The Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System is a fairly new Ninja blender that came to the market in the autumn of 2020. It is a full-size type blender that includes an extra single-serve and small food processing attachments.
Read here our comprehensive review to find more details about this great machine.
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Table of Contents
Functionality and Versatility
Smoothie: The Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System produces very smooth smoothies from soft and tough ingredients, including kale, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, apples, pineapple, and other usual suspects, into the fine chunkless drink. So it suits well for making green smoothies.
It usually obliterates strawberries, raspberrys, and other seedy berries but may leave some seeds residues at the bottom.
The drinks will usually warm up a bit during the blending process, so adding the ice cubes may be good.
Frozen ingredients/desserts: The blender handles ice with ease. It can crush or pulverize ice with and without liquid added using the variety of settings on the control panel. So, the machine is also able to make frozen desserts using the mixing bowl or single-serve cup with no issues at all.
Juice: Although the manufacturer claims that the blender is able to extract juice, it is not. A juicer must remove the fiber from the liquid and leave you with pure juice. As a result, this machine can only produce smooth smoothies, sometimes referred to as “whole juice,” but will still contain fiber. And you can always strain out the fiber through a strainer to obtain the pure liquid.
Soup/hot ingredients: The user manual clearly states that this machine is not designed to process hot liquids in either the bowl or the single-serve cup. So, when processing hot ingredients for soup, users should cool them down before placing them into the blender.
Chopping/food prep: The Ninja BN801 handles various food processing tasks like salad chopping, cheese and crumbs grating, chopping veggies for salads, and ‘ricing’ cauliflower, dips, pesto, sauces, salad dressings, and many other things. However, the food processing bowl holds up to 8 cups of ingredients and thus is suitable for preparing family meals.
Pureeing: The machine can perfectly puree any ingredients for soup using the single-serve cup or Nutri bowl, but you have to cool down the ingredients before processing as it is not suitable for use with hot food. The Nutri bowl is also able to prepare mashed potato or puree baby food.
Nut milk: This machine is powerful enough to make nut milk, but you may need to soak nuts before processing and use a strainer to strain the liquid for a perfect result.
Nut butter: The Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System is powerful enough to make nut butter but rather of chunky consistency. The user will also have to stop and mix ingredients manually to create a proper vortex during the processing.
Dough/batter: The Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System comes with a dough hook, so it is perfectly suitable for mixing various batter and dough, including the bread one. However, the capacity of the bowl (3.5 cups max) is not enough for a large portion of food.
Grinding/milling: The user manual warns not to perform any grinding job with the blender and advice to purchase the Ninja Coffee & Spice Grinder Blender attachment (sold separately) compatible with the Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System base unit. This attachment will grind coffee beans, any herbs, nuts, and grains into flour.
This machine comes with two types of containers and 3 blades that are quite versatile and suit smoothie-making and preparing many different types of dishes.
Containers
The Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen is equipped with a selection of containers. All of them are made from BPA-free polycarbonate (not glass) with black measuring marks in ounces and ml. This selection of containers includes:
- The 72 oz Total Crushing Pitcher and securely locked Lid for making smoothies, shakes, frozen desserts, ice concoctions, pureeing soup, and other typical countertop blender tasks;
- The 8‑cup Precision Processor Bowl with the securely locked lid could be used for dough kneading and light food processing tasks such as chopping and pureeing, and others;
- Two (2) X 24 oz. Single Serve Cup and Sip and seal Lids that are spills-free and allow you to take the drinks out. The single-serve cup is part of an attachment designed to process smoothies, shakes, ground ingredients, nut milk, and others.
It must be mentioned that the Precision Processor Bowl does not come with any accessories for slicing or grating tasks, nor is it compatible with any grating or slicing attachment from other Ninja models.
Yet, the Total Crushing Pitcher, Precision Processor Bowl, and single-serve cup are not very durable and have a few complaints from customers that they may be fragile or wear out within 1 year of blender usage. Keep in mind that you be required to buy replacement containers. Make sure you use them carefully and do not drop them so they will have a longer lifespan.
Blades
Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System features four (4) blades — Stacked Blade Assembly, Chopping Blade Assembly, Dough Blade Assembly, and Pro Extractor Blades Assembly.
