When I wrote my Ninja Creami Swirl review, I decided that the main reason that anyone should consider buying a Ninja Creami machine is so that they could make frozen treats that match their health goals. Whether you are trying to avoid processed foods, cut calories, reduce sugar, avoid dairy, or cater to any other specific dietary needs, any Ninja Creami model can make you a healthier version of ice cream or sorbet. I've tried tons of recipes, and here I'm sharing the ones I like best, specifically without artificial sweeteners. You can alter any recipe to best suit your own preferences.

Just fruit

Canned fruit makes the easiest possible sorbet. Just open a can of your favorite fruit, pour it in, freeze for 24 hours, and spin it on the Sorbet cycle. Canned fruit is so soft that there's no need to blend before freezing. I used a can of mangoes in 100% juice here. If you want more protein, you could add some yogurt or milk of your choice; I suggest a 2:1 fruit to dairy ratio.

I had a ton of watermelon left over from a recent party, so I threw some into the Ninja Creami container. Again, watermelon is a soft fruit so I didn't blend it first, but I did squash it down a bit to release some of the liquid so it would freeze as a solid block. The resulting sorbet had a lovely texture, but it really wasn't sweet enough for my palate so I'd recommend adding some honey before freezing. You could also add milk for some protein, or coconut water for extra electrolytes.

Banana date nut (or chocolate) ice cream

Here is the recipe I used, but there are many alterations you could make here. If you don't want nuts at all, you could use cacao powder instead of nut butter for a chocolate flavor. Or use both for a chocolate-nut option.

1/2 cup plain Greek (or vanilla) yogurt

2/3 cup water (or use milk for more protein)

2 tbsp nut butter (I use PB2 powder but any works)

1/2 large banana (or 2/3 small)

4-6 dates to taste (can skip if using flavored yogurt)

(optional) 1 tbsp hemp seeds

(optional) 1 scoop unflavored collagen powder

After blending and freezing for 24 hours, process this on the Frozen Yogurt setting. I used the hemp seeds and collagen for their health benefits, and they don't have an effect on the taste. You could skip those entirely if you like.

Pistachio ice cream

I think this is tasty, though a friend of mine remarked that while it had the texture and mouthfeel of ice cream, it "tastes healthy". Do with that what you will.

1/2 cup cottage cheese (I used 2%)

1/4 cup yogurt (I used plain nonfat Greek)

1/2 cup pistachios (I used salted but rinsed them off)

1/2 cup milk (I used almond)

4-8 dates (I used 8 small)

1/4 tsp almond extract

Honey/maple syrup/agave syrup to taste if needed (I used about 1/2 tbsp agave)

If you use unsalted nuts you’ll want to add a pinch of salt. You do need to blend this well before freezing. Taste it before you freeze it to see if you need to add honey or syrup. You want it to be slightly sweeter than you think you need, because frozen food tastes less sweet.

Process this on the Frozen Yogurt cycle. If you like, add more nuts and/or chocolate chips in the Mix-In cycle.

Açai bowl

One serving frozen açaí cubes or packet

1/2 banana

Handful berries

Juice or milk to fill line (if milk you’ll want to add a little honey for sweetness)

Blend, then freeze for 24 hours and spin on the Sorbet setting. Top with berries, seeds, nuts, granola, coconut, nut butter, cacao nibs, or whatever you like. I enjoyed mine with chia pudding, pumpkin seeds, and granola.

Real ice cream

If by healthy you mean wholesome, with no fake anything, just real ingredients, then this is the way. Credit goes to the New York Times. It's a plain base, but by adding vanilla (or any flavor) extract, cacao powder, fruit, or just about anything, including Mix-Ins, you can make any flavor you can imagine. While it's obviously not low in calories, fat, or sugar, it doesn't have any unpronounceable junk in it. It's absolutely delicious and rivals anything you can buy, anywhere.

Here is the basic recipe:

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/8 tsp fine sea salt

6 large egg yolks

In a small pot, simmer the cream, milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar dissolves, about five minutes. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, whisk the yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly whisk about a third of the hot cream into the yolks.

Whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream. Return pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170 degrees.) Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.

Pour mixture into the Creami containers no higher than the fill line; this will be enough for two containers. Freeze for 24 hours and process on the regular Ice Cream setting.

Don't be afraid to experiment

It's worth noting that the Ninja Creami is sort of magic in the sense that it creates a lovely texture, almost regardless of what you put into it. However, it doesn't magically change the flavor, as people often hope. If you don't particularly like what you're putting in (a protein shake, for example) hoping that it will taste better after the Ninja Creami treatment, well, you'll be disappointed. You get out what you put in.

The Ninja Creami lends itself to experimentation. Even following someone else's tried and true recipe doesn't guarantee you'll like the results. But keep trying, you'll find the recipes that suit your tastes and health preferences.

• The Ninja Crispi Microwave helps avoid the problem of soggy reheated food
• It has a huge array of presets to easily handle common cooking tasks
• It's on sale in the US; international launch details are yet to be announced

Although they're fast and convenient, microwaves tend to make food soggy. That's where Ninja's new Crispi Microwave comes in, combining the fast heating of a microwave with the crisping effect of an air fryer.

Ninja's new release isn't the first combined microwave and air fryer on the market; brands including Samsung, Smeg, and even IKEA have all released their own two-in-one appliances that can defrost, cook, and crisp meals and leftovers.

There are two key things that set the Ninja Crispi Microwave apart, the first of which is its huge range of handy presets for common kitchen tasks. Not only does it come with the usual settings you'd expect for jobs like heating frozen dinners and bringing leftover pizza back to life, it also has dedicated modes for preparing soup, making popcorn, and even softening butter, taking the guesswork out of simple kitchen tasks that would usually require careful monitoring to ensure nothing melts or burns.

The second unique selling point is its use of non-toxic glass for air frying. The Ninja Crispi and Ninja Crispi Pro air fryers cook food inside resealable glass containers rather than a drawer, giving peace of mind if you're worried about non-stick coatings. The Crispi Microwave contains a deep dish made from the same glass, which has a capacity of 5.5 quarts / 5.2 liters. According to Ninja, that's big enough to hold an 8lb chicken, or four slices of pizza.

When you've finished cooking, both the dish and crisper plate are dishwasher-safe, and with no rotating plate, the interior of the microwave is easy to wipe clean.

The Ninja Crispi Microwave is available now direct from Ninja for $449 (about £330 / AU$640) in the US. International release dates and prices are yet to be announced, but we're hoping to test it soon to see whether it can earn a place in our full roundup of the best air fryers.

The Ninja Slushi is one of my all-time favorite kitchen appliances, but it's simply too large for my kitchen. Thankfully there are personal blenders that are smaller, cost a lot less, and make perfect slushies for one in just a few seconds — and here I've picked three of the best that can tackle ice and other frozen ingredients with ease.

Some single-serve blenders struggle to tackle any ingredients tougher than an apple, but each of the models here will crush ice effortlessly despite their compact size. Once you're done, you can take your drink on the road, to work — or just to the back yard for sipping in the sunshine.

Slushies made this way won't be identical to those created with a Slushi machine, but they can come close. The Slushi works by taking liquid ingredients and freezing them while stirring to create small ice crystals, whereas blenders create slush by chopping up large pieces of ice. If you want an undiluted slushie without added water, try freezing ingredients like juice or soda in an ice-cube tray. Provided you add the recommended amount of liquid to your blender's cup (usually around 6oz / 170ml) you should get a very similar (and equally tasty) result.

Ninja BlendBOSS

At 1,200 watts, the Ninja BlendBOSS has the most powerful motor of all the blenders in this list, and transforms ice and frozen fruit into slush with ease. It consists of a sturdy, unusually-shaped base (which reminds me of a UFO) and a Stanley-style cup, with a sip lid and straw that you can carry, or tuck into your car's cupholder.

It has three preset options (smoothie, ice crush, and blend) plus a pulse option so you can take control yourself. The preset programs will blend and pause in different patterns to ensure all the ingredients come into contact with the blades — and they're very effective. Our reviewer Karen Freeman reported that her smoothie with frozen berries "came out perfectly smooth [with] no chunks of blueberry skin or spinach" and the blender "turned ice into snow incredibly quickly and thoroughly" for iced lemonade. Your recipe needs to include at least 6oz / 175ml liquid along with the ice for proper blending.

Some single-serving blenders tend to jump across your kitchen counter when dialled up to full, but the BlendBOSS has a cleverly designed base with a circle of grippy silicone, plus suction cups to ensure it doesn't dance onto the floor when preparing iced drinks.

The only downside we found is that the lid of the chug cap sometimes fell down and bopped us on the nose mid-slurp, but that was only a very minor annoyance. This is otherwise a brilliant tool for making slushies and smoothies, and very reasonably priced too.

Read our full Ninja BlendBOSS review

Nutribullet Flip

Unlike the two other blenders here, which comprise a plug-in base that you keep in the kitchen and a detachable cup to take with you, the Nutribullet Flip is fully portable and rechargeable so you can whip up drinks on the move (particularly handy if you're at the gym and want a fresh protein shake, for example). Just add your ingredients to the cup, screw on the lid, flip it upside down and press the button. Thirty seconds later, you can turn it upright again and start sipping. What could be easier?

I was a bit apprehensive about drinking from the part of the blender that contains the motor, but you're in no danger at all of cutting yourself; the blade assembly is well away from the drinking spout and the motor can't activate unless the cover on the drinking spout is fully closed.

The Flip handles ice with ease, and I used it to prepare some very nice iced coffee drinks during testing. Particularly large frozen strawberries sometimes required a second blending cycle to be fully pulverized (the Flip only has one program) but nothing I tested could withstand a minute in contact with its blades. When you're done, the insulated cup keeps your slush and shakes cold for hours. You'll need to add at least 8oz / 235ml liquid along with your ice.

Something I particularly like about the Flip is that its blades are at the widest point of the cup, which means everything falls down onto them rather than getting stuck on the sides. It's especially easy to clean as well; add water and a drop of dish soap, run a cycle, then rinse.

Read our full Nutribullet Flip review

Ninja Blast Max

I awarded the Ninja Blast Max a full five stars thanks to its ability to turn even the toughest ingredients into a silky smoothie or tasty slush. Ice and frozen fruit were transformed into a frosty treat in no time at all, and tough fibrous vegetables like kale were no match for its powerful motor and super-sharp blades.

The Blast Max has a 'crush' setting specifically designed for ice, which turns rock-solid strawberries and raspberries into slushies in less than a minute. Alternatively, add plenty of ice, a shot of espresso, and a good splash of milk for a delicious iced coffee. Provided your drink includes at least 6oz / 175ml liquid, the Blast Max will handle it with ease. "The resulting blended iced coffee looked as good as anything you might get from a coffee shop, with a nice layer of foam on top and no chunks of unblended ice crystals," I said.

The Blast Max has a travel cup that detaches from the charging base for sipping on the move, with measuring lines clearly marked on the side. Ninja suggests that you might need to give it a little shake during blending to loosen any ingredients stuck to the sides that might miss the blades, but during my tests I never found that necessary.

The Blast Max is the most affordable of these three blenders right now, and no less impressive than the other two. For me, the only drawback was that, unlike the Nutribullet Flip, the Blast Max doesn't have an insulated cup to keep slushies frosty when you're on the go.

Read our full Ninja Blast Max review

• New blue, oat and green colors for the Ninja AutoBarista Pro
• It is an automatic espresso machine with separate user profiles
• Its list price is $949.99 / £899.99 (about AU$1,735)

The Ninja AutoBarista Pro Fully Automatic Espresso Machine is a new, multi-talented coffee maker that delivers excellent espresso, drip coffee and a kind of rapid cold brew for making cold drinks — and now it's available in three new colors.

The original black and stainless steel finish has been joined by versions in Midnight Blue, Oat Milk and Vista Green. They're all fairly sober colors, so for example the Vista Green is a dark, slightly metallic jade green, and that means they look subtle and classy rather than garish — which is fitting as these are premium products.

The big benefit of the new shades is that they don't have stainless steel's fingerprint magnetism: I've had many stainless steel appliances and they've all been a bit of a pain to keep shiny and pristine.

Other than the colors, the new models are identical to the original, and that's no bad thing. This is a clever coffee maker that solves a particular pain point for couples and shared kitchens.

A machine of many talents

As my caffeinated colleague Karen Freeman wrote when about the Ninja AutoBarista Pro, it's ideal for people who have completely different tastes in coffee. You can easily switch between beans and ground coffee, and you can create two different user profiles to store your brewing preferences. And setting up profiles is really simple.

We like this coffee machine a lot. In our Ninja AutoBarista Pro review we praised its "one-touch simplicity", good looks and of course, its coffee. "The espresso is the real deal," we wrote. "A true 9-bar espresso brew with crema."

The only real downside is its size: it's a pretty hefty appliance, coming in at just under 18 x 11 x 16 inches and weighing nearly 40lbs / 18kg. It's very solidly built, however, so it's likely to last a very long time.

I don't have this particular model but I do have a similarly multi-talented coffee maker from Philips, the LatteGo 5500. I think with machines like these there's an initial novelty period where you want to make all the coffees, but after that you tend to settle for a couple of favorites unless you're entertaining. And that's why we're so focused on the quality of the Ninja's espresso, because of course that's the core of all your coffee creations. In our tests the AutoBarista Pro delivered excellent espresso every time, and now it does it while matching your kitchen decor too.

The Ninja AutoBarista Pro currently retails at $949.99 / £899.99 / about AU$1,735.

Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven: one-minute review

The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven is an efficient and flexible cooking appliance. It has 10 cook modes: Air Fry, Air Roast, Whole Roast, Bake, Pizza, Broil, Reheat, Dehydrate, Toast, and Bagel. You can quickly cook or heat up just about anything you can fit into its extra-large cooking area.

It pre-heats in seconds, and cooks your food faster than you would expect. Obviously we like fast-working appliances, but it also means you need to keep an eye on your food as it cooks. You can't just follow the directions on the prepared food box and walk away; I found that this appliance cooked some frozen items faster than the box directions indicated.

The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven uses "Cyclonic Air Technology." It does allow for speedy all-over cooking and eliminates the need to rotate your food mid-cycle that many air fryer require. However, if you like to put foil and/or parchment paper down on your cook tray, make sure it's anchored down with food on all four corners. Otherwise, it will go flying up into the upper heat elements. Ask me how I know that.

Overall, I was very happy with the The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven. While some parts of the foods got blackened while other parts remained pale, the difference wasn't enough to affect taste. Everything I made came out delicious.

Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven: price and availability

• List price: From $279.99 (about £210 / AU$420)
• Only available in the US, unless imported

The The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven is available at many major retailers both online and in stores. Find it at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Walmart, Crate & Barrel, Ninja's own website, and more. It starts at $279.99 (about £210 / AU$420) but is currently only available in the US unless your import it.

The stainless steel version retails for $279.99 while the other shades are $20 more. It comes in four colors: Stone and Gold (mostly gold,) Black (with rose gold hardware,) Stainless Steel (as seen in my photos,) and Cyberspace (dark gray with gold hardware.)

• Value score: 4/5

Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven: specifications

Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven: design and features

• French doors open easily with one hand
• Spacious interior fits a pizza or whole chicken
• Simple, intuitive controls

The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven looks great on the counter. The French doors give it a more upscale look and the control dials are simple and uncluttered. I feared that French doors would require two-handed opening, but that's not the case. The doors work in tandem, so pulling or pushing either door handle moves both doors. The doors are glass, and there is a lightbulb inside, so you can easily see what's cooking.

The power button is on the top left side of the control panel. On the right, a large dial spins to select mode, time, and temperature. Press that same dial to start and stop cooking. Next to the dial are four buttons: Temp/Shade, Mode, Time/Slices, and the light bulb.

The rest of the control panel is black when not in use, but lights up when you turn the oven on. It shows all of the cooking modes (Air Fry, Air Roast, Whole Roast, Bake, Pizza, Broil, Reheat, Dehydrate, Toast, and Bagel) and pertinent information for your current mode. For example, when you're toasting, the panel shows the number of slices and the shade you've chosen. If you're using one of the oven or air fry modes, the panel shows the time and temperature.

