Best Ninja air fryers 2024: Jump Menu
1. The list in brief ↴
2. Best overall: Ninja Foodi 6-in-1
3. Best compact: Ninja Max XL
4. Best for versatility: Ninja Foodi 14-in-1
5. Best toaster oven with air fry: Ninja Foodi 8-in-1
6. Ninja air fryer alternatives
7. How to choose
8. How we test
9. FAQs
If you’re looking for the best air fryer on the market, you’ll end up looking at lists which are almost exclusively Ninja air fryers.
The brand is so iconic that it’s almost become synonymous with air frying. With compact, ultra large, dual zone, and multifunctional models, there are some impressive options available. They’re all speedy, sleek, and stylish and the brand keeps bringing out bigger and better models.
Our experts love them. When we’re out-of-hours, making lunch or a snack, we often reach for a Ninja air fryer, because we consider it to be one of the best air fryers on the market. We love that even their multicookers and toaster ovens can air fry, too.
With countless hours of Ninja test time under our belts, we’ve decided to give you the definitive list of the best Ninja air fryers on the market. Some of the names sound similar, so here’s our expert break down of every model you should know about.
The best Ninja air fryers in 2024
You can trust Homes & Gardens. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing the latest products, helping you choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
The best Ninja air fryer overall
Buy it if
✅ You need speed: this is super fast
✅ You want easy cleaning: the baskets are dishwasher safe
✅ You live in a large household: this has 8-quart capacity
Don't buy it if:
❌ You are short on space: this has a large footprint
❌ You like precision: this has no preheat, so timings aren't always accurate
❌ You just want simplicity: this could overcomplicate things
The bottom line
🔎 Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 XL this is a super-speedy air fryer, which can cook in two separate baskets. It takes a little practice to use though
When our experts are off-duty, this is the air fryer we all reach for. It's super speedy and can cook two different foods at the same time.
We were most impressed by the 450°F temperature limit, which is incredibly high. When we cooked frozen chicken and bacon, they were done quicker than all the other models. We particularly liked the crisper plates which ensure that every crumb was crisped up and cooked right through.
We made use of the other five functions - broil, roast, reheat, dehydrate, and bake as well as the two drawers. This super smart model can air fry in one drawer, whilst baking or roasting in the others. If you're making a meal like fajitas, which requires fried chicken and roasted vegetables, you'll wonder what you ever did without this.
When it came to clean up, these drawers are both dishwasher safe, minimizing how messy your post-meal clean up will get. Where the 6-in-1 falls down is on pre-heating. There's no specific function, so if you're not familiar with air frying, you might get inconsistent cooking results.
Read more: Ninja Foodi DZ401 6-in-1 XL 2-Basket Air Fryer review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Fastest we've tested, good capacity | ★★★★ |
| Capacity | 6.5 quarts is good, but shape limits this | ★★★★★ |
| Cleaning | Dishwasher-safe | ★★★★★ |
| Value | Average for a two-drawer | ★★★★ |
The best compact Ninja air fryer
Buy it if
✅ You're short on space: this has a small footprint and still 5.3 quarts of capacity
✅ You want an easy clean up: this is dishwasher safe
✅ You like frozen food: this is especially speedy on frozen nibbles
Don't buy it if:
❌ You want precision: this doesn't have a preheat function
❌ You cook at lower temperatures: this is slower on those
❌ You'll keep this on your countertop: there are more attractive options
The bottom line
🔎 Ninja Max XL perfect for small space dwellers, this is super speedy at high temperatures, but can be a little slow on lower settings
There are lots of reasons why we love the Max XL, but if we had to pick one, it's size. This is compact, lightweight, and easy to move around the kitchen. It doesn't dominate the countertops and still has enough capacity for a small family.
The Max XL comes with a range of modes: air frying, roasting, baking, reheating, air broiling, and dehydrating. Navigating between them is straightforward and you can adjust the timer and watch it toggle as your food cooks. If you need to stop it, there's a useful pause button too.
When we tested this at high temperatures, we were excited by how beautifully crisp the bacon, roasted vegetables, and frozen fish ended up. Thanks to a compact, circular basket, not only were these faultless in texture, they were also ready to eat in record time.
