NutriBullet Flip Portable Blender Review

If you’re always on the move but still crave a fresh, homemade smoothie, the NutriBullet Flip Portable Blender (available at Amazon for $79.99) might be your new best friend. Designed for convenience, this compact portable blender promises to deliver powerful blending without the need for an outlet. Charge it ahead of time, dump in your ingredients, and you’re set to head out the door.

But, with portability comes a price. Namely, that the capacity is small, and that you have to keep up with charging regularly. And we found that with this model in particular, it struggled to handle breaking down difficult ingredients. For a more reliable portable blender, check out the Cuisinart EvolutionX.

About the Nutribullet Flip

The NutriBullet Flip consists of several parts: a 20-ounce insulated stainless steel cup that keeps your blends cold for up to 24 hours, a motor base that contains the blades and a drinking lid on the opposite end, a USB-C charging cable and block, a blade cover, a straw and cleaning brush, and an interchangeable to-go lid.

The portable blender has a powerful 11.1 volt motor and claims to have 50% more battery power than most standard portable blenders.

A fully charged battery offers about 14 30-second blends per charge. Plus, with a built-in blade and flip-top lid, you can blend and drink on the go without any fuss.

How we tested the NutriBullet Flip Portable Blender

We tested the NutriBullet Flip Portable Blender by making smoothies using a variety of ingredients, including leafy greens, frozen fruit, protein powder, and nut butter.

We assessed its blending performance with both soft and hard ingredients, checking for consistency and smoothness.

We also drank straight from the blender with each of its lids, and with the included straw. And, of course, we cleaned the blender by hand, using the self-clean cycle, and in the dishwasher.

What we like

It’s portable and insulated

You don’t need to plug the blender in if it’s charged, so you can make a protein shake or smoothie from anywhere.

Whether you’re commuting to work, at the gym, or having a quick snack between commitments, the NutriBullet Flip can operate when you need it to. The blending cup is also made of stainless steel, which keeps its contents cold for up to 24 hours.

You can flip it

As you’d expect by its name, the blender can operate standing right side up—or upside down.

The benefits here include getting all ingredients to blend smoothly by exposing them to the blades once they’re already moving. And, flipping mid-blend can help prevent the blades from getting stuck. (If you’re blending less frozen items you might be able to use the flip solely upright.)

Clean-up is easy

Cleaning is a breeze with the NutriBullet Flip.

The user guide mentions “automatic cleaning” that is efficient and simple. All you have to do is rinse your blending cup with water, fill it halfway with fresh water and a drop of dish soap, and then start a blending cycle.

The blending cup is also dishwasher-safe, so you can toss it in with your dishes if you prefer. The blade attachment, however, needs to be washed by hand for safety.

What we don’t like

The single button causes confusion

The blender only has one button, which we found confusing during testing.

There are different colors with translations in the owner’s manual, like flashing yellow to signify a low charge or flashing red for a functional error. However, flashing yellow can also mean user error that requires troubleshooting. During testing, we also noticed a solid blue light that didn’t have a description in the manual.

All in all, we didn't find this design to be very intuitive, and it might have you reaching back for the manual again and again.

You can’t see inside during blending

Though the blending cup is durable and insulated, its material doesn’t allow you to see inside. It can be difficult to tell if your smoothie is actually blending properly until after the 30-second blending cycle is complete and you flip and unscrew the lid.

Testing resulted in unfinished blending numerous times; sometimes due to frozen items being stuck near the bottom of the blending cup while the lower portion of the drink was smooth.

Other times, the smoothie looked consistent but a few chunks of fruit or patches of powder remained.

It has a small capacity

While the blending cup has a 20-ounce capacity, the max fill line is at 16 ounces.

During testing, we noted that even 16 ounces seemed like too much for the blender to handle, depending on some of the contents (like chunks of frozen banana).

The blade base takes up a lot of room and is somewhat heavy, unless you trade it for the to-go lid after blending.

All of this is to say, the blender is great in a pinch, but the serving size is small compared to other personal blenders.

You need to charge it

Having a portable blender is a great option, but it is another item you’ll need to charge. You’ll also need to stay on top of its charging, especially if you’re using the blender away from home.

You definitely don’t want to run out of charge mid-blend and try to mix or drink a soupy, half-frozen smoothie.

This happened during testing, which essentially rendered the drink undrinkable. It’s also worth noting that some blends took more than one blending cycle, and if multiple people are using the blender you’ll be charging more often.

Should you buy the NutriBullet Flip Portable Blender?

Maybe, if portability and an insulated cup are top priorities

The NutriBullet Flip is great for those who want to blend on the go—whether in the break room, on a hike, or anywhere else. And its stainless-steel build means it can keep drinks cool for longer periods (although you'll have to sacrifice being able to watch your creation as it blends).

However, if you need something with more capacity, and visibility, or prefer not to worry about charging, there are other personal blenders like the Mini Beast Blender or Cuisinart Evolution X Cordless Blender that might better meet your needs.