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Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender Blender Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Reviewed Sep 08, 2020 at 08:37 am
Latest change: Retest Sep 20, 2024 at 04:46 pm
Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender Picture
N/A
Multi-Purpose
N/A
Smoothies (Single Serving)
N/A
Smoothies (Multiple Servings)
N/A
Ice Crushing
N/A
Soups
N/A
Professional Use

The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender comes with a 56-ounce glass jar that has a heating element built into it. You can use it to hot blend or warm up ingredients for recipes like soup. Unlike most Ninja blenders, it comes with a 2-part lid and tamper. There aren't any extra jars included, but it has a large selection of automatic blending programs for hot and cold recipes.

Our Verdict

N/A Multi-Purpose

The Ninja Foodi Cold and Hot Blender is excellent for multi-purpose use. It makes a smooth blend with fibrous ingredients, can hot blend and heat ingredients, and makes snow-like crushed ice. It's great at processing hard ingredients like nuts. It's also very sturdy. However, it's somewhat slow and difficult to use for recipes like smoothies and soups. Because of the jar's heating element, it's not dishwasher-safe and is a bit tricky to clean by hand.

Pros
  • Excellent build quality.
  • Large-capacity jar.
  • Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
Cons
  • Hard to clean by hand.
  • Not dishwasher safe.
N/A Smoothies (Single Serving)

The Ninja Foodi Cold and Hot Blender is great for making single-serve smoothies. It only comes with a 56-ounce jar, but can make very well-blended single-serve smoothies with ingredients like fruit and kale. However, you have to scrape the sides of the jar with a spatula to get the best results, which, combined with a long blending time, makes it difficult to use for personal smoothies. It's not very easy to clean by hand, so it's not the most convenient choice for whipping up your morning smoothie.

Pros
  • Excellent build quality.
  • Large-capacity jar.
Cons
  • Hard to clean by hand.
  • Not dishwasher safe.
N/A Smoothies (Multiple Servings)

The Ninja Foodi Cold and Hot Blender is excellent for multiple smoothie servings. With the 56-ounce jar filled to its full capacity, it makes a very smooth blend with fibrous ingredients like kale, so you can use it to make a big batch of smoothies. However, it's not the fastest blender, and you have to scrape the sides of the jar with a spatula for the best results. The jar isn't dishwasher-safe, and it's not the easiest blender to clean by hand.

Pros
  • Excellent build quality.
  • Large-capacity jar.
  • Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
Cons
  • Hard to clean by hand.
  • Not dishwasher safe.
N/A Ice Crushing

The Ninja Foodi Cold and Hot Blender is a superb ice crusher. It can make snow-like crushed ice very quickly for blended cocktails or frozen drinks like slushies.

Pros
  • Excellent build quality.
Cons
  • Hard to clean by hand.
  • Not dishwasher safe.
N/A Soups

The Ninja Foodi Cold and Hot Blender is superb for making soup. It can hot blend or heat room temperature ingredients for soup. The 56-ounce jar can hold most recipes in one batch, and it makes a very smooth blend with fibrous ingredients, meaning it can produce a well-blended soup with additions like kale. However, you can't submerge the jar in water because of the heating element built into its base, and it's not that easy to clean by hand.

Pros
  • Excellent build quality.
  • Large-capacity jar.
  • Heating element.
  • Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
Cons
  • Hard to clean by hand.
  • Not dishwasher safe.
N/A Professional Use

The Ninja Foodi Cold and Hot Blender is excellent for professional use. It's well-built, has a large-capacity jar, and has a motor powerful enough to handle the toughest ingredients. However, it has a harder time processing smaller particles, resulting in a grainy texture.

Pros
  • Excellent build quality.
  • Large-capacity jar.
  • Smoothly blends fibrous ingredients.
Cons
  • Hard to clean by hand.
  • Not dishwasher safe.
  • N/A Multi-Purpose
  • N/A Smoothies (Single Serving)
  • N/A Smoothies (Multiple Servings)
  • N/A Ice Crushing
  • N/A Soups
  • N/A Professional Use
  1. Updated Sep 20, 2024: We've updated the results to more accurately reflect the blender's performance. The scores for Fibrous Ingredients (Small Batches) processing changed from 8.5 to 4 because of the long blending time and the need to use a spatula. The texture score changed from 9.5 to 10. The score for Fibrous Ingredients (Full Capacity) processing changed from 9.5 to 5.0 because of the long blending time, the need to use a spatula, and the blender moving around.
  2. Updated Dec 02, 2022: Compared its performance for nut butter with the newly-reviewed Ninja Chef Blender's.
  3. Updated Sep 30, 2022: Revised text due to Test Bench 1.0.
  4. Updated Aug 25, 2022: Compared its jars and accessories with the newly-reviewed Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System's.
  5. Updated Aug 17, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
  6. Updated Sep 08, 2020: Review published.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested model HB152. The same blender is sold with model number HB150C in Canada, so we expect our results to be valid for that variant as well. There's also model HB100, which has fewer automatic blending programs: it's missing the 'Ice Cream' program and the 'Water' option for infusions. However, aside from that difference, we expect our results to be valid for the HB100 model as well. 

