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Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL Review

A convenient machine that combines pressure cooking and air frying capabilities
ninja foodi deluxe xl air fryer review
Credit: Ninja
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Price:  $250 List
Manufacturer:   Ninja
By Max Mutter and Michelle Powell  ⋅  Mar 23, 2021
74
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#8 of 20
  • Cooking Performance - 35% 7.6
  • User Friendliness - 25% 7.6
  • Ease of Cleaning - 20% 5.0
  • Temperature Accuracy - 20% 9.0

Our Verdict

Being able to air fry and pressure cook with the same device not only saves space on your countertop, it opens up some opportunities for interesting cooking techniques. If you're interested in using both these cooking styles in your kitchen, we think the Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL is a great choice. This device manages to offer both cooking functions without sacrificing cooking quality. Unfortunately, this device costs about the same as buying a dedicated air fryer and a dedicated pressure cooker, so it doesn't really save you money. However, it does take up less space on your counter, and lets you cook a meal with the pressure cooking function and then add a crisp at the end with the air frying function.
REASONS TO BUY
Good air frying performance
Clear interface
Can also pressure cook
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Crisping lid can be hard to clean

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Overall Score Sort Icon
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Pros Good air frying performance, clear interface, can also pressure cookFantastic cooking performance, easy to clean, easy to use, great temperature accuracy, multiple cooking functionsGreat cooking performance, user friendly, excellent temperature accuracyRelatively easy to use and clean, good air cooking performance, toaster oven functionality, flips up for easy storageAccurate temperature, great for potato products, easy to clean
Cons Expensive, crisping lid can be hard to cleanCostNot the easiest to clean, costExpensiveLeaves meat dry, difficult to open, buttons are not always responsive
Bottom Line A convenient machine that combines pressure cooking and air frying capabilitiesExceptional frying performance and an easy to clean design makes this one of the best options on the marketThis high performing, four quart model offers some of the most consistent qualityAn ideal model for those wanting to add both a toaster oven and air fryer to their kitchen collectionThis accurate, budget friendly air fryer is the perfect option for casual side dishes like tater tots
Rating Categories Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL Instant Vortex Plus Ninja Air Fryer Ninja Foodi Digital... GoWISE USA Digital
Cooking Performance (35%)
7.6
8.7
7.7
8.2
7.7
User Friendliness (25%)
7.6
8.4
8.8
8.4
6.0
Ease of Cleaning (20%)
5.0
9.0
7.0
6.5
8.0
Temperature Accuracy (20%)
9.0
7.5
10.0
7.0
9.0
Specs Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL Instant Vortex Plus Ninja Air Fryer Ninja Foodi Digital... GoWISE USA Digital
Measured Dimensions (L x H x D) 16.1" x 14.6" x 14.3" 11.5" x 13.3" x 12.8" 13.6" x 11" x 13.3" 19.7" x 7.6" x 15" 13.5" x 12.5" x 11.5"
Capacity 5 qt 6 qt 4 qt 4 qt 5.8 qt
Accessories Pressure cooking pot and crisping basket None Multi-layer rack for dehydrating Wire rack, air fry basket, sheet pan None
Power Consumption 1760 watt 1700 watt 1550 watt 1800 watt 1700 watt

Our Analysis and Test Results

If you're looking for both an air fryer and a pressure cooker, the Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL is one of the best options on the market.

Performance Comparison


ninja foodi deluxe xl air fryer review - if you're looking for both an air fryer and a pressure cooker, the...
If you're looking for both an air fryer and a pressure cooker, the Foodi Deluxe XL is one of the best options on the market.
Credit: Laura Casner

Cooking Performance


The Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL was one of the frontrunners in our cooking tests. It displayed some minor weaknesses, but for the most part, it offers above-average air frying performance.


