Professionals
- Cook dinner, serve, and storage capabilities
- Simple to scrub: nearly every thing is dishwasher-safe
- Intuitive operation
- No concern about PFAS
- Capacity to see cooking in progress
- Should purchase further glass vessels for max meals prep
- Small storage footprint with nesting capabilities
- Moveable
Cons
- Value is on the excessive aspect for air fryers
- Some uncovered sizzling parts throughout operation
Air fryer ovens have transitioned from passing fad to once-in-a-lifetime kitchen craze. Testing air fryers is extra of a life-style than a pastime for us — at CNET, we not solely love the speedy countertop convection ovens, however we’re on a mission to seek out one of the best of one of the best.
Whereas some massive and budget-friendly fashions have impressed us sufficient to make the coveted listing of finest air fryers, just one reigns supreme as one of the best total air fryer. On the prime of our listing is an progressive glass-bowl air fryer from Ninja. It matches the efficiency of any mannequin we have examined, however its distinctive glass-bowl design provides it an actual edge over the standard basket-style competitors.
This distinctive Ninja air fryer has impressed hoards of copycats, however the unique continues to be our prime choose.
After cooking with Ninja’s Crispi glass air fryer for nearly two years, we have but to seek out one other that mixes ease of use, unhazardous supplies and pure cooking prowess fairly like this one. The Crispi makes air frying enjoyable, and the glass chambers with tight-fitting lids act as extra than simply vessels for scorching wings, fries and mushrooms. Plus, the whole unit breaks down for simple storage after use — a characteristic that 99% of different air fryers lack.
Learn extra: Air Fryer Fails: 8 Meals That Simply Cannot Deal with the Warmth
Here is why the Ninja Crispi glass air fryer is one of the best air fryer purchase in 2026.
Ninja Crispi glass air fryer at a look
- Model: Modular air fryer with two sizes of glass cooking vessels and a separate cooking pod in three colours
- Dimensions: 13.5 by 12 by 13.5 inches
- Energy: 1,500 watts
- Weight: 15.74 kilos
- Value $180 (presently on sale for $160)
Ninja Crispi operation: The way it’s completely different
Having the ability to visually monitor progress is without doubt one of the large attracts for Ninja’s air fryer.
The cooking pod itself contains crisp, bake, air fry and max crisp capabilities. Crisp is meant to revive leftovers, whereas Max Crisp is the best setting for packaged frozen meals. Whereas it’s tempting, given their baking dish look, the glass TempWare bowls usually are not supposed for use because the precise cooking vessels for batters in bake mode, as a result of air nonetheless must flow into beneath the cooking vessels to be efficient. (Will I attempt anyway? The temptation is actual.)
Urgent any button will activate a digital timer, permitting you so as to add or subtract minutes. (The timer defaults to 10.) When the timer is beneath 1 minute, it switches to seconds, and the system beeps to provide you with a warning when the cycle is full. Total, the Ninja Crispi’s sound degree was just like that of typical air fryer fashions, with a reasonable whirring noise throughout operation.
4 causes to like the Ninja Crispi glass air fryer
1. I can verify the progress of my meals with out dropping warmth
You may monitor cooking progress with out stopping the machine.
As anticipated, the power to see the cooking in progress was actually satisfying, from a nerdy perspective and as a option to search for visible cues to find out when to flip gadgets or assess doneness. Rooster elements and Brussels sprouts have been cooked evenly and effectively, with little danger of overcooking, given the 360-degree view into the proceedings.
As a result of I can monitor progress with out opening the basket or stopping the machine, meals cooks sooner. Who does not love that?
2. Glass bowls are unhazardous and simple to scrub
We discovered the glass cooking chamber superior on a number of fronts.
Most air fryers use aluminum cooking baskets with a nonstick coating. These coatings are inclined to chip and break down in the event you’re not cautious. Many individuals are involved concerning the well being ramifications of ingesting nonstick chemical substances that chip off cookware. With a glass-bowl air fryer, there isn’t any fear.
