Today’s question is from Rachel:
I am looking to get my mom a Ninja blender but there are a few different ones and I’m not sure if she needs all the extra stuff. I was wondering, if you have a Ninja, how much do you actually use it and for what type of things? -Rachel
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Love my Ninja!!! Make my breakfast drink every morning! blends the ice up just like a smoothie, Great
I have a Ninja too and it is the best blender I’ve ever used. It is also really easy to clean! -Jordan, MSM Team
Thanks so much for this post. 6 months ago there was a great sale and I was going to buy one. I read all the reviews on Amazon. They were NOT all favorable and so I did not purchase it. This will make me go and do more research.
I have the Ninja from Wal-Mart; it came in a box with a large one and a small food-processor sized one (that holds two cups) and I LOVE it! I use the big one to puree all the wet ingredients when I make zucchini bread from my garden or when I make large batches of smoothies for friends. I use the small one ALL THE TIME; I make pesto in it, I use it for my morning smoothies, I cut up vegetables for various recipes, and just generally love having it around.
DEFINITELY worth the investment, and you don’t have to spend $100 on it if you don’t think you’ll use it that much. The Wal-Mart version was a great purchase, and my friend who’s seen me use it wants one for herself!
We looked at the Ninja and the Vitamix. We went with the KitchenAid instead. It was much cheaper and works great liquifiying frozen fruit and ice cubes for smoothies and frozen cocktails which is what we use it most for. Good for vinegrettes too.
I should also add that I use my Cuisinart food processor more than the blender. I use it for pie and pizza dough, bread crumbs, pesto, grating cheese, slicing/grating vegetables….it rocks.
We really only needed a blender for smoothies, etc.
I have one and LOVE IT… I have even bought it for gifts for people. I use mine instead of buying a food processor. I make homemade cheeze its in it, bread crumbs, etc. I use the large pitcher size the most. I would suggest it to anyone who asks.
We got one as a wedding gift and it wasn’t on our registry. I glanced through the recipe book and decided to keep it. 2 1/2 years later, it is one of the most useful wedding gifts we received.
It works almost too well for chopping things (salsa was more liquid than chunky, but I think it would do better if I chopped in it and got the rhythm down more often). Mine came with a larger container with a pour spout and a 8 oz container. I use both on a regular basis. Almost daily I do smoothies, mix instant iced coffee or milkshakes, works great for that! It chops ice better than any machine I have ever used. We have made the occasional mixed drink in it.
I have also used it to puree Crystal’s re-fried beans (recipe here on the site somewhere), make ground beef more fine, make guacamole, and crab mix for a crab stuffed pasta recipe. I use mine most for drinks, but it works really well for the other things as well! I have looked into getting one a wedding gift for friends and couldn’t bring myself to spend that much on a gift (we live on under 15,000 a year), but if you have the money, it is definitely worth the investment!
I was given a ninja for Christmas and I love it. I use it all the time for chopping to making salsa to pureeing. It is really easy to use, works fast and well and is very easy to clean. I use it 2-3 times a week. So far I have had nothing to complain about. I would recommend getting one. The one I have came with the blender sized container and smaller size. I use them both for different things. It also does really well for shaved ice.
I have the Ninja pro system 1100 and I love it. I bought mine at Costco last year and got a fantastic deal. I had an issue with it. The blade moved while I was making a pitcher of smoothies and detached form the top. I think it was because the frozen fruit was pushed over a bit. Anyway I called customer service and they are so great to deal with. They even sent me a new pitcher for the unit and all the parts associated with it. Haven’t had any problems with it since. And It make awesome smoothies. They are 100 percent drinkable. No chewing of the spinach! I highly recommend.
I love my ninja. I have the pulse one (not the blender) that comes with 4 smoothie cups (with its own blade) and a larger pitcher, with a food processing blade and a dough hook. I love that I am able to make my smoothie, put the travel top on and go. I use lots of frozen fruit, spinach/kale and it comes out very smooth. I use it to make peanut butter, hummus, larabars and daily smoothies. The only complaint I have is that you have to hold down the top bar to make it work instead of having an on-off button so that it will blend while I am working on other things. This is part of the “Pulse Technology” but I did not realize that when I purchased it. I am so happy with it that I am planning on getting the larger one too.
