Air fryers have become a staple in modern kitchens, offering a healthier alternative to deep frying while delivering crispy, delicious results. Among the top brands, Ninja stands out for its innovative designs, versatility, and consistent performance.
Why Choose a Ninja Air Fryer?
Ninja is an industry leader in appliances, regularly making headlines like with the viral Ninja Creami ice cream maker, but its air fryers are hard to beat. Our reviews experts have tested dozens of different air fryers from numerous brands, and Ninja regularly comes highly recommended. We’ve found Ninja’s air fryers to be stylishly designed, easy to use and great value for money. Olive Magazine
If you’re searching for the best air fryer, you’ll quickly notice that Ninja dominates the top lists – and for good reason. The brand has become almost synonymous with air frying, offering everything from compact models to ultra-large, dual-zone, and multifunctional options. They’re sleek, fast, and stylish, and Ninja continues to push the envelope with bigger and better designs. After testing countless of the best air fryers, Ninja is the only brand I keep in my own kitchen.
Top Ninja Air Fryer Models Reviewed
1. Ninja Air Fryer Max XL (AF161)
The Ninja Max XL remains our best overall air fryer for making the crispiest food in the shortest amount of time and being easy to use. (Our best overall pick, the Ninja Max XL, has a 5.5-quart capacity.) In our tests, chicken wings came out super crispy quickly, and fries cooked well. It’s easy to program and clean with a nonstick basket and removable cooking tray. The smaller basket fits nicely into our dishwasher. I’ve been using this model at home for more than six months now. It doesn’t take up too much room alongside my other appliances, and I mostly use it for proteins like chicken, salmon and pork chops. I’m impressed with how well it browns and how quickly it cooks.
The Ninja Air Fryer Max XL is a 5.5-qt. basket-style air fryer, which means you slide a tub for whatever you’re cooking into an opening in the machine, as opposed to an oven-style air fryer which looks like a giant toaster oven. Like all air fryers, it uses convection heating, a little built-in fan that circulates hot air around your food to cook it more quickly and evenly. This particular air fryer has seven cooking functions, which change the balance of top and bottom heating elements. Broil uses the top element, roast uses the bottom, for example. But it also has a very useful temperature boost Ninja calls Max Crisp that most air fryers don’t. Most basket-style air fryers top out at 400°F, but Max Crisp jacks the Ninja’s temperature up 450°F, allowing your food to get even crispier, faster.
Shop Ninja Air Fryer Max XL on Amazon
Pros:
- Exceptional crisping with Max Crisp technology
- Easy to clean with dishwasher-safe parts
- Compact design suitable for smaller kitchens
- Versatile with seven cooking functions
Cons:
- Smaller capacity may not suit large families
- Crisping plate grooves can trap food particles
2. Ninja Foodi DZ550 DualZone
The Ninja Foodi DZ550 is the best air fryer we’ve tested. While it’s a family-sized air fryer, its larger capacity is useful even if you usually cook for only a few people. It makes great-quality air-fried food, producing evenly crispy, golden-brown air-fried foods like chicken wings, vegetables, or French fries, partly because you have plenty of room in the basket to arrange your food in a single layer. You can use different settings for each basket, which allows you to prepare a main and side dish simultaneously. It’s quite versatile, with a range of fan speeds and modes for cooking methods like dehydrating and baking. Like many other Ninja air fryers, its crisper trays have a ceramic non-stick coating. This is harder to clean by hand compared with conventional non-stick coatings, but might be a pro if you avoid PTFE materials.
Can cook two items at different temps & have them finish at the same time. How cool is that! In terms of capacity, simplicity, and easy clean up, the Ninja Foodi DZ201 Air Fryer is in a class by itself. Everything except the unit itself is dishwasher safe and cleans easily. The device is simple and quick to use once you spend a few times getting the hang of it. Simply put: This device quickly cooks healthy meals and cleans up easily. If you are a busy parent and need to quickly air fry meals for up to 4 people, this is the device for you!
