Ninja Stealth IQ Kitchen System review: Finally, a blender you can use before 7am

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Blenders are noisy. It’s just the natural byproduct of spinning metal blades around really quickly to demolish food into a liquid.

But Ninja’s Stealth IQ found a way to mitigate some of that noise. And it comes from the “solutions so obvious I can’t believe I’ve never seen it before” pile.

The Stealth component here is a cover that sits over the top of your smoothie jug, reducing the amount of noise during your blend. The difference it makes is quite remarkable – it’s a far cry from being silent, but it means you can make a smoothie in the morning while your kids sleep in the next room, and not worry about waking them.

Unfortunately, there’s a catch with this stealthy solution to blending. The cover only works for the smaller smoothie jugs – using the larger blender jug or the food processor attachment means you get no noise respite.

Does that detract from the Stealth IQ’s capabilities as a blender? Not at all. In fact, I’d argue that this is one of the most comprehensive blender options on the market to consider.

What makes the Ninja Stealth IQ stand out?

As I mentioned in the intro, the most distinguishable feature of the Stealth IQ is the stealth part. The lid sits on top of the blender’s base when you are using the smaller smoothie blender jugs, and suppresses the noise while it does its job.

But the IQ component is also worth mentioning here. The Stealth IQ’s controls are all managed by the central knob, which boasts a colour display inside it. By rotating the dial and pushing it in, you can select from a range of different blending and chopping modes, depending on your particular needs.

But for many scenarios, Ninja has a built-in IQ mode that does a quick blend to determine what you’re trying to blend, and adapts the blend speed and length so you get the best result every time.

I’m not even 100 percent sure how Ninja detects what it’s blending. I assume there’s a bit more resistance with solid or frozen elements. All I can tell you is that when there are more chunky items, the auto mode pulses a bit, whereas soft liquids end up on a simple, constant blend.

If that sounds a bit too much like leaving your fate to the Gods, then the good news is that there’s a pretty comprehensive collection of detailed control options, all easily accessible and controllable from the main dial.

Ninja Stealth IQ specs

Ninja Stealth IQ Kitchen System Specifications
General
Model Number	QX401
Colour	Black
Weight	3.97kg
Dimensions	21.5cm W × 24.5cm D × 40.5cm H
Cord Length	0.9m
Warranty	2 Years
Motor & Performance
Motor	800W BLDC (equivalent of 1200W DC)
Max RPM	21,000
Controls & Modes
Speed Settings	10 manual speeds
Preset Programs	BlendSense (auto), Frozen Drinks, Extractions, Smoothies, Smoothie Bowls, Salsas, Cookie Dough, Sliced Veggies, Coleslaw
Additional Modes	Manual, Mode, Pulse
Attachments Included
Jugs / Cups	2.1L blending jug, 3 × 700ml single-serve cups with spout lids
Food Processor	1.8L food processor bowl with feed chute lid and pusher
Blades & Discs	Total Crushing & Chopping Blade Assembly, Hybrid Edge Blades Assembly, Chopping Blade Assembly, Dough Blade Assembly, Reversible Slicing/Shredding Disc, Spindle
Noise Reduction	StealthShield & Lid (compatible with single-serve cups only)
Other
BPA Free	Yes
Dishwasher Safe	Yes (top rack)
RRP	$499.99 AUD

Design and build quality

I’ve tested a pretty comprehensive range of Ninja products over the past few years, and there’s definitely a consistent aesthetic, particularly for the brand’s kitchen appliances.

The charcoal-coloured plastic base is the foundation of the Stealth IQ’s entire repertoire of blending and food processing attachments. It’s largely similar to many blender bases, though a little lower than the KitchenAid K400. It has suction cup feet on the bottom to keep it stable, though that does make moving the base into storage a pain.

The base unit uses a brushless direct current motor, which claims to deliver higher torque at lower speeds to better blend ingredients.

