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

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.

• 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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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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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.

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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.

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).

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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

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]

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

Nutribullet Pro+ blender: two-minute review

The Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 personal blender sits towards the upper end of this brands range, with a more powerful motor and an added pulse button compared to cheaper models. 

This looks a lot like a standard Nutribullet, and for the most part it's the same straightforward but effective design. Add the blade part to one of the two included cups, twist it on to the main body of the blender and it starts to blend immediately, cutting out after 60 seconds to prevent pressure from building up in the cup. The more powerful motor (1200W) makes light work of even tough smoothie ingredients, and delivers consistently smooth results. To-Go lids can be attached directly to the blending cup once you've taken off the blade part, enabling you to blend and go. 

Another point of difference here is the addition of a pulse button. This is good for things like salsas, and make it easy to tailor your blend to the perfect consistency you're looking for.

Price-wise, it sits in the mid-range of the wider market, and I'd say it's worth it if you want that extra power and the versatility of the pulse function. If you don't want the pulse function and are happy with a lower-powered option, you might be just fine with a cheaper Nutribullet like the 900 (read TechRadar's Nutribullet Pro 900 review), or even the dedicated to-go version (read the Nutribullet Go review). If you want a quieter model with a fancy touchscreen rather than the twist-to-blend approach, you'll need to spend a bit more on the Ultra model (read TechRadar's Nutribullet Ultra review). However, in terms of effectiveness and value for money, the Pro+ 1200 is easily one of the best blenders I've tested, especially for smoothies.

The names are very slightly different in different territories, so for avoidance of confusion, here's what you're looking for:

• US: Nutribullet Pro+ 1200W
• UK: Nutribullet 1200 Pro+
• Australia: Nutribullet Pro+ 1200

For my review, I tested the UK version. There may be very minor differences between the models in different territories. 

Nutribullet Pro+ blender review: price & availability

• List price: $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$189.95
• Launched: 2023
• Available: worldwide

The Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 is available worldwide and is a mid-range blender. At ticket price, it's $129.99 in the US, £119.99 in the UK and AU$189.95 in Australia. 

Within the Nutribullet personal blender range, it's one of the pricier options, sitting between the 900 series and the top-of-the-range Ultra. If you're on a tighter budget, there's also the less powerful 600 Series. Here's how the pricing compares across this brand's different models (for more on how they all match up, head to our specs comparison table):

• 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)

While the Pro+ 1200 isn't the cheapest, I think it's reasonably priced for a personal blender with a powerful motor. It's also worth keeping an eye out for deals around deals periods like the Black Friday sales. 

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Nutribullet Pro+ blender review: design

• Powerful 1200W motor
• Two cups with two To-Go lids and two Comfort Lip Rings
• Twist-to-blend, with 60 second auto-shut off
• Manual pulse mode that lasts up to a minute

The Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 sits neatly on the worktop and is held in place by four suction feet. The main machine, without cups attached, measures 5.4 x 5.4 x 15" / 13.6 x 13.6 x 37.5cm (W x D x H).

It has a black body with a silver trim, and while it's not quite as sleek as the Nutribullet Ultra or the eye-catching finish of the Pro 900, it's still compact and stylish on the countertop. 

It comes with a powerful 1200-watt motor which – like the Ultra – is designed to split through tough ingredients such as frozen berries and almonds. To start it, you simply need to twist on the cup and a 60 second blend will start. What makes it stand out from cheaper models in the Nutribullet blender range, is a dedicated illuminated Pulse button on the front of the motor base, which allows you to stop the auto-blend within 5 seconds of it starting and then manually pulse your ingredients yourself for up to a minute. 

There are two blending cups provided – an 'Oversized' 32oz / 900ml cup and a 'Tall' 24oz / 680ml cup. There's no 'Short' 18oz / 511ml cup provided (this is the best option for a single smoothie serving) but one can be purchased separately from Nutribullet. The larger cup sizes give you plenty of flexibility when it comes to making smoothies or dips for a few people. 

Both provided cups come with To-Go lids and Comfort Lip Rings, which means you don't have to decant your smoothie to a different cup before taking it out with you. 

The cups can simply be twisted off after use and while they are dishwasher-safe, I found that washing the blade and cups with warm, soapy water straight after use kept them looking box fresh. Note that if those cups don't suit your needs, you can purchase other sizes separately from Nutribullet.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Nutribullet Pro 900 specs

Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 blender review: performance

• Creates super-smooth smoothies, and pulse function useful for chunky blends
• A little noisy in use – and louder than the Nutribullet Ultra
• Ingredients can get stuck at top for thicker blends
• Also decent at crushing ice

To give the Nutrbullet Pro+ 1200 a fair trial, I used it for a month in my kitchen to create smoothies and dips. I followed the recipe for a Creamy Coffee Smoothie, with banana, coffee, almond milk, Greek yoghurt, cinnamon and maple syrup, for example, which made a nice change from my hot morning coffee. I was also keen to find out how well it did at creating grainier dips such as hummus, as well as for a thick pancake mix.

With a 1200-watt motor base, the Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 has twice the power of the original Nutribullet 600. As soon as the cup is twisted on the blend cycle starts, and it will cut off automatically after a minute. I used the full minute for my Creamy Coffee Smoothie, and it created the smoothest of blends, and whipped the ingredients into up a delicious frothy texture. The 60-sec cutoff is so as not to cause a pressure build-up inside the cup, and it's important to wait until the motor cools before blending again.

Like the Ultra, the blades in the Pro+ 1200 are designed to work on tough ingredients, so ice, nuts and chickpeas will all work well here – provided you have enough liquid in the cup to help the mixture blend that is. If you don't have enough liquid, the ingredients tend to get stuck at the top of the cup. I had this issue when making my pancake batter – on my first attempt, the flour got stuck to the sides. I added more almond milk and shook the cup a few times, and after that it combined more effectively, and very quickly, too. 

My final test was to see if the Pro+1200 could handle crushing ice. It performed well in our ice test, blitzing through the majority of a cupful of ice so that it formed a powder like finish ideal for snow cones. After 30 seconds i gave the cup a shake and let it soldier on through the remaining ice cubes. 

One feature the Pro+ 1200 has that cheaper Nutribullets don't is a Pulse button. I used this to help when making a textured hummus, and I also think this would work well for chunky salsas, guacamole or anything else where there are tough ingredients that need breaking down into small chunks. 

To use the Pulse button, you need to twist the cup on the base and press the Pulse button within five seconds. You can then manually press the Pulse button for up to a minute to adjust the texture to your exact preferences.

Overall, I really enjoyed using this blender and appreciate how powerful and flexible it is. It's quite loud in operation, however. The Nutribullet Ultra (which is designed to be quiet) measured 88.9 decibels on my Decibel Meter App, while the Nutribullet 1200 Pro+ came in at around 93.3 decibels. This isn't something that would put me off buying it, however, as my household is more than used to hearing me say ‘cover your ears for 60 seconds' whenever I want to prepare my morning smoothie.

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 blender?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 blender

I trialled the Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 personal blender in my kitchen to see if it was capable of blitzing up standard blending recipes with ease. I used it to make humus to see how well the pulse feature could work here, and also make pancakes and a creamy coffee smoothie to see if all the ingredients combined effectively. To get a good idea of how loud it is in use, I measured noise levels using the Decibel Meter App on my smartphone. I also gave it a good wipe down and washed it to see how easy it was to clean. 

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed May 2024

One-minute review

The Ninja Blast is Ninja’s first portable blender, but it packs much the same punch as we’ve come to expect from the minds behind some of the best blenders you can buy. It’s stylish, it’s compact, and most importantly it makes quick work of smoothies.

Portable blenders make a fantastic addition to smaller household’s kitchens, and they’re perfect for putting in your gym bag as an easy way to guzzle down some nutrients post-workout, and the Ninja Blast is laser-focused on meeting these specific needs. 

The blender is immensely portable thanks to its to-go lid, handle, lightweight design and two extra caps – one to cover the blades and one to screw onto the bottom of the main blending chamber for when you’re out and about and don’t want to carry the heavy base.

It’s entirely cordless, and with a full battery can blend 10-15 times before it needs to be charged via the supplied USB-C cable, which takes approximately two hours. 

Design-wise, the Ninja Blast sports a stylish, slightly retro feel. From its colorways to the ribbed edges of its jar, it oozes both fun and sophistication, which is great for when you’re taking it on the road. The base sports a square start / stop button surrounded by an LED indicator, which will let you know the progress of your blend as well as any other status indicators you might need, such as when the blades are jammed or the blender is running low on power. 

There are no speed settings; every blend lasts for 30 seconds (unless you choose to stop it early), and while this does make it supremely easy to operate, it can be a little irritating when you’re certain the job’s not quite done. Thankfully, much of the time, one cycle is all you’ll need for effortless and consistent smoothies.

The main jar and the lid are both dishwasher-friendly, but it’s also very easy to clean the blades and vessel by simply adding some water and a drop of dish soap and running a 30-second cycle.

Now onto the drawbacks. As it’s a portable blender, it’s got to be light and easy to carry, and this comes at the expense of capacity, which is just 18oz / 510ml. At a push, you can make two smaller smoothie portions, but generally speaking this is a blender that’s best suited to single servings, though it’s worth noting this is a larger capacity than most personal and portable blenders offer. 

It’s powerful enough to handle most fibrous ingredients, but if you try to pack in your fruits and vegetables too tightly the Ninja Blast will get jammed, which happened to me more than once with harder ingredients like carrots. The Blast makes a good effort with ice, and can at the very least break cubes down a fair amount, but the results are far from even. 

All in all, though, this is a brilliant little blender that does what it’s designed to do very well.

Ninja Blast review: price and availability

• List price: $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$99.99

The Ninja Blast launched in 2023 and costs $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$99.99, which is fairly affordable for a portable blender this capable - by way of comparison, the Smeg Personal Blender sells for $169.95 / £109.95. It’s available directly from Ninja’s online store, as well as through retailers including Amazon, Target in the US, and Very in the UK. 

It arrives neatly packaged in a cylindrical cardboard box with the base, a sip lid with a built-in handle, and vessel as well as a USB-C cable and two caps, one to cover the blades when they’re not in use, and the other to seal the bottom of the vessel when you want to take your smoothie on-the-go.

It’s available in three colorways; Denim Blue, Black, Cranberry, Forest Green, Passion Fruit and White (at the time of writing, only Denim Blue is available in the UK.)

• Value score: 4.5/5

Ninja Blast review: specifications

Ninja Blast review: design and features

• Lightweight, stylish and portable design
• 18.0oz / 532ml capacity is sizeable for a portable blender
• To-go lid with flip-open cap and built-in handle

Standing at 10.6 x 3.5 x 3.3 inches/ 27 x 9 x 8.5cm (H x W x L) with its base attached, the Ninja Blast is a petite and stylish addition to your kitchen or your gym bag. It’s lightweight at just 2.4lbs / 1.09kg, making it easy to carry, too.

The Ninja Blast features a screw-on to-go lid not unlike a sippy-cup, with a see-through pop-open cap and a built-in handle for when you’re out and about. Below the lid is a 18.0oz / 532ml vessel, with bevels on the inside which Ninja claims are intended to create a vortex and draw ingredients down onto the blades. On the front of the vessel are measurement indicators all the way up to the max fill line of 16oz / 455ml. Both the lid and vessel are dishwasher safe.

Moving down to the base, there are six non-removable blades, meaning cleaning can be a little tricky, especially considering that the base isn’t fully waterproof. On the front is the sole control for the Ninja Blast: a square stop-start button, surrounded by an LED light which illuminates purple to indicate the progress of the blend cycle, and in a variety of other colors to communicate the status of the blender. The USB-C charging port is on the rear of the motor unit, and there are rubber feet on its underside to prevent the blender from slipping on surfaces.

Our review unit came with two screw-on caps, one for the base of the vessel and one to cover the blades; however, user reviews have indicated that certain models and regions don’t include these.

• Design score: 4/5

Ninja Blast review: performance

• Handles most fibrous fruits with ease
• Struggles a little with frozen fruits and ice cubes
• Gets stuck if the ingredients are too large

The Ninja Blast is operated by pressing the start / stop button on the base to begin its 30-second blend cycle. For a personal and portable blender, it’s pretty powerful; on a par with others we’ve been impressed with at TechRadar like the Smeg Personal Blender. 

I tried several different recipes to test the Ninja Blast’s moxy, and it performed consistently well, albeit, as can be expected, never quite as well as a traditional countertop blender might. 

First up, I tried a personal favorite recipe of mine for when I’m feeling under the weather: carrots, an orange, water, honey and turmeric. Here’s where I encountered my first hurdle: hard veggies. I’d cut the carrot into batons, and they got drawn right down to the blades and almost immediately jammed them. I removed them and cut them down to size further, and after ample poking and prodding managed to blend the mix down to a relatively smooth blend with two 30-second cycles. It was still a little bitty in places, but enjoyable to drink nonetheless.

Up next was our standardized TechRadar test: banana, spinach, greek yogurt, apple juice and pineapple chunks. I had to blend this one twice too, and there was one solitary pineapple piece that wasn’t broken down even then, but overall it was a decently smooth blend. Small pieces of spinach leaves were still visible, but they were small and evenly sized.

Lastly, I wanted to try a dryer, thicker blend, so I opted for a mix of frozen berries, cocoa powder, peanut butter and kefir with a dash of oat milk. As I expected, this was a bit of a struggle for the Ninja Blast; it got stuck a few times, and required two and a bit full cycles with some fierce shaking in between to break down the ingredients. However, the results were silky smooth and delicious. 

Despite Ninja’s assertion that the Blast is more than capable of crushing ice, there are three major caveats here. First, due to the shape, size and capacity of the vessel, it’s pretty hard to fit in more than a couple of cubes. Second, with the above in mind, it’s sometimes hard for the cubes to actually reach the blades at first, so you end up using multiple cycles and shaking the blender around a fair bit. Lastly, even when you’ve overcome the aforementioned hurdles, you then have to contend with an uneven blend that never really manages to sort itself out. If you add a small amount of water (up to the recommended liquid line on the front of the vessel) the process becomes a lot easier.

It’s nice and easy to clean the Ninja blast – you simply put a drop or two of dish soap into the vessel and turn on a 30-second clean cycle. You’ll probably need to rinse the vessel again, and clean the lid by hand; alternatively, both of these components are dishwasher safe. 

Considering that you have to cut ingredients down to a fairly small size if you don’t want to run the 30-second cycle twice, the battery often didn’t quite last as long as I’d hoped, making only 5-6 smoothies instead of the 10 suggested by the battery’s promised 10-cycle capacity. Thankfully, it’s quick to charge, taking just two hours. 

• Performance score: 4/5

Should I buy the Ninja Blast?

Buy it if...

Don’t buy it if...

Also consider...

If you’re not sure about the Ninja Blast, here are a couple of other options to consider...

How I tested the Ninja Blast

• I used the Ninja Blast for two weeks and made smoothies most days
• I tried a variety of recipes and ingredients
• I drained the battery and recharged it multiple times

I used the Ninja Blast as my main blender for two weeks, using it to make a variety of recipes with various ingredients. These ingredients included fibrous foods like spinach, kale, and pineapples, powdery and thick substances like flaxseed, protein powder, and nut butters, as well as hard ingredients such as carrots and ice. 

I tried putting in ingredients of various sizes to test how powerful the motor was and identify how easily it became blocked, and strained my smoothies to see how successfully the blades mixed and pulverized the ingredients.

I’ve used a variety of blenders, and compared my experience with the Ninja Blast to using countertop devices, as well as TechRadar’s reviews of comparable models. 

Read more about how we test.

[First reviewed Novembers 2023]

Breville the All in One: One-Minute Review

Anyone who enjoys a bit of kitchen craft knows just how useful a food processor can be for boosting your culinary skills. However, if you don't get into the kitchen often, it’s the kind of thing that's not necessarily top of mind, something that takes up a lot of space. If that describes you, you're probably better off with a more lightweight solution like the Breville All in One stick mixer. 

Sure, the motor isn’t as powerful as what you’ll get on top-shelf food processors or blenders, but this one device performs a much wider range of tasks and occupies a smaller overall footprint in your kitchen. The Breville All in One can be a food processor, a masher, an immersion blender or a whisk thanks to a quick-release motor handle that attaches to various tool heads. 

Obviously any tool’s usefulness will depend on the types of food you gravitate towards when cooking, and kitchen appliances that try to do too many things can often end up doing them all poorly, but the All in One strikes an excellent balance between versatility and usefulness that makes it an exceptionally helpful tool in a wide array of circumstances. This makes it an excellent base accessory for any home cook – I think it’s unlikely to sit in the cupboard unused for long periods of time.

This diversity can mean it gets overlooked since there really isn't one specific task you absolutely need it for… but it’s such a versatile tool that it’s helpful for the average cook and it’ll remain useful even if they do invest further in more capable appliances for tasks requiring more powerful and dedicated devices.

There really is value here for most home cooks and its starting price isn't too bad either.

Breville the All in One review: Price and availability

• Available in the US and Australia
•  List price:  $159.95 / AU$269 

The All in One Stick Mixer is available in both the US and Australia Breville online stores for $159.95 / AU$269, but isn't listed in the UK's Sage online store at the time of writing.  

It might be worth checking out TechRadar’s jug vs immersion blender explainer page to see if you’re more likely to need a dedicated blender than what is on offer here, but for anyone who frequently mashes, grates, slices, chops, whisks and blends food, it’s hard to imagine that this device won’t come in handy for a multitude of applications. 

While you can get basic food processors for less than this price point, they’re unlikely to offer any more power and will usually come with just the one dicing blade. The All in One has grating and slicing capabilities included alongside the standard food processing capabilities that practically justifies the price tag on its own.

You will only have basic blending capabilities, so I wouldn’t really consider this to be a blender replacement, but throw in the mashing and whisking tools and you have a tool with a heap of perks bundled in for an entry-level price.  

Breville the All in One: specifications

Breville the All in One review: Design and features

• Great entry-level food processor
• Grating and slicing blades included
• Also beats, blends and mashes

The 6-cup (1.6L) food processor bowl comes with a textured base to ensure chopped food doesn’t stick to the sides when using the S-blade attachment, and the reversible grating/ shredding disk saves you the hassle of having to manually grate vegetables for example. 

The variable slicing blade for the food processor isn’t as refined as what you’ll be able to achieve on a mandolin, but it does have 18 adjustable thickness settings – from 0.5mm to 6mm – so you can cut perfectly uniform slices in seconds. 

In addition to the food processing tools you also get a masher, a whisker and immersion blender heads. Each of these are pretty self-explanatory, and both the masher and whisker simply take some of the leg work out of processes you’d usually do by hand. While it doesn't always occur to the average home cook, but the stick nature of this appliance means it can be useful in several situations, meaning it will likely get used frequently.

There isn’t a jug accessory that comes bundled with the All in One like with some other stick blender kits, but it is an omission that most home cooks will be able to find a workaround solution for. This makes it a little less appealing as a proper blender solution, but when you consider its limitations with crushing ice you really do want something more dedicated if you’re going to be making a lot of smoothies. Blenders are also likely to be the most common device overlap here for products that people will already have, so it seems like a sensible omission.

Breville the All in One review: Performance

• Decent food processing capabilities
• Excellent mashing and whisking
• Reasonable immersion blending

During my testing, I used the Breville All in One to dice ingredients for a batch of peanut butter protein balls, a job that killed the motor on a Smeg Hand Blender that I used previously. The Breville device offered less power than its similarly priced Smeg competitor, but it was able to fully process all the raw ingredients as well as mix the dense combination of highly viscose date, peanut butter and maple syrup concoction. 

This task was definitely at the upper limits of what you’d want to use a handheld motor for, but the All in One proved perfectly capable of performing this task on this occasion. For those planning on regularly mixing batches of protein balls you might be better served by one of TechRadar’s best food processor, for a more powerful device. 

I also used the grater/shredder to process a few hundred grams of Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano for a cacio e pepe dish, a really simple task that would have been a lot more work using a hand grater. But just about every grating task is made infinitely simpler by the electric blade’s speed and consistency – once you have this tool in the kitchen it’s hard to imagine having to go back to manual grating.

The immersion blender works well enough as a traditional blender. You might want something a little more serious if you’re regularly trying to crush ice, but the All in One is more than capable of blending the vast majority of soups or smoothies.

Where the immersion blender shines is when you need to refine a sauce into a smoother consistency – you can simply plunge it into hot liquids rather than waiting for sauces to cool enough to put in a food processor.

The masher is great for anyone who likes a good potato mash (or anyone that makes their own baby food) and the whisk comes in handy a lot for baking and other egg-based recipes.

Should you buy the All in One from Breville?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested: Breville the All in One

• I used the All in One for a month
• I used it as my primary food processor
• I tested all the other features and functionalities

I tested the Breville All in One by using it over a month with general kitchen tasks like grating cheeses and vegetables, and other food processing tasks like dicing nuts and combining date and peanut butter protein balls. I also used the device on multiple occasions to mash potato, plus whisked eggs and other ingredients for baked goods.

The immersion blender capabilities came in handy when I refining a beef brisket sauce in a pot while on the stove and I used the All in One to blend a light banana smoothie without ice in a jug. I benchmarked this against the Smeg '50s-style Hand Blender, which offers a similar array of attachments and features. 

Read more about how we test

First reviewed: October 2023

Want to kickstart your day with a healthy cold drink? You're going to need a juicer or a blender, depending on what kind of drink you're after. If it's a glass of fresh fruit juice, you'll be looking for a slow juicer preferably. However, if you want to extract as much as possible from fruits, nuts and vegetables, then you should consider a blender.

But then how do you pick which one's right for you? This is where TechRadar's experts explain it all – the difference between a slow juicer and a super blender, a cold-press and a stick blender, which one is better and how they all compare with each other.

From Breville to Ninja Kitchen, NutriBullet to Smeg, and more besides, there are juicers and blenders galore across several price points. Allow us to explain which makes the better drink.

