Verdict

Pros

• LED touchscreen controls
• Blends ice and frozen ingredients
• Three auto settings plus manual

Cons

• Not suitable for hot blending
• Noisy
• Only available in black

What is the Ninja Multi-Serve Touchscreen Blender CT610UK?

Smoothie devotees will find three big reasons to love the Ninja Multi-Serve Touchscreen Blender CT610UK. First is that it tackles ice, frozen fruit and nuts as easily as soft ingredients, thanks to a stacked blade assembly that spans the height of the jug.

Secondly, it does away with buttons entirely, while still providing three automatic programmes and three manual blending options, as everything’s controlled by a touchscreen. So when it’s off, all you see is a sleek black fascia, which is perfect for sitting out on a worktop. Finally, it has a generous capacity, whizzing up drinks for the whole family or cocktails for a crowd.

Ninja Multi-Serve Touchscreen Blender CT610UK – Design and features

While the design of the blender is noticeably chunky, with a thick handle, no-nonsense square pitcher and robust blade unit, it actually takes up very little space on the worktop. It’s just 16cm wide, plus the pitcher can be orientated with the handle to the left or right – making it ideal for compact kitchens. Inside, six stainless-steel blades fit onto the jug’s drive gear (though they don’t stay in place when the jug is tipped). The lid’s handle locks it on plus there’s a hinged spout cover, so smoothies that are liquid enough can be poured without taking the jug apart. It also has a handy cable tidy at the back.

Turning on the blender reveals all its functions. Touching a power symbol gives the option of Auto-IQ programmes (Smoothie, Frozen Drink or Puree) or manual blending (High, Low and Pulse). Choosing an automatic programme starts a countdown clock display while manual modes count up, so you can see how long you’ve been blending. Each can be paused by pressing the active button or stopped with the power icon.

Related: Best hand blenders

Ninja Multi-Serve Touchscreen Blender CT610UK – What’s it like to use?

As well as a quick-start guide, there’s a recipe book to give you an idea of what else you can make, such as sauces and desserts, with the touchscreen blender and which mode to use.

I started by making a cinnamon and coffee smoothie, using cooled coffee, chocolate, yoghurt and milk, added in a specific order, topped with ice cubes. Frustratingly, this recipe listed the quantity of yoghurt in a US-style ½ cup measurement, which meant I had to guess how much to use.

One feature I liked was the lid: as it locks into place, there’s no worrying about not putting it on properly. Selecting the Auto-IQ Smoothie programme was simple, and it took just three taps to reach it from the menu and the blender began straight away. The countdown timer started at 70 seconds, and the programme was a series of pulses (to initially process the ice), before moving to constant blending with short pauses about 45 seconds in. While the blending was intense – and too loud to talk over – there were no leaks.

As the smoothie was mostly liquid, I was able to pour it out of the spout without removing the lid or the blades. The spout could also be used for adding ingredients, such as drizzling in oil for mayonnaise. The smoothie itself was pleasant and very frothy but the small particles of chocolate soon sank to the bottom of the glass without being properly incorporated.Next, I made a garlic and tomato soup, which required cooking on the hob after blending. After adding all the ingredients in the order listed, I used the manual High setting to blitz them together. There was no specified time for this, but the blender stopped by itself after around a minute. The soup was smoothly processed with a few flecks of basil remaining and really easy to scrape out of the square-style jug into a pan for cooking.

Finally, I made a strawberry daiquiri using strawberries, rum and ice cubes on the IQ Frozen Drink setting. This ran for 70 seconds using pulsing initially but then constant bursts of blitzing. The resulting cocktail was smooth with a thick texture and a few bits of fruit seed remaining. It closely resembled the recipe photo, too.

The jug, lid and blades are all dishwasher safe and came out sparkling, but washing the blades by hand was difficult. They’re very sharp and cut the sponge I was using to wash them. However, the jug and lid were simple to wash by hand.

Should I buy the Ninja Multi-Serve Touchscreen Blender CT610UK?

The touchscreen blender excels at making smoothies and frozen drinks, even if the results aren’t the most velvety smooth possible. However, if you’re paying more than £100 for a blender, it’s reasonable to expect it to be able to handle hot or at least warm liquids, which this one doesn’t. The other issue is cleaning the blades – for those without a dishwasher, hand washing them is hazardous, so it’d be good to see a dedicated brush included. Niggles aside, this is a great buy for families as well as smaller households with a smoothie or cocktail lover.

Verdict

A stylish blender for all your drink, dip and daiquiri needs.

Trusted Score