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Ninja BL480D Nutri vs Magic Bullet 11 Piece Set Side-by-Side Comparison




Our Verdict
- Performance (60%)8.8/10
- Design (25%)9.7/10
- Usability (15%)9.7/10
- Performance (60%)2.8/10
- Design (25%)7.5/10
- Usability (15%)6.9/10
Of all the personal blenders we tested, the Ninja BL480D Nutri is a top-tier contender, given its high-powered motor and sturdiest overall construction.
The Magic Bullet 11-Piece Set is a low-range model with mediocre performances in our hands-on testing. The smoothies and protein shakes it produced were quite acceptable, but they were not as smooth nor as quick as those of the Ninja BL480D Nutri. Their crushed ice and fibrous greens extractions were incomparable too.
Other advantages of the Ninja BL480D Nutri over the Magic Bullet 11-Piece Set in exchange for the higher price tag include a built-in timer and the Auto IQ technology featuring intelligence programs.
In conclusion, our pick for people requiring an all-around personal blender would be the Ninja BL480D Nutri. But consider your budget too. If you’re short of money and willing to make a compromise on the heavy-duty side of performance, it’s reasonable to switch to the Magic Bullet 11-Piece set.
Ninja Nutri Auto iQ Personal Blender Performance
- Protein Shake (40%)8.8/10
- Frozen Fruit Smoothie (30%)9.5/10
- Fibrous Greens (20%)8.0/10
- Crushed Ice Cubes (10%)8.0/10
- Protein Shake (40%)3.9/10
- Frozen Fruit Smoothie (30%)0/10
- Fibrous Greens (20%)6.0/10
- Crushed Ice Cubes (10%)0/10
Protein Shake
- Blending Time: 1 min 10 seconds
- Result: Silky Smooth
The Ninja Nutri is essentially a single-serve blender but refinements to its blades and motor’s power have brought it many advantages over the competition.
You might notice the blade assembly looks like nothing else in the market. Design-wise, it is attention to detail with four sharp, sophisticated prongs. Beyonds spinning extremely speedy, the prongs are towards various sides to allow for more food contact at a time. And such combos did make our Ninja Nutri among the fastest blenders in this test, taking one minute and ten seconds to yield a serving of protein shake. Not to mention the 1000-watt motor which helped churn through ingredients like almonds, dried berries, oatmeal, with super ease.
As efficient as it was, this blender still underperformed by a few seconds against two top competitors (the Ninja Fit and the NutriBullet), though. The texture it delivered also had room for improvement since while the oatmeal was completely broken down, small amounts of almonds and berries remained solid. Considering the price, we had wished for a chunky-free texture which was exactly similar to those we got from its counterparts.
Overall, unless you’re really interested in its professional look and hi-tech features, there are some alternatives that can actually blend your drink better and do so at less than half the price.
- Blending Time: 2 mins 10 seconds
- Result: Very Coarse
In this test, the two minutes and ten seconds we spent with the Magic Bullet produced an undrinkable result. While all the oatmeal was broken down pretty well, most of the blueberries and almonds came out completely intact. As a result, the drink was too chunky to sip on. It also lacked the fruity flavor that our recipe prides itself on. If you want to use this blender for a protein shake, we recommend just using soft ingredients.
Frozen Fruit Smoothie
- Blending Time: 1 min 5 seconds
- Result: Silky Smooth
- Suction:
The Nutri Ninja was excellent at this test. Again, its distinctly-designed blades and higher-powered motor were good things for a quick, even outcome. They allowed the blender to power through all the frozen mango, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries to perfection in just over one minute. And we remember everything was very easy and simple here, which you will rarely experience with other weaker personal blenders. Just noting that the process was fifteen seconds slower than that of the NutriBullet, but this wasn’t a huge gap. You might be willing to wait a bit longer as long as you get good results.