- The Stacked Blade Assembly is constructed with 6 stainless steel blades lurched around the plastic post and used with 72 oz. Total Crushing Pitcher;
- The Chopping Blade Assembly has a design similar to the main pitcher blade; however, it comes with 4 stainless steel blades staggered around the plastic shaft. They are used with an 8‑cup Precision Processor Bowl only;
- The Dough Blade is made of plastic and fits into 8 cups. The 8‑cup Precision Processor Bowl is only for mixing dough and batters;
- Pro Extractor Blades Assembly is used with any Single-Serve Cup. They have a standard design with 4‑prongs stainless steel blades attached to the plastic assembly.
The Main Pitcher blade assembly, Chopping Blade Assembly, and Dough Blade are not designed to be locked in the containers; they will be fixed in place container lids when assembled.
Speed Settings and Programs
Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System control panel is equipped with a Power button, a Timer panel, Five (5) Auto-iQ iQ pre-set programs, Three (3) speeds, And a Pulse Function.
The Power button turns the unit on or off. The Timer panel counts up time in seconds for speed functions and counts downtime in seconds for pre-set programs.
The five (5) Auto-iQ pre-set programs — SMOOTHIE, ICE CRUSH, EXTRACT, CHOP, and DOUGH — are a combination of different blending speeds and pausing modes over a set time period that stops automatically at the end of the set time cycle. To stop the pre-set program before the end of the cycle, the user can press the current function button again or the Start/Stop button.
The pre-set programs and manual function do not work with all types of containers; each container is designed to run only dedicated programs and functions. The Ninja BN801 base unit identifies the container installed and automatically lights up the functions available for them:
- The SMOOTHIE button works with 72 ounces of Total Crushing Pitcher and Single-Serve Cup. It is a 55 seconds/(60 seconds single-serve) cycle used for blending frozen fruit, ice, protein, or shake drinks.
- The ICE CRUSH is also designed to operate with 72 72-ounce Total Crushing Pitcher and Single-Serve Cup. This pre-set 60 seconds function crushes ice, makes whole juices, and processes frozen drinks.
- The EXTRACT function works only with Single Serve Cup and is designed to process hard, leafy, or fibrous ingredients, including fruit skins, seeds, and veggies.
- The CHOP button works with Precision Processor Bowl. It is the 16-second cycle that is timed with pulses and pauses that could be used for food-prep tasks such as dips, sauces, chopping veggies, nuts, salsas, and grating cheese, crumbs, and meat grounding.
- The DOUGH function is also used only with Precision Processor Bowl and with a dough hook and within 30 seconds cycle intended for processing bread, pizza, and other dough.
Manual three-speed settings (Low, Mid, and High with the highest speed up to 22000 RPMs.) are run continuously for up to 60 seconds or until the user presses this button again. You can choose a manual combination of any of three speeds to achieve the best blending result. However, you cannot operate manual speeds in combination with any pre-set programs.
The Pulse function operates only when it is pressed and could be useful for chopping jobs or creating vortex during hard ingredients or ice processing. However, it operates only with manual programs.
Ease of Use and Cleaning
Assembling/disassembling/operation: The Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System comes with three types of containers; thus, they are assembled/disassembled in different ways.
Chopping Blade Assembly 72 oz Total Crushing Pitcher Precision Processor Bowl Chopping Blade Assembly
The 72 oz Total Crushing Pitcher and Precision Processor Bowl are assembled in a similar way, though they are paired with different blades. The Total Crushing Pitcher works with Chopping Blade Assembly, while the Precision Processor Bowl is used with the Chopping Blade Assembly and Dough Blade. So, to assemble them, the user should:
- Place the bowl on the top of the base unit, align the tab on the container to the tab on that motor base, and turn clockwise until the click;
- Place the blade assembly inside the bowl; both assemblies are not locked inside; the Chopping Blade is very sharp and thus should be handled with care;
- Lock the lid by pushing down the lever and sealing it;
- The ninja control panel will identify which container is connected by illuminating appropriate lights.
The securely locked lid is quite inconvenient during use because it does not allow adding extra ingredients or mixing food when needed without stopping the machine and opening the lid. The lid has a little kind of “add hole,” but it is so tiny that it seems useless.
Assembling/disassembling a Single-Serve Cup is a simpler task and requires:
- Add ingredients to the cup or container;
- Screw the Pro Extractor blade assembly tightly;
- Turn the cup upside down and place it onto the motor base, aligning the tabs on the cup with the motor base; rotate clockwise until you hear a click,
- Once the cup is locked, the programs available for the attachment will illuminate.
The single-serve cups come with Spout Lids. The user can screw the lid and remove the drink immediately after blending.
