Ninja DoubleStack XL air fryer review: Your countertop saviour

One of the biggest problems with large capacity air fryers is that most are too big for compact UK kitchens. Ninja’s DoubleStack XL air fryer aims to tackle that issue with a reimagined dual design, which stacks two baskets on top of each other.

I’ve not seen an air fryer quite like this before but how does it stack up against its predecessors? In terms of functionality, it’s similar to Ninja’s Dual Drawer models, with six cooking functions and a roomy capacity well-suited to family cooking. It’s also still incredibly speedy and can cook all your favourites such as roast chicken, chips and fish. However, the main benefit is its design, which has shrunk the fryer’s width to just 28cm vs the Foodi Dual Zone’s 41.5cm and the FlexDrawer’s whopping 49.6cm footprint.

Ninja DoubleStack XL air fryer review: What do you get for the money?

With two cooking drawers stacked on top of each other, the DoubleStack XL is a uniquely designed air fryer. Despite being much slimmer than traditional dual drawer models at 28 x 47 x 38.5cm (WDH), it still has two roomy 4.75l drawers and a generous 9.5l total capacity – just 1l less than the mammoth Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer.

In the box, you also get two crisper plates, as well as two stainless steel racks, which allow you to split each drawer into two, for four separate layers of cooking. All parts, including the drawers themselves, are dishwasher-safe. There’s also a cooking times guide and recipes to get your creative juices flowing.

As well as a complete change up to how the drawers are stacked, the screen and functions are now at the side of the machine to maximise the amount of drawer space. Here you’ll find a dial to switch between six cooking modes: Air Fry, Max Crisp, Roast, Bake, Dehydrate and Reheat. There’s also a button to control time and temperature, as well as the new Double Stack Pro button, which the manual says should be pressed when cooking over four layers. Rather than changing the direction or amount of air flow, this simply brings both baskets up to 240ºC, essentially mimicking what the Max Crisp function does.

At £270, the DoubleStack Pro is one of Ninja’s priciest air fryers, coming in joint-top with the Ninja FlexDrawer. Its design is unlike anything Ninja, or any other brand, has produced before. However, function-wise, it’s almost identical to the slightly less wallet-busting Foodi Dual Zone (£220), which has six functions and a 7.6l capacity. Unless the space saving element of the DoubleStack is an absolute necessity, it’s well worth considering one of Ninja’s slightly cheaper options, as you’ll still be getting Ninja quality and performance without blowing your budget.

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Ninja DoubleStack XL air fryer review: What’s good about it?

The DoubleStack’s design makes a real difference in terms of space saving. It’s 13.5cm narrower than the Ninja Dual Drawer and looks great too; the new colour is a breath of fresh air – similar to that of the Ninja Speedi, which I praised for its unique style.

The DoubleStack didn’t disappoint when it came to results, either. In my energy tests, it used 1.070kWh running both drawers empty for an hour. Based on similar tests I’ve run on previous Ninja air fryers and other models, this is around what I expected but that’s not to say it isn’t energy efficient. If you’re running this for an hour, it will only cost you around 23p (as of July 2024), far less than running a standard 3,000W UK oven for the same amount of time.

I found it to be a mostly consistent all rounder while cooking a multitude of classic air fryer dishes. In particular, I found that it made fantastic crispy roast potatoes and coated tofu during day-to-day testing. And despite its smaller size compared to Ninja’s other models, I didn’t notice a consequential difference in cooking times.

In my tests, 500g of raw potato, cut into chips, cooked in 30 minutes at 180ºC, using one tbsp of oil. That’s a little slower than other air fryers I’ve tested, but it’s still a decent effort and the results proved better than I’ve seen with cheaper ovens.

Impressively, I found the DoubleStack can comfortably fit a whole 1.2kg chicken in each of its baskets, making it ideal for big gatherings or cooking roast dinners in record time. That said, the results weren’t quite as spot-on as when I cooked chicken in its larger sibling, the FlexDrawer, with both chickens looking less crisp.

This is to be expected, though, due to the compact size of the baskets. There’s less room for air to circulate, which can result in a less crispy exterior when cooking larger items. That being said, the results are still very good considering how little space you’re working with.

Ninja DoubleStack XL air fryer review: What could be better?

One consistent issue I noticed throughout testing is that food would often brown unevenly, with items at the front of the drawer getting crispier on top than those nearest the fans, something I’ve often experienced with conventional ovens. This was easily rectified by turning the food and moving it around the baskets but it’s not something I’ve come across on other Ninja air fryers.

The likely cause of this is the size and positioning of the fans, which are located at the back of the air fryer, rather than at the top. As this is a conscious design choice to ensure the DoubleStack is compact and stackable, I’m not sure what the solution would be.

Another small niggle relates to the four-layer stacking. While this model allows you to create four separate cooking layers with the steel racks provided, I found things got quite cramped inside the smaller baskets. Unless you are cooking for two people or fewer, trying to fit four layers into the DoubleStack can cause overcrowding and, as I found, result in less even browning and slower cooking times in some instances.

Much like the FlexDrawer, the DoubleStack XL is very expensive. At the time of writing, it costs £270, which is more than most people will likely be willing to spend on an air fryer. This is a common theme with Ninja products, though, and I imagine the majority of those reading this know they’re looking at a premium product that’s going to set them back a fair bit. I certainly wouldn’t recommend this to someone as their first air fryer, unless they’re more interested in design than sticking to a budget.

Ninja DoubleStack XL air fryer review: Should you buy it?

So, who exactly is the DoubleStack XL for and why have I still given it a recommended award? While it’s not Ninja’s best air fryer in terms of cooking results and consistency, it does address a really important pain point. Ninja’s previous dual drawer iterations are extremely big and aren’t suitable options for those lacking counter space. The 36cm height might still be an issue for those with low-hanging cupboards, but for most people, the DoubleStack XL is going to save some serious space.

What’s more, I saw some great results during testing and the capacity is fantastic given its size. If you’re not entirely sold on the design but still want a more advanced and capable air fryer, you should also consider the Instant Vortex Dual Drawer, which I rated very highly. It has two baskets and a 7.6l capacity and typically costs around £150 during sales periods. Alternatively, the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone boasts similar credentials and can often be picked up for less than £200.