Instant Pot Air Fryer Vs Ninja Air Fryer

Instant Pot Vs Air Fryer: Functionality & Price

Instant Pots and air fryers vary in price, depending on the model and amount of features. Ask yourself: What will I cook?

Am I feeding a family of five, or just cooking for myself? Do I make complicated dishes or just want to air fry some chicken wings here and there?

Depending on the intended use, you can make an informed decision on budget and functionality needs.

The Instant Pot Ultra, for example, is on the higher end at around $150 but does the work of 10 different appliances in one.

For more budget-minded consumers, this Instant Pot 6-in-1 is half the price yet straightforward and durable.

This Air Fryer from Philips has fat removal technology and tons of space but will cost you almost $300. However, you can easily find smaller, simpler air fryers for under $100, like this one.

Again, it all comes down to intended use and personal budget.

Lets Start With Where You Can Find The New Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker And Air Fryer

• You can print this free Ninja Foodi cook times sheet too

I will start from the beginning so you understand how knowledgeable I am about small kitchen appliances, and pressure cookers in general.

I bought the Instant Pot months after it came on the market, when there were NO recipes out there. People were still afraid to use it. SO, I started figuring it out and used it every day for months. Now I have 101+ Instant Pot recipes to show for it.

• Even though it says Instant Pot you can use all of these in the Ninja Foodi using the pressure cooker function.

Now of course I have started a list of easy Ninja Foodi recipes since it is an air fryer too.

Since Ive been creating pressure cooker recipes for quite some time now I was more interested in the air fryer function. This is a game changer for us!!

Pressure Cooker Function Of Ninja Foodi

I was very eager to test this out first because if I got rid of my Instant Pot, I would need the next pressure cooker to perform like the Instant Pot.

Im happy to report it worked just as well. I did have an issue with the seal/vent valve but it only happened once so it mightve been a fluke/user error.

Also Check: Emeril’s Air Fryer Cookbook

Where Ninja Foodi Loses

There are fewer ways to “customize” your cooker needs here, both function-wise and size-wise. Despite what seems like 20 different Foodi models, only a few of them are actually pressure cookers. There’s less clear scaling up in terms of what each model can do, and cookers that are dedicated toaster ovens or air fryers are still just called the Foodi just with “XL” or “Deluxe” tacked onto the end. The Foodi doesn’t come in a mini 3-quart size at all.

While you can sometimes score an Instant Pot for as low as $50-ish if you’re fine with only six appliance functions, buying a Foodi locks you into spending at least $169. And it’s a bummer that the Foodi costs so much and doesn’t even have a stainless steel insert. The nonstick coating isn’t as fragile as Teflon, but there are reports of chipping from the metal rack being pulled in and out. Some people also aren’t comfortable with their food chilling in a plastic-y ceramic coating for hours.

What Makes Ninja Foodi Similar To Instant Pot Air Fryer

Both devices can pressure cook, air fry, sauté, steam cook, slow cook, bake, roast, and dehydrate. In addition, these e devices have safety features, an LCD screen, and more than 10 cooking functions to make your cooking process safer and easier. Besides, you can customize the cooking settings manually using the touch screen. Also, the price is almost the same.

Recommended Reading: Emeril Lagasse Air Fryer 360 Promo Code

Which Ninja Foodi Should You Buy Or Should You Get The Instant Pot Duo Crisp

I recommend getting either one of the 8 quart Ninja Foodi products or the Instant Pot Duo Crisp. While the 6.5 quart Ninja Foodi is a more manageable size for counter space, it isnt very big for air frying. I have found through my Instant Pot Duo Crisp that I would not want something smaller for air frying functions. You can fit a pretty big chicken in an 8 Qt!

Between the Ninja Foodi products, the 8 Qt OP401 is the best value. Then, at any given time, the Instant Pot Duo Crip might be cheaper. The products are so similar and both get good reviews, so I recommend checking the prices and getting the best bargain that you can find.

I happen to own the Duo Crisp, because I am a huge Instant Pot fan. That seems pretty obvious given the topi of this site right!?! But the Foodi is a great product too.

If you want to make yogurt without trying to figure out how to do it on a slow cook setting, then get the Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL. It is the only one that adds that as a preset. If you really want the Sous Vide function then the Instant Pot Duo Crisp is for you. In all honesty though, I recommend using a true sous vide product over doing it in the Instant Pot. Reports are that the Instant Pot does not maintain proper water temperature well for it. I still need to test that.

Instant Pot Vs Air Fryer: What To Cook

Instant pots can cook the most common foods. Note that the instant pot is preferred for stews and food requiring boiling. But it has different cooking functionalities that can enable it to function as a slow cooker, sauté pan, and more. It can cook beef, chicken, bread, soups, vegetables, eggs, rice, noodles, cakes, multigrain, porridge, and even prepare yogurt.

The air fryer has a long list of foods you can cook in it. The appliance can bake, air fry, roast, grill, dehydrate and reheat. It is preferred for making French fries, baked potatoes, omelets, hard-boiled eggs, egg rolls, cakes, banana bread, fried chicken, turkey, muffins, air-fried fish, air-fried bacon, and much more.

