitchenAid 7 Cup Food Processor: design & features

• Feed tube could be larger
• Fixed handle position
• Different accessories per region

Setting up the food processor was quick and easy. All the parts and accessories were stored inside the work bowl, so it was a simple case of removing them, before washing them along with the work bowl, lid, and food pushers. After this step was completed, I had to place the drive adapter on the drive pin in the center of the work bowl. Installing the different cutting accessories was also a straightforward process, which I was thankful for, as it avoided any unnecessary delays when I was working through lots of different types of food.

The food processor doesn’t take up a load of unnecessary worktop space, the cable length is adequate at 35 inch / 90 cm, and the work bowl easily attaches to the base (a useful design feature that I much prefer to the twist-to-secure designs that are often used with some other food processors). Additionally, the lid catch is easy to unclip, and once the lid is in an upright position, the hinge design means that you can easily lift it off. 

On replacing the lid, slotting it into the hinge side was no issue, although sometimes I needed to put a fair amount of pressure on the lid to get the latch to close again.

Due to the way the work bowl sits on the base, the handle placement is somewhat limiting, as it can only be on the right-hand side. This was frustrating enough for me, as I like to hold the handle in my left hand while using a utensil to get the ingredients out with my right – but it could really make this product less accessible for people who aren’t able to use their right hand.

KitchenAid is known for having some enticing color options. In the 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor’s case though, the color range is somewhat basic, with glossy-finished Onyx Black, and Empire Red available in the UK, US, and Australia, plus additional color variants including Contour Silver, Almond Cream, White, and Matte Black, depending on your region.

There is a 2-in-1 feed tube on the top of the work bowl lid, with a two-piece plastic food pusher. Together, they can be used to push in wider ingredients, or the inside section of the pusher can be removed to enable you to accurately feed in slimmer food items such as celery. Unfortunately, the bigger feed tube was not wide enough for a larger-diameter cucumber, so it needed to be cut down. Therefore if you want neat, round slices of cucumber this may not be the processor you’re looking for.

There are three operational buttons on the front of the 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor’s base: setting one (lower speed), setting two (higher speed), and a pulse mode. You don’t need to worry about getting tired fingers with the two speed settings, as you don’t need to hold the button down for the processor to operate. It takes one press to set them off, and a second press or a press on the O/Pulse button to stop the processing.

There are two design features that I found particularly useful. Firstly, the lid, work bowl, and accessories are all dishwasher-safe when washed on the top rack. 

I also hand-washed all of these components repeatedly in-between ingredients during testing. All parts were easy to clean and dry; however, I did find that small amounts of the ingredients would easily end up inside the fitment ring of the multipurpose blade, so I had to pay particular attention to this area. 

Secondly, the accessories can easily be stored inside the work bowl when the food processor isn’t in use, saving cupboard space and preventing you from wasting time trying to find the desired accessory.

The 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor doesn’t come with as many accessories as larger models such as the KitchenAid1319, but it is perfectly adequate for day-to-day food prep. Please note that some accessories are not included with the KFP0718 model, which is sold in the US. This model comes with a multipurpose stainless steel blade and a reversible slicing and shredding disc. The KFP0719 models, sold in the UK and Australia, include these accessories, along with a thick-slice disc and a plastic dough blade.

• Design & features score: 4.5 out of 5

KitchenAid 7 Cup Food Processor: performance

• Shredded and chopped effortlessly
• Some waste carrot from shredding
• Consistency of processed food varied

The KitchenAid 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor performed well during testing. I tested its ability to slice, chop, mix, and grate a variety of foods. I used the shredding side of the reversible slicing and shredding disc to grate some carrots, running it on speed setting two as per the user manual. While it managed the job in a matter of seconds, the result was finer than I would have liked – some other models, such as the KitchenAid 13 cup / 3.1L Food Processor, have dedicated grating discs with fine and coarse options that give a more desirable result. Due to how fine the shredding was, the results were a little on the wet side, and a lot of carrot shot into the lid during processing.

