Ninja Professional Blender Review (BL660) – 2024

As much as we’d all like to own a top of the range Vitamix blender, it’ll take a big chunk out of anyone’s kitchenware budget.

Enter Ninja, who have been working away in recent years to bridge the gap between high-end performance and wallet-friendly countertop blenders.

In my Ninja Professional blender review, I’m taking a detailed look at the most popular BL660 edition. Can it deliver big blending performance alongside single-serve convenience?

(If you want to explore more of my blending and juicing guides, have a look through the archive I’ve put together.)

What I Look For In A Blender

Before moving onto the Ninja Pro, it’s worth running through a few things that you should consider before settling on a blender:

• Capacity: Are you going to work in big volumes? If so, you’ll need a container to suit. Just keep in mind that these things get bulky fast, so check the measurements of the appliance before buying for your own kitchen.
• Power: If the motor power is below 1000 Watts, it might struggle to tackle very tough ingredients and ice. Once you’re over this point, a stronger motor saves time over anything else.
• Presets: Many blenders come with a collection of presets for tackling the most common blending jobs. If you’re going to be sticking to the basics, you might like the convenience of a button-press blending setup.
• Ease of Use & Cleaning: The blender you buy should be easy to use with clear, separate buttons you can still easily press when you’ve got mucky fingers. Many also have a self-clean function built in, but you’ll want a dishwasher safe jar for cleaning up the stickiest jobs.

About The Ninja BL660 Blender

The Ninja BL660 blender is designed to tackle not just larger blending amounts, but also single-serve smoothies.

The main 72 oz jar is big enough for most households, but you also get a pair of single serve cups out of the box.

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Add the single serving blade unit to the cup, invert it onto the base, and you’ll be able to make a quick smoothie from a handful of ingredients.

It’s a nice way of combining two appliances in one, and you’ll find it useful if you’re limited on space.

It’s slightly limited when it comes to a lack of presets though. There are no dedicated buttons to make smoothies or salsas here, just three speed settings and a pulse function.

If you’re just sticking to the basics and occasional use, this won’t be a problem. It’s something to be aware of though if you think you might like to do more with your blender down the line.

Who’s The Ninja BL660 For?

If you’re not really a power user and you just want a blender for occasional use, I think the Ninja Professional blender is more than good enough.

The jar’s generously-sized for the average family. Although speed options are limited, it’s extremely easy to use and clean up as well.

Who’s The Ninja BL660 NOT For?

Not all ingredients are blitzed quite as smoothly as others. You’ll get a good smoothie using fruit and vegetables, for example, but other items can still have a little grain left over.

That’s mostly a problem when it comes to making green smoothies. You won’t end up with horrible chunks or anything like that, but there’s still a gritty finish.

For that kind of performance, you might be better off looking at your most affordable Vitamix or Blendtec option.

I recommend the Blendtec Total Classic as the best value, high-performance blender in that case.

Pros

• Makes great fruit smoothies, particularly if you use the single serve cup.
• 72 oz BPA free jar is about the right size for the average household.
• Three separate speed settings for handling different produce.
• Pulse function for more manual control.
• 1100 Watts motor is strong enough to handle typical soft fruits and vegetables.

Cons

• Not the smoothest blend with certain ingredients, specifically leafy greens and things like flax seeds. You get better results with the single serve cups though.
• If you want that jumbo pitcher out all the time, you might struggle to fit it beneath your kitchen cabinets.
• Removable blade assembly unit means you have to take care when storing or cleaning, especially if you have kids around.
• If you’re careless removing those sharp blades, you may scratch the interior of the plastic container.
• Quite noisy, but not unbearably so compared to other blenders at this price point.

Ninja BL660 Review

In the next section of my review I’m going to take a much closer look at the design features of the Ninja BL660 blender.

Let’s start with the basics of the specs and what you get out of the box:

Specs

• Dimensions: 9.2 x 12.0 x 16.4 inches
• Weight: 10.8 lbs
• Motor Power: 1100 Watts
• Warranty: 1 Year

What’s In The Box?

Here’s a quick breakdown of everything included when you order the Ninja BL660:

• 1100 Watts Motor Base Unit
• 1 x 72 oz blender container + Blade Unit
• 2 x Single Serve Cups
• 1 x Single Serve Cup Blade Unit
• 1 x Single Serve Lid
• User Manual

1100 Watts Motor Base

The 1100 Watts motor on the BL660 crosses that crucial threshold of 1,000 Watts. That’s the minimum I like to see on a blender.

It’s not the most powerful blender in the Ninja range though. Because of that, I think this is better suited for making smoothies with softer fruits.

Those smoothies are pretty good, although tougher fruits will leave some grit in the drink. It’s also not powerful enough to tackle really tough leafy greens in my opinion.

Total Crushing Blade Design

Compared to other brands, the Ninja Professional blender takes a different approach to blade design.

Most other blades sit at the bottom of the main jar, and are designed to create a vortex which keeps the contents moving around evenly.

This Ninja blender uses something the company calls its “Total Crushing Blade” unit. This consists of six stacking blades which stretch across the entire height of the main jar.

They work really effectively to maintain a consistent blend, and keep everything moving around for the duration.

Most blade units are hard-wired into the base of the jar, but that’s not the case here.

The Ninja Professional blender cleans up pretty easily (more on that later), but if there is any sticky, stubborn food residue you can remove the unit for a deeper, manual clean.

72 Oz Pitcher Capacity & Design

This particular Ninja blender is supplied with a 72 oz blender pitcher, which is about the right kind of size for the average household.

Obviously the bigger the pitcher, the more space it’s going to take up! These are typically the bulkiest part of a blender, so check the specs elsewhere in this review and make sure it will fit somewhere convenient.

