We Tested 14 Ninja Air Fryers to Find the Best Models
One has been our favorite for over five years.
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Since we started testing air fryers in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab in 2020, Ninja’s models have consistently impressed us. We’ve tested 70 air fryers and 28 air fryer-toaster ovens, including 14 Ninja models, and they regularly top our list of the best air fryers and toaster ovens. In fact, a Ninja air fryer has been our top-tested pick for over five years.
Our top picks:
- Best overall: Ninja Air Fryer Pro XL
- Best glass: Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Glass Air Fryer
- Best large capacity: Ninja Foodi 8-Quart 6-in-1 Air Fryer
As a contributing analyst in the Kitchen Lab, I’ve tested 15 air fryers, including four of the most recent releases from Ninja by air frying chicken wings, frozen fries, grilled cheese, and mozzarella sticks. At home, my Ninja Crispi Pro is my go-to for reviving leftovers.
If you’re looking for a new or first-time air fryer, you can’t go wrong with a Ninja model. After years of testing, these are our favorite picks from the brand.
Best Deal
Pros
- Easy to operate
- High heat capacity
- Large cooking surface
Cons
- May be too large for some kitchens
A version of this powerful air fryer has been our top-tested model in the Kitchen Lab for over five years, and it still holds up when tested side-by-side with newer models from leading brands. This upgraded version features a square basket, offering more cooking space for better crisping and more even cooking.
During testing, it consistently produced golden, crispy fries with moist, fluffy centers. Chicken wings also came out evenly golden and juicy.
We also find this air fryer user-friendly and straightforward, making it a great choice for first-timers. The basket slides in and out smoothly and, like most basket-style air fryers, it has a nonstick coating that’s easy to clean (but you can also put the whole thing in the dishwasher). It reaches 450°F, which is great for browning, and the 6.5-quart capacity can feed four to six people. However, the squatter design requires more countertop space than the previous iteration of this model, which was taller and narrower.
| Dimensions | 14.92" x 11.3" x 12.01" |
| Capacity | 6.5 quarts |
| Settings | Max Crisp, Air Fry, Air Roast, Bake, Reheat, and Dehydrate |
| Dishwasher-safe basket | Yes |
Pros
- Compact footprint
- Large temperature range
- Easy to use
Cons
- Fewer cooking modes than other options
This compact 4-quart air fryer is a great deal. It has many of the same functions as our best overall pick in a smaller package that’s great for one to two people.
This smaller model has four cooking modes that cover the most common air-fried dishes: air fry, dehydrate, reheat, and roast. It has the same easy-to-use touchscreen and handy preset cooking programs. The impressive temperature range of 105°F to 400°F is sufficient for most air fryer recipes.
During testing, our fries and wings came out evenly cooked despite the smaller basket. Though the fan blew the top off of a grilled cheese sandwich, our mozzarella sticks came out gooey and golden.
| Dimensions | 13.6" x 11" x 13.3" |
| Capacity | 4 quarts |
| Settings | Air Fry, Dehydrate, Reheat, Roast |
| Dishwasher-safe basket | Yes |
Pros
- Cooking vessels double as storage containers
- Portable
- Glass allows you to see your food during cooking
Cons
- Glass cooking container can get very hot
If you’re looking for a glass air fryer, we love the Ninja Crispi. Unlike the more traditional basket-style cookers, this appliance comes with two interchangeable glass cooking vessels and a heat source that attaches to the top. The glass containers come with lids, so you can use them to store leftovers or for meal prep, and you can keep an eye on your food while it cooks.
This air fryer is a great choice if you’re looking for a portable model to reheat lunch at the office, though the glass vessel gets hotter to the touch than metal baskets, which are usually housed in plastic. The smaller 6-cup container is the perfect size to hold a meal for one, and it reheats quickly with crispier results than the office microwave.
You can also use the larger 4-quart vessel to prepare meals or snacks for up to four people. We had great results with a pound of frozen French fries, two servings of mozzarella sticks, and a pound of chicken wings.
| Dimensions | 13.38" x 11.96" x 13.58" |
| Capacity | 4 quarts and 6 cups |
| Settings | Max Crisp, Bake, Air Fry, and Recrisp |
| Dishwasher-safe basket | Yes |
Others we tested
• Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Air Fryer: This is the larger version of our top pick for glass air fryers. It’s pricier and requires more space than the portable Crispi, and it’s a little cumbersome to use.
• Double Stack XL: We like that this two-drawer air fryer has a narrower footprint than the Foodi model, but it’s loud, and we noticed that the top drawer performed better than the bottom.
• Foodi 6-in-1 8-Quart 2-Basket Air Fryer: The baskets can be used one at a time or together. The Match Cook feature can copy the settings from one side to the other, or they can be set to different temperatures. A handy feature Ninja calls Smart Finish helps ensure that both meal components are ready at the same time.
• Foodi Digital Air Fryer Oven: This slim toaster oven flips up for storage, freeing up counter space, but we found it difficult to clean, and it may be too narrow for some items.
• Foodi Flexbasket Air Fryer: The unique design of this large 7-quart air fryer lets you divide the basket into two zones or use it as a single cooking surface (the Mega Zone). It didn’t crisp up wings well during testing.
• French Door Premier Air Fryer Toaster Oven: We like that this model looks like a professional oven, but it runs hot and burned toast, cake, and fries during testing.
• Max XL Air Fryer: This is an earlier version of our best overall pick, and we still love it. We just prefer the wider cooking surface and increased capacity of the latest version.
• Prestige Smart XL Air Fryer & Toaster Oven: This is one of our favorite air fryer/toaster oven combos. It has a spacious interior and four rack positions, but it requires quite a bit of counter space.
• Pro 4-in-1: This simple 5-quart air fryer performed well during testing, but it feels a little more flimsy than our top picks and has a wider, squatter design that requires more space.
•Pro XL Air Fryer: During testing, this 6.5-quart model proved a little too powerful. It burned our fries and grilled cheese, and our mozzarella sticks burst open.
How we test air fryers
We set up each air fryer in the Kitchen Lab and perform the following tests to assess performance and usability.
✔️ Wing and frozen French fry test: We cook commonly air-fried foods and evaluate how evenly they cook, how crispy and browned they are on the outside, and whether they’re dry or moist and fluffy inside.
✔️ Grilled cheese and mozzarella stick tests: We air fry a grilled cheese sandwich to see if the fan blows the bread around and if the cheese melts nicely. We also cook frozen mozzarella sticks to see if the oven is so powerful that they burst open.
✔️ Ease of use: We consider how user-friendly the air fryer controls and the owner’s manual are. We also assess the ease of cleaning the basket, plate, and any accessories.
What to look for when shopping for an air fryer
✔️ Size: Smaller air fryers (2 to 4 quarts) are sufficient to feed one or two people. To feed four, you’ll want about 6 quarts, and for larger crowds, go for an 8- to 10-quart model.
✔️ Material: Most Ninja air fryers have a nonstick-coated basket. These are easy to clean, lightweight, and durable. Glass is a great option if you want to see your food while it cooks or to use the cooking vessel as a storage container. However, glass cooking vessels can get very hot and are heavier and more fragile than metal.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Lizzy Briskin is a contributing analyst in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab. She’s been testing appliances and covering food for over 10 years, and she has a professional culinary degree. She loves using her Ninja glass air fryer to recrisp leftover pizza and has used an air fryer instead of a toaster for years.
Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Kitchen Lab, where she oversees all appliance testing. She’s been air frying for more than 10 years and has used many Ninja air fryers at home.
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