If you want stew, soups, boiled rice, and multigrain meals, consider an instant pot. However, if you like air-fried, crispy meals on the outside and juicy on the inside, an air fryer is the better option.

Also Check: Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowl In Air Fryer

Ninja Air Fryer Vs Instant Vortex Air Fryer

Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryers are a reasonably brand-new invention that came as a healthier alternative to deep fryers. In that sense, every contemporary kitchen ought to consist of air fryers in its rack. And, it is actually occurring. The significant demand for air fryers triggers the influx of second-rate designs. So, you need to be meticulously pick one Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer can conserve you from a incorrect acquisition. ninja air fryer vs instant vortex air fryerIn this post, we have actually come up with Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer assesses to introduce an already popular version of air fryer which is currently placed as one of the best marketing air fryers in the market. Obviously, that is forever causes. We will straightforwardly check the features of this incredible air fryer from here on.ninja air fryer vs instant vortex air fryer

Difference Between Instant Port Air Fryer Vs Ninja Foodi

The main difference is that the crispy lid is built onto the Ninja Foodi, but the instant pot air fryer comes with two removable lids. Price is almost the same but can vary with the model you go for. There are no other significant differences between the Instant Pot Air Fryer and Ninja Foodi as they have almost the same functions and results in healthier meals.

You May Like: Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowl In Air Fryer

Ninja Air Fryer Max Xl

You must be familiar with the word Ninja, right? As you might think, the word is always associated with the fastness, quick, and finish the job well done with much time efficiency. Just like what we just said, Ninja Air Fryer Max XL works in the same way. Its big, fast, and could finish what it was tasked for pretty quickly. Like most its siblings, the Max XL comes with bigger size, capacity, and even one feature thats becoming its very special capability. Read also: Instant Vortex vs Power XL.

Most people would say this air fryer is a standard maker for the industry. What you can get from it is the better overall controls, larger capacity, and higher temperature to create crispier results without compromise. Whats interesting from it aside from offering versatility for cooking different kinds of frozen foods is the Max Crisp option, which enables the higher heat up, reaching the maximum 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Aside from that feature, Ninja Max Xl comes with the sleek, clean design, and easy to use buttons. Theres the button to adjust temperature, but its unusable when Max Crisp is on the work.

For the capacity, Ninja Max XL is capable of cooking 5.5 quarts at maximum. The number is not that gigantic, but decent enough to reduce cooking process. You can still cook for your whole family, even though repeated process still needs to be done.

Best Small: Philips Kitchen Appliances Avance Digital Turbostar Airfryer

• Digital screen is easy to use

• Substantial 2.75-quart basket

• You dont have to rotate your food while cooking

• Doesnt shut off when you open it

• Housing gets hot

For a reliable and attractive option, we recommend the Philips Air Fryer Viva TurboStar. Philips isn’t as well known as Cuisinart or Breville, but they were one of the first manufacturers to bring air fryers into home kitchens.

The TurboStar has four preset functions for cooking popular meals , dishwasher safe parts, and a keep-warm function that makes sure your food remains warm and ready to serve while you finish other aspects of the meal. The digital display makes it easy to see the settings that are all controlled with a simple knob.

The proprietary TurboStar technology is also designed to cook foods evenly so you wont have to stop cooking to shake the basket of fries for the perfect poutine. Our reviewer cooked French fries, chicken tenders, and apple chips and everything came out exactly as expected. To make cooking even easier, theres a downloadable app that has 200 recipes designed for the air fryer.

The Spruce Eats / Lindsay Boyers

Capacity: 2.75 quarts | Power Rating: 1425 watts | Dimensions: 14.5 x 10.5 x 11 inches | Warranty: 1 year

Read Also: Gourmia Gaf698 Air Fryer Reviews

What Do Air Fryers Do

Well, that depends on what type you’re talking about. There are two basic types: standalone units and oven settings.

A countertop air fryer is equipped with a removable cooking basket or tray that you place your food into before cooking. Then, you tap a few buttonsmany contain several preset programming optionsand let the principles of convection cooking work their magic as hot air circulates inside around the food. The result is a delectably crispy sweet potato fry, cauliflower bite, or what have you, without the excess calories and fat from frying food in oil the traditional way. Since theyre fairly compact, you can leave these gadgets out if youre a heavy-duty user, or store it in a cabinet when not in use if youll only be using it a few times a month.

An air fryer oven, also known as an air frying oven, has this hot air circulation built in among all its other features, so you dont need a separate appliance to get an air-fried delight on the table. They also have the advantage of more space, so you can cook in larger batches. To use, you typically put your food on a specially designed, perforated tray or basket, turn the air fry mode on, and sit back and relax while the oven convection cooks it to perfection.

You might be thinking: Hey, don’t microwaves have convection too? And you’re right. Be sure not to miss our number five pick below.

The Verdict: It’s A Toss

Really, it comes down to how much you want to be able to do with your cooker.

