Best Ninja air fryer 2024: Tried and tested favourites from Ninja
Whip up healthy snacks as well as whole meals with our pick of the best Ninja air fryers and multi cookers
Air fryers have become a kitchen staple in the UK in recent years, with some brands, such as Ninja, becoming many people’s go-to choice. However, with the breadth of models currently available, selecting the best Ninja air fryer has become a trickier task.
Among the many brands and models tested and reviewed here at Expert Reviews, Ninja’s air fryers have stood out as some of the best we’ve tried – and we’ve tested over 40 different models. We tend to like Ninja air fryers and multi cookers for their stylish designs, impressive cooking performance and wide range of well-implemented functions and features.
If you want to know more about Ninja air fryers, or air fryers in general, jump to our handy buying guide at the end of this article, which will take you through some key points. We’ve also put together a short at a glance list below, which takes you straight to each of our favourites. Beneath that, you’ll find our Ninja mini reviews, which break down the individual strengths and features of our favourite air fryers, rapid cookers and multi cookers.
Best Ninja air fryer: At a glance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Best dual-drawer Ninja air fryer | Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer (~£200) | Check price at John Lewis |
| Best Ninja multi cooker for fast, full meals | Ninja Speedi (~£250) | Check price at Ninja |
| Best value Ninja air fryer | Ninja Air Fryer AF100UK (~£150) | Check price at Ninja |
| Best Ninja multi cooker with air fryer | Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 SmartLid (~£300) | Check price at Ninja |
How do we test air fryers?
Putting them thoroughly through their paces, we test any air fryers we review with single standard portions of a range of foods such as potatoes, vegetables and proteins like fish or beef, noting things like cook time, texture and doneness once completed. As well as testing manual settings, we test any presets or other cooking features available on the appliance, such as specific settings for crispy chips or functions for baking, dehydrating and roasting etc.
To test the stated capacity of a given air fryer, we also run one cook with the basket or drawer entirely filled, noting how much its performance holds up while at maximum fullness. Overall, we look for air fryers to quickly and efficiently produce foods with evenly browned, brilliantly crispy exteriors and well-cooked, delicate interiors.
READ NEXT: The best multi-cookers to buy
The best Ninja air fryer to buy in 2024
1. Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer: Best dual-drawer Ninja air fryer
Price when reviewed: £200 | Check price at John Lewis
- Great for… cooking two things at once
- Not so great for… whole chickens or large cuts
If you’ve got a single basket air fryer, you’ll know that only being able to cook one type of food at a time can be a tad limiting. The Ninja Foodi Dual Zone solves this problem with twin 3.8l cooking baskets, which allows you to cook two separate portions simultaneously. These baskets are a tad on the small side for larger items such as whole chickens,however they’re great for pretty much everything else.
While simply adding a second basket adds a lot of versatility, Ninja takes things a step further using some clever settings. When cooking two portions at different temperatures or times, the Dual Zone’s handy sync function ensures both will finish cooking at the same time, while its match setting allows you to mirror the set-up of the baskets.
We also really rated the Dual Zone’s Max Crisp setting during our tests, which is designed to be used on thinner, frozen foods, like fries and onion rings. In testing, this setting brought our food to a fine, crisp finish in half the time it took a standard oven. Outside of its impressive air frying performance and Max Crisp setting, the Dual Zone can also bake, roast, dehydrate and reheat to a solid standard.
Read our full Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer review
Key specs – Power: 2,400W; Capacity: 7.6l; Display: Digital; Accessories: Removable crisper plate x2
2. Ninja Speedi: Best Ninja multi cooker for whole meals
Price when reviewed: £250 | Check price at Ninja
- Great for… air frying and steaming at the same time, meal prep
- Not so great for… small kitchen counters
With its rounded edges, powder blue finish and stainless steel fronting, we think the Ninja Speedi’s modern appearance is a breath of fresh air and pairs well with its thoughtful approach to rapid cooking. While it offers many of the standard Ninja multi cooker functions such as sautéing, slow cooking, steaming and air frying, at which we would argue it particularly excels, the Ninja Speedi really stands out thanks to its unique Speedi Meals feature.
Combining steaming in the bottom of the cooking pot with air frying on top, Speedi Meals allows you to cook whole meals in just fifteen minutes, plus prep time. We were really impressed with how it performed in our tests, whipping up perfectly cooked, fluffy rice and beans, along with crisp chicken breast and vegetables, all in the same pot. While it might be one of Ninja’s larger and more expensive multi cookers, the Speedi’s sheer versatility and rapid meal making abilities make it worth every penny in our estimation.
