If you’ve wandered through any home goods store in the last decade, you’ve probably heard of Ninja blenders. They specialize in powerful blenders that are durable, yet affordable enough to undercut the price of several other big-name brands.
As a result of their ever growing popularity, Ninja has been steadily expanding its product line. Of course, once you have such a well-regarded brand with a wide selection of models, the question transitions from “Should I buy a Ninja?” to “Which Ninja should I buy?”.
Below we’ve rounded up five of the best Ninja products and ranked them based on their blending ability and functionality. While these blenders represent just a portion of Ninja’s lineup, they were chosen because we believe them to be the best of the best that Ninja has to offer. Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
In a Hurry? Here are the Best Ninja Blenders
The Top Pick
Ninja Mega Kitchen System
The Ninja Mega Kitchen System provides professional performance and power in a variety of serving sizes, including a full-sized blender pitcher, 8 cup processor bowl, and Nutri Ninja Cups. We love the fact that this truly is a ‘kitchen system’. Everything from blending to food processing can be done, without breaking the bank.
The Runner Up
Ninja Professional Countertop Blender
The Ninja Professional Countertop Blender is a close runner up to our top pick. It clocks in at 1,100 watts of power, and in addition to the blender pitcher comes with two Nutri Ninja cups that are perfect for smoothies on the go. It may not have as many accessories as the Ninja Mega Kitchen System, but it’s also less pricey.
Honorable Mention
Ninja Smart Screen Blender
If you’re looking for something a little more sleek and modern, the Ninja Smart Screen Blender is a great choice. It opts out of using traditional press buttons, in favor of a smart touchscreen that allows you to switch between preset Auto-IQ programs to make sure you always get the perfect blend and consistency for your recipes.
Honorable Mention
Nutri Ninja Blender with FreshVac Technology
Contrary to what you might think, we love the FreshVac Nutri Ninja Blender not because of its vacuum seal technology (we found that part gimmicky), but because it’s such a well constructed, quality blender. It’s heavy, it’s loud, but boy it takes the guess work out of blending, thanks to its intelligent blending system.
Honorable Mention
Nutri Ninja Auto IQ
Similar to the Nutri Ninja with FreshVac model but with less frills, we love the Nutri Ninja Auto IQ for its simplicity of use and effectiveness. It packs 1000W of power in its base, and the Auto IQ feature optimizes its blade spin and power, so you always get the right blend and consistency, regardless of what recipe you throw at it.
The Top Pick: Ninja Mega Kitchen System
Ninja Mega Kitchen System
The Ninja Mega Kitchen System uses what it calls Total Crushing technology to deliver professional power and performance. Its blades pulverize and crush through ice, whole fruits and vegetables with ease. Blast ice into snow in seconds and blend your favorite ingredients into sauces, dips and smoothies.
The best part is its bang for buck. The kit comes with an XL pitcher, 8 cup Processor Bowl, and Nutri Ninja Cups.
If you’re looking for a blender that also comes with a ton of useful accessories, the Ninja Mega Kitchen System is hard to beat at its price point. Not only does it come with a large, 72-ounce blending pitcher, it also includes a smaller 36-ounce pitcher for mid-sized batches or for chopping nuts and making breadcrumbs. In addition, you get a pair of 16-ounce travel cups with lids, as well as a small quad blade attachment for these single-serve cups.
This blender comes with an impressive 1,500-watt motor, or 2 horsepower.It was easily strong enough to cut through any fibrous or frozen material we threw at it. The base for the Mega Kitchen System utilizes Auto-IQ technology, something we’ve come to appreciate as it allowed us to press one button and walk away from our blend. The Auto-IQ feature automatically detects the optimal speed and pulsing that’s needed to make the perfect blend consistency.
One feature we particularly appreciated are the suction cups at the base. Provided you have a smooth, clean countertop, the base can be readily secured to your counter. Not only does this reduce vibration noise, it also eliminates the possibility of your blender vibrating itself clear off the counter.
