The Ninja Detect Kitchen System Power Blender is a full-size blender that comes with a 72oz main jar, a 24oz personal jar, and a 64oz food processor bowl, with separate blade assemblies and lids for each jar. It has an LED display and is equipped with a 'BlendSense' feature meant to automatically detect your ingredients and adjust the blender's performance accordingly. While it's very similar to the Ninja Detect Power Blender Duo, its motor base is a little bigger.
Our Verdict
The Ninja Detect Kitchen System Power Blender (Ninja TB401) is decent for multi-purpose use. It's a full-size blender that comes with a personal jar, so it's convenient to use for single-serves as well as bigger batches. It easily crushes ice and makes nut butter in its 72oz main jar. It's good at processing fibrous fruits and vegetables, which is important for smoothies, soups, and sauces, although if you're using the main jar, it leaves some unprocessed pieces behind.
- Does a good job blending fibrous ingredients.
- Good build quality.
- Not easy to clean by hand.
- Loud.
The Ninja Detect Kitchen System Power Blender (Ninja TB401) is excellent for single-serve smoothies. It comes with a 24oz personal jar and to-go lid, so you can easily blend a single-serve smoothie and take it to-go. It makes a very smooth puree with common smoothie ingredients like leafy greens and fruit. You can use the 'BlendSense' feature to blend automatically, so you don't have to manually stop the blender. However, it doesn't produce the best result possible after one cycle, so if you want a silky-smooth blend and your recipe includes ingredients like kale, you'll have to run several cycles or blend manually. The personal jar and blades are dishwasher-safe but can be difficult to clean by hand because the blades are so sharp.
- Does a good job blending fibrous ingredients.
- Good build quality.
- Makes snow-like crushed ice.
- Comes with a personal jar.
- Not easy to clean by hand.
- Loud.
The Ninja Detect Kitchen System Power Blender (Ninja TB401) is great for making multiple servings of smoothies. The main pitcher has a 72oz total capacity, so you can easily serve several people with one batch. It can make a well-blended batch of kale smoothies, but you'll notice some leafy bits and pieces left over. You must also run a couple of 'BlendSense' cycles for the best results.
- Does a good job blending fibrous ingredients.
- Good build quality.
- Makes snow-like crushed ice.
- Not easy to clean by hand.
- Loud.
The Ninja Detect Kitchen System Power Blender (Ninja TB401) is fantastic for crushing ice. It easily crushes ice cubes into uniform, snow-like ice. The only downside is if you use the 'BlendSense' automatic blending program, the ice is done before the blender stops automatically, so you might want to manually stop the blender early.
- Good build quality.
- Makes snow-like crushed ice.
- Loud.
The Ninja Detect Kitchen System Power Blender (Ninja TB401) isn't really suitable for soups since the lid isn't vented to allow steam to escape, and the manufacturer says not to use it to blend hot ingredients. However, if you allow your ingredients to cool down first, it does a good job of blending fibrous ingredients like kale and broccoli. The main jar has a 64oz liquid capacity, so it can fit a full recipe in one batch.
- Does a good job blending fibrous ingredients.
- Good build quality.
- Not easy to clean by hand.
- Can't be used for hot blending.
- Loud.
The Ninja Detect Kitchen System Power Blender (Ninja TB401) is good for professional use. It's quite versatile since it has a 72oz capacity in its main jar and does a good job of blending fibrous ingredients, crushing ice, and making nut butter. Its food processor bowl comes with blades for chopping and a disk for grating and shredding. However, if you want silky smooth blends with stubborn fibrous ingredients like kale, keep in mind that this blender and its main jar will leave behind some unprocessed bits and pieces, and some blenders make a smoother blend. Also, while it's well-built, it's loud and has an all-plastic design, unlike sturdier blenders with metal gears.
- Does a good job blending fibrous ingredients.
- Good build quality.
- Makes snow-like crushed ice.
- Not easy to clean by hand.
- Loud.
Changelog
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Updated Oct 18, 2024:
We've updated the results to more accurately reflect the blender's performance. The score for Fibrous Ingredients (Full Capacity) changed from 7.0 to 5.0 because of the blending time and the need to scrape the jar.
- Updated Jun 13, 2024: Compared its jar capacity to the Ninja Deluxe Kitchen System's.
- Updated Mar 13, 2024: Review published.