We love our Ninja!! We have the one with a small cup-size canister which is great for chopping foods and processing oatmeal to make instant. It also has the bigger canister which is great for making smoothies
I have been married for 10 years. In the first 7 I wen through three blenders. And then I bought a Ninja. Prior to having a Ninja, we received as a gift a blender that was from the HSN and it was the longest lasting of the previous three. When that one died, I started looking for another of the HSN models and found out that the Ninja was the newest model. We make a lot of smoothies, frappacinos – which require lots of ice crushing. The Ninja has lasted 3 years and is still going. The only regret I have it that I bought it too soon. A couple weeks after I bought it, they came out with the new model that has the big container and then the smaller container that I think is more like a food processor.
Hi there, we were given this ninja system as a wedding gift:
http://www.ninjakitchen.com/NinjaMasterPrepProSystem.shtml?tabID=detailsCont
…and we love it!!! We use it mainly for smoothies and shakes. It’s so easy to use and clean. I highly recommend it.
i too want to buy one, but would like to know how good the paddle is, for dough and that?Thanks for telling me they have them in bbab, my aunt sent me a gift voucher for $50 off and i have a coupon for 20% off and even though Bbab sells them for more expensive than canadian tire, i can get the whole set for $100.
I have one and I absolutely love it! I use it for breakfast shakes. It chops/blends ice very well. I like that it is so simple and doesn’t have a ton of options, as I usually don’t even know the difference between the options! I have also used it to chop tomatoes, onions, and green pepper. I love my Ninja!
I bought a Ninja a few months ago to replace a leaking Oster. I use it almost every day, mostly to blend smoothies and mixed drinks. As another poster mentioned, the texture is not as smooth as my Oster was, but I find if I pulse for 20 seconds and then run it on high for 1 minute, my drinks come out perfect. Although the manufacturer says that all the parts are dishwasher safe, I hand wash mine. Heat is not good for any blade, so that might be why some people are having problems with the blades dulling. The blades are VERY sharp. In fact, the first time I used it, I sliced my hand when I took the lid off to pour out my drink and the blade fell out, so use caution! I purchased mine at Kohl’s when it was on sale and I had a coupon, so it was under $100. I saw it at Sam’s with some additional accessories, but I just needed a blender, so that’s all I bought.
I have a basic Ninja from Walmart. Bought about 2 years ago for about $40. From the start, the motor seems like its overheating. Also, it doesnt blend as smooth as expected. I actually put ice in a gallon ziplock bag and pound it with a mallet first to break up the ice, then let the ninja finish the job. It gets the job done and we enjoy great smoothies. I would love to start saving for a vitamix.
I guess I’m in the minority but I was not at all impressed with the Ninja. I bought one earlier this year and was surprised to find that when I made smoothies (my main use for it) the texture was actually pretty gritty… even more than from the cheap Oster blender I’d been using before. Then after only about a month the motor just died. I took it back to the store where I’d bought it and I don’t think I’ll bother with a Ninja again.
I’m in the minority too. I bought a Ninja a while back and wasn’t all that impressed with it. It worked great at first, but the blades dulled pretty quickly and the base leaked. After that I invested in a Vita Mix, and there is no comparison! The Vita Mix is a lot more expensive, but it’s by far a superior product.
I got a Ninja for Christmas last yr, and really like it. I think my husband pd. about $90-100 for it at Wally world, and it is just the big pitcher and base. I use it to crush ice, make shakes, and even make butter with it.
Having a bit of experience using a Vita mix blender, I would say it does not puree quite as smoothly as the Vita mix, but for 1/4th of the price, I think it is a good buy, and worth the money. Thumbs up here.
Really love the Big pitcher!! It serves shakes for a family of 6 in one blender, easily.
Absolutely! I have a NinJa and LOVE it! We make smoothies of all types, every day … I like to add spinach and other veggies or fruit. It does a wonderful job. I got rid of my food processor because now this blender takes it’s place! I made coleslaw in there last week and it was the easiest I’ve ever made! No more shredding. Mine came with two different size containers and a paddle to make pizza dough as well as the blender blades.
I have the Ninja Master Prep. It came with 2 mixing containers. I use the smaller one to chop things and sometime to puree. I use the larger one if I’m making smoothies or something for more than 2 people. Two days after I purchased this, the larger container got a crack/chip in it. I had only used it 3 times. I called Ninja and they sent me out a free replacement right away. Great customer service. I would recommend the Master Prep instead of the larger, unless she will be using the mixing blades for dough making, you really don’t need the larger version. I LOVE my Ninja.
I blogged about the Ninja after getting one a few years ago. I LOVE mine. I am a gadget junkie but this is something that I use all the time.
