Best Ninja Crockpots for [year] [Our Reviews and Comparisons]
Whether you’re a first-timer or an experienced home chef, the Ninja brand produces high-design and specification kitchen appliances to be, as they claim, “your trusted partner in the kitchen.”
Their further slogan is: “Save time. Save space. Save the day with extraordinary meals.” And this is particularly true of their range of crockpots by the name of the ‘Foodi’. These multi-function and use devices, speed up your meal making, with their versatile pressure cooker and air fry functions.
You can sear and sauté ingredients for all manner of delicious and flavourful recipes. You can even, intentionally, prolong the cooking process while enhancing taste and nutrients, by choosing slow cooking.
Comparison Table
PRODUCT | FEATURES | LATEST PRICE |
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1. Ninja OS301 Foodi 10-in-1 Cooker |
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2. Ninja OP300 Foodi 7-in-1 Cooker |
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3. Ninja OS101 Foodi 9-in-1 Cooker |
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4. Ninja OP302 Foodi 9-in-1 Cooker |
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5. Ninja FD401 Foodi Deluxe XL |
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With many quality products in the series, offering different functionality and prices, how do you choose the right one for you?
We had the good fortune of being able to take home with us our choice from the Ninja Foodi range, to create delicious and healthy meals, so that we can give you our verdict.
Our Best Ninja Crockpot Reviews and Comparisons
1. Ninja OP300 Foodi 7-in-1 Cooker
Product Highlights
Much more than just a crockpot, it’s a pressure cooker, air fryer, and steamer, plus you can use it for baking, grilling, roasting, and auteéing, and broiling. It also has a keep-warm function.
The slow cooker function has a high and low setting, with cooking times of 15-minute intervals. When the meal is ready, the OP300 automatically switches to warm and the timer shows how long it’s been kept at that temperature.
This particular model has a 5-quart pot, with a 3-quart removable frying basket that can hold up to 4 pounds of chicken. You also get a broiling rack and two lids; one with a vent for pressure and slow cooking, and the other for everything else.
All the removable parts (except the pressure cooker lid) are ceramic-coated, non-stick, and dishwasher-safe.
Features
- Capacity (quarts): 5
- Size (inches): 15.9 L x 13.9 W x 11.7 H
- Functions: slow cooking, pressure cooking, steam, sear/sauté, air fry, bake/roast/broil, and keep warm.
- Wattage: 1460
- Color: Black/gray
What We Like About Ninja OP300 Foodi 7-in-1 Cooker
The large, bright digital display was easy to use and divided clearly for each function.
Like a slow cooker, it’s a pleasure to use. The non-stick metal pot provides plenty of capacity and the sear and sautés function means everything can be done in it.
It heats up exceptionally quickly, and our meat seared and vegetables started to caramelize in no time. We also loved the result of the pressure cooker and air fryer.
A major plus to having so many settings, and of its size, is that it’s perfect for feeding families and also guests. It offers great versatility, large capacity, and it’s also, surprisingly, quiet.
What We Don’t Like About Ninja OP300 Foodi 7-in-1 Cooker
There are no pre-programmed settings like you find on many other rival devices. You need to manually select the cooking type, time, and temperature, which takes some getting used to and makes it one of the more complex machines that we’ve reviewed.
Otherwise, we didn’t have any complaints about its performance. Just that its hefty size and design does have some disadvantages.
The bulky lid stays on making it heavy overall and opens to the side on a hinge meaning that can’t be fully opened while stored to reduce the height. This makes it difficult to comfortably fit anywhere where space is at a premium.
PROS
- Delivers on its promised performance
- Worth space on the counter
- Extremely versatile. It does so much
- The color cookbook it comes with was a welcome surprise
CONS
- Followed the short rib recipe in their cookbook exactly to the ‘t’. Ribs were like rubber and the veggies were undercooked
- Issues from the start with a lid error.
2. Ninja OS301 Foodi 10-in-1 Cooker
Product Highlights
This Ninja Foodi you can use to slow and pressure cook, dehydrate, broil, steam, sear, air fry, roast, warm, and make yogurt. That’s 10 functions!
With the included crisping lid, the OS301 shines as an air fryer. Its 6.5-quart basket and 4.6-quart Cook & Crisp Plate means that you can cook a whole six-pound roast in this large-capacity air fryer. The fryer uses 75% less fat than conventional cookers, making your food healthy and as well as delicious.
Both the cooking pot and the plate are dishwasher-safe and nonstick; cleaning is as easy as switching on a button or wiping with a paper towel.