Amzchef ZM5003: One-minute review

The Amzchef ZM5003 blender sits at a price point where you won't find many options that can keep up with the best blenders. When it comes to blenders, even now, you have to spend more to get more – despite the fact that we're seeing an increasing number of impressive kitchen appliances that are surprisingly very affordable.

This may have a lot to do with the fact that when it comes to blending, the quality of the parts greatly affects a blender's overall performance. As such, it's more difficult to get the best value by opting for something cheap. 

The Amzchef ZM5003 might be trying to change that. With its 1800W motor (2000W on the UK model), this blender has plenty of power on tap to meet your daily blending, blitzing and grinding needs. It's lightweight, too, which makes it much easier to handle. And, it delivers a bit more value by throwing a couple of extras into the package.

However, it doesn't quite resolve the main issue with many a cheap blender. The blades here, while capable, will still struggle where more robust blenders won't. So, while the Amzchef ZM5003 is a great option for budget-minded folks who need a new blender, it doesn't do enough to convince us to retire our current model.

Amzchef ZM5003 price and availability

• How much does it cost? $109.99 / £149.99
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US (slightly different version in the UK)

The Amzchef ZM5003 blender is an affordable model for those on a budget. Setting you back $109.99/£90, it's about $90/£110 cheaper than the Breville the Fresh & Furious, our top pick of the best blenders. Included in the Amzchef's price is a 20oz (600ml) travel bottle with its own blade cover and travel lid, plus a tamper.

This particular model isn't available in the UK. Instead, you get the Amzchef ‎NY-8088MJD blender, which has a slightly different control panel and doesn't come with a travel container included; otherwise, it's the same. It can be bought on Amazon for $182.59/£149.99. Unfortunately, this blender isn't available in Australia. 

US Amazon customers, according to the Amzchef website, have permanent technical support and a 24-hour premium service.

• Value: 4.5 / 5

Amzchef ZM5003 design

• Touch buttons and an LED display
• 63oz (1800ml) tritan pitcher and a 20oz (600ml) travel bottle
• Not a twist mount, just a centering pad

The Amzchef ZM5003 takes up space, but measuring about 7 inches (178mm) tall, 7 inches (178mm) wide, and 9 inches (228mm) deep, we wouldn’t call it massive, either. The black-on-gray base is relatively lightweight, at least next to our own blender, which makes it easier to put away and take back out if you're storing it in a cupboard.

The tritan pitcher, which has a 63oz (1800ml) capacity, is also lightweight. That may say something about its construction, but being BPA-free it certainly isn't toxic. We appreciate that it comes with a deep and wide spout, since this makes pouring out the contents a mess-free affair. And while its rubber lid with removable plug for adding ingredients doesn’t actually lock in position, it stays in place, which is what’s important.

Back to the base, which features a control panel with an LED display that presents the time and nine buttons. Four of those are presets (smoothies, ice crush, puree, blend), three are speed (low, medium, height), and one is for start/stop. There's a pulse button, too, but this one you have to hold down to keep it running for two minutes by default. Release it, and it will stop.

Unlike other blenders whose pitchers and cups twist and lock in place, the Amzchef only has a centering pad whose job is to ensure that its pitcher or its travel bottle are properly connected with the base. Since there’s nothing preventing the pitcher and travel bottle from popping out of place, there’s a chance you’ll interrupt the blending process if you accidentally knock against either. 

Unfortunately, in the case of the lightweight 20oz (600ml) travel bottle, this was a frequent occurrence, with it often popping off as soon as the motor began running. Amzchef even states in its manual that you'll have to keep the bottle in place with your hand when you’re using the blender. It’s a good thing the motor comes with an auto shut-off function, which works effectively.

Also disappointing is the lack of suction cup feet. The Amzchef ZM5003 has rubber feet, and while those do a good job of preventing it from moving around on the countertop, feet with suctioning would have made it all the more stable and minimized vibrations, too.

• Design: 3.5 / 5

Amzchef ZM5003 performance

• Powerful 1800W motor
• Blades aren’t as effective with frozen foods
• Travel bottle pops off if you don’t apply pressure

The Amzchef ZM5003 blender is surprisingly powerful, despite its low price tag. Its 1800W motor certainly packs a lot of power. However, if you don’t already know, wattage isn’t the only thing that determines how well a blender performs. Other factors such as construction and parts have an impact as well.

We have our own powerful Ninja blender, which, despite its lower 1200 wattage, simply demolishes pretty much any item we throw into it, including frozen fruits and ice. So, naturally, we had high expectation for the Amzchef ZM5003 and its more powerful motor.

Sadly, it took it about 20 seconds to crush six ice cubes, and even then, there were still some small pieces of ice remaining. Testing the blender some more, we also made one of my usual smoothies, comprising a cup of frozen strawberries, a cup of frozen blueberries, one frozen banana, and a cup of oat milk. 

It took the Amzchef ZM5003 much longer than our own blender to pulverize the strawberries and banana. Our Ninja blender barely requires assistance, but the Amzchef blender kept stopping after two to four seconds because its blades couldn't handle the items. We had to get in there seven times with a silicone spatula, as well as pour in a bit more oat milk, to help it along. It was frustrating.

The blender's two-minute smoothie preset is actually enough time to make such a drink. If only we didn’t have to keep intercepting it.

Making a smoothie with fewer frozen ingredients proved easier, however. When I attempted the same recipe with a fresh banana instead of a frozen one, the blender still required assistance – but not as much. Just be prepared for the noise; this isn’t the quietest blender we’ve tested.

The travel bottle, which comes with its own blade cover, would have been perfect for smoothies, especially when you’re short on time. However, it doesn’t stay put. It pops up every time we start the motor running, which then activates the blender’s auto shut-off function. When using this vessel, you’ll have to put pressure on it with a hand to keep it in place.

Finally, cleanup is annoying. Although having a removable blade cover can be tiresome, having a non-removable one is even more of a pain. The blades on the Amzchef ZM5003 sit pretty close to the bottom, which is great for blending small amounts of food. 

However, this also means that bits of food become wedged between small crevices, making them more difficult to reach as a result of the non-removable blade. A cleaning brush is included, and it certainly helps to access those areas under and around the blade, but it also means cleaning the tritan pitcher takes a bit more time if you’re doing it manually.

The blender does have a one-click self-cleaning function so you can try that first to see if it does the trick. The pitcher is dishwasher-safe, too.

• Performance: 3.5 / 5

Amzchef ZM5003 score card

Should I buy the Amzchef ZM5003?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

• First reviewed January 2022

How we test

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

The best blenders in Australia look to bring a balance of capacity, features and price to suit the lifestyle and cooking needs of most people well, and one person’s favourite blender may be vastly different to another's.

Comparing blenders isn’t always straightforward when looking them up online, so our international team of experts here at TechRadar have thoroughly tested models of all shapes and sizes, which I draw upon to determine the best blenders you can buy in Australia. Based on our reviews, I've found these seven options to be the best ones for a variety of budgets and use cases.

Looking for something with a bit more utility? Check out our guide to the best food processors.

• Find out more about blenders vs food processors

If you’re looking for smoothie recipes, we have published guides to making green smoothies, berry smoothies, banana smoothies and mango smoothies.

Read on to find your next kitchen essential that would best fit your needs and household.

The best blenders in Australia for 2026

The best blender overall

Featuring a large blender with a triangular jug design and a powerful motor, the Braun PowerBlend 9 is an exceptional blender that’s perfect for households that want to blend up big batches in one go.

With a maximum capacity of 2L and 10 speed settings – plus a pulse setting for reaching appropriate consistencies – the PowerBlend 9 is quite a big piece of kit. It comes with a bunch of buttons on its face for easy use.

Our reviewer found that the blender quickly became their go-to thanks to the PowerBlend nailing the basics and for its quickness and efficiency.

It’s worth noting that the PowerBlend is quite loud, pricey and there’s only one colour option (the black as pictured above). Nevertheless, this is still our most recommended blender for most people for the speed and power on offer. For those looking for something more compact, check out our next recommendation below.

Read our full Braun PowerBlend 9 review

The best medium-capacity blender

Breville offers a range of stylish, durable, and powerful blenders that often have eye-wateringly expensive price tags, which may be out of reach for many consumers. The Breville the Fresh and Furious is a notable exception – this entry-level blender combines the brand's sleek styling with power to create a compact blender that's more affordable than other models the brand offers.

We were impressed with how simple the Breville the Fresh and Furious was to use. It was able to liquidise pineapple and leafy spinach into a completely smooth and lightly aerated drink, with no bits. It also managed to crush ice, chop nuts, and emulsify eggs and oil into mayonnaise.

The blender comes with a 1.5L jug, smaller than most other Breville blenders. We did find a slight amount of leakage when the blender was filled to maximum capacity, but this was only in the well of the lid and not enough to be a serious concern.

Read our full Breville the Fresh and Furious review

• Interested in this blender? Take a look at our Breville coupon codes page to see if you can save some extra cash when you buy direct from Breville.

The best small blender

A single-serve blender with a powerful 1,100W motor, the Ninja BlendBoss is designed for the kitchen, with a cup that detaches so you can take your drinks to work, the gym, or anywhere else. Unlike other personal blenders, it can handle blending foods for soups, sauces and more, in addition to smoothies and other iced drinks. Ingredients are blended directly inside a Stanley-style cup with a large handle for easy carrying, which fits into most car cup holders.

In our tests, the reviewer found the Ninja BlendBoss to be easy to use and just as easy to clean afterwards. It makes light work of even the toughest, smallest, and hardest ingredients, turning vegetables, seeds, and frozen fruit into silky drinks in moments.

It's a unique-looking blender that comes in fun colours that will handle virtually any ingredient you can throw at it. Just bear in mind that you can't just blend on the move as you can with a rechargeable smoothie-maker (which is the next one on this list), so you'll need to prepare your drinks in advance.

Read our full Ninja BlendBoss review

The best portable blender

The Ninja Blast Max Portable Blender is a completely cordless and portable blender, letting you take it anywhere to make smoothies or protein shakes on the go. This would be perfect for regular gym-goers or time-poor commuters that tend to rush out the door every morning.

Our reviewer found the motor to be quite powerful and the blade unit to be tougher than other portable blenders, making light work of just about any smoothie ingredients you can throw at them, including rock-hard frozen fruit and fibrous leafy greens like kale.

I personally own this blender and I like how well it handles those fibrous veggies and frozen fruit, and it's also a breeze to clean — making it perfect for when I'm rushing out the door before work.

For a blender this size, the 650ml cup will certainly only produce single servings. It's a little bit more pricey than other portable blenders, but you get what you pay for with how well the Ninja Blast Max handles tougher ingredients.

Read our full Ninja Blast Max review

The best retro-style blender

This retro-styled blender isn’t just a pretty face – our testers found the Smeg High Performance Blender (known as the Smeg Professional Blender in the US) delivered the best crushed ice of any blender they've tested, turning cubes into even and smooth snow that's perfect for margaritas or slushies.

While Smeg’s usual fare is a modern interpretation of 1950s aesthetics, the High Performance Blender’s design is slimline with a more grown-up, minimalist look.

There's a good range of blending options – nine speeds, four presets (including ice) plus pulse, and even an Auto Clean option. On test, we found these presets were very effective, but manual mode didn’t yield the same results.

Like most of Smeg’s range, the High Performance Blender sits in the premium price bracket. Although the performance is solid, it's really aimed at style-conscious buyers. If you want a more heavy-duty blender, you'd be better off with the Braun PowerBlend 9 at the top of this guide – or, if you're getting really serious, the Vitamix A3500i up next.

Read our full Smeg High Performance Blender review

The best professional blender

The Vitamix A3500i blender means serious business and made light work of combining ingredients in our reviewers’ tests without leaving any chunks behind. On test, this blender was used to create very smooth smoothies, as it can quickly blitz ice cubes too.

This Vitamix blender has 10 variable speed settings, a pulse function, and five programs with predefined speeds and durations for everything from smoothies to dips and spreads. There's also a programmable timer to set the blender to work and automatically switch it off once the timer is up.

With a powerful 1,600W motor, the A3500i is quite heavy and bulky, so consider this if you're short on space. It's also the most expensive blender we've tested, with a price tag that's double and, in some cases, triple that of other blenders on this list.

Read our full Vitamix A3500 review

The best food processor combo

If you're buying kitchen appliances for the first time or you're just short on space, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System is a great option. It consists of a base containing a 1,500W motor, with a full-size blending jug, single-portion smoothie maker, and food processor so you get three appliances in one.

Nutribullet hasn't skimped on quality here, and during our reviewers' tests, all three components performed as well as a standalone appliance. The jug blender was excellent for hummus and mayonnaise (though they found it best for large servings), the blending cup made light work of even tough smoothie ingredients, and the food processor was ideal for veggies and cheese.

You don't get all the discs and blades you would with a top-end food processor (there's no dough mixer, for example), but all the basics are covered well. (If you're a serious home chef, take a look at our full guide to the best food processors for some premium options.)

Read our full Nutribullet Triple Prep System review

How we test the best blenders

To compare each blender, our testers here at TechRadar spent hours in the kitchen preparing bowlfuls of mayonnaise while blending pineapple, spinach, and Greek yogurt into a smoothie. As well as assessing how smooth the sauce and smoothie are, we’re also looking for ingredients that are well-combined without any curdling and whether there is residue trapped under the blade or if the elements have leaked from the base lid during blending.

We also evaluate how finely and evenly the blenders chop ice and nuts and compare how easy they are to use. Finally, for each model, we rate how loud they are, how durable and easy to clean the body and parts are, and the valuable accessories they come with, such as a tamper for moving ingredients closer to the blade, extra jugs, or containers, and recipe booklets for inspiration.

How to choose the best blender for you

When selecting the best blender for you, start by identifying the type of blender you need. Jug blenders feature a blade inside the plastic or glass receptacle, which spins when connected to the motor in the base units. As a result, they can blend in large quantities but are usually bulky.

Meanwhile, smoothie blenders, also known as personal blenders, come with a small plastic cup rather than a jug. Fill the cup with your ingredients, then attach the blade, flip the cup upside down and connect to the base. When the ingredients are blended to your liking, remove from the base, unscrew the blade, and screw on a to-go lid, then take your drink with you.

Finally, there are also immersion blenders to consider. Often referred to as hand blenders or stick blenders, they are designed to be inserted into a saucepan or container of ingredients you want to puree. These compact appliances should be swirled around in the liquid while the blade spins to ensure it’s blended uniformly. You can detach the blade from the main unit containing the motor for easy cleaning. For more advice on this, it would be worth taking a look at our jug blenders vs immersion blenders guide.

The best blenders in Australia: FAQ

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Surely a blender is a blender, right? Actually, when it comes to the best blenders, there’s quite a lot more to it. Ninja makes some of the most innovative kitchen appliances around, offering a wide range of blenders including multi-functional models. Meanwhile, Vitamix blenders are known to pack a punch, but they’re pricey and usually offer less functionality.

But with both of these well-respected brands offering several blending appliances, figuring out which one to buy can be a bit of a minefield. This is the reason we’ve put them up against each other for range, price and the features they offer, to give you a breakdown of what you can get from each brand and which is most likely to meet your needs.

With 2022 Black Friday deals incoming, now would be a really good time to invest in a Vitamix or Ninja blender. Prefer to have an alternative brand? No worries – these Black Friday KitchenAid deals would be worth a look, too.

Read on to discover the pros and cons of Ninja vs Vitamix, so you can decide which of these brands offers exactly what you’re looking for.

Vitamix vs Ninja: Best deals

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Vitamix vs Ninja: Range

The Vitamix range varies slightly from country to country, but there’s a core range of blenders that appear to be quite consistently available worldwide. The top-of-the-range standalone blender is the Vitamix A3500, which is also known as the A3500I in the UK and Australia. It’s a 64oz / 2-liter blender that arrives with digital controls and five auto programs – and it’s currently top of our best blenders list.

Virtually all Vitamix blenders come with an ample 64oz / 2-liter pitcher, including the mid-range A2500 and the A2300 models. The E310 would be considered the more entry-level blender on offer from Vitamix, as a result of its cheaper price tag, simple controls and smaller 48oz / 1.4-liter pitcher.

While Vitamix does offer a few blender bundles, the majority of the range comprises large standalone blenders. Those looking for a personal cup blender from the brand will have to purchase cup attachments for use with its full-size blenders. 

In the US, the Vitamix range includes the A2300 Smart Prep Kitchen System, which is supplied with a food processor attachment, as well as slicing and shredding discs. This is comparable to the Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System since both offer shredding discs in addition to chopping blades. However, the Ninja lacks a slicing disc, but it does come with a coffee and spice grinder, as well as a single-serve cup and smoothie bowl attachment.

It’s typical for Ninja to combine different appliances to create multi-functional kitchen gadgets. And, as such, Ninja’s range of blenders incorporates some of the best food processors as well as single-serve blenders. Often its range will differ by country, which can make it frustrating when trying to compare them like-for-like. 

Unlike Vitamix, Ninja makes single-serve blenders that are ideal for those just wanting to make smoothies and protein shakes to-go. The model that’s most widely available is the Ninja Nutri-Blender Pro with Auto-iQ. But the brand has also recently launched a powerful single-serve blender system that includes a cleverly developed smoothie bowl attachment for blitzing hard-to-blend frozen ingredients into a thick smoothie bowl consistency. The Ninja Foodi Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor is known as the Ninja Foodi Power Nutri Blender 2-in-1 with Smart Torque & Auto-iQ in the UK, and the Ninja Foodi Power Nutri Duo in Australia.

The simplest blender Ninja offers is probably the Professional Plus Duo, known as the 2-in-1 Blender with Auto-iQ in the UK. If you want a blender that isn’t a cross between several appliances, this is the closest you’ll get from Ninja, although it still comes with a single-serve cup bundled in. In the UK, the Ninja range of blenders includes the Ninja Foodi Blender and Soup Maker, but this isn’t available in the US nor Australia.

Vitamix vs Ninja: Price

The Vitamix A3500 will set you back $575 / £699 / AU$1699, which is a pretty hefty investment. By contrast, the most expensive standalone blender you can buy from Ninja (without additional attachments bundled in) costs significantly less at around $119.99 / £129.99 / $249.99

At the lowest end of the scale, the Vitamix E310 costs $350 / £399 / AU$699, which is still far in excess of even the most expensive model that Ninja offers.

The Vitamix A2300 Smart Prep Kitchen System is priced at $650 (only available in the US), whereas Ninja’s equivalent, the Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System, would cost you less than half that at around $240 / AU$450.

For Ninja's most widely available single-serve blender, the Ninja Nutri-Blender Pro with Auto-iQ, you can expect to pay $99.99 / £99.99 / AU$199.99. If you want a single-serve option from Vitamix, you’ll be looking spending $40/ £35/ AU$60 for a 20oz / 600ml personal cup to attach to the Ascent series of blenders. However, do keep in mind that this price is in addition to the price you pay for the blender.

Vitamix vs Ninja: Features

Ninja’s range of appliances blurs the line between blenders and food processors and incorporates single-serve models, too, whereas for the most part Vitamix blenders sit firmly in the blender category. As such, the features offered by Vitamix focus on ensuring they're the best possible full-size blenders they can be. 

The top-of-the-range Vitamix A3500 includes 10 variable speed levels as well as a programmable timer and five auto settings. Similarly, the top-of-the-range Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System offers 10 variable speeds as well as seven auto programs.

Both brands feature smart technology that allows the blenders to detect which accessory is attached, thereby automatically adjusting the available settings to suit.

As we've already mentioned, the largest and most common pitcher supplied by Vitamix is the 64 oz / 2-liter pitcher. Ninja pitcher sizes vary. The largest in the current range is advertised at 72 oz/ 2.1 liters, but since the max liquid volume is 64oz/ 2 liters, it’s safe to say they’re pretty comparable across the board for capacity.

Ninja’s highest-power blender has a 1600W motor, whereas the top model from Vitamix is equipped with a 1400W motor. Both are capable, powerful motors – and, at this level, blending performance relies as much on blade configuration as it does on the shape of the pitcher. Consequently, this small difference in wattage isn’t really much of an indicator as to which offers the best blending power.

On the whole, in their top-tier models the two brands offer similar blending speeds, power levels and capacity. However, the biggest distinction between the brands has to be in the range of compatible accessories and bundles.

We’ve mentioned already several times throughout this article that Vitamix blenders are generally models with a big pitcher and some optional extras such as single-serve cups. But Ninja has a wide range of hybrid blenders and not very many traditional standalone blenders. Consequently, the two brands differ quite dramatically in the features on offer, since the Vitamix standalone blenders can by design perform fewer functions than Ninjas multi-purpose blenders.

Vitamix vs Ninja: Verdict

There’s no denying that Vitamix blenders are well made and powerful, but if price is top on your priority list, you should consider a model from Ninja. You’ll be able to bag a multi-functional Ninja blender for a fraction of what you’ll pay for even the cheapest standalone blender on offer from Vitamix.

Having said that, if it’s pure blending muscle you're looking for, a Vitamix won’t let you down. This heavyweight blender delivers the power to pulverize pretty much anything – and it won’t clutter your cupboards with unwanted accessories.

If you want more information about the differences between blenders and food processors, check out our blenders vs food processors article.

One-minute review

Unless you’re an athlete or regular gym-goer, you might not have come across the ShakesSphere range of shakers, which are designed to mix up protein shakes through the manual shaking of a tumbler. Well, now the brand has also launched a cordless portable blender that could be up for a spot in our coveted list of the best blenders.

Launched by elite-level sprint athlete Rick Beardsell, with backing from UK TV show Dragon’s Den, the brand has gone from strength to strength over the past five years. And the ShakeSphere Portable Blender E-Lid is the next logical step in its journey, building on the functionality of the brand’s manual shakers, allowing you to blend ice and frozen fruits while remaining portable.

Charging via USB-C, the unit can blend up to 14 times before needing a recharge. It’s supplied with a Tritan tumbler, but fits onto almost all of the brand’s 24.6fl oz/ 700ml tumblers, which are available in a range of colors and finishes.

