- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The KitchenAid K400 blender is great for most uses and looks and feels durable enough for even professional environments. This bulky blender comes with a big 56 oz jar so you can make large quantities of smoothies or soups at a time. It's very versatile as it can blend both cold and hot liquids, and it creates bar-quality ice quickly. Unfortunately, the jar's lid isn't the easiest to clean, but both it and the jar are dishwasher safe.
Our Verdict
The KitchenAid K400 blender is impressive for multi-purpose use. It does a great job of making things like almond butter and smoothies, with all ingredients being processed quickly. It makes bar quality ice in under two minutes, and it can even blend hot liquids. The blender itself feels very well-built and durable, and it's dishwasher safe as well.
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Blends ingredients quickly.
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Creates bar quality ice.
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Dishwasher safe.
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Feels very well-built.
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Can blend hot liquids.
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Lid is difficult to clean.
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Creates foamy smoothies that aren't the smoothest.
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Blends ingredients quickly.
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Lid is difficult to clean.
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Creates foamy smoothies that aren't the smoothest.
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Blends ingredients quickly.
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Lid is difficult to clean.
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Creates foamy smoothies that aren't the smoothest.
The KitchenAid K400 blender is excellent at crushing ice. It's able to make bar-quality ice in under two minutes without any large chunks left. The blender also looks and feels very well-built, so it should have no problem with being used to blend ice consistently.
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Blends ingredients quickly.
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Creates bar quality ice.
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Dishwasher safe.
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Feels very well-built.
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Lid is difficult to clean.
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Creates foamy smoothies that aren't the smoothest.
The KitchenAid K400 blender is amazing for making soups. It does a great job of blending ingredients evenly and can blend hot liquids. The jar is also very large, so you can make soups in big batches. While the lid isn't the easiest to clean, the jar and lid are both dishwasher-safe.
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Blends ingredients quickly.
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Dishwasher safe.
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Can blend hot liquids.
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Large jar.
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Lid is difficult to clean.
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Creates foamy smoothies that aren't the smoothest.
The KitchenAid K400 blender is excellent for professional use. It does an excellent job of making butters, smoothies, and crushing ice. It also looks and feels impressively well-built, so it should have no problem being used all day. The jar also holds a lot and is dishwasher safe, which is convenient.
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Blends ingredients quickly.
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Creates bar quality ice.
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Feels very well-built.
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Can blend hot liquids.
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Large jar.
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Lid is difficult to clean.
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Creates foamy smoothies that aren't the smoothest.
- 8.9 Multi-Purpose
- 9.2 Smoothies (Single Serving)
- 9.2 Smoothies (Multiple Servings)
- 9.0 Ice Crushing
- 9.2 Soups
- 8.1 Professional Use
- Updated Aug 25, 2022: Added a note that blenders like the Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System come with jars that are easier to use for nut butter.
- Updated Jul 28, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Sep 08, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Sep 08, 2020: Early access published.
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Test Results
The KitchenAid K400 blender is quite similar to the KitchenAid K150 in terms of dimensions and is a bit bulky. It's not as tall as other blenders though. However, it's very heavy, so you'll likely want to store it directly on your counter as moving it around frequently can be a bit of a nuisance.
The KitchenAid K400 blender feels very well-built and durable. The base is made of metal and the plastic jar feels solid and well-built. Unfortunately, the handle grip of our unit feels a bit loose and the lid feels slightly cheap, though not enough to affect the overall build quality too much.
The KitchenAid K400 blender has four very sharp blades. Two are pointed upwards and two are pointed downwards to help create a vortex. Unfortunately, they can't be removed from the jar for cleaning, but on the bright side, they're dishwasher-safe.
The jar's lid is made from a stiff plastic material. It's difficult to clean, but luckily it can be put on the top rack of a dishwasher. The center part of the lid doubles as a measuring cup, which is handy when adding ingredients mid-blend.
The power cord is long enough to reach an outlet on your counter, but you may need to use an extension if all your outlets are near the ground. Unfortunately, the blender doesn't have a compartment to hide the cable when not in use.
This blender is excellent at crushing ice. Unlike the Hamilton Beach Power Elite Multi-Function, this blender can produce bar-quality crushed ice in under two minutes.
The KitchenAid K400 blender is okay for nut butter. It can prepare fantastic, smooth almond butter, but it takes a lot of time and effort. You need to stop the process several times to stir the ingredients and scrape the sides of the jar. If you want to make nut butter in your full-size blender, you may prefer the Ninja Foodi Power ฮlender & Processor System, which comes with a smaller additional jar that makes it very easy to make nut butter, although it has a limited capacity.
Despite showing options from 1-5, you can hear the motor go through 22 different speed increments as you slowly move the dial, allowing you to fine-tune the speed to a very good degree. Unfortunately, despite the max speed not being nearly as high as some other blenders, like the Vitamix Explorian E310, it still gets very loud.