Features
- Capacity (quarts): 6.5
- Size (inches): 13.4 L x 13.2 W x 13.15 H
- Functions: slow cooking, pressure cooking, dehydrate, steam, sear/sauté, air fry, bake/roast, broil, keep warm, and yogurt-maker
- Wattage: 1460
- Color: Stainless steel/black
What We Like About Ninja OS301 Foodi 10-in-1 Cooker
It’s the best larger air fryer that we’ve reviewed. Boasting TenderCrisp Technology, the fryer does an amazing job of locking in food juices while keeping the exterior crispy and golden.
Even though it has a larger capacity, the OS301 is smaller and less bulky than the OP300. With more functions too. You can even make yogurt in it for a truly complete meal!
Plus, it’s made of stainless steel, so there’s no concern about durability, and we think that it looks great as well.
What We Don’t Like About Ninja OS301 Foodi 10-in-1 Cooker
The slower cooker took too long. Over 2 hours and the chicken still wasn’t cooked properly.
Make sure that you only use wood or silicone utensils on any of your pans in the Foodi. Its coating can chip pretty easily so you want to be sure to make it last as long as possible. Be gentle with it when putting the included rack and air fryer container in it
The pressure cooker lid, also needed for slow cooking, is a little fiddly to attach and took us several goes to get it on. Although it did become easier with practice.
PROS
- This does everything!
- The whole thing cleaned up in less than three minutes
- It comes with a ‘cheat sheet’ that had me cooking straight out of the box once it was washed up
CONS
- For large families and meals only
- Cumbersome manual
3. Ninja OS101 Foodi 9-in-1 Cooker
Product Highlights
With Ninja OS101 you get the best of pressure cooking and air frying all in one pot. And more!
Its 9-in-1 versatility lets you pressure cook, slow cook, steam, sear/sauté, air fry crisp, bake/roast, broil, make yogurt, and keep warm.
The OS101 comes with a 5-qt cooking pot and 4-qt Cook & Crisp Plate that are nonstick and dishwasher safe. It holds up to a 4-lb chicken, and you can cook up to 2 lbs of French fries with up to 75% less fat than traditional frying methods.
Also included is a nesting broil rack to steam, broil, add a layer of capacity, and easily store inside the cooking pot.
Features
- Capacity (quarts): 5
- Size (inches): 15.9 L x 13.9 W x 13.2 H
- Functions: slow cooking, pressure cooking, steam, sear/sauté, air fry, roast, keep warm, and yogurt-maker
- Wattage: 1460
- Color: Stainless steel/black
What We Like About Ninja OS101 Foodi 9-in-1 Cooker
Ninja OS101 offers one of the simplest and clearest control panels of all the cookers we’ve tested. Temperature and time are adjusted by simple arrow buttons, and there are dedicated buttons for selecting each one of its functions.
And when it comes to performance, it cooks pretty much all of the foods you would expect as you would expect. Tender crisp technology allows you to quickly cook ingredients, then the crisping lid gives it a crispy, golden finish. All of our test recipes came out exceptionally well.
What We Don’t Like About Ninja OS101 Foodi 9-in-1 Cooker
Because of all of its functions, the OS101 requires two different lids; one for pressure and slow cooking, and a crisping lid for the other functions. The crisping lid is extremely large and is permanently attached to the cooker. This means that lefties are going to have to use their right hand while stirring or sauteing. It also means that the device is too tall to fit under the cabinets of the vast majority of kitchens.
The extra lid also means that Ninja OS101 weighs a whopping 25 lbs, which is more than 10 lbs heavier than most other models on the market. This makes it look and feel a bit obtrusive in the kitchen. Likewise, when it comes to storing it. It’s 14” high with the lid closed, or you will need 24” of clearance with the lid open.
PROS
- A great addition to any kitchen
- Safe and long-lasting nonstick inner bowl
- Best results out of any air fryer out there!
CONS
- Sits like a behemoth on the countertop!
- The air fryer lid stays on no matter what
4. Ninja OP302 Foodi 9-in-1 Cooker
Product Highlights
With Ninja OP302 you can do the usual slow and pressure cooking, steaming, searing, air frying, roasting, and broiling. It also has a dehydrate function to create delicious homemade snacks like chips and jerky.
Its 6.5-quart ceramic coated pot provides plenty of capacity to cook a large roast for your family. It’s nonstick, PTFE/PFOA free, and easy to clean. Enough capacity to cook a roast for your family.
The OP302 provides hassle-free cooking from frozen to crispy. You can skip thawing and save time. Food will be evenly cooked from the inside out, starting with pressure cooking and finishing off with a crisping method of your choice.
