The Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System – A Versatile Countertop Must-Have That Gets the Job Done in Seconds
It's a complex system, but worth learning for speedy, satisfying results
The Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System eliminates the need for separate, clunky mixers, blenders, and food processors on your countertop. It is a single, versatile solution worth the investment. However, it may be a bit complex for some, and watch for super sharp blades!
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Extremely powerful
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Incredibly efficient slicing and chopping
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Large pitcher capacity
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Crushes ice superbly
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Versatile, eliminating the need for multiple kitchen products
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Quick
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Plenty of presets for easy use
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Overwhelming setup with many options
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A few safety features that take getting used to
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Some limitations with the feeding chute size
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Dangerously sharp blades – good for cutting food, but watch your fingers
You can trust Homes & Gardens. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing the latest products, helping you choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
After chopping, blending, and shredding with the Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System for three weeks, it has become a must-have in my kitchen routine.
It is a strong competitor against standalone blenders, food processors, and mixers, instead combining all those functions into one very strong product. After purchasing this product, your counter space will thank you.
Kitchen gadgets that promise to do it all often have home chefs, including me, rolling their eyes when we realize another product will fail to actually blend ice in seconds, slide potatoes with pro-chef-like precision, and deliver on other promises. However, this best blender-food processor combo delivers in terms of speed, versatility, and power. Just watch your fingers!
Product Specifications: Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System
The system comes with plenty of attachments, all of which are useful.
Type | High-speed blender, food processor, and smoothie bowl maker |
Size | 18.5 in L x 9.84 in W x 15.59 in H |
Weight | 14.55 lbs |
Capacity | 72 oz. Power Blender & Processor Pitcher |
Speed settings | 11 manual programs; 7 automatic programs |
Materials | BPA-free plastic & stainless steel |
Diswasher Safe? | Yes |
Colors | Platinum |
Motor | 120 volts |
Warranty | 1 Year |
Design and First Impressions
Prepare a good amount of space and time to get to know each other ahead of unboxing your Foodi. This is because there are quite a few pieces to unwrap and explore, each with a different function, directions in a pamphlet, stickers with tips and tricks on them, and a corresponding recipe book. However, these useful accessories aren’t just extras that will (or should) gather dust in the pantry.
Instead, with some time and experimenting, you can see just how each could be most useful to you with your current cooking needs. Included you will find:
- The motor/base
- A blender and processor pitcher with a pour spout
- An XL smoothie maker bowl with storage lid
- Crushing and chopping blade
- Slicing and shredding blade
- Grating disc
- Disc spindle
- Dough blade assembly
- Hybrid edge blades assembly
- The recipe guide
Upon unboxing, I was excited about the size of the pitcher, which I immediately knew would come in handy making smoothies for my family of seven all at once, not two at a time with other blenders.
I also immediately appreciated some safety features meant to keep the blender on the base, and the top on the blender – extra turns, clicks, and buttons made sure that you really meant to remove it, and that it wasn’t an accident. In addition, strong suction keeps the base in place regardless of what happens up top.
The packaging itself was a mix of plastic protectors and recyclable materials, and all items came well-protected and securely situated in the box.
Blending Performance
Testing a blender doesn’t just involve whipping up a quick smoothie and judging its consistency, especially when it’s a blender/processor combo. Instead, I followed a thorough process that involved multiple cooking tests, outlined below, to test some of its various functions.
I made smoothies, crushed ice, chopped potatoes, and whipped up my first almond butter. Each had its own learning curve to decide which accessories were best and to test different functions’ performance. Throughout, I explored the 'Auto IQ programs,' which allow presets for smoothies, spreads, chopping, and others, but also tried the variable speed and blending/processing time in the manual setting too. I didn’t find any issues with the Auto-IQ settings being inaccurate, but generally found it easier to control the settings myself manually.
Users should note that while this is a high-performing machine, it’s not a quiet one. At over 90 decibels during the blending process, it is not considered a quiet blender. However, it’s on for such a short time as it does its job efficiently that it bothers everyone less than quieter options that take longer.
Overall, the product is high-performance and a joy to use.
The Processor Test
The first test was to chop potatoes, using the food processor and food chute, a hole in the top that allows you to send vegetables and other foods down the 'chute' into the main processor. From there, if a food gets stuck, you can use a helpful tool to shove the rest down to the bottom toward the blades.
The processing function is the fastest and most impressive way of cutting a vegetable I’d seen, and much more efficient than competing products I’ve tested in the past. A single potato was completely sliced and ready to make chips, hash browns, or a casserole side dish in a matter of seconds.
The slices were consistent, no food was stuck in the process, and the only errors were from the operator’s learning curve (such as trying to fit too big a potato through the chute).
The Ice Test
Next, I explored whether I’d be able to tell my kids that we officially have a slushie machine, based on its ability to crush ice as well as our local snow cone shop.
This blender had turned around 20 ice cubes into slushie-ready mix in under five seconds. In this moment, I realized how much I’d been unknowingly suffering with my own blender, shaking and reshaking it to give it a boost between blending sessions as it fought with ice cubes.