Initially, we intended to use the Auto-IQ Ultra Blend setting, but the testing trials then suggested us shifting to the regular one. When running on the Auto-IQ Ultra Blend mode, your blender will blend in short intervals in 60 seconds and there will be a unique pulsing and pausing pattern after each interval. This is meant to force all the clogged ingredients back down onto the blades to even out the blend. That being said, we don’t think this is highly necessary in making icy smoothies; frozen fruits need to blend as fast as possible, but the pausing intervals give them time to thaw and then dilute the consistency. Perhaps, the Auto-IQ technology is better for dry-grinding harder ingredients like whole ice cubes and raw nuts.
- Blending Time: 2 minutes
- Result: Chunky
- Suction:
By our 2-minute cutoff point, the Magic Bullet hadn't fully processed all the ingredients so we considered it to have failed the test and awarded it no points. To be fair, though, the final result was not too bad. While this blender still left behind strawberry chunks, it blended through other ingredients pretty evenly. The smoothie came out smooth; our straw didn't get clogged with hard bits after we removed the two partially blended chunks. It was just quite thin since the blending process was so long that the frozen fruit had time to thaw thus diluting the overall consistency.
Fibrous Greens
- Blending Time: 20 seconds
- Result: Fine
The blender’s ability to process leafy vegetables was above average. The final drink came out acceptably uniform but with a gritty texture. We don’t think you’ll get too many complaints if you run everything through a mesh strainer before drinking. Given its high-end price tag, however, we expected better results with fewer leafy chunks.
- Blending Time: 20 seconds
- Result: Coarse
If you’re looking for a personal blender that can handle leafy vegetables along with other fiber-filled foods, the Magic Bullet is up to the challenge but will not wow you.
In this test, its mission was to break down kale, spinach, and celery in 20 seconds. Perhaps, you will get a better result if you blend for longer than we did, but this time frame is adequate for us to evaluate this blender’s efficiency. To check the result, we drained the completed drink through a mesh strainer. As such, we noticed a vast number of leafy chunks remained unblended. The pulp also looked coarse and non-uniform. Still, this outcome is more impressive than those produced by its counterparts, namely the Hamilton Beach and the KOIOS Pro.
Crushed Ice Cubes
- Ice Fineness: Coarse
- Unblended Ice: 0% of 6 oz
As a personal blender, this Nutri Ninja didn’t perform half bad, grinding 6 oz of whole ice cubes in just 22 seconds. None of the other blenders we tested could do the same; some took longer to entirely break up the ice while others were simply not powerful enough to churn through such a solid ingredient. (For example, the KOIOS Pro and the Oster)The crushed ice didn’t have a snow-like texture, but would be good enough for your cocktails.
- Ice Fineness: Chunky
- Unblended Ice: 83% of 6 oz
Our Magic Bullet couldn’t blend through 6 oz ice cubes thoroughly not only because of its weak motor power but also because its blending cup is too small to handle such an amount of ice. For the most part, the ice got stuck in the blade and prevented it from turning. Even when we undocked the cup and shook it, this still couldn’t help much. If you want something that can be up to this sort of blend, consider the NutriBullet, Ninja Fit, and Ninja Nutri Pro.
Ninja BL480D Nutri Personal Blender Design
- Blades (20%)10/10
- Build Quality (60%)9.5/10
- Blending Cup (20%)10/10
- Blades (20%)6.5/10
- Build Quality (60%)7.0/10
- Blending Cup (20%)10/10
In the Box of the Ninja Nutri Auto iQ Personal Blender
- Motor base
- Extractor blade
- Two blending cups
- Two to-go lids
- Recipe book & user guide
- Motor base
- Extractor blade
- Two blending cups
- One to-go lid
- One party mug
- Two lip rings
- Two resealable lids
- Recipe guide
Dimensions
- Height:14.2" (36.1 cm)
- Width:6.4" (16.3 cm)
- Weight:5.4 oz (153 g)
- Shaft Length:
The Ninja Nutri is larger and bulkier than your average single-serve blender. The motor section looks more like a full-sized countertop version, coming in at 14.5 inches tall by 6.2 inches wide. At 5.4 pounds, it’s also heavier than most, so you may find it difficult to move your blender in and out of storage.