In terms of build quality, the Ninja Professional jug is pretty durable. It’s made of BPA free plastic too, which has two main benefits.

First, you eliminate the risk of BPA contamination. Secondly, the thing can take a fair amount of punishment without scratching. If you’ve got slippery hands in the kitchen, you don’t need to worry about dropping the thing.

There are two other design tweaks which are worth mentioning here.

First of all, the pour spout provides a very even pour. Even if you tip it at quite an angle it doesn’t make a mess on the countertop. Less clean up is always a good thing in my book.

There’s also a useful locking mechanism on the lid. For safety, the blender won’t actually operate unless this has been secured, and a red light is clearly displayed if it’s not snugly in place.

Finally, the whole container unit is dishwasher safe. That’s pretty standard for blenders at this end of the market, but it’s always a welcome thing to see.

Single Serve Blending Option

What if you don’t want to make a massive blending batch, or you don’t want to keep that large container out on the countertop at all times?

This is where the second design phase of the Ninja BL660 comes into play.

You get two 20 oz Nutri Ninja cups in the box, which you can use to create a quick smoothie. You just add your ingredients, secure the separate blade unit onto the top, then invert onto the base.

This produces really good results for smoothies on the go. Because there’s a smaller volume, the smoothies are also very consistent and, yes, smooth!

I think you’ll find this extra feature useful if you’re trying to boost your intake of fruit and veg in general, or want a way to make a quick post-workout smoothie.

Again, these extra accessories are all dishwasher safe.

Three Speed Settings & A Pulse Button

The speed settings are the one area where the Ninja Professional BL660 blender falls a little short.

There are only three speeds in total (Low / Medium / High), and no actual presets. You can’t, for example, hit a smoothie button and get a blend cycle designed just for that purpose.

The settings that are available are pretty serviceable though. You can use the following as a rough guide:

• Speed 1: Processing & Mixing
• Speed 2: Crushing Ice / Milkshakes
• Speed 3: Smoothies, Whole Fruits & Vegetables.

What really helps here is the inclusion of what’s known as a pulse button. Put simply, holding this button down will blend the jar contents at the current speed. Take your finger off and the motor stops.

This allows you to make up for the limited speed settings somewhat. If you’re not getting the consistency you want, you can always tweak the speed, and finish things up with a manual pulse.

Ease of Use

The simplicity of the speed settings does at least make the Ninja Professional blender very easy to use.

The Power and Pulse buttons are located to the left and right of the control panel respectively.

In between you’ll find separate buttons for the three speed settings.

There’s a good amount of space between all the controls as well, which means you’re not going to accidentally send the thing into overdrive!

It’s a simple machine, then, but one that’s equally simple to operate.

Ease of Cleaning

As I mentioned earlier on in my review, the main components of this Ninja Professional blender are dishwasher safe.

I probably don’t need to tell you that the one part of this blender that can’t be soaked or run through the dishwasher is the motor base itself…

Fortunately, that’s pretty easy to clean by hand. I recommend getting into the habit of wiping it down with a damp cloth after each use.

Do this quickly and you’ll avoid gunk building up beneath the buttons, which will eventually cause operating problems.

(If you’re feeling thirsty by the way, you can see how the Ninja Professional Blender got on in my guide to the best blenders for margaritas!)

Alternatives

Before settling on the Ninja Professional BL660, I recommend looking at some related Ninja blenders. They each have their own pros and cons, but are worthy alternatives to at least consider.

Ninja Mega Kitchen System (BL770)

Consider the Ninja Mega Kitchen System if you’re looking for an even more comprehensive, all-in-one Ninja kitchen blender for home use.

What makes this blender a little different is the inclusion of a dedicated food processing bowl. That’s ideal for things like chopping vegetables, making doughs, or preparing smaller batches of things like salsas.

The motor base is a little more powerful as well at 1500 Watts. You also get an extra power setting to play with, although again there are no presets featured here.

You still get the single serve cups and blade attachment featured with the BL660 though, as well as the 72 oz pitcher.

It’s basically the next step up from the BL660, and the best Ninja if you need an effective, all-in-one blender / food processor appliance.

Ninja Professional Blender (BL610)

The BL610 countertop blender is a step down from the BL660, but it does provide the chance to save a little money.

This is a standalone blender without the single serve cups and blade unit that’s part of the BL660 package.

The motor is slightly weaker as well at 1,000 Watts. That’s not a huge difference, but it’s one that’s worth being aware of.

Otherwise, everything is much the same. The 72 oz pitcher is identical, as are the three speed controls and the pulse feature.

If you need to prioritize value for money, and don’t need those single serve cups, this is a good alternative to consider.

Nutri Ninja Blender Duo With Auto IQ (BL642)

The BL642 is a more advanced version of the BL660.

It’s not much more expensive though, so definitely consider this model as it’s a little more feature-packed.

The BPA free blender jar is the same size, but you get three different single serve containers here: an 18, 24 and 32 oz cup, along with lids.

It’s got a slightly more powerful motor too at 1200 Watts. That’ll give you more oomph to play with when blending frozen fruit, or crushing ice.

Handily, you also get a selection of presets when you want to make smoothies, frozen drinks, purees and more.

It’s less hands-on, in other words, so might be more suitable if you’re inexperienced with blenders.

(I reviewed the Ninja Blender Duo a little earlier on this year if you think this might be an interesting alternative.)

Final Verdict On The Ninja 660?

If you plan to use the BL660 for everyday blending and for making smoothies, I think it’s a great little appliance.

You’ll get more value out of it if you’re planning to make use out of those single serve jars though, and if you don’t mind the lack of presets.

Have a good look at the alternatives I’ve recommended, as there might be one within a similar price range that’s more suitable for your needs.

Otherwise, click here to read more customer reviews of the Ninja Professional BL660.