Nutri Ninja Auto iQ (BL482) Review – Now With Preset Controls

In the world of compact blenders, the Nutri Ninja is one of the brands that a lot of people trust.

My previous reviews, I have talked about one of their older blenders, the Nutri Ninja Pro.

While these two products will allow you to make smoothies on the go, it lacks one feature that other blenders in the same price range have – a pre-programed button.

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The Nutri Ninja Auto iQ adds this feature along with a larger 1,000 watt motor that will go through frozen ingredients in under 60 seconds.

Along with the pulse option, it comes with a blend and an ultra-blend setting.

Depending on your taste you can opt to use the blend setting if you want a more smoothie like texture or use the ultra-blend setting if you want the ingredients liquefied.

A quick look at the features

• Powered by a 1,000 watt motor
• Comes with 3 containers – 24 ounce, 18 ounce and 12 ounce containers
• Also comes with 2 seal and sip lids just in case you want to bring these containers to work
• All plastic containers are BPA free and dishwasher safe
• Has two preset controls – blend and ultra-blend in addition to the pulse
• 15.8″ tall
• 3 foot cord
• 1 year warranty

Pros

• Great for making single served smoothies
• Small size will fit in most kitchens
• Strong motor is more than capable of blending frozen ingredients
• The preset controls allows you to set and then forget

Cons

• Short warranty
• You cannot make nut butter or sorbet with this (you’ll have to add some liquid to help get things moving)
• Not for big families

What to expect from this smart compact blender?

Ninja designed this machine to be simple to use – attach the base with the blade system to one of the containers then place it on top of the motor then twist. After you twist the container you’ll see the LED screen in the middle light up like so.

Then you’ll have the option to use the two preset buttons or the pulse button depending on your mood, very simple and easy to use.

If you’re busy or you don’t want to hold down the container while blending then use either of the blend or ultra-blend buttons. The blend option will give you a thicker texture while the ultra-blend basically will liquefy the ingredients.

Out of the box, you will get three containers – 24 ounce, 18 ounce and 12 ounce jars with 2 sip and seal lids if you want to bring your smoothie with you to the gym or to work.

There’s also a recipe book to jump start your healthy eating journey.

What can this make?

This machine is designed to make smoothies and maybe frozen desserts. The small container and the lack of a plunger will not allow you to make nut butter or sorbet.

Don’t even try to make almond milk or you will burn the motor out.

Here’s a short demo by Rack Boyz Fitness on the features and how it performed making a smoothie…

You will notice that he add quite a bit of water to the frozen ingredients because if you don’t add any water, the blades will have a hard time cutting through the ingredients and you’ll end up with a pureed mess.

Now before you try making almond butter with this watch this video (spoiler: it’s not pretty)…

Even with the 1,000 watt motor, this machine still overheated and I would not recommend you doing this at home. If you want to make homemade nut butter then you’ll be better off with something like a Vitamix.

Here’s a smoothie with a banana peel (yes you can eat banana peel)…

So basically this machine is great at one thing which is making smoothies and making it in less than a minute but you will always need to add water to maximize its blending capabilities.

Is it easy to clean?

The small blade and jars make this one of the easiest blenders to clean. Just be careful when cleaning the blades. Also make sure to clean this blender as soon as you finish making your smoothie so ingredients will not dry up.

Warranty

Ninja will back this up with just a 1 year warranty.

Product specifications

Motor	1,000 watts
Height	15.8"
Jug capacity	1 - 12 ounce 1 - 18 ounce 1 - 24 ounce
Blade Type	Ninja Pro Extractor Blades
Max RPM	N/A
Preset blending cycles	Blend UltraBlend
BPA Free
Dishwasher Safe
Tamper/Plunger
Crush ice?
Smoothies
Juice
Nut Butter
Warranty	1 year

Customer reviews

This is one of the more popular blenders in the market as evidenced by number of reviews in Amazon (almost 400!) and most of these reviews where positive.

A lot of consumers who left reviews said this blender was great at making smoothies and even crush ice.

It is the compact size of this blender is what makes this one of the more popular choices for consumers looking for a machine to make smoothies and nothing else.

The small footprint will fit inside most kitchens and the addition of the AutoIQ.

It’s their fancy term for the 2 preprogrammed controls is also a popular feature that this product has.

But due to the power of the motor, this machine will be prone to shaking and you will need to place a pot holder underneath the base to minimize this.

Don’t over tighten the lid because it could potentially crack or damage the seals underneath.

Some consumers even recommend this over the Nutribullet since this based on reviews will make a smooth chunk-free smoothie every time.

Be careful though not to overtighten the cover since it may trap air and maybe hard to open again.

Despite complaints about cracking plastics and particles of rubber seeping through, this still is a popular compact blender in Amazon.

Consumers like its compact size, powerful motor and it even has pre-programmed controls.

If you’re looking for just a smoothie maker, it will be hard to pass up on this.

Where can I buy this?

You can buy this single serve blender from Amazon for less than $80. And it’ll be eligible to their free 2-day shipping if you join Prime.

Extended warranties are also available of up to 4 years if you want that extra peace of mind.

To Wrap Up

Ninja has taken their already good product the Nutri Ninja and added 2 preset features that will allow you to set and walk away if you’re really pressed for time.

It comes with a stronger 1,000 watt motor, 3 containers, two of which you can take with you to work or gym as it comes with a lid.

It just a shade under $100 but if you’re single and want something that can make your green smoothie really quick this is one of the best compact blenders out there in the market right now.

I have to warn you though that you cannot make anything other than a smoothie with this machine or you will risk burning out the motor.