I use it for smoothies, shaving ice, and much more. I like to make homemade ranch dressing and I use cottage cheese as the dairy base. It has to be really processed to be creamy and not gritty – the Ninja gets it to the consistency that I need it to be.
I got mine at SAMS Club so it came with a few extras. I do like it a lot and will buy another one if this one breaks. I know they are bigger and probably better than the model I got a few years ago,
Would you mind sharing your ranch dressing recipe?
It is so easy – 24 ounce of 2% cottage cheese (but I use 1% because 2% is harder to find in my area – at least for a good price.
1 1/2 cups of lowfat buttermilk – more if you like your dressing thinner
Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (I buy the large container at SAMS)
Process the cottage cheese until it is smooth – no gritty texture or lumps. Add the buttermilk and dressing mix – I put in about what would be the equivalent of one envelope of it and then add a bit here and there to taste. Blend, blend, and blend – add more dressing mix if you like it to have a heartier taste.
We love it at our house – all natural, healthy, low-fat, and yummy!
Think of the calories saved here. I calculated them the first time and honestly, you could drink half of the mixture for what I would put on from a fatt-filled bottle of dressing. It is good as a dipping sauce for chicken or raw vegetables.
Thank you so much!!
I don’t have a Ninja blender, I like a previous post invested in a Vita mix and I use it almost everyday – and I can honestly say I did not want to spend that much money on a “blender” but now in hindsight it’s my number one go to in the kitchen. I look at it as an investment in my family’s healthy, I use it to make protein drinks, fruit/veggie smoothies, ice cream – our current favorite is Shrek ice cream (spinach with mint extract) my kids don’t have a clue what it is made from and I make soup weekly, I make all my flours and nut butters and I could just keep going on and on..
I love my Ninja! I have the one that has 3 round different size plastic “jars” i guess you could call them and the blades are removable and then you put the lid on and then the motor goes on top and you just push it down to blend. My dad got them at Costco for $50 when they first came out 2 years ago… we love them so much we got rid of our normal blender! They mix up things very well and if you just pulse for a few seconds, do an incredible job of chopping. I cook up chicken and then throw it in there and chop it up within seconds… I do it with 10 lbs of cooked chicken at a time and then freeze in 2 cup portions for future meals! I know it was rated really well in Consumer Reports as well 🙂
I use mine DAiLY and my motor burned up in 9 months. After working with terrible customer service they finallllly sent me a new base. It is working great now but since I use it so much I would someday want a vitamix for sure!
Yes, I would definately recommend the Ninja Blender.
I have had one for a year & a half now & I love mine!
It works great & I have not had any problems w/it at all!
I’m an advocate of buying something that will last, not something that will need to be replaced over time, which in the end saves money. Best investment ever was in a Vitamix as it is soooo much more than a blender. It’s rated number 1 by both America’s Test Kitchen and Consumer Reports. I use it every single day.
I have two types of the Ninja and love them both! The chopper that came with the original Ninja is wonderful and I find it nearly perfectly chops my onions, peppers, etc without leaving them mushy. One of the best “gadget” purchases I ever made!
I have a Ninja and really enjoy it. I purchased it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond with their 20% off coupon and spent about $80. Mine is a square shaped one with just the basic model. I’ve used it for smoothies, pureeing, making snow cone ice, mixing hummus and that is about it. Works great and is easy to clean. I would have loved to get a Vitamix but at a $500+ price, I just couldn’t swing it. If you’ve got the money though, Vitamix will do everything including grinding grain, making peanuts into peanut butter, and making apple juice from whole apples!!
I got one for Christmas and love it. I use it all the time for smoothies, sauces, everything. It’s really handy and easy to clean. My kids love the 3 extra cups with lids that come with it.
Love my Ninja! I have the 11oo, which comes with a bowl, pitcher and 2 blades, along with 2 or 3 paddles and the cookbook.
I use it for smoothies, drinks, shaved ice, whip cream (so awesome—done in 30 seconds!), shredding veggies (just did zucchini the other night), made key lime pie (filling and crust), breadcrumbs, cookie dough, etc. The only complaint I have is that mine tends to overheat when making dough. I think I’m cramming too much in it.
If you are a Costco member, they are cheap. If the coupon thing is still going on, you can get the 1100 for $99 (as opposed to $150-$199), or if not, I think the regular price at Costco is $119. The $99 is the cost of just the blender at other stores, so a good deal if you want the 1100.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ninja! I would suggest to anyone looking into buying one to get it, it’s great, I especially love the cup attachment, so you can blend a smoothie and drink it from the same cup, so there is less mess! The only thing negative about it is it is very loud, but because it mixes and such so quickly, it’s not on long!
