A few weeks ago, we became the proud owners of a Magic Bullet Blender for $40 from Bed, Bath, and Beyond after using one 20% off coupon. I met several people who swore by their blender, so we took the plunge. So far, so good!
1) Easy to use.
I can simply throw some ingredients into a container, screw on the blade, and push the mixture onto the base to start blending. The whole process takes less than a minute to get together and 90 seconds to blend (and that is only if I used a lot of ice). Once my concoction is ready, I unscrew the blade, rinse it off, and enjoy. It really is so simple.
2) Easy clean-up.
The blade is easily rinsed and the containers are dishwasher safe. If you ever drip anything onto the base, simply wipe it down with a slightly damp cloth or paper towel to clean it up. It never takes us more than 30 seconds to have everything as clean as when we started.
3) Saves waste.
Ripe bananas make a great base for any smoothie. I usually only enjoy bananas that have just turned yellow and Mr. BFS enjoys the ones that are just a little spotty. Once they become mostly spotty, neither one of us will eat them and I only feel like making banana bread once in a while. Now those super spotty bananas can easily be halved and thrown into a freezer bag for future smoothie use. One half of a frozen banana and a little milk makes a solid base for any fruit or yogurt drink.
Other ripe fruits can be thrown in as well. Nectarines, peaches, apples, grapes, and berries all have made their way into my smoothies in the last weeks and have saved me from throwing them away since I’m so picky about textures. We were easily wasting $5 of fruit a month before, but haven’t thrown away one piece since we bought the blender. I think that is pretty awesome. 
Crystal’s Quick Fruit Smoothie
1) One half frozen banana
2) Four tablespoons frozen berries
3) Splash of milk
4) Splash of orange juice
5) One tablespoon of sugar (or honey)
6) Five ice cubes
Blend until smooth and enjoy!
In short, I am a happy camper. We haven’t tried many recipes yet (like Magic Bullet guacamole), but I can see this thing working exactly as described. I’ll admit that I didn’t expect it to work as well as it does. I loved being proved wrong on points like that!
Do you own a Magic Bullet Blender? What’s your favorite blended yumminess?
— In the interest of full disclosure, I was in no way paid or asked to write this post. BUT, the above link to Amazon is an affiliate link and they will give me a small commission (4%) if you order through that. —
I love love love love love my magic bullet. I use it mostly for smoothies, but I also make whipped cream in it too. I have found that I have to take it off the base after blending some and shake the mixing cup to mix the ingredients around some, but that is about as hard as the work gets.
I buy them for wedding showers a lot.
This was a big topic of discussion on the PCOS board I used to be on (mainly because the woman who owns the board works for QVC and was often shilling for it). The general consensus among people who had both is that an immersion blender is much easier to use, clean, and store than the magic bullet. Plus you can use it to make hot cream soups in the pot (or smoothies directly in the glass).
Smoothie tip: Instead of using ice, use frozen fruit. Makes a much richer smoothie.
Thanks for the review. I have a great blender now (an attachment to my Bosch mixer), but I’ve seen several Magic Bullets at garage sales and wondered how well they work, in case my current blender ever quits working.
@Everyday Tips, yeah, I have to shake the pina colada a few times to get all the ice to crush up perfectly, but it still takes less than 2 minutes each.
@Nicole, I have heard of the immersion blender but haven’t used one yet. I’m not the most coordinated person around, so I would be worried that I’d make a huge mess. Oh, and about the smoothies, frozen banana pieces really do make the best ice – I only add extra ice because I sip on a smoothie for a couple of hours and it keeps it colder than frozen fruit. But good tip!
@Annie Jones, I hope your Bosch lasts forever since I hate buying new stuff if I don’t have to, but I’m glad I was able to give a backup option!
Interesting! I’ve seen those around and wondered how well they work.
I have an immersion blender. It’s neat for some purposes but has its limits. The pot or bowl holding the ingredients has to be deep enough that you can move the blender up and down in it. And it will not work on ice or frozen fruits. And it does pose the “huge mess” potential!
I married into a Magic Bullet and immediately wanted to thow it away. After using it however, I just LOVE the darn thing.
Those things are great, though I have a cuisinart blender. Anyway, with a blender (especially a Magic Bullet), it’s easy to make quick, healthy smoothies that you can enjoy on the go.
My recipe:
1 banana
cup of blueberries
5 strawberries
2 tbsp vanilla protein powder
1 cup soymilk
splash of juice – usually orange, or whatever else is there (cherry, pomegranate, etc)
A healthy meal on the go.
