Are you ready to finally dip your toe into air frying (not literally, of course!). There's a lot to recommend these powerful mini-ovens, which produce crispy results with little to no oil – meaning healthier dinners – and deliver meals in minutes, saving on valuable prep time and energy.
They're not just limited to chips and chicken either – we've made lemon drizzle cakes, cheese and ham pies, pasta bakes and carrot cake in ours.
If you're ready to take the plunge and have already started to research the best air fryers, you'll probably be aware that Ninja is one of the market leaders and its models often coming highly recommended.
That's certainly the case here at the Good Housekeeping Institute where our experts have tried and tested over 50 air fryers so far (which has involved baking 848 cupcakes!), with many top-rated Ninja options.
In fact, our joint overall winner, the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Digital Air Fryer, was GH readers' most shopped product from our articles last year.
But which is the best Ninja air fryer for you? Here, we take a look at the pros and cons of each, to help you decide which is worth investing in.
Which is the best Ninja air fryer?
You'll find our full reviews below, but if you're ready to add to basket, here are our experts' top picks at a glance:
1
Best Ninja air fryer for families
Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer MAX + Tongs, 9.5L
Read more
2
Best for solo air frying or for couples
Ninja Air Fryer & Dehydrator AF100UK
Read more
3
Best for slow cooking
Ninja Foodi MAX Multi-Cooker, 9-in-1, 7.5L
Read more
4
5
6
Best for speedy midweek meals
Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker, Air Fryer and Multi Cooker
Read more
7
Best for serious chefs
Ninja Foodi MAX 15-in-1 SmartLid Multi-Cooker 7.5L
Read more
8
See AlsoNinja Air Fryer Pro XL 6-in-1 review — straightforward, easy-to-use, and fastThe Ninja 8-in-1 Air Fryer Oven Finally Made It Possible for Me to Get Dinner on the Table in Fewer Than 20 Minutes | Livestrong.comWhich Ninja air fryer should you buy?Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Dual Air Fryer review: a behemoth air fryer that can serve 8+ peopleBest for grilling
Ninja Foodi MAX PRO Health Grill, Flat Plate & Air Fryer
Read more
How we test
We eat very well during air fryer testing at the GHI. Depending on each model's capacity, we either cook a whole chicken or chicken Kyivs to see how they fare, looking for golden skin and moist meat.
We also make chips, checking for consistency, crunch and fluffy middles. Finally, we bake some cupcakes and assess each device on how well it makes fluffy, well risen sponge.
Throughout, we're also rating them on performance, ease of use, design and quality of instructions.
You'll see that some of the Ninja models below are actually sold as multi-cookers and slow cookers, but come with air fryer functionality. If that's the case, we also check they perform in those modes, cooking up beef brisket, vegan chilli and chicken curry.
While we digest all that, have a read through our reviews below. We've also rounded-up the best air fryer accessories so you can cook up a storm.
Pros
- 9.5L capacity, so good for families
- Speedy
- Dual drawer set up that can be synced
- Intuitive controls
Cons
- Large, so not good for compact kitchens
Score: 95/100
This was a real hit with our experts, hardly dropping a point in our tests. Cakes were evenly baked and ready in 15 minutes (just how we like them!) and it achieved a perfect score for its golden, crispy chicken kievs, which were ready to serve in 25 minutes. Our chips were the right balance of crispy and fluffy too.
It's chunky, so not ideal for small kitchens, but it's great for families because of its dual drawers that can be synced so your meat and sides are ready at the same time.
Pros
- Compact design
- Lightweight
- Good value
- Lots of recipe inspiration
Cons
- Limited capacity (it's 3.8L)
- There's no handle for the basket, so use oven gloves to remove
Score: 91/100
This is our best value Ninja air fryer at just under £100. It also delivered delicious chicken Kyivs and chips (although we recommend not packing the machine too full and cooking in batches for the best results).
It's lightweight and the compact design makes it a great buy for one to two people. You will need oven gloves to lift the basket out as there's no handle, but it comes with lots of recipes and food charts to inspire you, making it ideal for beginners as well.
Pros
- Best for slow cooking
- Good energy efficiency
- Feeds a crowd
- 9 cooking functions
Cons
- Bulky
- The cooking pot is heavy to lift out
Score: 91/100
This not only air fries, but also performed strongly as a slow cooker, retaining 99% of the moisture in our dishes. So, whether you want fast or slow cooked meals, this will deliver.
It was a consistent high scorer with clear instructions and impressive energy efficiency. It will also feed a crowd (of six), thanks to its 7.5L capacity. This does, however, make it bulky and the cooking pot is heavy to lift out.
But with an accompanying recipe book and nine cooking functions, this is a great multitasking machine.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
Pros
- 6 cooking modes
- Compact design
- Energy efficient in air fryer mode
Cons
- Need to take care when releasing steam after pressure cooking due to position of release valve
- The crisping lid is tricky to clean
Score: 90/100
Like the multi-cooker above, but don't need that much space? This mini version can also pressure cook, slow cook, air fry, bake, roast, sauté, sear and steam, and has capacity for four people.
It was a high scorer across all our tests, air frying delicious chicken and chips. It was also came top for efficiency when using the air fryer mode – making chips cost just pennies of electricity.