WHAT WE LIKE
- Full suite of accessories
- Easy to clean
- Beefy 2 horsepower motor
- Great for making ice-cream
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE
- Very loud
- Comes up short with certain recipes such as hummus (not smooth enough)
The Runner-Up: Ninja Professional Countertop Blender
Ninja Professional Countertop Blender
With 1100 watts of professional performance power and 3 speeds, pulse, and single serve functions, this blender delivers creamy frozen drinks and smoothies in seconds. Like the Ninja Mega System we like the fact it comes with additional blending accessories to suit your individual needs. Specifically, a 72 oz pitcher as well as two Nutri Ninja blending cups with To Go lids. Great power. Great bang for your buck.
The Ninja Professional Countertop Blender is a versatile blender that comes with a large, 72-ounce pitcher, as well as a pair of to-go cups, complete with travel lids. You can blend in the pitcher, using the large stacked blades, or you can blend in the cups, using the simple quad blades.
Generally, the pitcher works better for heavy-duty jobs like crushing ice, while the quad blades are great for recipes that are runnier (i.e., less frozen solids, more liquids).
The motor on this blender is 1,100 watts, but we found that it’s geared for power more than it is for speed. Even at the third and highest setting, under heavy load it won’t puree green vegetables consistently. Unless we ran the blender for an extra long period of time, some stringy fibers were left in smoothies, especially from leafy vegetables such as kale.
That said, the gearing makes it ideal for crushing ice, and it will easily pulverize large frozen banana chunks.
Unlike many Ninja blenders, the Professional Countertop Blender does not use Auto-IQ technology. It’s a more traditional blender, with three power settings as well as a pulse button. There’s also a toggle button for blending with the single-serve cup, since the smaller blade set requires a different power output.
WHAT WE LIKE
- Large load capacity
- Versatile design (large or small family-friendly)
- Excellent for frozen foods
- Great value
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE
- Not the most consistent in blending fibrous vegetables
- No food processing accessories
Honorable Mention #1: Ninja Smart Screen Blender
Ninja Smart Screen Blender
This countertop blender’s standout feature has got to be its intuitive touchscreen, which is easier to clean and longer lasting compared to blenders with Mylar buttons. The Ninja Smart Screen Blender comes with 4 chef-designed pre-set Auto IQ programs that make it easier for you to create smoothies, shakes, drinks, purees, and ice cream.
The Smart Screen Blender gets its name from the large touchscreen control panel that occupies the front of the unit. We’d be lying if we said we didn’t think this was a gimmick. Who needs a touchscreen on their kitchen appliance? As it turns out, we were mistaken. The touchscreen delivers two benefits key benefits: firstly it’s easy to clean, since there are no ridges or edges to collect residue and grime, and secondly, it’s easy to operate with your knuckles, which is a handy feature (no pun intended) if your fingers are covered in fruit juice from feeding the blender.
This blender uses Ninja’s Auto-IQ technology. Essentially, when you use one of the automatic presets, it doesn’t just run for a determined time like a lot of other blenders. Instead, the motor senses the resistance it’s getting, and will shut off when your smoothie or shake is at the right consistency. This is especially useful if you use a mix of fresh and frozen ingredients, since variations in temperature mean that you don’t always want to run the blender for the same amount of time.
The Smart Screen comes with a generous, 72-ounce pitcher that features a flip-up lid for easy pouring. There’s no individual cup, though, so it’s better-suited to serving the whole family than it is for making your single-serve morning smoothie. The stacked blades ensure that your food has the same consistency from top to bottom, and they’re more than powerful enough to crush ice.
And how can we forget our favourite thing about these types of blenders? They’re easy to clean. Simply add some soap and water directly to the blender, turn it on and rinse it out.
WHAT WE LIKE
- Responsive touchscreen interface
- Auto-IQ pre-sets are excellent
- Family friendly blender
- Easy to clean
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE
- No single-serve smoothie cups
- Louder compared to its competitors
- Longer run time needed for nuts and leafy greens
Honorable Mention #2: Nutri Ninja Blender with FreshVac technology
Nutri Ninja Blender with FreshVac technology
The Nutri Ninja with FreshVac Technology is an excellent single-serve blender for folks on the go. It removes oxygen and locks in vitamins, giving you ultra-rich and tasty drinks that stay fresh overnight. The blender’s Auto-iQ technology also features intelligent programs that combine unique timed pulsing, blending, and pausing patterns that do the work for you.