This blender is decently easy to clean. The jar is very easy to clean after making a smoothie, though unfortunately, sticky materials like almond butter are more difficult. The lid is tough to fully clean, and the angled non-removable blades make it hard to easily clean the jar safely. Luckily, the jar and lid can both be put in the dishwasher. If you want a full-size blender that's easier to clean, check out the Vitamix Explorian E310 or the Oster Pro 1200.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We've reviewed the 'Black' KitchenAid K400, but it also comes in Silver, Red, Blue Velvet, and White. We expect our review to be valid for these different variants as well since only the color seems to be changing.
Compared To Other Blenders
The KitchenAid K400 is a great all-around blender that performs well regardless of what you're blending. It also supports hot blending, so you can do soups or other hot mixes, like most KitchenAid blenders we've reviewed. It's also very well-built and feels premium, but it doesn't have a very large main container like some other blenders from Vitamix or Ninja.
The Vitamix A3500 is better than the KitchenAid K400. The Vitamix is better-built, quieter, and much more suitable for processing hard ingredients like nuts. It has a somewhat bigger capacity and it's easier to clean by hand. You may prefer it because of its digital display, which includes a programmable timer.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is a better blender than the KitchenAid K400. The Vitamix is better-built and does a better job with thick mixtures like nut butter. It comes with a tamper and has a wider range of speed settings. It's also easier to clean by hand. However, the KitchenAid K400 has a slightly bigger capacity and a few automatic blending programs.
The Vitamix 5200 is a better blender for most uses than the KitchenAid K400. The Vitamix has a more powerful motor which helps it do a slightly better job at making almond butter, smoothies, and crushing ice. It also feels marginally better-built than the KitchenAid and is easier to clean. On the other hand, the KitchenAid isn't quite as bulky and has a smaller pitcher that isn't nearly as tall.
The KitchenAid K400 is better than the Smeg BLF01. The KitchenAid does a much better job making smoothies and almond butter and can be used to blend hot ingredients as well. It's significantly better-built and much easier to clean by hand.
The KitchenAid K400 is a better full-size blender than the KitchenAid K150. The KitchenAid K400 is more powerful, and it has a larger jar. Its build quality is better, it offers more speed settings, and it even has a self-clean program. Its smoothie performance is better too. However, the K150 is a bit more barebones in features. It has a similarly great performance to the K400 when making crushed ice or almond butter, but it can take a couple of minutes longer. It's also a bit easier to clean.
The KitchenAid K400 is better for most purposes than the Ninja Nutri Ninja Auto-iQ. The KitchenAid is a full-size blender with a much better build quality and a variable speed dial. It does a much better job of making smoothies and almond butter, and you can use it to blend hot ingredients. However, the Ninja is a smaller personal blender that comes with a couple of personal jars with to-go lids. It also makes bar-quality crushed ice with a more uniform texture.
The KitchenAid K400 and the Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ have different strengths, and you may prefer either one. The KitchenAid can blend hot ingredients and has a much better build quality. It also makes smoother, more spreadable almond butter. On the other hand, the Ninja makes crushed ice with a better texture. Also, addition to the main pitcher, it comes with two personal jars with to-go lids suitable for single-serve drinks, as well as a food processor bowl, although we don't test it currently.
The KitchenAid K400 is better than the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ. The KitchenAid has a much better build quality and makes a much smoother puree of fibrous ingredients like kale. It can hot blend, offers many more speed settings, and it's easier to clean by hand. On the other hand, the Ninja has a bigger capacity and it's a little better for ice crushing. It's also easier to use to blend hard ingredients like nut butter.
The KitchenAid K400 is better than the NutriBullet Blender Combo. The KitchenAid K400 has a much better build quality and more speed settings. It can crush ice and does a much better job of making almond butter and blending smoothies. On the other hand, the NutriBullet comes with a tamper and two personal jars in addition to its main jar.
The Vitamix A2500 is better than the KitchenAid K400. The Vitamix has a much better build quality. It comes with a tamper and is much easier to clean. You can use it to make better-blended smoothies, smooth almond butter in less time, and crushed ice with a better texture.
The Vitamix A2300 is a better blender than the KitchenAid K400. It's a lot more powerful and also feels better built and more premium. Also, the Vitamix makes smoother nut butter and is easier to clean. The Vitamix's main jar is larger and comes with a tamper. On the other hand, while the KitchenAid is a bit inferior in pretty much all categories, it's a lot more affordable than the Vitamix.
The Vitamix 7500 is better for most purposes than the KitchenAid K400. The Vitamix has a much better build quality and comes with a tamper. It makes much better smoothies, produces crushed ice with a better texture, and it's easier to clean by hand. However, the KitchenAid is a bit quieter at maximum speed.