The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven does take up a fair bit of counter space, but since it replaces both a toaster oven and an air fryer, I didn't mind. It's quite spacious inside, it easily fits my favorite frozen pizza and could fit a modestly-sized chicken. Included accessories are a five-quart air fry basket, sheet pan, broil rack, and a recipe booklet. The interior cooking rack can be moved up or down to accommodate your desired foods. According to Ninja, the cooking surfaces do not contain PFAS. The crumb tray at the bottom is removable for easy cleaning.

The Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven preheats in just 90 seconds and heats up to 450F / 232C. It cooks with cyclonic air, which does a couple of things. First of all, it cooks your food all over without you having to move your food around mid-cycle like you do with many air fryers. According to Ninja, the oven cooks up to 60% faster than conventional ovens and you can use 75% less fat than traditional frying in air fry mode.

This cyclonic air feature also means that if you like to place parchment paper or aluminum foil on your bake tray, you must use caution. The cyclonic air will suck it up into the heating element if you don't have it fully weighed down with food at every edge. Yes, I found that out the hard way. Luckily I was standing close by and cut the power before it caught fire.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven performance

I tested many of the Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven's cooking modes. I had to start with toast, of course. You can adjust for the number of slices and the shade you like, so it's easy to have toast exactly the way you like it. It does take some trial and error. I first did a single slice at level three and got one very dark edge. Later, I did two slices at level four and they both came out perfect.

I tested out Air Fry mode with a number of different foods. I made frozen French fries according to the package instructions (though I did end up adding a little more time) and they came out just right, crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. Another time, I made frozen crinkle French fries. There were some very dark spots, but they tasted quite good.

I also made some sweet potato fries from scratch in Air Fry mode. They don't look pretty, they are covered with dark spots, but I like them that way. They were delicious, nice and soft on the inside. I wouldn't say they were super crisp on the outside, but I barely used any oil. The more oil you use, the crisper your food turns out.

I made tofu in Air Fry mode, with just a simple baking soda coating. It turned out beautifully, nice and crispy on the outside and soft inside.

I made frozen veggies several times, in a number of different modes including both Air Fry and Air Roast mode. I find that the 'air' modes dried out the frozen vegetables a bit, which was what I wanted. Frozen veggies can be quite soggy when cooked in other ways, and I was very happy with how they turned out.

I also made a one-pan meal in Air Roast mode. This included a veggie burger, frozen vegetables, and fresh vegetables. This came out great and only took 15 minutes.

I didn't roast a whole chicken, but I did make a couple of chicken breasts in Whole Roast mode. They came out perfectly, nice and juicy, and I can't think of an easier and faster way to make chicken breasts.

I made frozen pizza in Pizza mode. The first time, I followed the box instructions without watching, and it cooked so fast that it was nearly black at the end (though not too burnt to eat.) The second time, I watched it more closely and stopped it before the time the box indicated. This time it came out great. It's a bit dark around the edges, but it's a big, thick pizza and it was perfectly cooked in the center.

I made some very simple 'bagels' in Bake mode. The dough is just Greek yogurt and self-rising flour. These came out amazing — golden brown on the outside and fluffy inside.

I tried out Reheat mode on two different restaurant leftovers: chicken parmesan and a quesadilla. Both reheated beautifully in just five minutes, without getting burnt or dried out at all.

I was continually surprised by how quickly the Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven cooked a variety of foods. While some foods did get a bit blackened around the edges, they never tasted burnt. Everything I made was thoroughly cooked in the middle and tasted great.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven: also consider

If the Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven isn't for you, here are some other options you might consider.

How I tested the Ninja French Door Air Fryer and Countertop Oven

• I tested many of the different cook cycles
• I used it pretty much daily for a month
• I cleaned it as needed, which wasn't often

I cooked, heated, and reheated a variety of foods, both frozen prepared foods and fresh food from scratch. I used the Air Fry, Air Roast, Whole Roast, Bake, Pizza, Reheat, and Toast cycles multiple times. Over the course of a month, I used it daily, often multiple times per day. I made both fresh and frozen vegetables many, many times. I heated up frozen pizza. I made french fries, both from scratch and frozen, multiple times. I baked two-ingredient "bagels" many times. I reheated a couple of different restaurant leftovers. I air fried some tofu. I made chicken breasts and veggie burgers several times. I toasted bread just about daily.

Read more about how we test.

First reviiewed June 2026

Last week, Ninja launched its first automatic espresso machine — the Ninja AutoBarista Pro. It offers a menu of 13 customizable drinks, with hot and cold brewing and automatic milk frothing. However, it's also much more expensive than the company's previous flagship coffee maker, the Ninja Luxe Café. Not sure which one is right for you? I'm here to sketch out the key differences between the two, so you can make the best choice. I'd also recommend taking a look at TechRadar's complete guide to the best coffee makers, so you can weigh up your options from other brands, such as De'Longhi, Breville, KitchenAid and Philips.

Price and availability

• Ninja Luxe Café Premier: $599.99 / £549.99 / AU$799.99
• Ninja Luxe Café Pro: $749.99 / £699.99 (about AU$1,040)
• Ninja AutoBarista Pro: $949.99 / £899.99 (about AU$1,320)

There are two Ninja Luxe Café models, one of which costs considerably more than the other. The original Ninja Luxe Café launched in June 2024, and was followed a few months later by the Luxe Café Pro, which has a lever on the side for tamping down your coffee grounds, plus extra coffee- and milk-frothing options.

To differentiate between this new machine and the original, the company renamed the original coffee maker the Ninja Luxe Café Premier.

The Ninja Luxe Café Premier has a list price of $599.99 / £549.99 / AU$799.99, while the Ninja Luxe Café Pro is $749.99 / £699.99. That works out at approximately AU$1,040, but at the time of writing the Ninja Luxe Café Pro isn't available in Australia.

Now that they're a couple of years old, you'll often find both models at a discount, particularly during sales events like Amazon Prime Day — Amazon just confirmed its next Prime Day event for June 23-26 — and Black Friday.

The Ninja AutoBarista Pro was released in May 2026, priced at $949.99 / £899.99. That's about AU$1,320, but again, this machine isn't yet sold in Australia. At the time of writing (June 2026) the AutoBarista Pro is brand new, so it hasn't received any price cuts yet. You'll find today's best deals on all three coffee makers below.

Features

• Ninja AutoBarista Pro brews coffee at the press of a button
• Ninja Luxe Café requires you to get a bit more hands-on
• Both steam milk automatically, but you need to pour it yourself

The Ninja Luxe Café is a semi-automatic coffee maker, while the Ninja AutoBarista Pro is fully automatic. Both take whole beans and let you make coffee with no prior experience, but the Luxe Café is a little more hands-on.

The Ninja Luxe Café grinds your coffee into a portafilter, which you then move under the brewing group (the part of the machine that dispenses hot, pressurized water). With the AutoBarista Pro, the entire brewing process happens inside the machine, so you only have to press a button and wait for your drink to be dispensed.

The Ninja AutoBarista Pro has two bean hoppers, so you can switch between coffee types on the fly (particularly handy if, like me, you prefer to drink decaf in the afternoon), whereas the Ninja Luxe Café only has one.

Both machines have steel burr grinders. The Ninja Luxe Café has 25 grind settings, while the AutoBarista Pro has 50 settings, giving you more control over the rate at which your coffee is extracted — and therefore the final flavor. Both machines guide you to help achieve the optimal grind size for your chosen coffee, but the AutoBarista Pro takes into account extra factors such as the age of the beans, tweaking the settings accordingly.

Both machines are capable of brewing espresso and drip coffee (which is quite unusual), as well as cold-brewed coffee. Both can also produce creamy foamed milk for lattes and cappuccinos, with different texture settings. Alternatively, you can raise the steam wand of either machine a few degrees and steam milk manually.

Neither coffee maker will dispense milk into your cup; whether you use the auto foaming function or use the steam wand manually, you'll need to pour it in yourself. This is particularly unusual for a fully automatic coffee maker, but has the advantage that you can experiment with pouring latte art.

Maintenance

• Both machines are designed for easy cleaning
• AutoBarista Pro has a fan to keep components cool and dry
• Both have user-friendly descaling programs

Fully automatic coffee makers usually take more effort to maintain than semi-automatic models because of the heat, moisture, and coffee grounds inside the case, but all of the AutoBarista Pro's removable components are dishwasher-safe, and there's a fan inside to keep everything cool and dry (something I've never seen before on a coffee machine).

The Ninja Luxe Café is also easy to keep clean; just wash the portafilter and basket, clean the drip tray, purge and wipe down the steam wand, and flush the group set with hot water to keep it fresh.

Conclusion

• Ninja Luxe Café for price
• Ninja AutoBarista Pro for convenience

If price is the most important factor, then you can't go wrong with the Ninja Luxe Café. It's an excellent coffee maker that gives you far more features than many other models in the same price range. Personally I'd choose the Premier model rather than the Pro. Although the tamping lever is a nice addition that's satisfying to use, and means you're never in contact with loose coffee grounds, tamping coffee by hand isn't hard and I don't think it's worth an extra $150 / £150.

If time is more valuable to you, and you want a machine that can brew your coffee while you tackle other tasks, the Ninja AutoBarista Pro is a better choice, handling the whole process for you. It's also easier to keep clean and hygienic than most automatic coffee makers, so you won't have to sacrifice time later in the day washing components by hand and drying the interior.

Capsule coffee makers get a bad rap, but if you choose the right machine and the right pods, you can enjoy genuinely delicious espresso drinks at home in two minutes flat. I'm TechRadar's resident coffee expert, and I've put together a list of the top four capsule machines I recommend if you need your coffee in a hurry.

When picking a capsule coffee maker, it's important to consider not only the price of the machine itself, but also the ongoing cost of the pods, as some brands are much more expensive than others, and unless you pick one that takes Nespresso Original style capsules (the ones shaped like a top hat), you'll be tied into a specific brand. More on that shortly.

Also take a look at the types of pods available for each machine. Some will include lots of fancy flavors, while others will just give you different espresso beans and roasts.

Finally, consider how easily you'll be able to recycle the pods. Capsules made of aluminum are much easier to process and will be more widely accepted than ones made from plastic, or a combination of materials.

Nespresso

Ninja Prestige DualBrew System

I test over a dozen coffee makers every year here at TechRadar, and the Ninja Prestige DualBrew System (known as the Ninja Espresso and Coffee Maker Barista System in the US) is one of the most versatile I've ever used. If you're an omnivorous coffee fan who loves both filter and espresso, it's a great option (albeit a little large).

On one side you have a fully-featured drip coffee maker, complete with timer (ideal for busy mornings), a large glass carafe, a drip-stop valve, and a smart hotplate that keeps your brew warm without stewing it. There's even a flip-down drip tray behind the carafe so you can brew directly into your travel mug in the morning.

On the right, you have a capsule espresso machine, which uses Nespresso Original capsules and can brew in various different sizes. Nestlé no longer owns the patent on this style of pod, so you can get them anywhere; I used the DualBrew System with pods of fresh decaf from one of my local coffee roasters, and it was almost as good as brewing with beans.

The milk whisk around the back of the machine isn't as good as using a proper steam wand (it whips in air, but doesn't heat the milk) but the rest of this capsule coffee maker is so good, I wouldn't dock it points for that. You could always pick up a standalone milk frother like the Philips Baristina Milk Frother or Smeg Mini Milk Frother if you're a latte-lover.

Read our full Ninja Prestige DualBrew System review

Keurig

Keurig K-Mini Mate

Keurig is one of the biggest names in capsule coffee makers in the US, and the K-Mini Mate (a US-exclusive model) is its smallest machine to date. It's slim enough to fit into even the tiniest kitchen (and tuck into a cupboard when not in use), but still generates enough pressure to extract full-bodied, tasty coffee from K-Cup pods.

When we tested the K-Mini Mate, we were pleasantly surprised by how rich its coffee tasted, even though it took less than two minutes to prepare from start to sip. It's very reasonably priced as well, and although it has a list price of around $90, it's often on sale for as little as $60.

This is really a coffee maker for one person, and you'll need to refill the water tank between drinks if you're brewing for a group, which can be a hassle. We also noticed some splashing as the coffee poured into our cup, but not enough to be a serious issue. If you like the sound of the various coffees and roasts available in K-Cup form, this could be the machine for you.

Read our full Keurig K-Mini Mate review

Lavazza

Lavazza A Modo Mio Smeg

Lavazza is known for its great quality coffee, and Smeg for its iconic retro-style designs. Put them both together and you get a cute little capsule coffee maker that looks fabulous and brews a superb espresso in two minutes flat.

This is one of the more expensive coffee makers in this roundup, but the Lavazza A Modo Mio pods are much cheaper than some other brands. Lavazza doesn't offer fancy flavors like cinnamon bun or gingerbread — just a good selection of different beans and roasts for you to experiment with.

For me, the biggest downside of this cute little coffee maker is the fact that the pods are harder to recycle than K-Cups or Nespresso pods. Although they are compostable, they can only be processed at specialized facilities, which are relatively rare.

Read our full Lavazza A Modo Mio Smeg review

Tassimo

Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly

Capsule coffee makers are always easy to use, but the Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly is even simpler than most thanks to its orange 'maintenance disc', which makes backwashing the machine effortless, keeping it clean and hygienic.

That's particularly important because unlike most coffee pod machines, the Finesse Friendly can create rich foam using pods of long-life milk. You can get plain milk for regular cappuccinos and lattes, or capsules of flavored milk designed to pair with a particular coffee capsule (like cinnamon roll latte, for example). I'm not usually a great fan of flavored coffee capsules, but Tassimo pods are genuinely tasty, and not overwhelmingly sweet.

The Finesse Friendly is cheap too, and is often discounted to £49.99 (about $70 / AU$100). The downside is that the capsules can be quite expensive, particularly for drinks that require two pods (one for coffee and one for milk). It still works out cheaper than an elaborate takeout habit, but bear in mind that this machine isn't currently available outside Europe.

Read our full Bosch Tassimo Finesse Friendly review

This week was a big one for software as we got official (and unofficial) teases for the next iteration of Android and iOS.

We also heard that the seemingly ill-fated Trump Phone might actually be coming after all, though we wouldn't be surprised if it gets delayed again by the time you're reading this.

Before you catch up with this week’s tech news, why not test yourself on last week’s seven biggest tech stories to see how well you were paying attention? Take the quiz below.

7. The Trump phone has landed?

Last week, we highlighted reports that the Trump Phone looked to have cemented itself in the vaporware category — with its new terms of service suggesting that a device may never actually ship, and that preorders don’t guarantee you a product. That now seems to have changed as the company announced "Phones start shipping this week!!!”

Now, until devices are in the hands of the people who bought one you’ll forgive us for remaining skeptical — the device’s release date has been shifted a few times now, and some people with preorders have been told shipping deadlines previously that have then been missed.

We write ICYMI on Friday, so it’s very possible that by the time you read this on Saturday morning, the Trump phone situation will have shifted yet again, but hopefully, this is the end of the Trump Phone saga. Though we can’t shake the feeling, this might merely be the close of act one.

• Read the full story: The long-promised Trump Mobile Phone is slated to arrive in consumers' hands this week

6. Philips made TV immersion cheaper

Smart lighting doesn’t just come with added convenience; it can also be a home entertainment immersion booster with gadgets like the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K — though if you’re after something more budget-friendly, Philips just debuted a non-Hue sync box.

The Philips Smart Lighting HDMI Sync Box 2.1 comes in two sizes — one for 55 to 65-inch TVs, and one for 75 to 85-inch TVs — and, instead of working with the HUE system, it integrates with WiZ-branded tech.

At under half the launch cost, this lightning solution could be perfect for the more budget-conscious amongst you who still want the immersion factor offered by TV sync tech once it starts rolling out in June.

• Read the full-story: Sync your lights with your TV for a lot less cash

5. Claude cracked a crypto wallet

A Bitcoin owner who believed he had permanently lost access to nearly $400,000 worth of cryptocurrency says Anthropic’s Claude AI helped recover the funds after more than a decade. The user had originally bought 5 Bitcoin when the cryptocurrency was worth around $250 each, but later changed the wallet password while in college and forgot it. After years of failed attempts — including trying trillions of password combinations — the owner uploaded files from an old computer into Claude as a final attempt.

It was able to locate an older wallet backup file that existed before the password change happened. Combined with an old mnemonic phrase the user had recently rediscovered, the recovered wallet file finally allowed access to the Bitcoin again.

• Read the full story: Claude AI helped a Bitcoin owner recover nearly $400,000

4. The Insta 360 Go 3S went Retro

This week, we saw the wackiest camera kit of 2026 so far: a Retro bundle of the Go 3S.