Shop Ninja Foodi DZ550 on Amazon
Pros:
- Large 10-quart capacity ideal for families
- Dual baskets for simultaneous cooking
- Sync and Match functions for coordinated cooking
- Versatile with multiple fan speeds
Cons:
- Ceramic coating requires careful cleaning
- Large footprint may not suit small kitchens
3. Ninja Double Stack XL (SL400UK)
One of our favourite air fryers of 2024, the Ninja Double Stack is a seriously impressive appliance that offers exceptional cooking results from its cleverly designed, mammoth 9.5-litre capacity. Rather than placing its two 4.75-litre capacity drawers side-by-side like traditional dual zone air fryers such as the Ninja Foodi Max (AF400UK), the Double Stack instead places its drawers on top of each other. At 19″ wide, the DoubleStack manages to pack 10 quarts of cooking space into the space of a much smaller air fryer. By stacking the drawers one on top of the other, you can still cook your potatoes in one drawer and meat in the other, and you’ll still be able to set the different baskets at different temperatures.
You can stack up to four different ingredients in this Ninja tower. It’s slender, super fast and the baskets are dishwasher-safe for the speediest clean-up. If you often tend to cook a protein and several vegetable sides for dinner, you’ll be able to do it all in the Double Stack without resorting to your oven, microwave or hob.
Shop Ninja Double Stack XL on Amazon
Pros:
- Space-saving vertical design
- Large 9.5-liter capacity
- Fast cooking times
- Dishwasher-safe baskets
Cons:
- Metal racks can be fiddly to use
- Premium price point
4. Ninja Crispi
The Crispi is Ninja’s latest and most innovative model. It’s like nothing else on the market as it’s a modular air fryer and it’s compact enough that you can store it in your cupboard. It’s very simple to use, with minimal cleanup. Put the food you want to cook into one of the glass dishes that comes with the appliance (there’s a 3.8-litre/4-quart container and a smaller 1.4-litre/6-cup one), attach the cooking head on top and you’re ready to go. When your food is ready, you can serve it straight from the cooking dish, which you can also use to store your leftovers in afterwards. It’s also portable, so you can use it wherever there’s a plug point. In our test, we found it easy to use and were impressed with the reliably crispy results it produced.
Despite not looking anything like a typical air fryer, the Ninja Crispi was intuitive to set up and use. Each of the glass cooking vessels has a built-in stand with feet that keeps it off the counter surface. Side handles are also fitted on the stands of the bowls, which allow not only for easy transporting between the counter and the table (because the vessels can also be used to serve) but also make it easy to shake the contents as needed during the cooking process. The nonstick crisper plates were packaged separately and simple to place inside the bowls and to remove for cleaning.
Pros:
- Innovative modular design
- Portable and easy to store
- Glass containers double as storage
- Excellent crisping performance
Cons:
- Higher price point ($180)
- Smaller capacity limits batch cooking
- Glass containers get hot during use
Comparison Table
| Model | Capacity | Cooking Functions | Key Features | Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja Air Fryer Max XL | 5.5 quarts | 7 (Air Fry, Broil, Roast, Bake, Reheat, Dehydrate, Max Crisp) | Max Crisp technology, dishwasher-safe | $120-$150 |
| Ninja Foodi DZ550 | 10 quarts (dual 5-quart baskets) | 6 (Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Reheat, Dehydrate, Broil) | DualZone technology, Sync/Match functions | $180-$220 |
| Ninja Double Stack XL | 9.5 liters (dual 4.75-liter baskets) | 6 (Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Reheat, Dehydrate, Broil) | Vertical design, multi-layer racks | $220-$250 |
| Ninja Crispi | 4 quarts or 6 cups | 4 (Air Fry, Max Crisp, Roast, Bake) | Modular glass containers, portable | $180 |
Buying Guide: How to Choose the Right Ninja Air Fryer
Choosing the right Ninja air fryer depends on your cooking needs, kitchen space, and budget. Here are key factors to consider:
- Capacity: For singles or couples, a 4-5.5-quart model like the Ninja Air Fryer Max XL is sufficient. Families or those cooking in bulk should opt for larger models like the Ninja Foodi DZ550 or Double Stack XL.
- Features: Look for versatile functions like Max Crisp for extra crispiness or dual-basket technology for cooking multiple dishes simultaneously. The Ninja Crispi’s modular design is ideal for portability and storage.
- Space: If counter space is limited, consider the compact Ninja Crispi or the vertically designed Double Stack XL.