- Height:12.0" (30.5 cm)
- Width:4.5" (11.4 cm)
- Weight:2.0 oz (57 g)
- Shaft Length:
The Magic Bullet is half the size of traditional countertop blenders so it should fit easily into your cabinet. This compact structure also avoids overwhelming your counter space. That being said, the plastic construction means the blender itself is so lightweight that it wobbles while blending.
Build Quality
Build quality does match the price point. It’s good, with many parts — to include the entire exterior — made of anti-scratch plastic. We haven’t had to deal with problems like discoloration, paint peeling, or inner components wearing out. Additionally, the construction is sturdy enough to hold up frequent use, so you will get stable performance and consistency for many years.
All the parts are mostly made of plastic, making the blender look flimsy both inside and outside. Apart from lacking the sturdiness we’re after, the Magic Bullet also has a low resistance to wear and tear. It feels like it could be easily scratched or even broken if accidentally dropped. The blade made of standard stainless steel may well grab your attention but unfortunately, it’s less solid than its competitors at the same price point—the KOIOS, to name but one. So again, the low cost shouldn’t be an excuse for this blender’s shortcomings.
Blades
- Material:Stainless Steel
- Type:Sharp Blade
- Guard Material:
- Blade Count:6
- Removable:No
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The blade features 6 hardened stainless steel prongs. It is super sharp and has a high-quality feel. Unfortunately, the blades can’t be removed from the base, so cleaning their undersides is pretty tricky.
- Material:Stainless Steel
- Type:Sharp Blade
- Guard Material:
- Blade Count:4
- Removable:No
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The stainless steel blade has 4 prongs. It comes relatively sharp but looks a bit fragile so we would suggest that you shouldn’t use it for blending hard ingredients without liquid. Otherwise, it may dull or even get permanently damaged.
Ninja Nutri Auto iQ 1000 Watts Motor Base
- Rated Voltage:110 - 120 V
- Rated Power:1000 Watt
- Working Time:≤ 1 minute
- Protection:No
- Weight:4.5 lbs (2.0 kg)
- Cord Length:2.6 ft (0.8 m)
- Extra Feature:Silicon feet, cooling fan, anti-slip pads
The motor comes with many user-friendly components. They include a cooling fan to prevent overheating, suction feet to help the blender stand firm against heavy-duty tasks, and small anti-slip pads to minimize the risk of sliding on wet surfaces. We’re also impressed with the inner parts which are all well-made and detailed.
Just be aware that the motor should not run for more than one minute continuously. If your recipes demand longer than this timeframe, blending for 1-minute intervals can help you avoid overheating. In the event your machine gets too hot, a built-in thermal switch will engage and stop the motor from running. To reset, you’ll have to unplug and let it cool down for 30 minutes before blending again.
- Rated Voltage:120
- Rated Power:250
- Working Time:≤ 1 minute
- Protection:Yes
- Weight:1.6 oz (45 g)
- Cord Length:2.2" (5.6 cm)
- Extra Feature:Silicon feet
The motor peaks around 250 watts. It is too weak to be used for ice crushing or dry blending. To make icy drinks, we recommend only using chilled ingredients. Like other personal blenders, it cannot run for longer than 1 minute to avoid damage caused by overheating, though there is an internal thermal breaker that shuts off the unit when it overheats.
The base has four silicone feet to help keep the whole blender in place while operating. However, we don’t think such add-ons are really helpful; our machine walked around on the counter in every test anyway.
Speed and Controls
- Control Type:Button
- Min Speed:
- Max Speed:
- Presets:No
- Noise Level:103 dB
- Digital Display:No
- Pulse Mode:No
The front interface is intuitive, featuring four buttons that correspond to four different options. As a visual aid, this model also has a digital display which indicates the elapsed blending time or counts down to the end of a preset program.
If you want continuous blending, press the Start/Stop button. To avoid chopping ingredients too finely, use the Pulse function. For fresh or softer ingredients, the Auto-IQ Blend button will help you create consistent results without relying on guesswork. There is also the Auto-IQ Ultra Blend button, which runs the blender at its fastest speed tobreak ice cubes, fibrous greens, whole grains, or frozen mixtures down to a lump-free consistency.
