Ninja Crispi air fryer review: two Mumsnet editors share their thoughts

Price on writing: from £150 | Buy now from Amazon, Ninja or John Lewis 

What Mumsnet users say

Our verdict

The Ninja Crispi is not a bad air fryer. In fact, in the right home, it’s a genuinely smart, well-thought-out bit of kit. But it is not an air fryer for everyone and it definitely isn’t a replacement for a large dual-zone model if you’re cooking for a family of four every day.

It shines as a compact, supplementary appliance or as a first air fryer for smaller households. For busy family kitchens like mine, it feels more like a helpful extra than a main workhorse. Read on to find out why. 

How we’ve tested the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer

I tested the Ninja Crispi in my own home as part of normal family life. We’re a family of four and, like many parents, we rely heavily on air frying to get meals on the table quickly. We already own and use the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone air fryer daily, so expectations were high.

Alongside my testing, my colleague Rachel Erdos, Content Editor at Mumsnet and mum of two, has been using the Ninja Crispi for two months after buying it herself. This has given us two very different perspectives: one from a seasoned air fryer household (with a husband who can cook and a wife who very much lacks the skills) and one from a confident cook using an air fryer for the first time.

What’s in the box and how easy is it to set up?

Out of the box, the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer feels reassuringly solid. You get two glass containers as standard (though there are options to purchase an additional one or two dishes), one larger and one smaller, crisper plates for each, storage lids, and the removable PowerPod that clips on top to cook.

Setup is simple. There’s no complicated assembly and no sense you need a degree in engineering before you can turn it on. That said, it does take a little time to understand how the PowerPod, crisper plates and containers all work together, particularly if you’re used to a traditional drawer-style air fryer.

Rachel described the setup as “very straightforward” but noted she “referred to the manual a few times”, which feels fair.

In the standard model, you’ll receive two dishes: one small, one large

How easy is the Ninja Crispi air fryer to use and cook with?

This is where our experiences start to diverge. If you’re coming from a big drawer air fryer, like our Ninja dual, the Crispi feels more involved. You need to be more hands-on. Food needs flipping or shaking more often, and to do that you have to remove the PowerPod, which gets very hot and is attached to a wire that isn’t especially long.

My husband, who does most of the cooking in our house, summed it up neatly: taking the lid off means “you’re holding something with a wire attached, which isn’t very long, looking for somewhere to place it before you can even flip the food”.

The PowerPod does have feet so it can be placed down, but I never fully trusted it on our worktops without worrying about heat damage.

Rachel, on the other hand, adapted quickly. She found that “shaking the container helps to ensure food is spread out for even cooking” and built that into her routine.

The PowerPod is easily removed from the glassware, with the latter dishwasher friendly

Performance and cooking results

When the Ninja Crispi is used correctly, with the crisper plates in place and food not overcrowded, cooking results are good. Crispiness is impressive, especially for vegetables and marinated meats.

Rachel rated crispiness and doneness as “excellent” and said cooking food was “definitely quicker than using a conventional oven”. She also added: “The Keep Warm function is handy when cooking a number of different dishes - [it] keeps food warm without it drying out.”

We failed our first test - and forgot to use the grilling plates for even cooking!

In our house, results were more mixed at first. Our early mistake was not using the crisper plates, which affected air circulation and meant burgers took much longer than expected. Once we corrected that, results improved, but cooking times were still longer than our dual-zone Ninja.

Another frustration was inconsistent information. The recipe book aligns air frying with 200 degrees, but the unit itself tops out lower, closer to 180 degrees. That difference matters if you’re used to hotter, faster cooking.

Rachel also noticed timings varied, saying: “I did find that some items like broccoli, potatoes and sausages took longer to cook than stated in the instruction booklet.”

Rachel also found that cooking times varied to what was in the instructions

Is the Ninja Crispi air fryer noisy?

Noise levels are reasonable. It’s not silent, but it’s quieter than many full-sized air fryers and no louder than a typical fan oven. It didn’t stand out as irritating or intrusive during testing.

Is the Ninja Crispi portable air fryer big enough for a family?

Capacity is the Ninja Crispi’s biggest limitation, in my opinion. For individuals or couples, it’s absolutely fine - or individuals with less worktop space. 

“I’d written off air fryers completely as we have a small kitchen,” Rachel shared, adding: “I don’t want a bulk gadget taking up scarce worktop space. 

“The Ninja Crispi fits neatly into a cupboard when not in use and the novelty of being able to see food cooking through the glass container hasn’t worn off after two months of regular use.” 

The Ninja Crispi stacks nice and neatly in a cupboard for easy storage, as shown in Rachel's impressively tidy cupboard

She continued, “having raved about the compact size, the capacity does feel a little small when cooking meals for a family of four. It's fine when using it to cook a main component of a meal - marinated fish or veg for example - but it doesn't serve as a cooking solution for an entire meal, particularly as my kids (and their appetites) grow.”

