When it comes to quick meals, smoothies are one of my favorites. I’ve been making my morning smoothies with a Ninja blender for years, but jumped at the chance to review the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender when it came out last month. A blender with a function that automatically senses what’s inside the blender and perfectly blends it with the push of a button? Color me intrigued.
As my trusty Ninja blender looked on forlornly, I unboxed the Nutribullet blender. It comes with all the basic parts: a 1400-watt motor base, a 64-ounce pitcher, a vented lid (so you can blend hot ingredients safely) and a tamper, plus a recipe book and instruction manual. If you get the combo package, they throw in two cups (32 and 24 ounces) and to-go lids for an extra $30.
Nutribullet
I added in the ingredients of my usual smoothie to the pitcher: frozen blueberries, spinach, almond butter, cacao powder, almond milk and banana slices. I hit the auto button and watched the blender whir to life, making quick work out of pureeing the ingredients. After a few seconds, the motor slowed down a bit and a “sensing” message displayed on the screen before kicking back into gear. In about 30 seconds my smoothie was ready to sip, and it was incredible. Maybe the best smoothie I’ve ever had? I’ve been making this exact smoothie for years and it’s never tasted this good.
Unlike my Ninja blender, which has straight, flat blades that go up the length of the pitcher, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender has blades at the bottom, which are more conducive to creating a vortex in which ingredients move down to the base, get chopped up and then get pushed back up. The ingredient vortex created in the Nutribullet resulted in a silky smooth, almost fluffy smoothie. By contrast, no matter how long I blended the ingredients in my Ninja, I’d still end up with a slightly chunky texture and unappealing micro salads (little bits of green leaves) that I’d have to chew between sips. Even with heartier greens like kale, stems and all, the Nutribullet SmartSense chops everything up to make a homogeneous smoothie.
Cleaning this blender is also a breeze. I just add some soapy water to the pitcher, put the lid back on, run the blender for about 30 seconds, and rinse everything off. The removable blades of my old Ninja blender made cleanup a bit of a perilous task; I’ve ended up with cuts on my hands on more than one occasion.
If you’re in the market for a new blender or shopping for holiday gifts, now is a great time to pick up this blender. The Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo (with the to-go cups) is $60 off at Amazon right now (on sale for $89). While I’ve only used it to make smoothies so far, it’s already a worthy buy in my book. Plus, at less than $100, it’s less than half the price of the cheapest Vitamix on the market. So if, like me, you want a fancy blender but also love a good deal, the Nutribullet SmartSense might just be the one for you.
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