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The Nutribullet is the second bestselling personal blender on Amazon and many other retail outlets. As you probably know, the little guy is truly exceptional at making small amounts of blends and use in the tiniest kitchen space. However, how well does it make smoothies with frozen foods? Also, can you put ice in a nutribullet and blend it into a snowy texture for snow cones and margaritas?
Well, indeed, a Nutribullet is a simple but convenient blender to own. At a performance level, it can do most of the things those cheap blenders under $50 can do, not limited to blending, mixing, and chopping.
In this review though, we’re going to look at how a Nutribullet behaves around the ice and frozen foods. But before we come to that…
How Does a Nutribullet Process Ingredients
As you know by now, various blenders usually process ingredients differently. For instance, Vitamix has designed their machines to blend by pummeling through the ingredients- think of it like hammering with a “mallet” very fast. Hence, the reason you’re able to finely grind coffee beans with a blender from the brand, just like with a coffee grinder.
When it now comes to our Nutribullet blender, it usually processes the ingredients by chopping them down. Of course, the motor still put out some significant power (output), but the core components are not up to excessive stress.
Secondly, almost all blenders usually rely on the Vortex blending style to fully pulverize all the ingredients. However, the Nutribullet blades assume an almost flat alignment, which doesn’t create an intense force to pull the top ingredients down. Hence, the reason the manual ask you to use the “Shake Technique” when blending the mixture with less water.
Read More: Nutribullet Vs Magic Bullet Vs Ninja
Another thing, many of us tend to ignore the interior area of a blender container, yet it’s crucial. For instance, you won’t achieve a perfect pulverization with your Nutribullet when you load up the blending cup to the brim.
Any blender container needs to have some room for the ingredients to turn comfortably during blending. And considering the cups of a nutribullet are very narrow, you shouldn’t expect it to handle the regular ice cubes.
But again, what does all this mean in terms of blending frozen stuff?
Can You Put Ice In A Nutribullet?
A quick answer, YES and NO. If you want to shave ice- crush ice without water, a nutribullet may struggle on the task. In particular with large cubes of ice, you’re likely to find one stubborn block dancing around in the blending cup. Reason?
Power and blade design. As I’ve said above, a Nutribullet usually processes the ingredients by chopping them at a very high speed. However, the blade isn’t powerful enough and also lacks a strong vortex to pull the top ice towards it. So, you’ll either have to crush the ice as you manually push down the top ingredients. Or else blend your ice with enough water.
When you put ice and water in your Nutribullet, the density of the mixture will drop. Thus, making it easier for the ingredients to circulate and the top ones to make it down to the blades.
In fact, that’s exactly how Nutribullet recommends it done to maintain the “cyclonic action. But the company’s totally against using your Nutribullet 600 or 900 as an ice crusher or without any liquids. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a burnt-out motor in only a couple of months.
Also, the Nutribullet, like most regular blenders, has a lot of plastic parts. This includes the drive gear that usually connects the motor to the jar. So, any excessive stress will cause the parts to wear out or break. And like most, the manufacturer won’t give you a replacement if the problem with your machine was from negligence.
Other Ways to Blend Ice and Frozen foods in a Nutribullet
Despite all, you can still use your Nutribullet as a blender for ice and frozen fruit without having to add much or any water. The three main ways you can do this include:
Crush the large Ice blocks
One of the areas where a Nutribullet struggle to blend ice is when you use large blocks intended for regular blenders. However, you can further crush your ice into small crystals with a kitchen mallet. Thus, reducing the pressure on the blender and enabling it to chop on the small ice fast and easily.
Alternatively, you can get the store-bought ice that usually comes in various varieties. That includes the 1”x1” custom cubes and snow powder, which a Nutribullet can handle without a hassle.
Use of Mini ice cubes:
Overall, using the mini ice cubes is more effective than having to crush your blocks of ice. You only need to have a mini ice cube tray. Then, it’ll help save the time that you’d have otherwise used pounding the ice rocks, thereby speeding up your recipe preparation.
Moreover, the mini ices cubes will be a perfect size to even slip in your sports bottles or any cocktail shakers. And since you’re also making in a mini tray, you can put in your regular fridge or the compact models for RV and dorms.
- Use Small Frozen Fruits Chunks
In the case of frozen fruits, the Nutribullet can handle small-sized ones like berries and grapes with no issues. But for others like apples, mangoes, bananas, pineapples, and papayas, you’ll need to chop them down in rather smaller cubes. Then, freeze them as such until when you need them for your Nutribullet blender.
My Final Thoughts:
The Nutribullet is a really nice blender if you know how to use it as the manufacturer need. Sadly, however, a lot of us rarely remember to go through the Safeguards section of the printed manual after figuring how to power it on. Hence, one the major problems with a lot of people who have expressed dissatisfaction with the mini blender.
In my short guide, though, I’ve outlined the various ways you can blend the ice while at the same time protecting your Nutribullet. Of all the methods, though, the use of mini ice cubes is the most effective. Not just when blending the ice for frozen desserts, but also when blending cold liquid mixtures.