Easy Ways How to Use the Ninja Blender as a Food Processor

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A food processor is usually the dedicated kitchen tool for chopping, slicing, dicing, and other, you know, processing tasks. But then, isn’t there a way how to use the ninja blender as a food processor for these tasks too?

Well, a simple is a YES. In fact, you can use any blender as a food processor for light stuff like chopping salsas and coleslaw. It only becomes a problem for tougher tasks, such as when you want to grind coffee beans for espresso or a French Press drink.

In any case, a Ninja blender succeeds pretty well in either light or tough food processing tasks. And in this post, we’re going to quickly highlight how to use the brand as a food processor right.

Please, Be Gentle with Your Ninja

First, you may know Ninja is one of the best brands in the country when looking for a cheap blender for smoothies. It’s a Chinese name, for sure. But not all products from the region are usually bad apples.

The likes of Ninja Bl770 and Bn801 are actually some of the bestselling blenders on Amazon. And not just from the friendly price, but also their amazing features and decent performance.

For instance, a tough task like making crushed ice is very possible if you know how to use a Ninja blender without straining the motor and blades. And when I say this, the brand is a basic machine that performs by chopping down the ingredients at a high speed.

The Ninja motor usually does not have the kind of power (muscles) that we have on a true high-power Blendtec or Vitamix blender for juicing. Its “high-performance” revolves around a high shaft rotational speed and razor-sharp blades. Hence, the reason you’ll notice the blend quality tends to drop over time- after the blades lose their sharpness.

Another thing, nearly all Ninja blenders usually operate with a plastic drive gear system. And while the plastic feels very sturdy, it’s not ideal if you plan to do tough food processing tasks regularly.

Even on light tasks like chopping, you might want to chop down your carrots in halves or quarters to speed up the process.

How to Use the Ninja Blender as a Food Processor

Technically, we have two main ways you can use your Ninja blender as a food processor:

Method 1: Use the Ninja Food Processor Attachment

The first way how to use the Ninja blender as a food processor is with a compatible food processor bowl. All the devices under the line of Ninja 1500-watt Mega Kitchen System have such an attachment, and so are the:

Different from the high-end Vitamix V1200 or A3500 and other smart Ascent machines, the Ninja blender systems come with all accessories. And this includes its appropriate food processor attachment, plus the blades.

However, the Ninja does not have the slice/ shred disc, which is available when you use Vitamix as a food processor. So, you lose the ability to slice and shred those super-thin pieces of carrots and cucumber to decorate your dish.

In any case, you can use a Ninja blender as a food processor with the bowl attachment as easily as:

Grab your blender from the cabinet and rinse the food processor bowl plus blade in clean water
Prep the ingredients of your recipes as required. For instance, clean the cabbage and chop it into blocks if making coleslaw or salad.
Now, grasp the chopping blade by the top of the shaft and insert it into the drive gear shaft sticking out the bottom of the bowl.
After you have mounted the blade, add the prepped ingredients into the bowl without exceeding the MAX FILL line.
Next, place the lid on the food processor bowl and secure it in place. (Make sure the lid locks properly as the machine will not turn on if not).
Once sure the lid has locked properly, hit the power button and process your mixture until the desired consistency. Use the pulse button if you’re chopping for the best control over the texture

Note: the food processor bowl attachment with the Ninja blender does come with a dough blade. On top of chopping, mincing, and grinding, you can also knead the dough for pizzas or cookies.

Method 2: Use the Regular Ninja Blender Container

The second way how to use the Ninja blender as a food processor is by using the regular blending container. It might be tricky to do tasks like kneading dough and grinding grains for flour (in the 72-ounce pitcher). But other processes, including chopping, crushing ice, and making butter are pretty much possible.

To use the Ninja blender as a food processor with the large total crushing pitcher:

Grab your blender from the cabinet and rinse the blending container (plus the blade) in clean water
Prep the ingredients of your recipes, including chopping them into manageable pieces
Grasp the total-crushing blade by the top of the shaft and insert it into the drive gear shaft sticking out of the bottom of the bowl.
Now, toss the prepped ingredients into the blending jar without exceeding the MAX FILL line.
Next, place the lid on the jar and press down on the handle (until it clicks) to lock. Same as the food processor bowl, the motor won’t start if the lid hasn’t locked well on the pitcher
Once sure the lid has locked properly, hit the power button and pulse the mixture until the desired consistency.

Use the Ninja Personal Cups to Mill

Whether it’s chopping, grinding, crushing, or even mincing, these are the two main ways how to use a Ninja blender as a food processor. It’s a straightforward process that you don’t need any special skills- except to insert the blade and lock the lid.

Sadly, however, the stacked blade with the 72-ounce pitcher tends to struggle with pulverizing small seeds. And for that, you’ll want to use the add-on food processor bowl for tasks like making flour.

If your Ninja blender doesn’t have the bowl attachment, the extractor blade with the personal cups does pulverize ingredients well. It even refines seeds and grains to fine powders and flours. But due to the size of the blending cups, you can only be able to process small batches at a time.