- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201 is a full-size blender with a 10-speed dial and various preset modes. It comes with a 72-ounce jar you can use to make incredible, snow-like crushed ice and creamy almond butter. It also makes a very good smoothie, although its stacked blade assembly minces leafy greens into very small pieces, resulting in a grainy drink. Cleaning it is easy, since its jar, lid, and blade assembly are all dishwasher-safe. Unfortunately, you can't use it for hot blending.
Our Verdict
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher is satisfactory for multi-purpose use. Its build quality doesn't feel very premium, but it makes fantastic crushed ice, excellent almond butter, and very good smoothies. However, it can't safely blend hot ingredients, so it's not suitable for making soups or purees.
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Large capacity main jar.
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Dishwasher-safe.
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Makes snow-like crushed ice quickly.
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Plasticky motor base.
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Can't hot blend.
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Doesn't come with any additional jars.
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher is excellent for smoothies and protein shakes. It processes ingredients like frozen banana and kale very quickly with its 'Smoothie' preset and produces a uniform but grainy drink. You can also use it to make outstanding, snow-like crushed ice. It's decently well-built and easy to clean, although you may need to use a sponge if you've been working with sticky ingredients.
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Large capacity main jar.
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Dishwasher-safe.
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Makes snow-like crushed ice quickly.
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Plasticky motor base.
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Large capacity main jar.
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Dishwasher-safe.
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Makes snow-like crushed ice quickly.
-
Plasticky motor base.
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher is incredible for crushing ice. It's fairly well-built and crushes ice into a snow-like consistency in less than a minute.
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Large capacity main jar.
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Dishwasher-safe.
-
Makes snow-like crushed ice quickly.
-
Plasticky motor base.
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher isn't safe to use with hot ingredients, so it's not suitable for making soup.
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Large capacity main jar.
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Dishwasher-safe.
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Makes snow-like crushed ice quickly.
-
Plasticky motor base.
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher is an excellent choice for professional use. It makes outstanding, creamy almond butter, snow-like crushed ice, and a very good smoothie. The jar has a large, 72-ounce capacity suitable for large batches, and it's easy to clean in the dishwasher or by hand, although you may need to use a sponge in some cases.
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Large capacity main jar.
-
Dishwasher-safe.
-
Makes snow-like crushed ice quickly.
-
Plasticky motor base.
-
Can't hot blend.
- 6.3 Multi-Purpose
- 6.7 Smoothies (Single Serving)
- 7.3 Smoothies (Multiple Servings)
- 9.6 Ice Crushing
- 4.6 Soups
- 7.3 Professional Use
- Updated Aug 25, 2022: Added the Ninja Foodi Power Blender & Processor System as an example of a similarly-designed blender that comes with personal jars.
- Updated Aug 11, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Feb 16, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Feb 12, 2021: Early access published.
Test Results
The Ninja SS201 is a fairly bulky full-size blender. It's roughly as tall as the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher System, and its base is slightly bigger. You can store it directly on your kitchen counter or in a spacious cupboard.
The Ninja SS201 has a decent build quality. The motor base is made of plastic that doesn't feel particularly premium, and it sits on four anti-slip suction cups. The jar twists into place and is made of thick plastic. It's easy to install the blades, which just need to be fitted inside the jar. The blade assembly doesn't lock into place, but when the lid is on, the top of the assembly fits into a small hole on the underside of the lid. The control panel is simple but feels a bit sluggish to respond. If you're looking for a full-size blender with a better build quality, check out the Breville the Fresh & Furious.
The Ninja SS201's blade assembly is shaped like a column, with six sharp blades at different heights. It's removable and dishwasher-safe. There's also a dough blade assembly included, which is advertised for mixing dough for baked goods, but we don't currently test it.
The plastic lid locks onto the jar and has a button on top to release it. It's not a two-part lid, but there is a small opening on the spout corner of the lid. There's a metal bar across the opening that should prevent bigger chunks of food from coming out if you're pouring from the jar. You can use the opening to add more ingredients to the blender without taking off the lid, but it may not be big enough unless you're adding small pieces of food or liquid.
