A versatile option, capable of making everything from pizza dough to peanut butter, and with a useful sealable blender cup.

Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor with Auto-IQ

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$168 / £199, walmart.com / ninjakitchen.co.uk

Pros:

  • Good versatility for the price
  • Three jug and cup options
  • Only the buttons you need are illuminated

Cons:

  • Large footprint
  • Loud operation

Power: 3.5/5
Blending: 4/5
Crushing: 3.5/5
OVERALL: 4/5

I didn’t expect to be making pizzas while testing blenders, but such is the versatility of the Ninja, I managed to knock out a best protein powder-packed pizza dough using the ingenious combo dough hook. Make no mistake, the Ninja 3-in-1 is a highly versatile kitchen gadget that can chop, slice, blend, puree, grate, mix and even make cakes.

Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor features

As well as a traditional 2.1-litre blending jug, it comes with a 1.8-litre food processor bowl with blades for grating and slicing, and a 700ml personal blender cup with sealable lid for breakfasts and post-workout fueling. Everything is BPA free and dishwasher safe, and the four-speed motor boasts a solid 1,200W motor (at 21,000rpm). The components feel solidly built and come with lockable lids and a reassuring clunk-click as they attach to the base.

There’s quite an array of control buttons, but thankfully when you place your chosen bowl on the motor base only those you need become illuminated. It’s a great way to avoid confusion, and I was surprised to find it on a blender at this price.

Working through all the possible chopping combinations took forever – the comprehensive recipe bank helped with inspiration – but the triple blade turned a bag of mixed nuts into smooth butter in no time and created fresh pesto or pulped vegetables into a soup in seconds. The slicing disc – which is stored safely in the base when not in use – slices and dices just like a food processor, although anything but the hardest cheese will make a mess of the grater.

Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor extras

All the blades are remarkably sharp, it had no issue crushing ice, blending spinach and making smoothies. The smaller 24oz / 700ml single-serve cup also works a treat, but lacks the brutal power of the larger blade, and took marginally longer to create smooth, consistent results. It’s also heavy, even when empty, which may be an issue on the commute. 

It’s not perfect however. Firstly, it’s deafeningly loud, and that pre-dawn power shake could wake the neighbours. It’s also enormous and dominates the worksurface. You’ll need to find a home for the separate food processor and single-serve jugs too. It’s a remarkable tool given the low price, though, although the plastic build quality does highlight where savings have been made.

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