Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ - Grey

This Ninja Blender is a really nice piece of equipment! It has 3 functions including: Smoothie, Ice Crush, and Ice Cream. Additionally, you can set it to blend on Low, Medium, or High or on Pulse. This blender really shines when it comes to blending/crushing ice and frozen ingredients. On blenders that have a blade at the very bottom of the pitcher, it can really be a struggle to crush and blend ice. This blender does a phenomenal job at crushing/blending ice and frozen ingredients and does so quickly and easily. I used this blender to make a mango and yogurt smoothie with ice and it turned out great. With the frozen mango and ice added, it turned out like a very smooth and delicious ice cream using the smoothie function. It was very creamy and delicious. There were a few small pieces of ice in it, but for the most part it all blended together really well. I have not tested the Ice Crush and Ice Cream functions, but I would expect them to work great just like the smoothie function. The design of the blender is great. It is stylish and seems to be well-designed. It has a piece in the back for wrapping the power cord around for storage and the lid has a feature where it locks onto the pitcher to ensure it stays in place. It is also very easy to remove the lid with a simple release button. Additionally, there is a spout with a cover on the lid which allows you to pour the contents out without removing the lid. The bottom of the blender has suction cups that help it hold onto a counter while blending. The blade in the blender can be pulled right out which makes cleaning the pitcher a breeze without having to worry about getting cut while cleaning it. Overall, this feels like a well-designed product and the parts seem to be sturdy and of good quality. There are a few things I think this blender could do better. The gear on the blender which connects to the pitcher and spins the blade is made of plastic. While it seems to be a very hard and sturdy plastic, it would be nice if these blenders used more metal components for better durability. Additionally, it uses a simple 2-prong plug rather than a higher quality 3-prong plug. That being said, I think this is still a pretty well made unit, but it could have higher quality parts. Considering the price of this blender, I would say the parts are of good quality and definitely meet my expectations. I would have liked to see a cleaning brush included with this blender. The blade has a great design where the blades are spread out to allow for easy cleaning, but unfortunately, I did not get any sort of brush with this blender to clean the blade with. Since it is a sharp blade, it would have really helped to have had a cleaning brush included. That being said, the manual does say the parts like the blade are top-rack dishwasher safe, so that is a convenient way to clean the components. While this blender does an awesome job with making smoothies and ice creams, there is one area where it really struggles and thus I took off 1 star. It does not blend greens that well. I tried two different smoothies, one with lettuce, and one with spinach, and I did not feel like the blade blended them well. I didn't like the consistency of what turned out and the greens just didn't get blended enough for a smooth and creamy texture. If you plan to blend a lot of green smoothies, I would advise going with a blender that has a blade at the bottom rather than this tall blade. This blade design is perfect for soft and frozen fruits, yogurt, ice, powders, etc but I will not be using it with greens or at least not a lot of greens. I did not test it with nuts, but I would imagine that it would not blend nuts as finely as a blender with a standard blade at the bottom. The mango smoothie I made was delicious, it had a wonderful, creamy texture and turned out great. As long as you are using ingredients that work well with this blender, it does a phenomenal job. If you want to make ice creams or anything that involves crushing ice, this blender really shines with that and does an awesome job. I have found that blenders that have a standard blade at the very bottom struggle with frozen ingredients and ice, so that is what this blender really does well with. Overall, really happy with this blender. There are certain things I wouldn't use it for, but overall I really enjoyed the smoothies it made and the mango ice cream smoothie that I made was delicious. Not too sweet, very light, creamy, and absolutely delicious. So much healthier than regular ice cream, which I did not miss it one bit! I have included pictures of the mango smoothie that I made in this review so you can see how it turned out.