The action cam is ideal for when you need something tiny — it can slot in just about any small space, much easier than its rivals — but this kit makes it resemble an old Polaroid. You’ll get a viewfinder dock to help you compose shots (it doubles as a selfie mirror), but no LCD screen.

If you want a more modern feel and easier composition, the camera can still be paired with a smartphone via the Insta360 app.

The Go 3S Retro Bundle costs $300 / £279 / AU$470 for the 64GB version or $320 / £299 / AU$500 for the 128GB version. The latter feels like the obvious pick — you'll want as much internal storage as you can get because there's no card slot.

• Read the full-story: Insta360 reveals one of the wackiest camera kits for 2026

3. Ninja’s Slushi got twice as nice

What’s better than one Ninja Slushi? How about two side-by-side so that you can make dual-flavored, multicolored iced drinks at home? This week, Ninja released the Slushi Twist, which makes two different types of slush at the same time, then dispenses them in an attractive swirled pattern. Having two freezing chambers means it has a much larger capacity than the original Slushi, making it perfect for parties.

The Slushi Twist is on sale now in the US for $399.99, and although we don’t have international release dates yet, I’m sure it won’t be too long before it’s available worldwide. It certainly proved popular, and the first batch of stock sold out within hours. Don’t worry, though, you can sign up on Ninja’s website to be notified when more arrive.

• Read the full-story: Ninja doubles the freezing fun with the new Ninja Slushi Twist

2. iOS 27 was teased

Siri 2.0 has been a long (long!) time coming, but Apple’s revamped voice assistant finally looks set to debut in iOS 27 – and this week, we got a better idea of what it might actually look like.

According to Bloomberg’s resident Apple tipster Mark Gurman, Siri 2.0 will largely live within the Dynamic Island and display transparent results cards in response to your queries. If you need to go deeper into a query, you’ll be able to swipe that results card to bring up an iMessage-like chat interface, and there will also be a dedicated Siri app, where you can access your conversation history or upload images and documents.

Other rumored iOS 27 features include an updated, AI-powered Spotlight Search tool and a redesigned Image Playground app, so it sounds like Apple could finally be about to take its seat at the AI table.

• Read the full-story: Siri 2.0 could arrive with iOS 27

1. Android 17 was showcased

Just a week before Google I/O kicks off, the Android team dedicated an entire show to debuting new features set to drop with Android 17, a boatload of Gemini integrations, and an entirely new platform.

In terms of Android 17 is set to bring a lot, including a new take on curbing screen time and easing phone addiction called Pause Point. Rather than just locking you out of an app, it might show photos or suggest a breathing exercise. There's also an easy way to film screen recordings with your own talking head in the corner, which might be really handy for content creators.

Gemini Intelligence is set to make AI even more useful and helpful across a whole barrage of tasks, and honestly, it sounds pretty close to what Apple promised with Apple Intelligence. This new suite of AI functionality that's integrated at the system level of the OS will also be found on forthcoming Googlebooks. Essentially, these new laptops run a combination of Android and ChromeOS. And while this is a ton, it's likely we'll hear even more about it at Google I/O.

• Read the full-story: 7 best Android 17 upgrades announced at The Android Show

Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk: one-minute review

The Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk does just what you'd expect, based on the name. The device comes with two different attachments, one for blending and one for whisking. The attachments are easy and intuitive to swap out. You can use the provided container or use just about any pot, bowl, or container you'd like. Make your favorite sauces, smoothies, whipped food, and more. The Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk offers three power levels.

Working with an immersion blender is a bit different from a standing blender; you need a bit of coordination to get everything blended properly. You need to hold down the power button as you blend, use an up and down motion, and use another finger to toggle the speed up or down. I ended up with some tiny ice shards in some of my smoothies, but further blending probably would have taken care of that.

Cleanup couldn't be easier. The motor/handle can be wiped down with a damp cloth if needed. All other parts can be popped into the dishwasher (top rack) or hand-washed with warm soapy water. All of the parts are light and easy to stash away, freeing up valuable counter space for other appliances.

Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk: price and availability

• List price: $79.99 (about £60 / AU$113)
• Widely available online and in stores

The Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk can be found at many major retailers across the US, both online and in stores. You can purchase it at Ninja's own website or at Walmart, Target, Macy's, Amazon, and many more. There are two color options: Dark Gray, which you can see in my photos, and Deep Navy. Additional accessories available for purchase include a 3-cup Power Chopper and 4-cup Blending Pitcher.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk: specifications

Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk: design and features

• Use provided container or just about any other
• Three blending speeds
• 750-watt motor

The clever design of the Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk allows it to be used in a lot of different situations. From blending sauce on the stove to cottage cheese in its own container or whisking egg whites in a shallow bowl, this appliance offers a lot of flexibility. The provided 3-cup plastic container is handy and even has a lid for storing leftovers. The blending blade is surrounded by a splatter shield to minimize mess as you blend.

Other thoughtful touches include the ease with which you can swap out the blending blade and whisk. All parts that contact food are designed to be dishwasher-safe, which makes cleanup super easy. They can also be easily hand-washed if you prefer.

The power button must be held down as you use the device, which takes a bit of coordination, especially if you change speeds while blending. It does take some getting used to, but I can't fault Ninja for that choice: it is clearly a safety feature.

• Design score: 5/5

Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk: performance

I tested the Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk on a number of different foods. I blended pasta sauce, hummus, smoothies, frozen yogurt, and cottage cheese. I whisked egg whites. It handled everything well without excessive mess or noise.

I made some pasta sauce from canned whole tomatoes. I placed the immersion blender directly into the pot on the stove. In less than a minute, the tomatoes were blended into a smooth puree. I was a little nervous that I'd end up with sauce all over my stove, but that was not the case at all.

I made two different smoothies, one with frozen cherries, almond milk, and yogurt and another with frozen mangoes and fruit juice. Both came out smooth and delicious.

I also made some different "frozen yogurts," which are similar to smoothies but with frozen fruit, ice, yogurt, and no liquid, so they are a bit more challenging for blenders. I made a banana-peanut butter flavor, banana-chocolate, and cherry. The banana versions also included some hemp seeds and protein powder. All of the seeds and powders blended up smoothly. I did get the occasional ice shard; I probably could have taken more time to be sure I blended every inch.

I blended the cherry one directly in the yogurt container (which only had about a half-cup of yogurt left at the bottom.) I just added frozen cherries and blended for a super-simple and healthy dessert.

I had about half a container of cottage cheese and I blended it right in the container. Just a few seconds turned the curds into a smoother texture, which I later used to make a chia pudding.

I made an ultra-simple hummus with ingredients I had on hand: a can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained), lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, garlic, and salt. It actually came out delicious, though I suspect that the addition of tahini would have made it even better and smoother.

I've never actually whipped egg whites before, but the whisk attachment made it super easy. The pictures below speak better than words. It was kind of magic.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk: also consider

If the Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk isn't exactly what you're looking for, you might consider the following:

How I tested the Ninja Power Duo Immersion Blender with Whisk

• I tested both attachments and all three power levels
• I made a variety of beverages and foods
• I cleaned it after every use, both by hand and in the dishwasher

I blended pasta sauce that started with a can of whole tomatoes. I made a simple hummus with a drained and rinsed can of chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and spices. I made several different kinds of smoothies and frozen yogurt with ice and/or frozen fruit, some of which included powders and seeds. I blended cottage cheese, right in its container. I whisked egg whites until they formed peaks.

Read more about how we test.

I’ve tested a lot of personal blenders and smoothie-makers here at TechRadar, including some super compact models that pack a real fruit-blending punch, but after using the new Ninja BlendBoss, I have a new favorite.

The BlendBoss was launched in the US late last year, and arrived here in the UK this week. Our US-based kitchen tech writer Karen Freeman has already given her verdict, awarding it an impressive four and a half stars out of five, but I was keen to try the funky-looking new appliance for myself now that it’s available on my side of the Atlantic.

The first thing you’ll notice about the BlendBoss is its unusual shape, a departure from most of our best blenders list. Its base, which contains its motor, is a flattened ball shape (or an oblate spheroid if you want to get technical), while its blending jug takes the form of a travel cup with a large carry handle. You can drink directly from the lid, or sip from the chunky straw provided (which has a soft silicone end to make sure you get every last drop from the bottom of the cup — a clever idea.

Lifting the BlendBoss out of its box, I was surprised just how much its base weighs. According to my kitchen scale, it’s 1.7kg (not including the plug), which is easily heavier than any other personal blender I’ve used to date. That makes sense when you check the specs, though. Whereas most of its smoothie-making rivals have a 800 or 1,000-watt motor, the BlendBoss’s base is packing a mighty 1,200 watts.

The weight helps keep the blender steady on your kitchen counter, too — aided by a set of three suction cups that hold it firmly in place. Got a wooden or textured counter that won’t give an airtight seal? No problem — the BlendBoss also has textured silicone between the suction cups for grip. That base isn’t going anywhere.

To really put the ‘smooth’ in ‘smoothie’, the blender comes with a guide telling you which order to add your ingredients for best results: liquid (at least 180ml), then dry or sticky ingredients like seeds or nut butter, fresh fruit and veg, yogurt, ice or anything frozen, and finally leafy greens.

To put it through its paces, I started off with a good dose of almond milk, with a scoop of vanilla protein powder, a tablespoon of chia seeds, a whole banana, two tablespoons of natural Greek yogurt, a handful of frozen berries (including several frozen together in a clump), and a handful of spinach leaves. I was particularly interested to see how the BlendBoss would fare with the seeds; I’ve tested some smoothie-makers recently that can tackle blackcurrant pips, but chia seeds are so tiny they could pose a real problem if not soaked first,

The BlendBoss has a handy preset for smoothies (Smoothie IQ), so I hit this button once and let it get to work. The blend cycle was thorough, with a couple of short pulses followed by a couple of longer ones. It’s one of the louder blenders I’ve tested, but if you’re not using ice or frozen ingredients then it won’t be quite so noisy.

Sipping my finished concoction, I found that I needn’t have worried about the chia seeds; the BlendBoss had pulverised them to oblivion, along with the seeds from my frozen berry mix. The clump of frozen fruit hadn’t been an issue either, and unlike some of my experiences with other blenders, there were no stray chunks of icy strawberry to worry about.,

So the BlendBoss had proved its ability to handle tiny ingredients. What about something bigger? I recently purchased a spiralizer for my stand mixer, which removes the core from your chosen fruit or vegetable while it slices. It works well on carrots, but at the end of the process you’re left with a hard stick of unspiralized carrot to deal with. I’ve been keeping them in the fridge for soup, but they seemed like an ideal challenge for the BlendBoss.

All blended drinks need a certain amount of liquid, so I started with 180ml of apple juice. I then added a carrot core (snapped in half) and half a conference pear for some more sweetness. I finished it off with the obligatory handful of spinach (mostly to ensure my creation turned out green rather than an unappetizing shade of beige).

It took about 10 seconds for the carrot to catch on the blender’s blades (I could see its orange form poking through the swirling mix of apple and pear), but once it hit them, it was instantly and effortlessly pulverised.

Once again, the resulting drink was extremely smooth. With other blenders I’ve often felt the need to peel conference pears to avoid the skin giving my juice a slightly gritty texture, but that wasn’t the case here. Once I was finished, cleanup was a breeze. Everything except the base can be washed with warm, soapy water, and all traces of smoothie will wash right off.

Having blended half the contents of my fridge’s salad drawer, I’m thoroughly impressed, and already considering more possibilities. Blended iced coffee has to be next on the list, and maybe even frozen spinach (though not together).

We’ll be making a video of the BlendBoss in action very soon so you can see how well this mighty smoothie-maker performs for yourself.

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: one-minute review

The Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender with 26oz Travel Tumbler is ideal for people who want to quickly make smoothies, iced coffee, and other frozen beverages on the go. Just put your ingredients into the tumbler, screw on the blade lid, screw the blade lid onto the 1,200-watt motor base, and press one of the four blend mode buttons. There are three intelligent preset programs: Smoothie, Ice Crush, and Blend. These modes combine pulsing, blending, and pausing so you don't have guess. Unscrew the tumbler and screw on the drinking lid, grab a straw if you like, and you're on your way.

All three of the removable parts (tumbler, blade, travel lid) are easy to clean and dishwasher-safe. The base, which stays stable on your counter with suction cups, doesn't need to be washed. Simply wipe with a damp cloth if spills happen.

The Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender is aesthetically pleasing, with four whimsical colorways. The travel tumbler resembles trendy water bottle styles.

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: price and availability

• List price: $119.99 (about £90 / AU$180)
• Not widely available outside the US

The Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender with 26oz Travel Tumbler is available at all major retailers in the US, both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. Find it at Ninja's own website or at Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Amazon, and many more. It comes in four fun colorways: Lavender Lemonade (purple and yellow, as seen in my photos), Blue Raspberry (light blue and seafoam green), Watermelon Bubblegum (sage green and pale pink), and Cyberspace (gray and steel blue). It retails for $119.99 (about £90 / AU$180)

It's not widely available outside the US at the time of writing, though you may be able to find it imported via Amazon Marketplace.

• Value score: 4/5

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: specifications

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: design and features

• Blend directly into the travel tumbler
• Four blending modes (three are automatic)
• 1,200-watt motor

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender with 26oz Travel Tumbler is well-designed for its purpose. The powerful 1200-watt motor quickly and easily blends ice and frozen fruit for smoothies, iced coffee, and other frozen beverages to go. The tumbler is large but the tapered base fits into most cars' cupholders.

The tumbler has measurement markings on it, so you can combine your ingredients directly into it. The six-ounce marking also serves as the minimum liquid marking, since you must use at least six ounces of liquid in order for the BlendBOSS to blend properly. There is also a max fill line near the top, at the 24-ounce mark. This gives you space at the top to add whipped cream or other toppings after you're done blending.

There are four buttons on the base of the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender. Three of them are automatic settings that use a combination of pulses and pauses to take the guesswork out of blending. The first button, Blend IQ, runs for 60 seconds. The second, Smoothie IQ, runs for 55 seconds. Ice Crush IQ is the third button, and it goes for 50 seconds. The fourth button, Pulse, is the only manual button. Any blender can be pretty loud, though this one isn't louder than others I've used. The IQ buttons allow you to walk away while your treat is blending, so you don't even have to listen to it up close.

The base is pretty big and heavy for a tumbler blender, probably due to its 1200-watt motor. It does have two suction cups on the bottom to keep it from moving around when you blend. The blade lid and the travel lid both screw on securely and easily. The travel/chug lid has a button so you can pop it open, revealing the chug opening. When you close it, the lid is leak-proof.

I did have one issue with the chug lid. If you do indeed chug directly from the lid (as opposed to using a straw), the top of the lid falls down on your head when you're taking your last sips. I found that pretty annoying, and found myself either using a straw or removing the lid entirely and just drinking directly from the tumbler.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: performance

I made a number of different recipes to test out the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender, including several different smoothies, pancake batter, pasta sauce, and an iced drink. In every case, the blender was super fast and blended everything completely. Even the spinach in one of my smoothies was blended so fine that I couldn't see or taste the spinach at all. The ice in my iced lemonade was essentially turned to a slushy snow. I did try blending smoothies with less than the recommended amount (six ounces) of liquid, and ended up having to stop the blender, take off the blending lid, and stir around the contents. Everything else I made (with the proper amount of liquid) blended just perfectly without my having to do anything besides press the start button.

In the images below, I was making a smoothie with frozen blueberries and spinach, and it came out perfectly smooth. There were no chunks of blueberry skin or spinach.

Below are photos of the iced lemonade I made. The BlendBOSS turned ice into snow incredibly quickly and thoroughly.

I got a little creative below, making a protein pancake batter from cottage cheese, eggs, and oats. The result was a smooth liquid with no chunks at all.

Next I made some pasta sauce. Here I blended a can of whole tomatoes and cottage cheese. I didn't even do a whole blend cycle, a few seconds was all it took to turn that into sauce. I poured the contents of the blender into a pot I had on the stove with olive oil and browned garlic.

• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender: also consider

If you're not sure about the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender, here are some other blenders you might like

How I tested the Ninja BlendBOSS Tumbler Blender

• I tested all four blender buttons
• I used it for weeks to make a variety of beverages and foods
• I cleaned it after every use

I made a variety of smoothies, all of them with the minimum amount of liquid and heavy on the frozen fruit and ice. I made a cherry-yogurt-almond milk smoothie, a banana-yogurt-almond milk smoothie that included a number of powders and seeds, and a banana-blueberry-spinach-hemp seed smoothie. I made an iced lemonade beverage that included ice, water, and lemon balsamic vinegar. I made protein pancake batter with equal parts egg whites, cottage cheese, and dry oatmeal. I made pasta sauce with cottage cheese and canned whole tomatoes (added to browned garlic and olive oil on the stove.) Everything I made blended perfectly smooth with no evidence of seeds or skins.

Read more about how we test.

Ninja Crispi Pro: one-minute review

The Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer is the plus-sized version of the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System. Instead a traditional drawer-style air fryer, the Ninja Crispi Pro is a stand to which you can attach different-sized glass cooking containers. Since the glass containers are separate from the frying mechanism, they can be used for both storing and serving in addition to cooking. The handles stay cool so they can go directly from the fryer to the table without potholders or trivets. Lids are included for storing your food in the glass containers. The Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer comes with two cooking containers, the small one has a 2.5-quart capacity and the large one holds six quarts and can even be used to roast up to a 7.5-pound chicken. There is also a medium four-quart size which is sold separately.

Six cooking modes let you make a variety of dishes: Max Crisp, Air Fry, Bake/Proof, Roast, Recrisp, and Dehydrate. Select your mode, temperature, and cook time as desired. Since the containers are glass and there is a light bulb inside, you can easily keep an eye on your food as it cooks. This is an easy-to-use, flexible air fryer, and all the food I made came out well. Note that with its multiple cooking containers, it does take up a good bit of storage space.

Ninja Crispi Pro: price and availability

• List price: $279.99 (about £209 / AU$421)

The Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer is available at all major retailers both online and in brick-and-mortar stores such as Amazon, Target, Macy's, Best Buy, Ninja's own website, and more. Choose from four color options: Cyberspace (dark gray), Bone (off-white), Rose Quartz, and Ash Gray (light gray). The retail price is $279.99 USD and it comes with two cooking containers including crisping trays and storage lids: 2.5-quart and 6-quart.

• Value score: 4/5

Ninja Crispi Pro: specifications

Ninja Crispi Pro: design and features

• Small and large cooking containers go from air fryer to table to fridge
• Six cooking functions
• Interior light

The Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer has a modular base that sits on the counter and two interchangeable glass cooking dishes, 2.5-quart and 6-quart. Ninja also makes a 4-quart medium size, but that will be sold separately. The cooking dishes have stay-cool handles so they can go right from the fryer to the table. Lids are also included so you can store your leftovers. The glass cooking containers, including the metal crisper plates and storage lids, can be washed in the dishwasher or by hand if you prefer.

The air fryer itself has a modular base, which can be moved up or down depending on which glass cooking container you'll be using. Place the base at the highest notch to use the small container or at the bottom notch for the large container. There is a middle notch for the medium cooking container (not included.)

Once you've adjusted your modular base to the correct height, put your food on the crisper plate within the glass cooking dish and slide the dish onto the base. This can be a bit fiddly, but once you get used to doing it, muscle memory kicks in.

The controls are quite intuitive. Power on the air fryer and turn the knob to select your cooking mode: Max Crisp, Air Fry, Bake/Proof, Roast, Recrisp, or Dehydrate. Tap the temp button and turn the dial to adjust the temperature. Tap the time button and turn the dial to adjust the time. Press the center button to start cooking. Illuminate your food at any time by pressing the button with the light bulb icon.

I wouldn't say the Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Countertop Glass Air Fryer is the prettiest appliance I've ever seen; air fryers rarely are. It does take up a bit of counter space. You could store it away when not in use, but it's pretty heavy. The bottom is weighted to counterbalance the cooking mechanism at the top, making it difficult to take in and out for frequent use. You could keep one container in the air fryer on the counter and store the other away to minimize how much counter space it takes up, but either way, it's a space commitment.

Still, the Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Countertop Glass Air Fryer is well-designed for maximum flexibility with its extra-large cooking container, particularly for people with larger families or who entertain frequently. The smaller container is perfect for snacks and smaller portions. Its six cooking functions cover all the bases.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja Crispi Pro: performance

I made a dozen different foods, utilizing all of the different cooking modes, and everything I made came out delicious! As with any air fryer, you'll want to flip or rotate your food partway through cooking. And I noticed that using a small amount of oil or cooking spray made for better results; without it the food was a little bit dry.

I used Air Fry mode to make: potato wedges from scratch, frozen egg bites, frozen veggie burger, tofu from scratch, frozen french fries, fresh vegetables, and frozen "air fryer" Mexican corn. Everything came out well, crispy on the outside and tender inside. I'd actually never made tofu from scratch before and I was surprised how easy and delicious it was!

Roast mode worked beautifully for the Brussels sprouts and mixed peppers I made. Perfectly browned, tender, and delicious. As a vegetarian, I didn't make one, but the 6-quart container allows you to roast a whole chicken of up to 7.5 pounds.

I made a simple two-ingredient "bagel" (greek yogurt plus self-rising flour, and, ok, Everything Bagel seasoning makes three ingredients) in Bake mode, and it came out perfectly. Such a simple and delightful treat made quickly in the Ninja Crispi Pro.

Max Crisp mode gives you the highest temperature range, which is great for vegetables if you like them blackened as I do. The zucchini and tomatoes I made came out great. The sweet potatoes look frightening but they were deliciously sweet and tender inside!

I used Dehydrate mode to make dried fruit for the first time. It took a full seven hours on a low temperature, but it worked. The apple chips had a leathery rather than crispy texture, but they tasted good.

Cleanup is pretty easy. The air fryer mechanism doesn't really need to be cleaned other than wiping it down with a cloth occasionally, and it cannot contact water. The glass cooking dishes, metal crisping plates, and plastic lids can be easily washed by hand or in the dishwasher. Sometimes the spatter gets really baked on, requiring some serious elbow grease to remove. I'd imagine this is the case for all air fryers, it's just that you can't see all the spatters in a dark metal cooking drawer. I actually feel better knowing my cooking container is getting completely clean, so it's worth the extra scrubbing to keep it pristine.

• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Ninja Crispi Pro?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja Crispi Pro: also consider

If you're not sure about the Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer, here are some other options to consider ...

How I tested the Ninja Crispi Pro

• I tested the various cooking modes multiple times
• I used it for weeks to prepare a variety of food items
• I cleaned it after every use

I love to eat and I do try to eat healthy even though I don't particularly enjoy cooking. I prepare the majority of my meals at home rather than getting takeout. So, I'm always looking for quicker ways to make healthy and delicious food. I tested the Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Countertop Air Fryer by making the following foods: lots of different fresh veggies using different cook modes, frozen egg bites, frozen french fries, fresh french fries from scratch, bagel from scratch, marinated tofu, frozen Mexican corn, frozen veggie burger patty, baked sweet potatoes, and dehydrated apple chips.

Read more about how we test.

Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker: one-minute review

With the Ninja name comes an expectation of quality. From air fryers and coffee machines to blenders and ice cream makers, Ninja kitchen appliances are among the most popular on the market – with several of their products topping our buying guides lists. The Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker MC1101UK offers the level of quality you’d expect while combining the power of multiple appliances into one compact package. This multicooker offers the capabilities of a rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer, and hob in one appliance, helping reduce your need for kitchen storage space and the amount of washing up after a meal.

The PossibleCooker offers eight main functions: sear/sauté, slow cook, white rice, brown rice, pasta (without drainage), porridge, steam, and keep warm. During our testing, we found results were consistently excellent. The 6L cooking pot offers plenty of space, while the appliance itself isn’t as bulky as you might imagine. And, thanks to a thorough user manual and clear markings inside the pot, it’s easy to ensure your liquid-to-oat/rice ratio is accurate with every cook.

While this multicooker will likely become a firm favourite in your household, it’s not flawless. Some cooking functions, like rice cooking, take longer than they maybe would on the hob, though the results are worth the wait. And while using the appliance is straightforward, its small digital display is quite basic, indicating a preheating function only via symbols and offering no timer for rice cooking functions.

We also found that the non-stick coating on the inside of the pot began chipping away within a week of testing, despite carefully following the cleaning instructions. Ninja says the cooking pot and lid are dishwasher-safe, but we’d recommend handwashing where possible, especially as it’s easy to do even with stubborn residue.

Overall, for £119.99 ($129.99 / AU$249.99 for non-UK models), the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker is an excellent value multicooker for households big and small who want more efficiency in the kitchen.

Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker: price and availability

• MC1101UK model costs £119.99 at Ninja UK
• MC1101 model available for $129.99 in US, and AU$249.99 in Australia
• Available at third-party retailers like Amazon, John Lewis, and Staples
• Regular discounts at Ninja and third-party retailers

The Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker MC1101UK (which is the model I tested here) retails for £119.99 at Ninja UK, while non-MC1101UK models are available in the US and Australia for $129.99 and AU$249.99, respectively.

This means it’s more affordable than some of the top picks in our best instant cookers list, including the Instant Pot Pro ($129.99/ £149.99) and the Instant Pot Duo Crisp ($229.99/ £229.99), but just slightly more than the likes of the Instant Pot Duo Plus ($119.99/ £99.99).

Considering the quality of the results, the pot’s 6L capacity, and the functions on offer, we believe it‘s excellent value for money. Especially when you consider what buying a dedicated rice cooker, steamer, and slow cooker would cost combined.

What’s more, we regularly see discounts on this appliance at Ninja and third-party retailers, so keep an eye out for these to pick it up for even less.

• Value score: 5/5

Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker: specifications

Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker: design

• 6L capacity cooking pot
• Fairly compact and quiet
• Minimal effort needed to clean
• Non-stick coating on pot can easily come off
• Digital display can be confusing

Out of the box, the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker MC1101UK comes with a silver main unit (with a black control panel), a 6L midnight blue cooking pot, a glass lid, a rice cup, a rice spoon, and a steam rack, plus a thorough user manual and recipe booklet.

Immediately, we were surprised by how compact the appliance is, given its capacity. When assembled, the PossibleCooker takes up less than one kitchen counter space, making it a great choice for those with fewer storage options or a smaller kitchen work surface.

On the main unit is a fairly straightforward control panel, listing the eight cooking functions on the left, beside a small digital display. On the right-hand side are arrow buttons for function, time, and temperature, alongside a start/stop button.

The cooking pot has a black non-stick coating inside, with clear lines indicating where to fill up to with water for white rice, brown rice, and oats, corresponding to the number of cups you’ve added. The included recipe booklet provides more thorough instructions on this in its grain and pasta chart, which covers a variety of rice types (and certain pasta), alongside handy cooking tips. So, if, like me, you struggle to get your ratios right, keep it near. This recipe manual also offers guidelines for commonly slow-cooked meats and steamed vegetables, plus some recipes to get you started. We did, however, find the recipes weren’t as flavoursome as they sound, and some of the instructions aren’t particularly clear.

Using the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker is straightforward, but we highly advise reading the user manual first to understand how each cooking function works. Though the advice given in the manual can sometimes contradict the recipe book: for example, in the manual it advises to keep the lid on during cooking, while the recipe book recommends removing it after boiling.

To use the appliance, turn it on, use the function buttons to navigate to the relevant function, and then (where applicable) adjust the temperature and timing settings before pressing start. Some functions kick in straight away, while others have a preheat period. This preheat period is indicated by progress symbols (lines) in the display window, but the user manual doesn’t make the preheating process particularly clear, or how long it will last. For searing/sauteéing, these progress symbols are followed by the instruction to add food, but for other functions, this isn’t the case. After several uses, we got to grips with this feature, but it can be confusing initially.

When running, the PossibleCooker is quiet, but lets out a loud beep when cooking is complete. The appliance has markers indicating which parts will get hot during the process (and not to touch with bare hands), and the user manual makes it clear, too. So, if you’ve got little ones, we advise moving it away from the edge of your counter and ideally positioning it near or under an extractor fan (it gets steamy).

After letting the appliance cool down, the main unit can be wiped down with a cloth, and you can hand-wash the cooking pot with ease – though avoid using anything abrasive on its non-stick coat. However, despite carefully following the instructions, the coat began to chip off around the rim of the pot, possibly due to wear from the lid, within a week. So, while Ninja claims the pot is dishwasher safe, we advise (as we do with any non-stick coated appliance) to only hand-wash for longevity.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker: performance

• Eight cooking functions, including rice and slow cooking
• High quality results across all modes…
• But expect a wait for some products
• Medium slow cook temperature would be beneficial

We started our testing of the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker MC1101UK by using its white rice function. Cooking perfect rice every time is no mean feat, and this reviewer regularly gets the ratios wrong. Fortunately, the rice chart made it easy. We added two cups of long-grain white rice to the cooking pot and filled it with water to the corresponding mark.

It’s initially a bit unclear whether the appliance is on. Following the progress symbols, the display doesn’t show anything, so you’re left in the dark about how long the rice will actually take to cook. On average, it can take around 30 to 40 minutes to cook this amount of rice. We, however, waited slightly longer.. The result was perfectly fluffy rice, but it took around 40 to 50 minutes. We will caveat, however, that you can expect this wait with some other rice cookers.

We had the same results with brown rice, which has its own function. This time, we tried the Cajun Dirty Rice recipe from the booklet, which first requires you to cook 360g of brown rice (two cups) using the corresponding function. The booklet suggests this will take approximately 50 to 60 minutes, but we found it took 75 minutes altogether. Brown rice typically takes longer to cook than white, and you may wait longer than the booklet suggests, but the result was perfectly cooked grains once again. Well worth the wait, as long as you expect it. If speed is your priority, though, this may not be the appliance for you.

The Cajun Dirty Rice recipe allowed us to test efficiency and the multi-functionality of the PossibleCooker. After removing the rice, we easily cleaned out the inside of the pot with a cloth, ensuring it was dry before the next use. When you use more than one function of this multicooker for a recipe, expect extra waiting times for the pot to cool enough to be cleaned. Fortunately, the pot was quickly washed up, and I selected the sauté function (which requires a preheat) for the next section: browning off pork and beef mince.

The cooking pot essentially acts as a pot or pan on a hob when this function is selected, though the controls only let you select High, Medium, or Low temperature (giving you less control over the heat). It works a treat, though, and the digital display shows how long the pot has been heated for, so you can easily keep track of your timings. After cooking my minced meat, followed by my veg, I added stock and brought the pot to the boil before folding in the brown rice. The recipe itself was a bit flavourless, but the result was perfectly cooked rice, meat, and veg.

This multifunctionality is also useful when slow-cooking. Rather than the abundance of pots and pans I usually use for my go-to beef stew recipe, we were able to soften the veg in the pot using the sautée function before adding liquid and beef. After four hours at High temperature, we were thoroughly pleased with the results: the beef was tender, the vegetables soft but not mushy, and the sauce reduced and flavoursome without being watery or congealed.

We had similar results with a Beef Tinga recipe, a Ninja recipe accessed via the QR code on the appliance’s box. This one didn’t require using the sautée function, but allowed us to test the slow cooking function’s capabilities on the Low temperature setting. After adding all the ingredients to the pot and setting the time to eight hours, the meat was melt-in-your-mouth, but the recipe was (again) a bit bland. Our main takeaway here is that the functionality of the appliance is great, but maybe use it for your own recipes.

The steaming and pasta functions are perhaps the only ones that we had a couple of issues with. Following Ninja’s guidelines, we chose to steam 200g of Tenderstem broccoli. The guidelines tell you the amount of water to add to the pot. You then place the provided steaming rack inside the pot and place the broccoli in a single layer across it before placing the lid on top. The digital display, again, showed the progress bar indicating preheating, but it’s not entirely clear what the appliance is doing at that time. Building up its steam?

Either way, this heating time isn’t taken into account when you set your timer. So, for example, we set our timer for eight minutes as recommended, but the preheating/presteaming process wasn’t accounted for in those eight minutes, so you may need to account for that when cooking. We also found water bubbled around the lid of the pot during steaming, with a little water coming out the top. Overall, the broccoli was steamed well: with a slight crunch but not too floppy. It may have been easier to steam it the old-fashioned way, however.