In my experience, it simply can’t compete with a dual-zone fryer for batch cooking or full family meals. Storage, however, is excellent. It fits neatly into a cupboard, which is a huge plus in smaller kitchens.

Mumsnet editor, Rachel Erdos

How does the Ninja Crispi air fryer look?

Subjective, but I personally like it. The glass containers look smart and slightly futuristic, and there are several colour options to suit different kitchens. It feels less like a bulky appliance and more like a piece of kitchen kit you wouldn’t mind leaving out.

Rachel mentioned that “the novelty of being able to see food cooking through the glass container hasn’t worn off after two months of regular use”, which says a lot.

The Ninja Crispi is a lot smaller in size compared to my Ninja Dual Max

Is the portable Ninja Crispi air fryer easy to clean?

This is one area where the Ninja Crispi really shines. Being able to put the glass containers and crisper plates straight into the dishwasher is a huge win. For me, that alone makes it more appealing than some larger air fryers.

Rachel agreed, saying: “Easy to bung the main glass container and tray into the dishwasher after use.”

There is one niggle. Rachel flagged “a gap between the unit and the glass which makes for an annoying area to reach, clean and dry”. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s worth knowing.

The biggest pro for me of the Crispi is that the dishes are dishwasher friendly

Is the price of the Ninja Crispi worth it?

At around £150, the Ninja Crispi isn’t cheap - though you can find some good deals on Amazon or John Lewis around retail events. That said, Rachel felt it was “fairly priced” but said she “probably not” would buy it again at full price (she’d bought it during the Black Friday sales). 

I’m inclined to agree. If this is your only air fryer and you’re feeding a family, it’s hard to justify the cost when larger, more flexible models exist for similar money. As a compact or secondary appliance, it makes more sense.

There's four preset modes to choose from, with no room for temperature adjustments

Who is this air fryer most suited for? Who is it not suited for?

Best suited for:

• Individuals and couples

• Small families with limited space

• First-time air fryer users

• Meal preppers

• Caravan, camping or office use

Not suited for:

• Larger families

• Anyone wanting full meal cooking in one go

• People who prefer minimal intervention while cooking

Despite not being able to adjust the temperature, you can choose the time

Is the Ninja Crispi a good air fryer for beginners?

Yes, with caveats. Rachel, as a first-time air fryer user, got on well with it and rated meal quality highly. However, beginners will need to accept presets only and be prepared to check and shake food more often than they might expect. 

If, like me, you’re a really bad novice cook who would prefer to chuck everything in and forget about it until it’s ready, it may not be the right option for you. If this is the case, I highly recommend the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Air Fryer. 

Mumsnet editor, Rachel Erdos

Comparison table: Ninja vs Dreame

As far as portable air fryers are concerned, I’ve only come across two: the Ninja Crispi and Dreame’s Tasti 5-in-1 portable air fryer. Other air fryers suitable for on-the-go cooking while you’re camping or caravaning are all smaller, compact air fryers with lower wattages. These two are the only “portable” designs I’ve come across, personally. 

Below you can easily compare the two alongside the Ninja dual zone air fryer that I own at home. 

Final verdict: should you buy the Ninja Crispi portable air fryer? 

The Ninja Crispi is clever, compact and genuinely well-designed, but it’s also limited. For small households or first-time buyers, it offers a neat, less intimidating way into air frying. For families like mine, already spoiled by a dual-zone workhorse, it feels more like a helpful extra than a replacement.

If space is tight and expectations are realistic, it’s a solid option. Just don’t expect it to keep up with a full-on family dinner rush.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts (aka Beccy) is our resident lifestyle expert with a practical focus on sleep, wellness and everyday comfort. She’s equally at home tackling frank, NSFW‑adjacent topics as she is road‑testing kitchen appliances, mattresses and vacuums that work for real parents. A former editor of LJMU’s Looprevil Press, she cut her teeth in journalism in 2010, earned a post‑grad diploma in Journalism and later led editorial at ExpatWoman in Dubai before joining Mumsnet. As a mum of two, she writes with the time‑poor, sleep‑deprived in mind - honest product reviews, realistic routines and products that make parents’ lives easier.

When she’s not at her desk, she’s probably product‑testing with her two helpers, corralling a PTA or walking her two dogs up and down country lanes.

About Mumsnet reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of hands-on testing. We never accept payment for coverage, and our verdicts are independent and honest. We may earn a small commission through affiliate links, which helps fund our work - but it never influences our opinions.

All prices are correct at the time of writing.

Read next: Our guide to the best air fryers of all time