Next I used the slicing side of the reversible slicing and shredding disc to slice a cucumber on speed setting one. Because the diameter of the cucumber was too large even for the larger feed tube, I had to manually cut a slice off of the side of it to enable it to be fed into the processor. The machine sliced the cucumber quickly, with next-to-no remnants left on the disc or in the lid. The slices were fairly even, although some were slightly wedge-shaped, thicker at the rind, and thinner where the cucumber was sliced down to fit.

I used the multipurpose stainless steel blade to chop onions, almonds, and to make breadcrumbs from slightly stale wholemeal bread. The onions and almonds were chopped using speed setting one. The food processor had no issues chopping up a large onion that I’d cut into quarters: it quickly chopped it into fine pieces and while the pieces weren’t that even, none of them were overly large. When I pulsed the almonds for 10 seconds, the result was again pretty uneven, with larger pieces, smaller pieces, and a fair amount of almond dust. Upon removing the accessories, I found that some of this dust had made its way inside the plastic cutting blade ring. 

When making the breadcrumbs, I used speed setting two to blitz two slices of bread. In just 45 seconds the processor had turned them into fine breadcrumbs with an even consistency, and no bread was left under the blades.

I also used the multipurpose stainless steel blade, using the lowest speed setting to combine flour, margarine, and water for pastry. At first, the ingredients didn’t mix evenly – a layer of flour remained at the bottom and didn’t begin to mix in until water was added and the mixture started to form a proper dough. Apart from that detail, the processor combined the pastry ingredients easily, it didn’t rock about on the work surface, or overheat, both of which can happen with food processors that don’t have strong enough motors for pastry making.

While conducting the tests, I found that settings one and two were not overly loud; however, the pulse mode may make your ears ache if you need to use it for a long period of time. At no point during testing did I encounter issues with ingredients getting stuck under the blade or disc inside of the work bowl – I did however find that ingredients would end up on the inside of the fitment ring of the multipurpose stainless steel blade that sits on the drive adapter. This was particularly evident when chopping the almonds, and combining the pastry ingredients. There was a layer of pastry mixture coating the inside of the blade's plastic ring, which was tricky to clean out.

• Performance score: 3.5 out of 5

Should I buy the KitchenAid 7 Cup Food Processor?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

KitchenAid 7 Cup Food Processor review: also consider

How I tested the KitchenAid 7 Cup Food Processor

• I assessed the setup and performance
• I ran our usual series of chopping, grating, and combining tests
• I checked how easy it was to clean

I spent time getting the KitchenAid 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor setup, read the instruction manual, and assessed the design and accessories.

To put the KitchenAid 7 cup / 1.7L Food Processor through its paces, I used the chopping blade and reversible slicing/shredding disc to shred carrot, slice cucumber, chop onion, and almonds. I also used it to process bread to make breadcrumbs and combine flour, margarine, and water to make pastry. These are the same tests we run for all food processors, making it easy to see how different models compare. 

I tested how easy it was to clean the processor parts by hand-washing, and using the dishwasher to establish how well you can clean the parts with either method.

• Read more about how we test
• First reviewed: June 2024

Green smoothies are seen as the ultimate health drink because they're packed full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants yet they're rarely enjoyable to drink. I've been reviewing the best blenders for years and I've made dozens of green smoothies in that time. Yet I've never found a version that actually tastes good and which I don't have to hold my nose to drink. 

That was until I discovered this green smoothie recipe on TikTok. The vanilla protein powder adds sweetness and helps with the gains, while the avocado adds creaminess and the coconut water adds freshness. 

Keep reading to learn how to make a green smoothie that you'll actually enjoy making and drinking.  

Green smoothie recipe

The green smoothie recipe I have followed is from Seema Pankhania via her TikTok channel. It's already been watched by 1.1 million people and counting.

Green smoothie ingredients

If you don't have vanilla protein powder you can add a few drops of vanilla essence or, even better, fresh vanilla. You can also swap the almond milk for any milk of your choice. 

