- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Test Results
- Deals
- Discussions
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ is a full-size model with a 72-ounce main jar. Unlike the Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ, it doesn't come with a lot of attachments. It's still incredible for crushing ice, but it struggles to fully incorporate fibrous ingredients. It can be tricky to clean by hand, like most Ninja blenders, but the jar, lid, and blades are top-rack dishwasher-safe.
Our Verdict
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender isn't bad for multi-purpose use. It has a durable build and a large capacity, 72-ounce main jar. While it's incredible at crushing ice and produces smooth nut butter, it struggles to fully blend fibrous ingredients. It also can't hot blend ingredients. It's tricky to clean by hand, but the jar, lid, and blades are dishwasher-safe.
-
Well-built and easy to clean.
-
Several preset modes and preset speeds.
-
Struggles to fully blend fibrous ingredients like kale.
-
Makes a dry nut butter that's tough to spread.
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender is okay for single-serve smoothies. It makes a grainy puree with fibrous ingredients, so if you use ingredients like kale, your smoothie will have a grainy texture. It's also a bit tricky to clean by hand, but on the plus side, it's well-built, and the jar and lid are dishwasher-safe.
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender is good for multiple batches of smoothies. Its main jar has a big 72-ounce capacity, meaning you can make a big batch of smoothies, but it makes a grainy puree with fibrous ingredients like kale. You also have to blend for quite a while to get the best results. The blade design makes it tricky to clean jar by hand, but the jar, lid, and blades are all dishwasher-safe.
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender is remarkable for crushing ice. Thanks to the 'Ice Crush' preset, it can make snow-like crushed ice quickly, which is ideal for making frozen drinks on a hot day.
-
Well-built and easy to clean.
-
Several preset modes and preset speeds.
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender isn't safe for hot blending, so you need to let your ingredients cool down first if you want to use it to make soup. It does a mediocre job of processing fibrous ingredients, so it's not ideal for making silky-smooth soups. That said, its 72-ounce main jar can hold a big recipe.
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender is decent for professional use. It's very well-built, and its 72-ounce pitcher is ideal for crushing ice. It also makes fantastic nut butter but struggles to make a smooth blend of fibrous ingredients like kale, and you can't use it for hot blending. It's also hard to clean by hand.
-
Well-built and easy to clean.
-
Top-rack dishwasher safe.
-
Several preset modes and preset speeds.
-
Struggles to fully blend fibrous ingredients like kale.
-
Makes a dry nut butter that's tough to spread.
- 6.3 Multi-Purpose
- 6.9 Smoothies (Single Serving)
- 7.5 Smoothies (Multiple Servings)
- 9.7 Ice Crushing
- 4.6 Soups
- 7.3 Professional Use
- Updated Sep 23, 2022: Revised text to match results updated to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Aug 29, 2022: Compared its performance for small batches of fibrous ingredients with the Ninja Professional Blender NJ601AMZ's.
- Updated Aug 25, 2022: The 'Texture' score for 'Fibrous Ingredients (Full Capacity)' changed from 5.5 to 6.0 because we could achieve a better texture with a longer blending time. The 'Processing' score changed from 8.0 to 6.0 because of the extra time required.
- Updated Jul 28, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
- Updated Oct 06, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Sep 25, 2020: Early access published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Ninja BN701 is pretty much the same blender as the Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ. However, the Kitchen System has more accessories, including a food processor attachment, compatible blades, and two 24-oz personal jars. It also has a few more preset modes for the attachments. As it comes with a few more preset modes for the attachments, we don't know if its performance is similar to our test unit. You can see the label for the model we tested here. If you come across a variant that's different from our test unit, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Blenders
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ is a straightforward full-size model with a 72-oz main jar and a few preset modes and speeds. It's well-built and fantastic for crushing ice, but it doesn't make a silky blend with fibrous ingredients like kale. It also can't hot blend.
If you're looking for more, check out our recommendations for the best Ninja blenders and the best blenders.
The Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ is better for multi-purpose use than the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ. While the blenders are similar, the Kitchen System comes with more attachments, including a food processor and personal jars. It also produces much silkier smoothies in its 24-ounce personal jars. It has a few more preset modes and a digital blending time indicator, unlike the Auto-iQ.
The Ninja Mega Kitchen System BL770 is better than the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ. The Mega Kitchen System comes with personal jars that you can use to make silky smoothies. It's also better at processing big batches of fibrous ingredients in its main jar. The Professional is quieter when it's running, though.
The Ninja Blender Duo with Auto-iQ BL642 and the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ have a similar design and a similar performance in their 72-ounce main jars. Ηowever, the BL642 is better for making single-serve smoothies because it comes with three personal jars that you can use to make a silky blend with fibrous ingredients like kale. It's also somewhat quieter when it's running.
The Ninja Foodi Power Βlender & Processor System is better for most purposes than the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ. It does a better job of processing big batches of fibrous ingredients in its main jar. Thanks to its additional jars, it's better suited for making single-serve smoothies and nut butter. That said, the Professional Plus has a better build quality. It's also significantly quieter.
The Ninja DUO is a better full-size blender than the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ. The DUO does a better job of processing fibrous ingredients in its main jar and in its 20-ounce personal jars. It has a different blade design from most Ninja blenders, making it easier to clean by hand. On the other hand, the Professional Plus is a little better for ice crushing and much quieter when it's running.
The KitchenAid K150 is better than the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ. The KitchenAid K150 is significantly better for processing small and big batches of fibrous ingredients for silky smoothies and soups. It can hot blend, it's easier to clean by hand, and it's much quieter. On the other hand, the Ninja's jar is bigger and it has the edge when it comes to crushing ice.
