Best NutriBullet and Personal Blenders 2026 UK

Fresh berry smoothie in a glass with fruit on the side

NutriBullet 600 Series: Best for Most People

Price: About £50 from Argos, Currys, Amazon UK, or John Lewis

The original NutriBullet hasn’t changed much since it popularised the personal blender category, and that’s because it doesn’t need to. The 600-watt motor paired with the extractor blade creates a vortex that pulls ingredients down into the blades rather than leaving chunks spinning uselessly above them. This cyclonic action is why NutriBullet consistently produces smoother results than cheaper imitators with similar wattage.

What It Does Well

Frozen fruit — blends from rock-hard to drinkable in about 20-25 seconds
Leafy greens — spinach, kale, and cavolo nero get pulverised rather than leaving stringy bits
Speed — most smoothies are done in under 30 seconds, which is faster than any jug blender
Cleanup — rinse the cup with warm soapy water, done in 15 seconds

Where It Falls Short

No pulse button — you press down and it blends until you release; can’t pulse thick mixtures free
Ice crushing is inconsistent — small ice cubes work fine, large cubes can jam the blade
The cups are plastic — they scratch over time and can retain stains from berries and turmeric
No travel lid included in the base model — you need to buy the to-go lid separately (about £8)

The 600 Series comes with a 680ml tall cup and a 500ml short cup. The tall cup is the one you’ll use 90% of the time — it holds a proper portion without overfilling. Add your liquid first (milk, water, juice), then soft ingredients, then frozen items on top, closest to the blade. Once you’ve got the technique down, try our smoothie bowl recipes for something a bit more substantial.

NutriBullet Pro 900: Best for Tough Ingredients

Price: About £80 from Argos, Currys, or Amazon UK

The Pro is the NutriBullet you buy when the 600 Series can’t keep up. The 900-watt motor handles things the 600 struggles with — frozen açai packs straight from the freezer, whole ice cubes, raw almonds, and thick protein powder mixes. The blade assembly is the same design, but the extra 300 watts of power means it turns faster and recovers better when it hits resistance.

The Upgrade Worth Paying For

After testing both side by side with the same frozen berry and spinach mix, the Pro produced a noticeably smoother result. The 600 left tiny seed fragments; the Pro obliterated them. For everyday soft-fruit smoothies, you won’t notice the difference. For anything involving frozen chunks, nuts, or fibrous vegetables, you will.

The Downsides

£30 more than the 600 Series for the same cup system and similar blade
Louder — the extra power is audible, especially early morning when the house is quiet
Same plastic cups — at this price, Tritan or glass cups would have been nice

Ninja Personal Blender with Auto-iQ: Best Alternative to NutriBullet

Price: About £50-60 from Argos, Ninja, or Amazon UK

Ninja’s personal blender is the closest competitor to NutriBullet and in some ways surpasses it. The Auto-iQ feature gives you pre-programmed blend cycles — press the smoothie button and it runs a timed sequence of blending and pulsing that handles ingredients more evenly than continuous blending. It’s a smart feature that produces consistently good results without any technique.

Where Ninja Wins

Auto-iQ programmes — properly useful, not a gimmick; the pulse-blend cycle breaks down fibrous ingredients better
Tritan cups — more durable and scratch-resistant than NutriBullet’s plastic
Better ice crushing — the Ninja blade design handles whole ice cubes that would jam a NutriBullet 600
Travel lid included — ready to go out of the box

Where Ninja Loses

Bulkier base unit — about 30% wider than a NutriBullet, noticeable in a small kitchen
Noisier — the pulsing cycles are loud enough to wake someone sleeping in the next room
The blade assembly is harder to clean — the stacked blade design traps food between the layers

If NutriBullet didn’t exist, the Ninja would be the default recommendation. It’s that good. The choice between them comes down to whether you value compactness (NutriBullet) or features (Ninja).

Russell Hobbs NutriBoost: Best Budget Option

Price: About £30-35 from Argos, Currys, or Amazon UK

At roughly half the price of a NutriBullet, the Russell Hobbs NutriBoost is impressive. The 700-watt motor is theoretically more powerful than the NutriBullet 600, and it comes with three cup sizes and both a cross blade and a flat blade for different tasks. The value proposition is hard to argue with.