At one point, I was making these 4 or 5 times a week, but got burned out. Maybe I’ll go back to making them once a week.
@Funny about Money, I’m glad you told me about the no ice or frozen fruit thing! That’s normally what I’m using my blender for…maybe an immersion blender isn’t for me…
@Lauren, hahaha. I ended up loving the huge-to-me tv that Mr. BFS talked me into (47″ LCD)…I gave him a hard time about it and am still living that down…
@Squirrelers, yeah, I used mine daily for 2 weeks but have cut back to once every week (I stopped losing weight when I drank a whole smoothie as a snack every day, lol).
My wife and I bought one of the Magic Bullets a while back but we ended up returning it. The little motor in the Magic Bullet just wasn’t that powerful and we ended up using a normal blender instead. The idea is great and it was pretty convenient to use though.
My younger brother has one at school with him, he uses it to make protein shakes and loves it.
Okay, I’m going to have to try one of these. Actually I think we have a blender already. Perhaps I’ll start with that and see if it helps me become more healthy
Hmmm, I bet my little girl would love the smoothies, I’ll have to experiment!
We are currently obsessed with smoothies (in the plain old blender I inherited from a roommate). Here is my recipe:
1 banana
3/4 cup frozen mango
3/4 cup Almond Milk
Big spoonful of Vanilla yogurt
Big spoonful of plain yogurt
1 TBS flax seed
Blend and enjoy!
I want one! But I’m going to (have to) wait until our blender decides to spin its last blend.
I guess in the mean time I can enjoy yours … another Pina Colada please!!
ODWO
I have been meaning to get a magic bullet, I hear they’re great for making hummus and guacamole etc etc.
I was watching the infomercial the other day and started getting even more hooked- you can turn the magic bullet into a magic blender! amazing!
=)
@jim, I wonder if they’ve changed the motor…mine seems powerful enough to do some real damage.
@Jenna, I’ve never had a protein shake…do they taste better than they sound?
@Money Reasons, I told myself to use the regular blender too, but it was just inconvenient to dig out, use, clean up, and put away again. The Magic Bullet is smaller and easier to store and clean, so I’m glad my husband bought it for me even though I was going to wait.
@AJ, yum, mango!
@ODWO, I’ll get some ready for this weekend, lol.
@youngandthrifty, I know I need to try making guacamole with it…I just got stuck on smoothies and mixed drinks, lol.
We have them too and use them for milkshakes and guacamole!
here is a bullet story for you – so my wife purchased one from Macy’s when the prices dropped. 2 years later the blade crapped out on us. i emailed Macy’s corporate and they routed my email to the store. the manager contacted me directly and offered for us to come in for a replacement. we went it and picked up the newest model, which came with tons more bells and whistles. my in laws (who do not live in the US) couldn’t believe what just happened. i told them this is America, where anything and everything is possible. the experience turned me into a big Macy’s believer. i got my wife a $100 Macy’s gift card just recently
(NO – I am not affiliated with Macy’s LOL)
We use our immersion blender on ice and frozen fruit all the time.
@BFS – Not the kind my brother has. They are for gaining weight, but the average protein shakes are good and filling.
I get mixed frozen fruit from Costco. Fill blending container half way. Cover with soy milk up to an inch higher than the fruit. Blend and enjoy.
@Mr Credit Card, hmmm…milkshakes…
@Sunil, I’m happy Macy’s came through! I wouldn’t have even thought about calling after 2 years – I’d just have bought another one, so that is awesome!
@Nicole, hmmm…conflicting data…I guess I’ll just have to use one and see! Oh, the horror of more delicious smoothies in my future…hehehe.
@Jenna, yeah, I definitely don’t need the gaining weight kind, hahaha. I may need to try the ones that can be used as full meals though.
@Julie, I get frozen fruit from Sam’s Club too. I’ve thought about combining it with vanilla soy milk but never pulled the trigger. Thanks for the reminder – I’m putting soy milk on my shopping list…
Is this the blender that sold through an infomercial? If so, my wife wanted one and I refused to get it – because it was on an infomercial!
As far as your recipe, what’s the OJ for? It just doesn’t seem to go with the other ingredients – but I’m willing to try it.
@Khaleef, yep, I didn’t buy one either when I saw it on an infomercial – it took seeing one mentioned online several times at other blogs to get me interested, hahaha. I’m part of the marketing program now I guess.
The OJ tang brings out the sweetness of the fruit and honey – let me know if you like it or not!
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