The Ninja UltraCrush is a full-size blender with a large 72-ounce pitcher. It has basic controls with two speed presets, a dedicated pulse mode, and a 'Max' setting that automatically switches between 'Pulse,' 'Low,' and 'High.' The lid locks into place and includes a pouring spout, but it doesn't include a two-part lid or a tamper. The jar, lid, and blade assembly are all dishwasher safe.
Our Verdict
The Ninja UltraCrush is a mediocre choice for multi-purpose use. In small batches, it makes a smooth blend with fibrous ingredients, like kale and mango, but it takes a lot of time and effort, since you have to stop and scrape the jar often. Its performance is worse with large batches. It still makes a decently smooth blend, but it's prone to overheating when running back-to-back blending cycles on 'High,' so you have to switch to Low or let the blender cool off periodically. The same problem makes it tricky to blend thicker recipes like nut butter, though the result is quite smooth. It can't hot blend, so it's not an ideal choice for making soups and sauces. However, it's a fantastic option for crushing ice. It's also well-built and very quiet for a blender. When you're finished blending, the sharp blades are tough to clean, but the jar, lid, and blade assembly are dishwasher-safe.
Makes snow-like crushed ice.
Sturdy build.
Jar, lid, and blades are dishwasher safe.
Makes smooth nut butter.
Can't hot blend.
Blade assembly is tricky to clean by hand.
Mediocre performance blending fibrous ingredients in large batches.
Alright performance blending fibrous ingredients in small batches.
Prone to overheating.
The Ninja UltraCrush makes decent single-serve smoothies, but it takes a lot of effort. Blending tough ingredients, like kale or pineapple, takes a long time, and you have to stop the blender frequently to scrape the jar. The result is a fairly smooth blend, but with a slightly grainy texture. Crushing ice is a much easier process, so you can add a few cubes to your smoothie without much extra effort. It's well-built, too, and quiet for a blender, making it a good choice for early-morning smoothies and shakes. Unfortunately, cleaning up can be a laborious process. The jar, lid, and blade assembly are dishwasher-safe, but the blades, in particular, are tricky to clean by hand. There are plenty of crevices and tight spots that can trap food, and the blades are really sharp, so you have to be very careful while scrubbing.
Makes snow-like crushed ice.
Quiet for a blender.
Blade assembly is tricky to clean by hand.
Alright performance blending fibrous ingredients in small batches.
The Ninja UltraCrush is a good choice for making smoothies in large batches. It has a 72-ounce jar, and its lid has a pouring spout, making it easy to serve a crowd with a single batch. It's well-built and quiet for a blender, so you can blend a batch of smoothies for guests with minimal disruption. Crushing ice is quick and easy; the Max setting makes snow-like crushed ice in about a minute. However, blending fibrous ingredients is more difficult. It takes a while to process larger pieces, with many rounds of stopping to scrape the jar. The resulting blend is grainy and foamy, with some unprocessed bits leftover. This model is also prone to overheating, so running back-to-back programs, especially on High, risks adding more time to the process, since you have to wait for the blender to cool down. Cleaning is a bit of a pain, too. The blades are very sharp, so you have to be careful when scrubbing, and there are many tight spots where food can get stuck. The jar, lid, and blades are dishwasher-safe, though.
Makes snow-like crushed ice.
Large 72-ounce pitcher.
Quiet for a blender.
Blade assembly is tricky to clean by hand.
Mediocre performance blending fibrous ingredients in large batches.
The Ninja UltraCrush is an outstanding ice crusher. It has a sturdy build with a 72-ounce jar that can easily fit 12 ice cubes. Using the 'Max' program, it crushes ice into a snow-like powder in about a minute.
Makes snow-like crushed ice.
Sturdy build.
Large 72-ounce pitcher.
No dedicated ice crushing program.
The Ninja UltraCrush is a poor choice for making soups. According to the manufacturer, you can't blend hot liquids in the jar because the lid doesn't vent steam safely, so you have to let your ingredients cool before blending. It has a good build quality and a large 72-ounce jar with room for big batches, but while its performance blending fibrous ingredients isn't bad, it creates a foamy blend with a gritty texture and plenty of unprocessed bits left behind. It's also not the easiest blender to clean. The jar, lid, and blade assembly are all top rack dishwasher safe, but if you need to scrub the sharp blades by hand, you have to be very careful.
Sturdy build.
Large 72-ounce pitcher.
Jar, lid, and blades are dishwasher safe.
Can't hot blend.
Blade assembly is tricky to clean by hand.
Mediocre performance blending fibrous ingredients in large batches.
The Ninja UltraCrush is an alright choice for professional use. It's a well-built blender with a 72-ounce pitcher, so it's a good choice for large batches. One of the biggest strengths of this model is its outstanding ice-crushing performance; it produces snow-like crushed ice quickly, making it a good choice for big batches of margaritas and virgin daiquiris. Unfortunately, it's less effective for tough ingredients. This model is prone to overheating, which makes blending fibrous ingredients and thicker recipes, like nut butter, a longer process, since you can't blend at a high speed for long periods without allowing the blender to cool down periodically. That said, it produces a fairly smooth blend in both cases if you're willing to put in the time. It can't blend hot ingredients, since the lid doesn't allow steam to safely escape, so it's not an ideal choice for soups and sauces. The jar, lid, and blade assembly are dishwasher-safe, but handwashing is much harder because the blades are very sharp.