As with the 6-in-1, this doesn't have a pre-heat function, making it difficult to recreate precision results. It's also not quite as effective on lower temperatures.
Read more: Ninja Max XL Air Fryer review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Fast, doesn't take up much room | ★★★★ |
| Capacity | 5.5 quarts, just enough for a family of 4 | ★★★★★ |
| Cleaning | Some parts are dishwasher-safe | ★★★★ |
| Value | Right on the line of too-expensive | ★★★ |
The best Ninja for versatiliy
Buy it if
✅ You want a hard-working appliance: this has 14 functions in one
✅ You want an easy clean up: the cooking pot is non-stick and oven safe
✅ You'll be catering for a lot of people: this has 8.5 qt capacity
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're short on space: this is quite bulky
❌ You don't like oven gloves: the handles get quite hot
❌ You don't need all the functions: this could be overkill
The bottom line
🔎 Ninja MC1001 Foodi fourteen functions in one appliance is close to unbelievable, but if you'll use them all, this is a great buy instead of a single-function air fryer
This is one of the hardest working appliances you'll ever have in your kitchen. With fourteen excellent functions ranging from pressure cooking and steaming to yogurt making and slow cooking, you won't find a more versatile air frying appliance.
This is easy to use and it comes with a useful recipe booklet too. Our experts used this to make Ninja's loaded wedges. The results were delicious, evenly cooked, ultra-crispy, not at all greasy, and ready in 21 minutes. This is relatively fast for an oven, but compared to other air fryers, it's on the slow side. We also had to open the air fryer and turn the wedges, so the 'set and forget' function lost some credit.
This was generally impressive across the range of functions, especially slow cooking, so if you'll use them all, this is a brilliant investment. It's just not the best in class if you're looking for a specialist air fryer.
It's also worth noting that this has a relatively large footprint. It covers the functions of many other appliances, but you will still need to clear some room for comfortable storage.
Read more: Ninja Foodi 14-in-1 XL
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Enough for a family | ★★★★★ |
| Versatility | Excellent, but can't be used on a stove | ★★★★ |
| Easy to clean | Only one pot, so very easy | ★★★★ |
| Value | Great value | ★★★★ |
The best Ninja toaster oven with air fry function
Buy it if
✅ You're short on space: this compacts down really well
✅ You'll keep this on show: it's sleek and stylish
✅ You want easy cleaning: this is mostly dishwasher safe
Don't buy it if:
❌ You live in a large household: this has a limited capacity
❌ You want to cook a whole chicken: this is really narrow
❌ You want to specialise in air frying: this is good all round, but a specialist in none
The bottom line
🔎 Ninja Foodi 8-in-1 is a multifunctional countertop oven, with excellent air fry function, but limited capacity if this will be your main oven
Anyone who has a kitchen that's short on space will appreciate a multifunctional appliance. This speedy toaster oven has the capacity to speed up meal times and bakes with its range of functions, especially air frying.
There's a specific latch for the air fry basket to sit on, meaning that the oven can quickly become full of your air fry food. The Foodi 8-in-1 warms up in just one minute and cooks incredibly quickly. We made chicken wings and salmon just over ten minutes for each.
if your food is fatty, you might need a tray underneath to stop any drips from falling on to the element. However, if it's not bad, you can use the space underneath to cook some extra food too.
Whilst the air fryer and toasting functions are strong, this is a little weak on some other functions, such as baking. It also takes up much more width on the countertop than other models and isn't the most stylish looking either.
Read more: Ninja Foodi 8-in-1 Flip Mini Oven review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Toaster oven, good air fryer, weak baking | ★★★★ |
| Capacity | Good, but flatter shape limits this | ★★★★ |
| Cleaning | Flips up for easy crumb removal, not fully dishwasher safe | ★★★★ |
| Value | Average for a toaster oven | ★★★★ |
Ninja Air Fryer Alternatives
However, don't think that this page is just an advert for Ninja. We like their products, but they're far from the only game in town. In fact, Ninja comes in at number 4 in our guide to the best air fryers. There are plenty of other air fryers well worth considering:
Best air fryer overall
Capacity: 6 quarts
We think this is the best air fryer in the world, making perfect fries with a unique odor neutraliser that saves your kitchen from the smell of fried food.