The Ninja Nutri Edge is designed to deliver maximum power using as small a footprint as possible. At first glance, it looks like the original Nutri Ninja blender, but the giveaway that this is something different lies in the port at the base of the blender cup. This port is how the FreshVac Pump pulls oxygen out of the blender cup. The blender kit also includes travel lids for both of the 24oz cups that come with it, so you and your partner can grab smoothies to go.
This blender is one of the newest models in the Ninja lineup and frankly we love the direction the company is going. The construction is of very high quality, with thick cups and a hefty motor housing. The suction cups at the bottom of the base are a welcome feature as the beefy 1,100W motor can cause a fair amount of vibration under load. You’ll be able to crush ice, blend frozen fruits, and pretty much any other recipe that your smoothie calls for.
We also love the simplicity of this device: one Start/Stop button, one to pulse, and two Auto-iQ preset options. Ironically the feature that we found to be least useful was the FreshVac feature. In theory the oxygen extraction sounds fantastic, however after having used it over dozens of blends we’ve found it to be somewhat gimmicky. There are other ways to prolong the freshness of your smoothie that don’t require vacuum sealing. The pump isn’t as strong as we would have liked, and it could take as long as 3 minutes before a smoothie became vacuum sealed. Despite this, the blender is still an excellent choice because of its solid construction, power and blending results.
One thing to keep in mind about this blender is that it’s particularly loud. If you’re looking for something a little more friendly on the ears, make sure you check out this awesome stable of blenders.
WHAT WE LIKE
- Excellent build quality
- Small apartment friendly
- Powerful motor packed into a compact base
- Affordable
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE
- Only one speed setting
- Blender cup needs to be held down to use
- FreshVac is a bit gimmicky at this point
Honorable Mention #3: Nutri Ninja Auto IQ
Nutri Ninja Auto IQ
The Nutri Ninja with Auto iQ takes the guesswork out of drink making. The digital countdown timer displays how much time is remaining on the selected Auto iQ program or counts up to track blending time when using the two manual speeds. Each pre-set is designed to do the work for you and deliver consistent and delicious drinks at the touch of a button.
The Nutri Ninja is Ninja’s most popular single-serve blender, and it’s easy to see why: it’s compact, it’s affordable, and it’s got good power. If you’re looking for a simple gadget for your single-serve needs, this little puppy is the budget-friendly option to consider.
What separates the Nutri-Ninja from the rest of their lineup is the blade style used in this Nutri Ninja. The quad blades are shaped in such a way that when they spin, they create pressure waves and small bubbles in your smoothie. This process is called cavitation and it actually crushes individual cells in fruits and vegetables, rather than just slicing them up. The theory is that cavitation makes nutrients more readily available to your body, so you’ll absorb more of what you eat. We found this feature surprisingly effective, especially when incorporating flax seeds into our liquid blending tests.
This blender features an Auto-IQ base with two basic automated settings. The low setting is suitable for iced coffee or margaritas, where you want ice to be chipped but not crushed to the point that it liquifies. The high setting is better for shakes and smoothies, where you want the smoothest consistency possible.
There’s also a pulse setting, but it only runs at one power level. We found this to be useful for grinding coffee beans or crushing ice, but not for much else.
WHAT WE LIKE
- Blade design great for pulverizing ingredients
- Auto-IQ base
- Compact
- Affordable
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE
- Just one pulse setting
- Only 1 year manufacturer warranty
- Noisy when in operation
Features to Consider When Buying Your Blender
Before you pull the trigger on any purchase, it’s important to understand the different features that are available to you. After all, if I were to tell you that my new time machine’s flux capacitor requires 1.21 gigawatts of power to operate correctly, it’s not going to mean anything (unless you’re a BTTF fan, in which case, you’re awesome).
Speed and Power
One of the first features you’ll see advertised on any blender is the wattage rating of the motor. This tells you, in general terms, how powerful the machine is. The higher the wattage, the more energy the blender has to work with.
A good baseline for blenders is in the neighborhood of 700 watts. At that range we wouldn’t consider the blender to be powerful, but it would be capable of giving you an effective blend on most jobs. If you’re considering a blender with less power, don’t. It’s more than likely to disappoint.