The blender itself comes in a sleek matte black or fluorescent yellow, with the ultra-modern shape reminiscent of a space rocket. It looks especially sleek when its three lights are illuminated while it’s charging or in use. But all this style doesn’t come cheap; the ShakeSphere Portable Blender E-Lid is expensive for a single-serve blender.

However, in comparison to other cordless blenders – such as the Nutribullet Go – it aced our tests, proving that it isn’t all style over substance. So if you can afford to splurge on a trendy appliance for making smoothies on the go, it’s a great choice. But its limited functionality and capacity mean that it’s quite a niche product – and the smoothies it makes aren’t as smooth as you’ll achieve from a plug-in blender.

ShakeSphere Portable Blender E-Lid price and availability

• List price: $90 / £72/ AU$129

The ShakeSphere Portable Blender E-Lid is available worldwide directly from the ShakeSphere website or from Amazon. It’s expensive for a single-serve blender, but it comes with a ShakeSphere Tritan Clear Tumbler bundled in, which would set you back $25 / £23/ AU$36 if bought separately.

The unit is compatible with all the tumblers in the ShakeSphere range, whose prices start at $20 / £20/ AU$30 for the Original Tumbler and go up to $60 / £55/ AU$85 for the Steel Tumbler.

Price and availability: 4.5 / 5 

ShakeSphere Portable Blender E-Lid design

• 24.6fl oz/ 700ml capacity
• Rechargeable cordless base
• Cup isn’t dishwasher safe

This sleek and stylish cordless blender will appeal to those who appreciate simple, fuss-free design. But with its rocket-like shape and fun color-changing lights on its feet,  this ShakeSphere blender still presents a playful edge. The logo and overall style are clearly aimed at the brand's sporty target market, rather than general kitchen appliance consumers. And it arrives in either a subtle matte black or vibrant fluorescent yellow finish.

It’s a compact blender that, when assembled, measures 9 x 4 x 4 inches/ 23 x 10 x 10cm (h x w x d). The blender lid with its cover weighs just 16.6oz/ 470g, while the Tritan Tumbler and lid come in at just 8.8oz/ 250g when empty, so you’ll barely notice the extra weight in your sports bag.

The clear Tritan Tumbler has a 24.6fl oz/ 700ml capacity, and while the blender lid is compatible with most other tumblers from ShakesSphere, none have a larger capacity, which means you’re limited to this size of drink.

When the unit isn’t in use, a blade cover screws on top of the blender lid for safety. The cup has a separate leak-proof lid, with a steel slide cap that covers the drinking spout. A finger loop aids easy carrying. When the blender lid is screwed to the cup, the lights illuminate blue to indicate it’s correctly sealed and ready to go. If they’re alternating between blue and red, it isn’t attached correctly.

A power button on the base of the blender lid becomes visible when you invert it to screw it to the cup. The button has to be pressed for three seconds to initiate the automatic blending cycle, which runs for a set time before stopping automatically.

The blender charges via a USB-C cable that’s included in the box, but you’ll need to supply your own wall plug or plug it into a laptop or other device for charging.

Design: 5 / 5

ShakeSphere Portable Blender E-Lid performance

• Quiet
• Simple to operate
• Copes well with ice

For our first go at making a drink with the ShakeSphere, we added mixed frozen berries, protein powder and milk to the tumbler. Having twisted the blender lid into position on top, we pressed the start button for the required three seconds for it to begin blending. However, it took us a few seconds to realize that once started, the whole unit needs to be inverted so that the ingredients meet the blades.

With the first blending cycle complete, there was still some protein powder stuck to the side of the tumbler, and we could also see some large pieces of berry skin. So we started a second blending cycle, which blended most of the protein powder and reduced the size of the fruit skin.

The resulting drink was pretty well blended. Its texture was gritty as a result of the berry seeds that remained whole and some small pieces of skin, but the protein powder and the rest of the berries were liquidized. The drink wasn’t as well pulverized as we’d expect from a powerful, full-sized blender. Nevertheless, the results were impressive given that this is a cordless blender and the cup was about 1/3 full of hard, frozen berries – which it broke down in under 80 seconds.

Our second blend consisted of banana, protein powder, cocoa powder, peanut butter and milk. The ShakeSphere blender took only one blend cycle to liquefy these ingredients. The protein and cocoa powders were well mixed as was the peanut butter. The drink was virtually smooth, although there were some very tiny pieces of banana present – and by tiny we mean the size of a grain of sugar, so small enough not to bother most people. That said, if your preference is for a completely smooth drink then you’d probably have to blend it a second time.

Next up was a smoothie recipe that’s used to test all the blenders that we review, consisting of pineapple, spinach, apple juice, banana and Greek yogurt. It took just one blending cycle to turn these ingredients into a tasty drink. Some specs of spinach were visible, and the smoothie had a slightly pulpy texture; it wasn’t the silky-smooth drink that we’d expect a full-size blender to produce. But, for a small cordless blender it was an impressive result in under 40 seconds.

We did a blend with just water and six ice cubes to assess how well it crushed ice – and we were impressed. One blend cycle was sufficient for all the ice to be completely pulverized. What’s more, the blender remained stable on the counter throughout the blending cycle.

Despite being advertised as performing 30-second blend cycles, in our tests each cycle lasted for approximately 39 seconds. However, it’s noticeably quiet in comparison to most blenders we’ve reviewed, maxing out at just 75dB, which is similar to a vacuum cleaner.

One downside evident in all tests was that, despite being correctly screwed to the cup, the blender often didn’t display the blue lights that signal that it’s correctly attached. As such, it wouldn’t begin blending; we had to unscrew and rescrew it several times, which became quite irritating. Especially since it wasn’t at all obvious why the blender couldn’t recognize that it was correctly installed.

The ShakeSphere Portable Blender E-Lid’s tumbler cups aren’t dishwasher safe, but they clean very easily. Simply fill with water, pop on the lid and give the tumbler a good shake, or you can add water to the cup, screw on the blend lid and start up a blending cycle. We found both methods effective.

Performance; 4 / 5

ShakeSphere Portable Blender E-Lid battery life

• Charges via USB-C
• Red lights indicate a low battery
• Battery exceeded manufacturer’s claimsty list

In our tests, the blender was able to complete 26 blending cycles before it needed a recharge. This is almost double the 14 cycles stated by the brand. The three lights turn a solid red if you try to start it when the battery is too low.

A full recharge of the battery took four hours, which is at the lower end of the 4-6 hours claimed by the manufacturer. The lights remain red for the duration of the charge. Once the blender is fully charged, the lights switch to green; but there’s no way to check the battery percentage mid-way through.

Battery life: 5 / 5

ShakeSphere Portable Blender E-Lid score card

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• First reviewed: September 2022

One minute review

Magimix is a brand synonymous with some of the best food processors, but the brand offers so much more than these must-have chopping and mixing appliances. Having expanded on its food processor expertise, the brand now has a whole range of other countertop kitchen appliances including blenders, and this juicer.

The Magimix Juice Expert 3 markets itself as a cold press juicer, though confusingly it appears to be configured more like a centrifugal juicer. We’d call it a hybrid juicer, it works like a centrifugal juicer but at slower speeds to give some of the benefits of a slow juicer.

The central spinning filter basket cuts up the fruits and vegetables and pushes them through the filter for smooth pulp-free juice drinks. And the extra press attachment means it can handle typically tricky-to-juice fruits like banana and berries, creating thicker pulpy smoothie style drinks, there’s even a citrus press for OJ on demand.

We like that it comes with a recipe book packed with plenty of ideas on how to get the most from the juicer, from coulis to ice-lollies and even cake recipes to use up that fibrous pulp waste. It doesn’t come with a juice container though, so you’ll need to provide your own jug or simply pop a glass under the spout. And annoyingly all the pulp remains inside the filter, so when making bigger batches, you’ll have to keep disassembling it to remove the pulp.

In our tests it produced exceptionally smooth, clear juice, though there was some froth on top. It made short work of raspberries, removing the seeds and leaving a thick smoothie style drink that you wouldn’t get from other juicers. The citrus press is easy to use, makes delicious juice and is less wasteful than juicing citrus in a regular juicer. Overall we found it straightforward to use and more versatile than many of its competitors, but it’s not a budget choice and it doesn’t produce the same high juice yields as a typical slow juicer for ingredients like kale.

Magimix Juice Expert 3: price and availability

•  List price: £250 / AU$649 

The Magimix Juice Expert 3 is available direct from Magimix or through other retailers such as Amazon UK and Australia AU, but it’s not currently available in the US.

Although it’s double the price of the most budget slow juicer we’ve reviewed, it’s also half the price of those at the most expensive end of the scale. So while, on the face of it, this is a lot of money to pay for an appliance that just produces freshly squeezed juice, it’s actually a mid-range option in comparison to the rest of the market.

• Price and availability score: 4/ 5

Design

•  Pulp collects in filter basket 
•  Dishwasher safe parts 
•  Two citrus cones for different size fruits 

This juicer is striking in its streamlined compact design, yet it has a weighty and robust construction that gives it a quality feel. It measures 41.5 x 21.4 x 18.3cm/ 16.3 x 8.4 x 7.2inches (h x w x d) so doesn’t take up too much counter space. It is tall, though, so it’s best not to place it beneath wall mounted kitchen cupboards or you may struggle to feed fruit and vegetables into the chute.

In Australia it’s available in black or red, with a stainless-steel base, whereas in the UK, there’s only the black version available. If you’re planning to store it in a cupboard, keep in mind that it’s 7.5kg/ 16.5lbs so it feels a little heavy to lift and move around. You’ll also need to find storage space for the citrus press attachment which, apart from the included spatula, is the only part that can’t be stored inside the juicer.

When putting it together we found it all slots together intuitively and with just one on/off button, there are no complicated settings to master. The extra wide feed chute is large enough to leave some fruits whole, so you don’t need to spend ages cutting everything into tiny pieces before juicing, apples just need cutting in half.

The main juice filter is designed for use with harder fruits and vegetables, and it’ll produce smooth clear juice. If you want to juice softer fruits like berries or bananas to create thicker pulpier smoothie style drinks, you can insert the extra press accessory. And if citrus juice is what you fancy, then all you need to do is remove the filter basket and pop in the citrus press attachment. It has two cones, one for smaller citrus fruits like lemons and limes, and there’s a larger cone for juicing oranges and grapefruit.

Unlike many other juicers, this one doesn’t have a separate pulp container, the pulp collects in the filter basket so you’ll need to disassemble it regularly to empty out the pulp.

• Design score: 4.5/ 5

Performance

•  Produces very smooth juice 
•  Some pips get into citrus juice 
•  Pusher requires some force 

To get started, we juiced a couple of carrots and weighed the carrots before and after juicing to work out the yield. Impressively the juice yield was 53% which is amongst the highest yields we’ve seen for carrots across all the juicers we’ve reviewed. Plus, the juice itself was exceptionally smooth and clear.

Next up we tried out the citrus press. It’s not common to get a citrus press attachment with a juicer but it certainly enables you to get more juice from citrus fruits. Juicing oranges is easy and the arm that comes down onto the orange to hold it in place, means it’s safer than holding it with your hand.

It takes about 15 seconds to juice each orange half and you have to switch the machine off when you need to remove and replace the orange. First we tried making smooth juice with the pulp system in place, a few bits of pulp and pips made their way into the drink but for the most part the juice was smooth. When the pulp system was removed to create a juice with pulp, annoyingly even more orange pips made their way into the drink along with some pulp, but perhaps our oranges just had lots of small pips. The drink wasn’t overly pulpy, but it was about 1/3 froth.

As we do in all juicers, we attempted to juice kale and it produced a very smooth shot of this green health drink. The juice yield was 26% which is lower than the best cold press juicers, which can achieve kale yields of up to 50%. But that said, it’s much better than many centrifugal juicers, that can be as low as 15%.

Juicing berries is often very wasteful and not something we usually attempt in our juicer reviews, but since this juicer comes with the Extra Press attachment for just this type of fruit, we gave it a go. Opting for raspberries, we were pleasantly surprised that it gave us a thick raspberry smoothie with a 78% yield. Most of what was left to discard was the raspberry seeds, none of which made it into the drink. This thick raspberry smoothie would be a great base for a raspberry sauce or ice cream.

Finally we made a mixed green juice containing celery, apple, pear, broccoli, parsley and ginger. This was no problem for the juicer, but we had to apply quite a bit of pressure to the pusher to get all the ingredients juiced. The yield was 67% which is fairly typical for this juice, and the juice itself was beautifully smooth with just a little froth on top.

To juice a whole apple, you will need to cut it in half and it takes around 15 seconds. But, as with all the other juices we made, lots of juice continues to dribble and drip from the spout for a while after you’ve switched it off. So it’s best to leave the container where it is for a minute or so to catch the last of the juice. A drip stop would have been a welcome addition.

It didn’t get much louder than about 78dB in most of our tests, which isn’t too noisy. And cleaning is easy if you’ve got a dishwasher as all parts can be cleaned in a dishwasher. If you don’t have a dishwasher, like all juicers, the parts are a bit fiddly to clean, we’d recommend using a brush and having a read through our guide on how to clean a juicer for some top tips.

• Performance score: 4.5/ 5

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One minute review

Zwilling J. A. Henckels is a German kitchen brand that was founded almost 300 years ago. Originally the brand was known for its kitchen knives, but over the years its product range has expanded significantly through innovation as well as acquisition of other brands. It’s only recently got involved with the kitchen appliances market with the launch of its Enfinigy range of countertop appliances in 2020.

It now has three blenders on offer, two full size and one personal blender – though only one full size blender is currently available in the US. The Zwilling Enfinigy Power Blender is the best blender of the bunch, the most expensive and feature-rich blender you can buy from the brand.

It comes with a 64oz/ 1.8 liter Tritan pitcher and as you’d expect from a knife manufacturer, a quality stainless-steel serrated blade, with what they call piranha teeth. There are four auto programs as well as pulse and an auto clean program. Additionally, you can choose from 12 levels of manual speed, and everything is operated via one central control dial, making it simple to use and giving a streamlined appearance.

Our test results were somewhat mixed, the ice crush program produced chopped ice that was chunkier than we expected, but the smoothie program did a great job of pulverizing a bunch of ingredients into a lump-free drink. We made a thick glossy mayo successfully, but only on the second attempt. Having said this, it’s a fast, powerful blender that’ll stand up to most blending tasks. It’s expensive though, so it’s best suited to those with plenty of disposable income, who want a good-looking blender to complement a modern streamlined kitchen.

Zwilling Enfinigy Power Blender: price and availability

•  List price: $400 / £349/ AU$576 

The Zwilling Enfinigy Power Blender is available direct from Zwilling in the UK and US as well as through other major retailers such as Amazon. In Australia it’s known as the Zwilling Enfinigy High Performance Stand Mixer and can be purchased via Amazon AU.

It’s an expensive blender and is the top-of-the-range model on offer from Zwilling. The brand also offers the more budget friendly Zwilling Enfinigy Table Blender in the UK and Australia for £199/ AU$365 – though it’s called the Zwilling Enfinigy Universal Blender in Australia and it’s not available in the US.

• Price and availability score: 3.5/5

Design

• Available in black or silver 
• Simple settings 
• Non-slip feet

With an uncomplicated and contemporary appearance, this blender is ideal for modern kitchens. While the blender is switched off, none of the settings are visible, so it has a very sleek and streamlined look. But once switched on, with the pitcher in position, the backlit display illuminates all the available settings around the dial. You can choose from 12 manual speeds, pulse, smoothie, cocktails, ice (for ice cream), ice cube crushing and there’s an auto clean program too. Which is handy since the lid and tamper are the only parts that can be washed in a dishwasher.

Size wise, it’s about average for a blender, measuring 16.65 x 7.6 x 7.6 inches/ 39.9 x 16.5 x 16.5cm. The pitcher isn’t glass, it’s made of Tritan, a hard plastic that’s BPA-free and cold resistant, and the benefit of it not being glass is that it’s lightweight, weighing just 2.9 lbs/ 1.3kg including the lid. The blender won’t start unless the lid is in position, a useful safety feature that means it’ll also stop blending if the lid is removed during use.

The pitcher simply has to be placed on top of the base, there’s no awkward twisting and locking maneuver that needs to take place to position it. Though we were somewhat disappointed that it can only be placed on the base with the handle positioned to the right, making it easier to use for right-handed people, but a bit more awkward if you’re left-handed.

The lid pushes on with ease, securing a tight seal, but it’s not tough to remove like some others. It features a removable central cup that allows you to insert the tamper to stir your mixture or pour extra ingredients in during blending. The cup also doubles as a small measuring cup, with handy markings at 1oz/ 2oz/ 20ml/ 40ml/ 60ml.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Performance

•  Blades don’t reach low enough for small quantities 
•  Crushed ice was chunky 
•  Auto clean program works well 

We started with a simple test, but one that most blenders struggle to do effectively, which is chopping hazelnuts. It took seven presses of the pulse button for all the larger chunks to disappear, but by this point most of the nuts were over chopped with a fine, ground texture. When we tipped the nuts onto a plate, it was apparent that there were still some bigger chunks amongst the fine powder, so the overall texture was quite uneven. But, as we said, this is a tricky test and if it’s fine, ground nuts you’re after, this blender is up to the task.

Next up we tried out the ice program using just six ice cubes. The program takes 35 seconds and at the end we were presented with chopped ice that still contained some bigger chunks. It was far from the fine, snowy crushed ice that we’re used to seeing from other blenders. If you just want your ice chopped and you don’t mind it a bit uneven, you won’t be disappointed, but if you’re looking for a fine crush, that’s not what you’ll get.

After crushing ice, we filled it up the max line with water and turned the dial up to the highest speed. This allows us to check for any leaking, but we were pleased to see the lid retained a tight seal despite the very fast blending speed.

To try out the smoothie auto program, we filled the pitcher with yogurt, apple juice, spinach, pineapple, and banana. The program took just 36 seconds and delivered a delicious, smooth, lump-free drink that was lightly aerated. Virtually all the ingredients were completely pulverized with just a few tiny flecks of spinach still visible, a great result in well under a minute.

Our first attempt at making mayo didn’t go so well; the blades don’t reach low enough to blend very small quantities and our recipe contains just two egg yolks. We persevered but the mixture didn’t emulsify. So we tried again, this time doubling the recipe. This did the trick and after two minutes gradually pouring the oil in on the slowest speed setting, the ingredients emulsified into a thick, glossy mayo. We removed the central cup insert to pour in the oil which meant some splashing out of the hole during the early stages of mixing, though this is quite common.

Figuring out how to clean a blender, especially after making an oily mayo mixture, is always going to be a chore, so this was a good time to test out the auto clean program. We followed the directions in the manual and added 17 oz/ 500ml water along with a squirt of dish soap and started up the program. It took just 42 seconds and did indeed remove all the mayo residues. After emptying, the pitcher and lid just needed another quick wipe to ensure they were thoroughly clean. It was far quicker and easier than trying to wash it by hand.

All blenders are noisy and this one’s no different, it maxed out at 87dB on our noise meter when crushing ice. But it was a more pleasant 64dB when we mixed up mayo on the slowest speed setting.

• Performance score: 4/5

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• First reviewed: July 2022

The distinctive fiery taste of ginger has long established it as a favorite ingredient in a multitude of sweet and savory dishes. Its spicy, earthy flavor adds depth to curries, a welcome heat to chutneys and enhances the flavor of delicious treats like carrot cake, not to mention taking center stage in gingerbread. And though it’s quite common to add a small amount to juices to give them a kick, did you know ginger shots are also a thing?

We’re all familiar with popular ginger-based drinks such as ginger ale and ginger beer, and you may have even tried drinks from your local juice bar that have a kick of ginger. But have you ever wondered how to juice ginger at home? This hard root doesn’t necessarily look like it contains much juice, but then, neither does kale and we manage to get juice shots out of that, so why not ginger?

We wanted to know how easy it is to juice ginger at home, so while we were reviewing one of the best juicers, we attempted to juice ginger. Our aim was to figure out how to do it, whether it needs peeling, and whether a domestic juicer could cope with this tough, fibrous root, not to mention how much juice you get from a chunk of ginger root, so read on to see how we got on… 

Why juice ginger?

Well, aside from the obvious fiery kick that some people swear by as an alternative to caffeine in the mornings, ginger has numerous reported health benefits. Most of us have heard of its potential to reduce feelings of nausea, though if you do feel nauseous, a whole shot of ginger juice is probably the last thing you’ll want. But it’s also been used medicinally for thousands of years, and while much evidence is anecdotal there is evidence of real health benefits.

According to a clinical dietician at Johns Hopkins Medicine, ginger can support your well-being. It contains 400 natural compounds, including anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidants. It’s also reportedly good for aiding digestion as well as gut health. 

Do I need a juicer?

Without a juicing appliance, you’re going to struggle to efficiently extract all the juice from ginger. A bit of Googling will lead you to various recipes and ways of doing it. But we figure life’s too short to be shredding ginger and straining it through a cheesecloth to extract what is likely to be a very small quantity of juice! You may as well just consume your ginger in other ways, like adding it to stir fries or making ginger tea. So based on this, we only experimented with juicing ginger in a juicer. 

How to juice ginger

The first question is whether ginger needs to be peeled before juicing and actually this one is pretty easy to answer. The skin isn’t tough, in fact it’s far thinner and more delicate than the root itself, so a juicer that can cope with ginger can easily discard the skin and there’s no need to peel it first. This is great news because it reduces the prep time, especially since ginger can be fiddly to peel.

When it comes to how much you need to cut up the ginger, this will depend on your juicer. It’s always worth having a read through the user manual to see what the product manufacturer advises. We had a look through the manuals for the top three juicers in our best juicer guide to see what they advise. Breville the Juice Fountain Cold offers no advise on juicing ginger, neither does the AMZCHEF slow juicer. The Nutribullet juicer advises juicing ginger on the higher speed setting and where ginger is listed in the included recipe book, it suggests juicing 2 inch pieces at a time.