I've made this smoothie by adding chia seeds for extra antioxidants and fiber. I've also made it with cucumber to add even more freshness. Just bear in mind that the cucumber's high water content can leave the smoothie a little runny so reduce how much coconut water you add to balance this out. 

• Banana 
• Avocado
• Kale
• Spinach
• Vanilla protein powder/vanilla essence
• Coconut water
• Almond milk

To make this green smoothie you will also need the following:

• Blender (read my Braun TriForce Power Blender review for the one I used)
• Chopping board
• Knife 

Green smoothie method

Step 1: Scoop out the avocado flesh and chop the banana into chunks. Add both to the blender.

Step 2: Rinse the kale and spinach and add to the avocado and banana.  

Step 3: Add the vanilla powder/essence, coconut water and almond milk and blend until smooth on your blender's smoothie setting. If it doesn't have a smoothie setting, blend on manual mode for 30 seconds and check the consistency. Repeat if needed. 

Step 4: Stir and serve! 

Green smoothie verdict

Even if you're a health and fitness fanatic, you have to admit that most green smoothies are far from enjoyable. They're fantastic for your immune system and wellbeing but they have a tendency to taste bitter and if you add anything too sweet, it starts to defeat the point. 

This green smoothie is surprisingly creamy and full of flavor while still tasting fresh and light. What's more, with the addition of vanilla protein powder it can help you feel fuller for longer and support training. 

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I'm guilty of reaching for processed food – and the odd glass of wine – more often than I should, so I'm always trying to find ways to up my antioxidant levels to give my body a boost. They have a huge number of benefits for your immune system and general health, as well as on your skin, hair and mind. 

During recent tests of the best blenders, I was experimenting with various recipes when I discovered this berry smoothie recipe that is brimming with antioxidants. Not just from the fruit, but from the addition of chia seeds and almond butter. 

It's fresh and delicious, and is the perfect smoothie for enjoying in the summer sun. It's also incredibly easy to make. Below, I show how to transform frozen fruit into a vivid berry smoothie that doesn't just taste good, it does you good too. 

Antioxidant berry smoothie recipe

The antioxidant berry smoothie recipe I have followed is from lifestyle influencer Danna Mei via her TikTok channel. It's been watched 1.2 million times and counting. 

Antioxidant berry smoothie ingredients

Using frozen berries not only makes the smoothie ice cold and taste fresh, but it means you can make this smoothie whenever you want because the berries can be used straight from the freezer. 

However, you can of course swap for fresh berries. You can also leave out the almond butter if you have a nut allergy, and swap the almond milk for any preferred alternative. If you do switch out the butter, I'd recommend thickening the mixture back up a bit with an extra banana. 

• Mixed frozen berries 
• 1 banana
• Milk – I use almond milk 
• 1 tsp of almond/peanut butter
• Chia seeds

To make this antioxidant berry smoothie you will need the following equipment:

• Blender – I used the Braun TriForce Power Blender

Antioxidant berry smoothie method

Step 1: Chop the banana into small chunks. 

Step 2: Add the frozen berries, chopped banana, nut butter, milk and chia seeds to your blender. 

Step 3: Blend on the smoothie setting, or for at least 30 seconds on manual if your blender doesn't have a dedicated smoothie button. 

Step 4: Check the consistency and continue blending until the drink is smooth and pourable. You may need to add more milk if the consistency is too thick.

Step 5: Pour into a glass and serve.  

Antioxidant berry smoothie verdict

If you're fed up with green smoothies, or are looking for something different in your bid to up your antioxidant and fruit intake, this berry smoothie is a great place to start. 

It tastes and looks delicious and thanks to the use of frozen berries, you can make it whenever the feeling takes you. 

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Braun TriForce Power Blender: two-minute review

The Braun TriForce Power Blender (known as the Braun PowerBlend 9 in the UK and Australia) brings all the benefits of the best blenders with a few extras, such as a hot Soup mode and Chop function, thrown in. It's a highly customizable appliance, offering 18 preset blending options – six presets with three texture settings for each – plus 10 manual speeds, a Pulse feature and Clean mode. It comes with 2-liter triangular Tritan jug, a fixed blade and tamper.