Reality Check

On paper, the specs match or beat the NutriBullet. In practice, the blending quality is about 80% as good. The NutriBoost leaves slightly more texture in frozen berry smoothies — tiny seed fragments and occasional spinach fibres that the NutriBullet catches. The difference isn’t dramatic, but it’s there if you’re paying attention.

Who Should Buy It

First-time personal blender buyers who aren’t sure they’ll use it enough to justify £50+
Students and flat-sharers who need something functional and cheap
Anyone who mainly blends soft fruit — the NutriBoost handles bananas, yoghurt, and fresh berries just as well as anything else

The Downsides

Build quality feels cheaper — the cups are thinner plastic, the base feels lighter
The flat blade is basically useless — it’s marketed for grinding coffee and spices but doesn’t do either well
Motor burns out faster under heavy use — several reviewers on Which? report failures within 12-18 months of daily use

Kenwood Blend Xtract 3-in-1: Best Versatility

Price: About £55-65 from John Lewis, Currys, or Amazon UK

The Kenwood Blend Xtract tries to be three things: a personal blender, a chopper, and a grinder. It includes a 600ml blending cup, a 500ml chopping bowl, and a small grinding mill, all powered by the same 350-watt base. The result is a versatile kit that does several jobs adequately rather than one job brilliantly.

Where It Excels

The chopping attachment is the star here. It handles onions, herbs, and soft vegetables quickly — something no NutriBullet or Ninja can do. If you want a personal blender that also preps ingredients for cooking, this is the only real option under £100. The grinder handles spices, flax seeds, and small quantities of coffee beans reasonably well.

The Trade-Off

At 350 watts, the motor is weak by personal blender standards. Frozen fruit takes noticeably longer to blend, and the results are chunkier than a NutriBullet. Ice crushing is essentially impossible — the motor stalls. If smoothies are your main use, this isn’t the right choice.

Smeg Personal Blender: Best Looking

Price: About £130-150 from John Lewis, Smeg, or Harrods

Let’s be honest about what you’re buying here. The Smeg personal blender is a 300-watt motor in a retro-styled metal housing. Functionally, it’s worse than a NutriBullet 600 at three times the price. The motor struggles with frozen fruit, can’t crush ice, and the blending cup is small at 600ml.

Why People Buy It

Because it looks gorgeous on the worktop. The 1950s Italian design comes in pastel pink, blue, cream, and red, and it matches the Smeg kettle, toaster, and stand mixer that a certain kind of kitchen enthusiast has already bought. Smeg’s UK site shows how the aesthetic works when you commit to the full range.

Should You Buy It?

Only if aesthetics genuinely matter more than performance to you, and you mostly blend soft fruit and protein shakes. For frozen smoothies and tough ingredients, the NutriBullet Pro at £80 outperforms it in every measurable way. But no NutriBullet has ever been described as beautiful, and the Smeg arguably has.

What to Look For in a Personal Blender

Motor Power

300-500 watts — fine for soft fruit, yoghurt, and liquid-heavy smoothies
600-700 watts — the sweet spot; handles frozen fruit and leafy greens reliably
900+ watts — necessary for ice crushing, nut butters, and very thick blends

Don’t chase wattage alone — blade design and motor torque matter as much. A well-designed 600-watt NutriBullet outblends a poorly designed 1,000-watt generic.

Cup Material and Size

Tritan plastic — the best option; impact-resistant, BPA-free, and scratch-resistant
Standard plastic — cheaper but scratches and stains over time
Glass — durable but heavy; rare in personal blenders
600-700ml is the ideal size — enough for a full smoothie with room for expansion when blending

Blade Design

Cross blades (four or six pointed blades) work best for smoothies. The NutriBullet’s extractor blade pulls ingredients downward; Ninja’s stacked blade cuts at multiple heights. Both work — the key is sharp, stainless steel blades that maintain their edge over months of frozen fruit.