- Updated Mar 08, 2024: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
This blender comes in one variant with a black motor base. You can see the label for the unit here. However, there are several blenders that look almost identical and have similar names: the Ninja Detect Duo Power Blender Pro and the Ninja Detect Power Blender Pro. These variants perform differently, however. The Kitchen System's motor base is bigger. Here's a quick comparison of all the models:
| Model | Personal jars | Food processor | Maximum speed with main jar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja Detect Kitchen System Power Blender | 1x 24oz | 64 oz bowl | 4900 RPM |
| Ninja Detect Duo Power Blender Pro | 2x 24oz | None | 5100 RPM |
| Ninja Detect Power Blender Pro | None | None | 5300 RPM |
If you come across another variant, let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Popular Blender Comparisons
The Ninja Detect Kitchen System Power Blender (Ninja TB401) is a full-size blender with a 72-ounce main jar, a 24-ounce personal jar, and a 64-ounce food processor. Its motor base is a little bigger and heavier compared to the Ninja Detect Duo Power Blender Pro and the Ninja Detect Power Blender Pro, which don't come with the food processor, so if you don't plan on using it for chopping, slicing, and grating ingredients, you might prefer one of those models. The Ninja Mega Kitchen System is another model from Ninja that comes with personal jars and a food processor. It performs similarly, but the newer Detect has a 'BlendSense' feature for automatic blending.
If you're looking for a recommendation, check out the best blenders, the best Ninja blenders, and the best blenders for smoothies.
The Ninja Detect Kitchen System TB401 is a slightly better blender/food processor combo than the Ninja Deluxe Kitchen System CO905KS. The Detect feels better built and makes a smoother blend with fibrous ingredients in its main pitcher. That said, the Deluxe is quieter when it's running and has a bigger capacity in its main pitcher and food processor.
The Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System and the Ninja Detect Kitchen System TB401 are both full-size blenders that come with a variety of additional jars and accessories for different recipes. In addition to its regular blending blades, the Ultimate System comes with blades for chopping and grating that you can use with the 72-ounce main jar. A 'Smoothie Bowl Maker' is also included, making it easier to use for thick recipes like nut butter. The Detect comes with a 72-ounce main jar and a separate 64-ounce food processing bowl. Both blenders come with personal jars that make well-blended single-serve smoothies, but the Detect does a better job of blending fibrous ingredients in its main jar, so it's better for big batches of smoothies.
The Ninja Detect Power Blender Pro and the Ninja Detect Kitchen System TB401 are similar full-size blenders. The biggest difference is that the Kitchen System comes with a separate 64-ounce food processor with its own blade assembly and lid, as well as a 24-ounce personal jar for single-serve blends. It's also a bit bigger and heavier. Otherwise, both have a 'BlendSense' feature that detects the ingredients in the jar and adjusts the blender's performance accordingly. However, the Pro makes a smoother blend with big batches of fibrous ingredients. Using its personal jar, it also makes a smoother blend with small batches of fibrous ingredients, so it's a better option if you plan to blend single-serve smoothies.
The Ninja Detect Duo Power Blender Pro and the Ninja Detect Kitchen System TB401 are very similar, and which is better mostly depends on what accessories you want. Both blenders come with a 72-ounce main jar and a 24-ounce personal jar for single-serve, but only the Kitchen System comes with a 64-ounce food processor with its own blade assembly and lid. It's also a bit bigger and heavier. However, the Duo can blend a smoothie faster using the personal jar, likely because of its slightly faster max blending speed.
Test Results
It's a big, full-size blender. It's also pretty heavy, so you'll want to store it on the counter or on a shelf. The motor body is bigger than the Ninja Detect Duo Power Blender Pro's, which otherwise looks almost identical.
It's well-built. Like the Ninja Detect Duo Power Blender Pro, it's entirely made of plastic, including the gears on the motor base and jar, but it feels sturdy. The jars are also all made of plastic that feels durable. The buttons on the motor base feel clicky rather than mushy, and the digital display is bright and easy to read. The components are easy to assemble and lock into place. The motor base also has suction-cup feet to help keep it steady on your counter.
The main pitcher has a 72oz capacity, with a maximum liquid capacity of 64oz indicated on the jar. There's also a 24oz personal jar included, as well as a food processing bowl (Power Food Processor Bowl) with a 64oz capacity. If you want more capacity, the Ninja Deluxe Kitchen System is a similar blender that comes with an 88oz pitcher and a 72oz food processor bowl.
The jars and lids are made of dishwasher-safe plastic. The manufacturer says to remove the blades from the jars before placing them on the top rack of the dishwasher.
This blender comes with a different blade assembly for each of its three jars. The main jar's blade assembly has a stacked design, similar to other Ninja blenders like the Ninja Detect Duo Power Blender Pro. The personal jar comes with a blade assembly that twists onto the jar like a lid. It has eight blades.