For just $89 (today) at Best Buy, Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ (BN701) is a big-batch making smoothie, ice crushing and ice cream making wizard. With a very generous 72-ounce pitcher (capable of blending a full 64 ounces) and three preset Auto-iQ Programs, one-button convenience is at hand to create ice cream, smoothies and frozen drinks limited only by the user’s imagination. That is this beast’s forte. Have a look at the Ninja Total Crushing Blades! Mean and nasty, high performance. I am surprised by and impressed with the 1400 peak watts of power. This means in bursts there should be plenty of punch to perform its core power duties with satisfying results. This new model has a more powerful motor than previous Ninja blenders and features a new motor base design with presets that cater to the current smoothie trends. Unlike the competition, that 72-ounce pitcher is sure to be a family and party pleaser, and that’s the idea, I am sure. WHAT IT IS NOT Here is what it is NOT, not that there is anything wrong with that. It is NOT an all-purpose blender of the type and commensurate expense of products from brands including Vitamix and Blendtec. Ninja Professional Plus Blender will, however, do a better job of its specialty jobs than will the more expensive products and here is why . . . WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT DOES WELL The removable blade “tree” in this behemoth assures perfect blending without cavitation, the air pocket that most certainly will be created in those expensive products and in any others with the blades in the bottom of the pitcher. If you have one of those, you know this to be true. Dump frozen ingredients into one of those and start blending. It is likely that you’ll have to stop, shake the contents to the bottom, use a spatula to push down and scrape the sides or use a supplied tool through the lid to break up the air bubble and move the contents about towards the blades at the bottom of the jor. Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ powers through the frozen contents for total and perfect blending from top to bottom without stopping to make adjustments to the jar contents. This blender is NOT to be used with or to create a hot liquid product, as is OK with the more powerful and more expensive Vitamix blenders, as an example. Note that the product carries a one-year manufacturer’s warranty. Got it? COLD for this blender to make mounds of powdered ice, perfectly blended smoothies or frozen adult beverages, and to make ice cream that’s ready for the freezer. Also, blend the ingredients COLD that can then be heated to make a wonderfully thick and tasty soup after transfer to a pot on the stove or into the microwave oven. Spend $200 more, and up, to get a Vitamix or other premium product that will not only blend but also create enough friction that translates to heat right there in the blender jar. Ah, but is it worth the extra money? What features and capabilities do YOU want in a blender? It’s not complicated. With the blade tree in place, load the pitcher. Secure the lid with a snap of the pull-down locking bar. Place the loaded blender jar on the motor base observing the pictorial directive to twist clockwise to lock the pitcher in place. It will snap and turn no more. Depending upon the surface the Ninja sits on, a pair of lightly suction-capable feet along with two plain old rubber bumper feet may help stabilize and prevent the assembly from “walking” while in use. Then, plug it in, choose a MANUAL setting or PRESET according to the desired outcome and GO. In manual mode, start, pulse and stop as desired. In program mode, Ninja Professional Plus will perform automatically and stop when the program has completed. CLEANUP Cleanup is easy, too. One way is to remove the blade assembly from the pitcher, treating it very carefully. It’s SHARP! I think washing the blade “tree” by hand using a dish washing brush is most effective, but it is said to be safe for the top rack in an automatic dishwasher. The blender jar is also said to be washable on the dishwasher top rack, but I think it is impractical to put that BIG thing on its side up there. With the blade tree removed, wash it by hand and dry it with a dish towel. I'd stay clear of the blades and let them air dry. Much easier and safer. Though not instructed to do so, I washed this Ninja blender jar with blades installed by following the same procedure as with my Vitamix. With the blade tree installed, I fill THIS blender jar with six ounces of lukewarm, NOT hot water, add no more than three drops of Dawn liquid dish soap and then secure the lid. Then, I pressed (Manual) LOW, then MED, and then after about 10 seconds, I pressed HIGH and let it run an additional 30 seconds. DO NOT walk away. Keep an eye on it to be sure the suds from the tiny bit of dish soap do not create so much foam as to overflow the pitcher. If using just the two or three drops of soap, there will not be too many bubbles. After the cleaning cycle as described, I removed the jar from the base, headed to the kitchen sink where I removed the lid and the blade assembly. There, the lid, blade assembly and pitcher were rinsed in fresh cold water. Avoiding stains and deposits from the hard water where I live, I dried the jar and lid with a kitchen towel, but I left the blade assembly to air dry so I could steer clear off the razor-sharp edges. Here is a benefit offered by THIS product over any other blender with non-removable blades at the bottom of the blender jar. On ALL those others, it can become a bit tricky to fully clean the bottom inside of the jar, especially where the blade base meets with the gear-like piece on the underside that mates with the motor. It is this meshing of the gears that allows the motor to turn the blades inside the blender jar. In this Ninja design, however, removing the blades reveals not only the entire blade assembly but also the entire and unobstructed inside bottom of the blender jar. Nothing can hide from thorough cleaning. In fairness, however, I never had a problem cleaning the inside bottom of my Vitamix blender jar using the prescribed method above. Just a little food for thought! READY FOR ACTION Test number one – ice crushing/shaving. I loaded a full tray of ice cubes into the blender jar and pressed the ICE CRUSH button. Et voilà, loads of beautifully crushed ice for blended drinks or snow cones. Test number two – smoothie time. The Internet is loaded with smoothie and other frozen drink recipes so take the time to look around to find and make note of favorites, unless you are already a pro with your own favorites. Use the QUICK START GUIDE linked above and that comes packed with the product for your own quick start guide. If the smoothie is too thick, add COLD liquid of choice. If too THIN, add more frozen fruit or some ice. Once you have determined how to get the desired consistency, you are on your way to creative smoothie nirvana. Don’t forget that a smoothie is a kissing cousin to a milkshake. I have no doubt that this Ninja would make fine milk shakes. Just as milk shakes are easy to create in this gadget, so, too, is salsa, using the MANUAL button then PULSE for the desired consistency. The included CHIPOTLE SALSA recipe is delicious as well as easy to make. I add ½ teaspoon of ground cumin to their recipe. Moving along the continuum of smoothie variants, try your hand at making dips and sauces as well as blending the ingredients for thick and hearty soup. Another capability I intend to exploit. Test number three – ice cream. Oh, boy, this is fun! I have made delicious coffee-based orange coffee mocha ice cream as well as simple and flavorful lime sorbet. This could be habit forming. I have two favorite features – one is the 72-ounce blender jar, not unique to this model. I assume that the Ninja will blend as desired. The other favorite feature is the removable blade assembly which allows thorough cleaning of the jar, blades and lid. GENERAL FEEL The motor has not exhibited any signs of stress through any of its paces over the past days of intensive testing. The parts and pieces assemble easily and operate smoothly. It is difficult to err when using this Ninja. Properly snap the jar onto the base as it is difficult to do otherwise. Place the blade assembly onto its mount in the bottom of the jar. This, too, is difficult to do incorrectly as is removal of the blades. Lift it out and that’s that. The lid fits well and the lid locking bar works flawlessly to seal the lid to the jar, as well as releasing the lid when the lid locking handle is raised. The pouring spout snaps shut against its seal to prevent leakage, and is a part of the lid assembly that works without fuss. CONCLUSION Now, with the ability to make a perfectly blended hefty portion to satisfy several thirsty friends and family members AND to make more than a quart of ice cream, this under-$100 kitchen gadget could see lots of action. Add to that the other capabilities, and it is easy to see that, given the desire to do so, Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-IQ will see regular use for years to come. I like it better than I had expected! As with ANY countertop appliance, the only other consideration before purchase is figuring out where it will live when not in use. There must be a space for it that does not interfere with day-to-day use of the kitchen counter space. Fortunately, I was able to create and dedicate a space outside the kitchen and adjacent to the dining area where my countertop appliances can live both when in use and when stored and ready.

