The problem this solves
Most blenders at the lower end of the market handle basic tasks — liquid smoothies, sauces — but fail the moment ice is involved. Chunky ice bits in a frozen margarita, inconsistent smoothie texture, a motor that strains audibly when asked to crush anything solid: these are the recurring complaints that drive buyers toward dedicated high-performance blenders. The other common frustration is batch size. Standard blenders cap out at 48 to 52 oz of usable capacity, which means refilling mid-party or blending in separate rounds just to serve a table of four.
The Ninja BN701 Professional Plus addresses both of these problems directly. A 1400-watt peak motor and Total Crushing blade assembly handle ice without hesitation. A 72-oz pitcher with 64 oz of usable liquid capacity handles full family and party batches in a single run. Three Auto-iQ presets eliminate the need to monitor timing. At $109.99 at the time of writing — currently 8% off the list price of $119.99 — it lands at the upper edge of the mid-market blender range while outperforming most of what sits above it on ice-crushing tasks specifically.
What this product is
The Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ BN701 (ASIN: B0855B5Z6F) is a 1400-watt peak-power blender with a 72-oz BPA-free pitcher, four manual speeds, Pulse, and three Auto-iQ presets: Smoothie, Frozen Drink, and Ice Cream. As of May 2026, it carries Amazon’s Choice with 4.7 stars across 19,114 verified reviews and 10,000+ units bought in the past month. At the time of writing, it is priced at $109.99 — 8% off the list price of $119.99 — in Dark Grey.
The Auto-iQ presets are the primary design differentiator. Each preset runs a programmed sequence of blending speeds and timed pauses — the machine cycles automatically and stops when done. Buyers do not need to monitor the blend or guess at timing. The Total Crushing blade assembly uses stacked blades at multiple heights inside the pitcher, designed to pull ingredients down from the top and shred ice on each pass. The pitcher, lid, and blades are all dishwasher safe. The motor base is 17 inches tall and weighs 8 lbs.
Multiple 2026 expert roundups have named the BN701 a Best Value blender pick, citing its ice-crushing performance and large-batch capacity as the primary reasons. It outperforms the NutriBullet on both pitcher size and ice crushing at a comparable price point. Buyers who need heating capability for soups, or high-RPM grinding for nut butters or flour, should note these are outside the BN701’s designed scope.
If you are equipping a complete kitchen and want a countertop appliance built for sustained, long-term performance, our KitchenAid Artisan 5 Qt Stand Mixer review covers a machine with a similar Best Value reputation in its own category. For everyday stovetop cooking to accompany your blending setup, our Tramontina 12-Inch Frying Pan review covers a no-nonsense nonstick that consistently earns its place in working kitchens.
What buyers love most
Ice crushing is genuinely exceptional
The single most consistent buyer praise theme across 19,114 verified reviews is ice performance. Buyers describe frozen margaritas finished in two minutes, uniform snow consistency from whole ice cubes in under 60 seconds, and no residual chunks in the finished blend. Based on the verified review record, this is not an edge-case outcome — it is the norm buyers report across a wide range of ice quantities and blend volumes. Buyers who have previously owned lower-wattage blenders consistently describe the difference as immediately noticeable on the first use. The 1400-watt peak motor and stacked Total Crushing blade assembly are the mechanism behind the performance, and the verified review data consistently confirms the outcome matches what the spec suggests.
72-oz pitcher handles family-sized batches
The 72-oz pitcher — with 64 oz of usable liquid capacity — is large enough for a full party of frozen drinks or smoothies in a single blend. Buyers who entertain regularly describe this as the practical reason they chose the BN701 over smaller alternatives: fewer refill cycles, one blend per round, no waiting. The verified review data shows this is a consistent theme among buyers making drinks for four or more people at a time. For daily household use, the same capacity means morning smoothies for the full family without needing to run the blender multiple times. Buyers who blend in quantity consistently cite pitcher size as one of the deciding factors that keeps them from switching.
Auto-iQ presets remove the guesswork
The three Auto-iQ presets — Smoothie, Frozen Drink, and Ice Cream — run their full blend cycle automatically. The machine speeds up, slows down, pauses, and stops on its own without any input after the initial press. Based on verified reviews, buyers who use the presets daily describe a meaningful reduction in active attention: they start the cycle and walk away, returning to a finished result. The pause-and-blend sequence built into each preset is designed to pull ingredients down from the top of the pitcher and ensure even processing throughout. Buyers consistently describe the Ice Cream preset as a standout — sorbet-texture frozen desserts from frozen fruit without added cream or thickeners.
Dishwasher-safe and straightforward to clean
The pitcher, lid, and blades all go in the dishwasher. Based on verified reviews, buyers who blend daily describe cleanup as a non-issue — load the components, run the cycle, done. Hand washing is equally manageable: the blade assembly does not require disassembly for cleaning, and the pitcher’s smooth interior has no recessed areas where residue accumulates. The one cleaning note from the review data is addressed in the complaints section below: the pitcher must be removed from the base to dry. But within that constraint, buyers consistently describe the overall cleaning experience as significantly easier than previous blenders they have owned.
What buyers complain about
Struggles with tough whole-food blending
Kale, raw oatmeal, whole almonds, and similarly dense or fibrous ingredients are a consistent complaint theme in the verified review record. Buyers describe noticeably longer blend times compared to smoothie or frozen drink tasks, and results that can carry a slightly gritty texture when these ingredients are present in quantity. The BN701 is designed for ice crushing and liquid-based blending — it handles those tasks well. It is not designed as a high-speed whole-food processor, and the review data reflects that distinction honestly. Buyers who build green smoothies with whole kale leaves or who regularly blend oat-based drinks should factor this limitation into their decision. The blender does not fail at these tasks — it takes longer and may not fully smooth the result.
Cannot make soup
The BN701 has no heating element. It cannot warm ingredients, which means hot soups are not possible. Beyond the heating limitation, verified buyers who have attempted thick vegetable purees describe the texture as inconsistent — the result tends to retain some chunkiness rather than achieving the smooth, uniform puree a dedicated high-speed blender produces. This is not a design flaw in the context of what the BN701 is built to do — it is a blender optimized for cold, frozen, and smoothie applications. Buyers who want a single appliance that covers both frozen drinks and hot soups will need a different category of machine. This limitation is worth knowing upfront for buyers who plan to use their blender across a full range of cooking tasks.
Pitcher must be removed from the base to air-dry
This is a minor but genuinely recurring complaint in the verified review data. The pitcher cannot sit on the motor base while air-drying after washing — it must be removed and placed separately to dry completely. For buyers who blend once or twice a week, this is unlikely to register as meaningful. For daily users who have a kitchen routine built around leaving appliances assembled between uses, the extra step of separating and then reassembling the pitcher is a recurring minor inconvenience. It does not affect performance, and no buyers describe it as a reason to return the product. But it appears consistently enough in the review record to be worth noting for buyers who prefer appliances they can reassemble immediately after washing.