This blender's power cord isn't particularly long but it should be able to reach an outlet near your counter. Unfortunately, there's no stowaway compartment to help store the cable when it's not in use.
- 72 oz 'Power pitcher' and lid
- Motor base
- Stacked blade assembly
- Dough blade assembly
- Cleaning brush
- Manual and recipe book
The Ninja SS201 is mediocre for processing small batches of fibrous ingredients. It takes a while and ingredients like kale aren't fully processed, resulting in a grainy puree. Unlike many Ninja blenders, like the Ninja Foodi Power Βlender & Processor System, it doesn't come with any personal jars that might do a better job of processing smaller amounts of ingredients.
This blender is exceptionally good at crushing ice. The 'Ice Crush' preset runs the blender for one minute, but it doesn't take that long to make very fine, uniform, snow-like crushed ice.
This blender makes fantastic almond butter using its 75-second 'Dip' preset followed by a few minutes of manual blending. You may want to stop the blender partway through to scrape any almonds off the sides of the jar. The result is creamy, very spreadable almond butter with no chunks. The motor base also has exhaust fans, so it stays relatively cool during this process.
The Ninja SS201 has a manual mode and an 'Auto-iQ' mode. In manual mode, you can use the 10-speed dial to fine-tune your blend. The blender runs for 60 seconds before shutting off. You can also select 'Auto-iQ' mode to use the various presets, or push and release the 'Pulse' button to run the blender in short intervals. It's one of the quieter full-size blenders that we've tested and isn't as loud as the Ninja Mega Kitchen System BL770 at maximum speed.
This blender has several preset modes that you can access by pressing the 'iQ' button and then using the dial to select the desired program.
- Smoothie: 65 seconds
- Bowl: 40 seconds
- Chop: 5 seconds
- Ice Crush: 60 seconds
- Dip: 75 seconds
- Dough: 45 seconds
According to the manual, the 'Bowl' setting doubles as a cleaning cycle if you run it with hot water and soap in the jar. You can also press the 'Pulse' button and release it as you see fit to blend in short intervals. There's also manual mode, which allows you to choose the speed yourself. The blender doesn't display a timer for that mode but shuts off automatically after 60 seconds.
The Ninja SS201 is very easy to clean. After rinsing it, you can fill it with warm water, add a few drops of soap, and run the 'Bowl' preset as a cleaning cycle. If you've been working with liquid ingredients, it should be clean after another quick rinse. On the other hand, if you've been making almond butter or another sticky food, it may be necessary to take out the blade assembly to rinse the underside or to scrub it with a sponge. It's important to be careful because it's easy to cut yourself on the blade assembly.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Ninja SS201 comes in one color variant, 'Silver'. You can see the label for the model we tested here. It's sometimes sold with a 24-ounce 'Nutrient Extraction Cup', a personal jar advertised for making smoothies and frozen drinks, and a 14-ounce 'Smoothie Bowl Maker' advertised for mixing frozen food with less liquid. We haven't tested those accessories. If you come across another variant or your model is different, please let us know in the discussions below so we can update our review.
Compared To Other Blenders
The Ninja SS201 Foodi Power Pitcher is a versatile full-size blender with a large capacity. It's similar to the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher System but doesn't come with any additional jars. It can't hot blend, but it makes outstanding crushed ice and almond butter. It doesn't feel as well-built as some other Ninja blenders, like the Ninja Mega Kitchen System BL770. If you want to see other options, check out our lists of the best blenders, the best blenders for frozen drinks, and the best blenders for smoothies.
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201 is better for most purposes than the NutriBullet Blender Combo. The Ninja makes very smooth, spreadable almond butter and snow-like crushed ice. It also produces significantly better smoothies. On the other hand, you can use the NutriBullet to blend hot ingredients for soups and sauces. Also, it comes with two personal jars with matching to-go lids.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is a better blender than the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201. The Vitamix is better-built and makes a much smoother puree of fibrous ingredients. It can hot blend and it's easier to use for tough recipes like nut butter.
The Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ is better for most purposes than the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201. The Kitchen System is easier to clean and has a significantly better build quality. It comes with two personal jars with matching to-go lids as well as a food processor bowl, although we don't test that attachment currently. However, the Foodi Power Pitcher makes significantly smoother, more spreadable almond butter.
The Ninja Mega Kitchen System BL770 is a better blender than the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201 for most uses. The BL770 is better built and easier to clean. It also makes a better smoothie and comes with two personal jars and a food processor bowl. However, the SS201 has a dial that lets you manually fine-tune the blending speed.
The Ninja Blender Duo with Auto-iQ BL642 is better than the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201. The BL642 has a much better build quality, is easier to clean, makes snow-like crushed ice. It blends a silkier smoothie if you use its 32-ounce personal jar. However, the SS201 produces a much better smoothie in its 72-ounce main jar than the BL642 does in its main jar.
The Ninja Professional Blender 1000 is better than the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201 for most purposes. The Professional has a better build quality and makes a smoother blend with fibrous ingredients. It's also quieter when it's running. That said, the Foodi comes with a blade for forming dough, so you may prefer it for that reason.
The Vitamix 5200 is better than the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201. The Vitamix can be used to blend hot ingredients. It's much better-built, has a much higher maximum speed, and comes with a two-part lid and tamper. It makes a better-blended smoothie and takes less time to make smooth almond butter. On the other hand, the Ninja makes crushed ice with a better texture. It also has a few preset modes in addition to a speed dial.
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201 and the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher System are very similar blenders, but the System is better for most uses. The System has a better build quality, makes a better smoothie, and comes with a pair of personal jars. On the other hand, the SS201 is better at crushing ice.
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201 is better for most purposes than the NutriBullet Pro. The Ninja is a full-size blender with a bigger capacity and more than one speed setting. It's easier to clean by hand and does a better job of making crushed ice and almond butter. On the other hand, the NutriBullet is a personal blender intended for making single-serve drinks. It makes better-blended smoothies in its 20-ounce personal jars, which come with matching to-go lids, cup rings, and lip rings to make them easier to drink out of.
The Ninja Food Power Pitcher SS201 and the Ninja Foodi Power Βlender & Processor System come with different accessories. If you want to be able to blend a single-serve smoothie in a personal jar, the Processor is a better choice. It also has a better build quality. That said, if you're just looking for a full-size blender and don't need smaller jars, the SS201 performs similarly and may be what you're looking for.
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201 is better for most purposes than the Oster Pro 1200. The Ninja makes smoother almond butter, better-blended smoothies, and does a better job of crushing ice. It's also better-built, and its main jar has a larger capacity. On the other hand, the Oster comes with a glass main jar, which some may prefer, and you can use it for hot blending. There's also a 24-ounce jar included with a to-go lid, so it's better-suited for making single-serve drinks.
The biggest difference between the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201 and the Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System is the included accessories. The SS201 includes only a 72-ounce pitcher and a lid, along with a regular blending blade assembly and dough blade. The Ultimate System comes with a similar 72-ounce jar, plus a variety of extra jars and attachments that make it better suited for single-serve smoothies and nut butter. In addition to the dough blade, it has blades for shredding and grating.
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 Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201 and the Ninja Professional Plus Βlender with Auto-iQ perform similarly, so which you prefer depends on what you're looking for. The SS201 comes with an extra blade for forming dough. It has more speed presets, more automatic blending programs, and a digital blending time indicator. That said, if you don't mind the Professional Plus' simpler design, it's sturdier and quieter when it's running.
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher SS201 is better than the Ninja Smart Screen for most purposes. The Foodi has a speed dial and a few preset modes, including a self-clean cycle and a crushed ice program. It makes smoother, more spreadable almond butter and better-blended smoothies. On the other hand, the Smart Screen is much easier to clean by hand.