We used this as a bit of a starting point and cut our unpeeled ginger into 2 inch chunks ready for juicing. We were using the Magimix Juice Expert 3, a juicer that claims to be a cold press juicer, but that works in much the same way as a centrifugal juicer. This model only has one speed, so we threw the pieces down the chute and weighed what came out of the other end.

We juiced 7oz/ 200g ginger including skin and this gave us 4.8oz/ 135g of juice, which we thought was a pretty impressive result. It’s more juice than we managed to extract from carrots in the same juicer which surprised us.

A standard ginger shot is approximately 1oz/ 30ml and we were keen to figure out how many ounces of fresh ginger are required to produce a single shot. In this particular juicer you’d need 1.5oz/ 43g fresh ginger root to make a shot, but do keep in mind this quantity will vary depending on the juicer and the type of ginger, as well as how fresh the ginger is.

All-in-all, juicing ginger isn’t tricky when you’ve got a juicer, and most juicers can handle it quite easily. If you haven’t tried juiced ginger, take it from us, it certainly has a spicy kick when you drink it on its own, plus ours had a bitter back note that we weren’t expecting. It’s a bit of an acquired taste and we think it’s nicer when added to a mixture of other fruits and vegetables – you’ll still be able to enjoy all the health benefits this way, but it might be more pleasant to drink. And, if you’re not convinced that a kick of ginger in the morning is a suitable replacement for caffeine, head over to our roundup of the best espresso machines for something to really wake you up in the morning.

Whether you're making a morning smoothie, blitzing a soup straight from the pan or crushing ice for frozen margaritas, a good blender quickly earns its place on the kitchen counter. The tricky part isn't deciding whether you need one, it's working out which one is actually worth your money.

That's where we come in. Our reviewers have spent hours testing blenders from brands including Ninja, Vitamix, Nutribullet and KitchenAid, making everything from fibrous green smoothies to nut butter and frozen drinks to find out which machines genuinely deliver. We don't just look at power on paper, either. We check how smooth the results are, how loud each blender is, how easy it is to clean and whether we'd actually want to use it every day.

Whether you're after a compact personal blender for post-gym smoothies or a full-size jug blender that can tackle family-sized batches of soup, we've found the models worth buying and the ones we'd skip.

Not sure if you need a blender at all? A blender is the better choice for liquids such as smoothies, soups and sauces, while today's best food processors excel at chopping, slicing and mixing thicker ingredients. If you're still unsure, we've explained the differences below. Otherwise, let's find the right blender for your kitchen.

Meet the expert

The best blenders

The best blender overall

If you're looking for an ultra-capable, versatile, all-rounder, the Braun TriForce (or PowerBlend 9 in the UK and Australia) is the best blender for you. After testing, it quickly became Victoria, one of our regular reviewers, go-to blender. It excels at the basics, offering quick and efficient blending of a wide range of ingredients, partly thanks to an unusual triangular jug shape that funnels the mixture down towards the blades, leaving little if any stuck to the sides.

It's also extremely customizable, with six presets (and three texture settings for each), plus 10 manual speed options. On test, we found all of the presets delivered the consistency we wanted, creating smooth smoothies, consistently textured hummus, and effectively crushed ice. The presets stray away from the standard offerings to more unusual, but very welcome, additions like a Hot Soup mode and Chop function.

While it can be a little noisy on higher settings, it's worth it for the speed and power on offer. The 2L just is generous, so if you want something a little more compact, check out our #2 pick instead.

Read our full Braun TriForce / PowerBlend 9 blender review

The best medium capacity blender

If our #1 pick is a little big, check out the Breville Fresh and the Furious (known as Sage the Fresh and Furious in the UK). This blender combines the brand's sleek styling with power to create a compact blender that's effective and easy to use. It's also more affordable than other models the brand offers, although the base is made from plastic rather than metal. The 1.6-quart /1.5-liter jug is smaller than most other Breville blenders, and smaller than the 2-liter capacity of the Braun TriForce #1.

On test, this blender performed well across the board. It was able to liquidize pineapple and leafy spinach into a completely smooth and lightly aerated drink, with no bits, as well as crush ice, chop nuts, and emulsify eggs and oil into mayonnaise, with no issues.

We found a slight amount of leakage when the blender was filled to maximum capacity, but this was only in the well of the lid and not enough to be a serious concern. If you need a general-purpose jug blender for a wide range of kitchen needs, the Fresh and Furious is an excellent choice.

Read our full Breville the Fresh and Furious review

The best small blender

Beast's blenders are designed with the health-conscious crowd in mind, and with three blending vessels included, the 850 Plus is ideal for whipping up shakes, smoothies, and salad dressings. It's not the most powerful model in Beast's range (that would be the Mega 1200 Plus), but in my tests it proved more than a match for tough ingredients like chunky frozen strawberries and handfuls of fibrous veg.

Unlike some similarly sized blenders, the 850 Plus doesn't run from a battery, and therefore can't be used on the move. You do, however, get a choice of lids for carrying your creations, including one made for drinking from, and one that you can poke a straw through for mess-free sipping. You get two reusable straws bundled with the blender, along with two cleaning brushes.

All three blending vessels have ridged sides, which according to Beast Health work to produce 'internal turbulence'. I certainly can't argue with the results, though ingredients (particularly sticky ones like peanut butter) have a tendency to get stuck on them. Thankfully though, all the blending vessels and lids are dishwasher-safe, so it's never much of a problem. Just put them on the top rack and they come out spotless.

Read our full Beast Mighty 850 Plus review

The best smoothie maker

Like the Beast Mighty 850 Plus above, the Ninja BlendBoss is a personal blender that's designed to be used in the kitchen, with a cup that detaches so you can take your creations to work, the gym, or anywhere else. It blends your ingredients directly inside a Stanley-style cup with a large handle for easy carrying, which fits into most car cup holders.

It's an unusual-looking blender with a large, heavy base shaped like a swashed sphere (an oblate spheroid, if you want to get technical). This houses a 1,400-watt motor, which is more powerful than any other smoothie-maker I've tested to date, and can send the blades spinning at up to 20,000rpm.

In practice, that means it makes light work of even the toughest, smallest, and hardest ingredients, turning vegetables, seeds, and frozen fruit into silky drinks in moments. There are three different drink programs to choose from, which use different blending patterns to ensure everything is totally smooth; just pick one, press the button, and wait.

To prevent the blender dancing across your countertop while that mighty motor does its thing, Ninja has equipped the BlendBoss with three suction cups underneath, plus textured silicone to ensure it stays firmly in place.

An unusual-looking blender that comes in a wide range of fun colors and will handle virtually any ingredient you can throw at it. Just bear in mind that you can't adjust it to blend on the move as you can with a rechargeable smoothie-maker, so you'll need to prepare your drinks in advance.

Read our full Ninja BlendBoss review

The best stick blender

Stick blenders (also called hand blenders or immersion blenders) are very convenient for making soups and sauces because they don't require you to pour hot ingredients between pans and pitchers. However, they can be uncomfortable to use, particularly if you have to hold down a hard button to keep the blade running.

That's not the case with the Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6, which has a curved body that's comfortable to hold, and a large trigger-style control that you can pull with your whole hand. It's a clever design that's particularly well suited to anyone with limited strength or mobility in their hands.

During my tests the standard blender foot worked extremely well, turning cooked ingredients into smooth vegetable soup in a couple of minutes. The only drawback was that the body of the blender had a tendency to get rather warm, though the soft-touch grip never became hot.

In addition to the blending foot, the ErgoMaster Series 6 also comes with a mini chopper attachment with two blades (one for small ingredients and another for ice), plus a balloon whisk. I found the chopper's 'universal blade' great for herbs, nuts, onions, and cheese (though cheese must be cut into small cubes first) and the balloon whisk was even better than my regular hand mixer for whipping egg whites into stiff peaks.

The only accessory that didn't blow me away was the ice blade. According to the manual, this should have chopped a handful of ice cubes in just a few seconds, but even after a full minute, my ice was a very uneven slush.

If you're not planning to dice much ice, though, this is an excellent stick blender that's super easy and comfortable to use.

Pssst, if you are looking for a cheaper alternative to a stick blender, scroll down to our also tested section.

Read our full Bosch ErgoMaster Series 6 review

The best blender for ice

The Smeg Professional Blender delivered the best crushed ice of any blender we've tested, turning cubes into even and smooth snow that's perfect for margaritas or slushies. The design is slimline and ultra-stylish, with a more grown-up, minimalist look you might expect from this brand. There's a good range of blending options – nine speeds, four presets (including ice), plus pulse, and even an Auto Clean option. On test, we found these presets very effective, although we were less impressed with the results in manual mode; these could be hit-and-miss.

It sits in the premium price bracket, and although the performance is solid, it's really aimed at style-conscious buyers. If you want a more heavy-duty blender, you'd be better off with with the Breville the Super Q (#6) or, if you're getting really serious, the Vitamix A3500 (#7).

Read our full Smeg Professional Blender review

The best professional blender

The Vitamix A3500 blender means serious business and made light work of combining ingredients in our tests without leaving any chunks behind. We used it to create deliciously smooth smoothies, as it can quickly blitz ice cubes too. This Vitamix blender has an impressive 10 variable speed settings, a pulse function, and five programs with predefined speeds and durations for everything from smoothies to dips and spreads. There's even a programmable timer to set the blender to work and automatically switch it off once the timer is up.

However, the A3500 is quite bulky, so consider this if you're short on space. It's heavy and the most expensive blender we've tested, with a price tag that's double and, in some cases, triple that of other blenders on this list.

Read our full Vitamix A3500 review

The best food processor combo

If you're buying appliances for your very first kitchen, or you're just short of space, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System is a great option. It consists of a base containing a 1,500W motor, with a full-size blending jug, single-portion smoothie maker, and food processor so you get three appliances in one.

Nutribullet hasn't skimped on quality here, and during our testing all three components performed as well as a standalone appliance. The jug blender was excellent for hummus and mayonnaise (though we found it best for large servings), the blending cup made light work of even tough smoothie ingredients, and the food processor was ideal for veggies and cheese.

You don't get all the discs and blades you would with a top-end food processor (there's no dough mixer, for example), but all the basics are covered well. (If you're a serious home chef, take a look at our full guide to the best food processors for some premium options.)

Read our full Nutribullet Triple Prep System review

We also tested

We test new kitchen appliances from big brands every month here on TechRadar. Here are some of the ones that didn't quite make our shortlist:

FAQs

How to choose the best blender for you

When selecting the best blender for you, start by identifying the type of blender you need. Jug blenders have a blade inside the plastic or glass receptacle, which spins when connected to the motor in the base units. As a result, they can blend in large quantities but the downside is that they are also usually bulky.

Smoothie blenders, also known as personal blenders, come with a small plastic cup rather than a jug. Fill the cup with your ingredients, then attach the blade, flip the cup upside down and connect to the base. When the ingredients are blended to your liking, remove from the base, unscrew the blade, and screw on a to-go lid, then take your drink with you.

Finally, there are also immersion blenders to consider. These are really useful for soup, where you can blend your soup in the pot instead of having to pour it into a separate blending appliance. Often referred to as hand blenders or stick blenders, immersion blenders are designed to be inserted into a saucepan or container of ingredients you want to puree. These compact appliances should be swirled around in the liquid while the blade spins to ensure it’s blended uniformly – but you need to be careful if you don't want soup shooting everywhere. For more advice on this, it would be worth taking a look at our jug blenders vs immersion blenders guide.

Things to look for in a blender

• Auto shut-off for safety
• BPA-free or glass jug
• Measurements on the jug
• Drip-free pouring spout
• Capacity of jug (counter top) / tumbler (portable)
• No. of speed and power settings
• Non-slip feet
• Available accessories

How we test blenders

To compare each blender, we’ve spent hours in the kitchen preparing bowlfuls of mayonnaise, and blending pineapple, spinach, and Greek yogurt into a smoothie. As well as assessing how smooth the sauce and smoothie are, we’re also looking for ingredients that are well-combined without any curdling and whether there is residue trapped under the blade or if the elements have leaked from the base lid during blending.

We also evaluate how finely and evenly the blenders chop ice and nuts and compare how easy they are to use. Finally, for each model, we rate how loud they are, how durable and easy to clean the body and parts are, and the valuable accessories they come with, such as a tamper for moving ingredients closer to the blade, extra jugs, or containers, and recipe booklets for inspiration.

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How to squeeze a lemon seems like such a simple thing to do, but we all go about it in very different ways for various reasons. 

Lemons are citrus fruits that contain Vitamin C, which is essential for a healthy diet. Along with boosting immunity, a burst of these vitamins can reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease with regular consumption. We like to think that it's best served as lemonade, but adding it to tea is also nice. 

Another common use of lemon is its cleaning ability, thanks to its acidic juice. This isn't a new thing - we've been using lemon juice for centuries to cut through grease and grim throughout our homes. It's all-natural and doesn't cost a lot - or the earth, environmentally speaking.

Aren't lemons great? It's no wonder we're seeing search rocket for this citrus variety, especially asking how to juice it - and, spoiler alert, it's not always down to having the best juicer, although owning one can help.

How to squeeze a lemon

We've thought of three ways to go about extracting lemon juice from lemons. Some are easier than others, and some are more expensive than others.

1. Use a juicer

You can get a citrus juicer which is specifically designed for citrus fruits, such as the Smeg CJF01. These don't require you to peel off the waxy skin - you'll just need to chop the lemon in half before using the appliance.

Whereas a cold press juicer, on the other hand, will grind and chew the fruit and then push it through a strainer to separate the juice from the pulp. 

Whilst you can get your hands on a citrus juicer for $100 / £100, a cold press juicer could set you back $500 / £500. It could be used for other fruits and veg, other than lemons, though.

2. Use a manual juicer

This is probably the most common method of juicing a lemon which is both affordable and easy to do. If the wax of the lemon is particularly tough, a bit of effort will be required to extract all of the the juice from the lemon.

Washing up by hand after use could also be a little cumbersome if the manual juicer has a fine mesh to clean and the small pips and flesh are wedged between it.

3. Use your hand

It helps if the lemon is cut in half to free up the juice but, yes, this is one way to squeeze out the juice. Perhaps the most familiar scene of this being done is when you have a wedge of lemon served with a fish & chip dinner. It does the job, and it's free - but you won't be able to match the quantities achieved by an appliance.

Ideas on how to use lemon juice

Now you've got your lemon juice, what can you use it for? It's been used for centuries in various ways; from consumption to cleaning, but here are our favourite things to do with it.

Clean a coffee maker

You can clean a coffee maker with lemon juice with a solution that can be made up to descale. Add 1 fluid ounce (30 milliliters) of lemon juice to two cups of water and pour into the coffee maker, then bring to a boil and leave to cool. Run a coffee maker cycle (without coffee) and give it a rinse through a few times to remove a lemony taste.

Clean the oven

You can clean an oven by filling an oven-safe dish with water and lemon. Turn the oven on and heat it - with just the lemon and water dish inside - for 30 minutes at 482˚F/250˚C. Leave to cool, take the dish out and wipe away any loosened grease or grime.

Make lemonade

Mix the lemon juice (approx. 3 lemons) with one cup (140 grams) of caster sugar and 0.2 gallons (1 liter) of water.

Another way is to tip the lemons, sugar and water into a blender and mix until the lemon is finely chopped. You'll then want to use a sieve over a bowl to remove pips and fruit.

How do you get the most juice out of a lemon?

This is a top tip: if you roll the lemon on the countertop, this will loosen some of the citrus membranes and makes the outside easier to squeeze. 

You can also pop the whole, uncut lemon in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, causing some of the membrane inside to burst and free the juice as well as softening it before squeezing. 

To really max out your juice collection, use the underside of a spoon to ream the lemon, catching any sneaky, submerged juice pods.

The ripest lemons will perform best, so get squeezing as quickly as possible after buying your next batch! 

One minute review

Smeg is a household name that has been around for years and is a particular favorite of ours. Inspired by their Italian heritage, they use bold colors, unique designs and innovative new materials to differentiate themselves from the busy home appliance market and, therefore, others competing to make the best juicer on the market.

The Smeg CJF01 citrus juicer is no exception to this. With its retro 50s styling and beautiful pastel blue hue (also available in other colors), it looked really smart on our kitchen countertop. 

It does exactly what is intended; it juices citrus fruits. It's also incredibly easy to set up with minimal assembly required, and it's obvious how to use it just from looking at the instructions and the appliance.

Smeg claims that it has an anti-drip, pop-up spout that allows liquid to be dispensed easily in a clean way. Further to its design, the universal cone and strainer mean that you can squeeze both large and small fruit.

At $199.95 / £139 / AU $206, it is what we consider to be a high-ticket item. Yes, it does what you need it to, but you can juice lemons in a much more affordable way with something more manual - although it is less effort with the Smeg CJF01 citrus juicer to hand.

Smeg CJF01 citrus juicer: price and availability

• List price: $199.95 / £139 / AU $206
• Widely available

The Smeg CJF01 is priced at $199.95 / £139 / AU $206 and is widely available through resellers. You can't buy it directly from Smeg but you can find out where you can buy it from through their website.

It is the only citrus juicer from Smeg in all available regions. They do also have the Smeg slow juicer which is a more versatile option - it just doesn't do citrus.

•  Price and availability score: 3/5

Design

• Beautiful colors; pastel blue, pink, cream, pastel green & white
• Retro 50s styling
• No buttons, switches or dials

The Smeg CJF01 citrus juicer is a very good-looking appliance. If you already own one of the brand's 50s-style fridges, coffee makers or kettles, it'll feel like a natural choice to bring into your kitchen.

In Smeg's own words it's an appliance that is 'designed to show off', and that it does. It has smooth curved lines, along with everything you need to juice a variety of citrus fruits. It measures 1.86 x 7.8 x 6.2inches / 29.5 x 20 x 16cm  (h x w x d), so this is a juicer with stance, too - some may even say bulk. There are no buttons, switches or dials to press or hold which adds to the appeal, not to mention the ease of use. 

The 70W motor with an integrated on-off sensor does all the work which is activated by pressing down one-half of the fruit until it runs dry. Juice pours out of the non-drip spout, and while this does channel the liquid very well, we found that it does, regrettably, drip - even after removing your vessel from underneath it.

It comes with a removable cover to protect it when not in use (which can also be used as a bowl for holding peel), and all of the components are removable for washing, which makes using the appliance from start to finish quick and easy.

• Design score: 4/5

Performance

• Juiced the citrus fruits easily
• Very easy to use
• No built-in strainer for pulp or small pips

We found the Smeg CJF01 citrus juicer very easy to assemble, very easy to use and equally very easy to clean. We juiced all of the citrus fruit varieties we could find in our local greengrocer - grapefruit, orange, nadorcotts (a type of clementine), lemon and a lime - and even a kiwi fruit, where there was some logic behind the decision.

The drip spout is not adjustable so we were pretty limited to what glass/vessel we could use. Luckily, we had a few of the same glasses which worked out well for juicing all the citrus fruits in line - and for the purpose of this review. The height to the base of the spout is 120mm, so a vessel of up to this height is what you'll need to have to comfortably have the juice trickling into.

We started big with the orange. We cut it in half (widthways), placed it flesh-side-down onto the juicer and applied some pressure. The motor kicked in and started to rotate the juicing cone inside of the orange half. It took just a few seconds for the juice to start trickling out down the drip spout and into the glass.

Next up, we juiced a couple of nadorcotts. Juice extraction was good but, the skin on this particular citrus fruit isn't as thick or as waxy as the lemon and it started to fall apart in our hands. When it started to do this I stopped juicing it, the motor automatically powered off, and I could see that it had quickly eaten away at the fleshy fruit.

The lemon and lime juice was efficiently extracted and the skins were intact after extracting all of the juice. The larger pips were captured on the strainer but with the lime, in particular, smaller pips made their way into the glass, so you'll (also) want get a small sieve for filtering out anything you don't want in the juice.

Juicing grapefruit with the Smeg CJF01 was by far the easiest way to go about it. Grapefuits are large and often have tough skin so using a manual citrus juicer was a lot more effort (in this case) to extract the juice - we did try, as a comparison.

The juicing cone worked through the flesh quickly and a lot of fruit was collected on the strainer, but pips did make their way through.

I decided to try to juice a kiwi, purely out of curiosity. The logic was that I could cut it in half easily and that it has soft fruit for the juicing cone to work its magic on. However, juicing a kiwi with a citrus juicer is not advised. The skin is really thin and the flesh doesn't juice - we felt it was a good experiment, though.

Whilst juicing all of the fruits we listed above, we measured a consistent noise level of 54dB which, for context, is only a little louder than moderate rainfall, so it's super quiet. This appliance won't be the early-morning wake-up call that we all dread - that can be something else.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Score card: Smeg CJF01 citrus juicer

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• First reviewed: July 2022

One-minute review  

Ninja is known for making some of the best blenders on the market, whether that’s full-size models with a pitcher, or personal cup-style blenders for making smoothies and shakes to go. The brand also offers innovative multifunctional blenders that double as food processors.

The model on review here has a different name depending on where you live: 

US: Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System with Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor

UK: Ninja Foodi Power Nutri Blender 3-in-1 with Smart Torque & Auto-iQ

AU: Ninja Food Power Blender and Processor System

It arrives with a large pitcher that can be used with a menacing crushing and chopping blade assembly, or with the dough blade assembly attached, it can mix up cookie or bread doughs. Also included is a cup with a to-go lid, plus a blade for making smoothies and shakes. And, for those who might not have heard, smoothie bowls are the new smoothies – and with this model’s power nutri bowl, also known as the smoothie bowl maker in the US, you can blend up these notoriously tricky-to-blend treats in no time.

Offering 10 speeds for blitzing, alongside six auto-blending programs, this is a versatile appliance that will really earn its place in your kitchen. In our tests it excelled at virtually every task we threw at it, plus it proved easy to use and assemble. If you like blending up hard-to-mix recipes such as smoothie bowls or nut butters, then this gadget will be a no-brainer. But unlike most blenders, it can mix up dough too, making it a great multipurpose option for keen cooks.

Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System price and availability

•  List price:  £169.99/ $199.99 / AU$329.99 

The Ninja Foodi Power Nutri Blender 3-in-1 with Smart Torque & Auto-iQ is known as the Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System with Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor in the US, or the Ninja Food Power Blender and Processor System in Australia. In all three locations, you can purchase the model direct from Ninja.

On the face of it this is a pricey blender, but it delivers plenty of functionality for the price, offering far more than your average blender. In addition, if anything breaks or you want to add a second smoothie cup, all the accessories are available to purchase separately from Ninja.

Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System: design

•  BPA-free plastic pitcher 
•  Can mix up to 3.5 cups/ 0.9 liters of cookie dough 
•  Good range of blending speeds 

This Ninja Foodi Power Blender comes with a large 72oz/ 2.1-liter plastic pitcher, whose locking lid features a pouring spout that can be accessed via its own flip-up lid. The pitcher can be used with either the plastic dough blade or the total crushing and chopping blade that features six blades at differing heights for maximum effect.

There’s a 24oz/ 700ml cup for smoothies or shakes, whose lid has a drinking spout for drinks on-the-go. The blade used in the smoothie cup is the same one that fits the smaller power nutri bowl, also known as the smoothie bowl maker in the US. This unique attachment has a built-in tamper that’s operated by manually twisting the top continuously as it blends, making it very effective at blending hard and frozen ingredients without becoming stuck or missing food items.

With the large pitcher attached, the blender measures 14.17 x 8.43 x 8.19 inches/ 37 x 21.4 x 21.8cm (h x w x d). In terms of storage, you’ll need to keep in mind that there are two additional cups and a dough blade for which you’ll need to find space. The plastic pitcher is relatively lightweight, weighing 3.1lbs / 1.4kg including the chopping blade and lid.

There are 10 manual speeds to choose from, with the large central dial allowing you to gradually turn up the speed. There’s a pulse button, too, plus six pre-set blending programs for different foods – known as Auto-iQ programs. In the UK, the Auto-iQ programs are Powermix, Blend, Crush, Mix, Puree and Chop. On the US and Australian models, the names are slightly different: Extract, Smoothie, Bowl, Spread, Chop and Dough. Essentially, though, these programs work in the same way.

All parts are dishwasher friendly, so cleaning up is easy. And if you don’t have a dishwasher, then simply add water and dishwashing liquid to the pitcher or cups, blending it to release the worst of the residue, before giving it a final clean by hand. A brush included in the box makes the dangerous task of cleaning the blades less daunting.

Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System: performance

• Powerful blender
• Copes well with heavy dough mix for bread
• Effortlessly crushes ice

This multipurpose blender can perform numerous tasks, so we ran a few additional tests over our usual selection for testing blenders, to ensure we covered most things. First up was crushing ice in the main pitcher. This was a breeze for the six sharp blades on the Ninja, with the blender taking just 10 seconds to completely crush six ice cubes.

Next up we used the Chop auto program to blitz some hazelnuts. This is a short five-second program, which you can run several times, allowing you to make the decision on how finely chopped you want the contents. Unfortunately, though, it didn’t work very well for nuts. After pressing start on the program a whopping 25 times, there remained lots of big chunks of hazelnut. So we tried again using speed one on the manual settings. Running the blender for one minute, the results were better; however, the chopped nuts were still uneven in size with some quite chunky bits. That said, most blenders struggle to chop nuts evenly.

Chopping diced beef using the Chop program was far more effective. We ran the program five times, for a total of 40 seconds of chopping, and it resulted in the perfect ground beef texture. Bread dough was also successfully mixed in the blender, with the dough blade bringing together the ingredients into a dough with ease. There was a degree of wobbling during the process, but the feet on the suction cup kept the blender firmly rooted to the counter, even as the dough combined into a heavy mixture.

We made a smoothie to go in the cup provided using the Blend program (UK model), with the 55-second program liquidizing the spinach, pineapple, yogurt, apple juice and banana into a smooth, thick, and slightly pulpy smoothie. There were a few tiny specs of spinach visible; but, overall, the drink was of a good texture. Note, though, that we didn’t find the lid as comfortable to drink from as some others we’ve tried.

One of our standard tests involves making mayo in a blender pitcher – but, here, as we tipped in the egg yolks and vinegar, we could see that the lowest blade wasn’t low enough to combine the contents of the mixture. Undeterred, we started the Ninja on its slowest speed and poured oil through the spout of the lid. Eventually, as the level rose, the blade started mixing – and, to our surprise, the ingredients did emulsify into a thick, creamy mayo in under two minutes.

After decanting the mayo, we added water and dishwashing liquid to the pitcher and used the Mix/ Bowl program to clean it and the blade. This successfully cleaned off the worst of the grease, but some water did manage to escape from the lid while the program was running. We suspect this was as a result of us adding too much dishwashing liquid, which created too much foam. Once clean, however, we did a further test to check for leaking by filling up the pitcher with water up to the Max liquid line and running the blender. Thankfully, this time no liquid leaked out.

Our last test involved making a smoothie bowl. We followed guidance in the included recipe book, which stated adding almond milk to the Liquid fill line, thereafter filling to the Max fill line with frozen berries, adding a spoonful of peanut butter for good measure. Once in position on the base, we selected the 30-second Mix program (Bowl program on US/ Australia models) and, as instructed, we twisted the paddle at the top continuously for the full length of the program. After only 30 seconds, we were mightily impressed with the smooth, thick frozen smoothie the Ninja had produced, ready to be spooned into a bowl and covered with tasty toppings.

Running a noise meter through most tests, the loudest we recorded the Ninja at was 86dB while chopping hazelnuts, ice and blending a smoothie. It was quietest when chopping beef at 79dB.

Should I buy the Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System?

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Read more about how we test

First reviewed: May 2022

Nutribullet is likely to be one of the first names to spring to mind when thinking about blenders for creating protein shakes and smoothies. The brand offers an array of personal cup-style blenders that are conveniently designed to blend up single portions of your favorite drink in the cup from which you’ll consume it.

The brand also offers full-size blenders – some of which rank among TechRadar's best blenders; but the Nutribullet Rx is a bit of a hybrid option. It’s configured like a personal cup blender, where you screw the blade assembly onto one of the two cups and turn it upside down onto the base for blending. However, it also comes with a pitcher that works in combination with a seven-minute SouperBlast program to liquefy and heat ingredients, so you can create delicious soups or sauces.

Nutribullet Rx: two-minute review

While the oversized cup is too big for a single-serve blended drink, it’s great for making up a batch of smoothies for the whole family, especially since it comes with a pitcher lid for easy pouring. There’s a short cup, too, for creating single portions; but unfortunately, there’s no to-go lid for easy drinking on the move. Instead, there’s what Nutribullet calls a comfort lip ring, which attaches to the top of the cup to make drinking from it more, well, comfortable.

There’s no doubt this is a powerful blender, up to the task of making super-smooth drinks and soups. But the intense speed and power proved overkill for other tasks – making mayo, for example – which we’d hoped the pitcher would enable us to do. As such, the Nutribullet Rx is great for whizzing up drinks and soups, but it won’t replace a full-size jug blender completely.

Nutribullet Rx review: price & availability

• List price: $179.99 / £139.99

The Nutribullet Rx is available directly through Nutribullet in the US and UK. At the time of writing, it isn’t available in Australia, and we haven’t been able to ascertain whether it will be coming back into stock.

Note that the Nutribullet Rx is a cross between a full-sized blender and a personal blender. While it has a much larger capacity and more powerful motor than a standard personal cup blender (including other blenders from Nutribullet like the Nutribullet Magic Bullet Kitchen Express or Nutribullet Go) it doesn’t offer the versatility of a full-sized blender. 

Nutribullet Rx review: design

• Two blending modes
• Suction cup feet
• Tall with pitcher in position

In terms of size, the Rx is much larger than Nutribullet’s other personal blenders. Its footprint on the counter is actually relatively small, but it’s tall, which could be problematic if you intend to place it beneath wall-mounted cabinets. The dimensions with the pitcher attached are 18.5 x 6.7 x 6.3 inches/ 47 x 17 x 16cm (h x w x d).

The black and gray motor base will tuck neatly into the corner of most kitchen countertops without standing out, but since it comes with two cups and a pitcher, there are plenty of accessories that will require storage space in your cupboards. There’s also an extractor blade, which fits onto both cups and the pitcher, plus a long-handled blade remover that makes it easier to remove the blade if it’s on too tight.

The 34oz/1-liter pitcher has a vented lid that allows steam to escape when making soup, and it’s used just as you would a full-sized blender pitcher. The 45oz/ 1.3-liter oversized cup comes with a lid to seal in the contents after blending, while also making pouring mess-free. Despite being the smallest of the three, the short cup still offers a decent 30oz/350ml capacity. One the contents are blended, you can attach a lip ring for more comfortable drinking, or a screw-on lid; but we’d have preferred a to-go lid of the type you get with other Nutribullet cups.

Offering just two modes, this blender is pretty intuitive to use. Once the motor base is switched on, the one-minute blending cycle will begin automatically as soon as the cup is in position. Pressing the n-button on the front for two seconds starts up the seven-minute SouperBlast mode. This mode liquifies soup ingredients using the powerful high-speed blades, and the friction created heating the liquid, giving you hot soup.

All the accessories apart from the blade are dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning.

How do the different models compare?

Read the reviews:

• Nutribullet Ultra review
• Nutribullet Pro 900 review
• Nutribullet Bullet Kitchen Express review

Nutribullet Rx review: performance

• Fast and powerful
• Lacks the finesse for delicate blending tasks
• Creates very smooth drinks and soups

To try out the SouperBlast mode, we checked out the Rx recipe book online and landed on instructions for a sweet and spicy carrot soup. This simply involved adding all the ingredients to the pitcher and starting the seven-minute cycle. The Rx will blend for the full seven minutes, hitting 82dB on our noise meter, which is pretty loud.

However, at the end of those seven minutes we were rewarded with a silky-smooth soup at a steaming hot 189oF/ 87oC. Due to the short heating time, the ginger in the soup still tasted quite harsh and raw, but both the carrot and cauliflower were cooked through. It’s worth noting that some soup ingredients, such as the sweet potato in this recipe, have to be cooked in advance, which will of course add to the overall prep time. Having cleaned the soup pitcher, it was evident that the turmeric in the recipe had stained it yellow; it took a couple more cleans in the dishwasher for it to disappear.

Next up we made a smoothie in the oversize blending cup, adding pineapple, spinach, apple juice, Greek yogurt and banana. We let it blend for the full 60-second cycle – and, given the power of this blender, we weren’t surprised that it successfully pulverized all of the ingredients into a faultlessly smooth and nicely aerated smoothie. We attached the lip ring with the intention to drink it straight from the cup, but the lip ring proved too chunky so we poured the smoothie into a glass.

We used the small cup to crush six ice cubes, letting the blend cycle run for the full 60 seconds. The ice was completely and evenly crushed into a fine snowy texture. But we did have to use a spoon to dig some of it out from the well around the edge of the blades.

One of our standard blender tests is to make mayonnaise. Given that the Rx comes with a blending pitcher that has a removable insert in the lid, which would allow us to pour in the oil while blending,  we attempted to make mayo. Unfortunately, since the speed isn’t variable, the high-speed blending cycle proved just too intense for this delicate task, with the mayonnaise failing to emulsify. The blades had also become slightly warm, which didn’t help.

We also attempted to chop hazelnuts in the pitcher; while we were able to pulse the nuts using the on/ off switch, they quickly turned to a fine flour, rather than the chopped texture we were looking for. And, as was the case with the ice, much of this fine powder was lodged in the well around the base of the blade, so we had to use a spoon to get it out. This task also proved the loudest, hitting 86dB on our noise meter.

Should I buy the Nutribullet Rx?

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Read more about how we test

First reviewed: May 2022

Nutribullet Go: two-minute review

Nutribullet is one of the go-to brands for powerful blending appliances and a leading innovator in the rising trend of personal cup blenders. These blenders allow you to blitz up lump-free drinks such as smoothies and protein shakes directly in the cup from which you intend to drink them. And Nutribullet has a worldwide reputation for making super-powerful personal blenders that can pulverize the toughest of ingredients including ice, root vegetables, seeds and nuts, creating smooth and tasty nutritious drinks.

The Nutribullet Go is the brand’s cordless portable device, offering the flexibility to blend your favorite drink from anywhere. It charges via a USB cable, with a full battery delivering enough juice for up to 20 blending cycles. This means you can make fresh smoothies and shakes at work, in a hotel room or even when you’re on a camping trip or at a festival.

But with just a 13oz/ 385ml cup, it can’t make big portions. The other main drawback is that it can’t be used to blend frozen ingredients, so if you’re a fan of ice-cold smoothies, you’ll have to pour it out over ice once your drink is blended. On the upside, though, it’s simple to use, budget friendly, and compact, too, so it won’t take up much storage space – or luggage space, if you’re taking it on a trip.

On test, it proved to be better than we anticipated; but don’t expect super-smooth drinks. Results were slightly pulpy – and, on occasion, we found a lump or two. While it's not one of our best blenders, for the most part it did the job, and given its size and portability, it would be unfair to expect it to match up to a full-size personal blender. 

If you're just looking for something basic, and aren't planning on trying to tackle any tough ingredients, this is a good option for making blended drinks while out and about. For more versatility, though, you'll be better off with one of this brand's bigger bullet models, which are corded but come with to-go blending cups – head to our Nutribullet 900 review or Nutribullet Ultra review for a closer look at two powerful options. 

Nutribullet Go review: price & availability

• List price: $34.99 / £49.99 / AU$79 

You can pick up the Nutribullet Go direct from Nutribullet. It’s one of the least expensive personal blenders you can buy from the brand and has the added advantage of being portable, although with a slightly higher budget you can get the Nutribullet Magic Bullet Kitchen Express, which comes with two cups. However, note that neither of these models have the power or capacity of the slightly pricier, but more versatile corded personal blenders on offer.

Nutribullet Go review: design

• 30-second blending cycle
• Small 13oz / 385ml cup
• Cordless and portable

This compact little blender measures 8.5 x 3.15 x 3.15 inches/ 21.5 x 8 x 8cm (h x w x d) with the cup on the base, and weighs in at just 1.54lbs/ 700g, which is light enough to tuck into your luggage for a trip. Plus, for added cuteness, it’s available in a choice of red, white, black, or silver colours.

A full charge takes up to five hours using the USB cable provided, but it doesn’t come with a power adapter to allow you to plug it into an electrical outlet. As such, you’ll have to use one you already have, or charge it via another device such as a laptop. Once powered up, the Go can be used for up to 20 blending cycles, which equates to around 10 minutes of blending.

The cup comes with a lid that includes a handy carry strap, but it doesn’t have a spout from which you can drink; you’ll have to remove it to sip your drink. The base is supplied with a screw-on blade cover so you can throw the blender in your bag without any safety concerns.

Two presses of the power button will start up the automatic blending cycle, which runs for 30 seconds. If your drink isn’t smooth enough at the end of this time, you can switch it straight back on – but the instruction manual advises that it can’t be switched on for more than two consecutive blending cycles.

The cup and lid aren’t dishwasher-safe, so you’ll have to wash them by hand; however, if you’re using it on-the-go then you might not have access to a dishwasher anyway. Either way, it’s so small that cleaning by hand isn’t much of a chore.

How do the Nutribullet personal blenders compare?

Nutribullet Go review: performance

• Fruit-based drinks weren't lump-free
• Mixes powders thoroughly
• One blending cycle isn't enough

Using the Nutribullet Go is simple. With the protective cap removed, the base and blade are screwed onto the cup of ingredients. Then simply press the start button twice to initiate the 30-second blending cycle.

The first drink we attempted was from a recipe that features in the instruction manual for a blueberry vanilla smoothie. However, we switched out the blueberries for raspberries; the other ingredients were simply vanilla protein powder and plant-based milk. Following the first 30-second blend, it was visually apparent that there were still some pieces of raspberry that would need further blending. So we immediately set it off on a second blending cycle for a better result. The drink was nicely mixed with no lumps of protein powder; but it wasn’t completely smooth. It had a gritty texture from the raspberry seeds that remained whole, plus there was a slight pulpy texture from the raspberries that you wouldn’t get if using a bigger, more powerful blender.

Next we made a scaled-down version of the smoothie that we make in all of our blender tests. It includes pineapple, spinach, apple juice, Greek yoghurt and banana. Again, it took two blend cycles to thoroughly whizz up the drink – but, to our surprise, the Go coped better with these more fibrous ingredients. For the most part the drink was smooth, with a similar, slightly pulpy texture to the first drink. In addition, we found a small pea-sized lump of pineapple as well as a slice of banana that remained whole. Nevertheless, we were impressed that despite some visible specs of green leaf, the spinach was almost entirely broken down.

For our final test, we followed the included recipe for a chocolate banana protein smoothie, made using banana, protein powder, peanut butter and milk. We also added some cocoa powder to see how well it would mix in. Once again, despite two blending cycles, we still discovered a whole slice of banana and, like the previous couple of drinks, this smoothie also had a pulpy rather than smooth texture. Aside from that, everything was well mixed and nicely aerated – not a bad result from a compact cordless blender.

At its loudest, the Nutribullet Go registered 81dB on our decibel meter, but the blender didn’t feel too loud in use. And although the Go couldn’t be cleaned in the dishwasher, it proved easy enough to rinse clean – so long as this is done immediately, rather than after having let the residue of a drink dry onto the cup. Our only complaint is that the carry strap can become a bit soggy if you’re not careful when rinsing the lid.

Should I buy the Nutribullet Go?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Read more about how we test

First reviewed: April 2022

The best juicers make it easy to enjoy fresh fruit and vegetable juice at home, whether you're looking to kick-start your mornings, use up surplus food, or experiment with your own flavor combinations. A good juicer can also save you money compared to buying premium bottled juices, especially if you use it regularly.

At TechRadar, we've tested over 50 juicers and blenders to find the models that deliver the highest juice yields, are straightforward to clean, and offer the best value for money. FYI, juice yield simply refers to how much juice a machine can extract from a given amount of fruit and vegetables, with a higher yield meaning less waste and more juice in your glass.

Before choosing a juicer, it's worth understanding the different types available. Cold-press (or masticating) juicers slowly crush and strain ingredients to extract as much juice as possible and are usually the best choice for leafy greens and vegetables. Centrifugal juicers work faster by spinning ingredients against a filter, making them more affordable and convenient, though they generally produce a lower yield. If you'd like a machine that can handle smoothies as well as juice, a juicer-blender combo could be a better fit.

The best juicers

The best juicer overall

Breville's the Juice Fountain Cold is the best blender you can buy today, hitting the sweet spot when it comes to juice yields, simplicity and price. With a 70oz/2L lidded jug and 3.6 qt/ 3.4L pulp container, this juicer can make large quantities of juice in one go, and we were impressed at just how clear the juice produced was and the fact there was no pulp included in the juice either.

Known as the Sage the Nutri Juicer Cold in the UK, this is a centrifugal juicer. Still, it features 'Cold Spin Technology,' which the brand claims will ensure the juicer stays cool, despite its high spin speed, to avoid any heat damage to vitamins and minerals during the juicing process.

If you're a fan of kale shots, this isn't the juicer for you, as it struggled to extract much juice from leafy greens in our tests, and we also found that while juices were smooth and clear, they had a thick layer of foam on top. However, considering its mid-range price tag and ease of use, we think it's a great choice.

Want to save on a Breville juicer? Visit our Breville coupons page for the latest discounts on premium home essentials.

Read our full Breville the Juice Fountain Cold review

The best budget juicer

With a very affordable price tag, this slow juicer represents excellent value. It is ideal for those on a budget who still want to enjoy the benefits of a slow juicer, such as making refreshing drinks from leafy greens.

On testing, we found it easy to assemble and simple to use. The juice yields were slightly below what we’ve seen from more premium slow juicers but exceeded the results from its nearest competitor in terms of price, the Ninja Cold Press Juicer. The components are dishwasher safe, which makes for easy cleaning, too.

However, the feed chute is smaller than other juicers we’ve tested, which meant we had to spend more time chopping up fruit and vegetables before juicing them and the instruction manual wasn’t as detailed as we’d have hoped.

Read our full Amzchef Slow Juicer ZM1501 review

The best juicer for veg

Fibrous and leafy vegetables pose a challenge for many of the best juicers, but no the SJ-036, which made light work of all the produce we could throw at it. It's fairly loud in operation, but only took two minutes to turn our broccoli florets, ginger, celery, apple, pear, and parsley into 375ml of smooth green juice.

Whether we used carrots, oranges (with or without the peel), or kale, the juice turned out clear with minimal foam, with dry, compressed pulp to be disposed of.

It's very easy to use as well, and a breeze to assemble and clean. The only real drawback is that this juicer is very tall, so you'll need to measure your countertop space to make sure there's sufficient headroom before you buy it. If you do, we think you'll be very pleased with your purchase. The only thing it couldn't do was make our reviewer fall in love with the taste of kale juice.

Read our full Amzchef Slow Juicer SJ-036 review

The best citrus juicer

If you enjoy your citrus fruits, then getting a citrus juicer is one way you can start to enjoy them more. However, it is limited to only being able to juice your grapefruits, oranges, lemons, and limes, so if you don't regularly tuck into these, this will not be the appliance for you.

In our test, we were impressed with how easy it was to remove the juice from the fruit. There were no dials or controls to operate - we just switched it on, and away we went. The motor is automatically powered on and off when you apply or remove the pressure to the juicing cone.

What we really liked about the citrus juicer was the design. It's beautiful, as are all the retro 50s style appliances in the range. What we didn't like about it was that the height of the spout could not be adjusted, so that we couldn't use our favorite glass.

Read our full Smeg CJF01 Citrus Juicer review

The best large-capacity juicer

If you really love juice, and you've got plenty of space to spare in your kitchen, this king-sized juicer from Kuvings could be the one for you. It has the biggest hopper of any juicer we've tested to date (up to 135oz capacity with its optional extension installed) and is designed to process all kinds of fruit in bulk.