If you make a daily smoothie or smoothie bowl, this product is a must-have simply for its mastery of ice crushing.
The Nut Butter Test
Finally, I attempted to make almond butter, by blending almonds and oil, at the suggestion of the recipe book. The book is well-labeled with the appropriate settings to help you understand how to set up your machine to create that exact recipe.
Though I should have used a bit more oil, and ended up with more of an almond butter sprinkle topping than butter consistency, the machine did its job, again in seconds.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Sometimes, it can be difficult to get all the blended or processed food out of the deep pitcher, so have a long spatula on hand to reach all the corners. But the components easily come apart for washing, so that shouldn’t be an issue.
One trick I came to appreciate was putting some water into the blender and continuing to blend after my cooking was done, just for a few seconds, to prevent stuck-on food and drink from becoming too stuck. This made washing much easier afterward.
The entire product is dishwasher safe, which I appreciate as a busy mom of five who has two dishwashers running nearly all the time. With such a wide pitcher, the dishwasher does a great job of getting the larger components clean as well. I was a bit more careful putting blades and other sharp objects in the dishwasher, though, just in case little hands would help unload later.
That brings us to The Accident. While attempting to clean up and store this product, I cut two fingers on a blade. I didn’t drop it or do anything out of the ordinary, other than try to pick it up. So, when I say the blades are super sharp, I mean sharp enough that you shouldn’t touch any of them at all. That can affect storage and cleaning processes, but also likely the reason it’s such an efficient and high-performing product. Keep Band-Aids (available at Walmart) on hand if you are clumsy, and when storing the product, put it up high or otherwise wrap up the parts to protect others from the blades.
Luckily, the product fits under my standard height counter tops, though I wouldn’t be able to really cook much with it under there, so I have to pull it in and out to cook. But this gives options for storage – the whole thing doesn’t have to go back in the cupboard each time.
How Does the The Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System Compare?
As a longtime kitchen product tester, I have found this product to be exceptionally better than all other blenders I’ve tried through the years. In addition, it has equal-to-or-advanced food-processing functions and performance.
Competitors include Ninja’s own alternative option, the Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System, which Homes and Gardens editors also loved and ranked as a top blender/processor. Others included the Nutribullet Triple Prep Blender System, noted for best savings, in addition to the Nutribullet’s Ultra Plus Kitchen System, which comes in at a more affordable price of just under $100 for those on a budget. Finally, the Braun MultiQuick 9 competes with the Ninja Foodi as the most versatile option, and also might be more space-saving for those with less counter space.
For those trying to decide which product is best, first match your needs up with the chef’s guide to blenders, food processors, and juicers.
On Ninja’s website, users rank this product as a 4.1, with close to 200 ratings. 119 of those ratings were five stars, with just 21 as one star. Performance was the top-ranking feature among those reviews, with quality being the lowest. One loyal Ninja fan says, compared to her older product, this one is much bigger with more options. She also noted that she liked the 'pour top' function, in which a small spout opens to let your smoothie pour into your favorite to-go cup without mess or issue.
Amazon customers reflect my satisfaction with the product, with over 4,000 ratings resulting in a 4.5 out of 5 stars. According to Amazon, customers overall note the solid performance, especially for smoothie and dough mixing, with strong motor power and quick blending times. However, there are some durability concerns, with some reporting it lasts for years, while others are concerned about cracking in the plastic pitcher. Customers overall considered it worth the price.
Should You Buy The The Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System?
Yes, you should buy this product. If you are looking for reliability, consistency, top performance, and don’t mind a little noise to achieve the perfect ice consistency, this is for you.
This product would suit busy cooks who want to chop vegetables quickly and have no use for slow or inefficient motors. Those who frequently make smoothies will appreciate the extra minutes they get back every day, not fighting with a blender, and people who want their products to be versatile and customizable will like the extra options, features, settings, and accessories.
How We Test Blenders
Over the years, we've refined our process for how we test blenders.
The first step is market research. We keep in touch with the industry to make sure that we're always first to hear about a new launch, and will almost always call it in to test to try and be among the first to assess how well it performs. Every blender must be tested for a prolonged period (two weeks or more) to check for any issues and assess the product's longevity, and where possible, we aim to keep blenders in-house to test them on a long-term basis, updating our reviews as the months and years pass to see if our favorite is still ahead of the crowd.
Smoothies are the most basic thing a blender can do. They're pretty much why blenders were invented, so if we've got a model that can't handle these you won't find it anywhere near our rankings of the best.
We then see if a blender can crush ice. Ice is useful for two reasons. One is as a straightforward test of sheer power. Weak blenders won't be able to crush it, or will do half a job. A powerful, premium blender should be able to mist ice cubes into fine white powder. If a blender can't manage this, then it can't earn a perfect score.
A blender will score extra points in our tests if it operates quietly. We monitor the decibel levels on every test. We also clean every blender by hand to see how easy this is, and if it feels safe.
You can find out more details on our How We Test Blenders page.
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