One of the best things about the Stealth IQ is the sheer versatility, and that comes down to the number of attachments Ninja puts in the box. There are three 700 ml smoothie jugs, a larger 2.1 litre jug for making large batches of beverages, and a 1.8L food processor bowl, complete with an ingredient chute.

You also get a two-sided spinning disc for the food processor to slice or grate ingredients, as well as a kneading blade to help you make dough.

Every part securely connects, locking into place for use. The large jug and the food processor fully lock in their lids, while the smoothie jugs screw into the blade attachment.

The final piece is the StealthShield, a tall plastic bowl that sits over the top of the smoothie jugs in use to dampen the volume of sound coming from the blender. It works well, though can take up extra space when not in use.

Originally, I hoped that the attachments would store easily in the StealthShield when not in use, but it doesn’t quite work. In fact, when I placed the main chopping blade inside, it got stuck, as the sharp blades cut into the inside of the plastic.

I feel like there’s an opportunity for a refined design here, where the StealthShield can act as a storage container. But it’s a minor criticism of the overall design.

Blending performance

Over the past few months, I have made dozens of smoothies, blended watermelon for mocktails, chopped, sliced and diced vegetables for salads and stir fries, and made simple doughs.

The only time I noticed any impact on the StealthIQ’s blending ability was when my smoothie jug had a little too much liquid in it. The Stealth IQ slowed down a bit as the pressure in the jug grew.

But beyond that – which was user error on my part – the blender did an exceptional job of blending or processing food.

Smoothies in particular were great – Even throwing in chunks of more awkward solid foods like dates ended up with a pretty smooth result.

For smoothies, I always ended up using the default Blendsense setting and leaving the blender to do the hard work for me. Though when I was making dough, or slicing and grating vegetables, I would manually switch to the relevant setting.

I didn’t feel the need to take advantage of the 10 manual blend speeds, other than testing them out once. It’s a reliable piece of kitchen equipment.

Ease of use

Thanks to the Blendsense feature, there’s almost no learning curve with the Stealth IQ blender. Connect the blender and push the dial in, and it will work out what needs to be done.

Even if you prefer more manual control, the large screen inside the dial makes it simple to see exactly what setting and speed you are choosing to use.

That same simplicity comes over to the cleaning side of things. The components for the StealthIQ are dishwasher safe, so long as you can fit them in the dishwasher.

This is particularly useful for the blades, which are sharp and pretty awkward to wash manually, particularly if they are covered in thick substances like ground nuts.

Verdict

For $499.99 RRP, the Ninja Stealth IQ is exceptional value, offering not just a standard blender and food processor combo, but also a trio of smoothie jugs that make it easy to eat healthy. Especially when you can get it for as low as $349.99.

Even though the “Stealth” feature is really only limited to making smoothies, the complete blending performance and incredibly easy to use user interface has changed how I prepare food and the types of food I eat.

I can comfortably say that this is the best blender I’ve used, not just for smoothies, but for chopping, slicing and dicing ingredients as well. It also makes a pretty good pizza dough.

If you need a new blender, this is my current favourite.

Buy the Ninja Stealth IQ if

• You make smoothies in the morning. The StealthShield makes a difference, letting you can blend while the rest of the house sleeps.
• You want one appliance to do it all. Blending, food processing, slicing, grating, and dough. It's all here in one box.
• You hate cleaning blender blades. Everything is top-shelf dishwasher-safe, which makes a difference when you're dealing with thick, sticky blends.
• You're not a blender expert. BlendSense takes the guesswork out entirely… Just add ingredients and press go.

Skip the Ninja Stealth IQ if

• You only require quiet blending. The StealthShield only works with the 700ml single-serve cups. If you're making large batches, you're getting full blender noise.
• Counter or cupboard space is tight. The base, attachments, and StealthShield add up to a lot of kit to store.
• You already own a food processor. If blending is all you need, a simpler (and cheaper) blender will do the job.

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