Ninja is an business chief in home equipment, lately making headlines for the viral Ninja Creami ice cream maker, however its air-fryers are onerous to beat. Our opinions consultants have examined dozens of various air-fryers from quite a few manufacturers, and Ninja repeatedly comes extremely advisable.
We have discovered its air-fryers to be stylishly designed, straightforward to make use of and nice worth for cash. We have additionally been impressed by Ninja’s sustainability credentials — the air-fryers we have examined have, for probably the most half, been packaged with out plastic and in recyclable packaging which is pretty uncommon.
However with so many fashions of air-fryer obtainable from Ninja, it may be troublesome to know which one is best for you. Learn on for our information to every air-fryer within the manufacturers vary. In search of some recipe inspiration? Take a look at our recipes for air-fryer brownies and air-fryer halloumi fries.
- Go to our buddies at BBC Good Meals for extra tried-and-tested picks of the finest air-fryers.
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A information to Ninja air-fryers at a look
- Ninja air-fryer AF100UK, from £119.99
- Ninja air-fryer MAX AF160UK, from £129.99
- Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 fast cooker and air-fryer ON400UK, from £159
- Ninja Foodi Well being grill and air-fryer AG301UK, from £199.99
- Ninja Foodi MAX Well being grill and air-fryer AG551UK, from £218.63
- Ninja Foodi Twin Zone air-fryer AF300UK, from £219.99
- Ninja Foodi MAX Twin Zone air-fryer AF400UK, from £219.99
- Ninja Foodi MAX Professional Well being grill, flat plate and air-fryer AG651UK, from £249.99
- Ninja Foodi MAX Twin Zone air-fryer AF451UK, from £269.99
Finest Ninja air-fryers to purchase in 2023
Ninja air-fryer AF100UK
Star score 4/5
One of many first air-fryers produced by Ninja, this 3.2L mannequin nonetheless holds as much as the competitors of newer fashions. It has the basic single basket design and appears smooth in darkish gray and black. The sturdy machine comes with 4 capabilities; to air-fry, roast, dehydrate and reheat. As probably the most reasonably priced of Ninja’s fashions it is lacking the bells and whistles that you just may get with a pricier possibility — for instance you will have to manually pause the timer when turning or shaking meals — but it surely does the fundamentals rather well.
After we examined this air-fryer we have been impressed by the dehydrating perform which produced intense cherries to go on our morning porridge. We preheated the air-frying setting for the advisable three minutes earlier than cooking our chips, which have been satisfying however not greasy, whereas the roasting perform produced evenly cooked Mediterranean greens.
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Ninja air-fryer MAX AF160UK
Star score: 5/5
This single basket air-fryer impressed us on check. It includes a spherical drawer with a 5.2L capability which is giant sufficient to suit a roast rooster. In addition to air-frying there are capabilities to bake, roast, reheat, dehydrate and max crisp. When air-frying the machine prompted us to shake the drawer midway by means of the cooking time which ensures even cooking and produced effectively sealed and fluffy chips.
We have been significantly impressed by this air-fryer’s capacity to bake. The spherical tray accommodated the identical quantity of cake combination as an ordinary tin and the non-stick edges meant it was straightforward to take away. Our apple and almond cake was evenly baked with a pleasant rise within the center.
Ninja Foodi MAX Twin Zone air-fryer AF400UK
Star score: 5/5
This massive capability, twin zone air-fryer was a pleasure to make use of. With a big capability you get a big footprint, and there is no denying that you just want plenty of counter area to accommodate this air-fryer. After a quick flick by means of of the guide we have been capable of get cooking fairly shortly because of the straightforward arrange.
Out halloumi cooked in seven minutes and had a golden color and crisp texture, though the form of the tray made for some uncommon grill marks. Utilizing the Sync perform, we cooked a salmon fillet in a single basket and a rooster breast within the different. Whereas cooking them on the identical time, and there was no scent or style switch between the drawers. The salmon had a crisp pores and skin whereas the rooster retained moisture and had a pleasant flavour.
Ninja Foodi Twin Zone air-fryer AF300UK
Star score: 5/5
With a matte end, brilliant interface and glossy steel handles on the drawers, this air-fryer makes a formidable characteristic within the kitchen. Very like the opposite Twin Zone choices from Ninja, the massive capability additionally makes for a big machine which is a vital issue to contemplate when you’re restricted on kitchen area. You possibly can select to make use of only one zone, each zones concurrently to cook dinner the identical factor (like a big batch of chips) or every zone independently to cook dinner two various things. Whereas it took us a couple of tries to get our heads round these cooking choices utilizing the sync and match capabilities, as soon as we have been assured we discovered them straightforward to grasp.