Makes snow-like crushed ice.
Sturdy build.
Large 72-ounce pitcher.
Makes smooth nut butter.
Can't hot blend.
Blade assembly is tricky to clean by hand.
Mediocre performance blending fibrous ingredients in large batches.
Prone to overheating.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Ninja UltraCrush is sold as a part of a 'Kitchen System' and as a standalone blender:
| Model Number | Name | Region | Included Parts |
| BP201C | Ninja UltraCrush Professional Blender with Total Crushing Technology | Canada | Motor base, 72-ounce container, container lid, 'Total Crushing' blade assembly |
| BP401C | Ninja UltraCrush Professional Kitchen System | Canada | Motor base, 72-ounce container, container lid, 'Total Crushing' blade assembly, 18-ounce single serve cup with spout lid, 'Pro Extractor' blade assembly, 8-cup food processing bowl with lid, 'Chopping' blade assembly |
| BP401 | Ninja UltraCrush Professional Kitchen System | U.S. | Motor base, 72-ounce container, container lid, 'Total Crushing' blade assembly, 18-ounce single serve cup with spout lid, 'Pro Extractor' blade assembly, 8-cup food processing bowl with lid, 'Chopping' blade assembly |
We tested the Ninja UltraCrush Professional Blender as a standalone blender without the additional blending vessels and blade assemblies. See the label for our unit.
If you encounter another variant, let us know in the comments, and we'll update this review.
Popular Blender Comparisons
The Ninja UltraCrush is a full-size blender with a large 72-ounce pitcher. Like the Ninja Professional Blender 1000 and other models from the brand, the UltraCrush comes with Ninja's 'Total Crushing' blade assembly, which has six very sharp blades in a spiral pattern around a central stem. Ninja blenders with this blade assembly tend to be fantastic at crushing ice, but tricky to clean, and the UltraCrush definitely fits this pattern. Compared to most Ninja blenders, however, this model has less space around the motor for airflow. This makes it more likely to overheat, adding time when you blend fibrous ingredients, like kale and spinach, or tough ingredients, like peanuts or almonds. For example, the Ninja Blender Duo with Auto-iQ BL642 can make nut butter faster and with much less intervention, and the result is a bit smoother. On the bright side, this is a very quiet model, especially for a full-size blender. It makes about as much noise as many personal and portable blenders, like the Beast Mini 600 Plus and the Ninja Blast Max BC251.
For more to consider, see our recommendations for the best blenders, the best Ninja blenders, and the best quiet blenders.
The Vitamix 5200 is a better blender than the Ninja UltraCrush, though it's also a lot more expensive. The Vitamix is better at blending fibrous ingredients in both large and small batches. It's also a better option for thick recipes like nut butter and hummus, and it's able to hot blend, making it a better choice for soups and sauces. The Vitamix also has better build quality and is easier to clean. While the Ninja is a better ice crusher, the Vitamix still offers excellent performance in this regard, so it probably won't be enough to sway most people.
The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender is a better blender for most people than the Ninja UltraCrush. One of the biggest advantages of the Foodi Cold & Hot Blender is its ability to hot blend, making it a better option for making soups and sauces. It's also better for blending fibrous ingredients, like kale and pineapple. While it's a lengthy, labor-intensive process with either blender, the Foodi Cold & Hot Blender makes a smoother blend with fewer unprocessed bits left over. It's better for thick recipes like nut butter, too. While they produce similar results, it's an easier process with the Foodi Cold & Hot Blender. The UltraCrush, on the other hand, is quieter, so you may like it better if noise is a concern.
The Ninja Professional Blender 1000 and the Ninja UltraCrush are very similar, but the Professional Blender 1000 offers slightly better performance for most people. These blenders share the same 'Total Crushing' blade assembly with six blades. This makes them great at crushing ice but tricky to clean, since there are many tight spots to scrub around the sharp blades. The biggest advantage of the Professional Blender 1000 is its performance for thick recipes like nut butter. It's less prone to overheating than the UltraCrush, so you can blend for longer on High without having to stop to let the blender cool. This also makes it a better choice for blending fibrous ingredients like kale. On the other hand, the UltraCrush is a bit quieter, so you may prefer it if noise is your main concern.
The Ninja Blender Duo with Auto-iQ BL642 and the Ninja UltraCrush have some similarities, but the Blender Duo with Auto-iQ offers better performance for most people. Both blenders come with a large 72-ounce pitcher and Ninja's 'Total Crushing' blade assembly, making them ideal for large portions and crushing ice, but tricky to clean since the blades are sharp and have plenty of tight spots to scrub. The Blender Duo with Auto-iQ also comes with smaller jars for single servings, making it easier and more effective to blend small amounts of tough ingredients, like kale. It's better for thick recipes like nut butter and hummus, too, since it's less prone to overheating when running for long periods. The UltraCrush is a bit quieter, however, so you may still prefer it if noise is a concern.