If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions below and we'll update our review. 

Compared To Other Blenders

The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender is a full-size blender with a heating element built into its main jar. It's well-built and versatile and can easily make smooth, spreadable nut butter, bar-quality crushed ice, and silky blends with fibrous ingredients. However, it's slow to blend fibrous ingredients, and you may have to stop and scrape the sides of the jar to get the best results, especially when working with smaller batches. Blenders like the Vitamix 5200 and KitchenAid K400 are easier to use and produce similarly smooth smoothies and soups. This blender's jar isn't dishwasher-safe and can be tricky to clean by hand.

If you're looking for other options, check out the best blenders, the best blenders for smoothies, and the best Ninja blenders.

Vitamix 5200

The Vitamix 5200 is better than the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender. The Vitamix has a better build quality and is easier to clean by hand. It makes a smoother blend with fibrous ingredients like kale and does a much better job of processing hard food like nuts. On the other hand, the Ninja is a better ice crusher. Unlike the Vitamix, it has automatic blending programs, and some may prefer that its main jar is made of glass.

Ninja DUO

The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender and the Ninja DUO have different strengths. The Foodi has a better build quality and can hot blend and heat ingredients. On the other hand, the DUO comes with a pair of personal jars meant for single-serve drinks. It processes fibrous ingredients much faster and with less effort on your part, so you might prefer it for recipes like smoothies.

KitchenAid K400

The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender and the KitchenAid K400 have different strengths. The KitchenAid blends small and big batches of fibrous ingredients faster and more efficiently, making it more convenient for recipes like smoothies. Its speed dial gives you more control over the blending speed, and it's easier to clean by hand. On the other hand, the Foodi can heat room-temperature ingredients. It's slightly better for crushing ice and much easier to use for thicker mixtures like nut butter.

Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ

The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender is better than the Ninja Professional Plus Blender with Auto-iQ for most purposes. The Foodi can hot blend and make a much smoother blend with fibrous ingredients like kale, so it's a better choice for making smoothies and soup. It has a better build quality and a greater number of automatic blending programs. The Professional is quieter when it's running and has a somewhat bigger capacity.

Hamilton Beach Power Elite Multi-Function

The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender is a significantly better full-size blender than the Hamilton Beach Power Elite Multi-Function. The Ninja has a much better build quality and performs better when processing fibrous ingredients, crushing ice, and making nut butter. It can also warm up room-temperature ingredients.

Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ

The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender and the Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ have different features, and you may prefer either, depending on what you're looking for. The Foodi can hot blend and heat ingredients. It makes a smoother blend with big batches of fibrous ingredients, making it better for big batches of smoothies or broccoli soup. Meanwhile, the Ninja has a pair of personal jars and is better suited for single-serve smoothies. It also includes food processing accessories like a dough blade and a chopping blade.

nutribullet Blender Combo

The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender and the NutriBullet Blender Combo have different strengths. The Ninja is more versatile since it can heat ingredients, crush ice, and do a much better job with tough tasks like making nut butter. On the other hand, the NutriBullet blends fibrous ingredients like kale and fruit faster. It also comes with a personal jar for single-serves, so you may prefer it for smoothie-making. It's also easier to clean by hand and dishwasher-safe.

KitchenAid Diamond

The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender and the KitchenAid Diamond have different strengths. The Ninja is better built and has a bigger capacity, and you can use it to heat cool ingredients. It's a better ice crusher as well. On the other hand, the KitchenAid makes a smoother blend of fibrous ingredients, so it can make a silkier smoothie or soup. It's also much easier to use for thicker mixtures like nut butter. It's also quieter when it's running. The jar and lid are dishwasher-safe and easier to clean by hand.

Vitamix Explorian E310

For most purposes, the Vitamix Explorian E310 is better than the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender. The Vitamix is better built and does a better job of processing fibrous ingredients and making nut butter. It's easier to clean by hand and is dishwasher-safe. On the other hand, the Ninja's main jar has a bigger capacity. It offers many automatic blending programs, while the Vitamix only has a speed dial. It's also a better choice for crushing ice.