We made skinny and chunky chips on this air-fryer and each had spectacular outcomes. The thick chips stored a fluffy centre whereas the skinny ones did not dry out. Our duck breast was completely cooked to medium after quarter-hour at 180C with barely crispy, golden pores and skin.
Ninja Foodi MAX Well being grill and air-fryer AG551UK
Star score: 5/5
Differing from the draw design of basic air-fryers, this mannequin has the texture of a pizza oven with a lid that opens upwards. In addition to air-frying and grilling it affords nice versatility with the flexibility to bake, roast, dehydrate and reheat.
To check the air-frying perform we cooked chips which, regardless of having no oil, had flavour and whereas, softer than historically fried chips, weren’t soggy. It comes with a cooking probe that can assist you guarantee completely cooked joints of meat. We used this to assist us cook dinner an entire rooster which took 40 minutes and was juicy and flavourful, if barely paler than we’d’ve favored. We tried the grill perform with strips of courgette which had engaging grill strains and did not stick regardless that we did not use any oil.
Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Speedy cooker and air-fryer ON400UK
Star score: 4.5/5
Notably totally different from most different fashions on this checklist, the Ninja Speedi is a conventional air-fryer reasonably a multicooker with the aptitude to steam, bake, gradual cook dinner, roast, dehydrate, air-fry and extra. In the event you’re involved in air-frying however need to prioritise versatility this might be a very good possibility.
The interior tray means you possibly can cook dinner in two layers contained in the machine, primarily doubling the capability of the 5.7L pot. To air-fry, the tray wants to sit down on the bottom of the pot earlier than you need to use it as a traditional air-fryer, or to air-fry components earlier than incorporating them in the remainder of a dish.
Ninja Foodi Well being grill and air-fryer AG301UK
Star score: 4.5/5
Ninja’s well being grills look fairly distinct in comparison with its conventional air-fryers. This mannequin has a lid that lifts the place totally different components can be utilized for numerous cooking capabilities. It comes with a grill plate, crisper basket and cooking pot making it tremendous versatile for numerous cooking types. In addition to the flexibility to air-fry and grill, this mannequin will also be used to roast, dehydrate and bake.
As soon as you’ve got chosen a cooking perform, a useful progress bar lets you understand how a lot preheating time is left. We air-fried our hand-cut chips for 22 minutes, they usually have been drier than we anticipated with little or no fluffiness. Subsequent time, we’d have cooked them for much less time and ensured they have been thickly reduce. Nevertheless, the halloumi and aubergine we cooked each had very engaging grill marks with a golden color and satisfying texture.
Ninja Foodi MAX Twin Zone air-fryer AF451UK
Star score: 4.5/5
The Twin Zone air-fryer appears spectacular proper out of the field with a chic matte end on the physique and stainless-steel handles on the drawers. It is dimension and stature make it eye-catching on a countertop however signifies that you want loads of area. The big capability makes this an amazing possibility when you’re repeatedly catering for a crowd or need to use your air-fryer to cook dinner two totally different dishes directly.
We cooked our chips for 20 minutes at 200C they usually had a crisp exterior whereas nonetheless retaining a fluffy center. We used the cooking probe to cook dinner rooster breast till the interior temperature registered 75C. This required some trial and error, with session of the guide to know that the meat must be eliminated earlier than it reaches last temperature and allowed to relaxation. As soon as we mastered it, the end result was a well-cooked rooster breast.
Ninja Foodi MAX Professional Well being grill, flat plate and air-fryer AG651UK
Star score: 4.5/5
This mannequin is definitely an funding. For slightly below £250 you get a spread of versatility with the flexibility to air-fry, roast, grill, bake, dehydrate, reheat and cook dinner with a flat plate. It additionally comes with a cooking probe which helps you to select from numerous presets relying on what you are cooking. We actually favored the look of this mannequin — a mix of matte black and stainless-steel which did not depart any fingerprints.
We used the grill setting for aubergine and halloumi which each had engaging grill strains and a concentrated flavour. It is price noting that the grill plate sits at an angle which might imply meals slides down when you do not regulate it. To check the flat plate we cooked a salmon fillet which resulted in an excellent crispy pores and skin. We used the probe to cook dinner a rooster breast, which we did not discover very intuitive, however after shut session of the guide we had success.
Ninja air-fryer equipment
Ninja has numerous equipment appropriate with totally different fashions of air-fryers to assist increase the cooking zones, allow numerous cooking capabilities, or to assist clear the machine. Listed below are a few of our favourites however you will discover the complete vary of Ninja air-fryer equipment on-line.
