Best Ninja Air Fryers in 2023 (Review)
Ninja makes some of the most popular air fryers today which is no surprise considering the reputation of this company for its magnificent kitchen appliances. With that being said you might wonder – which of the Ninja air fryers are the best? Not only you will find the answer to that question in this article but also which Ninja air fryer will suit your needs the best.
#1 Ninja DZ201 Foodi 8 Quart Dual Zone Air Fryer
Ninja DZ201 Foodi is an air fryer with two cooking zones – each 4 quarts large making up for a total of 8 quarts. It’s equipped with 1690 watt heating element and has a temperature range of 105°F to 450°F – considerably wider than most other air fryers.
Cooking
Ninja DZ201 Foodi cooks really well. The food is delicious and flavorful yet healthy and not greasy as you don’t have to use any oil. It crisps certain meals well too, like french fries or skin of chicken wings. Adding a little bit of oil (spray or two) does make them even crispier but it’s fine as it’s.
The main feature that makes this air fryer stand out among the competition is that it has 2 cooking baskets. This allows you to cook different foods at the same time.
Ninja DZ201 also has another cool feature called Smart finish. Different foods will typically have different cooking times however this feature will automatically adjust the settings accordingly to make sure both of them finish cooking at the same time.
However if you use both baskets to cook same food then you can use Match zone feature that will apply same settings to both cooking baskets.
Cooking modes
Ninja DZ201 air fryer has 6 cooking modes: air broil, air fry, roast, reheat, dehydrate and bake.
Control panel
Button layout is very intuitive so Ninja DZ201 air fryer is easy to use.
Accessories
Ninja DZ201 air fryer comes with two cooking baskets and two non-stick crisper plates.
Verdict
Ninja DZ201 Foodi is the best Ninja air fryer. It’s versatile, easy to use and works great!
#2 Ninja AF161 Max XL Air Fryer
Ninja AF161 is equipped with a powerful 1750 watt heating element and has selectable temperature range pf 105°F to 450°F. It has 5.5 quart cooking capacity which works best to cook for 3-4 people at a time.
Cooking
Ninja AF161 without a doubt is among the best air fryers on the market. It cooks well and food comes out tasting great. Steaks are tender and juicy on inside and french fries are crispy.
Just like on most air fryers the basket has nonstick coating that makes it easy to clean.
Ninja AF161 air fryer has 7 cooking programs: Max Crisp, Air Fry, Air Roast, Air Broil, Bake, Reheat and Dehydrate.
Control panel
Control panel is essentially divided into 4 rows. The upper row features display screen and buttons for adjusting temperature and time, the bottom row features “On/Off” and “Start/Pause” buttons whereas the two middle rows consist only of cooking program buttons.
Verdict
Overall Ninja AF161 is a great air fryer. It’s not as versatile as Ninja DZ201 but it cooks well and is easy to use.
#3 Ninja SP101 Foodi 8-in-1 Air Fryer/Convection Oven/Toaster
Ninja SP101 Foodi is air fryer/convection oven/toaster that’s equipped with 1800 watt heating element and can cook in temperatures as high as 450°F (most air fryers have maximum temperature of 400°F). It’s also the only oven type air fryer in this article as all of the rest are basket type.
Cooking
Ninja SP101 Foodi cooks fast and is relatively quiet. Most of the time food comes out delicious however sometimes results might be not quite what you expect.
One of the flaws is that temperature doesn’t seem to be perfectly distributed inside the air fryer. This can result in some parts of food you are cooking to be overcooked or undercooked. This is not something you will notice always but it can be a small issue sometimes.
Another flaw is that sometimes food might not come out as crispy as it would with other air fryers or even worse – it can become dry on inside. Again, this is not an issue every time you cook, but sometimes it can happen.
Another thing that’s perhaps not a flaw but rather a nuance is that the cooking chamber is wide and deep yet shallow. For some types of meals this design works better however it also limits you in a way that some types of food might not fit inside.
With that being said Ninja SP101 Foodi works well most of the time but occasionally results can be a bit disappointing. Once the food has finished it will make bell sound to notify you that food is ready.
Cooking modes
Ninja SP101 Foodi has 8 cooking modes: “air fry”, “air roast”, ”air broil”, ”bake”, ”toast”, ”bagel”, ”dehydrate” and ”keep warm”
Control panel
Ninja SP101 Foodi air fryer oven is equipped with LCD display, dial and 4 buttons: “Time/Slice” (Once pressed you can adjust cooking time with the dial except if you have selected Toast or Bagel cooking mode in which case you use dial to adjust amount of slices), “Temperature/Darkness” (Once pressed you can adjust cooking temperature with the dial except if you have selected Toast or Bagel cooking modes in which case you use dial to adjust number darkness level), “Power” (turns air fryer on/off) and “Light” (turns interior light on or off).
You can switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature scales by holding Temp/Darkness” button for 3 seconds (doesn’t work when air fryer is already cooking).
Accessories
Ninja SP101 Foodi comes with crumb tray, wire rack, sheet pan and air fry basket. They are dishwasher safe.
Features
Ninja SP101 Foodi air fryer oven can be flipped sideways for more compact storage. It also has place for cord storage in the back.
Size and weight
Ninja SP101 Foodi air fryer weighs 18.57 pounds and measures 19.7 inches wide by 7.6 inches deep by 15 inches tall.
Verdict
Ninja SP101 Foodi is not a bad air fryer oven overall but there is some room for improvements.
#4 Ninja AF101 4 Quart Air Fryer
Ninja AF101 air fryer has 4 quart capacity which is enough to cook for 2-3 people at a time. It’s equipped with 1,550 watt heating element has temperature range of 105°F to 400°F.
Cooking
Ninja AF101 cooks fast and evenly. The food tastes great and the air fryer does a great job of making it crispy (i.e. french fries and chicken wings). Definitely works better than some of the cheaper models and it’s also rather quiet.
Ninja AF101 has 4 cooking modes: Air fry, roast, reheat and dehydrate.
Control panel
Control panel is divided into 3 parts which makes it intuitive and easy to use. The upper part features display screen and buttons for adjusting temperature and time. The middle parts has buttons for the 4 cooking modes. The bottom part consists of 2 buttons: “On/Off” and “Start/Pause”.
Verdict
Despite coming last Ninja AF101 is still a great air fryer. The main reason why it’s #4 is due to its smaller size which makes it less versatile but if you don’t need an air fryer larger than this then this one will do a great job.
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