Ninja Mega Kitchen System [BL770, BL770AMZ, BL771]

If you want to blend hot mixes, the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender is better than the Ninja Mega Kitchen System. On the other hand, the Mega might be a better option if you mostly plan to make smoothies and other cold recipes. The Mega is also better at crushing ice and comes with more jugs and accessories than the Foodi, including a food processor bowl. Its personal jars help make it much better for processing small batches, like for a single-serve smoothie.

KitchenAid K150

The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender is slightly better than the KitchenAid K150. The Ninja has a bigger capacity and better ice-crushing performance. It can heat room-temperature ingredients and offers more automatic blending programs. However, the KitchenAid K150 performs similarly overall. It has a smaller 48-ounce main jar, but it's dishwasher-safe and easier to clean by hand. It's also much quieter when it's running.

Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher System [CO351B, SS351]

The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender and the Ninja Foodi Power Pitcher System are full-size blenders with different strengths. The Cold & Hot has a glass jar that can hot blend. The jar has a heating element built into it, so it can heat up and cook ingredients for recipes like soups. On the other hand, the Power Pitcher comes with additional attachments like personal jars and a 'Smoothie Bowl Maker' jar. As a result, it's easier to use for smaller batches like single-serve smoothies and thick recipes like nut butter or hummus.

nutribullet Smart Touch Blender Combo

The Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender is better for most purposes than the NutriBullet Smart Touch Blender Combo. The Ninja is more versatile since it can heat ingredients, crush ice, and make smooth nut butter. It also has a better build quality. On the other hand, the NutriBullet makes a smoother blend with fibrous ingredients like kale. It's much better for making single-serve smoothies since it comes with personal jars with resealable lids. Its jar is dishwasher-safe, unlike the Ninja's, and it's easier to clean by hand.

Ninja Blender Duo with Auto-iQ BL642

You may prefer either the Ninja Blender Duo with Auto-iQ BL642 or the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender, depending on what you're looking for. The Foodi can hot blend and heat ingredients. It makes a much smoother blend with fibrous ingredients like kale, so it's more suitable for recipes like soup. On the other hand, the Duo comes with three personal jars with resealable lids and makes a well-blended smoothie much faster.

Ninja Chef Blender

The Ninja Chef Blender is better than the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender for most purposes. It blends small and big batches of fibrous ingredients much more efficiently and with smoother results. It's easier to clean by hand and is dishwasher-safe. It can hot blend but with a few limitations, like a smaller capacity for hot ingredients. Unfortunately, it's also extremely loud. If you care about noise or if you make a lot of hot recipes like pureed soup or sauce, the Foodi is the better option. It's more versatile when hot blending and has a built-in heating element for warming up cool ingredients. It also has a much better build quality.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Dimensions
Blender Type
Full Size Blender
Height
Lock" (Lock cm)
Width Lock" (Lock cm)
Depth Lock" (Lock cm)
Weight
Lock lbs (Lock kg)
Shaft Length (Immersion Blenders)
N/A

The Ninja Foodi Cold and Hot Blender (HB152) is on the bulky side and is quite heavy. Due to the blender's size and weight, it's best to leave it on the counter for storage to avoid carrying it around and potentially damaging it.

N/A
Design
Build Quality

Its build quality is excellent. The base is made of plastic and feels well-built. The main jar is made of glass, while the bottom portion of the jar is plastic and wrapped with a thin sheet of metal. Unfortunately, the rubber feet don't have enough friction to keep the blender from moving around when it's operating at its highest setting. An annoying sound comes from the bottom of the jar, likely due to friction between the metal and the surrounding silicone. However, this blender feels much sturdier overall than the Hamilton Beach Power Elite Multi-Function, which also has a glass jar.

N/A
Design
Jar Capacity
Main Jar Capacity
Lock oz (Lock ml)
Additional Jar Capacity
N/A

It comes with one 64-ounce jar. Many other Ninja blenders come with more accessories like personal jars for smoothies or extra blades for food processing, like the Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System, although that model can't hot blend.

Design
Jar/Beaker Materials
Jar/Beaker Material
Locked
Dishwasher Safe
Locked

The main jar has a 56-ounce capacity. Unlike other Ninja blenders we've tested, the jar is made of glass, which you may find less prone to scratches and discoloration than plastic. There's also a heating element built into the base that allows the blender to heat ingredients, but it means you can't immerse it in water or put it in your dishwasher.

Design
Blades
Blade Type
Locked
Blade Count
Lock
Removable
Locked
Dishwasher Safe
Locked

The blades aren't removable. There are six horizontal blades, plus two smaller vertical blades that sit on top of them. Because you can't remove them from the jar, you have to clean the blades by hand.