Silicone mitts
Oven mitts are an important piece of security tools when dealing with something scorching, however sadly most common pairs are too giant for use when dealing with an air-fryer. This pair of silicone mitts are particularly designed to be much less cumbersome whereas nonetheless defending your arms from warmth, and the internal components have deep ridges to assist grip any scorching trays of crisper plates with out concern of slippage. Remember although, these work higher for these with arms on the smaller facet.
Ninja Foodi Prepare dinner and Crisp rack
Including a rack to your air-fryer can primarily double its capability, permitting you to cook dinner meals on a number of ranges. You possibly can both cook dinner double the quantity of 1 meals or improve the flexibility of your air-fryer by cooking totally different meals on the 2 ranges. Simply observe that to do that they’re going to have to cook dinner on the identical temperature. This rack is designed to suit right into a single drawer air-fryer however there are additionally ones to suit each mannequin.
Ninja cleansing brush
Cleansing your air-fryer is vital to creating it final for a very long time. Nevertheless, most inside components should be cleaned with a non-abrasive brush to ensure the non-stick coating is not broken. This brush has a scraper at one finish and bristles on the different that can assist you get to any hard-to-reach spots.
Which Ninja air-fryer is finest for 2 individuals?
As a result of their capability, most air-fryers will swimsuit the wants of 1 to 2 individuals, so a very powerful factor to contemplate is what you need to use your air-fryer for. There are several types of Ninja air-fryers relying in your wants:
Single basket air-fryers: Single basket air-fryers have one compartment which slides horizontally from the principle unit. These are typically barely extra compact machines which may be helpful when you’re restricted on kitchen area, however will simply cook dinner sufficient meals for 2 individuals. We have additionally discovered that Ninja’s single basket air-fryers are higher for baking than different fashions which we have tried as they’ve a spherical drawer so you need to use an ordinary cake recipe.
Twin basket air-fryers: Twin basket air-fryers have two drawers which pull out from the principle unit. These are typically giant capability so could be too giant for 2 individuals, however might be actually helpful when you’re planning on cooking total meals in your air-fryer.
Air-fryer grills: In the event you’re after versatility, Ninja’s Well being grills might be a very good possibility. Not solely are you able to air-fry utilizing minimal or no oil, however you can too grill meat, greens and extra. All of the fashions we examined left halloumi and greens with engaging grill marks and a smoky flavour.
FlexDrawer air-fryers: The FlexDrawer is a brand new model of air-fryer from Ninja, that includes one giant basket drawer which may be divided into two. It might work effectively for 2 individuals when you’re trying to cook dinner entire meals in your air-fryer otherwise you wish to meal prep firstly of the week. The big area means you possibly can cook dinner traybakes and one-dish meals. Discover inspiration in our greatest straightforward traybake recipes.
Which Ninja air-fryer to purchase for a household of 4?
For a household of 4, a precedence is prone to be a big capability in addition to versatility. Because of this the Twin Zone model of air-fryers will in all probability be finest suited to your wants. These air-fryers often have room to cook dinner the most important quantity of meals, which is ideal for if you’re repeatedly cooking for a crowd.
In addition they allow you to cook dinner two totally different dishes directly, so whether or not the children are having one meal and the adults one other, otherwise you need to cook dinner protein in a single drawer and carbs or greens within the different, you may have the utmost quantity of decisions obtainable.
Learn how to clear a Ninja air-fryer?
Due to their compact dimension, air-fryers are pretty fast to scrub. We might advocate cleansing the trays and/or baskets of your air-fryer earlier than the primary use and following each use to discourage construct up of grease and particles. Something remaining in your air-fryer may additionally burn if you use it once more, risking imparting this flavour into your meals.
Because the trays and baskets of most Ninja air-fryers have non-stick coatings, you will have to keep away from cleansing with any abrasive instruments. As a substitute, as soon as the trays have utterly cooled, take away them out of your air-fryer and clear utilizing heat, soapy water and a mild brush, sponge or fabric. If there are any cussed, burnt-on bits of meals or grease, mix baking soda and water to the feel of toothpaste and depart it to sit down for 20 minutes.
The principle physique of any air-fryer can’t be submerged in water, so will should be cleaned by hand when you’re doing a deep clear. We might advocate utilizing a sponge or fabric and an eco all-purpose cleansing spray. It is vital to at all times be sure you unplug the air-fryer earlier than cleansing.
The detachable components of many Ninja air-fryers are dishwasher-safe, but it surely’s vital to verify the guide of your explicit mannequin. When testing, we discovered it very fast and simple to scrub Ninja air-fryers because of the prime quality of the non-stick coating, so it should not be mandatory to make use of the dishwasher to scrub it after each use.
