Tested
SMOOTHIE OPERATOR
We tried 7 budget blenders as cheap as £18 to make new year’s health kicks a breeze – Ninja’s is leak proof and a steal
Scroll down to read tips for making the most of your smoothies
IF eating more fruit and veg is one of your New Year’s resolutions, making smoothies is an easy way to get some of your five a day.
Homemade blends are also healthier than shop-bought ones as they don’t contain the added sugar.
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Better still, they work out cheaper.
All you need to do first is invest in the right mini blender to make them.
Lynsey Hope tests out seven and gives them a star rating out of five . . .
Nutribullet Flip, £99.99,
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PRICIER than most, this gadget combines a portable blender with an insulated tumbler so you can whizz up a smoothie any time, anywhere.
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It can tackle frozen or fresh ingredients, as well as ice, and keeps drinks cold outside of the fridge for up to 24 hours.
With a 590ml capacity, it has great battery power too, offering 15 blends per charge. Charging takes an hour.
It’s simple to operate but it’s not perfect.
Because the cup is not see-through, you have to unscrew it to see if it has worked and, even on the second cycle, my drink wasn’t as smooth as I’d like.
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It’s also quite noisy and you might not want to do this at your desk, as it travels along the counter while in action, so could fall off!
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Rating: 3
VonShef UltraBlend Smoothie Maker, £49.99,
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STRAIGHTFORWARD and easy to use, this is a generously sized machine that allows you to blend smoothies directly into the 500ml or 800ml leakproof plastic cups.
It also comes with a leakproof flip-top lid.
This gadget was brilliant at pulverising tough ingredients such as ice, and even seeds, which many others struggled with.
You can even use it for things like houmous.
It’s also compact and the non-slip feet made it feel safe and secure.
There are no complicated buttons to work out.
In fact there are no buttons at all, you just push down and blend.
A solid option.
Rating: 4
Morphy Richards Compact Sports Blender, £29.99,
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THIS device is easy to use and certainly made quick work of mixing, chopping and puréeing a range of ingredients.
It was one of the best at crushing ice cubes, resulting in refreshing lump-free smoothies.
But like many of these machines, it did struggle with berry seeds.
The pulse setting was an added bonus and meant you could have short bursts at full power to deal with tougher fruit and veg.
It comes with a seal lid, a sports lid and 500ml and 700ml beakers.
It is larger than other models, which may be an issue if you are short on storage space, but the jug can go in the dishwasher
Rating: 4
Cookworks UM1050S2N1-X Nutri Blender, £18,
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THE big plus with this machine is its appealing price point.
For the bargain price tag, this blender did a brilliant job, pulverising fruit really well, while ice cubes and frozen fruit were blitzed in minutes.
There were a few berry seeds left but I loved how easy it was to use.
The two 500ml bottles that come with it are narrower than most and, as a result, quite hard to clean.
But they can go in the dishwasher.
If you don’t want to spend a lot on a fancy machine, this does the job.
I’d worry that it is a little flimsier than the others, but it does come with a one-year guarantee for added reassurance.
Rating: 3
Breville Blend Active Personal Blender, £25.99,
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THE Blend Active is really affordable and does everything it claims to.
It’s very simple to use and coped well with frozen fruit and ice cubes, but did struggle a bit with harder fruits like apples.
The consistency was perfect after a couple of minutes though, with no lumps, and you can drink straight from the 600ml cups, which are dishwasher-friendly and don’t leak.
You can use it to make baby food too.
The capacity is not as big as others.
The bottle is slimline and it’s only really big enough to make a single smoothie.
But for the price, this budget-friendly blender is a smooth choice.
Rating: 4
Nutribullet Magic Blender, £49.99,
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A REALLY versatile machine that can be used as a food processor for soups and salad dressings as well as smoothies.
It has a pulse mode, which was great for preparing foods with a chunkier texture, such as salsa, and you can even use it to grind coffee beans.
Compared to some of the other blenders, though, it feels a bit lightweight.
It is nowhere near as heavy duty as the Ninja Blast or the Morphy Richards machines.
The Magic comes with three receptacles.
A 400ml tall cup, a 300ml short cup and a handled smooth mug, plus a flip-top lid.
All these go in the dishwasher for easy cleaning.
Rating: 3
Ninja Blast BC151UKBK Portable Blender, £49,
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I LOVED the portability of this compact blender which still offers plenty of power.
It was one of the best at crushing ice and blitzing fruit, even making light work of ingredients such as apples.
The design is fairly basic so there isn’t any variation in speed or fancy settings.
But the “push to blend” function effectively pulverises fruits in 30 seconds.
The small size, with a capacity of 530ml, is better suited to making smoothies for one.
The Blast is leak-proof, so you don’t need to worry about smoothie all over your bag.
It’s easy to clean – cup and lid go in the dishwasher, then you add water and a drop of washing-up liquid to the rest and run on a 30-second cycle.
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At less than fifty quid, this is a steal.
Rating: 5
HOW TO GIVE BLENDED DRINK A HEALTH BOOST
NOT all smoothies are created equal when it comes to health benefits, says registered nutritional therapist Anna Mapson.
Here are her top tips for making the most of your drink . . .
- Use frozen fruit to keep the cost down and add variety. Bags of mixed tropical fruits or mixed berries are a good way to increase nutrient diversity.
- Add protein to make the smoothie more filling and balanced. Use protein powder, Greek yoghurt or silken tofu.
- Oats, chia seeds or ground flax seeds can add gut-friendly fibre.
- If you want to hide the taste of vegetables, try mixing in sweet fruits like banana or mango. They will help you not to notice spinach, courgette or even frozen cauliflower.
- Combine flavours that match a theme of either creamy or fresh and juicy. Add lemon or parsley to fresh, juicy flavours, while cinnamon or cocoa powder will balance nicely with banana, avocado and yoghurt.
- Once prepared, don’t drink it too fast – “chewing” each mouthful can help you digest it so you are less likely to feel bloated.
Anna hosts the Inside Knowledge podcast for people with IBS.
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