I Love Smoothies but I Hated Making Them—Until I Got the NutriBullet Flex Portable Blender

NutriBullet, a successor of the OG Magic Bullet, has long been an innovator of personal-sized, smoothie-focused blenders—but the new Flex takes the brand’s signature blend-and-go convenience to new heights. It’s equipped with a rechargeable, motorized base that twists on and off in seconds, allowing you to blend and sip using the same 22-ounce plastic cup. You don’t even have to swap out the cover; the convertible lid stays on while the blades are in action, then snaps open to reveal a sippable spout when you’re ready to take a gulp. There’s a foldable carry loop built into the cap that you can use for easy toting, and I would be remiss not to mention its six cute colorways, featuring matching lids and motors.

Fast Facts

• Capacity: 22 ounces
• Power: 7.4 Volts
• Dimensions: 12.8 inches high by 3.9 inches wide
• Weight (with Motor): 2.43 pounds
• Charging: USB-C

Thinner than my Stanley cup (and shorter when it’s off the base), this NutriBullet number easily fits in a gym bag or work tote to take on the go. Even with the motor, it weighs in at under 3 pounds, which is a far cry from the 7-pound behemoth I used to have to carry back and forth from the storage cabinet to my countertop every time I craved a fruity blend (and still do to make more heavy-duty concoctions).

While I’ll admit that I won’t be making a smoothie on the subway anytime soon, the fact that I could is proof enough of just how easy and convenient this appliance is. There’s only a single button on the base, which you press once to turn on and once more to get blending. It has an automatic timer which ends the process in under a minute, and since the two blades are located inside the base of the cup, they’re never exposed until you unscrew the bottom to take the pieces apart.

The NutriBullet Flex is designed to blend fruit, leafy greens, creamy ingredients and liquids—which it does to impressive smoothness—for the perfect single-size smoothie. It can even handle frozen fruit like berries and bananas, as well as tougher ones like dates, though it might require two or three blend cycles to fully break them down. Just note that it isn’t robust enough to pulverize particularly hard or fibrous ingredients, so you should hold on the carrots and broccoli. And I would go light on the ice unless you’re seeking a more slushie-like consistency.

It’s also not meant to be used with hot ingredients, so while you can use it for silky-smooth salad dressings, this is not the best option for blending soups or sauces. But for times when you don’t need to pull out the big guns, it’s the ultimate gadget. Want a fresh protein shake on your lunch break? Pack it up with your ingredients and snap the pieces together when you’re ready to go. It’s fast and relatively quiet enough that you won’t rack up side-eyes for using it in the office kitchen.

If there are any other downsides to the appliance’s size, it’s that the battery gives out after only a few blend cycles (though that should be enough for up to four smoothies per charge, depending on how hefty your ingredients are). On the bright side, I find that it juices up pretty quickly once you get it plugged in—and I appreciate its large, light-up display that helps me clearly keep track of its charge.

Portability and power aside, the biggest draw—for me, at least—is just how much time and effort the Flex saves when it comes to cleaning up. The blades detach from the bottom of the cup, the lid twists off, and all three of the non-motor components are dishwasher safe. That means no more struggling to scrub between blades, arm-deep in a heavy glass container, only to find that you (read: I) missed a spot of blueberry residue. After popping the pieces out of my dishwasher, there’s nary a strawberry seed in sight. The extra bonus, of course, is that one-cup functionality, which saves you the trouble of getting a second glass dirty to drink from.