Ninja Fit Personal Blender In-depth Review
Our first impression of the Ninja QB3001SS Fit was positive so we were pretty confident that it would undergo our testing as a pro.
Overall Verdict
The Ninja QB3001SS Fit is mighty and powerful with an attractive aesthetic. We tested it to make smoothies and protein shakes and found that this blender is the best for such tasks. Even high-fiber whole foods like leafy vegetables, berry seeds, or raw nuts didn’t pose a challenge. Its ice-crushing capability is also very impressive, standing out not only in the Ninja blender lineup but also in its market segment.
Sometimes, we did have to pause and shake the blending cup to loosen ingredients stuck under the blade or on the walls, but that is a common issue with most personal blenders that have narrow cups. In the end, this item is a sensible choice, and one you’re not likely to regret.
Things We Like
- A great tool for any quick blend that involves fibrous, frozen food, raw nuts, or even ice cubes.
- Compact, straightforward design makes it easy to use, assemble, and clean.
- The blending blade is attention to detail with 4 sharp, sophisticatedly-designed prongs.
- Coming with an affordable price is an above-average quality.
- Its final results were consistently smooth in all of our testing.
- There are extra blending cups included.
Things We Don’t Like
- It doesn’t allow for hands-free operation
- A little shaking is necessary for an even blend.
We purchased the Ninja QB3001SS Fit on our own dime and put it through our rigorous tests to see how it faced off against numerous other single-use blenders. Surprisingly enough, this device turned out to be one of the best we tested. It has a stand-out design inside and out. Not only that, but other features like capability and blending efficiency are also distinctive.
Key Specs
Where to Buy? Price at publication $60.22
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9.6Performance: A Big Dog in the Segment
Most kitchen blenders around this price strive for nothing more than basic nutrition-extraction, but the Ninja QB3001SS Fit wants to give you more. A standout in its class, it passed all of our tests — to include crushing ice cubes — with peerless results. It even performed as well as its higher-priced counterparts, such as the Ninja Nutri Auto-iQ. Still, it has a few shortcomings you should know about.
9.6Protein Shake
No matter what ingredients you have on hand for your protein shakes, the Ninja QB3001SS Fit will quickly turn them into a chunk-free mix. Its impeccable performance in this test is evidence of that. Consisting of the toughest-to-blend ingredients, our recipe presents a high level of difficulty, but it still didn’t give this blender any trouble.
Our Ninja took only 50 seconds to churn out the desired result. The oatmeal was completely broken down while almonds and berries were blended to their finest state. After straining the drink through a strainer, we found a smattering of partially blended chunks, but we don’t think it's enough to turn off many folks. Given such a result, this machine is a worthy competitor to the NutriBullet Pro — our best personal blender at the time of writing.
10Frozen Fruit Smoothie
When it comes to preparing smoothies, this blender’s efficiency is something that we’ve all dreamed about, but never thought possible on a budget. In our test, it allowed for a quick preparation of frozen foods with very little effort thanks to its heavy-duty motor and sturdy blades. The compromise was that we had to pause now and then to shake chunks free from the blades.
The smoothie was ready to drink within 1 minute of blending, which was far faster than average. In fact, it was fully twice as fast as some other models like the Magic Bullet, the Hamilton Beach, and the Oster. You may think it doesn’t matter much to wait a bit longer, but actually, the difference in blending time between blenders did create a substantial discrepancy in the drink’s texture and temperature.
As a general rule of thumb, frozen foods thaw quickly at room temperature, especially when you start grinding them up. The faster your blender does its job, the thicker and less diluted your smoothie will be.
Simply put, not only did the Ninja Fit blend smoothly, but its rapid operation also provided us with the thick, ice-cream-like consistency that we prefer in frozen fruit smoothies. If you’re craving icy-cold drinks on hot days, this blender definitely has the chops for it.
9.5Fibrous Greens
The Ninja Fit is quite capable of incorporating leafy vegetables and other fiber-filled foods into your drink. Of all the blenders we tested, this was one of the few that could break down almost all of kale, spinach, and celery in only 20 seconds. The greens were blended finely and had consistent-sized grounds. Not only that, but it left us with only a little pulp that was too big to pass through a strainer — better results than even the pricier Nutri Ninja Auto-IQ.
9.0Crushed Ice Cubes
In this task, this blender struggled quite a bit, and couldn’t quite power through all the ice cubes. A small amount of ice remained solid — accounting for 20% of the total — when it was all said and done. And again, we had to stop and shake the blending jar to promote the contact between the ice and blades.
Of all the blenders with small blending cups, however, the Ninja Fit was the only one that actually could perform that well. It even crushed ice as fluffily as its larger counterpart, the NutriBullet Pro. With the Ninja Fit, you may no longer have to deal with whole ice cubes in your drink.