I received one for Christmas from my husband and I love it. I do a LOT of canning – jams, zucchini relish & etc. and it is so helpful. I would be lost without it.
I purchased a Ninja from Costco about 2 months ago for $89 and it came with 2 separate blender containers, small and large. Each container also came with their own blades/paddles. I use it 2-3 times a day to make smoothies, hummus, fruit puree for jam, I made homemade “ice cream” from pureed frozen bananas and frozen fruit. I have not had a problem, love it, and would recommend it!
I have the ninja prep professional and love it. It has three different pitchers and crushes ice like you wouldn’t believe. Be careful though- the blades are SHARP.
I love my ninja! I got the most basic one from Target and I also got a $10 gift card for buying it. I use it to blend soups, make salsa, mix milk shakes, and make baby food for my little one. For the amount I saved from going out and buying all these things, it has absolutely paid for itself.
We have a Ninja Master Prep Blender and Food Processor. (The food processor is smaller and great for mixing up a quick shake or preparing homemade baby food for freezing, etc.) We love to make (healthful!) smoothies in the blender. It is by far the best blender we’ve ever owned! 🙂
You can also make shaved ice in the Ninja. (The double blades are the secret.) This past spring we got a huge bunch of over-ripe bananas. The Ninja was perfect for pureeing those — with nothing added but a touch of lime juice. You can read more about that here:
http://b1g1bargainsblessingsbananas.blogspot.com/2012/03/goin-bananas.html
I highly recommend the Ninja!
We have the Ninja Masterprep, which comes with three different size pitchers. I use it almost every day. Mostly I use it as a food processor, for dicing and chopping. It’s amazing how fast it works — 3 taps and your onion or green pepper is diced. I also routinely shred raw cauliflower in it and it probably takes 10 seconds tops. We also use the buggest pitcher for shakes and smoothies.
Super easy to use and clean. Fits nicely in the dishwasher. I’m so happy with ours!
I am not familiar with the Ninja Blender, I own a Blendtec. I did look it up though and there are a lot of reviews on the Bed, Bath and Beyond website and they seem pretty favorable. You might want to look there.
My mother-in-law gave us a ninja-a-like about a year ago. I don’t know where she bought it, or what brand it is (she had it for a year or two and didn’t use it). BUT I LOVE IT! It has a regular blender-type of blade, and a grinder blade. It came with a pitcher, tall cups, short cups, and lids. I use it all the time, and have since put my blender and food processor away.
What I have used it for:
smoothies and shakes, baby food, applesauce, chicken stock, grind spices, oat flour from oatmeal, bread, crumbs, cookie crumbs, mash bananas, anyways- you name it.
I bought a Ninja instead of the hoity toity Vitamix . We LOVE it! I use it for smoothies (it pulverizes frozen fruit beautifully!), making salsa, brownies, bread, salad dressing, baby food, soups … any blending/chopping/mixing job! I really love it and have never had any problem with it.
I really enjoy my Ninja that I got last year, but most of the time I only use the large pitcher with blades, pitcher top & Ninja motor. The other parts are nice, too, but not frequently used.
I got mine in last December and use it a lot. I got mine at Kohls; it came with 3 different-sized blenders and the main blendy thing (lol). Great price when paired with Kohls coupons! I have noticed lately, however, that my blades are much duller than when I first got it. I don’t really abuse the blades, I mainly use it to blend smoothies , grate parm, and chop nuts.
Has anyone else ha a problem with their blades dulling? Curious to know…..
I had quite a few problems with my blades…I loved my Ninja for about 3 or 4 months. It was used for green smoothies at least once a day. Then the blades dulled a lot and even chipped some. We ended up getting rid of it because it got so banged up with just normal use.
However, my mom also bought a Ninja and the food processor that comes with it and she likes it. But the food processor attachment doesn’t do a very good job of chopping up food. It seems to have difficulty with even basic things like hummus.
I’ve not had problems (2 years almost daily use), although the hardest thing I chop is frozen fruit or ice. No nuts or anything of that nature.
We had one but recently switched to a Blendtec. I used the Ninja almost everyday and it did a great job, but the bottom of the pitcher was starting to crack. We used it for close to a year before seeing the cracks, but I don’t think it had much life left. I’ve read that customer service for the Ninja is pretty bad too, so we took it back to Costco before it completely split. If you want something short-term it does work well, but it won’t hold up for years to come.
