Magic Bullet Mini Review

This little centrifugal juicer punches well above its size. It will take up barely any space in your kitchen, while still spitting out good quality juice from soft and hard produce. It also does surprisingly well with wheatgrass which is usually a big challenge for this type of machine. It can be a bit messy and doesn't do as well with leafy greens like kale, but it holds its own in the other categories and is very easy on the wallet.

Performance Comparison

Juice Quality

Obviously a key metric for any juicer is the quality of the actual juice it makes. For this test we consider the texture, taste, and thickness of each juice. We use these three juice blends to fully test across a variety of produce types Can't Beet It, Romaine - Apple - Orange and the Sunset Blend. The Magic Bullet Mini did quite well with all of these, especially considering its small size.

The first thing we noticed when making the Can't Beet It mix was how foamy this juice turned out. We had to strain the juice twice to remove enough pulp and foam to make it drinkable. Once we did that it had good - not great - taste and a medium thickness.

The Romaine blend was also quite foam. It had a solid two inches of foam on top before we strained it. The juice itself was palatable, though the consistency and texture was not as good as when we used other juicers. We also noticed some separation even after it was strained.

The Magic Bullet Mini did the best with the Sunset Blend. The taste and thickness were on par with other juicers, but there was a slightly higher presence of grit with this machine. And again, we had some separation.

Soft Produce

The Magic Bullet Mini handled soft produce well and scored above average in this section of the test.

The cucumber juice turned out dark, but very smooth and uniform. There was some foam, even after straining but it wasn't problematic. We did have to chop the cucumbers smaller in order to fit in the chute. With the celery, it had a great yield at 175 milliliters. There was no pulp to speak of and could insert full stalks without any issues.

The apple juice output was surprisingly poor. It tasted a bit watery and there was some cloudiness to the juice. On the other hand, the orange juice was a real standout. The consistency was great and all of the testers remarked on how creamy and delightful this juice was from the Magic Bullet Mini.

Hard Produce

The Magic Bullet Mini scored in the top tier for hard produce. In this category of the test, we juice carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes. We've found that a lot of juicers can handle soft produce but may struggle with hard, so it's worth running these tests independently.

This unit did well with carrots and spit out a 92-milliliter yield after being strained. There was a small amount of pulp after juicing and minimal foam. It had a bright, strong carrot flavor, and the texture was pleasing, too.

The Magic Bullet Mini did impressively well with beets. These can be a challenging, hard item to juice, but it was no match for the Mini. There was an inch of foam on top and you definitely need to strain out foam and debris before drinking. That said, the juice was very good, and everyone liked the thick texture. And to top off the victory, the Mini received a top score for sweet potatoes. Our lead tester noted that it did not separate and there was no pulp, either. It was less chalky than some other machines produced and we liked the smoothness. We did have some excitement when making the sweet potato juice as the Magic Bullet Mini was prone to shooting sweet potato chunks out of the chute as we tried to load it. To circumvent this, we started turning the machine off, loading it up, and then firmly holding the pusher as we turned it back on.

Leafy Greens

Sadly, the Magic Bullet Mini performed below average in the leafy greens test, though it did surprise with a decent wheatgrass performance.

The quality of wheatgrass juice was solid and the machine seemed to have no problems handling it. There was no foam or pulp, but the yield was also quite low. We fed in one ounce of wheat grass and got just 5.6 milliliters back in juice.

As we experienced with the sweet potato test, the Mini kept spitting out kale as we loaded it. We also noted that the chute is quite short, so it didn't take much to fill it up. The juice clarity and consistency was fine, but the yield was well below average. The spinach test was even more challenging for this machine. The juice was quite chunky even after being strained and overall had a suboptimal texture. There was a lot of pulpy muck stuck to the side of the juicer, which makes cleaning a challenge, too.

Cleaning

As hinted at above, the Magic Bullet Mini does not score well for cleanliness. This is in part because of the challenges cleaning the machine itself and in part because of the mess it is prone to make on the counters (and even the walls!) and times.

We liked that this model includes a cleaning brush. It worked well and was particularly useful for scrubbing the filter when it was clogged with things like stringy celery hairs. We were also happy to note that everything (excluding the motor base) is dishwasher-safe in the top rack. And as a bonus, many of the parts are easily able to get rinsed off without much effort. The strainer bowl and pusher are very easy to clean. And we like the ability to really see how clean the lid and bowl are since they're translucent.

So what's the issue? First off, debris and juice accumulate on top of the motor base. This isn't apparent at first, but when we removed the pieces at the end there was an obvious build up of juice in a narrow crannies of the motor base. This was disappointing because it could easily become moldy or gross, and because it means there's some sort of small leak in the unit. Second, this machine was prone to splashing and making a mess of our counter, clothes, and the wall, even. It's not a complete deal breaker, but the extra hassle of splattering and cleanup may turn some users off.

Should You Buy the Magic Bullet Mini?

Anyone with a very small kitchen or limited counter space should consider the Magic Bullet Mini. It's a capable machine that does particularly well with soft and hard produce, but struggles with leafy greens. It can be a bit messier than some units, but it's priced right, works well, and doesn't take up a lot of space.

What Other Juicers Should You Consider?

If you're looking for a higher-capacity unit that still goes easy on the wallet, you should check out the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth. This juicer produces a notably good juice quality when making blends and performs slightly above average for each produce category. Or if juicing wheatgrass and greens is a top priority, you can't go wrong with the Ninja Never Clog Cold Press.