Ninja baby food processor

Ninja BL660 Review | Tested by BabyGearLab

A blender with a unique blade system, safety locking lid, suction-cup feet, and more extras, but can't handle hot liquids

Credit: Ninja

$100 at Amazon

Price: $120 List

Manufacturer: Ninja

By Molly Bradac ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ Jul 2, 2021

OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#1 of 10

Puree Quality - 35% 9.5
Ease of Use - 30% 7.5
Health/Safety - 20% 9.0
Ease of Cleaning - 15% 8.8

RELATED: Best Baby Food Makers

The Skinny

For making homemade baby food, the Ninja BL660 performs well, making it an attractive and compelling option. It has a unique blade system (three sets of blades!) to blend and pulverize ingredients and creates a puree acceptable for most babies. The machine sports convenience features, such as suction cup feet to keep it steady while blending and space for cord storage on the base's backside. However, the Ninja cannot blend hot ingredients. Therefore, you must allow food items to cool to room temperature. Also, the blades are sharp and can scratch the pitcher's inside if they accidentally brush against the pitcher's wall while removing or assembling. Despite these factors, you might appreciate the blender's unique blade system.

REASONS TO BUY

Top-performer

Three-tier blade

Safety mechanisms

And lots of extras

REASONS TO AVOID

Can't accommodate hot ingredients

Blade can scratch pitcher

Compare to Similar Products

(change comparison)

	This Product Ninja BL660	NutriBullet Blender	Oster Pro 1200 Blender	Sage Spoonfuls Puree and Blend	OXO Tot Food Masher
Awards
Price	$120 List $99. 99 at Amazon	$110 List $99.99 at Amazon	$90 List $89.99 at Amazon	$50 List $49.99 at Amazon	$12.00 List $11.99 at Amazon
Overall Score
Star Rating	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Pros	Top-performer, three-tier blade, safety mechanisms, and lots of extras	Easy to use, excellent purees, large batches, easy to clean	Glass, easier cleaning, above-average performance, and user-friendly	Quality puree, easy to clean, inexpensive	Minimal, small in size, compact, lid included, easy to clean, inexpensive, portable
Cons	Can't accommodate hot ingredients, blade can scratch pitcher	No cooking feature, not portable, takes up space	Loud on highest setting, trapped food chunks under blade	Does not cook	Below-average puree quality, small amounts, requires effort, lid may pop-off, staining
Bottom Line	A blender with a unique blade system, safety locking lid, suction-cup feet, and more extras, but can't handle hot liquids	A top-notch blender that consistently creates smooth purees and offers enough capacity to produce large batches of baby food but takes up kitchen counter real estate	A blender that performs decently and features a Boroclass pitcher that is durable and healthier for babies	Simple, inexpensive, and versatile, this unit makes baby food in a snap	A travel-friendly, manual food maker that mashes, but does not puree like machines
Rating Categories	Ninja BL660	NutriBullet Blender	Oster Pro 1200 Blender	Sage Spoonfuls Pure. ..	OXO Tot Food Masher
Puree Quality (35%)
Ease of Use (30%)
Health/Safety (20%)
Ease of Cleaning (15%)
Specs	Ninja BL660	NutriBullet Blender	Oster Pro 1200 Blender	Sage Spoonfuls Pure...	OXO Tot Food Masher
Capacity	72 oz. Pitcher (MAX Liquid Capacity : 64 oz./8 cups)	8 cups	6 cups	Not Listed for Food Processor, N/A for Immersion Blender	Not Listed
Footprint	Large	Large	Large	Small	Small
Steam	No	No	No	No	No
Settings	Blend, Puree	Blend, Puree	Blend, Puree	Blend, Puree	Blend, Mash
Special Features		None		None	None
Included Accessories	(1) 72 oz. Pitcher, (2) 16 oz. Nutri Ninja Cups with Lids, and (1) Small Blade	Tamper, Recipe Booklet	(1) 6 cup Pitcher, 24 oz. Smoothie Cup with Lid	HomeMade Essentials Package Available with (1) Recipe Book, (6) Glass 4oz Storage Jars, (60) Labels, (1) Immersion Blender with Food Processor Attachment and Pocket Guide	(1) Lid
Available Accessories	None	Yes	None	Sage Baby Eco Steamer, Sage Spoonfuls - Simple Recipes, Healthy Meals, Happy Babies; Sage Spoonfuls Pocket Guide, Assorted Storage Jars, Pouches, Snackie and Munchie Bag Sets	None

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Our Analysis and Test Results

Ninja is one of several house-care brands developed by SharkNinja Operating LLC, a well-established company in the housewares industry. They produce not only household appliances, including blenders, but also home cleaning products, like vacuums. Driven by innovation and ease of use, plus competitive pricing, the company strives to impact people worldwide with helpful products.

Performance Comparison

The Ninja BL660 comes with some extras, such as two 16 oz. Nutri Ninja cups with lids, suction cup feet, and cord storage.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Puree Quality

We blended various foods from soft to raw, including frozen, to compare the puree quality of each machine. Equipped with an 1100 watt motor and unique blade system (amping up the blending efficacy), this machine certainly has enough power and an innovative design to blend most foods. Therefore, it may come as no surprise that this machine was a top performer in this metric.

This machine excels at blending soft foods, like bananas and avocados, and prepared a puree of meats and grains that can work for most babies. Although kale and uncooked foods can cause issues for most machines, the Ninja BL660 did a fine job with these ingredients, only leaving behind tiny pieces like skins.

Peas.Carrot.

The container's design does not accommodate hot blending, so you'll need cool ingredients to room temperature. We consider this a drawback as food items are often hot while preparing baby food ingredients or family meals, so it can be inconvenient to wait for ingredients to cool. Despite having top scores in this metric, this drawback kept it from receiving an award.

