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Magic Bullet 250W Personal Blender In-depth Review

We’ve used the Magic Bullet personal blender for several months, testing it on various recipes. Eventually, lackluster performance and value keep it from being a top pick.

By , , , and ·Updated
Tested Using Methodology v1.0
The Magic Bullet 250W personal blender with a cup containing a green smoothie next to a bowl of apples and a bunch of carrots, with various blenders in the background.

Overall Verdict

There are many things we don’t like about this Magic Bullet 250W blender, especially when it turned out to be a disappointing underperformer in all of our tests. The design is practical but somehow doesn’t allow for high-efficiency blending. The blender itself is also not really attractive, if not cheap and substandard. Our conclusion is that while the Magic Bullet may be a perfect fit for your low budget, it will certainly not be a bargain.

Things We Like

  • Easy to use, assemble, and clean. 
  • Stainless steel extractor blades are pretty solid. 
  • Three extra blending cups are included.

Things We Don’t Like

  • It doesn’t allow for hands-free operation. 
  • It is not suitable for blending frozen fruits or raw nuts. 
  • Motor base jumps around while operating. 
  • Build quality is not good. 
  • Its performance is inconsistent.

The Magic Bullet is a popular low-priced personal blender, but as far as our testing went, we found the reality doesn't match the write-up. Of all the machines we tested, it is the one that surprised us most. Read our hands-on review below to see how it stacks up against the others.

Key Specs

Dimension
H12 x W4.5 inches
Weight
2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
Number of speeds
1
Pulse/Turbo option
No
Dishwasher-safe wand
Yes
Accessories
An extra blending cup, a to-go lid, a party mug, two lip rings, two resealable lids

Where to Buy Price at publication $40.61

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Compared to Other Personal Blenders


Analysis and Test Results

2.8 Performance: Below-Average

The Magic Bullet sports a 250-watt motor, which we found to be less efficient than higher-priced blenders and this resulted in some limitations on its testing performance. However, it's important to consider that these limitations are a compromise for its affordable price point. On the bright side, the blender can still work adequately for preparing smoothies packed with fresh fruits or soaked nuts.

3.9 Protein Shake

The Magic Bullet Protein Shake Video
A batch of protein shake packed with dried blueberries, oatmeal, and almonds prepared by the Magic Bullet Personal Blender is checked for smoothness by being drained through a stainless steel mesh strainer, with a smartphone displaying the total blending time (2 minutes and 11 seconds) next to it.
Scooping a spoon of solid chunks including dried blueberries and almonds that the Magic Bullet 11-Piece personal blender was unable to pulverize in the test of preparing protein shake from a stainless steel mesh strainer.
Blending Time
2 mins 12 secs
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.

Failed Frozen Fruit Smoothie

The Magic Bullet Frozen Fruits Smoothie Video
After finishing blending, the fruity smoothie made by the Magic Bullet MBR 1101 personal blender is spread throughout a white paper with a smartphone displaying the total blending time (2 minutes) next to it.
A spoon of fruity smoothie packed with blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and mango made by the Magic Bullet Personal Blender.
Blending Time
2 minutes
Result
Failed

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.

6.0 Fibrous Greens

The Magic Bullet Fibrous Greens Video
A glass of water combined with fibrous greens pulp produced by the Magic Bullet Single-Serve Blender.
A glass of water with fibrous green pulp produced by the Nutribullet Pro 900-watt Personal Blender sinking from its top to bottom.
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.

Failed Crushed Ice Cubes

The Magic Bullet Crushed Ice Cubes Video
A black tray of crushed ice produced by the Magic Bullet Single-Serve Blender being on a table.
The amount of unblended ice cubes (4.98 oz) of the Magic Bullet single-serve blender displayed on a scale’s screen.
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.

7.5 Design: There’s Room for Improvements

The Magic Bullet has a straightforward design, and this is the only praise we can really give it. On paper, the blender is advertised to be made of high-impact plastic, but in fact, it only took us a glance to criticize its poor quality. There are also several other drawbacks and you may consider those acceptable trade-offs given its low price. However, in the end, we are sure you will eventually become uncomfortable with such limitations.