Pasta, too, offered mixed results. The guidelines in the recipe book recommend the amount of water to add for the weight of pasta you’re using (the lines in the pot don’t apply to this). The booklet advises adding the pasta first, followed by the water, and then select the function. The pasta function seems to work more like the rice function, not giving you control over (or insight into) temperature or time, but telling you when it’s done.

The draw of the pasta function is that it allows you to cook pasta without needing to drain the water, but the time it takes almost makes it not worth it. After preheating for about six to nine minutes, it’s meant to take around 18 to 20 minutes to cook (again, it’s unclear if preheating is taken into account), but the appliance didn’t beep for over 22 minutes, at which point we stopped the cooking because the pasta was starting to make a skin on the bottom of the pot. While the timings were questionable, and the skin gross, the actual resulting pasta was perfectly al dente. And, in fairness, we didn’t have to drain any water.

Overall, the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker's results are excellent, but you may need to wait a little longer than you expect from some cooking functions – and spend some time getting used to its quirks.

• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja is the biggest name in air fryers, and for good reason – its compact cookers deliver consistently great results, and there's a huge variety to choose from. Whether you're cooking fries for one or preparing a family-sized Christmas dinner, there's a Ninja air fryer for you. The only problem is deciding which one to buy – and that's where I come in.

I'm TechRadar's kitchens expert, testing dozens of small appliances every year, and after hours of cooking and kilos of fries, I've put together this definitive list of the three Ninja air fryers I'd recommend to my own friends and family. There's something here for every household, and here at TechRadar we've put each one through a thorough battery of tests to make sure they can air fry, roast, bake, and reheat just as well as Ninja claims.

However many people you're cooking for, and whatever size kitchen you're working with, read on to find out which Ninja air fryer is best for you.

Best for families

Ninja Double Stack

If you're looking around your kitchen and wondering whether you even have room for an air fryer, the Ninja Double Stack is the one for you. It has two drawers, giving you enough space to cook a full family-sized meal – but rather than sitting side-by-side, they're one on top of the other with a control panel on the side, meaning this air fryer has a considerably smaller footprint than a conventional two-drawer option. It's a design that's often copied, but (in my opinion) never bettered.

The Double Stack offers six cooking modes (air fry, max crisp, roast, bake, dehydrate and reheat) and all are winners, During our cooking tests, fries and chicken wings turned out perfectly without any additional oil, and we found there was no perceptible transfer of heat between the two drawers, even when they were set to very different temperatures.

We tested the Sync and Match cooking modes by preparing an assortment of tapas dishes that would usually require careful management to accommodate their different cooking times and temperatures, and the Double Stack handled them with ease, ensuring they were all ready at the same time and cooked to perfection.

The disadvantage of the two-tier design is that there's no removable divider between the two drawers like there is in some traditional-style air fryers, so you can't cook one large item like a chicken. Instead, you're restricted to two smaller portions, but when you're cooking a full meal with protein and sides, that's exactly what you need.

Read our full Ninja Double Stack review

Best compact

Ninja Crispi

The Crispi is an unusual air fryer, designed to be carried around rather than tethered to your kitchen counter. It consists of a set of resealable glass containers that hold your food until it's ready to cook, and a 'PowerPod' lid that contains the heating element and fan that will heat it up. It's particularly well-suited to reheating and crisping up leftovers at lunchtime, but as we discovered in our tests, it's also great for cooking small meals from scratch.

It has four cooking modes – air fry, reheat, bake, and max crisp – and although we wouldn't really recommend it for baking (the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer below is much better for cakes and bread), the other settings didn't let us down.

There is a bit of a learning curve to cooking fresh vegetables with the Crispi – they need just the barest spritz of oil and cook surprisingly fast – but once you've got the knack you'll be able to enjoy delicious veg anywhere with an electrical outlet. Diced sweet potatoes turned out particularly well, and we were able to use the max crisp setting to crisp up the leftovers later in the day.

Convenience foods like nuggets, protein waffles and veggie tots all turned out brilliantly without any extra oil at all, as did frozen fries. Panko-crusted tofu was another winner too, with the Crispi proving surprisingly versatile.

If you're a frequent traveller, have a particularly small kitchen, or just enjoy a hot lunch at work, the Crispi is the Ninja air fryer for you.

Read our full Ninja Crispi review

Best multi-function

Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer

This super-versatile Ninja air fryer doesn't just fry – it can also grill, bake, dehydrate, and roast, and does them all extremely well. During our tests we found it particularly good at cooking meat thanks to its temperature probe, which helps ensure your food is properly heated all the way through without drying out. We've never had such good steak from an air fryer.

It has a generous 5.7-liter cooking capacity, but is surprisingly compact and didn't dominate our test kitchen like some other fryers we've tested. You get two ceramic-coated plates that slide into the cooking pot, a grill plate, and a crisper plate, which should serve all your dinner-making needs.

It's operated using a bright digital display paired with large control buttons that are easy to use even when you're in a rush to get a meal on the table. The screen will also show your food's internal temperature when you're using the probe, as well as a countdown of resting time once it's finished cooking. It's all very useful and well thought-out.

Not only does it cook meat, fries and vegetables to perfection, this is one of the few air fryers we've tested that does an excellent job baking bread and cakes. Our garlic and parsley flatbreads cooked to perfection in just a few minutes, and it could easily replace a conventional oven if you're only an occasional baker.

It's relatively pricey for an air fryer, with a list price of £199.99 (roughly $250 / AU$420), but now that it's been around for a few months you can often find it for a discount. This particular Ninja air fryer is only available in the UK, but if you're in the US or Australia the Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 Indoor Grill is almost identical.

Read our full Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer review

Aussies love their coffee, but our world-class coffee culture means we can be a bit snobbish about the quality of our brew. And, while I love to indulge in a barista-made takeaway coffee occasionally, I can only afford an almost-AU$10 long black every so often.

Unfortunately, making barista-level java from home does require a good espresso machine, and even at their cheapest, you’re looking at laying out a minimum of AU$500. The sky’s the limit at the top end too – as a case in point, we’ve been relying on Breville's AU$4,599 The Oracle Dual Boiler to keep the Aussie TechRadar team highly caffeinated while we hunt down Black Friday deals.

And it's lucky we're on the ball, because this year the Black Friday coffee machine deals have arrived aplenty – meaning you can currently pick up a quality unit to make quick, delicious coffee from home without spending thousands. Whether you prefer a simple black coffee or want to perfect your caramel-covered latte art, these machines all offer immense value. And, considering many of them sit in our guide to the best coffee machines money can buy, our coffee experts concur.

We've ordered the deals below from least to most expensive.

I'm well aware that, even with the deals above, these machines still aren’t the cheapest; however, if you're a real coffee lover, it’s worth investing in a quality device to ensure you get consistent, high-quality results. And, if you think about it in terms of savings versus buying from your local cafe, one AU$4 coffee every workday adds up to over AU$1,000 a year – so these machines can pay for themselves quite quickly.

That said, if you're looking for something that offers tasty, versatile coffee for a bit less, I've found the deal below for you.

While I might be spending a good chunk of my time hunting down the best Black Friday TV deals over the next week, I’m also devoting time to my next love: coffee machines.

And, as I expected, Amazon has slashed the price of the Ninja Luxe Café Premier espresso machine to just AU$629 for the stainless steel model. If you’ve been holding out on getting the viral-hit coffee maker, now’s a perfect opportunity.

If you’d rather nab another colour, Amazon also has stock of the Cyberspace option, which itself is down to AU$649. It hit that same price just a couple of months ago, so it isn’t as exciting news. Still, it’s an attractive model that will add some elegance to your kitchen.

Alternatively, you can go directly to the maker and grab either the Gunmetal or Black colours for AU$699.99. I’ve also noticed a AU$30 discount available when you sign up to Ninja’s newsletter (a pop-up should appear on your screen), bringing both machines to a more palatable AU$669.99.

If this viral Ninja machine has gone under your radar, then in essence, it’s a three-in-one bean-to-cup machine, capable of pulling a shot of espresso, pouring a cold brew and producing drip coffee. It also has an automatic steam wand for all the milk-based drinkers out there. Ninja states that this machine is "the ultimate guided experience", with 'Barista Assist Technology' that coaches you through the entire process.

Essentially, no matter your coffee order, this machine is for you. Plus, it allows you to experiment with new drink recipes without the need for a full barista course. It also comes with single-shot, double-shot and quad-shot filter baskets, which makes it pretty handy at whipping up a few coffees at once – or one that will really wake you up.

While it's sensibly priced in the world of premium coffee machines, AU$999 is still a hefty purchase. That said, our reviewer identified only a few reasons not to buy it: if you need to brew large batches of coffee, want a dedicated hot water line or are looking for a compact machine. If this doesn’t sound like you, or you’re simply swayed by the AU$370 saving, then you’ll likely want to be quick to snap one up, as they tend to sell out fast.

In what feels like a pinch me moment, the stunning and talented Ninja Luxe Café Premier espresso machine has landed back in stock at Amazon with a hefty 35% discount in tow. If you’ve been eyeing up the cult-fave coffee machine, now’s your chance to snap one up, but you’ll want to be quick as I don’t expect it to stay in stock for long

Available in the stunning Cyberspace colourway (think navy blue), the Café Luxe came down in price during the most recent Prime Day sales earlier this month. We thought we’d have to wait until Black Friday to see another discount, yet here we are. What’s more, the discount this time round is even bigger – taking a whopping AU$350 off the already high-value machine.

The Ninja Luxe Café Premier is a three-in-one bean-to-cup coffee machine, which means it can pull a shot of espresso, whip up a cold brew and produce drip coffee all with the press of a button or two. Ninja states that this machine is "the ultimate guided experience", with 'Barista Assist Technology' that coaches you through the entire process.

Essentially, no matter your coffee preference – hot, cold, black or a creamy cappuccino – this machine is for you. Plus, it allows you to broaden your horizons (or cater to others in your home) without taking up a barista course. It also comes with single-shot, double-shot and quad-shot filter baskets, which makes it pretty handy at whipping up a few coffees at once – or one that will really wake you up.

While it's sensibly priced in the world of premium coffee machines, AU$999 is still a hefty purchase. That said, our reviewer identified only a few reasons not to buy it: if you need to brew large batches of coffee, want a dedicated hot water line or are looking for a compact machine.

You might also like

• View more of the best coffee machines in Australa
• The best 3 espresso machines for beginners, recommended by a qualified barista
• Ninja's best coffee machine just got a makeover – and it looks better than ever

• Ninja has released an extra-large version of the glass Ninja Crispi air fryer
• The Ninja Crispi Pro has six cooking modes and a maximum capacity of 6qt
• It's available to buy now in the US for $279.99 (about £210 / AU$430)

The Ninja Crispi is one of the best air fryers we've tested this year at TechRadar, and now an XL version is available for cooking even larger meals. The Ninja Crispi Pro has the same basic design as the original portable Crispi, but a much larger capacity

The original Crispi is Ninja's smallest air fryer, and is compact enough to cook your lunch at the office, at an Airbnb, or anywhere you have access to an electrical outlet. The Crispi Pro takes that design and scales it up. So you can keep it on your kitchen counter and use it to cook Thanksgiving dinner for the whole family (not just crisp up the tasty leftovers).

Like the classic Crispi, the Crispi Pro consists of a set of glass containers with resealable lids, which you can use to store or marinate your food before cooking, and to serve it once it's ready. Whereas the original Crispi has a lid containing the fan and heating element (known as the PowerPod), the Crispi Pro also has a base that sits on your work surface. When it's time to fry, simply slide the glass dish into place and use the digital controls on the front to pick a program.

Frying without strings

The Ninja Crispi Pro has six cooking modes (two more than the original Crispi): air fry, bake, roast, dehydrate, max crisp, and re-crisp. It comes with two cooking containers – 2.5qt and 6qt – and an additional 4qt dish is available to buy separately if you need something in between.

It's available to buy now direct from Ninja for $279.99 (about £210 / AU$430), and comes in four colors: cyberspace (dark blue), ash gray, bone, and rose quartz. It's currently only available in the US, but I wouldn't be surprised if it launches in the UK before Christmas, so you might want to start thinking about your turkey and sprouts.

You might also like

• Since the Ninja Prestige DualBrew coffee maker came into my life, I'm finally becoming a morning person
• The Ninja FrostVault Go is a cooler you wear on your back, and I was blown away by its chilling powers
• Ninja's best coffee maker just got a makeover, and it looks so good it's selling out already

With its drip coffee pitcher on one side, Nespresso machine on the other, and a milk-foaming arm that can spring from the side, the Ninja Prestige DualBrew System is a pretty odd-looking machine, but after a week of testing it's become my new best friend in the morning.

I love the meditative process of making espresso – grinding the beans, tamping them down, pulling the shot of espresso, foaming the milk, then trying to achieve the perfect pour – but not first thing in the morning. I'm neither a night owl nor a lark, and prying myself out of bed is always a challenge (even with the Philips Hue Play Wall Washer offering a simulated sunrise to make the experience less jarring).

That's where Ninja's new machine comes in. Whether I want my first coffee of the day in drip or espresso format, this is the quickest and easiest way to get it brewed and into my sluggish system.

Drip coffee is always an easy option first thing, particularly when your machine has a timer so you can prep everything the night before. The DualBrew System offers exactly that, and it's refreshingly easy to use. When you power the machine on for the first time, you'll be prompted to set the current time by turning the dial on the front. Prime the machine by running it without coffee, as described in the quick-start manual, and you're ready to brew.

The machine is packed with thoughtful touches that make getting started a breeze. For example, for drip coffee, you'll find a two-ended measuring scoop clipped into the left-hand side of the machine, which is labelled with rough estimates for how much coffee you should use for different brew sizes and strengths. If you use whole beans you'll probably find it easiest to weigh them before grinding instead, but for anyone using pre-ground coffee it's a very nice touch.

Rather than an insulated carafe, this machine has a glass jug with a hotplate underneath to keep your brew warm. An insulated pitcher is better for the flavor of your coffee (keeping it on a hotplate too long can affect the taste), but the glass has the obvious advantage of letting you see how much of your brew is left. It also has a certain old-school appeal, being the type of pitcher you'd get in a diner.

(Ninja sells a version with an insulated jug for a few extra dollars in the US, but this doesn't currently seem to be available here in the UK.)

If (unlike me) you only want a modest amount of drip coffee first thing, you can set the machine to brew a single cup, and raise the drip tray accordingly. It's a nice touch, and means you don't have to wash both your pitcher and coffee mug if you're brewing for one.

Another feature I particularly like is the drip-stop function, which closes off the filter basket when the machine has finished brewing so you don't end up with errant drops of coffee landing on the hotplate when you take the carafe away.

What if you prefer your morning coffee short and strong? Well, the right-hand side of the machine houses a Nespresso machine that can brew in three sizes, with a drip tray that you can move up and down to accommodate different sized cups. To move it, just unhook it and replace it in a different set of holes.

The machine would have a more premium feel if you could slide the tray up and down instead, but that's a minor quibble. It gets the job done, and the tray has a ring of grippy silicone on top to prevent your cup sliding, which is a nice touch.

The machine takes Nespresso Original capsules – the ones shaped like a top hat – so I picked up a pack from a local coffee roaster to try it out. (Pro tip: Nestlé no longer owns the patent to this type of capsule, and an increasing number of speciality indie roasters are getting in on the action. Take a look – the choice is amazing and it tastes so much better than the pods you can get in a supermarket.)

Load your pod sideways into the top of the machine (it'll only fit one way), press down the lid, then use the buttons or dial to select your drink size and press 'Start brewing'. The Dual-Brew System will pre-heat the appropriate amount of water, emit a slightly strange whine as it pierces the capsule and forces water through, and your drink will be ready a few seconds later.

Lift the lid of the pod-container up, and the used capsule will drop into a bin to be emptied later, just like with any other Nespresso machine. Groundbreaking? No, but it's very convenient to have right there beside the drip brewer, and it does its job well without adding another appliance to your kitchen counter.

Finally we have the milk frother, which is nice to have, but not the same as a steam wand. It's basically just a little whisk that's activated by pressing a button on top; it doesn't heat your milk, so you'll need to microwave that first if you want to make a hot cappuccino or latte. Helpfully, Ninja has provided a 'recipe guide' on the side of the machine, which lists how long you'll need to microwave and then whisk your milk for various drinks.

The frother might not look super stylish, but it's handy and can be tucked away when not in use. Just be careful to use it while standing to the left of the machine. Ninja warns against reaching over a hot part of the machine to reach the frother, and it's good advice.

