We did notice that the blades got a little warm, so wouldn’t want to blend it for any longer.
The texture was smooth to drink and the drinking lid didn’t leak when we shook it. It made a great smooth, silky drink, with no trace of pineapple fibers, although there were some tiny flecks of spinach that hadn’t been completely liquidized.
We opted for the Max Blend program and let it run for the full 70 seconds. The personal blending cup was the first accessory we tried, adding pineapple, apple juice, yogurt, spinach, and banana for a delicious smoothie. The Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor with Auto-IQ is such a versatile appliance, we tried out several of the functions and attachments to give it a thorough test, yet there’s still much more that it can do. Furthermore, there’s a small recipe book included in the box, which is a good starting point and provides some inspiration.
We found it easy to set up and the programs are intuitive to use, with the manual giving information on what each Auto-IQ program is designed for. Alternatively, you can select one of the manual speeds, choose between low, medium, and high, or pulse, and the timer will count up. Each program is timed and combines the optimum blending and pausing patterns for the task, whilst counting down on the timer. The base instantly recognizes each attachment using the Auto-IQ technology and only the relevant programs are made available for the specific attachment that’s in place. The five programs include blend, max blend, chop, puree, and mix. Both the blending pitcher and the food processor bowl can be positioned on the base with the handle to either the right or the left side, making it a convenient choice no matter which is your dominant hand. All attachments are made from BPA-free plastic so they’re lightweight and also dishwasher safe. The lid clicks easily into place and is released using a simple button.
The 1.8 litre / 64 oz food processor bowl includes a reversible slicing and grating disc as well as a chopping blade and a dough blade (if you purchase it in the US you do not get the slicing/ grating disc). The 0.7 litre / 24 oz personal blending cup comes with its own blade assembly and drinking lid, as mentioned above you’ll get two personal blending cups if you purchase it in the US. The lid releases easily with a button that triggers a handle to pop up for easy removal, there’s also a pouring spout in the lid so you can pour out smoothies without having to remove it. In the box, you’ll get a 2.1 litre / 72 oz blending pitcher with a removable blade. The base alone is quite lightweight, coming in at 2.8kg / 6.2lb but has suction cups on the feet to keep it stable. It measures 48 x 25.5 x 19 cm / 17.64 x 9.96 x 7.52 inches (h x w d) when the tallest accessory is attached.
However, if you’re just looking for a blender or a food processor, the additional accessories in the box will take up more storage space than if you bought the one appliance, making it a bulkier choice. If you want to combine two appliances in one, then it can be regarded as a space-saving option.