Nutribullet Combo Review

The Nutribullet Combo is an upgraded version of the Nutribullet Blender, a longtime fan favorite for its balance of price and performance. The Combo includes a 64-ounce pitcher with an integrated blade and two smaller individual cups — a 32-ounce cup and a 24-ounce cup with a handle, each with to-go lids — that attach to a separate extractor blade. The 1200-watt base features a straightforward interface with low, medium, and high-speed settings, a pulse button, and an Extract program designed specifically for processing fresh fruit and vegetables.

Performance Comparison

Smoothies

Even though it doesn't top the charts, it is almost exclusively the premium blenders we tested that best the Combo in terms of smoothie quality. We continue to be impressed by this price-point blender whose performance is only improved upon by the addition of the Extract program. This auto-shutoff preset runs for one minute with a program specifically designed to turn fresh fruit and vegetables into delicious smoothies. We particularly appreciate the ability to blend large batches in the pitcher or opt for one of the two cups to take our smoothies on the go.

The Extract preset did a fantastic job of breaking down a combination of fresh veggies and frozen fruit into a rich green shake. Although the texture was notably smooth, the earthy taste of spinach and kale dominated the flavor profile. There was a moderate amount of foam that separated from the rest of the smoothie, which is consistent with other blenders we tested at this price point — it seems like you can only achieve creamy perfection with the premium options in our lineup.

But if you tend to err on the side of berry-based beverages, then the Combo works incredibly well. After running this blender for one minute on the medium setting, the texture of our standard berry smoothie was creamy and easy to pour, albeit a bit on the thin side. The notoriously thick fruit, nut, and oat breakfast blend was also easily drinkable — a notable break from other similar models, whose smoothies from this recipe were so thick that we could only eat them with a spoon. The only reason the Combo didn't score higher in these two tests is that there were, inexplicably, a few large chunks of frozen strawberries among the otherwise well-blended smoothies.

One of the most notable differences, however, between the Combo and other price point blenders is that this model is measurably quieter. While it was a bit louder than the competition for the first few moments while breaking up ingredients, once a vortex was formed and it settled into efficient blending, the Combo was even a bit quieter than other premium blenders we tested.

Convenience

Considering the overall convenience of the Combo is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, the included accessories make it incredibly convenient, especially for folks who like to take their smoothies on the go. But on the other end, this blender is not nearly as convenient to clean and store as other models in our lineup.

What makes this a “combo” package within the nutribullet lineup are the options you have available for cup size. The voluminous, 64-ounce pitcher is perfect for making large batches of blended beverages for a family or party, while the 32-ounce and 24-ounce cups each fasten with to-go lids if you want to take your shake with you on your morning commute.

We always appreciate when designers opt for plain-language buttons; the Combo features buttons for low, medium, and high speed settings, a pulse function, and a single Extract preset. While the last one is a bit ambiguous, a quick read of the user manual explains that this one-minute preset is designed specifically for processing fresh produce smoothies. We also appreciate that when using the personal cups, the base has a one-minute auto-shutoff feature so that you don't overblend these smaller batches. Although the Combo doesn't include a digital timer, the interface is straightforward and user-friendly.

But this blender suffers a bit when it comes time to clean up. The rounded pitcher has a nice wide mouth for easy hand-washing, but despite the fact that the blade base is supposed to be removable, not a single tester could get it to come off! This certainly complicated washing under the blades, where this blender does have a tendency to build up gunk. The Extract preset works well for a substitute auto-clean preset, however, the design of the pitcher and lid don't allow for easy drying on the motor base. Fortunately, all of the parts are deemed dishwasher safe for those with access to a dishwasher, but for the top rack only. Unlike other semi-portable blenders, the Combo doesn't feature a cord wrap, which is more of an inconvenience for storage than a necessity but still a note-worthy annoyance.

Ice

As an otherwise highly functional blender, the Combo's inability to crush ice was disappointing. To its benefit, the user manual specifically notes that this model is specifically not designed to crush ice, and this claim was certainly backed up by its poor performance. It was almost as if the blades weren't able to “grab” the ice cubes and crush them — the result was chunks of ice ranging from small bits to nearly full, unbroken cubes.

Considering the context that this blender is not designed to crush ice, we were pleasantly surprised by its ability to turn out a serviceable batch of blended margaritas. We attribute this surprising success to the liquid included in the recipe, which the Combo's user manual notes is crucial for use. Despite the occasional flecks of ice, the texture of the blended margaritas was smooth and creamy, far surpassing the slurpee-like texture of other similarly priced models we tested.

Pureeing

The “non-traditional” tasks of a blender, like pureeing, is where the Combo truly stands above other price-point blenders. This only contributes to its overall value; if you are able to replace other appliances, like a food processor, with this blender, then the value of its versatility is further multiplied. But take our assessment with a grain of salt — while the Combo did well for pureeing soup, it had a tougher time with heavy-duty tasks, like mixing nut butter.

While this powerful blender seemed capable of creating the slow, swirling vortex necessary for processing nuts into a spreadable– albeit very thick and sticky — nut butter, it was not without challenge. Namely, after a few minutes of processing this recipe on low, a strange electrical smell emanated from the Combo blender. This was an alarming reminder that the blender was working a bit beyond its capacity. Pureeing a batch of homemade tomato soup is more in line with its capability. After six minutes of pureeing on high, the Combo turned out creamy, well-blended soup heated to 150 °F. While this isn't quite the optimum temperature to serve straight from the pitcher, it sure is close and certainly is a respectable showing compared to other premium blenders.

Grinding

Like crushing ice, the user manual explicitly states that this blender is not designed for grinding dry ingredients — but, of course, we tried it anyway. Although this type of processing, which is normally reserved for a food processor, can be tough on the blades, it is possible to substitute a powerful blender for light service duty. And as it turned out, if the puree capability of the Combo is impressive, its grinding ability is even more so.

Processing granulated sugar on high for 30 seconds, the Combo turned it into a fluffy, powdered sugar. While we noted a bit more heft compared to the results of other premium blenders, it certainly felt like powdered sugar, and we didn't notice any grainy texture. The results were similar for processing corn kernels into corn flour — after running the blender for one minute on high, 90% of the corn was processed with very few bits of leftover grit. The most notable performance, however, was processing ground parmesan. The Combo worked beautifully, finely grinding chunks of cheese into a feathery mix.

Should You Buy the nutribullet Blender Combo?

If you don't want to shell out for a top-tier blender, yet you don't want to make any huge concessions regarding performance, no other option offers the same value as the nutribullet Combo. In key metrics, this price-point model performs nearly as well as other premium models that cost more than three times as much as this blender. While the lack of presets and a digital timer are slight concessions in terms of user-friendliness, the minimal amount of extra effort required is well worth the substantial savings.

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