A real steam wand would work better, but would require a boiler and pump that this machine simply doesn't have. If you want to steam your milk and create proper microfoam, take a look at the Ninja Luxe Café instead, which will fit the bill better.

I'm currently in the process of writing my full review of the Ninja Prestige DualBrew System, but so far it's making a very good impression. Check back soon to see whether it can earn a place in my roundups of the best drip coffee makers and best Nespresso machines.

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Ninja, one of the biggest names in kitchen appliances, is set to make a splash in Australia's premium coffee scene with its first bean-to-cup machine. As of September 23, the Ninja Luxe Café Premier is officially available to purchase directly from Ninja – taking aim at established rivals like Breville with its feature-packed design and a price tag of AU$799.99.

Already boasting some of the best air fryers on the market, alongside other top-performing kitchen gadgets, it only makes sense for Ninja to try its hand at the best coffee machines. This move into the premium space is a significant step. While Ninja has previously released pod and drip coffee makers, such as the Ninja DualBrew Pro, in other markets, the Luxe Café Premier is its first true bean-to-cup machine – and the first worthy of launching Down Under.

We've been expecting (and hoping) that it would, because much like the Ninja Creami, the Luxe Café Premier was a global hit that garnered massive attention online and quickly sold out. It comes in four colours (Stainless Steel, Midnight Black, Cyberspace and Gunmetal) and all the tools you need for your brew. If you're interested, you'd better get in quick, as we expect Aussie audiences to be as impressed with it as their global counterparts.

Ninja states that this machine is "the ultimate guided experience", with 'Barista Assist Technology' that coaches you through the entire process. Essentially, no matter your coffee preference – hot, cold, black or a creamy cappuccino – this machine is for you.

Plus, it allows you to broaden your horizons (or cater to others in your home) without taking up a barista course

The espresso option lets you choose your preferred strength and temperature, with double and quadruple shot settings for those mornings when you need an extra kick to get you started. The drip coffee option can brew 6-18oz coffee hot or cold (and cold-pressed espresso shots).

It even has a hands-free froth system that combines steaming and whisking to get exactly the right texture for those who don't trust themselves with the steam wand.

While it's sensibly priced in the world of premium coffee machines, AU$999 is still a hefty purchase. That said, our reviewer identified only a few reasons not to buy it: if you need to brew large batches of coffee, want a dedicated hot water line or are looking for a compact machine.

For most coffee lovers, the Ninja Luxe Café Premier is a winner. However, it has some serious competition at this price point, like the Breville Barista Pro or De'Longhi La Specialista Touch.

So, while it's likely to sell out within the next few days, it might be worth waiting and checking to see if it cracks our guide to the best coffee machines to ensure the brew is worth the pour.

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You’re not exactly short of options when it comes to adding an air fryer to your kitchen. With a variety of brands catering to a range of budgets and family sizes with different models, deciding on the best one can be tricky. In the hope of making the decision a little easier, however, Amazon has discounted what we consider the best air fryer you can buy right now by a healthy 22%.

The model in question is the Ninja Double Stack XXXL and with this discount applied, it brings its price down to just AU$389. Considering what it can do, both in terms of form and function, we think that’s a certified bargain.

The Double Stack’s main party piece is the fact it stacks its two cooking drawers on top of each other, rather than side-by-side as is the case with many other models, even those from Ninja itself. This means it takes up half the footprint on your kitchen counter, making it a great option for smaller kitchens in particular.

With a total of 9.5 litres of cooking space, however, this XXXL model is also perfect for larger families. You’re just limited to two cooking baskets either, as each one can have an extra shelf inserted for maximum cooking space.

In our Ninja Double Stack review, we found it delivered “great results…from delicious fluffy fries to perfectly crispy chicken and succulent salmon”. We also loved the couple of synchronised cooking modes, which can either have both baskets finish cooking at the same time, or quickly match the temperature in each.

As far as looks go, the Double Stack is a smart-looking machine, especially in the white colour of this model on sale – we’d argue it will have a greater chance of matching the decor of more kitchens.

Finally, you may notice we’ve said the original price of this machine is AU$499.99 and not AU$460.78 on the Amazon listing. Going by Ninja’s website, AU$499.99 is the correct list price, which only maximises the savings on offer.

We don’t know how long this deal will last, so you’ll want to be quick if you want to get it for this fantastic price.

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If your backyard barbecue game is feeling a little tired, I’ve found the perfect upgrade to help spice things up: the Ninja Woodfire is down to AU$499 (was AU$650) at Amazon.

While it’s not the absolute rock-bottom lowest price I’ve ever seen, it’s pretty close – and well below the typical AU$650 tag. Sure, it sometimes drops to AU$550, but this is only the second time I've seen an extra discount that takes it to a tasty sub-AU$500 price point – and that makes it well worth snapping up.

In fact, if you're looking for a thoughtful Father's Day gift idea and are willing to splurge on your dad (he is, of course, worth it!), this could well be it.

Prefer shopping in person? Good news – The Good Guys has it too, and you can even shave off an extra AU$6 if you hit the price beat button.

So why the Ninja hype? Normally, outdoor cooking forces you into a tough choice: the ease of gas or electric grilling, or the delightfully smoky flavour of charcoal and wood. The Ninja Woodfire says, “why not both?” and serves up the best of each.

As far as electric grills go, it’s pretty clever, and features a small chamber where you add a few wood pellets and it infuses your food with a pretty authentic smokehouse flavour while you cook.

But rest assured that it’s no one-trick pony and it can also air fry, bake, roast and, of course, smoke. In short, you’re not just buying a grill, you’re picking up an all-round cooker that’ll compete with the best meals from a BBQ this summer.

From viral sensations like the Ninja Slushi to some of the very best air fryers on the market, Ninja is king in almost every category. And, if you're searching for Father's Day gift ideas, our Ninja Woodfire review is a must-read. In fact, our tester was so impressed she awarded it a full five stars, saying, "It’s so easy to use and creates tasty, smoky flavours without a flame and with minimal mess."

All in all, I think the Ninja Woodfire is a compact and versatile option, and perfect if you don’t have a big backyard or will be cooking on a balcony. Though it’s also equally at home as part of a larger cooking setup and, thanks to its weather-resistant build, it can happily live outdoors all year round.

Ninja has a couple of other great deals going right now, or browse all the compatible grill accessories on Amazon.

• Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven: was AU$699 now AU$499 at Amazon
• Ninja Detect Power Blender Duo: was AU$249 now AU$179 at The Good Guys

Are you looking for something else? Check out our guide for great Father’s Day gift ideas.

Ninja is the biggest name in air fryers, and for good reason – it makes many of the best air fryers around – but there are so many models to choose from, you might be struggling to know where to begin.

That's where I come in. I'm TechRadar's kitchen appliance expert, and I've had my hands on a lot of air fryers over the last few years. Each time I put them through the same battery of tests, I prepare fries, chicken, vegetables, and muffins to see how well each one performs against its rivals and which ones produce the most consistent cooking results.

After extensive trials, and bucketloads of fries, these are my three top recommended Ninja air fryers that you can buy right now. There's something for every size kitchen and all appetites, so there should be one that suits you. Happy cooking!

Ninja Crispi

The little Crispi is one of Ninja's most unusual air fryers – and one of the best. Most air fryers are designed to be confined to your kitchen, and Crispi is made for use on the move, and really comes into its own if you're at work or college.

Whereas most Ninja air fryers have drawers, the Crispi opts for reusable glass containers that you use to store your food until you're ready to start cooking (just like regular Tupperware). Stash them in the fridge until lunch time rolls around, then clip the PowerPod lid on top and let the hot air flow. No more soggy leftovers or having to face the horror of a communal microwave.

In our tests, the air fryer, max crisp, and reheat modes all worked very well. Our vegetables cooked particularly well, turning out perfect with just a tiny spritz of oil. It's surprisingly quick, too. Veggie nuggets, falafel balls, and protein waffles "turned out wonderful and crisp on the outside, tender on the inside", and didn't require any extra oil at all.

It's not the best-looking appliance I've ever seen, but that doesn't really matter since it's not going to be hanging around on your kitchen counter for any length of time. It's portable and practical, and that's what matters. You'll be the envy of the office.

Read our full Ninja Crispi review

Ninja Double Stack XL

The Double Stack XL took the prize for best air fryer in last year's TechRadar Choice Awards, and it remains one of Ninja's top models thanks to its two-tier design that lets you cook as much food as a standard twin-drawer fryer, but with a much smaller footprint. Need even more cooking space? Each of its drawers comes with an extra rack, so you can cook two items in each one.

It's not just a thoughtfully-designed fryer, either – in our tests, it delivered consistently great results, helping us prepare crisp fries, tender chicken, and tender salmon with barely any effort, and in a fraction of the time they'd take in the oven.

It doesn't have as many cooking modes as some air fryers we've tested over the years, but it has all the essentials covered (air fry, max crisp, roast, bake, dehydrate, and reheat) and you can customize each one by holding the time and temperature buttons together for a moment, then making your changes.

You can use a different cooking profile for each drawer, and we noticed barely any transfer of heat between the two when they were set to vastly different temperatures. Its baskets are dishwasher-safe too, which is always welcome (we've spent far too much time scrubbing air fryer components after cooking chicken wings).

You won't be able to fit a pizza inside (for that, you'll need a fryer with one large drawer and a removable divider), but for all your other everyday air-frying needs, the Ninja Double Stack XL is hard to beat.

Read our full Ninja Double Stack XL review

Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer

The 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer is one of Ninja's priciest models, but it's also one of the best, and even if you're not usually confident in the kitchen, it'll soon have you air frying, grilling, roasting, and even baking like a pro.

During testing, we made good use of its temperature probe, which lets you quickly check the internal temperature of meat and fish, so you can be certain that your dish is properly cooked without being overdone.

It worked particularly well with frozen foods, and we were able to prepare perfect sticky, smoky BBQ chicken fillets from frozen in just 25 minutes. Fries and veggies turned out nicely following the directions in the manual, and we were particularly impressed by how well the Ninja 5-in-1 can bake. We've had a lot of sad experiences trying to make muffins and cake in air fryers, but this is a rare exception to the rule.

We wish that its cooking pot had a handle, which would make it easier to shake our fries for even cooking. However, the biggest downside of the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer is that, at the time of writing, it's only available in the UK. If you live elsewhere, consider the Ninja Foodi Health Grill & Air Fryer as an alternative for indoor grilling.

Read our full Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer review

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The Ninja Creami is my favourite household appliance, but I was initially upset I bought it weeks before its Boxing Day low of AU$188. And, now this eBayPlus deal has surpassed that price, bringing Ninja's stellar ice cream maker to just AU$179 for eBay Plus members.

I love it too much to be too annoyed, though, as I've more than got my money's worth in the last six months with it. The Creami went viral for its ability to transform almost any liquid into creamy ice cream, a feature particularly appealing to those mindful of their diet. It solves the common dieting dilemma of missing favourite foods by allowing you to create low-sugar, high-protein alternatives that easily fit into your daily calorie intake.

And, while the ability to turn a protein shake into ice cream – even better with a few Oreos mixed in – is its flagship feature, it performs just as well when making your best Ben & Jerry's or Häagen-Dazs dupe. Whether you're looking to nail your fitness goals with a daily pint of ice cream or want to become the Willy Wonka of homemade ice Cream, this deal is for you.

I love this appliance, and I'd argue it's well worth its AU$299 RRP, let alone the price you're seeing now. It makes consistently eating healthily so much easier, and if you're already stocking protein powder in the house, all you have to do is make a shake as you usually would pour it into a tub and freeze it.

Of course, I like to add mix-ins until it can no longer be described as a healthier treat, but that's just me.

However, the biggest issue is that the 470ml tubs are often a little too much for one sitting, but half isn't quite enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.

And, if I'm going through a tub every time, it can get annoying to be constantly making ice cream – even if it does take two seconds to mix the ingredients together and throw them in the freezer.

That's where this deal on the Ninja Creami Deluxe comes in.

Whichever one you go for, these two appliances are fantastic additions to the kitchen of any frozen treat lover. And, at this price, you'll save money quickly if you're regularly buying ice cream or healthier (and pricier) fitness-focused alternatives from your supermarket.

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Air fryers offer unparalleled convenience when cooking up big batches of chips and veggies, as well as any other kind of food, filling the role of an oven on a much smaller scale. They’re staple gadgets in many homes across Australia, but that smaller frame can see them struggle to handle meals for entire families. But, what if an air fryer had the capability to cook large batches of food without dominating your kitchen countertop?

Just in time for EOFY sales, the remarkable Ninja Double Stack air fryer has received a 26% price drop, down to AU$358 when using a coupon. Unlike other dual basket air fryers, this Ninja offering saves space by stacking its drawers on top of each other – letting it still slot neatly into the corner of your kitchen.

Ninja is a leader in the air frying space, but we’ve rarely been impressed with its tech something more than this multitasking cooker. In our opinion, it's the best air fryer for most people and it's even easier to recommend at 26% off.

Remember to tick the coupon box on the Amazon listing to bring the price down to AU$358.

In our Ninja Double Stack Air Fryer review, we praised the two-decker kitchen gadget for its generous capacity and small footprint on a countertop. Its cooking performance was absolutely top tier, and its inclusion of extra trays made cooking even more convenient. We proudly handed it an editor’s choice seal of approval.

“Without a doubt, it’s one of the best air fryers I’ve ever used – and I’ve used a fair few at this point,” TechRadar’s managing editor of lifestyle Josephine Watson said at the time.

All of this said, we disliked its high base price – though you’ll worry less about this with such an attractive discount. It also can’t fit big foods whole (such as large cuts of meat), and its rated ‘eight portion’ capacity felt perhaps a bit generous.

But as a convenient tool for big cookups, assisting with the veggies or the chips while the oven cooks up the main meal, or for relying on entirely when frying up a feed, the Ninja Double Stack is pretty reliable.

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• The Ninja Luxe Café comes in two new colors: Trace Blue and Gunmetal Gray
• Trace Blue has proved particularly popular, and has already sold out
• They follow the launch of the updated Ninja Luxe Café Pro earlier this month

The Ninja Luxe Café is one of the best coffee makers we've tested in recent months, and it just got even better with two limited edition soft colorways to add a touch of class to your kitchen.

The Ninja Luxe Café is an unusual coffee maker, capable of making espresso, filter coffee, and cold-brew – and doing all three well (see our full Ninja Luxe Café review for more details). It was available in a sharp stainless steel finish when it launched last year, and now you can also pick it up in a subtle hue called Trace Blue, and a darker shade called Gunmetal Gray.

The two new colors are available in the US, but Trace Blue has proved particularly popular and is currently sold out in Ninja's online store, but Gunmetal Gray is still in stock, and you can register for email updates to be informed when Trace Blue is back.

These new shades follow a bigger trend for kitchen appliances in soft, muted colors rather than the usual black and silver. For example, Breville recently gave its best espresso machine, the Barista Touch Impress, a new look in shades of cream, navy, and olive green with brass accents.

Meanwhile, KitchenAid toned down its coffee makers with a creamy colorway called Porcelain White, and unveiled the Design Series Evergreen stand mixer with a matt green body and walnut wood bowl.

Tidy tamping

The designers at Ninja have been busy, and earlier this month the company unveiled a new version of the Luxe Café with a lever-operated tamping system that takes the effort and skill out of pressing ground coffee into the perfect puck.

The system also makes coffee-brewing tidier, because there's no need to move a portafilter full of loose grounds and risk spilling them on your kitchen counter.

The Ninja Luxe Café Pro is available now from Ninja for $749.99 / £699.99 (about AU$1,200).

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The Ninja Luxe Café made a splash when it launched last year, earning a place in our roundup of the best coffee makers. Not only does it make brewing consistently great espresso a piece of cake, it can also produce excellent filter coffee, and make cold-brew that tastes almost as smooth as coffee steeped overnight in the fridge.

It's impressive stuff, but now there's a new version of the Luxe Café that makes your life even easier. Once the machine has ground your fresh coffee beans, you no longer need to remove the portafilter handle from the machine and tamp them down yourself. Instead, you can leave the handle in place and simply pull down a lever to apply just the right amount of even pressure, creating a perfect puck with no risk of spillage.

It's a smart design feature, but it does make the Luxe Café Pro more expensive and a little bulkier than the standard machine. We're here to help you weigh up the pros and cons, and choose the best espresso machine for you.

