I tested Ninja’s new 8-in-1 air fryer in my busy family home – here’s my full review

When you think of air fryers, Ninja is probably one of the first brands that comes to mind. It’s well established in the market, with several of its models regularly featuring highly in our best air fryer round-ups.

I’m already familiar with the Ninja crispi, having owned the original model for almost a year. But as a family of four, I was keen to see whether the new dual design could solve one of my main frustrations – capacity. When the 8-in-1 Ninja crispi dualzone launched in September 2026, with twice the capacity, I was eager to put it to the test.

The new design has two dishwasher-safe 3.8l glass containers, giving you 7.6l of total capacity. Both can be used individually for smaller dishes, or synced to finish cooking at the same time, and there are three colours to choose from: cyberspace (dark grey), bone (stone white) and rose quartz (pastel pink).

The original crispi has four cooking functions: roast, air fry, recrisp and keep warm. The new 8-in-1 dualzone adds bake, max crisp, dehydrate and prove, giving you much more flexibility when it comes to cooking.

But is the Ninja crispi dualzone worth the £300 price tag? I put the rose quartz model through its paces to see whether it’s worth spending an extra £120 on the upgrade.

Read more: Best Ninja Kitchen deals right now

Read more: Ninja crispi pro, reviewed

Ninja crispi dualzone 8-in-1

Rating: 5/5

Why we love it

• Easy to use
• Aesthetic design
• Variety of cooking functions
• Easy to clean
• Air fry setting is powerful
• Recrisp is useful for reheating food

Take note

• Limited choice of colours

The Ninja crispi first launched in 2025 as a portable take on the air fryer, with interchangeable glass containers that could be used for cooking as well as storing meal prep and leftovers. Since then, the range has expanded to include various models, including the crispi pro, 6-in-1 dualzone and now the 8-in-1 dualzone.

Both dualzone models have a more traditional drawer-style air fryer design, unlike the original crispi, which uses a power pod that detaches from the base. The glass containers on this model are still detachable and dishwasher-safe (a mum’s dream!), and come with storage lids, making them useful for storing leftovers and prepping meals in advance.

The generous 7.6l capacity of the dualzone air fryers is a welcome addition to the crispi range, making it much easier to cook larger portions, family meals or multiple dishes at once.

Design and set-up

The 8-in-1 dualzone has the same sleek crispi design, with clear glass containers that, unlike the typical bulky air fryer, actually add to my kitchen aesthetic.

There are currently three colour options: dark grey/black, off-white and pale pink. I’ll admit, I was slightly apprehensive about the pink looking garish in my neutral kitchen, but I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I really like it.

The air fryer body comes as one unit, so setup is relatively simple. Just slide the two 3.8l glass containers and crisper plates into place and plug it in. Inside the box, you’ll also find two silicone storage lids, which can be used to cover the glass containers for storing leftovers.

As the name suggests, there are eight cooking modes: air fry, max crisp, roast, bake, prove, keep warm, re-crisp and dehydrate. There’s also a temperature control that goes up to 240C. This isn’t an option on the original crispi, so it was something I noticed straight away. A dedicated +1 minute button is another useful addition for when your food needs just a little longer.

The interface is intuitive and it’s easy to control each drawer, and the match cook and smart finish functions are easy to sync each side. I found the smart cook addition particularly useful when preparing a meal with multiple sides and wanted everything to finish cooking at the same time.

The two glass cooking containers have plastic feet and handles, meaning easy handling after cooking. The feet also raise the hot glass slightly off the worktop, helping to protect your countertop from the heat.

Cooking performance

As with a conventional oven, being able to see your food as it cooks really helps towards the final result. The glass bowls give you a panoramic view of what’s going on inside, which is strangely satisfying, particularly when you can watch things bouncing around during the air fry cycle.

During my three-week testing period, I used the air fry, max crisp, bake, roast, recrisp and keep warm functions. I’m less likely to use the prove and dehydrate settings, so if you know you won’t use them, the 6-in-1 crispi could be a better fit. However, with both models currently priced the same, opting for the 8-in-1 seems like a no-brainer.

Air fry was by far my most used setting and I actually found that it seemed to crisp food more quickly and evenly than my original crispi. I can’t say for certain whether this is down to a difference in power or simply the design of the new model, but the results impressed me from the get-go.

At 200C, the air fry setting produced a crisp, golden finish every time, while the 240C max crisp setting was particularly useful for foods such as baked potatoes and crisping the top of a lasagne or pasta bake. It’s one of those features I didn’t realise I was missing until I had it.

I preferred the bake and roast settings for cooking vegetables and meat, including chicken, sausages and fish. This is partly personal preference, as I like the lower cooking temperatures when preparing meat for the children as I find it gives a more succulent result. Bake cooks at 160C and roast is 190C, making both better suited to more gentle cooking than air fry, when crispiness isn’t the priority.

One thing that particularly stands out is how quiet the keep warm setting is. It’s almost silent, so you can leave food warming without the constant hum you get from some air fryers.

The recrisp setting was another that I got lots of use from. It was impressively quick at getting food piping hot and was especially useful on busy after-school evenings when we weren’t all eating at the same time. Rather than reheating a whole meal in the oven, I could quickly warm up individual portions as and when we needed them.

Cleaning

One of my favourite things about the Ninja crispi range is that the glass cooking containers are dishwasher-safe. It genuinely makes a huge difference, particularly after cooking messier dishes, and it’s surprising how much time you get back when you don’t have to stand at the sink scrubbing away baked-on residue.

For less messy meals, the glass is really easy to clean by hand. A quick rinse with warm water and washing-up liquid is enough to leave the containers looking shiny and clean.

Key specifications:

Buy now £299, Amazon.co.uk

Is the Ninja crispi dualzone 8-in-1 air fryer worth it?

From its sleek design to its reliable cooking performance, I’ve been genuinely impressed by the Ninja crispi dualzone 8-in-1. It has everything I look for in an everyday kitchen appliance for my family home: it’s easy to use, cooks food consistently well, looks good on the worktop and (perhaps most importantly) is easy to clean.

There may not be as many colour options as some of the other Ninja crispi models, but the three available shades are will work in most kitchens.

It is larger than the original crispi and crispi pro, so if you’re short on worktop space or don’t need the extra capacity, one of the smaller models may make more sense. But for a family or anyone who regularly cooks multiple dishes at once, the 7.6l capacity and dualzone design make a real difference.

Having used plenty of air fryers from different brands over the years, I’d go as far as to say the Ninja crispi dualzone 8-in-1 is the best I’ve tried so far.

How I tested the Ninja crispi dualzone

I tested the Ninja crispi dualzone for three weeks, giving me plenty of time to use most of its cooking functions adequately. I cooked a range of dishes, from roasted vegetables and baked potatoes to chicken and lasagne, using both containers, as well as the match cook settings. Alongside the cooking results, I also looked at how easy it was to use, clean and fit into everyday family cooking. Here's a breakdown of each:

Why you can trust us

Fran Watts is The Independent’s consumer writer who is dedicated to ensuring buyers, and families in particular, are getting the best value for money, whether that’s reviewing mattresses or family days out.

Alongside testing and reviewing products across a wide range of categories, she also runs our deals section, delivering the best discount codes and offers from more than 100 brands and retailers.

Want to compare more models? Here’s our round-up of the best air fryers