I’ve had a small one and a large one for 2 years of daily use with no problems.
Loved it for the first few months, then the plastic gear stripped!!!! Didnt use it for much other than fruit smoothies or salsa… Very disappointed with the longevity of this product!
check with the company; they replace mine free…
I have the 3 container set 2 different sized pitchers and a small food processor type container. I use at least 2 of them every week and 1 of them daily … I love it and would highly recommend it. Having the options of sizes is nice
I don’t usually comment, but I have to say how much I LOVE MY NINJA PULSE! I use it twice a day, minimum.
It’s not the Ninja that you usually see, with the blades on top, but a whole system that blends, shreds, slices, mixes, etc. Kind of a mini-food processor. I got mine from QVC when it was a “Today’s Special Value” back in June and I have used it every single day since. It comes with a 40-oz container, a 48-oz container, two “travel” containers that have their own blade, a shredding/slicing disc, a mixing paddle for cookies, dough, and other stuff. And a huge recipe book came with it, too. I make a spinach-banana-some other fruit smoothie every day for breakfast and I’ve dropped 15 pounds since June. I use it for salads, it will slice an onion in about a second. I can see making baby food in it someday – I’ve made cookie dough, pancake batter, muffin batter, and who knows what else. Oh, yeah – it makes ice cream! Not regular ice cream, but a half-cup of milk (I use fat free half-n-half) and some frozen fruit and it makes the most delish 1- or 2-pt ice creamy soft serve you’ve ever had!
I would heartily recommend a Ninja Pulse for anyone with kids, single people, people on Weight Watchers, people who don’t like to spend time slicing and dicing, people who like fresh parmesan on their pasta, people who like frozen cocktails or mocktails (you should taste the margaritas it makes!) I think just about everyone would find a use for a Ninja Pulse system.
Check out the QVC website – I think it runs around $109 or so everyday. And no, I don’t work for QVC, but I am sure glad I was watching that day! Love my Ninja!
Oh, and I recently saw the small Ninjas, with the small container and the blade/motor that goes on top – at Walmart on clearance for around $20. I think they are at least twice that normally, so if you are just looking for the smaller one, try Walmart. No, I don’t work there either, LOL. I must shop a lot. Only for bargains I need, though. Love my Ninja…
I have the Ninja Pulse and I love it…I use it to make smoothies, and I’ve mixed brownie mix as well.
I have one and LOVE it….I have a sick dog that needs to have her food blended daily. The Ninja does a great job. I have both the 40 ounce and the 72 ounce pitchers – I rarely use the very large one….favoring the smaller one…
The blades are still VERY sharp even with daily use.
The pitchers are easy to clean and dont leak…
I have not used the paddles…
My ONLY complain is that the spout cover broke and I can not take the one off the larger pitcher and use it on the smaller one…I need to buy a replacement. 🙁
I forgot to comment on the blades! After 2 years of almost daily usage, they still are really really sharp, be careful when washing!
My husband got a Ninja Blender last year (no other attachments) and we use it fairly regularly. Besides making healthy shakes, malts, and smoothies, I also use mine to make homemade bread crumbs (love it!) and sauces. For Christmas, we bought a smaller version for our daughter in college and she uses hers all the time, too. It’s great for fixing something quick and on the go! It’s been the best “blender” I’ve ever owned! Both sizes are great and your item is blended/mixed in no time at all – I can’t say enough good about it!
I have a Ninja and I love it. I don’t use it as much as I did when I first got it, but it is the best food processor/blender I have ever bought. It’s my go to machine when I need it.
I actually don’t have the full Ninja blender, but I have the immersion blender with the pitcher and the food processor/blender like attachment that my husband got from woot.com for $30 shipped and I absolutely LOVE it. So powerful, blends anything up and very nice feel to it. I can only imagine their blender is just as good. In fact I use so much, I got rid of my old blender/food processor combo. Good luck!
I have a ninja and love it!!!! It works great for just about everything. I know Ninjas range in price and what they can do but I just have one that was under $100, not as fancy as some but I dont feel like I am missing out on anything. I would definitely recommend it 🙂
I bought a ninja blender just after Christmas and I like. Although I will admit I forget to take it out and use it a lot of times. It works really well and I haven’t had issues with it. I was told though not to get the square one because it doesn’t get everything chopped evenly. Good luck and happy shopping!