The TriForce Power Blender is the flagship model in Braun's countertop jug blender range. Its unique triangular, 2-liter jug sets it apart from other blenders I’ve used. Not just in terms of design, but also because this shape makes sure food rarely gets stuck to the sides. Everything is pulled towards the blades and blended quickly – up to four times faster than rival models, according to Braun. 

It offers a wide range of intuitive presets – Smoothie, Soup, Chop, Ice Crush, Frozen Dessert, and Spread – making it super easy to not only make a selection of drinks, dips, butters, desserts at the touch of a button, but to get your ideal consistency time and again. During my tests, it produced an almost perfect smoothie in seconds, despite some tiny flecks of kale; its Spread setting is brilliant for making hummus because it cycles through blending and pulsing; and its Ice Crush feature worked as expected. The ice wasn't as powdery as on other blenders I've tried, but it wasn't far off. 

Elsewhere, you can easily set or change the consistency of anything you make by cycling through the different textures – Smooth, Medium and Coarse – and the manual speeds are varied enough to bring an extra level of precision. The hot soup function is also a pleasant surprise. It turned cubes of vegetables and stock into warm, tasty, comforting soup in less than six minutes. Minimal hassle, minimal mess. 

Speaking of mess, the TriForce Power Blender's Clean mode works really well, which is a welcome feature considering you can't remove the blades to clean underneath them. You can also put the jug safely in the dishwasher. 

Despite its wide array of features, the TriForce is surprisingly compact, fitting neatly under my cabinets and light enough to move around and store easily. It measures 16.9 x 7.9 x 7.9" / ‎43 x 20 x 20 cm (H x W x D) and weighs 10.1lbs / 4.6kg. The anti-slip feet and tidy cord storage are thoughtful touches that make it practical and safe for everyday use. 

This blender can get loud, especially at higher speeds, reaching as high as 105db. This is equivalent to having a car horn blasting in your kitchen, which can be uncomfortable at times. But since it blends so quickly, at least it’s a short-lived racket.

In sort, if you're looking for a high-performance blender that can do it all and a little more, and are happy to invest a bit more to get it, the Braun TriForce Power Blender is a great choice. It's a powerful, intuitive addition to your kitchen and while it's far from cheap, it is at least good value, specially if you can get it for one of the many discounts being offered regularly from third-party retailers. That's the short version – read on for my full Braun TriForce / PowerBlend review.

Braun TriForce Power Blender review: price & availability

• List price: $249.95 / £199.99 / AU$299
• Available in US, UK and Australia

There are three Braun countertop blenders – the $99.95 entry-level Braun PureMix Power Blender (JB7200), the standard $249.95 Braun TriForce Power Blender (JB9040BK) and the $299.95 TriForce Power Blender with Smoothie2Go accessory (JB9040BK). This accessory turns the jug blender into a personal blender for an extra $50. I reviewed the standard TriForce model. 

As 2-liter jug blenders go, the TriForce is one of the more expensive models on the market. Few countertop blenders exceed the $200 mark with the exception of those from high-end brands such as Vitamix and Smeg with the $649 Vitamix A3300 Ascent Series, or the $429.95 Smeg Professional Blender. The closest Braun rival, in terms of size and features is the Ninja HB150C/HB152 Foodi Heat-iQ Blender and this sells for $198. It's slightly smaller, but has more automated settings.  

In the US, you can buy the TriForce Power Blender from Braun directly, or via a number of third-party resellers including Walmart, Amazon and Target. At the time of writing, the TriForce Power Blender was being sold across these third-party sites for as much as $70 less than its RRP. In fact, only Braun was selling it for its full price. 

In the UK, and Australia, the appliance is known as the Braun PowerBlend 9 and you can buy it directly from Braun, as well as Amazon, Debenhams and AO in the UK. In Australia, you can buy it from Braun, Harvey Norman and Appliances Online. Again, few sites in the UK and Australia regularly sell the PowerBlend 9 for its RRP and some regularly sell it for ~£100/AU$150 less. 