During testing we particularly liked how well it handled whole fruit thanks to its extra-wide feed chute and powerful blades. Whole lemons and limes are juiced with ease, though if you're a fan of orange or grapefruit juice then you might also want to invest in the additional citrus attachment so you can toss them in without peeling.

You can also use the AUTO10 Plus to make various non-dairy milks, and our experiments with DIY oat milk were very successful. The juicer even comes with recipes for using the pulp left over when you're done.

Using frozen fruits to make sorbet was a success, though we weren't quite so impressed by the AUTO10 Plus's ability to make smoothies. It's OK if you don't have access to a blender, but if you want to whip up smoothies regularly, you'd get much better results from one of the models in our list of the best blenders.

All in all, it's a very versatile juicer, and a solid choice if you have a family and want to be able to make juice in bulk. Just be aware that none of the components are dishwasher-safe, so you'll need to wash them all by hand.

Read our full Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus review

The best juicer / blender

Unlike the other juicers in our round-up, the Sage the 3X Bluicer Pro, known as the Breville the 3X Bluicer Pro in the US, doubles up as a blender which is helpful if you don't have the space for two separate appliances.

In our tests, it came up top in speed, juicing an apple in an impressive 10 seconds, making it one of the fastest and most efficient juicers we've tested. In addition, we liked the informative LED control panel display that walks you through the controls and lets you adjust the speed - a feature we think is lacking on standard juicer appliances.

Like all centrifugal juicers, it struggled to juice leafy greens like spinach but worked well on harder fruits and veggies. However, in use, this is the noisiest juicer we've tested, and it's bulky, so it requires a lot of storage space.

Read our full Sage 3X Bluicer Pro review

How we test juicers

To find the best juicers, we’ve spent hours in the kitchen putting the top models to the test to make a green juice from broccoli, celery, pears, and ginger, while also juicing carrots, oranges, and apples. As well as evaluating how smooth the drinks are and how fast they’re dispensed, we’re also looking for whether bitterness from the pith and pulp has tainted the taste of the juice, how much foam has been created in the drink and if there’s any remaining fresh produce in the appliance that hasn’t been juiced.

For each model, we rate how loud they are, how durable and easy to clean the body and parts are, if the chute is wide enough for whole fruits and vegetables, whether they need to be chopped before juicing, and if it splashes and drips during and after use.

How to choose a juicer

As we've already mentioned, there are two types of juicers to choose from if you're looking to invest in an appliance that can extract liquid from fruit and vegetables.

A centrifugal juicer uses a flat blade and spinning strainer to create fresh juice and works best on firmer fruits and veggies. They're faster and more affordable than cold press juicers, but they're noisier and create more heat which can break down the nutrients in the fruit quicker than slow juicers.

As the name suggests, a slow juicer takes time to break down fruit and vegetables to ensure that as many nutrients as possible are retained, and every drop of juice is extracted. They're more expensive than a centrifugal juicer, but this can be cost-effective in the long run as you'll get a higher juice yield.

Many juicers come with a range of different sized-strainers, which means you can control how much pulp, if any, is retained in the juice, and for those that dislike froth on freshly squeezed juice, look for models that include a froth separator. Some juicers even offer additional attachments so you can create nut butter, fresh pasta, grind coffee, and extract the juice. Also, consider the size of the juicer, where you'll keep it, and any accessories it comes with, as well as how time-consuming it is to clean.

You may also be interested to read our thoughts on how healthy is using a juicer for a deep dive into this area.

Juicer FAQs

Most of us need to increase the number of fruits and vegetables in our diet and one easy way to do this is by drinking them. Both smoothies and freshly squeezed juices provide a tasty way to enjoy a wide variety of fresh produce. But, if you’re only looking to invest in one appliance, how do you choose between a juicer vs blender? 

It depends very much on whether you want a multifunctional appliance, the best blenders can be used for much more than smoothies, they can be used to blitz up smooth sauces, soups, and batters. The smoothies they create are thick and pulpy though, and usually require you to add additional liquid to turn the fruits and vegetables into a drink. On the other hand, the  best juicers can extract pure juice from a huge variety of fruits and vegetables, but they can’t do much more. 

If you’re reading this, our guess is that you haven’t yet decided whether you want to make smoothies or freshly squeezed juice. Luckily blenders and juicers are quite different in how they function and what they’re capable of. Here we’ll go into detail on the differences in the appliances as well as the differences in the drinks they can create, to help you decide which is best for you.

Juicers vs blenders: Best deals

Already know whether you want a blender or a juicer? Rather than read on and find out the differences between the two types of kitchen appliances, check out the best prices for some of our top models. 

Juicers vs blenders: The benefits of juicing  

Juicers are available in a few different varieties. A cold press juicer uses force to squeeze the liquid out of whatever you place inside it, whereas a centrifugal juicer uses blades to break down fruits and veggies to create juice in a faster time than a cold press machine.

As you might imagine from the name, the primary function of a juicer is to create juice, and for many, these machines are a must-have kitchen appliance because they allow you to enjoy lots of nutritious food in a quick and easy way. If getting the maximum amount of vitamins is high on your agenda, a cold press juicer is a great option because it squeezes the fruit with force rather than using heat and blades - which can reduce the number of nutrients carried into the juice. 

Regardless of how you prepare fresh juice, what you make will still offer a good way to take in lots of vitamins and nutrients without having to chomp down on endless pieces of fruit. If you find you tend to reach for a coffee when you’re feeling sluggish, fresh juice made with greens is a good source of vitamins that help to make you feel more energized.

Juicers vs blenders: The downside of juicing 

The downside to using a juicer is that you’re limited on the types of drinks you can make and there’s also the fact that juicing leaves behind a lot of fruit and veg fibers, which can feel like a waste and you’ll need to dispose of the leftovers too. To create a glass of juice, you’re also using several pieces of fruit which results in a higher level of fructose than if you eat fewer whole pieces of fruit. According the UK’s NHS, eating whole fruit rather than drinking juices is less likely to cause tooth decay “because the sugar is contained within the structure of the fruit.”

Juicers have multiple parts which can make cleaning them very difficult- some parts are not suitable for placing in a dishwasher either. 

Juicers vs blenders: The benefits of blenders 

Blenders have one up on juicers because they can create so many more things including smoothies and milkshakes, as well as sauces, dips, and baby food. Unlike juicers, blenders break down every part of what you place inside them so that nothing is wasted - this also means you won’t be missing out on any fibers or vitamins that would be chucked out in the waste from juicing machines. 

Blenders use spinning blades to break down food quickly and use all of the ingredients to make a smooth liquid that’s normally much thicker than a juice. This means that blenders don’t waste any parts of the fruits and vegetables you use and the nutritious fibers that juicers leave behind, will be a part of your finished mixture.

Blenders often have removable jugs that are suitable for placing in the dishwasher and this makes cleaning them much easier. Juicers have a few different parts and can be more time-consuming to clean. Compared to cold press juicers, blenders are also much quicker at breaking down ingredients and you can sip on a smoothie within a minute - depending on how powerful your blender is. 

Because blenders create a thicker consistency using all of the ingredients, there won’t be as high levels of fructose as you’d find with fresh juice. 

Juicers vs blenders: The downside of blenders 

We know that blenders don’t leave behind any ingredients when you use them to create smoothies or sauces, but by using fast-spinning blades and some heat, blenders can actually reduce the number of nutrients in your mixture. 

If you want a blender that can crush ice and break down firm fruits and veggies, you normally have to pay more - which makes buying a blender a pretty expensive purchase. 

Both blenders and juicers can be noisy while they are operating and you’ll also need to factor in where you’re going to store these appliances. 

Blenders vs juicers: Verdict 

Deciding on whether you need a juicer or a blender will depend on what you want to create - if it’s just juice, then a juicer is an obvious choice, but for smoothies, drinks, sauces, dips, and soups, consider a blender. 

Juicers will typically create liquids with a higher fructose content because they extract juice from several fruits, rather than blending up a few whole fruits and veggies. 

Both juicers and blenders are available across a range of different price points so you’ll be able to find one that suits your needs but be sure to keep in mind the kinds of recipes you’d like to make as this could impact whether you need a more powerful machine or not. 

Creating delicious fresh fruit and vegetable juices at home is a great way to increase your intake of these vital healthy foods. One of the best juicers allows you to experiment with flavor combinations and develop custom juices that are bursting with freshness.

In fact, more and more of us are jumping on the juicing trend. In the US, sales increased during the pandemic seemingly driven by a desire to boost our immune systems by consuming healthier foods. According to a report in FoodNavigator-USA refrigerated juice and functional beverage sales grew by 12.2% to $5.4 billion. 

So if you’re trying to switch out unhealthy sodas for nutrient-packed juice drinks, it makes sense to opt for the freshest possible juices by making your own at home. You’ll also be able to cut down on wasteful packaging and plastic bottles while enjoying the maximum flavor and nutrition that comes from freshly extracted juice.

Here we’re comparing two of the most budget-friendly juicers from two big brands to see which is best: the Ninja Cold Press Juicer or the Nutribullet Juicer so you can be sure to get the most bang for your buck.

Best Ninja Cold Press Juicer and Nutribullet Juicer deals

Read on to find out just how these juicers  compare – or, if you know which appliance you want, check out the best prices right now for both products below:  

Price

Both the Ninja Cold Press Juicer and the Nutribullet Juicer are amongst the more affordable juicers we’ve reviewed and there’s not much difference in price between the two. The Ninja Cold Press juicer has a list price of $129.99/ £169.99 (it’s not currently available in Australia). While the Nutribullet Juicer is slightly more affordable at $99.99/ £99.99/ AU$179.99.

Centrifugal juicers, such as the Nutribullet model, are generally cheaper than Cold Press Juicers so while the Ninja is pricier than the Nutribullet, it’s very affordable in comparison to other cold press juicers that can set you back several hundred. You can find out more in our article Centrifugal juicers vs cold press juicers. 

Design

There are plenty of notable differences in the look and the way these two juicers work. As we’ve already mentioned, the Nutribullet Juicer is what’s known as a centrifugal juicer - it chops up the fruit and vegetables using sharp rotating blades and then spins the pieces at high speed to force them through a strainer.

The Ninja Cold Press Juicer is as the name suggests, a cold press juicer. This type of juicer breaks up the fruit and vegetables using a part called an auger and then passes it through a mesh to extract the juice. It’s a slower process that can produce less waste and less froth.

The Nutribullet is the smallest in terms of footprint on the kitchen counter with a round base measuring 16 x 9.5 x 9.5 inches/ 41 x 24 x 24 cm (h x w x d). While the Ninja isn’t much bigger but has a more rectangular footprint that’s longer and thinner at 14.2 x 13.8 x 6.9 inches / 36 x 35 x 17cm (h x w x d).

The Ninja is supplied with a small juice jug that can only hold 17fl oz/ 500ml of juice before it’ll need to be emptied. But the 27fl oz/ 800ml jug that comes with the Nutribullet allows you to juice much more before it’ll be full. Furthermore, it comes with a froth separator lid that’s handy for storing juice in the fridge as well as separating the froth from the juice.

Thanks to its large feed chute, whole apples can be juiced in the Nutribullet without having to cut them up. However, there’s extra chopping required when juicing in the Ninja, anything much wider than a carrot will have to be cut into smaller pieces to fit in its 1.8 inch/ 4.5cm feed chute.

The Ninja comes with three interchangeable pulp filters that allow you to choose the amount of pulp in your juice, the Nutribullet doesn’t come with this option.

We found the Ninja more fiddly to assemble than the Nutribullet, but on the plus side, it’s easier to empty waste from the Ninja’s external pulp container. Whereas the Nutribullet has to be disassembled to remove the pulp. Both come with dishwasher-safe parts for easy cleaning.

Features

While essentially both models are juicers and can both extract juice from a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. As we explained above, they work in different ways and this means there are differences in the amount and the texture of the juice they produce.

In our tests, the Ninja was able to extract significantly more juice from kale than the Nutribullet. Having said that, for everything else we juiced, from oranges to carrots to a mixed green juice, the Nutribullet outperformed the Ninja by extracting larger volumes of juice, which also means we were left with less waste.

When it comes to texture, the Ninja can create impressively clear and pulp-free juice with very little froth on top. However, the juice extracted by the Nutribullet tended to have lots of froth and this juicer struggled to make completely pulp-free juice.

Both juicers feature simple intuitive controls, the Nutribullet has two speeds to choose between, while the Ninja only has one speed but also comes with a reverse setting which helps to unclog it when necessary.

Typically, cold press juicers are slower than centrifugal juicers and that’s definitely the case here. The Nutribullet can juice a whole apple in 18 seconds. Whereas the Ninja requires you to chop the apple first and it still took a lengthy 30 seconds to extract the juice.

Verdict

The best juicer depends on what you intend to juice. If you’re planning on juicing leafy greens and making kale shots, you should go for the Ninja Cold Press Juicer. This is also the model to pick if you’re very particular about having smooth clear juice.

For those looking to juicer other fruit and vegetables, the Nutribullet is the better option. It’ll extract more juice and produce less waste. Plus t

•  Prefer coffee to smoothies? Check out the latest Black Friday coffee machine deals  

When it comes to getting more fruit and vegetables in our diet, smoothies are taking over. More than half of us enjoyed a refreshing and nutritious treat last year (and that number is set to increase in the near future). One of the best blenders is a must, not just for smoothies but for a range of other culinary prep such as sauces, soup and even crushing ice and milling nuts. 

They're two of the biggest names in the blending market right now but how do you decide between Ninja vs Nutribullet? Both offer an array of full-size jug blenders and personal cup style blenders, also known as smoothie makers and if you’re thinking of buying a blender, it makes sense to consider these brands. 

However, it can be hard to decide which is best suited to you, so we’ve tested a range of devices from both brands to give you the low-down.

Ninja vs Nutribullet: Best deals

Read on to find out just how these blending brand compare – or, if you know which model you want, check out the best prices right now for both products below:  

Ninja vs Nutribullet: Range

Both Ninja and Nutribullet are known for making some of the best personal cup blenders. Ninja offers three personal blenders in the US and Australia, in the UK there are four models to choose from. 

The specific models vary by country but the top-of-the-range Ninja Foodi Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor (known as the Ninja Foodi Power Nutri Blender 2-in-1 with Smart Torque & Auto-iQ in the UK and the Ninja Foodi Power Nutri Duo in Australia) is the one of the designs available in all three countries. In addition to standard smoothies it’s designed with the power to pulverize nuts and seeds into smooth nut butters and create thick, spoonable smoothie bowls that don’t require extra liquid to blend thoroughly.

In addition to the personal cup blenders Ninja has seven full size blenders (although only five of these are available in Australia and just four in the UK). They range from simple jug blenders to multi-purpose kitchen systems that incorporate food processors, soup makers, personal blending cups and smoothie bowl accessories. With various combinations of accessories, Ninja blenders allow you to combine two or three appliances in one, saving space and money and the variety offered means there’s something for everyone in this range.

Nutribullet has a larger selection of personal blenders than what’s on offer from Ninja, with six models available in the US, while UK customers can choose between seven and if you’re in Australia there are a whopping ten different versions. 

On the face of it most Nutribullets look very similar, with the range consisting of different wattage levels at different prices and of course different combinations of cups included. However, some models require you to push down on the cup to activate the blender while others automatically start once the cup is attached, or you can opt for one with a control panel that allows you to choose a blend speed. 

The Nutribullet RX available in the UK and the US can heat as well as blend, so you can create tasty hot soups. Or there’s the innovative Nutribullet Balance available in the UK that has built in scales and can connect to an app to give you nutrition information for your smoothie. And for smoothies anywhere, there's the cordless Nutribullet Go.

The Nutribullet range of full-size blenders isn’t quite so extensive, US customers can choose between four models, in the UK there are just two, or if you’re in Australia there are three. The differences between each of the models include differences in the wattage, control interface and whether or not personal blending cups are included in the bundle. Read our review of the Nutribullet Blender Combo here.

Ninja vs Nutribullet: Price

If you’re after a full-size jug blender, a Nutribullet blender with no accessories will set you back $109.99/ £99.99 (not available in Australia) and for that, you’ll get an easy-to-use no-fuss blender with a large 64oz/ 1.6-liter pitcher. 

For a similar model that includes personal blending cups, you can expect to pay $149.99/ £149.99/ AU$229.99 for the Nutribullet Blender Combo. Or for the top-of-the-range blender (which isn’t available in the UK) you’re looking at $189.99/ AU$299.95 and this buys you the powerful 1500W Nutribullet Smart Touch Blender Combo with a touchscreen display, intelligent programs, and two personal cups for easy on-the-go drinks.

The most basic Ninja full-size jug blender in the UK and Australia is the BN750 which is called the Ninja Professional Plus Blender Duo in Australia and the Ninja 2-in-1 Blender with Auto IQ in the UK. 

It’s equipped with a large 74 oz / 2.1 liter jug as well as a 25 oz / 700ml personal cup, one-touch controls, and 1200W of blending power, it’ll set you back £129.99/ AU$249.99. In the US the cheapest Ninja blender is the $99.99 Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-IQ, it’s got a sizable 72 oz  / 2.1 liter pitcher and 1400W of blending power.

Other Ninja blenders include the Ninja Foodi Blender and Soup Maker which is called the Ninja Foodi Cold and Hot Blender in the US and costs $159.99/ £149.99 (not available in Australia). This versatile blender can also make smooth and chunky soups. Or for $199.99/ £199.99 you can combine a full-size blender with a personal blender and food processor with the Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor with Auto-IQ which is called in the Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-IQ in the US (again this model isn’t available in Australia).

For personal blenders the Nutribullet 600 Series (known as the Nutribullet 600W Personal Blender in the US) is the most basic and lowest power Nutribullet model that’s available worldwide, it costs just $79.99/ £69.99/ AU$89.95. The most powerful Nutribullet available is the Nutribullet 1200 Series (known as the Nutribullet Pro 1200 in Australia but not available in the US) which comes in at £119.99/ AU$149. The most powerful of the standard range in the US is the Nutribullet Pro 1000 and it’s $99.99. As mentioned above, innovative models include the Nutribullet Rx which can make hot soup as well as smoothies for $179.99/ £139.99 or the UK only Nutribullet Balance for £149.99.

Ninja personal blenders start at $69.99 in the US for the Ninja Nutri-Blender Plus or £49.99/ AU$159.99 for the UK Nutri Ninja Blender & Smoothie Maker (known as the Ninja Pro Blender in Australia). Both models are 900W and come with two cups. 

At the other end of the scale is the aforementioned top-of-the-range Ninja Foodi Smoothie Bowl Maker and Nutrient Extractor (known as the Ninja Foodi Power Nutri Blender 2-in-1 with Smart Torque & Auto-iQ in the UK and the Ninja Foodi Power Nutri Duo in Australia) which will set you back $119.99/ £99.99/ AU$249.99 but has the power to make nut butter and thicker smoothie bowls.

Ninja vs Nutribullet: Features

When it comes to power, both brands offer full size blenders at a range of power levels to suit all needs. Nutribullet offers models with up to 1500W power in Australia and the US or 1200W in the UK. Ninjas' highest power full size blenders are different in every country, you can get a 1200W model in the UK, but in the US they go up to 1400W and 1500W in Australia.

On the whole, Ninja offers a more varied and versatile range of full-size blenders incorporating other appliances like soup makers and food processors to make them multi-purpose. Whereas the Nutribullet models are more of your regular style of blender. Additionally the Ninja blenders typically come with larger 72oz/ 2.1 liter pitchers, Nutribullet pitchers tend to be around 64 oz/ 1.8 liter. And based on the models we’ve reviewed, the Ninja full size blenders feel more robust than the Nutribullet models.

In terms of personal blenders, both brands offer a range of power levels and there’s not a huge difference between them. They both offer a range of different size cups available to purchase separately. 

In terms of innovation, each brand is pushing the boundaries in a different way. As mentioned above, Ninja has developed a personal blender that’s designed specifically to cope well with thick mixtures. It can make smoothie bowls, paté and even nut butters which are recipes most other personal blenders wouldn’t cope well with. 

Whereas Nutribullet has developed a personal blender that can heat up ingredients to produce soup. And although it’s only available in the UK the Nutribullet Balance takes away the need for weighing scales when measuring out your smoothie ingredients, plus if you’re counting calories or macros, it’ll make life easier when you connect to the app for nutrition information.

Ninja vs Nutribullet: Verdict

Both brands offer a great range of blending appliances that are well-equipped to pulverize soups and smoothies into lump-free liquids. Ninja full-size blenders are packed with features and accessories that make them the best option for multi-purpose models and Nutribullet has a good selection of simple easy-to-use blenders.

Price-wise there’s not much in it, both brands offer affordable options of full-size as well as personal blenders. Nutribullet has the largest range of personal blenders to choose from, making it easier to find the perfect model to suit your requirements.

• Prefer coffee to smoothies? Check out the best coffee makers you can buy right now

One-minute review

With an ever-increasing range of innovative kitchen appliances under its belt, Ninja has fast become a recognizable and trusted brand in our homes. From some of the best Instant Pot alternatives to the best blenders as well as the best air fryers, Ninja knows how to make kitchen appliances.

The Ninja Foodi Blender & Soup Maker, which is known as the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender in the US. It’s a blender that can, well, blend cold and hot foods, making it ideal for creating soups as well as smoothies. Unlike other soup makers on the market that utilise the friction from the spinning blades to create heat, the Ninja Foodi Blender & Soup Maker has a built-in heating element, which makes the appliance less noisy in use, and also ensures you can create chunky as well as smooth soups.  

With 10 Auto-IQ pre-set smart programs for all your favorite foods (12 on the US model), this blender takes the thinking out of creating delicious smoothies and soups. It aced most of our tests and was simple to use. It’s not too big and the glass pitcher feels sturdy, but it is heavy. It’s ideal for making small batches of soup and sauces as well as taking care of all your other daily blending requirements.

Ninja Foodi Blender and Soup Maker HB150UK price and availability

• List price: £149.99 / $159.99

As we mentioned above, in the UK it’s called the Ninja Foodi Blender & Soup Maker and it’s known as the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender in the US. It’s available from the Ninja Kitchen website in both countries, as well as retailers including Amazon, and will set you back £149.99 / $159.99.