Noise Level

All personal blenders are loud. There’s no way around a motor spinning at 20,000+ RPM inside a plastic cup. The NutriBullet 600 is among the quietest at around 80-85 dB; the Ninja and NutriBullet Pro are louder at 85-90 dB. For reference, a normal conversation is about 60 dB. If early-morning noise is a concern, blend your smoothie the night before and refrigerate it — the texture holds up surprisingly well overnight.

Personal Blender vs Full-Size Blender: Which Do You Need?

Choose a Personal Blender If

You make single servings — smoothies for one, protein shakes, baby food portions
Kitchen space is limited — you live in a flat, student house, or have a small worktop
Speed matters — blend, drink, rinse, done in under two minutes
You don’t need hot blending — soups, sauces, and cooked blends aren’t on your list

Choose a Full-Size Blender If

You make family batches — smoothies for three or four people at once
You want to make soups — many full-size blenders have heat functions or can handle hot liquids
You process tough ingredients regularly — nut butter, frozen desserts, or grain flour
Versatility matters more than speed — food processing, crushing, and blending in one machine

For most people who already own a full-size blender, a personal blender is still worth having. They serve different occasions — the big blender for Sunday meal prep, the personal blender for Tuesday morning’s rushed smoothie. Our how to choose a blender guide covers the bigger options and selection criteria in detail.

Cleaning a blender cup in a kitchen sink

Cleaning and Maintenance Tips

Daily Cleaning

Fill the cup halfway with warm water and a drop of washing-up liquid. Blend for 10 seconds. Rinse. Done. This takes less time than walking to the dishwasher, and it prevents residue building up around the blade assembly. Do this immediately after blending — dried smoothie is ten times harder to clean than fresh.

Deep Cleaning the Blade Assembly

Once a week, unscrew the blade assembly from the cup and soak it in warm soapy water for 10 minutes. Use an old toothbrush to clean between the blades and around the rubber gasket. The gasket traps fruit pulp and can develop mould if neglected — this is the single most common complaint from personal blender owners.

When to Replace Parts

Blades — sharpen slightly with use for the first few months, then gradually dull. Replace every 6-12 months with daily use (NutriBullet sells replacement blade assemblies for about £15)
Cups — replace when deeply scratched or cracked; scratches harbour bacteria
Gasket — replace if it develops a smell even after cleaning, or if the cup leaks during blending
Motor base — should last 3-5 years with normal use. If it starts to smell hot or the speed drops, it’s done

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a NutriBullet replace a food processor? No. Personal blenders can’t chop, slice, grate, or knead. They’re designed for liquid-based blending only. If you need food processing, look at the Kenwood Blend Xtract 3-in-1 (which includes a small chopper) or buy a dedicated food processor.

Is the NutriBullet Pro worth the upgrade from the 600? If you blend frozen fruit daily, yes. The extra power produces noticeably smoother results with hard and frozen ingredients. If you mainly blend soft fruit, yoghurt, and liquid-heavy smoothies, the 600 does the job just as well — save the £30 for replacement cups and blades.

Can I put hot liquids in a personal blender? Most manufacturers say no. Hot liquid creates steam pressure inside the sealed cup, which can force the lid off and spray hot liquid. Let soups and cooked ingredients cool to at least room temperature before blending. If you want to blend hot food, use a full-size blender with a vented lid.

How loud are personal blenders? Loud. Expect 80-90 dB from most models, which is roughly the volume of a vacuum cleaner. The NutriBullet 600 is among the quieter options. No personal blender is quiet enough to use without waking someone in the next room, so if early-morning noise is a concern, prep your smoothie the night before.

Do I need to add liquid to a personal blender? Yes — personal blenders need liquid to create the vortex that pulls ingredients into the blades. Without liquid, solid ingredients bounce around above the blades without being blended. Use at least 150-200ml of milk, water, juice, or yoghurt as your base. Add the liquid first, then soft ingredients, then frozen items on top.

In This Article

Our Top Pick: The Best Personal Blender Overall

What Makes a Personal Blender Different?

Size and Footprint

Blend-and-Go Design

What They Can’t Do