The Verdict
The KitchenAid K400 is a versatile variable speed blender with tamper designed to handle tough, fibrous ingredients like almonds and kale with consistent precision. Its combination of an asymmetric blade, ribbed jar vortex, and Intelli-Speed motor control delivers reliable everyday performance for everything from crushed ice to silk-smooth purées.
Why We Love It (Key Features)
- Three-Part Blending System: Combines a vortex-creating ribbed jar, an asymmetric blade cutting at four distinct angles, and Intelli-Speed Motor Control that automatically senses container contents to maintain optimal speed through dense recipes.
- 5-Speed Dial & Preset Programs: Gives you total manual control over textures ranging from coarse to ultra-smooth, alongside dedicated one-touch presets for Ice Crush, Icy Drink, and Smoothie.
- Dedicated Tamper Included: Helps guide stubborn, thick ingredients directly into the blending vortex without stopping the cycle, ensuring an even blend throughout the 56 oz jar.
- Hassle-Free Self-Clean Cycle: Simplifies cleanup after kitchen prep—just add warm water and a drop of dish soap to the jar, run the cycle, and rinse clean.
Pros & Cons of This Variable Speed Blender with Tamper
Pros
- Powers through dense whole foods like raw kale and whole almonds with ease.
- Includes a 56 oz BPA-free jar, jar lid, and dedicated tamper right out of the box.
- Three dedicated recipe presets simplify daily blending tasks.
- Expandable ecosystem with compatible 6-oz small batch and 16-oz personal jars.
Cons
- The 56 oz jar setup and included accessories require dedicated kitchen cabinet or countertop space.
- Expansion accessories like the personal blender jar and small-batch jar must be purchased separately.
Who Should Buy This?
This blender is an ideal choice for home cooks, smoothie enthusiasts, and busy households looking for a dependable countertop workhorse that reliably processes whole foods, frozen drinks, and marinades without stalling or leaving unblended chunks behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What comes included with this variable speed blender with tamper?
Model KSB4028 includes the blender base, one 56 oz BPA-free blender jar, a blender jar lid, and a custom tamper designed to push stubborn ingredients into the vortex.
Can this blender crush ice and handle tough whole foods?
Yes. It features dedicated Ice Crush and Icy Drink preset programs, as well as an Intelli-Speed motor and asymmetric blade designed to power through tough ingredients like whole almonds and fibrous kale.
Are personal-size blending cups included in the box?
No, the 16-oz Personal Blender Jar Expansion Pack (KSB2030PJB) and the 6-oz Small Batch Jar Expansion Pack (KSB2040BBB) are optional accessories sold separately.
5.0 out of 5 stars Decent Blender I researched blenders, watched a ton of videos and narrowed it down to the vitamix, ninja and ka k400. I ended up picking the KA k400 because it has a strong motor and comes with a tamper, is only 15 inches in height so it fits under my cabinet with no problem, standard countertop to cabinet distance is 18 inches. This blender also came in the same contour silver as my other KA countertop appliances. It is very easy to use just turn the knob to either a number or picture icon and hit the on button. The picture icons have predetermined times and will automatically stop after the determined time is complete. It can make ice into snow. it is loud but I just expect that from a blender. It is aesthetically pleasing alot of blenders are just ugly. So far I have only used this blender for smoothies. It does an excellent job of making a frozen fruit smoothie super smooth in a short amount of time, BUT I have to use the tamper to help move the fruit & ice around and monitor it to see if I need to add more liquid to get the ‘vortex’ mixing started. After watching lots of blender reviews, I knew I wanted a blender with a ‘tamper” like the vitamix brand offers. Not all brands of blenders of a tamper although they should. The tamper is invaluable to help move stuff around in the blender. The tamper does not touch the blades. All and all I am happy with my purchase.Variation: Color: Contour Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing American made machine I’ve had this for a few months now and it’s amazing. Got an extra personal container and now I use it all the time. Just set it to smoothie with my personal container and I have a perfect drink in like a minute, ready to walk out the door. I’ve learned that some KitchenAid appliances are made in the USA and some are made in china, this being one of the American made products definitely makes it work the price. Especially as I’ve hear other brands known for blenders specifically have outsourced parts and gone down in quality, the most recent online blender review video I saw also places this second to a Breville blender that’s more than double the piece, personally I’d take pay less for designed and made in America, than designed in Australia and made in ChinaVariation: Color: Contour Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars Purees Leafy Greens with No Problem, Is Powerful! This blender is the best I’ve owned. It makes fabulous smoothies, and crushes ice with no problem. It’s very powerful. In my opinion it works just as good as a juicer. It has a heavy base which makes it sturdy, has a cleaning cycle, and I paid much less than the cost of higher brand models. It purees leafy greens with no problem.Variation: Color: Contour Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars Top-tier blender, highly recommend!This blender is worth every penny. The build quality is excellent, and it feels very sturdy. It blends everything effortlessly in seconds. It is very easy to use, easy to clean, and the performance is outstanding. If you are looking for a durable, high-performance blender, this is the one to get.Variation: Color: Contour Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars Great blender, nice design Great blender. Had a vitamix that died and had to be sent back for repairs after 6 months. Bought this one to make smoothies while our other one was repaired. This is a great blender, half the price of the vitamix and just all- around better design.Variation: Color: Contour Silver