Ninja Luxe Café vs Ninja Luxe Café Pro: specs

Ninja Luxe Café vs Ninja Luxe Café Pro: price

As you'd expect, the Ninja Luxe Café Pro is more expensive than the standard Ninja Luxe Café. The Ninja Luxe Café has a list price of $549.99 / £549.99 (about AU$850), and is currently available for a discount on Ninja's website.

The Ninja Luxe Café Pro is significantly more expensive, listed at $699.99 / £699.99 (about AU$1,100). It launched very recently, so we're not expecting to see any discounts for several months. You'll find today's best deals on both coffee makers below.

The Ninja Luxe Café went on sale in the US several months before the UK, and it looks like UK coffee-lovers will have to wait for the Ninja Luxe Café Pro as well. Although the higher-end machine is featured on Ninja's UK website, it's currently listed as 'out of stock', and it's not currently available at any other UK retailers either.

Although Ninja does operate in Australia, neither of the Luxe Café coffee machines is available to buy there at the time of writing.

Ninja Luxe Café vs Ninja Luxe Café Pro: design

The most obvious difference between these two coffee makers is the large handle on the side of the Ninja Luxe Café Pro, which is absent from the original machine.

The Pro edition is also slightly larger and heavier, but the difference is minimal. The Ninja Luxe Café Pro is about half an inch taller and deeper, and a quarter of an inch wider. It's also 8oz heavier, which isn't enough to make a practical difference. If you choose the Ninja Luxe Café Pro, just make sure there's enough space to the left of the machine for you to reach the tamping lever.

Ninja Luxe Café vs Ninja Luxe Café Pro: features

When it comes to features, the biggest difference between these two coffee makers is that the Ninja Luxe Café Pro has a lever-operated tamping system that compresses your ground coffee evenly without the risk of spilling freshly ground coffee (something our reviewer Danielle Abraham sometimes experienced when testing the original machine).

The Ninja Luxe Café Pro also offers more drink presets than the original version of the coffee maker. The original Ninja Luxe Café offers four espresso styles, four coffee styles, seven drink sizes, and four milk froth presets, whereas the Ninja Luxe Café Pro gives you 13 espresso styles, four coffee styles, seven drink sizes, and five froth presets.

The number of drink presets probably won't be enough to sway your decision one way or the other, but it's interesting to note that the upgraded tamper isn't the only difference.

Otherwise, both machines have a smart dosing system with a scale to help you grind the right amount of coffee into the filter basket, assistance with choosing the best grind size, and an automatic milk texturizing system (which can also be used manually).

You can also use both machines to brew filter coffee, and to make refreshing cold brew (which is much faster than infusing in the fridge overnight).

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• The Ninja Luxe Café Pro is an new version of Ninja's popular coffee maker
• It has a lever-operated tamper to apply even pressure and prevent mess
• It's considerably more expensive than the original Ninja Luxe Café

Ninja has launched a new version of its best coffee maker, the Ninja Luxe Café, with a lever-operated tamping system that takes the guesswork out of creating a perfectly compressed puck of espresso.

The Ninja Luxe Café is one of the best espresso machines we've tested, and our reviewer awarded it four and a half stars out of five thanks to its smart design, guided weight-based dosing system, handy suggested grind sizes, and very reasonable price.

The new Ninja Luxe Café Pro goes one step further, taking the guesswork and mess out of tamping your coffee as well. With the new machine, there's no need to move a portafilter full of loose grounds and risk spilling them all over your work surface.

Instead, you leave it in place under the grinder and pull down a manual lever to compress it into a perfect puck.

Pro features, pro price

This extra feature does increase the price quite considerably though; the Ninja Luxe Café Pro has a list price of $699.99 / £699.99 (about AU$1,100) compared to $549.99 / £549.99 (about AU$850) for the original model without the tamping lever.

That's a relatively high price, even for one of the best coffee makers, but the Ninja Luxe Café doesn't just brew espresso. It's a multi-functional machine that can also prepare tasty filter coffee, plus refreshing cold brew in a fraction of the time it would take to infuse the traditional way.

At the time of writing, the Ninja Luxe Café pro is available direct from Ninja in the US, but is out of stock in the UK.

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Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer: one-minute review

Ninja is a trusted (and arguably the biggest) name in the air fryer market for a reason. Several of the brand's products feature in our best air fryers roundup, thanks to their top-tier performance, but that high quality comes with a premium (sometimes eye-watering) price tag. The Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer EG351UK, too, comes with a premium price tag, but one that's somewhat more affordable than its siblings while offering the same top-grade quality we've come to expect from Ninja. If your air fryer budget maxes out at £200 (roughly $250 / AU$450), this just sneaks in there.

It's still not cheap, but for that price you get a top-notch air fryer and indoor grill that offers pretty consistent results across its five cooking functions. The Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer makes baking, grilling (even from frozen), air frying, dehydrating, and roasting easy, though you may need to use some trial and error with certain foods and functions to get optimal results.

The included user manual and inspiration booklet are helpful, with notes on nearly any question you may have, but the food guidelines can be a bit optimistic at times. This isn't necessarily a deal-breaker but means you should keep a close eye on your food as you get to grips with it, as I had some issues with uneven cooking over overdone foods on the outside with the air fryer function. Thanks to the probe attachment, however, you have several avenues to check when your meat or fish is cooked, giving you some peace of mind.

The issues I had mostly arose with air frying foods and were exacerbated by the 5.7-liter cooking pot's lack of a handle, which made shaking foods like fries and vegetables for even cooking tricky. However, the other cooking functions offered impressive results, delivering perfectly baked muffins, delicious flatbreads and succulent chicken.

Perhaps my biggest issue with the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer, however, is how much cleaning it requires for maintenance – and how tough it is to keep the appliance and its various attachments (particularly the splatter guard) clean, despite following the included instructions. That's something which could potentially cause further issues with performance over time.

Aside from this, the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer is a solid air fryer for those who regularly grill and air fry their foods, combining the two in one appliance. If you haven't the space for a BBQ, it offers the same delicious results, with considerably less smoke, and is easy to use for seasoned air fryer users and newbies.

Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer: price and availability

• Price: £199.99 (roughly $262 / AU$419)
• This model is available in the UK, but not US or Australia
• Available from Ninja and third-party retailers

The Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer has a premium price tag of £199.99 (roughly $262 / AU$419), meaning it's one of the more affordable options if you have your heart set on a Ninja. It costs slightly less than the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone Air Fryer and considerably less than the Ninja Double Oven and Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker, so if you're after Ninja quality under the £200 mark, it's a great choice.

While this air fryer is on the pricier side, considering it packs in five cooking functions, including the ability to grill, with solid results, it's worth the price tag for those who plan to utilize its various functions. There's also a two-year guarantee included for those who register with Ninja, giving you extra peace of mind.

You can buy this air fryer from Ninja or third-party retailers like Amazon and Argos, with the latter likely to offer discounts during sales periods like Black Friday. You'll find today's best prices below. Unfortunately, this model isn't currently available in the US or Australia.

• Value score: 4/5

Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer: specifications

Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer: design

• Modern black and steel-brushed design
• Thermometer probe for meat
• High-maintenance cleaning
• No handle for shaking

The Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer comes in a black and steel-brushed finish, with its top opening upward (like most grills) to reveal its 5.7L cooking pot inside. In the box, you get two ceramic-coated plates that slot easily into the cooking pot, a grill plate for grilling foods, and a crisper plate for most other cooking functions. On the front is a digital display, with its cooking functions clearly shown below and sizable buttons to adjust its settings.

Despite its capacity, this air fryer isn't as physically intrusive in my kitchen as others I've reviewed. It still takes up a decent chunk of counter room, making it potentially less suited for smaller kitchens but much easier to home than the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Steam Air Fryer, for example.

This air fryer is about the right size for a household of four, depending on what you plan to cook, with plenty of room for veggies and smaller items on the crisper plate and the grill plate easily fitting four chicken breasts or burgers. However, when it comes to larger items, like a whole chicken, for example, you may have some difficulty. While the Ninja website claims the appliance can fit a 1.4kg whole chicken in the cooking pot, the crisping plate is recommended for roasting, but this means the chicken needs to be smaller, about 1kg.

Fortunately, I was able to use the included thermometer probe to check my chicken was definitely cooked. The probe jack connects to the appliance, with the other end inserted into the thickest part of your meat, and allows you to set the meat type you're cooking (and desired doneness for relevant meats).

The appliance then displays your food's internal temperature and desired temperature and tells you when it reaches that temperature. This is usually a few degrees off the actual temperature the meat should be, as the air fryer tells you to rest the meat and counts down the resting time, too. The guidance on this is pretty thorough in the user manual – and on pretty much everything, in fact – and meant my meat always (internally, at least) was cooked to perfection.

That thorough user manual also comes with instructions on how to clean the air fryer and its attachments – a pretty high-maintenance affair. Ninja recommends hand washing the plates and splatter guard, understandably, after each use. The company even provides you with a cleaning brush with a scraper to help. While handwashing the cooking pot and crisping plate is pretty painless, I found cleaning the ceramic-coated grill plate and splatter guard a challenge (even with the included brush). Tough residue eventually came off the grill plate's many crevices with some elbow grease and soaking, but despite following the instructions and cleaning the splatter guard after every cook, during my week of testing, more and more grease built up on it.

I thoroughly cleaned it after each cook and even followed the deep cleaning instructions, boiling it in a pot, but that tough grease did not come off, and some had even made its way behind the splatter guard. The instructions mostly focus on cleaning the detachable parts rather than the appliance itself, so I tried wiping it off with a cloth to no avail. The problem is that while the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer is largely smokeless, the tough grease started to cause more smoke, and I could not get it off following the included instructions. Over time, this could become a larger issue. So, for optimal performance, you need to be very thorough in your cleaning of each nook and cranny.

This isn't the only design issue I had with this appliance. In addition to its high-level maintenance, the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer lacks a handle for its cooking pot, making shaking foods more difficult. Many competitors offer a heat-proof handle to grab, so you can easily shake veggies, chips, and other food items, but the Ninja 5-in-1 only has slightly protruding edges on its cooking pot for this, meaning you need to pick up the whole pot and shake it. This is tricky because you need to lift the 5.7L pot and try and shake its contents evenly, but also because those contents are hot. It's an addition that could have made air-frying certain foods much more convenient.

• Design score: 4/5

Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer: performance

• Air frying results are inconsistent
• Baking, dehydrating, roasting, and grilling are excellent
• Great recipes in inspiration booklet
• Quality-of-life features like automatic preheat function

The Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer has five cooking functions: grilling, air frying, baking, dehydrating, and roasting.

The grill feature is by far the highlight, with the included inspiration booklet offering recipes to help you utilize the feature, alongside tips and recipes for marinades, seasonings, and more. To kick off my testing, I tried one of the booklet's kickstarter recipes: barbecue chicken breasts.

The recipe required frozen chicken breasts, with the cooking time set to take about 25 minutes, which I was a bit skeptical about. However, after 25 minutes and several bastings, I had perfectly cooked BBQ chicken fillets that were sticky and smoky on the outside but succulent inside. This doesn't account for the seven-minute preheat time, with the appliance automatically preheating on most functions. If you're in the no-preheat club, have no fear, as there's a button to skip this if you want to.

Burgers provided the same consistent results, but when the appliance chirped to let me know to flip the burgers halfway through cooking, it didn't give me much time to do so as the time continued to tick on. Frustratingly, this meant the cooking time ended, and the resting timer began, but the burgers weren't done, and I had to reprogram the grill to finish them off as I couldn't easily add on a few extra minutes. To ensure they were cooked, I inserted the probe and set the function to beef and 'medium well', which allowed me to save my food.

While I usually have a control chicken wing rub I use for tests, I decided to use the Everyday Spice rub laid out in Ninja's booklet. After following the booklet's advice of waiting 30 minutes before grilling and checking the food guidelines, I added my wings to the grill. While I followed the recommended time and temperature Ninja gave for chicken wings, mine came out quite overdone on the outside but perfectly cooked and tasty inside.

Again, when cooking any meats in this appliance, I highly recommend utilizing the probe more than the food time guidelines, as it's a safety net if your food appears to be overdone on the outside, but you don't want to pull it out in case it's not cooked inside.

It's not just meats this grill provides solid results for, either. Following another of Ninja's recipes, I made flatbreads for the first time and cooked them to perfection, each taking only two minutes on the preheated grill.

These high-quality results were pretty consistent across the appliance's functions, as I perfectly dehydrated my leftover flatbread parsley in four hours, baked tasty lemon and blueberry muffins, and roasted my aforementioned harissa chicken with (relative) ease, so it was juicy inside and slightly crispy outside.

The only issue I had with the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer's performance was its air fryer function. I will caveat this by saying a lot of air fryers require some experimentation for optimal results, and food guidelines are helpful but not always 100% accurate. Ninja acknowledges this in a way, noting in its air-frying food guidelines section that its times are a guide, and you need to adjust to your preference, check your food frequently, and shake or toss it. I kept this in mind when testing carrots, courgettes, frozen fries, and fresh fries, and regularly checked on and shook my with some overdone and some underdone. For example, many of my carrots had burnt edges and were almost roasted after roughly 15 minutes, while others were underdone.

Considering this is a premium air fryer, these results were disappointing, especially after the brilliant results of the other functions. Like many air fryers, it may take some trial and error to get optimal results with this function, but if you want an appliance that air fries consistently well off the bat, this may not be the appliance for you.

• Performance score: 4/5

Should you buy the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer: also consider

Not certain that the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer is right for you? Here are two other options you might like to consider.

How I tested the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer?

I used the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer for a week, cooking a wide variety of foods including fries, chicken wings, fresh vegetables, and muffins. I tested all the air fryer's various modes and cleaned the air fryer in line with the instructions provided in the manual. For more details, see how we test.

First reviewed March 2025.

Summer might have come and gone but you may still have a hankering for ice cream (like I do) – and if that’s the case, why not pick up a home ice-cream maker? Having one on your kitchen bench could be a good call if you have dietary restrictions or if you want to make a healthier dessert. If this sounds like you, the Ninja Creami Deluxe is one of the best gadgets to get it done and right now, it’s discounted by 31%.

The Ninja Creami Deluxe is an upgraded version of the standard Ninja Creami, which TechRadar reviewed with a four star rating. The Deluxe offers 11 different settings instead of only seven, packing in not just ice cream-making capabilities, but also the ability to whip up a lite ice-cream blend, sorbet, gelato, frozen yoghurt, Italian ice, milkshakes, slushies, frozen drinks, mix-ins and a creamiccino (whatever that is).

It also includes three 700ml tubs in the box compared to three 470ml tubs you get with the non-Deluxe version. Put simply, you can make a great variety of frozen treats… and in higher qualities!

If you’re interested in a home ice-cream machine but your budget can’t quite stretch to the Deluxe model, the standard Ninja Creami is also on sale for AU$265 (was AU$299). Just note that it packs fewer features than the Deluxe model, as previously mentioned, which makes the latter a little more economical.

In our original Ninja Creami review we loved the desserts that it was able to produce, especially when it came to making dairy-free ice cream. It’s also quite a simple thing to use without many buttons to push.

That being said, be ready for quite a bit of noise when the machine is in use, and when whipping up the base mix, you’ll need to ensure that it’s frozen completely flat in the tub 24 hours in advance of use.

We also disliked how the standard machine could only make small batches of ice cream, though the Deluxe improves upon this with its larger tubs.

If you’ve been looking for a healthier alternative treat for your kids (or yourself) to chocolate during the Easter holidays, whipping up a batch of ice cream in the Ninja Creami is one of the best routes you can take.

Ninja Swirl by Creami: one-minute review

If you've been wanting to make your ice cream at home but you've been holding out for soft serve, you'll be thrilled with the Ninja Swirl by Creami. You can make real soft serve ice cream or healthier soft serve treats tailored to your own personal tastes and dietary considerations. You're not limited to soft serve; you can also make all of the frozen treats you can make in other Ninja Creami models or other ice cream makers. There are 13 different settings for all manner of frozen delights. The Ninja Swirl by Creami even has a special setting specifically for high protein, low fat, low sugar creations called CreamiFit.

There's definitely a learning curve when you unbox the Ninja Swirl by Creami. Once you have made a few pints, muscle memory kicks in and it's actually quite easy. You do have to freeze your pints for 24 hours before processing them, so you'll want to have some pints made, frozen, and ready to go for when ice cream cravings hit. The Ninja Swirl by Creami comes with two pint containers, so you can always have at least one pint deep frozen and ready to process.