The Vitamix Explorian E310 is better for most purposes than the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ. The Vitamix has a much better build quality and performs better for most uses, including processing fibrous ingredients and hard food like nuts. You can also use it to blend hot ingredients. On the other hand, the Ninja is a little better for crushing ice and comes with a bigger 72-ounce pitcher.
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ and the NutriBullet Smart Touch Blender Combo have different strengths, and you may prefer either one. The NutriBullet can hot blend and does a better job of processing fibrous ingredients, so it's better suited for making soup and smoothies with ingredients like kale. It comes with personal jars with to-go lids, so it's a better choice for single-serve smoothies as well as bigger batches. The Ninja can crush ice without liquid in the jar and does a better job of processing hard ingredients like nuts.
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ and the NutriBullet Blender Combo have different strengths. The Ninja is better-built, better for making nut butter, and it can crush ice, unlike the NutriBullet. However, the NutriBullet is much better for processing fibrous ingredient for recipes like smoothies. You can use it to process hot ingredients and it's easier to clean by hand.
The Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher System is better for most purposes than the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ. The Foodi makes significantly better nut butter in its 'Smoothie owl Maker' jar and a silkier, more uniform blend with fibrous ingredients in its main pitcher and personal jars. It also comes with a few extra blade assemblies, including a dough blade. On the other hand, the Professional Plus is just as good for ice crushing. It's sturdier and quieter when it's running.
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 Ninja Professional Βlender 1000 is slightly better than the Ninja Professional Plus Βlender with Auto-iQ, mainly because it makes a smoother blend with fibrous ingredients like kale. The blenders perform similarly otherwise. Ηowever, some people may prefer the Auto-iQ because it's sturdier and has a few automatic blending programs.
The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender is better than the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ for most purposes. The Foodi can hot blend and makes a much smoother blend with ingredients like kale, so it's much better for making smoothies and soup. It has a better build quality and a greater number of automatic blending programs. The Professional is quieter when it's running and has a somewhat bigger capacity.
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 Oster Pro 1200 is better for most purposes than the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ. The Oster makes significantly better almond butter, silkier smoothies, and you can use it for hot blending. It also comes with a 24-ounce personal jar in addition to its main jar. On the other hand, the Ninja has a significantly better build quality, and its main jar has a bigger capacity. It's also much easier to clean by hand.
The Ninja Smart Screen and the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ perform similarly, so you may prefer either. The biggest difference is that the Smart Screen is easier to use to process hard ingredients like nuts and makes a smoother nut butter. It also has a digital blending time indicator. On the other hand, the Professional is much quieter when it's running.
The Hamilton Beach Professional Quiet Blender and the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ have different strengths, and you may prefer either. The Ninja has a much bigger, 72-ounce capacity and makes a smoother blend with hard ingredients like nuts. On the other hand, the Hamilton Beach can hot blend and makes a much silkier puree with fibrous ingredients. It's quieter as well, but its 32-ounce capacity is very small for a full-size blender.
Test Results
The Ninja BN701 is a large blender, so it takes up a lot of room on your counter. You can store it on your kitchen counter or in a large cupboard, and you can remove the main jar for easier storage.
The Ninja BN701 has an impressive build quality. The body of the motor base and the transmission are made of plastic, which feels solid. The main jar is also made of plastic, and it has a durable feel. There are two suction cups on the bottom of the blender to help keep it in place; however, there's still a bit of movement when blending.
The jar has a big 72-ounce capacity.
It comes with the same 72-ounce pitcher as the Ninja Mega Kitchen System BL770 and the Ninja Smart Screen. The maximum liquid capacity is 64 ounces. It's made of plastic and is dishwasher-safe, along with its lid and blades.
The blade assembly has six very sharp blades, and you can remove them for cleaning. You can wash the blades in the top rack of your dishwasher, but you should remove them from the jar and wash them separately.
The lid is made of plastic and has a small, window-like spout. It clicks into place, but only if it's in the proper orientation with the triangle symbol on the lid aligned with the triangle symbol on the handle. However, it isn't a two-part lid, so you can't add ingredients mid-blend without stopping the blender and removing the lid entirely.
The power cord is long enough to reach most outlets. You can wrap the cord on a stowaway unit on the back of the blender when it's not in use.
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ is mediocre for processing small batches of fibrous ingredients. If you use it to process something like kale, the result has a lot of small grains left over. You need to run the blender for more than four minutes to get this result. If you want a blender that does a better job with recipes like single-serve smoothies, check out the Ninja Professional Blender NJ601AMZ.
It does a mediocre job of processing large batches of fibrous ingredients. If you fill the jar to its full capacity, it makes a grainy puree with ingredients like kale, similar to its performance with small batches. You need to run the blender for more than 10 minutes for the best results.
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender is fantastic for crushing ice. It can easily make snow-like ice using the 'Ice Crush' preset.
The Ninja BN701 is great for nut butter. It's not the easiest process since it takes a while, and you need to stop the blender a few times to scrape the sides of the jar with a spoon or spatula. Ηowever, in the end it produces fantastic, smooth nut butter.
It's quiet for a full-size blender, so you may find it less irritating to use than louder models like the Ninja Mega Kitchen System BL770.
There's not a big difference between the lowest and highest speed settings, so it's not ideal if you want to fine-tune the speed to suit different recipes.
It has three speed presets to choose from for manual blending. There are also three automatic blending programs: 'Smoothie', 'Ice Crush', and 'Ice Cream'. The power button acts as an on/off toggle and has to be set to 'On' before the blender will run.
The jar is tricky to clean by hand because of the very sharp blades. Even though you can remove them from the jar, you have to be careful not to cut yourself during the process. Also, even though running the blender with soap and water can remove a lot of residue from the jar and blades, food can get caught inside the blade assembly column where it connects to the jar.
