Nutribullet Pro+ blender: two-minute review
The Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 personal blender sits towards the upper end of this brands range, with a more powerful motor and an added pulse button compared to cheaper models.
This looks a lot like a standard Nutribullet, and for the most part it's the same straightforward but effective design. Add the blade part to one of the two included cups, twist it on to the main body of the blender and it starts to blend immediately, cutting out after 60 seconds to prevent pressure from building up in the cup. The more powerful motor (1200W) makes light work of even tough smoothie ingredients, and delivers consistently smooth results. To-Go lids can be attached directly to the blending cup once you've taken off the blade part, enabling you to blend and go.
Another point of difference here is the addition of a pulse button. This is good for things like salsas, and make it easy to tailor your blend to the perfect consistency you're looking for.
Price-wise, it sits in the mid-range of the wider market, and I'd say it's worth it if you want that extra power and the versatility of the pulse function. If you don't want the pulse function and are happy with a lower-powered option, you might be just fine with a cheaper Nutribullet like the 900 (read TechRadar's Nutribullet Pro 900 review), and if you want a quieter model with a fancy touchscreen rather than the twist-to-blend approach, you'll need to spend a bit more on the Ultra model (read TechRadar's Nutribullet Ultra review). However, in terms of effectiveness and value for money, the Pro+ 1200 is easily one of the best blenders I've tested, especially for smoothies.
The names are very slightly different in different territories, so for avoidance of confusion, here's what you're looking for:
- US: Nutribullet Pro+ 1200W
- UK: Nutribullet 1200 Pro+
- Australia: Nutribullet Pro+ 1200
For my review, I tested the UK version. There may be very minor differences between the models in different territories.
Nutribullet Pro+ blender review: price & availability
- List price: $129.99 / £119.99 / AU$189.95
- Launched: 2023
- Available: worldwide
The Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 is available worldwide and is a mid-range blender. At ticket price, it's $129.99 in the US, £119.99 in the UK and AU$189.95 in Australia.
Within the Nutribullet personal blender range, it's one of the pricier options, sitting between the 900 series and the top-of-the-range Ultra. If you're on a tighter budget, there's also the less powerful 600 Series. See how all the models compare in the specs comparison table.
While the Pro+ 1200 isn't the cheapest, I think it's reasonably priced for a personal blender with a powerful motor. It's also worth keeping an eye out for deals around sales periods like Black Friday.
- Value for money score: 4 out of 5
Nutribullet Pro+ blender review: design
- Powerful 1200W motor
- Two cups with two To-Go lids and two Comfort Lip Rings
- Twist-to-blend, with 60 second auto-shut off
- Manual pulse mode that lasts up to a minute
The Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 sits neatly on the worktop and is held in place by four suction feet. The main machine, without cups attached, measures 5.4 x 5.4 x 15" / 13.6 x 13.6 x 37.5cm (W x D x H).
It has a black body with a silver trim, and while it's not quite as sleek as the Nutribullet Ultra or the eye-catching finish of the Pro 900, it's still compact and stylish on the countertop.
It comes with a powerful 1200-watt motor which – like the Ultra – is designed to split through tough ingredients such as frozen berries and almonds. To start it, you simply need to twist on the cup and a 60 second blend will start. What makes it stand out from cheaper models in the Nutribullet blender range, is a dedicated illuminated Pulse button on the front of the motor base, which allows you to stop the auto-blend within 5 seconds of it starting and then manually pulse your ingredients yourself for up to a minute.
There are two blending cups provided – an 'Oversized' 32oz / 900ml cup and a 'Tall' 24oz / 680ml cup. There's no 'Short' 18oz / 511ml cup provided (this is the best option for a single smoothie serving) but one can be purchased separately from Nutribullet. The larger cup sizes give you plenty of flexibility when it comes to making smoothies or dips for a few people.
Both provided cups come with To-Go lids and Comfort Lip Rings, which means you don't have to decant your smoothie to a different cup before taking it out with you.
The cups can simply be twisted off after use and while they are dishwasher-safe, I found that washing the blade and cups with warm, soapy water straight after use kept them looking box fresh. Note that if those cups don't suit your needs, you can purchase other sizes separately from Nutribullet.
- Design score: 4.5 out of 5
Nutribullet Pro 900 specs
Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 blender review: performance
- Creates super-smooth smoothies, and pulse function useful for chunky blends
- A little noisy in use – and louder than the Nutribullet Ultra
- Ingredients can get stuck at top for thicker blends
- Also decent at crushing ice
To give the Nutrbullet Pro+ 1200 a fair trial, I used it for a month in my kitchen to create smoothies and dips. I followed the recipe for a Creamy Coffee Smoothie, with banana, coffee, almond milk, Greek yoghurt, cinnamon and maple syrup, for example, which made a nice change from my hot morning coffee. I was also keen to find out how well it did at creating grainier dips such as hummus, as well as for a thick pancake mix.
With a 1200-watt motor base, the Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 has twice the power of the original Nutribullet 600. As soon as the cup is twisted on the blend cycle starts, and it will cut off automatically after a minute. I used the full minute for my Creamy Coffee Smoothie, and it created the smoothest of blends, and whipped the ingredients into up a delicious frothy texture. The 60-sec cutoff is so as not to cause a pressure build-up inside the cup, and it's important to wait until the motor cools before blending again.
Like the Ultra, the blades in the Pro+ 1200 are designed to work on tough ingredients, so ice, nuts and chickpeas will all work well here – provided you have enough liquid in the cup to help the mixture blend that is. If you don't have enough liquid, the ingredients tend to get stuck at the top of the cup. I had this issue when making my pancake batter – on my first attempt, the flour got stuck to the sides. I added more almond milk and shook the cup a few times, and after that it combined more effectively, and very quickly, too.
My final test was to see if the Pro+1200 could handle crushing ice. It performed well in our ice test, blitzing through the majority of a cupful of ice so that it formed a powder like finish ideal for snow cones. After 30 seconds i gave the cup a shake and let it soldier on through the remaining ice cubes.
One feature the Pro+ 1200 has that cheaper Nutribullets don't is a Pulse button. I used this to help when making a textured hummus, and I also think this would work well for chunky salsas, guacamole or anything else where there are tough ingredients that need breaking down into small chunks.
To use the Pulse button, you need to twist the cup on the base and press the Pulse button within five seconds. You can then manually press the Pulse button for up to a minute to adjust the texture to your exact preferences.
Overall, I really enjoyed using this blender and appreciate how powerful and flexible it is. It's quite loud in operation, however. The Nutribullet Ultra (which is designed to be quiet) measured 88.9 decibels on my Decibel Meter App, while the Nutribullet 1200 Pro+ came in at around 93.3 decibels. This isn't something that would put me off buying it, however, as my household is more than used to hearing me say ‘cover your ears for 60 seconds' whenever I want to prepare my morning smoothie.
- Performance score: 4.5 out of 5
Should you buy the Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 blender?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
How I tested the Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 blender
I trialled the Nutribullet Pro+ 1200 personal blender in my kitchen to see if it was capable of blitzing up standard blending recipes with ease. I used it to make humus to see how well the pulse feature could work here, and also make pancakes and a creamy coffee smoothie to see if all the ingredients combined effectively. To get a good idea of how loud it is in use, I measured noise levels using the Decibel Meter App on my smartphone. I also gave it a good wipe down and washed it to see how easy it was to clean.
