Nutribullet vs Ninja Blender: Combo NBF50500 vs BN701

Nutribullet Combo NBF50500 vs Ninja BN701: what the manuals, Consumer Reports and TechGearLab say about smoothies, ice, hot soup and cleaning.

By Maksud · Published Oct 4, 2026

In the nutribullet vs Ninja blender matchup, pick the nutribullet Combo NBF50500 for smoothies, personal to-go cups and blending already-hot soup in its vented pitcher. Pick the Ninja Professional Plus BN701 if you crush ice on its own: it has an Ice Crush program, and nutribullet’s own user guide says the Combo is “not intended … as an ice crusher.”

Both are full-size pitcher blenders listed at 1200 W, so the choice comes down to what you blend. For other budget options, see the best blenders ranking.

Nutribullet Combo vs Ninja Professional Plus: verdict by job

• Smoothies: nutribullet. TechGearLab scored it 7.5 for smoothies against the BN701’s 6.0.
• Ice on its own: Ninja. It has a dedicated Ice Crush program, and TechGearLab’s review says it produces crushed ice in 60 seconds.
• Liquid-based frozen drinks: close. TechGearLab scored frozen drinks 8.0 for the nutribullet and 7.5 for the BN701.
• Hot soup: nutribullet only, and only in the pitcher with the vented lid cap. Ninja’s guide says not to blend hot liquids at all.
• Cleaning: Ninja. TechGearLab scored cleaning 7.9 for the BN701 and 6.2 for the nutribullet.
• Personal cups: only the nutribullet includes them.

NBF50500 and BN701 specs side by side

The wattage is a small source conflict. Ninja’s owner’s guide, America’s Test Kitchen and TechGearLab all give 1200 W for the BN701, while its Amazon listing says 1400 peak watts. I’d go by the manual. nutribullet’s user guide prints no wattage; TechGearLab and Consumer Reports (via The Daily Meal) list the NBF50500 at 1200 W.

Smoothies and purées: what independent labs measured

TechGearLab rated the nutribullet ahead on both: 7.5 for smoothies and 7.3 for purée, against 6.0 and 5.8 for the BN701. One caveat: TechGearLab’s nutribullet page prints no model number, though its 1200 W and 64 oz specs match the NBF50500. Its BN701 review dates from June 2022 and its nutribullet review from June 2024. Consumer Reports, as reported by The Daily Meal on Aug 28, 2026, named the NBF50500 the clear winner of the 23 full-size blenders it tested, with top marks for purée and smoothies.

America’s Test Kitchen is kinder to the BN701. It names it the best less expensive blender, with perfect mayo and crushed ice and smoothies only a touch more frothy and fibrous than its top picks. ATK rated a different nutribullet model (ZNBF30400Z), so its results don’t settle this pairing.

Nut butter is hard work for both. ATK’s BN701 almond butter came out slightly gritty, and the machine got hot. TechGearLab got a good BN701 nut butter only after repeated stirring and added oil, and reports nut butter on low pushed the nutribullet to a “strange electrical smell”. If that smell turns up, see why a blender smells like burning.

Crushing ice and frozen drinks: where the sources disagree

The sources disagree about the nutribullet and ice. Consumer Reports, via The Daily Meal, gave the NBF50500 its highest marks for crushing ice. nutribullet’s own user guide says it is not intended to be used without liquids or as an ice crusher: “ALWAYS ADD LIQUID.” TechGearLab found large uncrushed pieces when blending ice alone, but still scored frozen drinks 8.0 because its liquid-based margaritas came out well.

The BN701 is built for the job. Ninja’s guide describes the Auto-iQ Ice Crush program as turning “ice, juices, and fruit” into frozen drinks, and its troubleshooting section covers the case where the unit “doesn’t create snow from solid ice.” The fix it gives is ice straight from the freezer and a few pulses to start. TechGearLab’s review says it produces crushed ice in 60 seconds and a margarita in 120 seconds (frozen score 7.5). ATK credits it with perfect mayo and crushed ice.

My read: if you want ice crushed on its own, only the Ninja’s guide covers it. In the nutribullet, always blend ice with liquid, as the guide says. More on what blenders can handle in can a blender crush ice.