We found that the speed settings work very well. Each step gives you a noticeable change in power level. For the most part, however, we agree with some reviewers that it feels a bit gimmicky because single-speed blenders generally work just as well.
Note that regardless of the speed setting, this Nutri Ninja is terribly noisy. If noise is a major factor in your buying decision, this one’s not for you.
- Control Type:Push
- Min Speed:
- Max Speed:
- Presets:No
- Noise Level:97 dB
- Digital Display:No
- Pulse Mode:No
The Magic Bullet is a single-speed blender working without any physical buttons. To use, you simply place the blending cup and press it down onto the motor base. You can also simulate pulse mode by pressing and releasing the cup in short intervals.
Blending Cup
- Material:Plastic
- Capacity:18- and 24-oz
- Weight:0.5- and 0.58-lb
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
- Measurement:No
- Suitable For:Small and medium batches
- Accessories:2 to-go lids
This set includes two blending cups which can be used interchangeably with the extractor blade. Each cup comes with a tight-seal lid featuring a flip-top spout for mess-free drinking on the go.
- Material:Plastic
- Capacity:12-,16-, and 22-oz
- Weight:0.18-, 0.33-, and 0.25-pound
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
- Measurement:No
- Suitable For:Small and medium batches
- Accessories:2 lid rings, 3 lids
The set consists of three blending cups. They work interchangeably with the extractor blade and two different types of lids. There are also two removable lip rings included so you may find it easier to sip your drink straight from the cup.
The drawback is that the lids do not seal tightly to the cup. In the smoothie test, we paused several times to give the cup a shake and eventually ended up with a mess.
Nutri Ninja Auto iQ Personal Blender Usability Review
- Hands-Free Operation (60%)10/10
- Assembly (20%)9.5/10
- Cleanability (20%)9.0/10
- Hands-Free Operation (60%)5.8/10
- Assembly (20%)10/10
- Cleanability (20%)7.2/10
Hands-Free Operation
This blender is more convenient to use than others because the cup can be locked in place; you won’t need to hold the cup continuously to engage the motor. Additionally, once activated, it draws almost everything toward its blades, creating a homogeneous mixture without extra shaking or stirring.
The Magic Bullet will blend for as long as you press the cup down onto the power base. To stop blending, simply release pressure on the cup, but with the Lock On Mode, your machine can also offer hands-free blending. However, we recommend not letting it out of your sight: Sometimes, solid ingredients like hard nuts and root veggies can stop the blade from turning so you will need to detect this obstruction and intervene as soon as possible. In the smoothie test, we had to shake to unblock the cross blade up to 6 times.
Assembly
To set up the blender, simply attach the extractor blade to the cup, turn the whole assembly upside down, and place it on the motor base. Once the display reads “0,” press one of the buttons to start blending. When your drink is complete, simply pull the cup out from the motor base and serve. Note that you must pull with quite a bit of force compared to other blenders we tested, so it may be tougher to remove when your hands are wet or oily.
There's a very shallow learning curve to getting accustomed to the assembly process. To blend, you simply line up the tabs on the sealed cup with the tabs on the power base, then press it down until the desired consistency is achieved.
You can also press down and turn the cup clockwise until the tabs lock under the lip of the power base for hands-free operation. To turn it off, just twist the cup back counter-clockwise and release the cup.
Cleanability
We cleaned the cups, lids, and blade manually with soapy water, but they’re also safe to put in the dishwasher. Of all those parts, the blade’s backsides were the trickiest to clean, so make sure you have a straw-cleaning brush available.
The motor base only took us a couple of minutes to wipe down. Unplug the device and use a dish cloth dampened (but not soaked) with soapy water to wipe down exterior surfaces and the inside of the cup receptacle. We never had any leakage during our tests, so we didn’t have to contend with stubborn food on the actuator tabs or other components.
Cleaning all the pieces is a snap, especially when the cups and lids are top-rack dishwasher safe, but that didn’t save us much cleanup time. Because of leakage, the motor base got dirty after nearly every blend, though we could easily wipe away the gunk with a damp cloth. Not only that, but the blade’s backsides also gave us a hard time for a thorough hand cleaning so we recommend using a straw-cleaning brush.