Read our full Ninja Speedi review
Key specs – Power: 1,250W; Capacity: 5.7l; Display: Digital; Accessories: Adjustable grill plate, cooking pot
3. Ninja Air Fryer AF100UK: Best value Ninja air fryer
Price when reviewed: £150 | Check price at Ninja
- Great for… tight budgets and small portions
- Not so great for… families
If you’d prefer to keep things simple and more budget friendly, we think the Ninja AF100UK is ideal. We found it easy to use in testing, and it’s well-priced and well kitted-out for all your air frying needs. While it doesn’t have the multi cooking abilities or the luxury features of the other models, the AF100UK does have an easy-to-use digital display with handy presets, a removable crisper plate, as well as dehydrating, reheating and roasting functions.
Of course the main attraction here is air frying, which the AF100UK does really well. While our original review found the need to preheat a bit bothersome, once this air fryer got going, our tests saw it produce everything from crispy fries to tasty bread pudding without any hassle. While its 3.8l basket is perfectly-sized for couples and solo users, we would suggest larger families consider the 5.2l MAX version.
Read our full Ninja Air Fryer AF100UK review
Key specs – Power: 1,550W; Capacity: 3.8l; Display: Digital; Accessories: Removable crisper plate
4. Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer: Best large capacity Ninja air fryer
Price when reviewed: £270 | Check price at Ninja
- Great for… large capacity cooking and versatility
- Not so great for… those on a budget
Looking to go for broke and pick up the best Ninja air fryer available? Then the Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer is just what you’ve been looking for. An upgraded version of the excellent Foodi Dual Zone, the FlexDrawer’s main additions are a larger capacity and a removable drawer divider. This removable divider allows it to operate either as a roomy dual-drawer model with two separate 5.2l compartments or a monstrous 10.4l single-drawer model. With the divider removed, we were able to comfortably cook a large, 4kg chicken and we also pushed it to its limit with four lamb shanks.
Alongside its standout capacity and versatility, the FlexDrawer also has all the capabilities of the other Ninja air fryers. Featuring settings for air fryer, roasting, proving and more. It also includes the brand’s unique Max Crisp setting, which allows the air fryer to reach a whopping 240ºC to crisp up frozen food snacks in a flash. While it may be a little pricier than Ninja’s other models, we think the FlexDrawer is the perfect option for anyone looking to max out on capacity, versatility and features.
Key specs – Power: 2,470W; Capacity: 10.4L; Display: Digital; Accessories: Removable crisper plates x 2, drawer divider
5. Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 SmartLid: Best Ninja multi cooker with air fryer
Price when reviewed: £300 | Check price at Ninja
- Great for… air fryer roast chicken and pressure cooking
- Not so great for… those who prefer a basket-style air fryer
Offering a similar breadth of cooking functions as the Ninja Speedi, the Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 SmartLid goes a little further, throwing pressure cooking into the mix. Those of you who enjoy the tender meats, stews and one-pot recipes that pressure cookers excel at, might have your head turned by the Foodi 11-in-1’s excellent performance in this category. We were also impressed by its surprisingly capacious 6l cooking basket. It’s the largest single basket on this list and our tests found it sizable enough to air fry a whole 3kg to 4kg chicken, without the hassle of dealing with your oven.
While not the most expensive Ninja multi cooker, that honour goes to the Foodi 15-in-1 MAX, this multi cooker is still the most expensive option on our list at full price. So if this is the one for you, we reckon it’s worth your while to hold out for a discount.
Read our full Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 SmartLid review
Key specs – Power: 1,460W; Capacity: 6l; Display: Digital; Accessories: Air fryer basket, steam rack
If you’re after a standard basket-style air fryer from Ninja, you’ll be able to pick one up for between £130 and £170, depending on the size and if there are any discounts available.
Plumping for one of Ninja’s dual-drawer models will expand your cooking options significantly, while bumping up the price to between £220 and £270.
Finally, if you want to do more than just air fry, we think it’s well worth considering Ninja’s range of multi cookers and rapid cookers, whose features we cover in more detail in our mini reviews. These models offer a serious kitchen upgrade due to their versatility and can be scooped up for anywhere between £200 to £300 depending on the size, functionality and features available on a given model.
What are the standard features of a Ninja air fryer?
Alongside air frying, all Ninja air fryers come with settings for roasting, dehydrating and reheating. There are also cooking presets for different items and dishes and removable, dishwasher-safe pots and accessories as standard.
What other functions do Ninja cooking appliances offer?
Looking beyond air fryers, Ninja also has a range of appliances which incorporate air frying alongside a host of other cooking abilities. While not every Ninja multi cooker will have all of these settings, the full range includes:
- Pressure cooking
- Slow cooking
- Grilling
- Roasting
- Sauteing
- Baking
- Dehydrating
- Dough proving
- Steaming
Many also feature a range of combination settings, which pair steaming with other cooking modes to help achieve the perfect balance of crispness and moistness.