Handily, Ninja blenders range from 700 watts and up, depending on what model you buy. In other words, even the weakest Ninja is strong enough for most tasks, and the strongest is built like a tank.
That said, motors can be geared differently. Some are designed primarily for speed, which is good for cavitation and also allows for better texture consistency. On the other hand, some motors are designed mostly for power, which is better for breaking up ice and other frozen foods. Every blender advertisement is going to talk up how powerful their blender is, so if you really want to know how it’s geared, read some user reviews and find out what people are saying about its real-world performance.
Blade Style
Another important thing to consider is what kind of blades your blender uses. For example, large, heavy blades are well-suited for crushing ice and chopping tough foods. However, smaller blades tend to spin faster, and are more or less the default on cavitating blenders.
Be careful, though. Just because a blender has tiny blades doesn’t automatically mean it’s a cavitating blender. Read the manufacturer’s specifications to be sure. Because not every consumer knows what “cavitating” means, most manufacturers – like Ninja – use terms like “nutrient extraction” as a euphemism. If you’re not sure, reach out to the manufacturer for more details.
One thing that hasn’t shown up on our list is a serrated blade. These blades are ill-suited for smoothies and shakes, which is why Ninja doesn’t produce any. That said, they’re the style of choice for dedicated ice-chipping blenders.
Extra Functionality
Just as important as the motor and blades is whether or not your blender has additional features that can make your life more convenient. For example, most blenders have a pulse feature, but many of them don’t allow you to set the intensity of the pulse.
For making smoothies and shakes, this isn’t generally a problem, but if you’re using your blender for a wide variety of blending needs, you’ll want a variable pulse setting. This is particularly true if you’re chopping nuts, where a small difference in speed can make the difference between “just right” and “barely-edible nut powder”.
Another feature to look for is Auto-IQ. This feature has different names depending on who the manufacturer is (Ninja trademarked Auto-IQ), but essentially it’s a smarter type of automated blender. Rather than relying on a timer, these blenders have sensors in the motors. As long as the motor is meeting a certain level of resistance, it will continue to spin and blend. Once the resistance falls below that threshold, the motor automatically shuts off. Most Auto-IQ blenders have multiple settings, so you can automatically reach two or more levels of thickness.
Size
Size is a subjective feature, and the size that’s best for you ultimately comes down to your unique needs. That said, it’s still an important consideration. A large pitcher, for example, is overkill for single-serve smoothies, and takes up a lot of unnecessary dishwasher space.
On the other hand, you’re going to want one if you’re serving multiple people. Similarly, you’ll want to consider how big your blender’s footprint can be. This is generally a concern in smaller kitchens, where counter space is at a premium.
In short, before you buy a blender, make sure you have somewhere convenient to use it.
Accessories
Accessories like cups and pitchers are another important consideration. Once again, this comes down to how you’re using your blender. A large pitcher is better for parties or groups, but a small travel cup is perfect if you’re trying to whip up breakfast on the go.
Conclusion: What is the best Ninja blender?
Ninja makes several quality machines, and depending on your lifestyle, there are several top prospects you should consider. But if we had to pick one do-it-all winner, the Mega Kitchen System is the clear winner. Simply put, it does everything. And the beefy 1,500-watt motor takes it to the finish line. But best of all is the value. You can pay 3-4 times as much for a comparable motor from most other major brands, so even though it’s one of the pricier Ninja blenders, it’s still a fantastic bargain.
That said, not everybody needs to do everything. On the other end of the spectrum, if you simply need a simple, small, personal blender for making breakfast smoothies, the Nutri-Ninja is an excellent choice. Not only will it blend fruit smoothies easily and effortlessly, it’s also powerful enough to completely puree green vegetables. The cavitating blades are also nice, since they allow you to get the most possible nutrition out of your breakfast.
Conversely, the Smart Screen Blender is our top choice if you’re looking for a simple full-sized blender without a lot of bells and whistles. It’s big, it’s powerful, and it’s automatic, so you can work on other tasks while your blender is running. And the touch screen is a nice bonus if you’ve got messy hands.
