If you think that all blenders are limited to food processing and making smoothies?
Think again.
Ninja the makers of the bestselling Nutri Ninja Pro makes it possible to make smoothies, chop food and knead dough with the Ninja Kitchen System Pulse.
Ninja made this possible by using interchangeable tools that includes a dough hook and paddle.
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It may not sound much but if you’re making pastries for only a few people this should be enough.
For making smoothies, it comes with a 16 ounce cup with the 4 prong cutting blade attachment.
But this machine is only powered by a 550 watt motor.
Can this small motor cope up with all the kneading and blending it will go through its lifetime? Well let’s find out in this review.
Features at a glance
- 550 watt motor
- Inside the box you’ll get two 16 ounce cups and a 40 ounce processing bowl
- Processing bowl has two interchangeable attachments – dough hook and the dough paddle
- One year warranty
- Only has one speed setting which is the pulse
- Only 13″ tall so it’ll fit in under all counter top cabinets
Pros
- Very affordable for all the functionality you are getting
- Plastic cups and bowl are BPA free and dishwasher safe
- Compact size will fit in most kitchens
Cons
- Weak motor may struggle blending fibrous leafy greens like kale
- Small cup will only make one serving of smoothies or protein shakes
- Short warranty
- You need to continuously press the container or lever for the motor to run (it has no on/off button)
What to expect from this versatile Ninja?
This product is somewhat similar to the Nutri Ninja that it comes with two 16 ounce cups where you can make smoothies.
It does not come with a large cup that will allow you to make larger servings.
Like the Nutri Ninja it also comes with only one speed setting – the pulse.
The biggest difference between variant and and the Nutri Ninja Auto IQ would be the motor – 550 vs 1,000 watts.
More than a blender
Another difference is this one comes with a processing bowl where you can fit in the dough hook and paddle attachments plus total crushing blade for food processing or crushing ice.
One thing that puzzles me though is how small the motor is considering that Ninja markets this product to be able to mix dough. They should have considered putting in a larger motor.
I think consumers will still buy this because a bigger motor will hold up longer and would be able to chop tougher stuff better like kale or celery.
The biggest attraction of this machine is the price, at just under $60 you can make smoothies, protein shakes, chop vegetables and even make dough for pizza or pastries. The big question is the motor, how will it stand up to the strain when it kneads dough.
Is It Easy To Clean?
If you’re making only single served drinks then the small 16 ounce cup is very easy to clean.
The great thing about it is that you don’t need to clean the cup itself if you’re bringing it to work or the gym. Just rinse of the blade and store the cup in your bag then wash afterwards.
Even the large 40 ounce container is easy to clean with it’s removable blades. But be careful when cleaning the sharp blades or you’ll cut yourself.
What can this make?
This machine is versatile. One of the few blenders in the market that can make smoothies, chop vegetables and mix dough and you all of this for under $60.
I’ve already explained to you how this machine is capable of such flexibility now let’s see it in action.
Making smoothie with frozen banana and strawberries…
The mandatory ice crush test, I wished he would test the ice crushing capability using the smaller smoothie cup and blades. Take note that he used the crushing blade and the large 40 ounce bowl for this test.
How about some pizza dough…
Product Specifications
| Model | Ninja Kitchen System Pulse |
| Motor | 550 Watts |
| Jug capacity | 2 - 16 ounce cups 1 - 40 ounce processing bowl |
| Blade Type | 4 blade stainless steel (for the 16 ounce cups) |
| Accessories | Total Crushing Blades Dough Hook Dough Paddle * All of these can be used on the processing bowl |
| Max RPM | N/A |
| Preset blending cycles | None |
| Tamper/Plunger |  |
| Crush ice? |  |
| Smoothies | |
| Juice | |
| Process Foods | |
| Mix Dough | |
| Warranty | 1 year |
Warranty
Like most other Ninja blenders, this comes with a 1 year warranty.
Where can I buy this?
You can buy this from Amazon at for less than $80. And you can get 2-day free shipping if you join Prime. Another reason to buy in Amazon would be the availability of an extended warranty. This would give you some peace of mind in the long run.
What do consumers think?
A majority of consumers love this as evidenced by the high rating in Amazon.
They like this product because it is cheap, compact and versatile.
Good points
Most consumers liked how it performed making smoothies and chopping, a lot of them saying that it made consistent smoothies.
Not everybody liked the small blending cup saying that it was too small. But there are others who liked it – those who frequent gyms for workouts.
While not a lot of consumers mentioned using the bowl for mixing dough, one mentioned that he used it for mix dough for 5 minutes and the motor burned out.
If you watched the video above, it took less than 5 minutes to mix a batter so really you don’t need to spend 5 minutes for that.
Some potential issues
Some consumers warned against using the 48 ounce when making smoothies because the result wasn’t consistent.
Main reason for that would be blade design. The design isn’t great for making smoothies rather it’s more suitable for food processing.
The processing bowl also can make crush ice, great for making margaritas.
Consumers also complained about cracked cups and bowls but this is normal for a product that uses plastic.
Despite the complaints about inconsistent smoothies, burned out motors and poor quality, a majority of the consumers still liked this product and gave it a good rating primarily because it was compact which made it easy to store and clean. Some would prefer this over a larger and more powerful Vitamix because of the size difference.
To Wrap Up
This blender would be great for folks who are looking for a cheap blender capable of crushing ice, chopping vegetables, making sauces and mixing the occasional dough for pizza or cookies.
Even with the ability to mix batter, the motor is weak and will burn out if you mix batter every day. If you’re a baker, a better option would be a standalone mixer.
The small blending cup is great for single serve drinks.
It is a versatile piece of machine that has more versatility compared to a Nutribullet but at a cheaper price.
If you’re looking to make a quick cup or smoothie or two to bring with you to work or a workout this is a great machine to do it. But if you’re looking to make more servings consider something bigger like the Nutri Ninja or the KitchenAid 5-Speed blender.