The Ninja Blender Duo with Auto-iQ BL642 is better for most purposes than the KitchenAid K400. The Ninja makes smoother almond butter, significantly better smoothies, and crushed ice with a better texture. It comes with three personal jars with to-go lids in addition to the main pitcher, and it's easier to clean when you're working with sticky ingredients. On the other hand, the KitchenAid 400 is better for making soups, since you can use it to blend hot ingredients. It has a significantly better build quality and a much faster maximum speed too.
The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender and the KitchenAid K400 have different strengths. The KitchenAid makes a smoother blend of fibrous ingredients, so it's better for making silky smoothies and soups. Its speed dial gives you more control over the blending speed and it's easier to clean by hand. On the other hand, the Foodi can heat up room temperature ingredients. It's slightly better for ice crushing and much easier to use for thicker mixtures like nut butter.
The KitchenAid K400 is a better overall full-size blender than the KitchenAid Diamond. The K400 feels better built, and it can process smoothies with a better texture in less time. It's also easier to clean. However, the Diamond can make smoother almond butter in less time.
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher System is better for most purposes than the KitchenAid K400. The Ninja makes significantly better almond butter and smoothies. It also produces bar-quality crushed ice in less time. It's also much easier to clean and comes with two personal jars. On the other hand, you can use the KitchenAid to blend hot ingredients.
The KitchenAid K400 is better than the Hamilton Beach Professional Quiet Blender for most purposes. The KitchenAid has a significantly better build quality. It's better for making almond butter and crushed ice and has a bigger capacity. On the other hand, the Hamilton Beach makes silkier smoothies and it's a bit quieter when you use its noise dome.
The KitchenAid K400 and the Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System have different strengths. The Ultimate System is meant to act as a food processor as well as a blender. It comes with blade assemblies for forming dough and for slicing and shredding. It also includes a personal jar for single-serve smoothies. The KitchenAid only comes with the basics: a full-size blender, a 56-ounce pitcher, and a lid. However, it has a significantly better build quality, and unlike the Ninja, it can hot blend.
The KitchenAid K400 and the KitchenAid 5-Speed Hand Blender have different strengths, and you may prefer either one depending on your needs. Both models can blend hot ingredients, but the K400 is a full-size blender that makes much smoother, more spreadable almond butter and crushed ice with a better texture. It also takes less time to make a smoothie. On the other hand, the 5-Speed Hand Blender is an immersion blender that you can use to blend hot ingredients directly in a pot or pan. It also comes with a variety of extra blades and accessories, including food processing and whisk attachments, although we don't test those currently.
The Vitamix 5300 is better for most purposes than the KitchenAid K400. The Vitamix has a much better build quality and a better performance when it comes to crushing ice and making nut butter. It's also easier to clean by hand. However, the KitchenAid has a few automatic blending programs. It's quieter when it's running and its jar, lid, and blades are dishwasher-safe, unlike the Vitamix's.
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201 is better for most purposes than the KitchenAid K400. The Ninja makes significantly better almond butter and snow-like crushed ice. It's also easier to clean. On the other hand, the KitchenAid has a much better build quality and can blend hot ingredients.
The KitchenAid K400 and the Blendtec Designer 725 have different strengths, and you may prefer either one depending on your preferences. The Blendtec has a much better build quality, its main jar has a bigger capacity, and it comes with a personal jar with a matching to-go lid. It’s easier to clean when you’re working with sticky ingredients and makes crushed ice with a better texture. On the other hand, the KitchenAid can be used for hot blending. It’s also much better for making smoothies and almond butter.
The KitchenAid K400 is a better full-size blender than the Hamilton Beach Power Elite Multi-Function. The KitchenAid is significantly better built and has a speed dial to give you more control over your blending. It can also process almond butter and crushed ice and make smoothies with a better texture in less time. However, the Hamilton Beach is easier to clean.
The KitchenAid K400 is a better multi-purpose blender than the Vitamix ONE. The KitchenAid can hot blend, crush ice, and make smooth almond butter. It has a much better build quality and a bigger capacity. On the other hand, the Vitamix makes a significantly better smoothie in its 32-ounce jar. The Vitamix is also much easier to clean by hand when you're working with sticky ingredients, although it's not dishwasher-safe like the KitchenAid.
The KitchenAid K400 is a better multi-purpose blender than the Blendtec Classic 575. The KitchenAid feels better built, and it can process almond butter and smoothies quicker and with a better texture. It also has a speed dial, which gives you a bit more control, and it's not as loud at max speed as the Blendtec. However, the Blendtec is easier to clean, and it can produce snow-like ice. It also has an on/off toggle, which is handy.
The Ninja Mega Kitchen System BL770 is better than the KitchenAid K400 for most purposes. The Ninja makes better-blended smoothies, crushed ice with a better texture, and smoother, more spreadable almond butter. It's also easier to clean by hand, and it comes with a pair of personal jars with to-go lids in addition to its 72-ounce main pitcher. On the other hand, the KitchenAid can blend hot ingredients. It also has more speed settings and a much faster maximum blending speed.