Plus, the design is nice and compact, making storage easier. This is a solid all-rounder.
Pros
- Large 9.5L capacity
- Extensive instructions
- The Match and Sync function worked well, preparing two roast chickens at the same time
Cons
- While it's slimmer, it is deep, so it could still be tricky to find counter space
- Doesn't have a viewing window
Score: 90/100
The newest Ninja in the line-up combines a generous 9.5L capacity (like our top-rated model) with a slimmer double-stacked design to save on counter space, making it a good choice for families with busy kitchens. And proving it can feed a crowd, our testers were able to cook a deliciously juicy roast chicken in each drawer in under an hour using the Match and Sync function. Perfect for Sunday lunch for all the family.
For added versatility, you can also divide the drawers up to create four cooking sections and use the Double Stack feature to cook all four components of your meal at the same time. However, we found this was a little hit and miss, leaving us with unevenly cooked fish and chips.
We had no issues with our frozen chips though, which emerged deliciously crispy, and our cupcakes were a success. The pre-set functions worked well, too.
Pros
- 10 different cooking modes
- 'Speedi Meals' function means fast, easy mealtimes
- Comes with a recipe book for inspiration
- 5.7L capacity so good for families of four
Cons
- The hinged lid is awkward to use
Score: 88/100
Another model that's more multi-cooker than air fryer, the Ninja Speedi has 10 different cooking modes. In fact, we're not sure there's anything it can't do, except lay the table and serve the dinner.
This model's USP is its 'Speedi Meals' function, which means you can cook every part of your dish at once using your preferred method – grains, meat, veg – and it will all be ready in super quick time.
It performed consistently well across all our cooking tests and the controls are intuitive, making this another great pick for families who want quick, easy and nutritious mid-week meals.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
Pros
- 15 different cooking modes
- Combi-steam tech cooks multiple elements of your meal at once
- Built in smart meat probe takes away guesswork
Cons
- Heavy, so hard to move around
- Pricey
Score: 84/100
This is an investment but it does have 15 different cooking modes, making it the ultimate do-it-all machine. It is an excellent air fryer, turning out perfectly cooked chicken wings and roast potatoes. It also delivered “melt-in-the-mouth” beef brisket with its slow cooker mode.
Thanks to the 'combi-steam' tech, you can prepare multiple items at once and the integrated smart meat probe cooks your protein just the way you like it.
It's a big machine, so tricky to move around, but a good option for serious chefs.
Pros
- 7 different cooking modes
- Cooked a whole chicken well
- Doubles up as a grill plate for pancakes, fajitas and more
- Comes with cooking charts and an in-built digital thermometer
Cons
- It's bulky
Score: 83/100
What makes this model unique is that it's a health grill, hot plate and an air fryer, all in one, so if you're looking to give your oven a few nights off, this is a great pick. You can air fry, bake, roast, reheat, dehydrate, grill and sear.
In our tests, it only dropped one mark for cooking chicken (we managed to cook a whole one to mouthwatering near-perfection, although we had to spatchco*ck it to fit it in).
It is a bulky machine so you'll need decent counter and storage space, but it's easy to use and comes with lots of handy cooking charts to help you prepare different foods.
The verdict on Ninja air fryers
For family cooking, we don't think you can go wrong with our top-rated Ninja. The Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer MAX only dropped five marks in our tests overall and is a firm favourite with GH shoppers.
If you're cooking for one or two, opt for this more compact model, which is an affordable £99.
And for an even more versatile machine, which is currently reduced by 45% on Amazon, we suggest the Ninja Foodie Mini Multi-Cooker. There's little it doesn't do and it won't take over your countertop.
Why trust the Good Housekeeping Institute?
After testing over 50 air fryers, there's not much we don't know about this handy kitchen gadget, so we are adept at sorting the kitchen saviours from the disasters. Blossom Boothroyd, our head of homes testing, has developed rigorous protocols that test every element of these mini cookers, just as you would use them in your own kitchen.
Alison Lynch, who heads up the GHI content team, has been a lifestyle editor for over 15 years and has written about hundreds of products. She works hard to analyse the testers' feedback and turn it into really useful reviews to help our readers make the best purchase for their budget and lifestyle.
Alison Lynch
Alison is head of content for the Good Housekeeping Institute, responsible for product reviews across homes, beauty, wellness, family and food & drink. She lives by the William Morris quote that you should “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
Alison has over 15 years' experience as a lifestyle editor and has written features on everything from misophonia to how to dress like Claudia on The Traitors. She has also interviewed everyone from Dame Joanna Lumley to the Kardashians.
In her spare time, you'll find her hanging out with Monty the co*cker spaniel and refreshing the Sezane website every five seconds.
Tested byBlossom Boothroyd
Senior Homes Tester
Blossom is our Senior Homes Tester. Passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for our readers, she has tested everything from blenders to pizza ovens. Blossom enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols for hundreds of items. Innovative items like robot vacuum cleaners and wine coolers are among her favourite tests to date, and her most notable accomplishment is toasting 360 slices of bread in a determined bid to find the best toaster. In her free time, Blossom openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.