If that is not sufficient, glass is way simpler to deep-clean than nonstick surfaces and you should use the dishwasher with out subject.
3. The glass bowls double as meals storage containers
The cooked meals is able to be packed away or delivered to a celebration as quickly because it’s performed.
The flexibility, nevertheless, makes the Ninja Crispi tremendously fascinating, particularly for avid meal preppers. Full meals or particular person cooked parts might be saved immediately from the cooking course of within the fridge, due to the included lids for simple storage. (Though I’m sure by fridge logistics to inform you to let all of it cool first, so you do not inadvertently elevate the temperature inside your fridge.)
Extra cooking bowls in numerous sizes might be bought individually, permitting for the preparation of a number of individually cooked meals with no cleanup required between makes use of: merely switch the cooking pod from one cooking vessel to the subsequent, assembly-line fashion. Sunday meal prep has by no means been simpler, nor required fewer dishes.
4. It breaks down for simple storage
Not many air fryers break down for simple storage the best way the Crispi does.
The Ninja Crispi can be straightforward to retailer, with a footprint and peak requirement that’s far lower than quite a lot of typical fashions. It additionally makes for simple portability — excellent for a potluck and even only a self-care sizzling meal — and you may even justify cooking on website. Both of the cooking bowls or the cooking pod may simply slot in a shoulder bag. If I labored in an workplace, it might thrill me to convey the entire thing with me so I may have a sizzling, wholesome lunch with out reheating. Though in the event you’re considering being the particular person to prepare dinner fish immediately at your desk — possibly do not.
Not solely can the bigger 4-quart bowl be used immediately as a family-style serving vessel — whose sensible ft preclude the necessity for a trivet or pot holder — however one may additionally argue that the smaller 4-cup vessel can be utilized to eat immediately from, considerably lowering the variety of dishes to scrub. Talking of washing, every thing besides the cooking pod itself is dishwasher-safe.
Ninja Crispi setup
Handy because it, the glass cooking chamber does get hotter than your common air fryer base.
Though it does not resemble a typical air fryer, the Ninja Crispi was intuitive to arrange and use. Every glass cooking vessel has a built-in stand with ft that retains it off the counter. Facet handles are additionally fitted to the bowls’ stands, permitting straightforward transportation between the counter and the desk (because the vessels can be used for serving) and making it straightforward to shake the contents as wanted throughout cooking.
The nonstick crisper plates have been packaged individually and have been straightforward to position within the bowls and take away for cleansing. Lids for the 6-cup and 4-quart bowls have been additionally included: a snap-on lid for the smaller and an easier press-on lid for the bigger.
The cooking pod options an ergonomic form for simple lifting and contains ft for safe placement on the counter when not in use. The cooking pod sits simply on prime of the 6-cup bowl, and a big-batch adapter body suits the cooking pod onto the bigger bowl. Between unwrapping and rinsing all the washable elements, I used to be able to go in about 2 minutes.
The massive-batch adapter body suits the cooking pod onto the bigger glass bowl.
What I did not like concerning the Ninja Crispi
As a modular system with quite a few built-in practicalities and flexibility, the Ninja Crispi is a game-changer within the air fryer market. That stated, at $160, it is on the more-expensive aspect for an air fryer.
These with little ones in the home can also need to notice that when the cooking pod is used with the adapter for big batches, the adapter can develop into sizzling and doubtlessly expose them as soon as the heating pod is eliminated. By no means thoughts little ones; in the event you’re an absent-minded prepare dinner your self, it may be a hazard.
Learn extra: 8 Meals That Go From Good to Nice in an Air Fryer
Closing verdict on the Ninja Crispi
In the event you’re a disciple of air fryer cooking and, particularly when you have a critical dedication to meal prepping, the Ninja Crispi is arguably one of the crucial versatile fashions available on the market. It is satisfying to make use of, and simple to retailer and clear. You could need to search for it on sale throughout Prime Day or an identical occasion, however even and not using a low cost, its utility and the Ninja model’s popularity justify its price ticket.