The Braun TriForce Power Blender is a powerful appliance with a wide range of features that elevate it beyond a simple jug blender. From a hot soup function to a food processor-style chopping feature.  As a result, it has a price to match. There are cheaper blenders that perform well against the Braun, but there are also more expensive models that don't live up to its performance. So, while $249.95 seems a little high, it is decent value and you get some of the benefits of multiple appliances for the price of one. Plus, with a number of sites regularly dropping the price, you could get a really good deal. 

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Braun TriForce Power Blender specifications

Braun TriForce Power Blender review: design & features

• 1600w motor, 2 liter BPA-Free Tritan jug
• 10 manual blending speeds + 6 presets, 3 textures, Pulse and Clean
• Triangular jug with fixed blades

The first thing I noticed about the Braun TriForce Power Blender is its triangular, 2-liter jug. Most jug blenders have circular or boxy jugs yet Braun has deliberately designed its jug in a way that means food rarely gets stuck to the sides. This is because the sides bring the food closer to the blades, and thus it's constantly being pulled back towards the center due to the centrifugal force. Braun claims this guarantees "faster blended results in less time."  

The BPA-Free Tritan triangular jug then slides and locks into place on top of a rubber triangular base, while the jug's lid, complete with small, detachable cap, locks onto the base via two large clips on each side. 

Below the jug is a touchscreen display and rotating dial. Along the display are each of the preset buttons – Smoothie, Soup, Chop, Ice Crush, Frozen Dessert, and Spread – and while I appreciate how self-explanatory they all are, I don't love the use of lowercase font throughout. It's a very minor, almost ridiculous complaint, but it makes the machine look less professional than its price would suggest.

Below these buttons are the Manual and Pulse buttons above the Clean button, on the right-hand side, and the Start/Stop button that doubles up as the control dial in the center. This dial can be used to set the manual speed, when Manual mode is selected, or used to switch between the blender's three iTexture settings: Smooth, Medium or Coarse.  

This mix of presets and textures takes the total possible number of automated settings to 18. This extends to 29 settings when you add in the 10 manual speeds and the Pulse function. This is a very impressive number and could feel overwhelming. However, by making every button and setting easy to use and identify, Braun has avoided over-complicating things. This intuitive design even encouraged me to experiment with different settings without fear of breaking it or something going drastically wrong. 

Despite its 2-liter jug and panel of impressive controls, the blender is surprisingly compact measuring 16.9 x 7.9 x 7.9" / ‎43 x 20 x 20cm (H x W x D). It should fit easily under most kitchen cupboards, even with the jug attached, and will sit neatly in a corner. 

It's a lightweight blender too. The base and jug together weigh 10.1lb / 4.6 kg and this makes it easy to move around your countertop, or if you want to store it in a drawer or cupboard. It then has anti-slip feet on the bottom of the base, and a 3ft / 1m cord. Such is its compact and portable nature, the blender was one of the few appliances I was able to leave out on my limited countertops when my kitchen was being remodeled.  

The use of black plastic and rubber follows suit with the majority of blenders on the market and while this means it will blend into most aesthetics, it's hardly groundbreaking. The only element that gives the TriForce Power Blender a touch of flair is the green light used to illuminate the Start-Stop button and speed dial. That's not to say it's ugly; rather if you want something with striking looks, this blender may not be for you.

It's also a shame that the blades aren't removable but, thanks to the built-in cleaning mode and the fact the jug is dishwasher-safe, this is another minor flaw that's easily remedied. 

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Braun TriForce Power Blender review: performance

• Almost faultless results across various blending tests
• Blends quickly and effectively
• Presets perform better than manual settings

For my first test of the Braun TriForce Power Blender, I made a kale, blueberry and banana smoothie with almond milk. I add all of the ingredients to the jug, pressed the Smoothie button, selected the Smooth texture, and pushed the Start button. In as little as 20 seconds, the drink looked smooth and well blended but I let the Smoothie setting run to its default time of one minute before pouring the drink. 