It’s one of the most expensive blenders offered by Ninja, but the addition of a heating element and soup programs also makes it much more versatile than the standard blend-only models.

Design

• Saute and keep warm functions
• Four blend and four cook programs
• Heat resistant glass pitcher

The Ninja Foodi Blender & Soup Maker is no bigger or smaller than an average blender in terms of the footprint on the counter, but the base gets wider further up and it starts to feel quite chunky. It measures 45 x 20 x 21.5 cm / 17.9 x 7.9 x 8.8 inches (h x w d). The black and stainless-steel styling makes it look like a practical appliance that means business, not one that’s just there to look pretty. Having said that, it’s certainly not a blender you’ll feel the need to hide away in a cupboard.

The overall weight of the base with the pitcher is 5.6kg / 12 lb so if you do want to store it in a cupboard, it’s not too heavy to move. The glass pitcher is made from thick heat-resistant glass which, while it’s not too heavy to store away, does mean it's heavy to use, especially when you start adding lots of ingredients or pour hot soup. Our other gripe with the pitcher is that it can only be positioned onto the base with the handle to the right, so it’s not ideal for left-handed people.

There are no additional accessories in the box, just a tamper, and a cleaning brush. It also comes with a small recipe book that has guidance on quantities for creating custom soups, which is helpful if you want to use it for your favorite soup recipes.

There are four cold blending programs and four cook programs, the cook programs are complemented by two pre-cook programs: chop and sauté. After cooking, keep warm will switch on and keep your creation warm for up to 60 minutes. On the US model, there are three additional infuse programs that use heat to infuse flavors into liquids for cocktails, mixers, and water.

All the Auto-IQ programs use automated patterns of pulsing and pausing over a pre-set time to create the perfect results. But if you prefer to have more control, there's a manual blend setting with the option for low, medium, or high speed as well as pulse. There’s also a manual cook setting where you can choose between low, medium, or high heat.

The lid center cap and tamper are dishwasher safe, but due to the heating element, the pitcher can’t be submerged in water. The pitcher does have a non-stick coating though and there’s also a clean program that uses a combination of heat and rapid pulses to remove residues and minimize the amount of cleaning you have to do by hand.

Performance

• Easy to use
• Creates silky smooth soup
• Powerful blender

To try out the blending capabilities of the Ninja Foodi Blender & Soup Maker, we first made a smoothie. We liquidized pineapple, spinach, banana, yogurt and apple juice using the preset smoothie program. It took 45 seconds and at the end we did spot a few tiny pieces of spinach that hadn’t been completely broken down. But otherwise, the smoothie was the perfect texture, with a smooth mouthfeel and no obvious fibrous pieces that hadn’t been liquidized.

Next up we chopped some hazelnuts, using the manual pulse setting. In just 20 seconds the nuts were finely chopped. Some had been over chopped and turned into powder, but overall, we were happy with the result. This was the noisiest of all our tests, with the noise meter reading 86dB, which is equivalent to the sound level created by a vacuum cleaner. However, as it’s only for a short period of time, we feel this is more than acceptable. 

There’s no ice crush program but nevertheless, the Ninja was able to produce evenly crushed ice with just five quick presses of the pulse button. Furthermore, when we filled it up with water to the maximum capacity and set it to blend on high speed, there was no leaking.

Using the low-speed setting we made an impressive thick mayonnaise in just two minutes. The blades reach low enough to mix even small quantities sitting in the base of the pitcher. But it was tricky to scrape all the mayo out from under the blades. This was when the automatic clean program came in handy. We followed the directions in the manual for water and dishwashing liquid and let it clean off the worst of the oily mayo residue. The program takes quite a lengthy six and a half minutes but uses heat and blending to clean the pitcher. It did a good job at removing most of the mayo so all it needed was a quick wipe and a rinse afterward.

The recipe book gives advice on how to create custom smooth soups, so we followed the guidance on the ideal quantities of liquid and vegetables to create a carrot and coriander/cilantro soup. As directed, we added quartered onion, garlic, ginger, spices, and oil, then used the chop function which blends it for just 12 seconds. Next, we switched to the sauté function, which cooks for five minutes without blending, so you may need to stir the ingredients during this stage. We added the carrots and stock, selected smooth soup and let it get to work. The soup program takes 30 minutes, it heats the soup and uses short bursts of blending to mix the ingredients before blending to a smooth soup at the very end of the program.

The glass pitcher reached 70 C / 158 F 70 during cooking and the top of the lid reached 60 C / 140 F so you must take care not to get burnt, although it’s worth noting that the handle on the pitcher stayed cool. Furthermore, the soup was 100 C / 212 F at the end of the program and we nearly got burnt by the steam when removing the lid. Aside from this, the soup itself was beautifully cooked with a silky smooth texture, a great result for very little effort.

Should I buy the Ninja Foodi Blender and Soup Maker HB150UK?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

• Check out these great nutribullet deals

If you want to make smoothies but don’t want to spend an inordinate amount of money, then we’ve tested two of our top performers next to each other to find out whether you need to spend more to get a great, grit-free drink.

Over half of us enjoyed a smoothie last year (and that number is set to increase in the near future), so the best blenders are becoming something many are looking to buy, and smoothie makers, also known as portable blenders, are one of the most affordable styles of blender on the market right now, with easy assembly and ready-to-go cups that mean you can blitz ingredients and run out of the door.

With  Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, and data showing blenders were one of the top three most-searched-for appliances over Black Friday weekend last year, we’re helping you make your choice.

We pitted the budget-but-no-frills Nutri Ninja QB3001 against the top-of-the-range Ninja Blender with Auto-IQ BN495 to see if spending nearly double the amount is worth it, so you can pick through the best Black Friday Ninja blender with supreme confidence. 

Best Nutri Ninja QB3001 and Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ BL480D deals 

Read on to find out just how these personal blenders compare – or, if you know which Ninja appliance you want, check out the best prices right now for both products below:  

Price

Let’s set the scene again: the Nutri Ninja QB3001 is the brand’s most affordable personal blender, setting you back $69.99 / £59.99, while the Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ BL480D is the brand’s top-of-range personal smoothie maker and is priced at $89.99 / £99.99 (although is seeing some good early Black Friday deals). Neither model is available in Australia, unfortunately. 

As personal blenders go, the Ninja models are slightly more affordable than designs from rival Nutribullet, where that brand’s entry-level smoothie maker is priced at $79.99 / £69.99 / AU$89.95, while the Nutribullet Pro 900 will set you back $109.99 / £99.99 /AU$99.95.

Design

While the Nutri Ninja QB3001 and the Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ BL480D are both personal blenders, it’s in the appearance that they differ the most.  

The Nutri Ninja QB3001 has no control buttons on the front of the appliance, creating a sleek look. Instead to start the blades spinning, just push down on the container once it has been placed on the base, and release it to stop the blades. 

However, the Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ BL480D uses four buttons, found on the front of the smoothie maker, to control blending as well as activate two presets that run for a predefined duration to help you take the guesswork out of blending - hence the Auto-IQ moniker.

The Nutri Ninja QB3001 has a slimmer curved base measuring 4 inches / 10 cm wide, while the Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ BL480D is wider at 6.7 inches / 17cm with a more angular design - it’s sleek vs functional, in terms of aesthetic, although neither looks out of place in a well-designed kitchen.

Both personal blenders come with two to-go containers, although those included with the Nutri Ninja QB3001 have a 16 fl oz / 470 ml capacity while the Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ BL480D containers can hold up to 24 fl oz / 700 ml each. They’re dishwasher safe and you get the same plastic spout lids with both smoothie makers. 

The Nutri Ninja QB3001 has a 700w motor that spins at 18,000 RPM, while the Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ BL480D is fitted with a 1000w motor that has a 21,000 RPM, which makes it slightly more powerful. However, the same screw-on blade assembly is the same on both blenders. 

Features

Both the Nutri Ninja QB3001 and the Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ BL480D offer the ability to blend a range of different items, including fruit and vegetables as well as nuts and ice. 

They work in pretty much the same way too. Just add the ingredients to the container and screw on the blade assembly. 

Turn it upside down and place it on the base. However, the two appliances differ slightly when it comes to starting and stopping the blades. 

With the Nutri Ninja QB3001 you simply need to invert the container once the blade assembly has been attached and press down on the container to begin blending. However, the Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ BL480D must be locked into place after it's been placed on the base, otherwise, the blades won’t activate when the buttons are pressed. 

As we’ve already mentioned, the BL480D has a manual start/stop button to control the blades, as well as a pulse feature that lets you spin the blades in short bursts. 

There’s also a Blend program, which runs for 50 seconds and, according to Ninja, is good for drinks with fresh or frozen fruit, liquids, and ice, alongside a 60-second Max Blend setting, for tough ingredients such as skins, seeds, and stems.

On test, we found both blenders pulverized leafy spinach and fibrous pineapple together with a range of other smoothie ingredients including banana and greek yogurt to create a nicely aerated, grit-free smoothie. Both blenders also evenly crushed ice and nuts too. 

Even though the BL408D has a more powerful motor that spins faster, the QB3001 was just as efficient at blitzing fresh produce, however, it took ever so slightly longer at 45 seconds, compared to the 35 seconds the BL480D took.  

Verdict

When it comes to choosing between the Nutri Ninja QB3001 and the Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ BL480D, as both smoothie makers were able to create smooth refreshing drinks from even tough, fibrous fruit, the QB3001 is the clear choice as it's slightly cheaper and only takes a few seconds longer. 

However, if you want to blend larger quantities, or you prefer presets so you take a ‘set it and forget it’ approach to blending, then BL480D may be a better choice. 

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When it comes to making our diets healthier, one of the simplest ways is to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables we consume. Not only will this ensure we’re getting all of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need, but it’ll also help increase the level of dietary fiber, which will aid digestion and prevent constipation. 

The best blenders and the best juicers can come in useful when it comes to reaching the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendation to consume two or more fruits and three or more vegetables a day - a target that only 8% of adults in the US are achieving, according to America’s Health Rankings. 

Blenders ensure you can blitz whole fruit and vegetables into smooth, refreshing drinks, while juicers extract the liquid from fresh produce to create an alternative vitamin-packed beverage. Both provide an easy way to increase your consumption of fruit and vegetables, especially if you only enjoy a handful of different varieties, but they work in very different ways, which leave you wondering which is healthiest.

 Already know which appliance you want? Rather than discovering which kitchen gadget is healthiest check out the best prices for some of our top models. 

How healthy is juicing?  

The best juicers extract high volumes of liquid  from fruits and vegetables, leaving just a dry fibrous pulp waste. Unfortunately, the pulp that gets removed provides fiber which is an important nutrient in our diets.

According to an article published by Harvard Health the average American eats 10-15 grams of fiber per day but the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends 25-38 grams, so we actually need to add more fiber into our diets, not take it away. A good way to make juices healthier is to look for a juicer with different filters/ strainers that allow you to create juices with pulp in them, like the Nama Vitality 5800. Alternatively, you can add some of the waste pulp back into the juice, this way you still get some of the health benefits associated with the fiber.

Juicers, particularly cold press juicers extract juice without using heat. This is important because some nutrients are damaged by heat, meaning juicers are a great way of creating healthy fruit and vegetable drinks while retaining vitamins and minerals.

Another advantage of juicing is the variety of fruits and vegetables that can be juiced. Even hard vegetables like beetroot and carrot can be successfully incorporated into tasty mixed juices, but it’s less likely that you’d throw these into a smoothie (unless you chop or grate them first). So to support a varied diet, juicing is a great way of including a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

The process of extracting juice separates the natural sugar fructose from the fiber and makes it easier to absorb, this can lead to spikes in blood sugar levels. This can be problematic if you consume lots of high sugar juice and is one of the reasons juicing has had a bad reputation. 

However, this is less of a problem if you opt to make juices from lots of leafy greens and lower sugar vegetables like celery and cucumber. The NHS in the UK recommends that a portion of fruit juice should be no more than 150ml or a small glass, this ensures that you can benefit from the health-giving properties of the juice without consuming too much sugar.

Our article on how healthy is using a juicer provides some more in-depth information. 

How healthy is blending? 

Blending fruits and vegetables into smoothies often gets hailed as the healthier option because the fiber isn’t discarded like it is with juicers. And yes, it’s true that the higher fiber content of smoothies can make them a healthier option than a pulp free juice, but that’s only part of the picture. 

When high sugar fruits and vegetables are blended into a smoothie, the fructose is still separated and made easier to absorb, in much the same way as juicing. So it’s still important to limit smoothie portions if they contain lots of high sugar ingredients and like juicing, the healthier smoothies will include lower sugar fruits and vegetables, such as raspberries, strawberries, and leafy greens.

One health benefit of blending smoothies is that you can add lots of additional ingredients to boost the protein and healthy fat content. Adding ingredients like oats, yogurt, protein powders, and nut butters can make a smoothie a more nutritionally complete drink than a juice, which is why some people use blended smoothies to replace meals like breakfast.

It’s important to note though, that when making multi-ingredient tasty smoothies, it’s really easy to make a very high-calorie drink without realizing it. And this can become a problem if you’re drinking these blended drinks in addition to your usual three meals a day, so again, portion control is crucial. Or, if you have a favorite smoothie recipe, it’s useful to input it into a calorie calculator to check that you aren’t blindly consuming a super high-calorie drink alongside your usual meals.

It’s worth noting that the blades in some lower quality blenders get hot when used for long periods and this heat can damage some of the vitamins in fruits and vegetables. So if you’re keen on making healthy smoothies, it’s worth investing in one of the best blenders for better nutrient retention.

Our article on are blenders healthy or do they destroy nutrients provides some more in-depth information. 

Which is healthier?

There are positives and negatives to both juicing and blending and ultimately, juices and smoothies can both offer health benefits. 

If you struggle to incorporate a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and you want to use varieties that won’t easily blend, then consider investing in a juicer. However, if you’re looking to increase the amount of dietary fiber, or you want to add additional ingredients to your fresh produce beverages, a blender will be a better option. 

But with both, it’s important to be mindful of portion size and choosing lower sugar ingredients and for juices, try to make them healthier by including some of the pulp. In the end, though, it may come down to taste - some people prefer a thick filling smoothie while others enjoy a clear crisp juice.

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There‘s a wide array of kitchen appliances available these days and with some seemingly performing similar functions, do you really need one of everything? Is it possible to save money and space by investing in an appliance that offers multiple functions? 

The best blenders are certainly one of the most versatile kitchen gadgets you can lay your hands on. From blitzing fruit and vegetables into a smoothie to crushing ice or making soups and sauces, they can use blades to break down food and can be used for a range of cooking-related tasks. 

As food processors also use blades to break down foods, you may be wondering if a blender can double as a food processor? Considering more than 90% of households own at least one personal or full-size blender, according to research by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, it could save a lot of consumers money if a blender can be used as a food processor. 

Got your mind set on a blender regardless as to whether it can be used as a food processor? Then check out the best prices for some of our top models. 

So, can blenders be used as a food processor?

As much as we’d love to give you a solid yes or no answer to this question, it’s not quite that simple. It really comes down to what delicious creations you’re planning on whipping up in the kitchen. Blenders can perform some of the functions of a food processor but ultimately a food processor has lots more attachments and can be used for a wider variety of tasks.

There are two blades in a jug blender, which sit in the base of the jug. The blades form a cross, with each end bent at an angle. When blending the blades create a vortex, dragging chunks of food down towards the blades, although this does require some liquid to be present - o jug blenders are best for smoothies, and condiments that require liquids to be emulsified.

The blades in a food processor sit at different heights, with one pulverizing the ingredients that sit at the bottom of the food processor bowl, and the other breaking down the food that sits higher up the bowl. As the base of the food processor bowl is flat, there is little chance of a vortex being created, which makes a food processor better for dry ingredients such as combining flour and butter into pastry. 

Food processors also come with a number of attachments, while they vary depending on the brand and price, the best food processors usually come with slicing and grating attachments, so you can finely cut vegetables, while also grating everything from cheese to chocolate. 

If you’re a regular in the kitchen, you’ll benefit from the many uses of a food processor. However, if you prefer to spend less time prepping meals, a good blender will probably be enough to meet your needs.

 What can you do in a blender? 

As we’ve already mentioned, blenders excel at producing smooth liquids, so for silky smooth smoothies, milkshakes and soups, a blender is the best appliance. They can pulverize whole or large chunks of foods into liquids, achieving the perfect smooth pureed texture. Some of the best high-performance blenders can be used to make nut butter and even blend frozen fruits into delicious frozen desserts.

A blender will work well for mixing up a pancake or waffle batter but don’t try to use it for anything thicker like a cake batter, for this you’ll need a food processor. Blenders can also be used to make sauces like mayo and pesto or to make smooth salsa, guacamole, and dips. The tall pitcher design of a blender means that sometimes you’ll have to give it a bit of a shake or scrape down the sides so that all the ingredients get combined, but it’ll do the job.

For tasks such as chopping herbs, breadcrumbs, or nuts, a blender can be used instead of a food processor. You won’t necessarily get as much control over how finely or evenly chopped the results are and again for herbs or bread you might need to shake the pitcher or push the ingredients down using a tamper so that they get forced into the blade area. That said, lots of blenders come with mini blending bowls that are particularly useful for blitzing small quantities like chopping nuts, herbs, or blending a quick salsa.

What are the extra functions a food processor can perform? 

For seasoned cooks and bakers, a food processor is an invaluable appliance, it can be used to mix up cake batters as well as firmer doughs like pastry, pasta and bread dough. Most come with a whisk attachment, so you can use it to whisk up light and fluffy egg whites or cream, taking the hard work out of these traditionally labor-intensive tasks.

The slicing blade is great for quickly slicing vegetables like potatoes as well as salads including cucumber, carrot or beetroot, providing consistent even slices in seconds. Grater attachments work well for cheese but are also ideal for grating chocolate so you don’t end up with sticky melted chocolate all over your hands like you would if you did it by hand.

Large bowls of coleslaw are really easy to whip up when you’ve got grating and slicing attachments, so you can bring your easy homemade coleslaw to a friend’s BBQ without spending much time slaving in the kitchen.

Food processors have large wide pitchers that accommodate much larger blades than in a blender, this makes them really good at things like turning cookies into cookie crumbs for a cheesecake base. You can also use the blades to grind meat like beef, for homemade burgers.

Should I buy both?

It really depends on what type of cook you are and what you intend to make. There’s no point having both of these appliances if you’re only planning on making the occasional dip or salsa. If you want to be able to make heavy doughs, slice vegetables or grind meats, even the best blender isn’t suited to these tasks so you’ll need a food processor. 

Likewise, if you’re a smoothie fan or you want to blitz soups or milkshakes into a smooth consistency, you’ll need a blender, they’re better designed for these tasks and the lids are usually leak proof whereas food processors often don’t have leak proof lids.

There is a compromise though, some blenders like the Nutribullet Magic Bullet Kitchen Express come with a food processor attachment that can perform some of the functions of a food processor. So if you’re really struggling to decide between these two appliances, a hybrid option like this might be the way forward.

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Extracting the juice from fruit and vegetables into a refreshing drink can be a great way of introducing more fresh produce into your diet. In particular, if you’re someone that doesn’t enjoy eating a wide array of different varieties, juicing can ensure you still get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. 

One of the best juicers is a must-have if you’re looking to introduce more juices into your diet, which can also be a great way to consume two or more fruits and three or more vegetables a day - a recommendation from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans that only 8% of adults in the US are achieving, according to America’s Health Rankings. 

Store bought juice usually comes in plastic containers and if you’ve got an abundant local supply of fresh fruits and vegetables it makes sense to ditch the wasteful plastic packaging and make your own instead. It might be more convenient to buy juice at the store but these juices are often pasteurized which can damage vitamins and minerals plus some have added sugar. If you’re partial to fruit juice you’ll get the best nutritional value from freshly extracted juices.

There are two main types of juicer available, centrifugal juicers and cold press juicers which are also known as slow juicers or masticating juicers. Juicers perform one simple function: extracting the juice from fruits and vegetables, so you’d be forgiven for thinking the two types work in the same way and produce pretty much the same results. But this is not the case, and which type you end up buying will depend on what you’re most likely to juice as well as your budget.

Read on to find out just how centrifugal juicers differ from cold press juicers, or if you want to get your hands on one of the best juicers right now, check out these great deals for some of the best prices on the market.  

 Centrifugal juicers vs cold press juicers

Centrifugal juicers utilize sharp rotating blades that chop up the fruit and vegetables. The pieces are then spun at high speed which forces them against a strainer and it’s this centrifugal force that separates the juice from the pulp and gives these juicers their name. 

Cold press juicers use a component part called an auger to grind and chew up the fruit and vegetables and then push the mixture through a strainer to separate the juice from the pulp. It’s a slower process, hence why they are also known as slow juicers and the auger grinds the fruit and vegetables in a way that’s similar to chewing which is why they are sometimes referred to as masticating juicers.

The main thing that pulls most people towards centrifugal juicers is the cost. They’re much less expensive than cold press juicers, which is a big draw if you’re new to juicing or if you’re on a budget. Cold press juicers on the other hand are quite an investment, with some costing in excess of $500/ £500 which means they’re usually favored by serious juice lovers as it can be difficult to justify that price tag if you’re a newbie juicer.

You might be thinking that there can’t possibly be enough of a difference to warrant such a huge price variation, and in our reviews of the best juicers we have found that for some fruits and vegetables juice yields are similar regardless of which type of juicer you’re using. But, if you’re a fan of kale shots or you want to juice any leafy greens for that matter, you’ll need a cold press juicer. 

Centrifugal juicers don’t cope well with leafy greens and much of it ends up as waste, but cold press juicers are much more effective at extracting juice from leaves like kale and spinach or even herbs like parsley. The same can be said for berries like strawberries and raspberries, you’ll get much better juice yields for these in a cold press juicer.

