Are Ninja BlendBOSS Blenders Worth the Money? Our Honest Review
Ninja blenders have become a familiar sight in British kitchens, but they aren’t necessarily the cheapest appliances on the shelf. The BlendBOSS is an unusual addition to the range: a colourful personal blender that doubles as a drinking tumbler and promises to turn ice into snow. So does it offer anything useful beyond its appearance?
The first thing that caught our attention was the design. The Watermelon Bubblegum version has a rather appealing retro look, and it’s certainly different from the black and stainless-steel appliances that tend to dominate kitchen worktops. I like it, although I can see that it won’t be to everyone’s taste.
What interests us more is whether it can cope with frozen fruit and ice without leaving lumps behind. At a recommended retail price of around £134, that’s a reasonable thing to expect. With AO currently advertising the green model for £89, it’s also worth asking whether the discount makes it a sensible buy.
Our quick verdict
For someone who regularly makes smoothies, protein shakes or iced drinks, the Ninja BlendBOSS looks like a capable personal blender, particularly at its reduced price. Its strongest argument isn’t the colour: it’s the powerful motor, dedicated ice-crushing programme and the convenience of drinking from the same tumbler you’ve blended in.
But you don’t need a Ninja to make a good smoothie. If you already own a blender that handles frozen ingredients perfectly well, there isn’t much financial sense in replacing it simply because this one looks nicer.
Our view: Worth considering for frequent users, but probably unnecessary for occasional smoothies.
The design is different – but is it actually useful?
There is something quite clever about designing a blender around a drinking tumbler rather than expecting you to transfer your drink into a separate cup. The BlendBOSS comes with a 710ml tumbler, carry handle, straw and leak-resistant travel lid. The maximum fill for blending is 650ml, so it’s important not to mistake the total tumbler capacity for the amount you can safely blend.
That makes it particularly practical for someone preparing a smoothie before work or a protein shake after exercising. You blend, remove the tumbler and take the drink with you. There’s less pouring, and potentially less washing-up.
The Watermelon Bubblegum colourway is certainly distinctive. Personally, I rather like the almost retro appearance, although I’d be more interested in whether the cup is comfortable to carry and easy to clean after several weeks of use than how it looks in photographs.
What you get for the money
Motor: 1,100W
Tumbler: 710ml overall capacity; 650ml maximum fill
Automatic programmes: Smoothie, Blend and Crush
Manual control: Pulse
Included: Travel tumbler, lid, removable straw, CrushBlade assembly and recipe guide
Guarantee: Two years
It’s designed for individual drinks, rather than preparing a large batch for a whole family.
The ice-crushing ability is the most interesting feature
This is where the BlendBOSS becomes more than a nice-looking smoothie maker. Ninja says the 1,100W motor and CrushBlade can turn ice into a fine, snow-like texture, which would be useful for homemade slushies, frozen coffees and other iced drinks.
That claim is worth separating from the marketing. A machine that can genuinely handle ice and frozen fruit without constant stopping and shaking is much more useful than one that looks powerful but struggles with anything harder than a banana.
Independent reviews of the BlendBOSS have been positive about its smoothie and ice-crushing performance. However, the results depend on what you’re blending and how much you put in. The sensible approach is to follow Ninja’s fill limits and programme instructions rather than assuming the tumbler can be packed with ice to the brim.
And there’s a trade-off: crushing ice is noisy. This isn’t likely to be the appliance you’d choose for a quiet early-morning kitchen.
Does it make better smoothies than a cheaper blender?
It should have enough power for the kinds of ingredients that sometimes cause trouble for basic personal blenders, including frozen berries, leafy greens and ice. That doesn’t mean every smoothie will taste better simply because you’ve spent more.
For a soft-fruit smoothie made with milk or yoghurt, an inexpensive blender may be entirely adequate. The BlendBOSS becomes more interesting if you frequently use frozen ingredients, want a smoother texture or particularly value the travel tumbler and automatic programmes.
In other words, you’re paying for the combination of power, convenience and design rather than a completely different kind of drink.
What do customers think?
Customer feedback on the BlendBOSS range is generally positive, with particular enthusiasm for its ability to process frozen fruit and for the convenience of blending directly into a cup. Review aggregates are useful as a starting point, but they can combine different colour variants and retailers, so it’s worth checking the reviews on the exact model you’re buying.
The recurring reservations are worth mentioning too. Noise is a common criticism of powerful personal blenders, and the travel tumbler and lid introduce extra pieces that need to be washed and dried properly. The tumbler is also quite substantial, which may not suit someone who wants a particularly lightweight bottle.
We’d be wary of treating a high customer star rating as proof that every buyer will love it. Think about how often you’ll use it, how much kitchen space you have and whether you actually want to carry the tumbler around.