Hot soup and hot liquids: what each owner’s guide allows

The two manuals take opposite positions, so read this before making soup. Ninja’s BN700 Series owner’s guide says: “DO NOT blend hot liquids or carbonated liquids,” warning of pressure buildup and steam burns. Let soup cool before it goes in the BN701.

nutribullet’s Blender Combo user guide allows hot liquids in the pitcher only. You lock the pitcher lid and vented lid cap in place, keep ingredients below the MAX lines, start on LOW and never use PULSE. It says never to blend hot ingredients in any sealed cup. For the cups, it says to start at 70°F (21°C) or cooler, run in 1-minute intervals with at least a minute between them, and do no more than 3 in a row.

TechGearLab puréed tomato soup in both. After six minutes on high, the nutribullet’s soup reached 150°F per the review text, while the same page’s spec table and TechGearLab’s roundup give 145°F. The BN701’s stayed at 74°F.

Don’t copy that test at home: nutribullet’s guide warns that blending longer than a minute can heat ingredients and build pressure, and says to turn the machine off and let the pitcher cool completely if it gets warm. To heat a blended soup, the guide says to transfer it to a pot on the stove. For general rules, see can you put hot liquid in a blender.

Cleaning the pitchers, cups and blades

Per nutribullet’s guide, the pitcher is dishwasher safe, the cups and to-go lids go on the top rack, and the sanitize cycle is off limits because it can warp the plastic. The guide says to hand-wash the extractor blade, tamper and motor base. TechGearLab couldn’t remove the pitcher’s supposedly removable blade base, found the pitcher hard to dry on the base, and scored cleaning 6.2.

Ninja’s guide says all attachments are top-rack dishwasher safe once the blade assembly is out of the pitcher. TechGearLab scored the BN701 7.9. Its review notes the pitcher can’t air-dry on the base, and its roundup says residue collects in hard-to-reach spots. Full routines are in how to clean a blender and is a blender jar dishwasher safe.

Reliability, the unlocked Ninja blade and recall history

Consumer Reports, via The Daily Meal, scored nutribullet lower for brand reliability and owner satisfaction than the runners-up, the Vitamix Propel 750 and the Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System. Those are brand-level scores. The Ninja model in that ranking was the Professional Plus Kitchen System, not the BN701, so no lab reliability data covers the BN701 itself.

Owner reports cut both ways. On Oct 4, 2026, Amazon’s AI-generated review summary for the BN701 said some owners report the plastic pitcher cracking within a year. The one for the NBF50500 called durability mixed, with some units lasting over 15 years and others breaking within 14 months.

Ninja’s guide warns that the stacked blade assembly is sharp and not locked in place, so remove it before pouring thick mixtures. ATK reports the blade sometimes fell out when pouring. The guide also says the LEDs flash when the base is on with no container installed; see Ninja blender blinking lights.

The saferproducts.gov recall database listed no recall for either model on Oct 4, 2026. Its closest entry is CPSC recall 16-034 (Nov 12, 2015), which covered Ninja BL660, BL663 and BL665 Professional blenders. The hazard was laceration from pouring with the loose stacked blade still inside, and the remedy was new warnings and instructions. A search of the same database for nutribullet returned no recalls.

Both blenders have a thermal cutoff: nutribullet’s guide says to unplug and wait at least 15 minutes, Ninja’s says about 30 minutes in its warnings and about 15 in its reset steps. To check a model yourself, see the blender recall check.

Nutribullet NBF50500 or Ninja BN701: which should you buy?

It comes down to what you blend most:

• A smoothie a day, often to go: nutribullet. Better smoothie scores from TechGearLab and Consumer Reports, plus two cups and to-go lids.
• Crushed ice on its own: Ninja. It has an Ice Crush program, and its guide covers making snow from solid ice; nutribullet’s guide says always add liquid.
• Batch soup: nutribullet, with already-hot soup in the vented pitcher only, following the guide. The Ninja’s guide rules hot liquids out.
• Reliability: no clear winner. Consumer Reports rated the nutribullet brand lower, but Amazon owners report durability complaints for both.

Related blender comparisons and guides

• Best blenders, ranked by evidence
• Vitamix 5200 vs Ninja BN701, if you’re considering a step up
• Ninja BL610 vs BN701, for a cheaper Ninja
• Personal vs full-size blender
• How we research