Our Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook and OdorErase review has more details.
Best large air fryer
Capacity: 8 quarts
The Vortex Plus Dual is similar to the Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 XL 2-Basket Air Fryer, but makes better food.
Our Instant Vortex Plus Dual Basket Air Fryer review has more information.
Best multicooker air fryer
Capacity: 6.5 quarts
Our favorite multicooker, this Instant Pot has a remarkably good air fryer function for a multi-functional appliance.
Our full Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid review has all the detail.
Best value air fryer
Capacity: 6 quarts
We were pleasantly surprised by Drew Barrymore's Beautiful air fryer, and it's rarely more than $80.
Our Beautiful 6-Quart Digital Air Fryer review has more details.
Easiest to use
Capacity: 6.5 quarts
This air fryer has perfect presets, cooking entire meals at the touch of a button.
Our Philips Essential Air Fryer XL review has more information.
Best toaster oven air fryer
Capacity: 9x13 inch baking pan
This toaster oven has the best air fry function of any we've tested - better than the Ninja Foodi Flip above.
Our KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry review covers further details.
How to choose the best Ninja air fryer for you:
There are a few different types of Ninja air fryers to choose from, but all of them work in a similar way. You can choose between two main types:
Drawer air fryers have inserts with handles that can be easily lifted out of the cooking unit and shaken up to evenly cook your fries or chicken without having to turn using a spatula.
They are a very popular design because they often have an insert that elevates your food to allow air to circulate inside the air fryer basket as it cooks. You can sometimes even lift this filter out of the main basket, which contains oil and juices as they drip away from your food, to make sure none of it ends up on your plate.
Toaster oven air fryers are the second and less common type. We feature many of them in our guide to toaster ovens because they come with layered designs that can be used to bake and roast as well as air fry.
Some even come with rotisserie functions that can be used to cook kebabs or whole chickens, but because they don't have a drawer that can be easily pulled out, they can be more fiddly to operate, but they most closely resemble a smaller-scale oven. We explain in more detail in our guide to air fryers vs toaster ovens, and our explainer of air fryers vs convection ovens.
How we tested these Ninja air fryers
We've dedicated a whole page to how we test air fryers, but if you're curious to find out a little more, here's what we focus on.
Noise:
The noise of an air fryer can impact your ability to use it. Perhaps you like to cook while listening to the TV, or you live in a smaller home and the noise of an air fryer running would distract you as you work. If an air fryer is noisy, I make a note of it.
Speed:
Air fryers promise to speed up cooking times, so when testing them I used standardized recipes to see how long they will take to cook classic recipes. While potato fries would typically take around 25 minutes in the air fryer, the speediest air fryers we tested have taken as little as 12 minutes to make crisp, evenly-cooked fries.
Looks:
It's going on your kitchen counters, so it has to look the part. You might not mind a less attractive air fryer as much as some other users, but any bulky features or unattractive elements such as smudging or busy display panels were noted during testing.
Cleaning:
Cleaning an air fryer should be easy. Most have baskets that can go in the dishwasher, and it's rare to find one without a non-stick interior. If I ran into any difficulties cleaning, I marked it down.
Some of the air fryers in our guide have been reviewed on other Future Homes websites, but they have all been reviewed by me, so I can still bring you all my inside knowledge even if you can't click through to read the full review on Homes & Gardens.
For more insight, our review guidelines explain more about our product review process.
Ninja air fryer FAQs
Are Ninja air fryer baskets dishwasher safe?
Some are dishwasher safe. The Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 XL, Ninja Max XL, and Ninja Foodi 14-in-1 are totally dishwasher-safe, though Ninja recommends washing by hand instead. Only the air fryer tray and sheet pan in the Ninja Foodi 8-in-1 Digital Air Fry Oven are dishwasher safe.
Are Ninja air fryers non-toxic?
Most air fryers are totally non-toxic unless you scratch the non-stick coating. However, if you're worried, the Ninja Max XL is ceramic, so free of the PFOS associated with toxicity. It's one of our picks for the best non-toxic air fryers.
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