Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System SS401 review

The Ninja Foodi Power Blender Ultimate System SS401 is a hybrid that makes processor cuts in its blender pitcher. Its package also has an 18-ounce smoothie-bowl maker and a 24-ounce nutrient-extraction cup, but those are different vessels for different jobs—not extra food-processor capacity. SS401 suits a kitchen that will use blending and food prep from the same motor base. If your essential question is how large a dedicated processor work bowl is, this model is harder to place: the manufacturer calls the 72-ounce vessel a “Power Blender & Processor Pitcher,” and the manual’s disc maximum is an unnumbered line.

One pitcher, several tool changes

The exact U.S. SS401 listing identifies a feed-chute lid with a two-part pusher, a reversible slicing/shredding disc, a separate grating disc, a dough blade and a stacked chopping blade. Slicing, shredding and grating happen in the 72-ounce pitcher with the chute lid installed; blending or chopping uses that same pitcher with a flat lid and the relevant blade assembly. The discs are useful when you want ribbons, shredded vegetables or grated hard cheese without buying a separate full-size processor. The tradeoff is a shared bowl: disc work and blade work require different assemblies and lids, and you cannot leave a dedicated processor bowl set up while using a second pitcher on the base.

There is no separate rated food-processor bowl in the exact in-box list. The product page’s 72-ounce pitcher size describes the vessel, while the guide’s 64-ounce maximum is specifically a liquid-fill limit. The disc instructions instead say not to exceed a “DISC MAX” mark but do not state a cup amount. Those figures are not interchangeable, so the matcher treats a rated processor-bowl minimum as unknown rather than converting fluid ounces into a guaranteed chopping batch. If an eight-cup rated work bowl is essential, consider TB401, whose listing confirms one, or check SS401’s markings against your own batch before buying.

Choose it for the tools, not the motor headline

SS401’s reversible disc has a slicer face and a shredder face; the exact sources do not give the slice thickness or identify separate fine and medium shred grades. Its grating disc is an additional tool, but a grater is not a grid dicer. The package does not list a dicing kit, French-fry disc, crinkle-cut disc, adjustable slicer or second processor bowl. If one of those is essential, compare packages by the named item rather than the broad “ultimate system” description or a promotional image.

The exact page lists 1,200 watts and separately advertises 1,600 peak watts. Neither number is a measured comparison of texture, speed, noise or durability. It also lists seven automatic and eleven manual programs. The SS400-series guide describes container-dependent Auto-iQ modes: the “DISC” mode or manual speed 1 for the chute/disc setup; DOUGH or speed 1 with the dough blade; and up to ten manual speeds with the pitcher and stacked blade. The cup and smoothie bowl are limited to speed 10. Program availability depends on the installed container and lid, so the program count is not a promise that every preset works in every configuration.

Dough use has a tool and a boundary

The included dough blade and DOUGH preset make SS401 a plausible fit for occasional mixing and dough formation, especially if you also want its blender and smoothie vessels. The guide directs dough use to the DOUGH program or speed 1. Its pitcher has a DOUGH MAX line, but neither the exact product page nor the inspected guide gives a numeric flour-cup maximum. That means a flour requirement in cups remains unknown; a dough recipe using the machine is not proof of the maximum safe batch. The guide also states that manual blending runs continuously for up to 60 seconds. There is no general motor rest interval or permission to exceed that stop, so households needing a documented 90-second uninterrupted run should look elsewhere.

Care, counter space and fit

The SS400 Series Owner’s Guide says the removable containers, lids, discs and blade assemblies are dishwasher-safe. It does not specify top-rack placement, so buyers with a strict top-rack-only requirement should not assume it. The motor base is wiped with a damp cloth rather than submerged, and the guide warns against dry grinding and hot-liquid blending. The exact SS401 listing gives a 15.59-inch height, 18.5-inch length, 9.84-inch width and 14.55-pound weight. Check the height and storage footprint with the pitcher and attachments in mind; the machine’s single base does not make the extra vessels and blades disappear from the cupboard. The listed warranty is one year.

Compared with Ninja’s IQ801BK, SS401 makes its slicing/shredding disc and grating disc explicit in the box list, while IQ801BK has a separately rated eight-cup processor bowl and named Chop/Dough presets but no listed slicing disc. TB401 also has a rated eight-cup processor bowl and reversible disc; SS401 adds the grater and separate smoothie-bowl/extraction vessels, but does not publish an equivalent processor-bowl rating. A dedicated Cuisinart or Breville processor may be a clearer choice if bowl size, a specific cut thickness or a manual-listed dough amount matters more than the pitcher blending attachments.

Bottom line: SS401 earns a place when you will use its shared blender/processor pitcher for both blade work and disc prep, and you value the extra smoothie bowl and nutrient cup. It is not the best fit for a strict rated-bowl minimum, grid dicing, fixed cut dimensions, a flour-cup ceiling, or verified top-rack washing. Keep those requirements hard and compare them with the exact package and manual, not with vessel labels alone.

Sources: Ninja U.S. SS401 product page and Ninja U.S. food-processor directory; the SS401 Quick Start Guide and applicable SS400 Series Owner’s Guide. Published specifications describe the manufacturer’s package and instructions, not independent performance tests.