Our favorite dish we prepared with the Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL was onion rings. Time after time the onions came out tender and fully cooked while the breading on the outside was crispy and golden brown. While you generally can't expect air-fried foods to replicate the experience of deep-frying, these got closer than most.

ninja foodi deluxe xl air fryer review - we were pleased overall with the air fried fare we made with the...
We were pleased overall with the air fried fare we made with the Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL.
Credit: Laura Casner

This device also excelled in making doughnuts. Here again, they came out fully cooked with a nice crispy crust. There were some minor inconsistencies in the overall texture, but for the most part we loved these sweet treats.

Both the chicken breasts and the tater tots we air fried with this machine got a bit dried out. This resulted in a texture that felt more crunchy than crispy. We still enjoyed eating both, but other models achieved a slightly better overall texture.

ninja foodi deluxe xl air fryer review - sweet potato fries received a slightly better crisp from this air...
Sweet potato fries received a slightly better crisp from this air fryer than from others.
Credit: Laura Casner

Sweet potato fries have long been a torture test for our air fryers, as it is very hard to get them properly crispy using such a technique. The Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL was able to get these fries crispier than most, but significantly lagged behind the top models.

As a pressure cooker, the Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL performed as well as the dedicated pressure cookers we've tested. We also had great luck pressure cooking things like chicken or brussel sprouts, and then adding a nice crisp to them with a quick air frying cycle.

User Friendliness


Overall we found the Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL to be quite easy to use. The dual functionality does require that you deal with some small idiosyncrasies, but in our opinion, those things are far from deal-breakers.


Devices that offer many functions are often plagued with clunky interfaces that make accessing those functions annoying at best and downright frustrating at worst. The Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL completely avoids this issue with a well-designed control panel that allows for seamless switching between and adjustment of its various cooking modes.

ninja foodi deluxe xl air fryer review - we found the foodi deluxe interface clear and easy to use.
We found the Foodi Deluxe interface clear and easy to use.
Credit: Laura Casner

If you're cooking for a large family or you like leftovers, you'll likely appreciate the Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL's titular larger size. It offers eight quarts of cooking space when in pressure cooking mode. If you're making an air frying specific recipe that requires the fry basket, that space shrinks a bit to 5 quarts.

The one unavoidable annoyance of this machine is the large crisping lid. It is permanently attached, which means it can get in the way when stirring or serving from the pot. It also makes the unit quite tall. In fact, it couldn't fit underneath the cabinets in some of our smaller kitchens. However, in our opinion, the functionality added by the crisping lids far outweighs the downsides.

Ease of Cleaning


Here again, the Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL is generally quite easy to clean, but the permanently attached crisping lid does present some challenges.


We found both the pressure cooking pot and the air frying basket of this device to be quite easy to wipe down and get clean. Both are also safe to put in the dishwasher.

The crisping lid generally stays relatively clean when air frying. However, sometimes recipes will splatter or pop a bit, depositing grease and grime on the lid. Since the lid is permanently attached you must scrub and clean it in a somewhat awkward position, and you can't rinse off the soap in the sink. Again, this is certainly annoying, but we still feel the added functionality is worth the trouble.

ninja foodi deluxe xl air fryer review - the permanently attached crisping lid can present some minor...
The permanently attached crisping lid can present some minor cleaning challenges.
Credit: Laura Casner

Temperature Accuracy


Despite its larger size, the Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL was one of the most accurate air fryers in our temperature accuracy tests. At lower temperatures, our calibrated thermometers consistently measured the internal temperature to be within 5˚ of the set temperature. When set all the way up to 400˚ the larger cooking chamber did cause the machine to run a bit cooler, but we didn't see any negative impacts in the cooking results.

Value


The Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL is fairly expensive. In fact it is about the same price as buying both a dedicated air fryer and a dedicated pressure cooker. However, it does perform very well in both capacities. Therefore, if you plan to use both functions and want to save counter space it is a worthwhile investment.

Conclusion


The Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL is a great device for those that want to add both air frying and pressure cooking functionality to their kitchen. The dual-function design does have some minor drawbacks, but we think those are outweighed by the saved counter space and the unique recipe opportunities presented by being able to pressure cook and air fry in the same chamber.

Max Mutter and Michelle Powell
 
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