Ninja Blender vs Nutribullet

The ninja blender vs nutribullet blender debate is very perplexing at first glance, especially since both of these brands seem to be offering more or less the same thing. If you’re in the market for a new bullet blender and you’ve absolutely no clue which to get, and which to choose in the war between the ninja blender vs the nutribullet blender, we’re here to help. In this article we will explore these two blender powerhouses to see if there’s a clear-cut winner and explore their pros and cons. We will compare specific popular models against each other such as the nutribullet 900 vs nutri ninja BL450 to see how similar models from different brands compete. We look at wattage, blades, cup sizes, durability, functions, and ease of cleaning. By the end of this blog, you will be more clear after positioning the ninja blender vs nutribullet blender which will be the best for you. Let’s get started!

About Nutribullet

NutriBullet is the original bullet blender brand. You may remember those infomercials for the Magic Bullet a while (a long while) ago. The Magic Bullet was the original model by NutriBullet, and the first modern bullet blender to be released onto the market. Since the Magic Bullet, they have released the Nutribullet 600, the Nutribullet Pro 900, the NutriBullet Balance, the NutriBullet Lean, and the Nutribullet RX. (There have been other models which have since been discontinued, such as the Prime). All of these bullet blender models have generally the same overall design: a power base, a range of bullet blender cups, and a blade which you screw into the cup. Most NutriBullets don’t have any function buttons, they operate by being pressed down by the user. This is opposed to other blenders (i.e. NutriNinja) which often have buttons and various blend speeds. NutriBullet blenders are designed to be compact, powerful, and easy to use. NutriBullet has two main types of blades, the extractor blades and the milling blades. The extractor blade has 6 prongs, two of which are straight and flat, with the other four more angled. The milling blade has two prongs which are gently curved and reasonably blunt. The extractor blade is for most things including smoothies, and the milling blade is for grinding dry foods such as coffee beans and spices. Nutribullet have also released the Veggie Bullet which is solely for chopping, grating, and spiralizing veggies, and the Baby Bullet which steams and blends baby food.  

About Nutri Ninja

The parent company of the NutriNinja brand is SharkNinja LLC, a company which has developed nutrient extraction technology and applied it to pitcher blenders, food processors, and of course, bullet blenders. The most simple NutriNinja model is the BL 450 which is a 900-watt personal blender with a base, cups, blade, and a press-down function as opposed to buttons (very similar to the NutriBullet Pro 900). From there, the models become more comprehensive, with the iQ range which has automatic blend functions which start and pause for a 45-second duration to make the smoothest of smoothies. They then move up into more traditional countertop blenders with multiple function buttons, pitchers, and personal bullet cup options. Then finally, they have the Ninja kitchen systems such as the BL682 which combine pitcher blenders, food processors, and personal bullet blender cups all working from the same motor base, with various blades, vessels, and lids.

What are the key differences?

The most obvious differences are:

• Blender type: the NutriNinja makes pitcher blenders and kitchen systems which include food processors. NutriBullet only makes bullet blenders with the exception of the Veggie Bullet and the Baby Bullet
• Functions: most NutriBullets don’t have any buttons, they’re activated by pressing down and releasing the cup. Many NutriNinja models have a range of function buttons such as “pulse”, “ultra blend”, and different speeds.
• The blades: NutriBullet blades are less sharp and less angular than NutriNinja bullet blades which are more angular and have sharper ends. NutriNinja also has Total Crushing Blades which are used for their pitcher blenders, designed for effectively crushing ice.
• Wattage: the highest wattage you can get with the NutriBullet is 1700, with the NutriBullet RX. The highest wattage you can get with the NutriNinja is 1500, with the BL450 and BL480 models.

Ninja blender vs nutribullet – What about cups and accessories?

The cup sizes between blender models are very similar, generally starting from 12oz and reaching to 32oz for the more simple models such as the NutriBullet Pro 900 and the NutriNinja Professional 1000. Some models from both brands have 18oz and 24oz cups too. NutriBullet blenders generally come with all kinds of accessories such as lip rings for comfortable drinking, flip-top sip lids which you can use to drink on the go without spilling, and lip rings with handles. NutriNinja personal/bullet blenders generally just comes with flip-top sip lids and that’s it.

ninja blender vs nutribullet – How do the price points differ?