Finally, there's a blade assembly for the food processor jar with four horizontal blades. The blades are all very sharp, and you have to be careful not to cut yourself when handling them.
The lid for the main jar locks into place on the jar. To remove the lid, press the 'release' button and lift the handle. The lid can sometimes form a vacuum seal; in that case, you need to open the spout before you can easily remove it.
The lid for the food processor jar twists to lock into place, and you simply twist in the other direction to remove it. In addition to its blade assembly lid, the personal jar also comes with a to-go lid that twists into place.
The power cord is long enough to reach a nearby outlet. However, there's no place to wrap it up when it's not in use.
- Motor Base
- 72oz main jar
- Pitcher lid
- 'Total Crushing' blade assembly
- 64oz food processor bowl
- Food processor bowl feed chute lid and pusher
- Reversible slicing/shredding disk
- Dough blade assembly
- Chopping blade assembly
- Spindle
- 24oz personal jar
- 'Hybrid edge' blade assembly
- To-go lid
- Manuals
It's fantastic for processing small batches of fibrous ingredients. Like the Ninja Detect Duo Power Blender Pro, it has a 'BlendSense' feature meant to automatically detect what you're blending and adjust the blending speed and time accordingly. However, it doesn't produce the same result after one BlendSense cycle. After a single cycle, it can make a mostly smooth blend from fibrous ingredients like kale but doesn't completely liquify them. This result would score an 8.5 for texture and a 10 for processing because it only involves about 40 seconds of blending. However, if you run the blender for another minute using the manual mode, alternating between low and high speeds, it produces a smoother blend with no grains left over.
It's decent for blending fibrous ingredients at full capacity. Again, a single 'BlendSense' cycle won't be enough to get the best results. However, if you run the BlendSense program, stir, and blend manually for a few minutes more, it does a good job of blending fibrous ingredients like kale. However, it doesn't make a completely smooth puree, and there are some unprocessed pieces of kale left over.
It's fantastic for crushing ice. You can use the 'BlendSense' program to crush ice cubes into snow-like crushed ice in a matter of seconds. The 'BlendSense' feature uses its 'Thick' mode to process ice, although it manages to crush all the ice cubes before it's done 'Sensing' the ingredients, so manually blending would likely also work. The BlendSense feature could also use its 'Crush' or 'Max Crush' modes for harder frozen fruits.
It's superb for making nut butter. It makes very smooth, spreadable nut butter with no unprocessed chunks left over. The process is easy since you don't need to stop the blender to stir or scrape the sides of the jar. However, for the best results, you have to run a couple of 'BlendSense' programs, followed by a few minutes of manual blending.
It's a loud blender. Compared to less noisy models like the Ninja Professional 1000, it's more annoying to stand next to for a few minutes.
When using the main jar, the blender has a relatively slow maximum blending speed and a fairly narrow range of speed settings, so you don't have many options for adjusting the speed for different recipes. However, because it uses a different blade assembly and gear, you get faster speeds with the personal jar: the minimum speed is 15000 RPM, and the maximum is 19000 RPM. Faster speeds likely help it make a smoother blend with fibrous ingredients. With the food processor, the blade speed is slower: the minimum is 2100 RPM, and the maximum is 2700 RPM. That's expected of a food processor since it's not meant to liquify, just to chop or grate ingredients.
You have different manual and automatic blending options depending on what jar you're using. The 'BlendSense' feature is available for all the jars. This feature automatically detects the ingredients in the jar and uses one of the following programs:
- Blending
- Crush
- Max Crush
- Thick Mode
- Dough
When you're using the main jar, you can use the dedicated button for pulse mode or use the dial to select from 10 manual speed settings. You can also choose from three non-BlendSense blending programs:
- Mince (13 seconds)
- Small chop (10 seconds)
- Large chop (10 seconds)
With the personal jar, you can use 'BlendSense' or blend manually, but you get three speed settings instead of ten for manual blending.
When you're using the food processor, you can use BlendSense or one of four blending programs:
- Disc (1 minute)
- Mince (23 seconds)
- Small chop (15 seconds)
- Large chop (8 seconds)
It's not easy to clean by hand. Like other Ninja blenders, the main jar blades, personal jar blades, and food processor blades are all extremely sharp, and it's easy to cut yourself accidentally. Food can also get stuck in the bottom of the main jar's blade assembly, where it has a small hole where it fits into the jar. You need to use a brush to clean it properly, and it's a good idea to use one when cleaning sticky food from the blades since you might cut yourself using a sponge or cloth.