Ninja is a manufacturer that makes home appliances like blenders and ovens. Generally, their blenders have impressive build quality, and although they're mostly plastic, they feel solid and durable. Most of their jars, lids, and blade assemblies can go right into the dishwasher for an easy clean. Some of their blenders include a couple of unique attachments and accessories, like a food processor or a micro-juicer. However, most can't hot blend, which is disappointing if you want to puree soup.
For more recommendations, look at our picks for the best immersion blenders, the best Vitamix blenders, and the best budget blenders.
Updates
- 12/06/2022 Ninja Mega Kitchen System BL770 updated
- 12/02/2022 Ninja Professional Plus Blender DUO with Auto-iQ reviewed
- 12/02/2022 Ninja Chef Blender reviewed
- 09/16/2022 Ninja Foodi Power Mixer System reviewed
- 08/26/2022 Ninja Professional Blender NJ601AMZ reviewed
Best Ninja Blenders
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Best Ninja Blender
Multi-Purpose7.3Smoothies (Single Serving)8.8Smoothies (Multiple Servings)8.1Ice Crushing9.7Soups4.9Professional Use7.8The Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System is the best Ninja blender we've tested. The main reason to consider this pricier option is if you're interested in a full-size blender that can also work as a food processor. Aside from a large-capacity pitcher, it comes with a 'Smoothie Βowl Maker' jar that makes quick work of tough blends like nut butter. There's also a personal jar included with a matching resealable lid. This smaller jar is great for smoothies since even stubborn elements like fruit skin and leafy greens are smoothly blended. As part of the 'Foodi' line of blenders, it also comes with a dough blade that you can use to form dough in the main jar. There are blades for slicing, chopping, and grating ingredients like vegetables or cheese. It comes with a second lid for the main jar with a food chute, similar to a conventional food processor.
Most Ninja blenders don't vary a lot in terms of basic design, and this one has some of the usual limitations. There's a limited range of speed settings, it can't hot blend, and the main jar's very sharp blade assembly makes it tricky to clean by hand. It's also not ideal for processing big batches of fibrous ingredients in its main jar since it doesn't make a completely smooth puree. However, overall, this is the best Ninja blender that we've tested.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Ninja Blender
Multi-Purpose8.7Smoothies (Single Serving)8.7Smoothies (Multiple Servings)9.0Ice Crushing9.6Soups9.3Professional Use8.7The best upper mid-range Ninja blender that we've tested is the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender. This cheaper blender can't replace your food processor like the previous pick can, but it's much better for making pureed soups and sauces. It can hot blend and also has a heating element built into its base, so you can heat up and cook ingredients in the 64-ounce main jar. Whether you're working with a small or big batch, it makes a very smooth puree with fibrous ingredients like kale or broccoli. It's well-built and comes with a two-part lid so you can add ingredients without stopping the machine.
While it doesn't have many speed presets, it has eight automatic blending programs for different recipes, including some for cooking ingredients. It has a more conventional blade design than the Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System, so you're less likely to cut yourself when you're cleaning it by hand. That said, you can't immerse the jar in water because of the heating element, so it's not dishwasher-safe or very easy to clean by hand. It doesn't come with a 'Smoothie Bowl Maker' jar and isn't as easy to use for recipes like nut butter or hummus as the Ultimate System.
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Best Mid-Range Ninja Blender
Multi-Purpose7.0Smoothies (Single Serving)8.7Smoothies (Multiple Servings)8.3Ice Crushing9.7Soups5.0Professional Use7.5The Ninja Mega Kitchen System ΒL770 is the best mid-range full-size blender we've tested. This blender/food processor combo is a good alternative to the Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System if you want some of the same features for less. While it doesn't come with a 'Smoothie Bowl Maker' or a grating blade, you get a food processing bowl with a 64-ounce capacity. There's a chopping blade for slicing vegetables like onions and a dough blade to help form bread or cookie dough. It's also one of the best Ninja blenders for smoothies, thanks to the two personal jars that make extremely well-blended smoothies with no leafy bits of kale or unprocessed raspberry seeds left over.
It can also make a well-blended soup or sauce in its main jar, although it won't produce as smooth a blend with big batches of ingredients as the Ninja Foodi Cold & Ηot Βlender even after several minutes of blending. Since it also doesn't come with a 'Smoothie Bowl Maker', you have to use the 72-ounce main pitcher for thicker recipes like nut butter or hummus. It's not that easy of a process since you need to stop the blender several times and remove the lid to stir the ingredients.
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Best Budget Ninja Blender
Multi-Purpose6.5Smoothies (Single Serving)7.4Smoothies (Multiple Servings)7.6Ice Crushing9.7Soups4.7Professional Use7.2If you're looking for a budget-friendly blender, you might prefer the Ninja Professional Blender 1000. It has a similar design to the Ninja Mega Kitchen System BL770, but only comes with the basic accessories: a 72-ounce main jar, blade stack, and lid with a pouring spout. While it also can't hot blend, it's well-built and offers a solid overall performance. It's just as good as any Ninja blender we've tested for ice crushing, so it can quickly and easily make snow-like crushed ice for cocktails or drinks like slushies. It can also produce fantastic, smooth nut butter, although it's not the easiest process.
Although it doesn't come with any personal jars, it does a good job of processing small batches of fibrous ingredients like kale, so it can produce a well-blended single-serve smoothie. Unfortunately, it doesn't perform as well with bigger batches. If you fill the jar to full capacity for something like a broccoli soup, you end up with a fairly grainy puree. Also, like many other Ninja blenders, it's not easy to clean by hand, because you have to be careful not to cut yourself. On the plus side, the jar, lid, and blades are all dishwasher-safe.