Actually, there’s not too much between the ninja and nutribullet blender when it comes to price. Nutribullet blenders are on the more expensive side, but not by much. For example, the NutriNinja Professional and the NutriBullet Pro 900 are very similar in design and construction, and both have 900-watt motors. There is less than $20 between them in price, with the NutriBullet Pro as the more expensive model at the time of writing. However, it does depend on what you’re looking for. Obviously, a NutriNinja complete kitchen system with a pitcher, bullet blender, and food processor is going to cost you more than a NutriBullet which only serves as a personal/bullet blender.

Ninja blender vs nutribullet – Which is best and why?

I think it’s hard to make a definitive choice between Ninja and Nutribullet, as they offer such varying products. What’s best for you may not be the best for someone else. They both offer great power, strong blades, versatile vessels, and smooth results. The best way to compare them is to break it all down into the most common uses. Smoothies, ice drinks, blending hot food, and grinding dry foods are all common blender uses, so we’ve assessed them according to these categories.

Nutribullet Pro 900 vs ninja BL450

This is an interesting comparison to make when comparing the ninja and nutribullet blenders, since these two models are very similar. They both have 900-watt motors, screw-in blades, and bullet cups. They’re both operated by pressing down on the cup into the base, activating the single-speed blend. However, they do differ in terms of cup sizes. The NutriBullet Pro 900 comes with two 32oz cups, and the NutriNinja BL450 has one 18oz cup and one 24oz cup. The NutriNinja BL450 is cheaper than the NutriBullet Pro 900 and it does have a higher overall rating, so in this particular battle between ninja blender vs nutribullet blender, I’d go with Nutrininja.

Best for smoothies?

The smoothie debate is the most popular when it comes to choosing between the Ninja and nutribullet blender. If you’re adding lots of frozen fruit and ice to your smoothies, you need decent power and a good blend speed. I think NutriNinja is great for smoothies with hard ingredients because of the features they offer such as the Auto iQ Ultra Blend auto cycle, and a manual pulse button. The Auto iQ auto cycles blend for about 45 seconds, and pauses intermittently to allow the ingredients to settle back toward the blades. All models offers great power options (upwards from 900 watts). What about the best blender for protein shakes or softer smoothies? I’d choose a NutriBullet model. For drinks where most of the ingredients are soft or liquid, a simple NutriBullet or Magic Bullet would be completely fine. Something like the Pro 900 or the original 600-watt NutriBullet would be ideal too.

Best for ice drinks and desserts?

The NutriNinja range wins this one. Something like the BL642 would be best as it has a pitcher blender with Total Crushing Blades which have been designed especially for ice. It also has a bullet blender blade and cups too. It’s just a little more versatile than the NutriBullet range as it has control buttons for specific purposes such as “Frozen Drinks/Smoothies” and “Food Puree”. It’s the best option for soft, creamy, totally pulverized ice.

Best for grinding dry foods?

The NutriBullet wins this one in my opinion. The good old Magic Bullet is great for grinding coffee beans and spices with the milling blade. It’s also great for quickly chopping veggies into small pieces for salsas, and whipping up dips and guacamole. You can use the Magic Bullet for smoothies and shakes, but the cup capacities are pretty small and the 250-watt motor may not handle very hard, frozen fruits too well.

Final thoughts

To be honest, I don’t think there’s a danger of making a bad decision when choosing a blender between these two great blender brands. Both are great, it just depends on what you need. Decide on your budget, how much room you’ve got for storage and usage, and what your main needs will be. For making shakes or soft smoothies, I would go for a NutriBullet. For making icy drinks or smoothies with tough ingredients, or in large quantities, I would go for a high-power NutriNinja pitcher/personal blender system. If you need a few extras such as a small food processor, check out NutriNinja. For small, portable, affordable bullet blenders to have stashed away for quick blending jobs, why not just go for the trusty Magic Bullet or the original NutriBullet 600? We hope this has made your choice that little bit easier. Happy blending!