Test Results
The Ninja UltraCrush is a pretty bulky blender, so it's best stored on your counter or in a large cupboard. It has similar dimensions to other Ninja blenders, such as the Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ, though it has a slightly reduced depth, so it won't stick out as much on your counter.
It has a good build quality. The blender's body is made of plastic, but it feels sturdy, and the jar locks into the base securely, without wiggling. You can't operate the blender until the jar and blade assembly are in place and the lid is locked with its handle down.
On the downside, the center gear mechanism in the lid that attaches to the blade assembly is plastic and, along with being difficult to clean, it seems like it could wear down over time. The bottom of the jar looks fairly flimsy, too, so you have to be careful not to damage it. There are suction cups on the bottom of the blender, but they're weak and don't hold it in place effectively.
It's also prone to overheating. Compared to the Ninja Professional Blender 1000, this model has less space around the motor for airflow, which causes the blender to overheat when repeatedly running blending cycles.
This blender comes with a one-year limited warranty, which covers manufacturing defects, but not normal wear or damage caused by misuse.
The jar has a very large 72-ounce capacity, with a 64-ounce maximum liquid capacity. It has enough capacity to blend large recipes or serve a crowd.
The jar is made of plastic, and all its parts are dishwasher-safe.
The blade design is the same as that found in many other Ninja blenders. It features six sharp blades in a spiral that the brand calls the 'Total Crushing Stacked Blade Assembly.' Since the blades are so sharp, you have to be very careful when handling them. The blade assembly is dishwasher safe, but Ninja recommends only washing it on the top rack.
The lid is the same used with a handful of other Ninja blenders, including the Ninja Professional Blender 1000. It's plastic with a rubber gasket on the underside with a small, window-like spout that flips open in one corner. While this spout is useful for pouring, it's not big enough to act as a two-part lid, so you can't use it to add ingredients mid-blend or fit a tamper through it. To operate the blender, you have to lock the lid by lining up the triangle symbols on the lid and handle, then pressing down on the handle until it clicks into place.
The cord is long enough to reach a nearby outlet. There's no cord storage under the unit, so there's no convenient place to stow it when you aren't using the blender.
- Quick Start Guide and Safety Manual
- Motor base
- 72-ounce container
- Container lid
- Removable blade assembly
The Ninja UltraCrush is alright for blending small batches of fibrous ingredients. It takes quite a while to blend, and you have to stop and scrape the jar frequently, since ingredients tend to splash up the sides of the jar where the blades can't reach. However, this results in a pretty smooth blend, with a slightly grainy texture that isn't too airy. While our variant only came with the main jar, making single-serve smoothies with fibrous ingredients would be more convenient with the 18-ounce to-go cup included in the Ninja UltraCrush Professional Kitchen System.
It's mediocre for blending large batches of fibrous ingredients. The process takes more than two minutes and requires you to stop the blender and scrape the sides of the jar many times. Our blender also overheated during the process, which required some downtime before blending again (Ninja recommends you let the blender cool off for 30 minutes when overheated). By the time the blender processed larger chunks of kale, it had also aerated the blend, making it somewhat foamy. It also left many smaller unprocessed bits in the mix, resulting in a very thick, grainy blend.
The Ninja UltraCrush is a fantastic ice crusher. Using the Max setting, it can crush 12 ice cubes into a snow-like powder with just one blending cycle.
The Ninja UltraCrush makes fantastic nut butter, but it's a terribly difficult process. It takes more than 10 minutes to achieve a smooth texture, and you have to stop and scrape the jar often. The bottom blade pushes nuts out of reach, so you have to use a tamper mid-cycle to incorporate everything. This blender is also prone to overheating. Running it on back-to-back High cycles can cause it to overheat, requiring significant downtime before it can run again. Switching between Low and High helps avoid this issue, but also adds more blending time. That said, the resulting nut butter has a superb texture; it's smooth, but somewhat sticky or paste-like, and spreads easily.
The Ninja UltraCrush is very quiet compared to most full-size blenders. Instead, it makes about as much noise as a personal blender, making it a great choice for early morning smoothies and less intrusive for recipes that require multiple blending cycles.
Like many Ninja blenders, there's not much of a difference between this blender's lowest and highest speeds. This gives you less control over the blending process and means that it can't reach the high speeds required to produce a smooth blend with fibrous ingredients, like kale.
It has a simple set of controls and programs. There are three programs: Low and High, which each blend for 60 seconds, and Max, which pulses three times, then fluctuates between the Low and High settings for one minute. There's also a dedicated pulse button; when you press it, it pulses every second until you release it.
The Ninja UltraCrush isn't bad to clean overall, but the blade design makes it more difficult. The blades are very sharp, so you have to be careful not to cut yourself when cleaning by hand, and there are lots of hard-to-reach crevices around them. Food also gets stuck in the center spindle that holds the blade shaft; it's very hard to reach and difficult to clean properly. Luckily, the blades and jar are dishwasher safe, though Ninja recommends placing the blades on the top rack.