Ninja Foodi Max AG551UK Health Grill & Air Fryer review: ideal for meat eaters

Price on writing: £226 | Buy now from Amazon

Our verdict

While its cost and substantial size may be overwhelming initially, the Ninja Foodi Health Grill (AG551UK) is a great addition to kitchens, particularly if you’re a fan of authentically chargrilled meat, steak and fish.

In addition to a mid-range capacity air fryer and six different cooking functions, the health grill and integrated cooking probe help it stand out as one of the best Ninja air fryers. I loved the SmartCook function, which takes the guesswork out of meal times, ensuring food was cooked just the way my family liked it, every single time.

If you have the space to house it, it's a great gadget. My only real grumble when it came to ease of use was that there's only one cooking space—at times, I would have preferred the flexibility of a dual air fryer to cook two different meals simultaneously.

Cooking in the Ninja Foodi Max Health Grill: how easy was it to use?

Despite being relatively new to the world of air frying, I found the Ninja Foodi Health Grill really simple to use, and I appreciated the addition of a Ninja air fryer recipe booklet, which provided lots of inspiration to get me started.

Despite having six different cooking functions, including grill, air fry, roast, bake, dehydrate and reheat, the instructions were intuitive and easy to follow, so it was straightforward to find the right option for my needs. The LCD touchscreen menu allowed me to quickly navigate between functions, as well as manually adjust the temperatures and timings when required. 

As well as the large cooking pot and crisper basket, my partner was a little overexcited about the inclusion of a 740cm² grill plate, which provided plenty of space for healthy, oil-free cooking of everything from vegetable kebabs to jerk chicken, sirloin steak to sausages, and even burgers for the entire family. 

As someone who is always nervous about undercooked meats, the integrated food probe was an impressive feature. Stashing away neatly when not required, this long metal probe is inserted into the thickest part of the meat before it's added to the grill, monitoring the internal temperature to ensure it's cooked to perfection.

My partner loved testing out the SmartCook system, specifying that he wanted his steak cooked rare or medium rare and, quite literally, leaving the air fryer to do the rest. Not only does it tell you when to add the food, but it visually counts down the remaining minutes so you know exactly when it’s time to remove it. 

Related: The best slow cooker for winter feasts

Ninja Foodi MAX Health Grill & Air Fryer performance: how were the results?

During testing, I made a wide range of meals in the Ninja Foodi Health Grill including steaks, chargrilled-style chicken, chicken fried rice, mini roast potatoes and, of course, some family midweek favourites like chicken nuggets and french fries. 

The mini roast potatoes were an absolute game changer, with a crisp exterior and soft fluffy insides that made them more moreish than I care to admit. 

As expected, the grill was a huge hit with my partner, who was impressed at just how consistently the Ninja cooked his steak. He was convinced it would overcook it, but was pleasantly surprised, even after five minutes of resting time. Unlike using a traditional grill, my partner loved the fact that he didn’t need to open the grill and flip the contents, with Cyclonic Air Technology cooking food like sausages evenly on all sides with just the tiniest amount of (optional) oil. 

As someone who works from home, the reheat setting was used often and allowed me to make the most of the previous night’s leftovers for a quick and easy lunch. It also made leftover pizza taste as good as fresh—the perfect hangover cure if you’re so inclined! 

The timings are incredibly accurate using the meat probe, so ignore them at your peril. We did have one incident where my partner got distracted during dinner and his lovingly prepared jerk chicken looked more like it had been in a chimney breast than a grill. 

For easy midweek meals, we found cooking times were definitely less than using our fan oven, although I did miss being able to cook different meals simultaneously. We’ve never used a dual air fryer, but if we were regularly preparing different meals for us and the kids, I think I would miss the flexibility that a dual-drawer design could offer. 

The only setting we didn’t use is dehydrate and if I’m honest, I can’t see a scenario where I’d need to.

Related: The best microwave for family homes

Ninja Foodi Max AG551UK Health Grill & Air Fryer: design and style

There’s no getting away from the obvious—the Ninja Foodi Health Grill is a beast. Weighing just over 10kg and around 40cm wide, it’s best suited to larger kitchens with plenty of countertop space.

Due to its bulky size, it was also difficult to move around the kitchen or pop inside a cupboard, so it tended to be more of a permanent feature in my home than something brought out specifically for meal times.

That said, it’s a pretty stylish design. Made from black and silver brushed stainless steel with a large lift-up handle on the grill, it's an impressive gadget. And thanks to the non-slip feet, it also sits securely on the countertop. 

The capacity of the grill is ideal for families, with enough space to fit six standard burgers side by side, or cook three decent-sized steaks at the same time—although the probe can only be placed in one. 

The air fryer basket is 3.8 litres, which while perhaps a little on the small side for larger families, was ample space for our family of four.

How easy was the Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer to clean?

The Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer was relatively straightforward to clean, with a handy cleaning brush included for removing any stubborn, dried-on food debris. 

The ceramic-coated crisper basket and cooking pot are also safe to clean in the dishwasher, although we did tend to wash them up by hand, purely so we could stash them back inside the main unit once dry.

I did find the Ninja Foodi Health Grill tricky to clean was when we had greasier foods like sausages and burgers which left some fatty residue behind on the grill plate. In that instance, I found it useful to wipe the grill down initially with kitchen roll, as this made lighter work of the washing up.

Related: Best George Foreman grill

Price: is the Ninja Foodi Max AG551UK Health Grill & Air Fryer worth it?

At the time of writing, the Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer will set you back just under £200, which makes it quite an investment for most families. If you’re seeking a versatile air fryer that allows you to cook meat with confidence, however, it definitely takes the pressure off meal times. 

In terms of value for money, I felt it was worth every penny, although if I was buying again, it would be a close toss-up between this and the Ninja Dual Drawer Air Fryer. 

How we tested

I tested the Ninja Foodi Max AG551UK Health Grill & Air Fryer over three months. During testing, I carefully rated the air fryer on its ease of use, performance, design and overall value for money.

• Tested across three months

• Used for a variety of meals

• Used a variety of settings, including the air fryer, reheat, roast and grill functions

• Tested in a four-person household

About the author

Lucy Cotterill is a mum of two and a Content Writer at Mumsnet, specialising in baby/child and home product reviews and round-ups. Having written reviews on her own blog Real Mum Reviews since 2012, Lucy loves to research and explore the pros and cons of products, scrutinising expert opinions and consumer feedback to help parents make confident purchases that benefit their families.

First introduced to air fryers during lockdown, Lucy is prone to rustling up some quick midweek meals in her Ninja or Cosori, with some major successes and a few unsuccessful trials along the way. She’s also written several Mumsnet guides on air fryers, so whether you’re after the best budget air fryer, a large dual-basket air fryer, or the top air fryers for two people, she’s the one in the know.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real people after extensive research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.

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