Features
- Capacity (quarts): 6.5
- Size (inches): 14.3 L x 16.8 W x 13.1 H
- Functions: slow cooking, pressure cooking, dehydrate, steam, sear/sauté, air fry, bake/roast, broil, and keep warm
- Wattage: 1460
- Color: Black
What We Like About Ninja OP302 Foodi 9-in-1 Cooker
This model offers a different look to the others. It’s more modern and premium looking, with a high-gloss black finish.
If you’re not eating immediately, there’s no need to worry about the food getting cold. The in-built heating function will keep the food warm as long as it’s inside the basket.
Ninja OP302 comes with a very handy 45-recipe book. You won’t be short of ideas of meals to cook for your family or when you’re entertaining guests!
Read Related Article: Insignia Pressure Cooker Review
What We Don’t Like About Ninja OP302 Foodi 9-in-1 Cooker
This 6.5-quart Foodi is huge at 14.2 x 16.8 x 13.1 inches and 25-pounds. It’s so big, we had to put it in an upper kitchen cabinet when we weren’t using it, which made it a hassle to retrieve.
Also, Ninja OP302 can be a bit difficult to clean the air fryer lid. You’ll need a small flexible brush to get those hard-to-reach places between the grate and the lid.
Finally, there is no place to store the pressure cooking lid once you take it off; you’ll either have to awkwardly hold in while you stir or serve food, or place it on the counter for likely unnecessary mess.
PROS
- Awesome for quick meals
- Amazing functionality and versatility
- Cooking the family roast has never been easier!
CONS
- The stove is quicker for searing as the machine takes longer to heat up
- Carefully consider the size for use and not only storage.
5. Ninja FD401 Foodi Deluxe XL
Product Highlights
Since its introduction in 2018, Ninja has updated the Foodi with the even more spacious Deluxe XL, which has all of the functions including yogurt-maker, and the ability to double as a food dehydrator.
Ninja Foodi FD401 Deluxe XL comes with a similar removable cooking pot, a crisping basket with a detachable base, and a rack with an optional second layer. All ‘super-sized’. It holds 8-quarts of food when pressure and slow cooking, and 5 when air frying/crisping. If you have a large family, or like entertaining ALOT, then this could be the model for you.
The higher wattage of 1760-W of the FD401 Deluxe XL means that its top temperature is also higher than the other models at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for baking, air frying, and similar functions. The lowest temperature is just 80 degrees when dehydrating food, and it holds that temp for up to 12 hours.
Features
- Capacity (quarts): 8
- Size (inches): 16.1 L x 14.6 W x 13.2 H
- Functions: slow cooking, pressure cooking, dehydrate, steam, sear/sauté, air fry, bake/roast, broil, keep warm, and yogurt-maker
- Wattage: 1760
- Color: Stainless steel/black
What We Like About Ninja FD401 Foodi Deluxe XL
This model does a great job of air frying and pressure cooking. It took between 30 and 35 minutes for the fries to reach the required crispiness. Two pounds of chicken breasts in the crisper took about 23 minutes to get to a safe internal temperature, and the results were juicy and flavorful.
The Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL also more than does the job when pressure cooking. And the Deluxe Reversible Rack lets you steam and broil, as well as TenderCrisp up to 8 chicken breasts at once.
All of the elements are dishwasher safe, except for the main unit and lid where all of the electronic components are located. These can just be wiped down with a moist cloth.
What We Don’t Like About Ninja FD401 Foodi Deluxe XL
Of course, all of this comes at a cost, both in price and countertop space. Also with the pressure cooker lid in place, the device is 20 inches tall; slightly too high to fit under standard cabinets.
But worst of all, the slow cooker function is inadequate. The heat is much lower than your typical slow cooker on its low setting. When testing, we didn’t notice that it wasn’t getting hot enough until a few hours had gone by. So, don’t count on the Ninja FD401 Foodi Deluxe XL for slow cooking.
Also, the air fryer doesn’t heat as evenly as we would have expected and liked, with the color of the food not quite consistent. To rectify this, you need to shake up the basket’s contents at least once during cooking.
PROS
- Takes the place of several separate appliances
- Easy to use controls
- Great for cooking for BIG family occasions.
CONS
- It’s so bulky and heavy
- Consider that you be releasing steam from the pressure cooker and that anything above where you use it will become damaged by the steam in the long-term
Final Verdict
It’s no surprise that Nonja Foodi has been referred to as a Swiss Army Knife for the kitchen! It’s a great appliance, but all of these extra features come at quite a hefty extra cost and the inconvenience of its sheer size and weight.
Which model do we recommend? It’s ‘horses for courses’, down to if you need all of the functions. If you think that you’ll frequently air fry and like crispy skin on your chicken (and maybe dehydrate and make yogurt enough), we’d say ‘go all out’ for Ninja OS301 Foodi 10-in-1 Cooker.
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