Design
Lid
Two-Part Lid
Locked
Lid Closing Type
Locked

The lid comes in two pieces: the lid itself and the center cap. It has a locking mechanism and needs to be locked down to begin operation. The center cap is removable while operating the blender, allowing you to add ingredients or push the ingredients down towards the blades with the provided tamper.

Design
Power Cord
Stow-Away Compartment
Locked
Cord Length
Lock ft (Lock m)

The power cord is long enough for most people, and there's a small stowaway compartment on the back of the blender where you can tie the cord up for storage.

Design
In The Box

  • User guide
  • Motor base
  • 64oz glass pitcher with precision heating element
  • Tamper
  • Cleaning brush
  • Lid and center cap

Performance
N/A
Performance
Fibrous Ingredients (Small Batches)
- SAMPLE -
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Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender Fibrous Ingredients (Small Batches) Video Sample
Jar Used
Locked
Fibrous Ingredients Processing
0.0
Fibrous Ingredients Texture
0.0

It makes a very smooth blend with small batches of fibrous ingredients like fruit and leafy greens. However, it's not easy to use for blending smaller recipes. It takes much longer than some blenders, and you'll have to use a spatula to scrape the sides of the jar more than once to get the best results.

N/A
Performance
Fibrous Ingredients (Full Capacity)
- SAMPLE -
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Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender Fibrous Ingredients (Full Capacity) Video Sample
Jar Used Locked
Fibrous Ingredients Processing
0.0
Fibrous Ingredients Texture
0.0

It's great for processing fibrous ingredients at full capacity, producing a very smooth blend with just a few unprocessed bits left over. However, it requires a long blending time. You have to stop and scrape the sides of the jar with a spatula for the best results, and the blender moves around a lot while it's running, so you have to hold it in place.

N/A
Performance
Crushed Ice
- SAMPLE -
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Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender Crushed Ice Video Sample
Crushed Ice Preparation
0.0
Crushed Ice Texture
0.0

It's a superb ice crusher. Like most of the full-size Ninja models we've tested, it produces snow-like crushed ice in less than a minute if you blend on high speed. You have to pulse a few times towards the end of the process to get the best results, but it's a very easy blender to use for crushing ice.

N/A
Performance
Nut Butter
- SAMPLE -
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Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender Nut Butter Video Sample
Nut Butter Preparation
0.0
Nut Butter Texture
0.0

It's great at making nut butter. It takes more time and effort than some blenders but produces fantastic nut butter that's easy to spread on toast. Depending on the size of your recipe, the tamper may not reach the ingredients, and in that case, you need to stop the blender several times, take off the lid, and use a spatula to scrape everything down towards the blades. Making nut butter with the Ninja Chef Blender is an easier process.

N/A
Performance
Noise
- SAMPLE -
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Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender Noise Video Sample
Noise @ Max Speed
Lock dB

The Ninja HB152 is on the loud side for a full-size blender. Practically all blenders are pretty loud, but you can find options that make less noise, like the NutriBullet Smart Touch Blender Combo and the Ninja Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ.

Performance
Blade Speed
Min Speed
Lock RPM
Max Speed
Lock RPM
Power
1,400 W
Speed Adjustment Based On Jar Type
Locked

It doesn't offer a very wide range of speed settings. The lowest speed isn't that slow, which is limiting if you want to start at a low speed and gradually ramp up.

Ease Of Use
Ease Of Use
Controls And Programs
On/Off Switch
Locked
Speed Presets
Lock
Speed Dial
Locked
Hot Blending
Yes
Pulse/Turbo Mode
Locked
Programs
Lock
Blending Time Indicator
Locked
Programmable Timer
Locked

This blender has a lot of different automatic blending programs. Each runs the blender for a set duration, and some heat up or cook ingredients.

  • Smoothie - 0:45
  • Extract - 1:05
  • Frozen drink - 0:55
  • Ice cream - 1:10
  • Saute - 5:21
  • Sauce/Dip - 20:30
  • Hearty soup - 20:00
  • Smooth soup - 20:00
  • Mixer - 10:30
  • Water - 10:30
  • Cocktail - 10:30

There are also three different speed presets that you can use for manual blending with or without the heating element. The manual 'Blend' mode has a 60-second time limit, after which the blender stops automatically.

N/A
Ease Of Use
Cleaning
- SAMPLE -
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Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender Self-Cleaning Video Sample
- SAMPLE -
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Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender Cleaning Video Sample

The Ninja HB152 isn't easy to clean by hand. The six-minute 'Clean' preset program works quite well but doesn't completely eliminate sticky debris inside the jar. The jar is heavy, and you can't immerse it in water, which makes it a little awkward to clean in a sink. You need to use a brush with a handle to clean around the sharp, non-removable blades, and the lid has ridges that can trap debris, so it needs extra attention with a sponge.