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.

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 easy to pour, albeit a bit on the thin side. The only reason the Combo didn't score higher is that there was, inexplicably, an unblended chunk of frozen strawberries among the otherwise well-blended smoothies. Still, what was blended turned out to be absolutely “dreamy” as one of our taste testers, Genaveve Bradshaw, put it. Our testers were shocked that it decimated the berry seeds. “Where did they all go?” one asked.

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.

Pureeing

The “non-traditional” tasks of a blender, like pureeing, are 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 grinding up 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 capabilities. After six minutes of pureeing on high, the Combo turned out velvety, lush, 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.

Frozen Drinks

As an otherwise highly functional blender, the Combo's inability to crush ice (alone, without liquid assistance) 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. A bit of limeade and a splash of tequila are all the help this blender needs to blend ice beautifully.

Despite the occasional flecks of ice, the texture of the blended margaritas was smooth and delightful, far surpassing the chunkier, slurpee-like texture of other similarly priced models we tested. Our testers happily gulped down their refreshing, easy-to-drink blended cocktails.

Controls

The Combo is well-labeled with big buttons and is extremely simple to use, but on the other hand, you have to do some reading at first to understand the intent behind the words on the buttons—like what “extract” means and what “low” is used for.

That said, once you know what the buttons do, operating this machine is as easy as it gets. 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. And although the Combo doesn't include a digital timer, the interface is straightforward and user-friendly.

The included accessories also make it incredibly convenient, especially for folks who like to take their smoothies on the go. When using the personal cups, the base features a one-minute auto-shutoff, preventing overblending of smaller batches, which is convenient. What makes this a “combo” package within the Nutribullet lineup is 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.

Ease of Cleaning

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 complicates washing under the blades, where this blender has a tendency to build up gunk. The Extract preset works well as a substitute auto-clean preset; however, the design of the pitcher and lid doesn't allow for easy drying on the motor base. Fortunately, all the parts are deemed dishwasher safe for those with access to a dishwasher, but only for the top rack. 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 noteworthy annoyance.

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.

What Other Blenders Should You Consider?

If you're shopping on a particularly tight budget where every dollar counts, it's worth considering the Ninja Professional BL610 against the Nutribullet Combo, which is a little less expensive. We found it much easier to clean thanks to its removable blades and fully dishwasher-safe parts. Aside from the more affordable options we tested, if you want the silkiest of smoothies and frozen beverages, it will require a more significant investment. The KitchenAid K400 is a no-frills model that represents the next step up in price point and makes an exquisite frozen cocktail, while the Blendtec Total Classic is an excellent long-term investment that isn't quite as expensive as some other top-tier models and excels at all things blending and pureeing. Its smoothies and soups are superb.