The resulting drink was almost velvety in texture. I could see tiny flecks of kale and blueberry skin when I looked at the drink, but they were so small I couldn't taste them. If you choose the Medium texture, the total blending time is 44 seconds, and for Coarse it's 42 seconds. I was impressed by how quickly the blender achieved these results, and in my experience it lives up to the brand's claim that it creates food "60% finer and four times faster" than other models. 

Next, I made hummus. I usually have to use a manual setting when making hummus on most blenders I review because they rarely have an appropriate, dedicated setting. On the Braun TriForce Power Blender I used the Spread setting, which the instruction manual says is designed for hummus, pesto and nut butters, and the blender ran for 2 minutes and 20 seconds cycling through a pattern of blending and pulsing. 

The resulting hummus was the perfect consistency. It was smooth but thick, making it ideal for dipping vegetable sticks into, while also coating the inside of my mouth with flavor. What's more, I didn't once have to stop the blender to scrape the mixture from the edges, or press it down using the tamper. 

Finally, I used the blender to make crushed ice using the Ice Crush setting. This setting causes the blender to operate in short bursts for 25 seconds to crush the ice to a powder. It worked well, in terms of quickly and effectively blending the ice cubes, but the result was less powdery than other blenders I've used. It was closer to the consistency of a sorbet. There is a very subtle distinction between the two, but whereas other blenders have turned the cubes to light powder, the Braun's crushed ice was more wet so stuck together in clumps. You can easily use it to make frozen drinks but I felt the texture was slightly off.

In addition to the above tests, I also wanted to put the TriForce Power Blender's Soup function to the test. The brand claims you can turn room-temperature ingredients into hot soup in almost six minutes. I tested this by adding chunks of cooked butternut squash, garlic, onion, carrot and a liter of vegetable stock to the blender. I pressed the Soup button, pushed Start and the blender began by chopping the ingredients, before blending and slowly heating them for five minutes and 45 seconds. The result was a slightly coarse, warm soup that lacked some of the depth of soup made on a stove, but was still tasty and comforting. 

The only real downside to all of these pros is how loud the TriForce blender can be. On Speed 1 in Manual mode, it's relatively quiet, averaging 63dB.  It was easy to have a conversation with my partner or children while the blender was running at this speed. 

However, during my Smoothie and hummus tests, this sound jumped up to an average of 97db. This is equivalent to the sound of a motorcycle engine and feels uncomfortable in such a confined space like my kitchen. On Manual Mode, Speed 9, the average reading was 91db, and it jumped to an average of 105db when crushing the ice cubes. This is equivalent to a phone playing at full volume and just below the sound of a car horn. Any sounds over 85dB for extended periods can cause hearing problems. 

Thankfully, because the blender works so quickly and efficiently, these sounds run for less time than they do on other models so at least you don't have to be subjected to them for longer than necessary. 

Overall, the TriForce blender's performance is a little hit and miss but largely positive. I was worried, given its wide range of features, that it would be a Jack of all trades, master of none but this is far from the case. I also appreciate the different ways I can customise my drinks and food and this makes up for any of the blender's shortcomings in my opinion and experience. Mainly because if I want a different texture, or the presets don't work as I want, I have a range of ways to correct it and tweak it until they do. 

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Should I buy the Braun TriForce Power Blender?

Buy it if...

Don’t buy it if...

How I tested the Braun TriForce Power Blender

• I used it to blend drinks, food and ice
• I checked the noise level at different speeds
• I assessed how easy it was to clean

I used the Braun TriForce Power Blender in my own home for four weeks, making smoothies, sauces, hummus, soup and crushed ice. 

I assessed how simple it was to set the blender up, how easy and intuitive it is to navigate the different presets and textures, how well it performed different tasks, its noise levels and how easy it was to clean. 

I’ve been reviewing home and kitchen appliances for more than 15 years and have a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw on when assessing how well a product such as a blender performs. 

Read more about how we test

First reviewed May 2024