That seems obvious, but there are a few caveats. When deciding between an Instant Pot and a Ninja Foodi, the first piece of criteria is easy: Do you care about air frying? If not, a more basic Instant Pot without the special lid can be purchased for a lot cheaper than a Foodi .

If air frying is important to you, then go with an Instant Pot Crisp model over the Ninja Foodi. Both of these models can do most of the same things, though the Duo Crisp can’t make yogurt and pinning down sous vide with Ninja means paying $100 more than the most expensive Instant Pot.

A well-done roast is Foodi’s wheelhouse. On the other hand, Instant Pot takes the guesswork out of testy dishes like soups, dips, and rice, and offers more versatile features at each price range, letting you opt out of spending more money on functions you won’t use.

Recommended Reading: Costco Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls

Best Design: Dash Deluxe Electric Air Fryer

This oversized air fryer is easy on the eyes. The Dash Deluxe has the largest cooking capacity of any of the ovens we tested with a 6-quart cooking basket. It also has some undeniable retro appeal and is available in a few fun colors. The appliance we tested was aqua, though it also comes in red, black and white. This model also has all manual controls with no presets and was exceedingly simple to operate.

Aesthetics aside, the Dash fried up batches of wings, Brussels sprouts, tater tots and French fries that were all cooked evenly and well. In our first round of testing, we found it easy to overshoot when air frying a mozzarella stick if you’re not careful. For us, that’s a good thing and only means the air fryer has considerable power that you simply need to learn to manage.

I rarely rely solely on food manufacturer recommendations or oven presets but rather use them as a loose guide and do lots of peeking and checking along the way. The Dash has exactly zero presets and no cooking modes such as roast or dehydrate but still got the most important jobs done.

The Dash is also solidly built, although not quite as sound as the Ninja. It’s also on the heavy side, so this is one you might need to find a permanent home for. If you like this model but prefer a smaller size, the compact model for just $50 right now.

Best Quiet: Taotronics Air Fryer Tt

• Doesnt have a full touchscreen

• Presets need some adjustment

Love air-fried food, but not the noisy fans that accompany many air fryers? This model is well-rated for being ultra quiet. In fact, our product tester said she could barely hear it when it was turned on.

Like most air fryers, the cook can manually select the cooking time and temperature or use one of 11 cooking presets to prepare fries, steak, bacon, fish, shrimp, vegetables, chicken, potatoes, bread, cake, or thawing frozen snacks. The cooking basket holds 6-quarts, is nonstick, and is dishwasher safe.

The square-shaped design of this model gives you more room to fit food in the cooking basket compared to smaller fryers with rounded baskets. Our product tester noted the basket shape helps spread food out a bit more versus piling it on top of each other, which can lead to less crisp cooking results.

The Spruce / Lindsay Boyers

Capacity: 6 quarts | Power Rating: 1750 watts | Dimensions: 11.73 x 13.39 x 11.73inches | Warranty: 1 year

“When I first started testing it, I actually turned it off and on a few times, because it was so quiet, I didnt think it was working.” – Lindsay Boyers, Product Tester

Also Check: Jimmy Dean Sandwich In Air Fryer

Which Is Better: The Ninja Foodi Or The Instant Pot Duo Crisp

Most people will prefer the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer over the Foodi Deluxe due to the formers lower price point, more cooking functions, and a removable lid. Still, the Foodi is still a stellar appliance, so dont rule it out until you look for a good deal on a Ninja Foodi. Both machines have many useful cooking options, and either is worth the investment.

Editors’ Recommendations

What Can You Make In An Air Fryer

The options for foods you can cook in an air fryer are vast but some air fryer favorites include chicken wings, chicken tenders, french fries and mozzarella sticks. You can also make fish in an air fryer, including salmon, for a moist inside and roasted outer crust. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are great when made in an air fryer, as are certain vegetables like Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, onions, peppers and carrots. Frozen foods such as dumplings, potato skins, Hot Pockets and tater tots can be made in an air fryer for a quick and easy snack or side dish. Air fryers can also quickly reheat food like last night’s pizza or leftover fried chicken. Air fryers reheat food almost as quickly as a microwave and the results are generally much better.

Don’t Miss: America’s Test Kitchen Deep Fryer

Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer Vs Instant Vortex Air Fryer: Performance

Both the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer and the Instant Vortex Air Fryer are products from respected brands. Ninja is well known for an excellent portfolio of kitchen appliances, such as blenders, food processors and multi-cookers. The Instant brand is home to the Instant Pot range, which includes the big-selling one-pot cookers that are hugely popular across the US. Therefore, both models come with very decent credentials for performing well.

Specification-wise you get plenty of power from both units, with the combination of an electric element and a beefy fan ensuring that food is cooked fast and evenly in an efficient fashion. Air fryers like these are great in that respect as they reach operating temperature quickly, and can often be a better alternative to switching on your oven.

The additional benefit of these two is that you can select presets for one-touch cooking, or dial in manual settings, for temperature and time. This is a good route to take if you want your food done a specific way.