I've always struggled to get into a good smoothie routine, but this blender has kept me consistent

Nutribullet is famous for making convenient, compact blenders. The build and silhouette of most of their models has remained the same, year after year, so the release of the Nutribullet Flip marks something special.

Unlike most of the best blenders on the market, this could easily be mistaken for a protein shaker or a Stanley cup. It's no bigger, heavier, or fancier on the surface, but it's what's inside that counts.

The bottle flips on its head, whilst whizzing up smoothies, protein shakes, and juices. I've always struggled to commit to blending and drinking consistently, but the speed, quietness, and convenience of the Nutribullet Flip has earned it a permanent spot on my counter.

Specifications

Unboxing

The Nutribullet Flip arrived in a cardboard box. It's not very big, nor is it very heavy, which are two big wins from a convenience perspective. I didn't even have to guess what was in the box, because the bold packaging hides nothing. In fact, Nutribullet packs lots of handy tips and information around the box. You won't have lost out if you recycle the box straight away, but it's worth perusing.

For the most part, Nutribullet has used recyclable materials to send the Flip. There is some soft plastic around the body and blades, which you can recycle if you have a good, big supermarket near to you. In an ideal world, the plastic would have been paper, but I'm nit-picking.

Inside the box, you'll get the blending cup (main bottle), a charger, a lid with blades in, a cup that you can rest the lid with blades in, and then a normal lid. You almost don't need the normal lid, except for the fact that it's lighter, and thinner, and it has a space to stick a staw through.

Who would it suit?

Back in November, I tested the Nutribullet Pro 900 blender and I declared that I had found the perfect portable blender for gym bunnies and busy commuters. Having tested their newest release, the Nutribullet Flip, I'm going to have to add a little asteisk to that title. This is perfect for busy people who are looking to get their 5-(or is it 10 these days?)-a-day in.

The beauty of the Flip is that you're blending in a bottle that's already the size (and style) of a protein shaker. I have pretty small hands and you can see that it fits comfortably in there. I've thrown this in my work bag and in my gym bag. It's leakproof, compact enough to take on the go, and you'll get a good 590ml smoothie out of it. The great thing about this is that it's really quiet when it's working. The buzz is no more than an electric toothbrush, so you won't be losing any friends by blending in the office. Show me a commuter who wouldn't use this and I'll eat my hat, or maybe the banana skins left over from blending tests.

The Nutribullet Flip is a little pricier than most of the rest of Nutribullet's offerings, but I'd put that down to newness and demand. At £84, there are cheaper blenders out there, but I don't think you'll find one as good.

What is it like to use?

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Your blender might come with a bit of charge, but mine needed to be plugged in to get whirring. It didn’t take long though. Within twenty minutes, I had the NutriBullet blending smoothies one after the other.

I even tried blending with this plugged-in and charging. Whilst it did work (good to know for desperate times), it was a little inconvenient, because the charging lead isn’t particularly long.

The light around the button will show up in different colours. A white light tells you that the blender is on. If you push it again, it will blend solidly for 30 seconds before stopping. If, when you push the button, it shows up orange, this means that you need to charge the Nutribullet. In terms of the set-up, that’s all you need to know.

Test 1: blending

Nutribullet has established themselves as the smoothie experts, so I wanted to really put this through its paces. In the fortnight that I’ve had this; I’ve been making four smoothies a day (one each morning and evening for my partner and myself). I’ve used different combinations of tough, frozen, and fibrous ingredients each day with varying degrees of success.

As a general overview, this can make a great single-serving of smoothie. As you add large frozen chunks and you fill the blender up beyond about 450ml, you’ll need to work with the Nutribullet. That might mean shaking it to get the ingredients moving around or chopping up frozen fruit into smaller pieces.

Officially, the first test that I did was making a standard smoothie. I piled frozen blueberries, oats, almond milk, and spinach into the blender and set it running. Just one completion of the pre-set had whizzed this up into a satisfying smoothie. It was thick, but there were no lumps, seeds, or skins in sight. The blender had also managed to keep quite quiet in the process. My measurements read 61dB, which is quieter than conservation and about as loud as an electric toothbrush. To put this in context, I didn’t need to turn up the volume on the TV.

In the evenings, I've been experimenting with my protein shakes too. This means adding one frozen banana (sliced), a teaspoon of peanut butter, a scoop of protein powder, and some almond milk to my blender. The Nutribullet, flipped upside down, whizzes all my ingredients into a silky smooth shake.

The blending lid comes with a cap, so you can open and sip from it without even opening it up. There is a slimmer lid that you could place on instead of the motor (this has a space to slip a straw through). However, I, rather lazily, have ended up up opting for keeping the same head for drinking. It doesn’t make the bottle too heavy and I like to save on the washing up.

The only times that I’ve found fault with the Nutribullet Flip as a smoothie maker is when I’ve perhaps asked too much of it. Once, I filled it to the very top and it didn’t manage to blend the oats properly.

