I tested the Ninja Crispi for a week and it made me rethink everything I knew about air fryers

It was the novelty of the Crispi that had me excited to try it. A glass air fryer with a removable lid? That sounds a lot like a halogen oven, and I am a halogen oven hater. So I didn't have the highest hopes for how this air fryer would hold up during testing.

And boy did it prove me wrong.

This gadget really shakes up the air fryer market, allowing you to bake dips and pasta dishes directly onto the glass base of the container, use the crisper insert to get an air fried finish, or even double-stack your meals to make the most of this fryer's neat dimensions.

Here's why this nifty little air fryer converted me. And how the Ninja Crispi stacks up compared to the best air fryers on the market.

Ninja Crispi review: Price and availability

The Ninja Crispi costs the same — if not more — than most regular air fryers, which would be a problem if it didn't offer the same level of performance.

The bundle I tested is currently on sale for $179 at Amazon, or in the U.K., it's £179. I tried the 'Stone' colorway which was surprisingly chic and neutral so much so that it looked right at home in Tom's Guide's very glamorous test kitchen. You can also buy it in Sage Green and Blue, which look very classy.

You can spend a bit more and buy extra glass containers to expand the functions of your Crispi, meaning you can use this gadget for meal prep or reheating leftovers.

Ninja Crispi: Design

My first impression of the Ninja Crispi was that it's got a lot of extra items that will all need to find a home in your kitchen. There's a central air frying lid that fits directly onto the smaller container, but can be converted to fit the larger size using the included attachment that clicks into place.

There are also two lids included to allow you to store leftovers from your meal, or take them on the go — although you'll also have to take the hefty air frying lid with you if you want to cook outside the home.

I was pretty surprised to see that there's no temperature adjustments available with this air fryer, just four buttons: Roast, Recrisp, Air Fry, and Keep Warm. In the U.S. those modes are slightly different: Max Crisp, Bake, Air Fry, and Recrisp.

But while these settings don't offer specific temperature adjustments, it's broadly easy to get used to them. According to my handbook, temperatures start at 158°F / 70°F on the lowest setting and go up to 350°F or 180°C, although it does claim that it will give the results of a 400°F oven (possibly due to the small dimensions), which if true makes it comparable to most air fryers.

The timer can be adjusted by minute increments, and you can also add and lower. One thing I found a bit odd is you can't quit your cooking setting early. Once you've lifted off the lid and decided it's done, there's no 'Off' button, so I resorted to switching it off by default.

Ninja Crispi review: Performance

Mozzarella Sticks

I first cooked some mozzarella sticks in the 4QT basket to see just how much the crisper insert can fit, and I was pleasantly surprised that all but 2 of the mozzarella sticks from my pack of 12 slotted into place.

They were well cooked after 15 minutes, although I'd have expected them to be a lot more browned if I'd have cooked them for this long at maximum heat in a regular air fryer.

If anything, the sticks were better than a regular air fryer because they were less obliterated, which is likely a result of me whacking on the highest temperature and leaving virtually everything to cook for 15 minutes.

Chicken Wings

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I was really excited to cook some chicken wings in the Ninja Crispi after seeing a lot of people on social media do the same over the Super Bowl weekend. There was also a recipe in the included Ninja Crispi Quick Start guide, so I took inspiration from that and made some buffalo wings.

I used the larger glass container for this and slotted six wings into place, cooking them on the 'air fry' setting for 20 minutes before tossing them in sauce and cooking for another five.

I was totally wowed by how delicious these were. And if you wanted to do a batch, I could totally imagine putting on the lid and shaking some sauce into a more full basket to evenly distribute buffalo coating without adding to your pile of dirty dishes.

Once again, I was struck by the fact this dish wasn't as crispy as the wings I cook in my usual air fryer. I'd be willing to bet that the Crispi simply can't pack the power of a typical air fryer such as the Ninja 4-in-1 into its small cooking lid, but it still does a great job.

Stacked Beans and Chicken

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So far, I'd been conscious of the limited capacity of this air fryer. I prefer to cook things in one even layer without stacking to ensure every item is cooked evenly, and I wasn't sure if this air fryer could cook an entire meal for one the way I'd usually do with my Ninja Pro air fryer.

So, I decided to cook some green beans in the air fryer and slot my protein, some breaded chicken, onto the crisp shelf above. I left the Crispi to cook this unattended for 25 minutes on the 'Roast' setting, enjoying how quietly it cooked while I got on with some work.

This machine hit only 68dB in testing, which is really quiet compared to my favorite Ninja Pro 4-in-1, and comparable to the Philips 3000, which I also praised for how quietly it cooks.

The finished result was pretty good. The green beans still had a good bite to them, but the chicken was very well cooked without needing to turn it over.

I expect the beans were shielded from the full heat of the cooking element by the chicken and the air fryer shelf, which is why they were crispy after 25 minutes. I didn't mind that, but it would've been a problem had I cooked potatoes or another starchy side.

Pasta Bake

A lot of the videos I've seen online of the Ninja Crispi showed it being used to bake dips or create a crispy layer of cheese on top of a pasta bake, so I decided to take advantge of the ReCrisp setting and reheat some creamy chicken and bacon pasta.

This is the sort of dish I'd reheat in our office microwaves, so I was interested to see if the Crispi could essentially replace this function. It did take a lot longer than a microwave to reheat the pasta — 15 minutes in total, but I was left with a browned and bubbling dish of pasta that I could happily have eaten straight out of the glass container.

This is one of the main benefits the Crispi offers over a traditional air fryer, because while I cook directly on the base of my air fryer from time to time, it definitely couldn't replace a microwave with its reheating capabilities, and it's best suited to much larger servings.

How does the Ninja Crispi compare?

This is a tricky air fryer to compare, but I've tried a couple of other glass air fryers in my time. The most notable alternative is the significantly larger Fritaire air fryer.

But despite both having a glass construction, they're worlds apart in terms of usability. The Fritaire is not nearly as powerful, and getting food in and out of the large glass bowl is inconvenient at best, and dangerous at worst.

Turning to regular options, the Ninja Air Fryer Pro 4-in-1 is the best air fryer on the market for most people, so long as you're ok with the lack of glass housing and the nonstick interior.

It's got a classic design and a 5QT capacity, with traditional time and temperature controls on the main dial. This is also a drawer-style option that's best suited to families who want an option that can get super hot, crisp up fries and frozen food, and will be easy to clean in the dishwasher.

Plus, unlike the Crispi, there's no extra accessories to store.

Should you buy the Ninja Crispi?

I really wasn't sure if the Crispi would be for me. And while I don't think I'd replace my regular air fryer with this gadget, I do think it offers a completely novel way of air frying. If I had a smaller kitchen, lived in a dorms or apartment, or even wanted an option to take in an RV, this would absolutely be my air fryer of choice.

Although I was nervous about the lack of specific temperature settings, the Crispi did a good job of cooking everything I threw at it. It's less powerful and speedy than most air fryers, but in some cases, this led to a tastier finished result. It'll also be a lot more difficult to burn food in this air fryer compared to leading drawer models.

If, like me, you've been on the fence about picking up this glass air fryer, I'm confident the Crispi won't disappoint.

More from Tom's Guide

• How to use the Ninja Foodi Max Dual air fryer
• Air fryer dos and don'ts — 7 safety tips I recommend for everyday use
• How to clean your air fryer's heating element