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Veggie Bullet Spiralizer & Food Processor Review

The Veggie Bullet is a small-grade food processor that performs three functions: shredding, slicing, and spiralizing. The product is the latest addition to NutriBullet’s Magic Bullet series of automatic slicer, shredder, and others.

And we believe that the chief reason that the brand has introduced this new processor is the growing popularity of veggie noodles (or zoodles, if you like!). Hence the spiralizing function. This saves your kitchen space as well as investing in a separate spiralizer.

In the following sections, we’ll have a detailed look at the specific aspects of this appliance—its benefits as well as its weak points so you know exactly what to expect from Veggie Bullet and whether or not it would act as a necessary addition to your kitchen cabinet.

The Veggie Bullet Food Processor with Spiralizer

NutriBullet VBR-1001A
NutriBullet
Veggie Bullet
Strong Performance
350 watts
2x Blades
13" High
4 Pounds
Hardcover Cookbook
Dishwasher Safe
1 Year Warranty
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Speedy, automatic, and simple to use. These are the three attributes that apply to pretty much all NutriBullet products, and the same is true of the Veggie Bullet unit, too. As far as the operating of the machine goes, we love the fact that there is just one switch on/off button instead of lots of bells and whistles that often serve to confuse the user.

The Veggie Bullet is a multi-task food prep unit that lets you grate or slice fruits and vegetables, shred them, and finally, spiralize them. Our take is that the launch of this new unit is primarily owing to the growing obsession with healthy eating and, therefore, spiralizers (which means you can substitute carb-high noodles, pasta, spaghetti, etc. with zucchini noodles, squash ribbons, and the like).

This way, your basic food prep operations get covered by a single unit, which is a good and convenient thing. However, please take note of what Veggie Bullet DOES NOT DO. The unit cannot chop, mix, blend, knead, whip, or whisk your foodstuff. For those functions, you’ll need different food processors.

How to use the Veggie Bullet

food processor with spiralizer assembly

Using Veggie Bullet is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. There are two different assemblies—one for shredding and slicing and the other for spiralizing. So, here’s how it goes.

Assembly

First, you put the motor on your food prep station and then take one of the assemblies. You’ll find a lock/unlock feature at the side of the assembly. Unlock it to fit it over the motor and then lock it.

The next thing you need is to put the black lid inside the assembly. Then choose the proper blade. So, if you are slicing/shredding, use the metal slice/shredder blade.

Now, when using this blade, you must make sure that you’re using the proper side up depending on whether you want your food items to be sliced or chopped. You’ll find ‘For Slicing’ and ‘For Shredding’ inscribed on either side of the blade, so there should be no difficulty determining which side performs what function.

Now, once you have put the blade on, you simply squeeze the chute part, and that’s it. Your assembly is complete, and you can now plug in the machine.

And the good thing about this unit is that unless the assembly is done properly and all the attachments are in place, the operation switch will not turn on even after you have plugged in the unit. However, if everything is A-okay, the switch will turn red, which means that now you are all set up for slicing, shredding, and spiralizing.

NOTE: Although an improper assembly means the switch does not turn red, somehow, the machine does not take into account the base attachment part. This means that if you assemble without the base, the unit will still operate as usual.

However, not having the base means that the sliced or shredded items will get stuck within the assembly and not flow out the mouth or the beak of the assembly (in the case of the shredder assembly attachment). Also, the base will make it much easier to get your spiralized items out from the spiralizer assembly.

Using the Veggie Bullet

Once the assembly is complete, you put your desired vegetable, fruit, cheese, or chicken inside the chute. Some of your foodstuff you can put whole inside the chute. However, if the fruit or veg in question won’t go inside the chute whole, cut them up to suit the diameter of the chute. (Note: Never try to force any food item through the chute since this can break or permanently damage the chute.)

In the case of softer vegetables or fruits (such as apples, tomatoes), you may not need to use the pusher. But in most instances, you will need to use the pusher (as well as the stopper that goes into it) to avoid chances of any spill.

One thing that will be of particular interest to inquisitive readers is how well Veggie Bullet performs with different kinds of vegetables or other fruit items (soft, medium, hard, watery, etc.). Now, our experience is that the unit performs pretty well with most food items, including cheese, chicken, and so on.

However, the performance somewhat varies depending on the food item you use. As an example, if you put the chicken inside the chute with the shredding blade on, the result you’ll get is a mix of thinly shredded chicken but also a good bit of grated chicken. The same can be said for most blenders. Our magic bullet vs. ninja comparison also shows you need to be mindful of what you add.

So, if that’s okay for you, you can use the unit for shredding chicken. If not, keep chicken out of it! On the other hand, when it comes to shredding cheese, the machine does a perfect job. Again, in the case of onions, if you want them sliced (rings), the unit works fine. However, not so much when it comes to shredding!

Also, the machine works incredibly fast, so you need to put off the switch at the right point, depending on your desired result. These are things you’ll get the hang of once you have used the unit for a while.

Also, apart from the two primary blades that come with the unit, you have the option to buy separately a few other Veggie Bullet compatible blades that will equip you with more choices as to how you prepare your food (but more on that later).