The spinning action of a centrifugal juicer means that they usually produce juice with quite a lot of froth on top whereas slow juicers are much better at producing froth-free juices. Whether or not a juicer produces completely clear and pulp-free juice will depend on the individual juicer so if that’s your priority it’s worth reading our juicer reviews.

Which type of juicer should I buy?

If you’re new to juicing and not sure how often you’ll use a juicer or whether juicing might be a faze that you get bored of, then go for a centrifugal juicer. It’ll cost less so if you decide juicing isn’t for you then you haven’t wasted too much money and you can always upgrade at a later date if you develop a love for juicing.

If you’re already a big juice fan and you’re looking to upgrade from buying drinks at the local juice bar, or you want to create your own kale shots, then you should definitely invest in a cold press juicer. This serious appliance will allow you to juice your way through a mountain of fruit and vegetables with minimal waste.

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Increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables in our diets is an easy way to eat more healthily. As well as ensuring we’re getting the right level of dietary fiber, which aids digestion and prevents constipation, it will also increase the amount of vitamins and minerals consumed too. 

The best blenders can blitz fruit and vegetables into a refreshing drink, which contains more fresh produce than you’d consume if you were eating it whole. However, blenders are extremely versatile and can also be used to make dips, sauces and even desserts. 

So it’s no surprise, at least 90% of US households report owning at least one personal or full size blender with eating healthier being the top reason for using this appliance more, research by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers revealed. 

Furthermore, 31% of blender users say they are using their appliance more because they’re drinking more smoothies. Smoothies are blended drinks that can contain fruit and vegetables, and in many cases yogurt, milk, oats, and nut butters.

However, there are also lots of extra ingredients that can be added to boost the nutrient content even further such as chia seeds, ground flaxseed and protein powder. Most blenders have very high-speed sharp blades designed to completely pulverize everything in the pitcher including tiny seeds in raspberries and strawberries.

With all these healthy ingredients in one refreshing drink, blending must be healthy, right? Turns out it’s not quite as cut and dried as that, as blenders can generate heat, which can destroy nutrients.  

Got your mind set on getting a blender? Rather than read on and find out if they’re healthy, check out the best prices for some of our top models. 

 So, do blenders destroy nutrients?

Some blenders produce heat from the blades when they’re switched on for prolonged periods, this heat can affect nutrients. Some B vitamins, as well as vitamins C, A, D, E and K, can all be damaged and reduced by heat. It’s not just vitamins either, some minerals like potassium and magnesium will also be affected. 

But before you ditch your blender in the trash, it’s important to remember that this heat is very minor in comparison to cooking and only for a very short time. Yes, you may lose a small amount of heat-sensitive nutrients if your blender gets warm but not as much as you would through boiling or cooking foods in an oven, which means blended raw foods are still a good option.

The other way nutrients are lost in the blending process is through oxidation, this happens when fruits and vegetables are cut and exposed to oxygen. When you slice an apple and leave it, oxidation is the process that causes it to turn brown. Oxidation is a common process that happens not just when fruits and vegetables are blended but when they’re chopped, shredded, or peeled too. 

It’s not something you need to be too concerned about because it’s not a process that is exclusive to blending and will happen with many other food preparation methods too.

Fiber plays an important role in slowing down the digestion of sugar when you eat whole fruits and vegetables. Fiber doesn’t get destroyed by your blender, but the blending process releases fructose sugar and makes it easier to absorb, so if your smoothie contains lots of fruit, this can mean you’re more likely to get spikes in blood sugar than if you were eating the fruit whole.

How to reduce nutrient loss when blending

Often, it’s the more inexpensive and lower quality blenders that can produce lots of heat when blending, so to minimize this problem it’s worth investing in one of the best blenders. The other way to reduce heat when blending is to blend for the minimum possible time, the longer you blend for - the more heat will be produced, so stick to short bursts and stop as soon as you’ve achieved the result you’re looking for.

Oxidation is a natural process, which can’t be stopped. However, if you leave your smoothie in a glass or container that’s not sealed before drinking it, further oxidation can occur. So it's a good idea to drink your smoothies as soon as you make them. Again, blending for the minimum time required will reduce the amount of oxygen sucked into the blender during the blending process so will help to reduce nutrient loss.

There’s little you can do to stop the fiber being broken down by your blender, but by adding plenty of low sugar leafy greens and vegetables like celery and cucumber you can reduce the overall sugar content. It’s also important that you still consume whole fruits and vegetables and don’t rely on smoothies for all of your five daily portions of fruits and vegetables.

Should I give up blending?

The short answer is no, blended smoothies contain stacks of macro and micronutrients that aren’t affected by heat or oxidation and can still be included as part of a healthy balanced diet. Plus, if it’s a choice between missing out on these nutrients altogether and getting them in the form of a smoothie, then it’s better to have them than not at all. 

Get the most from your smoothies by including a variety of different ingredients like fruits, vegetables, nut butters, seeds, oats, and yogurt.

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Fruit and vegetable juice is a refreshing beverage that’s grown in popularity over the past two decades. Sipping a glass of Orange juice with your breakfast may once have been the norm, but now there’s a wide array of unusual but tasty concoctions on offer, both in juice bars and in the grocery store. 

The best juicers make it easier to enjoy a tasty combination of fruit and vegetable extracts, at home. Whether you’re just looking to get your five-a-day in a more interesting and varied way, or you’re embarking on a juice cleanse in a bid to detox, juicers make it much more affordable and more convenient than buying ready-made juices from the grocery store. In fact, Statista estimates that 1.49 million juices were sold to consumers in 2019.

That isn't really surprising, when you consider the average American consumed six gallons of juice in 2018, while the juice and smoothie bar market was worth $2.62 billion in 2019, research by Statista has revealed.

If you're considering joining the millions that already own a juice extractor, or you’re a juicing novice and want to create refreshing juice with as little effort as possible, you may be wondering just how these kitchen appliances work, what you can actually do with them and do you really need one? 

Read on to found out just how juicers work, or if you want to get your hands on one of the best juicers right now, check out these great deals for some of the best prices on the market.  

So, how do juicers work?

 Juicers work by chopping or grinding fruit and vegetables that have been pushed down a chute, to extract the liquid. The flesh, pith, and skin, which is collectively known as pulp, is considered a waste product and discarded by the juicer into a separate container, leaving a smooth, pulp-free drink.  

Some juicers come with strainers that can divert some of the pulp into your drink, which considering it contains healthy fiber as well as other vitamins and minerals, is certainly beneficial.

If you’re trying to reduce food waste, there are plenty of ideas online for using up pulp discarded by a juicer, such as these six delicious recipes.

There are two different types of juicers; centrifugal juicers and cold press juicers, which are also known as slow juicers or masticating juicers, and they work in slightly different ways.

What is a centrifugal juicer? 

Centrifugal juicers use spinning blades to chop up the fruit and vegetables, and as the name would suggest, the cut-up pieces are pushed against a fast-spinning strainer using centrifugal force, this separates the juice from the pulp.

Centrifugal juicers are the most affordable style of juicer on the market, which makes them a good choice if you’re new to juicing and don’t want to invest too much in an extractor. They have large feed chutes that can usually take whole fruits like apples without the need to chop them up first, and they’re very quick at extracting the juice.

However, the fast speeds can create a lot of froth on top of the juice and juice yields (the amount of juice extracted) can be lower than you get from a cold press juicer. They don’t usually manage to extract much juice from leafy greens like kale.

 What is a cold press juicer?

Cold press or slow juicers work by slowly grinding up the fruit and vegetables and pushing the mixture through a filter to extract the juice.

A good cold press juicer will produce very dry pulp and high juice yields, so there’s much less waste than you get with a centrifugal juicer. They also make juice with very little, if any, froth on top and are much more effective when it comes to harder-to-juice foods like leafy greens.

They’re more expensive than centrifugal juicers, so they’re not ideal if you’re on a budget. That said if you do a lot of juicing, over time they make up for the higher price tag by producing more juice and less waste. They are slower and usually, there’s much more prep involved because they have smaller feed tubes so your juice ingredients need cutting up before juicing.

Do fruits and vegetables need to be peeled before juicing? 

All juicers will have different requirements for peeling, but as a general rule, you don’t need to peel the skin if you would usually eat it. So, for fruits like apples and pears where you would usually eat the skin, there’s no need to peel before juicing but it’s worth removing the stalk and some juicer manuals will advise removing the core too. There’s no need to peel carrots either but you would usually cut the tops off.

If you would never eat the skin when eating the fruit whole, then don’t juice it either. This is true for things like citrus fruits, melon, and pineapple. Not only do you want to avoid juicing the parts you wouldn’t normally eat, but these tough and fibrous skins might also damage your juicer. For fruits with a big stone inside, like peaches, mango, or even cherries, you’ll need to cut out the stone before the fruit goes into the juicer so you don’t damage the juicer.

Can I juice Citrus in a standard juicer?

The simple answer is yes, you can usually juice all citrus fruits in both centrifugal and cold press juicers, but as we’ve already mentioned you’ll need to peel or cut off the skin first. However, if you’re planning on juicing a lot of citrus fruits it’s worth thinking about whether a citrus juicer is a better option for you. 

You’ll get better juice yields from a citrus juicer as they’re specifically designed to be efficient at extracting juice from citrus, plus you’ll usually only need to cut your oranges in half instead of peeling them completely. Available as manual or electric versions, they’re cheaper than many centrifugal and cold press juicers too. 

How to clean a juicer?

We won’t lie to you, juicers can be tricky to clean! Lots of juicers can be fiddly to assemble and disassemble with several parts that make cleaning a bit awkward. If the fiddly cleaning is putting you off, look for a juicer with dishwasher safe parts, plenty of models now come with dishwasher safe parts to make cleaning easier. 

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You’ve bought one of the best juicers and whipped up several refreshing juices for friends and family, but now it’s time to clean your kitchen appliance. So where do you start? We admit cleaning these kitchen appliances thoroughly can seem like a daunting task, but it’s important to know how to clean your juicer, for your own health as well as so it continues to perform well.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, when fruits and vegetables are used in a juicer, bacteria from the outside of the produce can be transferred into your drink. While washing the fresh produce before you start juicing, and washing your hands before and after preparing the fruit and vegetables, is a must - thoroughly cleaning your juicer after use can also help reduce the spread of any bacteria.

Even the freshest fruits and vegetables can go moldy in your fridge if left for too long, so don’t leave remnants in your juicer or you’ll end up scooping out a pile of stinky moldy fruit next time you want to use it, and let’s face it, nobody wants that job.

How to clean a juicer

Juicers have lots of parts, so it’s important to fully disassemble all of the components involved in the juicing process - although if you have a centrifugal juicer, be careful as they have sharp blades for cutting up fruit and vegetables.

If you plan on throwing it all in a dishwasher, check your user manual first, not all juicers come with parts that can be cleaned in the dishwasher. Always fully inspect mesh strainers when you remove them from your dishwasher to check that all the fruit and vegetable fibers have been completely removed.

If your juicer manual says the parts need to be washed by hand, fill a sink with warm soapy water and get to work. Lots of juicers come with a brush to help with the cleaning process, this is particularly useful for mesh strainers and filters because these are usually the parts that get most clogged so give them a good scrub, being careful not to damage them or bend them out of shape. A brush is also the safest way to clean and unclog sharp blades, it allows you keep your hands out of the danger zone.

For all other parts, clean with a soft cloth or sponge as best you can, you may have to run water through awkwardly shaped parts to rinse away any debris.

Be sure to rinse thoroughly so there’s no suds or soap left inside any of the parts, otherwise, next time you use it you might end up with juice that tastes of dish soap.

Want to get your hands on the best juicers right now? Check out these great deals for some of the best on the market.  

If you’re not using the pulp for another recipe, empty it out into your compost bin or trash and wash out the container thoroughly. You might be using your juice jug to store fresh juice in the refrigerator, but once it’s empty, wash it thoroughly and put it back with the juicer so you’re not hunting for it next time you set the juicer up.

Finally, wipe over the base of the juicer to clean up any drips, so you’re not faced with a sticky mess next time you get it out of the cupboard. Use a soft cloth and never submerge this part in water.

It’s important to fully dry all of the parts before reassembling your juicer. If the juicer parts are difficult to dry or have sharp blades, leave them to air dry before reassembling.

How often should you clean a juicer?

There’s no gray area here, clean your juicer every time you’ve finished using it. You don’t need to clean it out when you switch from one type of fruit or vegetable to another – unless you really don’t want the flavors to mix. But you must give it a proper clean at the end of each juicing session and definitely before putting it away in a cupboard.

Life is busy, and there’s not always time to clean kitchen appliances every time after they’ve been used.  So how should you tackle cleaning a juicer that’s been used and then left? 

If it‘s been a few hours and the pulp and fibers inside the juicer have started to dry out, switch it on and slowly pour some water through the feed chute. If your juicer has a drip stop, which unsurprisingly, stops the juicer from dripping once the majority of the juice has been extracted, keep this closed initially to let some water build-up inside (but don’t exceed any maximum fill lines). This should loosen up anything that’s started to dry out. But if you’ve left it for much longer than a couple of hours and it’s very dry inside don’t switch it on, the parts may be stuck together, and switching it on could cause some damage.

Next, disassemble and soak all of the component parts in a sink full of warm soapy water for at least 15 minutes. You should then be able to clean everything using the directions above. But if there’s any tough residue or lingering smells, try making a paste with water and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda in the UK) use a soft brush to scrub the paste into any remaining grime or wipe the paste over any smelly parts and leave for 10 minutes before rinsing away.

If you don’t juice too often or you’re thinking about digging that long-lost juicer out of the back of the cupboard it’s a good idea to disassemble it first. Take it apart and inspect all of the internal parts to make sure no mold has grown inside while it's not been in use. Also, check for mold or mildew smells and if in doubt give it a thorough clean before you start using it again.

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When it comes to cooking, there are plenty of kitchen appliances that can speed up preparing meals - many of which are extremely versatile, while others can end up languishing on your kitchen countertop, gathering dust as they sit unused because they’re only useful for one task. 

The best blenders fall into the first category and can be an extremely useful addition to your kitchen. From blitzing fruit and vegetables into a smoothie to crushing ice or making soups and sauces, they can be used for a wide array of tasks. So it's no surprise it’s earned a valued place in our kitchens. In fact, according to research by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers more than 90% of households report owning at least one personal or full-size blender. 

There are two different types of blenders available on the market right now. Jug blenders and immersion blenders, which are also known as stick blenders or hand blenders. Both rely on rotating blades to mix and puree foods, but there are a number of differences making each of them better suited to different blending tasks. This can make it hard to decide which is best suited to you.

Know which type of blender you want? Rather than read on and find out the differences between the two types, check out the best prices for some of our top models. 

What’s the difference between an immersion blender and a jug blender? 

An immersion blender, also known as a stick blender or hand blender is a handheld appliance with spinning blades at one end, and the motor that drives the blades in the top section, which is held during use. As the name would suggest, you immerse the blades into whatever you want to blend, whether it’s a pitcher of milkshake ingredients or a pan of freshly cooked soup. 

In a jug blender, the blades are housed in the base of a jug which is either plastic or glass and comes with a secure lid. The jug blades are powered by a motor located in the base unit, which sits on your countertop. To blend you have to pour the ingredients into the jug, attach the lid and press a button on the base unit to start the motor. 

Jug blenders have very powerful motors and can pulverize even the toughest ingredients, which in some cases means ice or coffee beans, although some blender jugs can only be used for cold ingredients rather than soups and other hot ingredients. Many have predefined programs, so you can set the blender going and walk away with the appliance still running. For peace of mind, many have built-in safety features that don’t allow them to be switched on unless the lid is secured in place. However, they can be expensive with prices as high as $499.95/ £599.95/ AU$999 for a premium model like Breville’s the Super Q.

Immersion blenders are a more affordable option, they’re also more compact and easier to store than a jug blender - most are small enough to pop in a drawer. They’re not as powerful though and can’t be used for tasks like crushing ice, but they are great for blending soups, sauces, baby food, and milkshakes.

Good immersion blenders will have a heat-proof metal shaft so they can be put directly into warm foods such as soup pans, although there are safety considerations when it comes to blending very hot foods. You won’t get auto programs with an immersion blender, but they do have variable speed settings and some come with a stand-alone pitcher for blending in.

Some models will also come with a whisk attachment and others come with mini choppers which are ideal for chopping herbs, nuts or even blending small quantities of sauce. So, depending on the attachments included they can be used for much more than simple blending tasks.

However, a big downside is the lack of safety features - they can be switched on at any time. And if you have any problems with your hands or wrists, this handheld blending appliance probably isn't right for you. Some of them feel heavy in use and can vibrate up through the handle while blending, which is uncomfortable if using for longer periods.

With a jug blender, you’re limited by the capacity of the jug - they do vary in size, but even the largest jug won’t be big enough to blend an extra large pan of soup in one go, so you’ll have to blend it in batches. Many models also come with personal blending cups included and these are perfect for making smoothies to-go, you blend all of the smoothie ingredients in the same cup that you drink from, so there’s less cleaning at the end.

Immersion blenders, however, aren’t restricted by a jug size, so you can put them into any size container, which makes them ideal for blending large quantities.

Both types of blender are relatively easy to clean. Add soapy water to a jug blender, and then simply switch on for a few seconds. Some models even have a self-clean program, although lots now come with components that can go in the dishwasher. Immersion blenders can be rinsed under the tap to remove any food residue.

Should I buy a jug blender or immersion blender? 

Both jug blenders and immersion blenders are effective when it comes to blitzing fruit and vegetables into smooth drinks or sauces. However, what other tasks you plan to use the blender for, and how much storage space you have, will dictate which type of blender you opt for.

Those that are on a budget, want to blend large quantities or hot ingredients such as pureeing stock and vegetables into hearty soups, should consider an immersion blender. However, if you want to crush ice or grind coffee beans as well as pulverizing fruit and vegetables , a jug blender is the way to go. 

As we’ve already mentioned, consider how much space you have in your kitchen - as jug blenders can be bulky, while immersion blenders are often small enough to be slipped into a drawer. Finally, consider whether you want a blender that can be slipped in a dishwasher, or you’re happy to don some rubber gloves and clean an immersion blender manually. 

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When we think about making our diets healthier, increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables we consume is one of the easiest steps we can take. According to America’s Health Rankings only 8% of adults in the US  are getting their five-a-day - the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables needed for a healthy diet according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

By consuming two or more fruits and three or more vegetables a day - the amounts suggested by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the WHO believe that not only will the risk of chronic illness and disease be reduced, it’ll also ensure you're getting the recommended level of dietary fiber too, which will aid digestion and prevent constipation. 

So buying one of the best juicers has got to be a great way of increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables we consume and achieving a healthier diet by loading up on mountains of essential vitamins, right? Turns out it’s not quite as cut and dried as that - here’s what you need to know. 

So,is using a juicer actually healthy? 

The process of juicing means we consume more fruit and vegetables than we would if we were to eat them whole. For example, a single glass of orange juice might contain five oranges - but it's unlikely you’d eat that many oranges in one go if you were eating them whole. 

Fruits contain natural sugar called fructose as well as fiber. When fruit is eaten whole, fructose is absorbed slowly by our bodies, but using a juicer means the flesh and skin of the fruit, which contains the fiber, is discarded. This means drinking fruit juice has a similar effect on the body as drinking full-sugar sodas do. On top of this, the high sugar content can also contribute to tooth decay. 

In the UK, Public Health England and the NHS recommed not consuming more than 5.3 oz/ 150ml of fruit juice per day due to the sugar content, which is likely to be far below the volume many of us drink when we have a standard glass of fruit juice.

Does that mean I should give up drinking fruit juice?  

In short, no. A balanced and varied diet means enjoying everything in moderation, including fruit juice. There are, however, a couple of ways to lessen the concerns about sugar and potential impact on your health. 

First off, try including lots of lower sugar vegetables like celery and broccoli as well as leafy greens such as kale or fresh herbs in your juice, this will make a much healthier, lower sugar juice than if you make it using 100% fruit. 

Juice with vegetables and leafy greens might not sound as appealing as a sweet orange or apple juice, but if you experiment and combine the vegetables with a small amount of fruit for flavor, you’ll be making tasty lower sugar juices in no time.

Portion control is the other thing to consider, juice can be particularly unhealthy for us when consumed in large portions, so being mindful of portions and trying to stick to small quantities of juice is another way of consuming juice without worrying about consuming too much sugar. A great way of doing this without having to think about it too much is to have a small glass that you use for fruit juice so that you can’t accidentally pour too much in.

Fruits and vegetables contain healthy vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that are all important for our health. If you dislike eating fruits and vegetables or struggle to include them in your everyday diet, you’ll likely benefit from this extra nutrition, provided you don’t over do it and consume too much sugar.

It’s important to eat a wide variety of different coloured fruits and vegetables as a part of a healthy diet, but if you find you stick to the same few at every meal time, juicing is definitely a good way of introducing variety and getting different nutrients and antioxidants into your body.

What about fiber?

Juicing removes fiber and the experts recommend we should all be looking to increase fiber in our diets not reduce it. According to Harvard School of Public Health fiber is important for reducing the risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

A good way to make juicing healthier is to use the pulp rather than throw it in the trash. There are lots of recipe ideas online for using up the pulp discarded by your juicer - here’s six that we think are particularly appetizing. Not only is it better for your wallet and the environment not to waste the pulp, it’s also a great way of adding the fiber back into your diet so that you don’t lose its health benefits when you remove it in the juicing process.

The best juicers for health

If you want to juice as a way of including more nutrients in your diet, you’re best off looking for a cold press juicer. These juicers slowly grind up the fruits and vegetables and they don’t produce any heat, unlike centrifugal juicers, which means more of the precious nutrients are retained and not damaged during the juicing process.

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In addition to fruits and vegetable juices, some cold press juicers can be used to make lots of other healthy recipes including nut milks, hummus, salsa and even nut butters. So if you fancy a juicer but you’re worried it’ll gather dust between making small portions of vegetable juices, look for a juicer like the Nama Vitality 5800 that’s robust enough to cope with nuts and chickpeas so you can use it for much more than just juice.  

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