Cleaning: Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System blades, containers, and lids are all dishwasher-safe (on the top rack), so this machine is quite easy to clean.
They could also be hand-washed in warm, soapy water or self-cleaned by placing some soap and water inside the container and blending it for about 30 sec at high speed. Finally, the motor base should be cleaned by simply wiping it with a damp cloth.
Base Unit and Motor Power
The Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System is equipped with a powerful 1400W at peak (1200 W off-peak) and 120V, 60Hz motor. It has a modern, sleek design with a nice-looking black and silver finish. The control panel buttons are clearly labeled with their functions and are easy to press. Furthermore, the cool suction feet on the bottom of the blender prevent it from moving during the operation.
The machine also has a thermal system that stops machines automatically if the motor is overheated.
Special Features
Colors: The Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System is available only in a combination of black and silver.
Certified Refurbished: The machine is new to the market and thus has not yet been certified refurbished model available for sale.
Use in countries outside of the USA/Canada: This machine sold in the USA, or Canada comes with a 110–120 voltage system and also could be used in the North and South American region, Taiwan, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and other countries with the same voltage. However, the machines with 220–240 voltage systems are sold in the rest of the world. So, consumers should pay attention to this feature when buying the unit. Otherwise, the device will be only usable over a voltage transformer.
Noise
The Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System is a very noisy blender that many customers are confirming. The user should be mindful of using it early in the morning unless they have very thick walls in the kitchen and no neighbors. It outputs over 100 decibels when processing soft ingredients.
Warranty and Customer Service
The Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System comes with a 1‑year limited warranty for the motor only, and there is no cover for accessories, including containers, lids, and blades.
The limited warranty assumes extra charges for the repair, selected replacement parts, and shipping costs; typically, NinjaShark charges $19.95 for shipping. You also have to keep your purchase receipt safe and ready to send it to Customer Support in order for them to perform repair or replacement services.
Ninja Customer Service does not have a very good reputation, but it has made an effort to improve it in recent times.
Optional Accessories and Attachments
Like most other Ninja products, the Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System is incompatible with other Ninja blender accessories; you can only pair it with a selection of different-capacity single-serve cups.
- The 24 and 32 oz. and 16 oz. Tritan copolyester cups and a 24 oz stainless steel single-serve cup as a replacement or to buy as an extra one.
This machine is not compatible with a mason jar, however.
Set Includes
- 1400-Peak-Watt Motor Base;
- (2) 24-ounce Single-Serve Cups, Pro Extractor Blades Assembly, and Spout Lids;
- 72 oz. Total Crushing Pitcher, Stacked Blade Assembly;
- 64 oz. Precision Processor Bowl, Chopping, and Dough Blades;
- Recipe Inspiration Guide;
- Instruction Book;
- Quick Start Guide.
Dimensions
The gadget has a compact footprint of 10.82 x 8.86 inches and thus will not occupy much of the kitchen space. However, with a profile of just under 18 inches with the 72-ounce Total Crushing Pitcher and the lid on the top of the base unit, it must fit under the standard countertop.
The base unit stays stable on the counter during processing and has a cool suction cup that makes it even more stable.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System is a fairly versatile blender with few attachments and pre-set program choices;
- The blender crushes ice well (with main pitcher and singles serve cup), makes good quality smoothies (with singles serve cup), kneads a dough within 30 seconds;
- The blender comes with a very good recipe book that includes several very useful cooking ideas;
Cons:
- This machine is very loud;
- It comes with a moderate one-year warranty and no reputable customer service;
- The Ninja blender does not have a long life expectancy, and pitchers are fairly fragile.
Consumer Reviews
The Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System comes with few attachments and thus quite a versatile machine container. Considering the blender’s powerful motor and versatility, it serves its purpose for a typical household very well.
The machine has quite a few praising consumer reviews.
Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System Price
The price for the Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System differs depending on the model or retailer. The price may drop by over 25% during the special offer period.
Summary
Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System has a sleek and functional design. With various containers and blade assemblies, it can perform various functions, including blending, ice crushing, chopping, mixing, or even kneading the dough. Therefore, it will be useful not only for making takeaway smoothies but also for small food processing tasks. So, any consumer who is looking for a versatile personal blender with food processing functions will certainly find this machine very useful for its kitchen.
Hi, can I use other ninja accessories (i.e. bl682 jug) with this blender?
Only single serve Tritan copolyester attachments compatible.