While using Veggie Bullet, there is another thing you must keep in mind, which is that the unit stops working automatically after a minute of continuous use. The motor gets overheated, so you need to give it a half-a-minute rest before you can start shredding again. So, remember this point when using the unit so you don’t get stuck in the middle of an operation.

Cleaning the Unit

All parts and attachments of Veggie Bullet are dishwasher safe. So, once you have done using it, you can detach the pieces and put them on the dishwasher. Thus, the cleaning of the unit is no hassle.

That said, what if you are using a number of vegetables one after the other? Of course, if all the items go into a single dish, you need not bother about cleaning after every single use. However, if that is not the case, you do need to take apart the parts after one use and put them through running water, and assemble them again for the next installment.

Needless to say, this becomes somewhat time-consuming. In such cases, we recommend that you just use your knife for some of the items (tomatoes, carrots, etc.) and use the unit for items that are more difficult to slice or shred manually.

Could this be the Best Automatic Spiralizer?

using the nutribullet veggie bullet

As a spiralizer, Veggie Bullet works fine. The standard Angle Hair Blade (included in the box) prepares medium-thick noodles with squash, courgette, or zucchini, and the noodles hold their shape quite well once cooked. And the spiralizer also works well with harder vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, and so on.

You’ll need to use some force when pressing the vegetables with the pusher. As for timing, you need to put the switch off at the right moment. Otherwise, the noodles may get cut up too short for your choice.

However, most interested readers will want to know if the spiralizer function of the unit is worth it, especially since it is precisely this function that makes the unit a somewhat expensive one compared to others in its class.

Also, regarding the spiralizer, one must also need to consider the fact that you need a separate assembly for this function (which means more work as well as more cabinet space).

Now, the fact is that many electric/automatic spiralizers are available that can produce noodles in different thicknesses. They are often much smaller than the spiralizer assembly of the Veggie Bullet. They are easier to clean. And finally, they come at a fraction of the price of Veggie Bullet.

  • Works as Advertised
  • 100 Page Cookbook
  • Suction Cup Feet
  • Shoestring Fries
  • Shred Cooked Chicken
  • 1 minute Shut Off
  • Pressure to Spiralize
  • Loud to Operate
  • Hand Wash Timely
  • Bulky Accessories

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So, in view of the above, Veggie Bullet might not be your best choice if you want to invest in it especially for its spiralizing function. However, that is only part of the story!

The thing is that you can get the best of Veggie Bullet’s spiralizing function if you invest a little more in the EXTRA blades that come as part of the Veggie Bullet accessory or upgrade kit.

There you will get a number of special blades for spiralizing, such as Ribbon Blade, Udon Blade, and Tornado Spiral Blade (exactly what blades are included may depend on the present accessory kit on sale). Now, with these blades at hand, you can prepare your veggie noodles in as many types and varieties as you can imagine!

Veggie Bullet Accessories

  • The central unit or motor and all the necessary parts and attachments
  • The two different assemblies
  • The two standard blades (the Slicing/Shredding Blade and the Angel Hair Blade for spiralizing)
  • A user manual
  • A beautifully designed, comprehensive, 100+ pages cookbook that will offer you great inspirations for many new and innovative veg dishes (think cauliflower rice, beetroot burgers, and more). In fact, this complimentary recipe book has played a significant part in the popularity that many NutriBullet products enjoy.

Veggie Bullet Blades

veggie bullet blades

The unit includes two standard blades-one for slicing and shredding and the other for spiralizing. The shredding and slicing blade works fine with most of the fruits and vegetables as well as with chickens, cheese, etc. But, as mentioned above, you can experience some vagaries, such as when it comes to shredding chickens or onions.

We recommend that you do a little bit of experimentation with the timing to get your desired results with different food items. However, once you invest in extra blades, you will enjoy greater choices regarding how you prepare the foodstuffs. For example, you’ll find a Shoestring Fry Blade (also called Curly Fry Blade) in the Veggie Bullet upgrade kit, which you can use to make fries with regular potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchinis, and others.

On the other hand, the extra blades come especially handy for spiralizing. You can use the Udon Blade, for example, to prepare extra-thick noodles.

Veggie Bullet Blender Kit

The Veggie Bullet Upgrade Kit is normally sold separately (although some online vendors may combine the unit along with the kit at a reduced price, so be on the lookout!). Apart from the extra blades mentioned above, the kit includes two more items: a Custom Fit Bowl and a smallish Blender.

The bowl is handy as it fits snugly to the side of the unit when you’re slicing or shredding items. That said, any regular bowl will work as well.

As for the blender, it is a nice addition, especially when you are looking to blend small portions. However, if you are thinking smoothies, the blender is not really a proper alternative for a smoothie blender. It is more suited to preparing sauces and the like.

Final Thoughts

As a 3-in-1 gadget, Veggie Bullet does a good enough job. Also, the fact that it comes from the reputed brand of NutriBullet means that you can rest assured that you are investing in a quality product. However, in our opinion, you can get the most out of the unit once you invest in the upgrade kit, especially the extra blades that are included in the kit.

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