9.5Design: Sporty with A Premium Feel
The Ninja Fitand its accessoriesare a solid set. It’s not built with the highest-quality materials, but the compact footprint and charming curves give it an oddly appealing look. It’s attractive in its own way, and you may find its user-friendly features hard to resist as well.
In the Box
- Motor base
- Extractor blade
- Two blending cups
- Two to-go lids
- Recipe book & User guide
Dimensions
This blender isn’t as solid as the NutriBullet or the Nutri Ninja, but we appreciate its lighter weight and more compact dimensions. It is roughly the same size as a champagne bottle, so it should fit well into your cabinet. It also won’t occupy too much counter space and you can easily carry it around when you’re on the move.
9.5Build Quality
Our Ninja Fit looks fancier than we’d expect for the price. The part quality resembles that of much more expensive units. The main body’s exterior is eye-pleasing with a glossy finish capable of holding up against dings or scratches. The interior is mostly made of plastic, but it looks robust, reflecting the blender’s high-tech design. Much the same can be said for the blending cup and extractor blade, too. These parts aren’t new ideas, but they should be the benchmark for durability and refinement in this price range.
9.0Blades
The blade is constructed of hardened stainless steel. It features four prongs so you will get faster blending times and finer results compared than those that have only two.
The base and blade assembly screws tightly onto the blending cup to prevent leaks while in use. It is designed for processing liquids, including juice, frozen mixtures, sauces, and hummus. It cannot be used to blend hot liquids or for grinding operations.
Motor Base
The Ninja Fit is powered by a 700-watt motor which is more than enough to blend most simple ingredients. That motor is even strong enough to turn your blender into a standalone ice crusher, though we don’t recommend doing so too often since it might limit the blender’s lifespan.
The elegant yet sturdy exterior is a key selling point over its rivals, but the carefully constructed interior is what truly grabs our attention. In particular, despite being made of ABS plastic, the black actuator tabs are unlikely to break even when you press the cup down into them vigorously. The rubber and plastic liners inside the power base feel pretty durable too.
There are also rubber grips on the bottom that keep things steady while in use and a cooling fan in the back to limit overheating. Still, though, it’s best not to run it for more than a minute at a stretch.
10Blending Cup
This set includes two blending cups with lids. Each has a 16-oz capacity and can be fitted to the blade assembly. The lids seal tightly to the cups, locking all the ingredients inside even when you turn them upside down. As a nice bonus, each lid has a flip-top spout.
Speed and Controls
Because the Ninja Fit doesn’t have any switches or buttons, you only get a single speed. The motor is activated by simply pressing the cup down into the base. Your blender will then run until you take your hand off it. You can also simulate pulse mode by pressing and releasing the cup in short intervals.
8.5Usability: Satisfying Blending Experience
Efficiency aside, we also love the Ninja Fit for its ease of use. Its usability comes from a simple operating system: blending starts once the cup and blade assembly are aligned and pressed down on the motor base. Cleaning and assembly are also very easy. Here’s a quick rundown of each.
7.8Hands-Free Operation
This blender doesn’t allow for hands-free operation; you’ll need to hold the cup in place throughout the operation to activate the motor, but this is true with most personal blenders. On the upside, it doesn’t demand too much extra shaking or stirring to dislodge chunks trapped on or around the blades. For the most part, each batch only needs a little shake to achieve a smooth consistency.
10Assembly
This blender is a cinch to set up. To blend, you’ll need to seal the blade tightly to the cup, then turn the cup upside down and place it on the motor base by aligning its tabs with the motor’s slots. Once your cup is correctly positioned, push it all the way down so it can begin blending. Removing the cup is even easier, simply lift it up from the motor base. You won’t need much practice to operate the machine smoothly — we figured it all out before even opening the user manual.
9.0Cleanability
All the parts are dishwasher safe except for the motor base, but note that they must be separated from each other before being placed in the dishwasher.
To clean them manually, simply pour warm water into the cup, add a bit of soap, and run the blender for 30 to 60 seconds. After dumping out the cleaning solution and rinsing the pitcher thoroughly, your blender will be ready for a new batch of smoothies.
If you don’t want to do it that way, we recommend using a dishwashing utensil dampened with soapy water to scrub out any stains. Getting under the blades can be tricky; be careful not to slice your fingers!
About your guide
Tina Pham is a staff writer and reviewer, with five years of experience in the industry. As a passionate amateur home cook, she loves to discover practical cooking solutions, and has made it her mission to bring her findings to every kitchen. Her ultimate goal is making cooking more of a pleasure for all.
Lap is Head of the Research, Testing, and Review Team (RTR Team) at HealthyKitchen101.com, where he directs and supervises the testing of kitchen gadgets and appliances.
Tuyet Pham is an award-winning Saigonese chef passionate about delicious and healthful foods. At HealthyKitchen101, she develops recipes and collaborates with our Research, Testing, and Review lab to evaluate the performance of cooking appliances. Her assessments add a strong authoritative voice to our product scoring process.