Ninja Professional Plus Blender, Auto-iQ, 1400W, 72oz Pitcher, BN701

Why it's worth it

A 1400-watt motor with three Auto-iQ presets and a 72-ounce pitcher that handles frozen berries without stalling. It won't match a Vitamix on the silkiest greens, but for everyday fruit-and-spinach smoothies you'd struggle to tell.

Food Network Kitchen ran blind taste tests on standard frozen fruit and spinach smoothies and found Ninja mid-range results indistinguishable from Vitamix results to most tasters. That's the case for this blender in one sentence. Good Housekeeping's lab testing found the BN701 producing smooth, lump-free frozen berry smoothies on its Auto-iQ cycle, beating every comparably priced competitor on texture scoring.

The Auto-iQ presets are the feature that actually changes your mornings. Press one button and the machine handles the pulsing, blending and pausing pattern on its own. You walk away and pack a lunch. If you've ever babysat a blender dial while a smoothie splits into a foam layer and a frozen brick, the automation is worth more than another few hundred watts.

From our review of 8 blenders for smoothies, by Sophie Chen, Food & Wellness Editor

What we like

• +Food Network Kitchen ran blind taste tests on standard frozen fruit and spinach smoothies and found Ninja mid-range results…
• +The Auto-iQ presets are the feature that actually changes your mornings
• +The 72-ounce pitcher covers a family of four in one batch, and everything that touches food goes on the top rack of the dishwasher
• +This is the pick for most households because it clears the practical bar without the premium spend

What to know

• –The stacked blade assembly sits loose in the pitcher, and it's genuinely sharp
• –It's loud, even by blender standards — several owners mention it and then shrug, but the shrug isn't available if you share a wall