Test 2: hummus

Just the design of the Nutribullet Flip makes it very clear that this is designed for drinks, so I felt a bit silly going through the rest of my blender tests with this. However, it's important that I can compare this to other blenders, so I ran my normal test through.

I added a can of chickpeas, some cumin, tahini, olive oil, garlic, salt, and lemon juice to the blender, flipped it upside down and pressed the button once. After thirty seconds, it came to a stop, but I ran it through again. This time, I held the blender and shook it around a bit, hoping that would help the blades to chop through the chickpeas.

One minute after starting this all off, I screwed open the lid to see my lovely hummus. You can see in the image that it's chunky, but there isn't a whole chickpea in sight. Of course, there's a lot of texture to it and I probably would opt for my food processor or a jug blender if I had one to hand, but this is a great fall back.

Cleaning

Thanks to the blending cup-come-bottle design, there isn't a huge amount to do in the way of cleaning. If you take the blending lid off, Nutribullet sends a handy plastic pot where you can sit the blades in. They'll happily drip away into here until you're ready to clean.

You can't get the blade head wet, or put it under water, because of the charging port, so you'll have to blend-clean this. That means filling the blender halfway with warm water, adding a squeeze of washing-up liquid), screwing the lid on, and then giving the blender a shake around as it cleans.

Mine came out sparkling each time that I did this. The one thing I did spot was that this doesn't always quite clean the sip-top part of the lid. You'll want to get a jay cloth to run through there, or a small straw cleaner. I could imagine this bit getting gross if you don't keep on top of that.

It's a little higher maintenance than just shoving a blending cup in the dishwasher, but it's still not a bad routine. You'll only need a minute to get this back to its former glory.

How does it compare?

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There are a couple of recommendations that I think you should check out before investing in the Nutribullet Flip. The first is one that I mentioned earlier on in the article, the Nutribullet Pro 900. This isn't a cordless blender, but that means that you get a lot more power and diversity with what you can blend. Each cup comes with accessories that can tranform it into a bottle, which is why I recommended it for gym bunnies in the first place.

The different-sized cups that come with the Pro 900 give you a lot more versatility in what you can blend. Pair that with the fact that the cups are clear and the Pro 900 can fill the kitchen assistant gap that the Flip can't. I happily make oat flour, dips, and nut butters in my Pro 900. Whilst I actually reach for the Flip more in terms of drinks, the Pro 900 is much more of a family blender.

The other temptation with the Pro 900 is that it's between £20-30 cheaper than the Flip. As a more versatile blender, this seems like a surprise. However, you might want to remember that the Flip is cordless and brand new, so there's a premium to pay.

The other blender I'd like you to think about is the Beast Hydration System. Whilst I like the Nutribullet Flip and its protein shaker aesthetic, there's no escaping that it's a little masculine and heavy-duty looking. The Beast Blender and Hydration System is similarly cordless, but it's so much more beautiful. The glass, paired with a black or silver body, looks like the kind of Cali wellness accessory that I imagine every toned, tanned, gym bunny has in their bag (even though they definitely don't).

You can infuse water and iced teas in a separate part of the Beast Blender, but you'll also be able to make smoothies, protein shakes, and dips just as well. The only con is that this is £100 more than the Nutribullet Flip, so it's more of a blender to put on your wish list than one which you could pick up without any buyer's guilt.

Should you buy it?

If you want a blender that'll keep you consistent with your smoothies and protein shakes, I'm living proof that this works. The Nutribullet Flip has secured its spot firmly in my morning routine, even though I've tested nearly 50 other blenders before it. So, you can tell that it's doing a lot of things right.

If you're looking for a blender that'll cover more kitchen needs, it's worth taking a look at the Nutribullet Series systems. When it's working in your home, you won't need the cordless functions as much as if you were on the go and so you can get more capacity and power for less money over there.

How we test

At woman&home, I take a lot of pride in how we test blenders. I've always thought of these as a non-negotiable kitchen essential and so I like to make sure that each model that I recommend gets a thorough and rigorous run-through before its review.

I make notes on every aspect of owning and using a blender, from the packaging that it arrives into comparisons and how to clean the blender after use. That way, you'll get a breakdown of every aspect that's involved with using the blender. I like to think that the reviews reflect your real-life usage, because I incorporate them into my home and use them exactly like you would.

Each blender gets set three core tasks that I use to compare between models. I make smoothies using frozen berries, oats, spinach, and almond milk. This is a tough load of ice, fibre, and skin to slice through, so if it manages that, it's already doing well. I'll also throw a scoop of protein powder in to make sure that the blender can handle mixing powders and liquids without forming lumps.

Then, I'll do a dip test (usually hummus) to see how well the blender handles foods with a lower liquid content. This can be tougher, especially if the blender flips upside down or if it's got a thin blade base. And finally, I do an ice test with cubes of ice and a splash of water. This is really only a success on big, powerful, family-sized models, but I think it's always good to know.

I like to think that you'll know everything you need to about a blender by the time you come to the end of my review. However, if you still have questions, don't hesitate to email me.