What we like – and what gives us pause
In its favour: The distinctive design, powerful motor, dedicated ice-crushing setting, three automatic programmes and the convenience of a drinking tumbler.
Worth considering: It’s noisy when working hard, only makes individual-sized batches, isn’t suitable for blending hot ingredients and costs more than some basic personal blenders.
Can the Ninja BlendBOSS actually save you money?
Potentially, but only if it replaces something you already spend money on. Buying an £89 blender doesn’t automatically create a saving, however impressive its motor might be.
If you buy a £4 smoothie three times a week and could make a similar drink at home for £1.20, you’d save £2.80 each time, or £8.40 a week. On that purely illustrative calculation, the £89 purchase price would be recovered after about 11 weeks.
Of course, you need to account for the ingredients you actually buy, any wasted food, electricity and the fact that some people enjoy the convenience of a café drink. If you currently spend nothing on takeaway smoothies, there is no saving to be made by buying a blender and starting to make them.
A simple saving calculation
Three £4 shop-bought smoothies per week: £12
Three homemade smoothies at £1.20 each: £3.60
Illustrative weekly saving: £8.40
This only works if the homemade drinks genuinely replace purchases you’d otherwise have made. Costs are examples, not guaranteed savings.
Is £89 a good price for the Ninja BlendBOSS?
AO is currently listing the Watermelon Bubblegum DB351UKGN for £89. That’s about £45 below the £134 reference price used in the offer, although a reduction from an RRP isn’t necessarily the same thing as a saving against the price it usually sells for.
We’d always check the current price and delivery terms before ordering. Even so, the reduction makes the BlendBOSS a more interesting proposition than it would be at full price, particularly for someone who will make use of the ice-crushing programme regularly.
The AO offer
Ninja BlendBOSS DB351UKGN – Watermelon Bubblegum
£89 £134 reference price
Check AO for the latest price, membership discounts, stock and delivery conditions.
Check the Ninja BlendBOSS price at AO
Price checked 6 November 2026. Offer subject to change.
Who should buy one – and who should save their money?
Consider it if: you make smoothies or protein shakes several times a week, regularly use frozen fruit or ice, and would find the travel tumbler genuinely convenient.
Save your money if: you already have a reliable blender, only make an occasional smoothie, need to prepare drinks for several people at once or are particularly sensitive to noise.
It’s also worth remembering that a more expensive appliance isn’t automatically a better financial decision. If a cheaper blender will do everything you need, the money you don’t spend is a saving in itself.
Our verdict: is the Ninja BlendBOSS worth the money?
On paper, and judging by the available independent tests and customer feedback, the BlendBOSS makes a reasonably convincing case for itself. The design caught our eye, but the ability to handle ice and frozen ingredients is what makes it worth investigating.
What we like is that the features appear to serve a purpose. The travel tumbler is convenient, the automatic programmes take some of the guesswork out of blending, and the motor offers more power than you might expect from a compact appliance.
But there is a difference between a good blender and a blender everybody needs. If you use yours once a month to make a banana milkshake, we’d be reluctant to recommend spending £89. If you’re making frozen smoothies or iced coffees most days, the case is rather stronger.
At the current AO price, we’d put it on the shortlist for a frequent smoothie drinker. We wouldn’t replace a perfectly good existing blender just to get one.
MoneyMagpie verdict
Best feature: The combination of ice-crushing power and a take-away tumbler.
Most appealing detail: The colourful design, although that’s a matter of taste.
Main drawback: Noise, plus a higher price than basic blenders.
Value for money: More persuasive at £89 than at the full reference price.
Bottom line: You don’t need an expensive blender to make a good smoothie. But for regular frozen-drink makers, the BlendBOSS has some genuinely useful advantages.
View the Ninja BlendBOSS at AO
Frequently asked questions
Can the Ninja BlendBOSS crush ice?
Yes. Ninja includes a dedicated Crush programme and says its 1,100W motor can produce finely crushed ice. Follow the manufacturer’s fill limits and instructions.
How big is the Ninja BlendBOSS tumbler?
The tumbler has a 710ml overall capacity, with a maximum blending fill of 650ml.
Can you blend hot soup in the Ninja BlendBOSS?
No. It is designed for cold drinks and should not be used to blend hot liquids in its sealed tumbler.
Is the Ninja BlendBOSS good value?
It can be good value for people who regularly make smoothies and iced drinks, particularly at a discounted price. Occasional users may be better served by a cheaper blender.
Sources: Ninja’s official DB351UKGN specifications, published independent blender testing and retailer customer feedback. This is not a hands-on MoneyMagpie test. Check the manufacturer’s guidance before use.