- Budget: Ninja air fryers range from $120 to $250. The Max XL offers great value, while premium models like the Double Stack XL and Crispi come at a higher cost.
- Ease of Cleaning: Most Ninja models have dishwasher-safe parts, but the Crispi’s glass containers and the Max XL’s nonstick baskets are particularly easy to clean.
User Experiences and Insights
I’ve been using the Ninja Foodi 10-quart air fryer for months. Here’s what I think. The Foodi requires minimal setup, and the instructions are fairly simple. You plug the device in, select your basket, and then fine-tune the settings. To begin, you choose which basket you’ll be using, then use the center dial to select the cooking method, followed by the time and temperature. There are no indications for preheating this device before use, so I skipped this step and experienced no issues. My original smaller air fryer could maybe handle two servings of most foods, tops. By contrast, each basket of the Ninja Foodi has a 5-quart capacity. The dual baskets expanded my repertoire considerably.
I purchased my first air fryer in 2020 as a way to alleviate the stress of making every single meal at home during the early months of the pandemic. The Ninja Air Fryer Max XL is a 5.5-qt. basket-style air fryer, which means you slide a tub for whatever you’re cooking into an opening in the machine, as opposed to an oven-style air fryer which looks like a giant toaster oven. Honestly, if it wasn’t for this little countertop appliance, I wouldn’t make breakfast, lunch, or dinner at home as often as I do.
For nearly a decade, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with my gargantuan air fryer/pressure cooker. It weighs a ton—21 pounds, to be exact—and can cook far more food than my two-person household needs. After I saw videos on TikTok of the Ninja Crispi, a mini air fryer that weighs as little as 6.5 pounds and is touted as a portable device, my hopes of finding a small-scale replacement for my monolithic air fryer were high, but my expectations were low. It also helps that you can stash all the individual pieces of the Crispi separately (or compactly together) and that the glassware doubles as storage containers.
Analysis and Insights
Ninja’s dominance in the air fryer market stems from its ability to combine innovation with user-friendly designs. The Max Crisp technology, found in models like the Max XL and Crispi, sets Ninja apart by achieving higher temperatures for superior crisping. Dual-basket models like the DZ550 and Double Stack XL cater to busy households, allowing for multitasking without sacrificing quality. The Crispi’s modular design is a game-changer for those prioritizing portability and storage, though its higher price and smaller capacity may deter some buyers.
One area where Ninja could improve is in cleaning. While most models feature dishwasher-safe parts, the ceramic coating on some baskets (like the DZ550) can be harder to clean by hand. Additionally, the premium pricing of models like the Double Stack XL and Crispi may not suit budget-conscious buyers, though their advanced features justify the cost for many.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What is the best Ninja air fryer for a small kitchen?
The Ninja Crispi is ideal for small kitchens due to its compact, modular design and ability to be stored in a cupboard. The Ninja Air Fryer Max XL is also a good option for its smaller footprint.
2. Can I cook two different foods at once in a Ninja air fryer?
Yes, models like the Ninja Foodi DZ550 and Double Stack XL feature dual baskets, allowing you to cook two foods at different temperatures and times, with Sync and Match functions to coordinate completion.
3. Are Ninja air fryers easy to clean?
Most Ninja air fryers have dishwasher-safe baskets and crisper plates. The Ninja Crispi’s glass containers are particularly easy to clean, though ceramic-coated baskets may require extra care.
4. Is the Ninja Crispi worth its price?
The Ninja Crispi, priced at $180, is worth it for those who value portability, storage, and versatility. However, its smaller capacity may not suit large families.
5. How does the Max Crisp feature work?
Max Crisp increases the air fryer’s temperature to 450°F, higher than most basket-style models, resulting in crispier food in less time. It’s available on the Max XL and Crispi.
Best Product Recommendations
- Best Overall: Ninja Air Fryer Max XL – Perfect balance of performance, ease of use, and value. Shop on Amazon
- Best for Families: Ninja Foodi DZ550 – Large capacity and dual baskets for versatile cooking. Shop on Amazon
- Best for Small Spaces: Ninja Crispi – Innovative and portable with easy storage. Shop on Amazon
Whether you’re a solo cook or feeding a family, Ninja’s range of air fryers offers something for everyone. With their blend of innovation, performance, and style, these models are sure to elevate your cooking experience.