In the Box

Our Magic Bullet Blender Small Silver 11-Piece Set includes a motor base, a to-go lid, three blending cups, a party mug, two lip rings, two resealable lids, a paper carton box, and a user & recipe book guide.
  • Motor base 
  • Extractor blade
  • Two blending cups 
  • One to-go lid
  • One party mug
  • Two lip rings 
  • Two resealable lids 
  • Recipe guide

Dimensions

The Magic Bullet Smoothie Maker personal blender standing on a gray table, with the length of its motor base being noted to the side as 6.8 inches, and the total length and width of the unit as 12 inches and 4.5 inches, respectively.
Height
12.0" (30.5 cm)
Width
4.5" (11.4 cm)
Weight
2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)

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.

7.0 Build Quality

The motor base and blending cup of the Magic Bullet 11-piece personal blender lying flat on a gray table.

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.

6.5 Blades

A close-up of the blade assembly sporting 4 stainless steel prongs of the Magic Bullet blender.
Material
Stainless Steel
Type
Cross
Blade Count
4 blades
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.

Motor Base

The Magic Bullet motor base standing on a gray table.
The Magic Bullet motor base standing on a gray table.
A close-up of the underside of the Magic Bullet motor base.
A close-up of the Magic Bullet motor base.
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.

10 Blending Cup

Three blending cups on a table, with dimension measurements written to the side. The first cup is measured 3.5x4x2.8 inches, second cup is 3.5x6.5x2.8 inches, third cup is 3.5x5.6x2.5 inches.
Three blending cups on a table, with dimension measurements written to the side. The first cup is measured 3.5x4x2.8 inches, second cup is 3.5x6.5x2.8 inches, third cup is 3.5x5.6x2.5 inches.
The blending cup of the Magic Bullet personal blender standing on a table with dimension measurements written to the side (3.5x6.5x2.8 inches).
The blending cup of the Magic Bullet personal blender standing on a table with dimension measurements written to the side (3.5x5.6x2.5 inches).
The blending cup of the Magic Bullet personal blender standing on a table with dimension measurements written to the side (3.5x4x2.8 inches).
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.

Speed and Controls

Someone is measuring the noise level of the Magic Bullet personal blender with the noise meter (97.8 dB).
Activation
Push
Min Speed
N/A
Max Speed
22,215 RPM
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.

6.9 Usability: A Little Disappointing

We cannot deny the Magic Bullet’s user-friendly design, but after hours of experimenting with it, we realized this blender is actually quite frustrating to use. More often than not, though, cleaning and assembling are effortless.

5.8 Hands-Free Operation

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.

10 Assembly

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.

7.0 Cleanability

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.

Behind the review

Headshot of Tina Pham
Tina PhamReviewer

Tina Pham is a staff writer and reviewer, with five years of experience in the industry. As a passionate amateur home cook, she loves to discover practical cooking solutions, and has made it her mission to bring her findings to every kitchen. Her ultimate goal is making cooking more of a pleasure for all.

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Lap VoTest Lead

Lap is Head of the Research, Testing, and Review Team (RTR Team) at HealthyKitchen101.com, where he directs and supervises the testing of kitchen gadgets and appliances.

Headshot of Tuyet Pham
Tuyet PhamProfessional Chef

Tuyet Pham is an award-winning Saigonese chef passionate about delicious and healthful foods. At HealthyKitchen101, she develops recipes and collaborates with our Research, Testing, and Review lab to evaluate the performance of cooking appliances. Her assessments add a strong authoritative voice to our product scoring process.

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Nguyen NtkVisual Specialist

Nguyen Ntk is a graphic designer, photographer, and videographer whose philosophy centers around respecting and celebrating the beauty of reality. Through his lenses, Nguyen strives to capture the true essence of objects and events, showcasing and highlighting authentic features without distortion or exaggeration.