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Best Personal Ninja Blender
Multi-Purpose7.8Smoothies (Single Serving)9.2Smoothies (Multiple Servings)8.0Ice Crushing7.3Soups3.7Professional Use6.8The Ninja Foodi Power Nutri DUO is the best personal blender from Ninja that we've tested. If you don't need a big jar capacity, it offers versatile performance in a small package. It's worth considering if you're looking for the best Ninja blender for smoothies, as it makes an incredibly silky puree of fibrous ingredients like leafy greens in its 24-ounce personal jars. It also produces snow-like crushed ice, ideal for frozen drinks or cocktails. There are to-go lids included for the personal jars, meaning you can take your drink with you on the go.
Finally, it stands out from Ninja's other personal blenders since it comes with a slightly smaller version of our top pick's 'Smoothie Βowl Maker' that you can use to process thick mixtures like nut butter with ease. However, despite its small size, it's the loudest blender on this list. It's also among the pricier personal blenders we've tested, so if you're just looking for a smoothie blender, you may want to check out a less expensive option.
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Best Budget Personal Ninja Blender
Multi-Purpose7.2Smoothies (Single Serving)8.8Smoothies (Multiple Servings)6.9Ice Crushing6.1Soups3.0Professional Use5.7If you're looking for a cheaper blender, the Ninja Fit is the best budget-friendly personal blender that we've tested from Ninja. It doesn't have as many features as the Ninja Foodi Power Nutri DUO, but it's a great cheaper option for people just looking for a simple smoothie or protein shake blender. It's less bulky than the DUO and lighter, so it's easier to store in a cupboard and bring out when you need it. There are two 16-ounce jars with to-go lids included. It smoothly blends tough-to-process fibrous ingredients, so smoothies with ingredients like spinach and blueberries won't have leafy bits or flecks of fruit skin left over.
It doesn't come with the 'Smoothie Bowl Maker' jar, so it's more tedious to use for tough tasks like making nut butter or crushing ice. You also need to push down on the jar constantly to blend, which is a bit inconvenient. Still, it produces a fantastic single-serve smoothie or shake in about a minute, so it's not that big of a deal if you're mainly going to use it for drinks. It's not as well-built as the DUO, but it's quieter, similarly easy to clean by hand, and also comes with dishwasher-safe jars and lids.
Compared to other brands
- Great build quality. Most Ninja blenders have a great build that feels sturdy, even though they have plastic transmissions. Thanks to their design, you can easily clean most of them by putting the jar, lid, and blade assembly into the dishwasher.
- Often come with extra jars and attachments. Many Ninja blenders come with additional attachments that help improve their versatility in the kitchen. These attachments can range from a dough blade to a food processor bowl and lid. Some even have dedicated modes for a specific attachment.
- Fantastic for ice crushing. Most full-size Ninjas we've tested are fantastic ice crushers and come with big 72-ounce pitchers ideal for big batches of margaritas or slushies.
- Few speed settings. Unfortunately, you can't fine-tune most Ninja blenders' speed because they don't have many speed presets.
- No hot blending. Most Ninja blenders can't hot blend, so you can't puree hot food into soup.
- Very sharp blades. Most of Ninja's full-size blenders have a distinctive spiral blade assembly with very sharp blades. Unfortunately, it makes them difficult to clean, because you need to be really careful not to cut yourself. This design also means you can't use a tamper (which most Ninja models don't include).
Ninja vs Vitamix
Most full-size Ninja blenders aren't as well-built or versatile as the Vitamix blenders we've tested. Many Ninja blenders can't hot blend, don't come with a 2-part lid, and have limited speed settings, so they aren't ideal for soups or home cooks who want a lot of control over their blend. However, Ninja blenders are usually less expensive and more likely to come with accessories like food processors or personal jars for smoothies.
Ninja vs NutriBullet
NutriBullet and Ninja both make a variety of personal blenders intended for single-serve drinks like smoothies. However, unlike NutriBullet blenders, most Ninja models can crush ice without liquid in the jar. NutriBullet's blade assemblies aren't usually dishwasher-safe, but most Ninja models come with dishwasher-safe jars, lids, and blades.
Ninja produces a few full-size and personal blenders that excel at making silky smoothies. Most models tend to offer additional jars that are smaller, so you can easily take them on the go. Some of them also have unique attachments like a dough blade or a micro-juicer for more versatility, which sets them apart from most other blenders. However, they have limited speed settings, and most can't hot blend, which is a bit disappointing if you like to make purees or soups.
Recent Updates
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Dec 22, 2022: Made minor text updates and checked that the products are in stock.
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Oct 31, 2022: Added the Ninja Fit as the 'Best Budget Personal Ninja Blender'.
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Sep 01, 2022: Reorganized the picks and added the Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System, the Ninja Foodi Cold & Ηot Βlender, Ninja Mega Kitchen System ΒL770, and the Ninja Professional Βlender 1000.
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May 26, 2022: Removed the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender as the 'Best Ninja Blender For Professional Use'.
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Mar 30, 2022: Verified that picks represent the best recommendations in their categories and that the products are in stock.
Conclusion
Ninja manufactures a variety of full-size and personal blenders that feel well-built and sturdy. Most come with an additional jar to take your smoothies or other blends with you on the go. Some also come with unique attachments or accessories that give you even more versatility when processing food. However, they tend to favor preset speeds rather than a speed dial. Most Ninja blenders can't hot blend, either.
