What is the best Ninja air fryer? Our top 5 picks
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Ninja makes some of the best air fryers we've tested because they simply just work. You drop your food in, use their big digital buttons to set a time and temperature, and get deliciously crisp, yet tender results effortlessly. There's no need to preheat these air fryers or switch between appliances which saves a ton of time. When you're done cooking, the cleanup is as simple as running water and dish soap on the nonstick basket or pan.
It can be hard to keep up with all of the Ninja air fryers to choose from when the company releases multiple new models each year. That's where we come in. We'll show you some of the best options you can buy for different scenarios. Whether you need a compact air fryer for quickly banging out a small plate of fries for one, or a large dual-basket air fryer to feed a hungry family, you'll find our top recommendations in the guide below.
Quick list
1. Ninja Air Fryer Pro 4-in-1
For most people, the Ninja Air Fryer Pro 4-in-1 has everything you need. We found it to be speedy, sleek and easy to use in testing, and despite its small dimensions it has a decent capacity.
2. Ninja Foodi DualZone FlexDrawer
Serious air fryer fanatics will love the FlexDrawer, which has a large cooking basket that can be divided with a removable insert to cook two different foods simultaneously.
3. Ninja AF161 Max XL Air Fryer
Hitting up to 450°F at its highest heat, this compact air fryer is still a mighty choice. It's got a small frame that will suit the neatest of corners, and is one of Ninja's more affordable picks.
Best Ninja air fryer for most people
1. Ninja Air Fryer Pro 4-in-1
Ninja's smallest air fryer is also one of its smartest
Size: 14.84"D x 11.29"W x 10.39"H | Weight: 10.34 pounds | Capacity: 5 quarts
One of Ninja's quieter models
Space-efficient
Looks great
Easy to control
Some will want a larger capacity
No MAX setting
Ninja recently re-designed its entry-level machines, giving us the Ninja Air Fryer Pro 4-in-1. It's a super powerful fryer that packs a lot of capacity into quite a neat set of dimensions.
Some Ninja fryers have MAX Crisp modes, which bump up the temperature to around 450°F. The Pro 4-in-1 doesn't feature this, with a maximum temperature of 400°F that's comparable to most other air fryers on the market.
While we think you can get a lot more functions if you're willing to spend an extra few dollars, the Pro 4-in-1 is a suitable price for most people and will happily cook up side dishes galore or meals for two, making it a great choice for smaller households.
Read our full Ninja Air Fryer Pro 4-in-1 review.
Best large capacity Ninja air fryer
2. Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 FlexBasket
Best large capacity
Size:: 18.19"D x 11.81"W x 11.26"H | Weight: : 17 Pounds | Capacity:: 7QT
Extra speedy cooking
Dishwasher-safe drawer and liner
Very energy-efficient
Not suitable for more than two people
Only four settings
If you want an everyday air fryer that's both easy to use and clean but still large enough to feed a family, this is it. Ninja's Foodi DualZone FlexDrawer air fryer has a generous 7-quart capacity that's plenty enough to cook a whole chicken. Its basket has a unique design which splits into two separate 3.5-quart cook zones by placing the included silicon divider into a groove in the center of the air fryer. This can either be expanded to cook large cuts of meat in one drawer, or split into two, for cooking a main and a side at once.
In testing we thought it could benefit from a pre-heat time and a reminder to flip your food halfway through cooking, which is something we've seen in Ninja's older air fryers. However, if you can spare the space (and the money) this is an unbeatable machine for larger families or serious air fryer fanatics.
Read our full Ninja Foodi DualZone FlexDrawer review
Best small Ninja air fryer
3. Ninja AF161 Max XL Air Fryer
Best Ninja air fryer for those who are short on space
Size: 11"D x 14"W x 14.75"H | Weight: 11.7 pounds | Capacity: 5.5QT
Sturdy design
Dishwasher-safe baskets
Removable insert for grid-free cooking
Round basket is great for fries
For some foods, a square basket is better
Quite expensive for a small machine
The Ninja AF161 Max XL Air Fryer is a compact 5.5-quart air fryer that doesn't take up much space yet can still fit up to 2.5 pounds of french fries in its single basket. We particularly liked its MAX Crisp mode, which hits 450°F at its highest temperature, achieving a crispier and speedier result.
This is an ideal air fryer for a single person or couple, however it will take a couple of cooks for larger portions. It cooks quickly, is streamlined down to popping your food in then pressing its big digital buttons, and takes almost no time to clean since it consists of just a single nonstick basket.
Most versatile Ninja air fryer
8. Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven DT201
Ninja's most versatile air frying appliance
Size:: 17 x 20 x 13 inches | Weight: : 34 pounds | Capacity:: 9 slices bread, 12 pound turkey
Excellent toasting
Bakes as well as a regular oven
Impressive capacity
Gets hot during use
Quite noisy
The Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven is an all-in-one appliance that packs the most functions to cook the widest range of recipes. Its intuitive digital display lets you pick from 10 modes; Air Fry, Air Roast, Bake, Whole Roast, Broil, Toast, Bagel, Dehydrate, Reheat, and Pizza.
You can heat up your grains, proteins, and veggies together to make full meals faster than a traditional oven and check on each layer as it cooks by opening the door. Its XL capacity feeds up to 8 people. We found that it's quite a noisy option that gets hot after prolonged use, but its versatility for baking, roasting and toasting really impressed us.
Read our full Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven DT201 review
Best dual zone Ninja air fryer
5. Ninja DZ201DualZone Air Fryer
The best DualZone Ninja air fryer
Size: 13.9"D x 17.1"W x 12.8"H | Weight: 19 pounds | Capacity: 8QT
Versatile
Large capacity
Excellent at roasting a chicken
Drawers can't be combined
Switching modes can be fiddly
This dual-basket Ninja DZ201DualZone Air Fryer is one of the most powerful options available. Its removable drawers can go through the dishwasher, making it easy to use, and you can switch between Smart Finish (which cooks two foods independently with the same finish time) and Match Cook (which ensures that both drawers are programmed the same way without having to input this information twice) using the buttons on the front of the fryer.
Its accuracy ensures you nail the perfect wellness on your finest cuts each time whether it's a Wagyu steak or fresh salmon. Unlike the Foodi DualZone, the DZ20's 4-quart baskets are completely separate and can't combine into one giant 10-quart space.