--- SETUP --- The setup for this Ninja Professional Plus blender is quick. All parts are bagged separately and lock in a specific way so that you never second-guess if you are putting them correctly. The cord is non-detachable but the motor base has a neat cord-wrapper outline for easier storage. The lid has an arrow that lines up with the pitcher. It is the only way that the lid will lock. --- FEATURES --- The key feature of this blender is the auto-IQ presets, the multiple-level blades, and the easy to clean surfaces. --- PERFORMANCE --- The performance of this blender is phenomenal. At my home, blenders are mostly used for fruit smoothies. This is the first blender that I use the smoothie function and I get a result of what a smoothie should be, a nice thick consistency. I blended ice, strawberries, blueberries, chai concentrate, cinnamon, honey, and vanilla milk. The blender did an amazing job at crushing the ice and I could see it working at different stages to create a nice-blended smoothie. Cleaning afterwards was a breeze because the blades in the center are easy to remove to clean the inside of the pitcher. The lid is also well designed in a way that doesn’t trap liquids in hard to clean places. --- EXPECTATIONS --- The product meets my expectations. It crushes ice like there is no tomorrow and the settings that I tried for various things do produce different results. The pitcher is large enough to make multiple servings of anything and there are measuring lines alongside the pitcher. Because the lid locks in place, I find it hard for it to come off during use. --- VALUE --- The price for the Professional Plus Blender in terms of value is great. I got the model that doesn’t include the additional traveling mugs, but that is ok because I have my own. --- APPROVAL --- I highly recommend this product for people who like a healthier lifestyle and want to make their own fruit or veggie smoothies with some nice cold crushed ice.

