Ninja is arguably the biggest name in the world of air fryers. It features heavily in our best air fryers roundup and is constantly innovating with new designs and smart settings, which have truly changed the way many of us cook in the kitchen.
In fact, the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Air Fryer was GH readers’ second most-shopped product from our articles last year. You bought nearly 6,000 of our best dual air fryer.
So, I’m always excited to hear when the brand is launching a new product (last time, I got to eat inside a Ninja air fryer restaurant designed as a giant Double Stack), and the newest launch is possibly the most game-changing yet: the Ninja Crispi portable glass air fryer – for speedy cooking anytime, anywhere. Here's everything you need to know.
What is the Ninja Crispi?
Pros
- Portable
- Compact and stackable for easy storage
- Dishwasher-friendly
- Very easy to use
- Comes with recipes to get you started
- Containers used to cook, serve and store
Cons
- Not as easy to carry about as it could be
- Limited to four cooking functions
- Only one compartment – can't cook two foods at different temperatures at the same time
Key specifications
| Capacity | 1.4L or 3.8L, depending on container used |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | H34.5 x W30.4 x D34cm |
| Cooking modes | Four |
The Ninja Crispi is marketed as the first portable air fryer – yes, in theory, you can now take an air fryer into work with you and cook your lunch at your desk. (Whether you should is another question..)
It’s been designed with convenience in mind – simply pop the ‘Power Pod’ on top of the glass cooking container and you’re ready to unleash a whole world of crispiness and flavour. Plus, once you’re done, you can save any leftovers by putting the provided lids onto the glass containers and popping them straight in the fridge. Ninja has used the phrase “Snap it, crisp it, serve it, store it,” to promote the simplicity and convenience of the Crispi (which, incidentally, also sounds like a home cook’s version of the game Bop It).
Back to the air fryer though. It has four functions: air fry, roast, re-crisp and keep warm, giving you the option to cook from scratch or reheat pre-prepared goodies. There are two glass cooking containers (1.4L and 3.8L), plus crisper trays and leakproof lids.
While other air fryer brands have focused on increasing capacity, Ninja has done the opposite here, scaling back from the likes of the Ninja Foodi Max and Ninja Double Stack XL, to create something more mobile. So, did this compact air fryer live up to our high expectations? I tried it out for a week, prepping my lunch in the office and at home. Here’s what you need to know.
My review of the Ninja Crispi
As the Good Housekeeping Institute’s senior homes and lifestyle writer, I’ve tried a lot of different air fryers over the years – we’ve tested nearly 70 in our lab and I even spent a week pitting oven vs. air fryer in my bid to test the hugely popular tech – so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this new portable model.
First impressions
One thing is clear: Ninja has really thought about aesthetics with the Crispi. It comes in three lovely colourways – a neutral stone, a space blue, and trendy sage green – each in a matte finish that’s both sleek and easy to wipe clean.
I admit, I was sceptical to start. The ‘hat’ that sits on top of the glass containers (named the Power Pod by Ninja) seems too small to offer the same results as some of the Crispi’s predecessors. But its compact 30 x 34cm build incorporates all the necessities – a fan, a heating element and 1700W of power – so don’t underestimate it.
The quick-start guide provided is clear and easy to understand, with recipes and cooking charts to help beginners get started. Plus, there are tags on the containers and Power Pod with key information.
To set it up, slot the small or large crisper plate into the corresponding glass container; add the adaptor on if you’re using the large and leave it off if using the small container; then pop on the Power Pod ‘hat’. Once plugged in, the air fryer turns on automatically, so you don’t even need to press the ‘on’ button on the display.
Adjusting the setting is a breeze too: just press the mode button in the centre to cycle through the four options, then add or take off time depending on what you’re cooking. All in all, it took me roughly five minutes to go from Crispi newbie to feeling confident with the controls, which is a lot quicker than other air fryer models I’ve used.
Cooking with the Crispi
Despite my scepticism about its size, the Ninja Crispi is an efficient little cooker. It air-fried chicken in 15 minutes, leaving it impressively crisp yet moist on the inside, and it turned sausages into a delicious evening meal without needing to switch the oven on or spend time hovering over a hot frying pan. The Crispi even transformed some cold, stiff pastries into warm, flaky goodies that were absolutely delicious.
Don’t just take my word for it. Mel, our style director, has also tried it and said it delivered “the best chicken I’ve ever had.”
As mentioned though, the Crispi isn’t just an air fryer. Remove the Power Pod and the cooking container turns into a table-ready serving dish thanks to the handles on either side and the heat-resistant feet. Or snap-on the lids and the Crispi becomes a storage container for your fridge or taking food on the go.
Clean-up
You’ll be pleased to hear the Crispi is dishwasher-friendly, meaning you can pop the glass containers, adaptor, and lids into the dishwasher and go on with your day. I personally don’t own a dishwasher but can say that hand washing the components was a breeze. Any food residue easily lifted off the glass cooking surface, requiring little scrubbing in hot, soapy water.
My only thing to note is that food easily gets caught on the outside between the plastic and the glass, where the heat-resistant handles and feet attach to the containers. I found food slipped between the gap and was then tricky to remove.
My verdict of the Ninja Crispi
There’s a lot to love about the Ninja Crispi, from its compact, stackable design to its small, yet mighty personality, but there’s one question we’re still left pondering: is it really that portable?
The large container plus the Power Pod weighs around 7kg, which means it’s not the easiest thing to pack in your bag and carry on the commute to the office. And you can trust me on this – I did my hour commute with Ninja Crispi in tow and it’s not something I’d be keen to do on the daily.
Office lunches aside (and, I’ll be honest, you’re only ever one fish lunch away from alienating all your colleagues), it’s much more portable than a typical air fryer and could quickly become a go-to tool for dishing up impressive meals on weekends away or camping trips.
Besides that, using the Ninja Crispi so far has been a joy. I love the simplicity of the control panel, while its compact design offers a solution to our ever-cluttered kitchen counters and cupboards. The two glass containers nest inside one another, along with the crisper plates, and the Power Pod sits on top, making it neat and easy to store compared to most air fryers currently on the market. Its size makes it a great pick for smaller families or couples too.
Of course, there are trade-offs. The Ninja Crispi doesn’t have it all – there’s no dual basket versatility, there isn’t a huge number of cooking functions, and there are no pre-programmed settings for your go-to foods. However, it sacrifices these for innovation – namely, its portable design and snap-lock lids that instantly transform the cooking surface into a storage container.
For me, it’s one for meal prepping, fancy office lunches, reheating leftovers, and cooking on trips away rather than big family dinners.
But do the experts agree? Well, we’re also analysing the Ninja Crispi in our Good Housekeeping Institute test kitchen as I write and will bring you our tried and tested verdict as soon as the scores are in.
In the meantime, check out Ninja’s other top-rated models in our best ninja air fryers roundup below.
Megan is the Good Housekeeping Institute’s homes writer. She loves diving into the latest product releases to find the very best buys on the market. When she’s not writing about the newest gadgets and gizmos for your home and garden, you’ll find her cooking, running and exploring London’s foodie hotspots – or trying to make friends with every dog she passes. Megan has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously written for Stylist, Glamour, TimeOut, SquareMeal, and YOU magazine. You can find Megan on Instagram @meganlouisegeall and on X @megan_geall