The Ninja BL660 features a unique blade system that is unlike any other contender in our review.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Use

If a machine is easy to set up and use, it is more likely that you'll use it for your baby food-making adventures. Fortunately for the Ninja, it scored high in this metric. Out of the box, the machine is easy to set up and has a short learning curve before you start blending. You will need to cook or steam ingredients depending on what you'd like to prepare. But, once ingredients are ready to go and cooled, the blending task is quick.

Besides the base and BPA-free pitcher (72 oz. capacity, but MAX liquid capacity is 64 oz), you get two Nutri Ninja cups (16 oz.) and a blade unit to use with the cups. The Nutri Ninja smoothie cups work well to blend smaller portions, and they come with to-go lids so that you can stick them in the fridge. However, the to-go lids are not travel-friendly, with open drinking holes that are not sealable. So, if you prep a smoothie for the road and it falls over, a mess is unavoidable.

This blender has a few features of convenience that we appreciate, such as suction-cup feet and space for cord storage, which is handy when striving to keep your countertop tidy.

The Ninja BL660 has multiple safeguards. For the machine to operate, lock the lid and twist and lock the pitcher into place. It also has a motor thermostat, meaning the motor will turn off if overheated.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Health and Safety

Among other competitors, the Ninja has a rather high score for health and safety as it features a fair amount of safety mechanisms. For instance, the lid's handle locks down for the blender to work, and the two arrows must point towards each other, showing the cover is on correctly.

According to the user manual, you should not run the appliance beyond four minutes to prevent overheating of the machine. There is an internal motor thermostat, and if the appliance is being overloaded, the motor will stop. However, as a good rule of thumb, be mindful of how long you are using the blender.

The blade system on this Ninja is very sharp. While testing, we noticed that the blade rod scratched the inside of the pitcher, despite our best efforts to remove or place it without touching the pitcher (kind of reminded us of the game Operation). If this occurs, we worry about plastic entering the food. Therefore, we advise users to be extremely careful when handling the blades, and if you plan on handwashing it, use a bottle brush.

If you prefer to prepare a small batch of homemade baby food, a blade is included with the Nutri Ninja cups.

Credit: Abriah Wofford

Ease of Cleaning

If a machine is easy to clean and maintain, it will positively influence your food-making experience. Again, the Ninja ranks high in this metric.

Contrary to all-in-one machines with steam tanks, this machine is much easier to clean with fewer concerns about potential mold growth. Also, The benefit of selecting a blender is that it cleans itself by blending water with a small drop of soap. Finally, keep in mind, washing the pitcher as soon as possible while food is moist will help ease the overall cleaning process as dried-on food can be stubborn and difficult to remove.

According to the user manual, all of the removable parts are dishwasher safe. However, we suggest handwashing plastic products for longevity and to avoid the potential of plastic leaching chemicals.

— Molly Bradac

6 Best Baby Food Makers of 2023

When you’re creating your baby registry, thinking about starting your little one on solid food may sound like a long way off. But, as is the case with so many things when it comes to babies (except for those middle-of-the-night feeds, of course), time flies, and before you know it you’ll be thinking of what’s on the menu for baby’s first meal.

Baby food makers are a great solution for making the process of cooking homemade food for your little one fast, simple and even fun. Here’s what you’ll want to know when you’re considering which baby food maker is right for you. Let’s get cooking!

In this article:

Babylist’s Best Baby Food Maker Picks
Do You Need a Baby Food Maker?
Baby Food Storage Ideas

Do You Need a Baby Food Maker?

Figuring out whether or not you need a baby food maker is going to depend on your lifestyle, culinary comfort level and what existing kitchen gadgets you already own.

Skipping the jars and pouches and making your own baby food will definitely save you money and reduce environmental waste. Your role as head chef puts you in charge of ingredients and quality, and gives you free rein to get creative and experiment with fun food combos as much as you’d like.

If you’re not super comfortable in the kitchen, don’t mind sacrificing some counter space and are looking for a foolproof way to dive into making your little one’s food, then a baby food maker is a wise purchase. No matter what type of gadget you go with, the process is pretty much the same: prep the ingredients, steam, puree or chop, and eat. (Your baby will add a few more messy steps in there…so be ready with the wipes). Check out our baby food-making how-to video for step-by-step instructions.

If you’d rather skip the baby food maker altogether, it’s definitely possible to take the DIY route, as long as you have a few key kitchen items on hand. Things like a large pot, a steam basket, some type of blender (a food processor, immersion blender or standard blender will all do the trick) and even your microwave are all key when it comes to making your own baby food.

Baby Food Storage Tips

Whether you’re using the kitchen gadgets you have on hand or letting your baby food maker do the work, you’ll need somewhere to store all of that delicious food so your efforts don’t go to waste. If you’re cooking up single foods (think carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.), we recommend making a few large batches in bulk and then freezing each food in trays like the ones below. After the food freezes, simply pop out the individual cubes and store them in large freezer bags so you can defrost—and mix and match—as needed.

OXO Tot Baby Food Freezer Tray
Mumu & Bubi Solids Starter Kit
BabyBliss Eco Friendly Silicone Baby Food Freezer Storage Tray

For multi-ingredient, more complicated recipes, or for storing food on the go, these storage solutions get the job done:

Sage Spoonfuls Glass Snack Pack
OXO Tot Baby Blocks Storage Containers

How We Chose Our Best Baby Food Makers

We asked thousands of real Babylist families about the baby products they love the most, then took the top products they shared with us and added our own research and insight to tell you about the best baby food makers.

Top Chef