Great product Is all you need and is easy to use and clean

A magnificent and very well engineered product. I could ask for a better blender. Both Ninja and Bestbuy are two of the best companies I’ve ever known.

I don’t know how I’ve survived all this time without this. Makes the best margaritas, I’m completely addicted

Ninja Professional blender with Auto-iQ is a powerful blender that serves all our needs for blending fruits and vegetables to delicious smoothies/ice cream. The power of 1400W motor combined with three sharp blades crushes the ice cubes, vegetables, fruits or anything you throw in blends well. For the price range of less than $100, this blender uses the Auto-iQ technology like high end models. This feature is an intelligent preset program that combines blending and pausing patterns and senses the duration to run and pause. With Auto-iQ, the machine does the work for you to make the perfect smoothie every time without any guess work. It has also got 3 speeds separate button. Low, Medium and High when you don’t want to use the Auto-iQ option. You cannot choose the auto-iQ option when you operate at any of the 3 speeds as it doesn’t work together. It has also got a Pulse option where it operates only when you push the button. It does have long and short pulse depending on the press pressure. Great machine for making smoothie, ice cream and juices. With 72oz pitcher it’s a great addition for family size or making larger batches of smoothies with ease. Pitcher is dishwasher safe and the lid locks firmly. Pitcher has a good handle and the spout flips up for easy pouring without the need to remove the lid after making the smoothie. Lid has a marking arrow in the corner that needs to be matched with pitcher handle arrow. Once aligned the lid has a lock handle that needs to be locked. To open the lid there is a release button to be pushed. Also, blender locks well into the base and won’t run until its locked in place. Nice safety feature. One touch dedicated button like Smoothie, Ice crush, Ice Cream is a great addition. With the touch of button for smoothie, it makes smooth drinks and shakes from fruits, vegetables and ice. Its so powerful that it crushes the ice so perfectly to frozen drinks. If you need different recipes don’t forgot to review the attached recipes to make ice creams or for salsa ideas. Overall, my family loves it and my 10-year-old daughter loves making new recipe during this unprecedented time stay at home. I would recommend this blender for anyone who is looking for a powerful, one touch nice options at a great price range.

Sometimes, you find yourself needing a blender that can handle the workload. If you follow the anabolic diet, or know someone who does, you know the Ninja blender is a must have in the kitchen. I already own several Ninja products, including the food processor. I knew this blender was going to be a game changer. I love that you can crush ice cubes with this and it doesn’t even stall for one second. I’ve been making some protein shakes that you cannot fix in a regular blender. The Ninja takes care of business. This product is easy to clean, easy to operate and the safety feature is a nice addition. The blender includes a quick start book with a few recipes. It definitely gives you an idea out what this beast can do. If you’re a margarita fan or want a blender to crush the ice, this is for you. Oh yeah, it’s kinda loud, so be warned. My only complaint, was during the shipping. The blender arrived in the product box, only. No shipping box to conceal the package. The box was in very rough shape, the bottom almost gave out. It looked like UPS tried to tape it, but did a lousy job. I’d consider buying this in store, if possible.