All of the Ninja Creami machines are essentially drills that turn your solid frozen pints into a beautiful ice cream texture. With the Ninja Swirl, you start by making regular ice cream first. You can eat that as is, or you can add mix-ins, or you can proceed to the soft serve mechanism. In a few minutes, you'll have lovely soft serve just like you get at your local ice cream or frozen yogurt shop.

Ninja Swirl by Creami: price and availability

• List price $349.99 / £272.90 / AU$572.77
• Comes with two model-specific pint containers
• Nearly double the price of the original Ninja Creami

The Ninja Swirl by Creami retails $349.99 / £272.90 / AU$572.77. You can buy it directly from Ninja, or from the usual third-party retailers such as Amazon, where it currently sells for a slight discount.

The Ninja Swirl is substantially more expensive than the other Creami models. The Ninja Creami Deluxe retails for $249.99 while the original Ninja Creami retails for $199.99. The older models can also be had for a significant discount at third-party retailers.

Note that the pint containers that you use with the Ninja Swirl are different from the ones that come with the other models and are not compatible at all. If you like to have extra pint containers on hand, they will run you $34.99 for a two-pack or $64.99 for a four-pack.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Ninja Swirl by Creami: design

• Large in every dimension
• Designed for ideal ice cream texture
• Loud and delicate

The footprint of the machine is fairly large at 15.16 x 10.04 inches. Additionally, the 17.52 inch height means that you'll need to measure to make sure the machine will fit under your cabinets. The Ninja Swirl actually doesn't fit under mine, so I had to place the machine near my sink, the one spot in my kitchen where there are no upper cabinets. Plus, you'll need some elbow room to the right of the machine, in order to operate the soft serve dispensing handle.

There are 13 different programs on the Ninja Swirl. When you put your frozen pint into the machine to process it, you'll first select Scoop or Soft Serve, because certain programs are only compatible with one or the other. If you're making Scoop ice cream, you can use the Ice Cream, Light Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, Frozen Yogurt, Milkshake, or CreamiFit buttons. If you're making Soft Serve, you can select Ice Cream, Lite Ice Cream, Fruit Whip, Frozen Custard, Frozen Yogurts, or CreamiFit buttons. The different settings run the blade at different speeds for varying amounts of time. If you're using the Ninja recipes, you'll be told which setting to use. If you're not sure, the recipe book includes a description of each setting so you can make the best choice.

After the initial spin, which is generally 4-6 minutes, you can eat it as is or you can select Re-spin or Mix-In. You'd choose to re-spin if the texture is too crumbly or snowy. If you're not doing soft serve, you can add a mix-in such as candy, cookies, or fruit for a chunky ice cream treat.

Note that the machine is quite loud; it triggered the "Loud Environment" warning on my Apple Watch. It got up to 96 decibels in my testing. The Creami, after all, is drilling through a solid block of deep-frozen ingredients. You don't actually have to stand over the machine while it spins, however. You can step out of the room while it does its thing to avoid the noise.

The Ninja Swirl by Creami is not a blender, it's a drill. Be sure to follow the instructions in the included booklet or on Ninja's website. For example, the surface of your frozen ingredients must be flat. An uneven surface can result in blade damage. Don't process a solid block of (water) ice or ice cubes. Don't try to make a smoothie or process hard, loose ingredients. Because of the nature of drilling through a solid frozen mass, if you do incur damage, it may ruin the machine entirely.

That said, this machine is designed to make legit ice cream. The taste of your creations depends entirely on what you put in it, but the texture and looks are pretty amazing every time. Once you have your pint frozen, and a little practice under your belt, the processing is pretty quick and easy.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Ninja Swirl by Creami: performance

I started with some very simple ideas from Ninja's recipe booklet. For the bright orange fruit whip above, I just tossed two mango fruit cups with the juice included into the pint container and froze it. I processed it on the Fruit Whip setting and then through the Soft Serve mechanism. It was a super simple, healthy, and incredibly delicious treat. I did the same thing with pear fruit cups; you can do it with any fruit cups or canned fruit you like.

I made over two dozen recipes. I started with recipes from Ninja's booklet but soon found other recipes online and then created my own recipes. For me, the main reason to buy a machine like this is to make healthier treats, so that was my focus. My son wanted real ice cream, you can see him making the standard vanilla soft serve from the booklet in the image near the top of the article.

Another super easy "recipe" is simply freezing your favorite yogurt. Just transfer it from the cup in comes in to your Ninja Swirl pint, flatten the top, and freeze. The image above is just strawberry frozen yogurt with nothing added. I scooped it out rather than putting it through the soft serve mechanism and then added some toppings, which you can see below. I ate that for breakfast!

I experimented with various protein "ice creams" using ready-made protein drinks and protein powders mixed with milk. There are many ideas in the recipe book and countless more online. While the Ninja Swirl does a fabulous job giving these frozen protein concoctions an authentic ice cream consistency, they tend to taste like, well, frozen protein drinks. I had the best luck mixing protein powders with yogurt, pudding mixes, and other more flavorful ingredients. Below you can see one of my healthier concoctions (if you don't count the chocolate on top.)

After you run the initial cycle, the results are often crumbly or snowy. This is easily remedied by running a Re-spin cycle. You may need to re-spin it more than once, or add a bit more milk or other liquid before re-spinning. If you're not going to make soft serve, you can add mix-ins at this step for a chunkier treat. If there isn't a hole in the ice cream already, you'll want to create a hole with your spoon for your mix-ins in order to ensure they make it all the way to the bottom of your pint.

Particularly after making soft serve, you're going to have a lot of dishes to wash. Every part of the Ninja Swirl is dishwasher safe, but I found myself washing the parts by hand anyway since I wanted to make more ice cream right away. After all, the pint must be frozen for 24 hours before processing.

The image below also shows that there is some product stuck in the various parts that doesn't make it into your cone or cup. Of course, you can have at it with a spoon, but I wouldn't bother. The sides and bottom tend to be quite icy.

This leads me to a tip for avoiding icy chunks in your ice cream. The sides and bottom of the pint do get icy, it seems no matter which recipe you use. After the initial spin, scrape down the sides and bottom of the pint before running the Re-spin cycle.

What if you don't finish the pint in one go? Certain recipes will leave you with an ice cream that is scoopable even after re-freezing but this is rare. After you eat your portion, use a spoon or spatula to pat down the surface of your leftovers in the Ninja pint container. Once fully re-frozen, you can just process it again on the same cycle you used before. Just as before, you'll need to process the ice cream before putting through the soft serve mechanism.

Remember that the Ninja Swirl is not a blender. If your ingredients include chunks, you'll want to blend your mixtures before freezing to ensure uniformity. For example, if you're making cottage cheese ice cream, you'd probably want to blend that first. If you want to upgrade your current blender, check out our list of the best blenders.

You can check out some of my creations by clicking through the gallery below.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Ninja Swirl by Creami

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja Swirl by Creami: also consider

How I tested the Ninja Swirl by Creami

I ate a lot of ice cream in the name of science. I used the Ninja Swirl by Creami for several weeks and made dozens of ice cream treats. I made a handful of recipes from Ninja's recipe booklet as well as recipes I found online and others I made up myself. I used various cycles including Ice Cream, Fruit Whip, Frozen Yogurt, CreamiFit, Re-spin, Mix-in, and of course the Soft Serve cycle.

For more details. see how we test, review, and rate products at TechRadar.

First reviewed April 2025

• Ninja has launched an extra-large version of its Sizzle Pro indoor grill
• It's large enough to cook family meals and is non-stick for easy cleaning
• It's available in the US for $199.99 but isn't currently sold elsewhere

Ninja has released a new indoor grill with an extra-large cooking area that's big enough to cook up to 10 burgers at once so that you and your guests can all eat together, or so you can prepare whole family meals.

Ninja is well known for making some of the best air fryers you can buy, but it's also no slouch when it comes to hybrid cookers and indoor electric grills. The new Ninja Sizzle Pro XL is a super-sized version of the original Sizzle Pro, with a 20-inch griddle that gives you enough space to cook a whole stack of pancakes for a family of four or prepare a huge batch of fried rice for a quick weekday dinner.

You can cook with the lid up or down, depending on whether you want to create char-grilled flavor when cooking meat or lock in moisture when preparing fish and vegetables.

When you're done, the non-stick ceramic plates are a piece of cake to clean, and you can remove the ventilated lid for hand-washing. No more awkward scrubbing.

License to grill

The Ninja Sizzle Pro XL is available now direct from Ninja for $199.99. That's approximately £160 / AU$330, but the grill is currently only available in the US, and I expect it's likely to stay that way since the original Sizzle Pro isn't available in other countries either.

If you can't get your hands on the Sizzle Pro XL, take a look at the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL, which adds a smoky flavor to your food using a small portion of woodchips, and earned a full five stars from our reviewer thanks to its extra large capacity and smart thermostat for temperature control.

You might also like

• The Ninja Blast Max is so powerful it can obliterate frozen strawberries and even make kale smoothies delicious
• Ninja's latest coffee machine takes away one of the biggest hassles of being a barista – and it's awesome
• Lights out and away we blend – McLaren and Nutribullet unveil new F1-themed blenders

Ninja Blast Max: one-minute review

The Ninja Blast Max is an updated version of the company’s portable smoothie blender, with a more powerful motor and upgraded blades – and it works brilliantly. The Max is more expensive then the original Ninja Blast, but the price difference is easily justified by the improvement in performance.

Unlike every other personal blender I’ve tested to date, the Ninja Blast Max transforms difficult, fibrous ingredients such as kale into a silky smoothie with just a single blending cycle, leaving behind no unpleasant fragments. In my time using the blender, I didn't experience any problems with ingredients becoming stuck to the sides of the cup and missing the blades either, which is unusual for a blender this size.

The Max fared equally well when it came to blending large frozen berries, which usually prove too much of a challenge for portable smoothie makers. The blender’s "crush" setting is made for tackling ice cubes, but works equally well for rock-hard frozen fruit, pulverizing it to slushie consistency within a minute.

The blender cup is easy to detach from the charging base, enabling you to sip your smoothie on the move, or take your protein shake to the gym. It fits into a typical cupholder or the side pocket of a backpack, and has a robust silicone carry handle. The only downside is that it isn't insulated to keep your creations cold. If Ninja could add a second, insulated cup to the package alongside the first, it would be pretty much perfect.

Ninja Blast Max: price and availability

• Available in US and Europe
• List price $89.99/£89.99 (about AU$140)
• About the same price as Nutribullet Flip

The Ninja Blast Max launched in September 2024. It’s available direct from Ninja, and from third-party retailers such as Amazon for $89.99/£89.99. That’s about AU$140, but at the time of writing it isn’t for sale in Australia.

That’s a significant price increase from the original Ninja Blast, which had a list price of $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$79.99; but it’s understandable considering the upgraded motor, blades, and battery.

The Blast Max is roughly the same as the Nutribullet Flip, which is a more direct competitor, and is priced at $99.99 (about £80 / AU$150). The Ninja Blast Max definitely delivers more blending power than the Flip, delivering more bang for your buck.

• Value score: 5/5

Ninja Blast Max: design

• Cup is easy to remove from the charging base and carry
• Simple to keep clean
• No leaks when blending, or carrying the cup

The Ninja Blast Max has two components: the base, which contains the battery and motor, and a removable cup with the blade unit at the bottom and a flip-top lid on top. The sip lid also has a silicone handle for easy and comfortable carrying. The cup easily tucked into the side pocket of my backpack, and will fit in most standard cupholders, too.

The base unit has a charging port at the back, with a rubber cover to protect against dust and splashes (although you should never immerse the base in water, and always remove the cup before cleaning).

The base has an attractive ombre finish, and is available in seven color options: Sea Glass, Ivory Cream, Dusty Pink, Gray, Silver, Lavender, and Navy (although not all retailers will stock all seven).

It has a central power button, with a green light that blinks during charging, and controls for three settings: Crush (for ice), Blend, and Smoothie.

The cup has a slightly tapered shape, becoming narrower at the bottom to encourage ingredients to fall onto the blades, but not so narrow that anything becomes stuck. The instructions explain that you can gently shake the blender to dislodge any pieces of fruit or veg that escape the blades, but during my tests I didn’t find this necessary.

The cup has a maximum fill line positioned at the 15.8oz / 450ml mark. That’s the same as the Nutribullet Flip, but the Ninja Blast Max’s removable base means it’s much lighter to carry. The lid creates an extra tight seal when you’re on the move, and I never noticed any leaking when I was blending or carrying it.

The Ninja Blast Max is very easy to keep clean. Like most portable blenders, all you have to do is add some water to the cup with a squirt of dish soap, run a brief blending cycle, then rinse the cup and lid thoroughly and allow them to dry. You can also wash the cup and lid by hand when they need cleaning more thoroughly.

The only downside is that, unlike the Nutribullet Flip, the Ninja Blast Max doesn’t have an insulated cup to keep your creations chilled on the move.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja Blast Max: performance

• Excellent at blending tough vegetables such as kale
• "Crush" mode is great for ice and frozen ingredients
• Ingredients don't become stuck in cup and miss the blades

The Ninja Blast Max is the most powerful personal blender I’ve tested, capable of turning even tricky ingredients into a creamy smoothie.

After charging the blender for a few hours until the light on the front remained a steady green, I started off by making TechRadar’s test recipe – Nutribullet’s Banana Kale Blueberry Freeze.

Its ingredients are simple enough, but the kale usually presents a big challenge for small blenders, which tend to leave shreds of leaf intact. I loaded up the banana, kale, blueberries and almond milk, then hit the button for the blender’s Smoothie mode. This runs a series of pulses, which pulverizes the ingredients then allows them to settle before hitting them with the blades again.

The results were extremely impressive. Usually I have to run a portable blender for at least two cycles to create something smooth enough to drink, and even then I usually find scraps of kale sticking to my teeth. That wasn’t the case with the Ninja Blast Max, which blended everything together into a tasty and silky smooth drink (even if the color wasn't terribly appealing).

Frozen berries are another tough challenge for a portable blender, and defeated the Nutribullet Flip when I tested it last year. It took two full blending cycles to turn frozen forest fruits into something drinkable, so I was curious to see how the souped-up Ninja Blast Max would fare.

I decided to make a shake using a scoop of vanilla protein powder, oat milk, and a handful of large frozen strawberries, which are the fruits that seem to defeat most blenders. I used the Ninja Blast Max’s Crush setting, which is designed for tackling ice.

Blending the frozen fruit was quite loud, briefly reaching 85dB during pulses (about the same as a standard jug blender, or heavy traffic), but the noise was only brief and became quieter as each pulse of the Blast Max pulverized the strawberries. The blender has a tendency to move about slightly when blending tough ingredients, but it wasn't in any danger of falling over.

Once the cycle was over, I had a delicious pink concoction, with no pieces of unblended berry, and a much nicer texture than a typical protein shake. Again, the drink was silky smooth, with no graininess.

I also tested the blender’s ice-crushing abilities, using it to prepare a blended coffee drink. As with all personal blenders, you need to add a minimum amount of liquid before you can crush ice. For this test, I used barista-standard caramel plant milk, with a double shot of espresso.

Again, I used the Crush setting, and I could hear the ice being shattered even faster than the fruit with each pulse. The resulting blended iced coffee looked as good as anything you might get from a coffee shop, with a nice layer of foam on top and no chunks of unblended ice crystals.

You could also make an excellent espresso martini in the same way if you don’t have access to a cocktail shaker.

• Performance score: 5/5

Should you buy the Ninja Blast Max?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja Blast Max: also consider

If you’re not sure whether the Ninja Blast Max is the right blender for you, here are two other options to think about.

How I tested the Ninja Blast Max

I used the Ninja Blast Max for a week, making recipes including TechRadar’s standard banana, blueberry, and kale smoothie, which we make with all the personal blenders we test.

I used the blender to tackle ingredients I knew to be particularly tough, including large frozen berries and ice, making sure to select the most appropriate blend setting each time.

I measured the volume of the blender during use with a decibel meter app on my phone.

For more details, see how we test, review, and rate products at TechRadar.

First reviewed April 2025.

Bean-to-cup coffee machines take a lot of the effort out of brewing a good-tasting espresso. The best espresso machines can often provide help with tamping, time how long it takes to extract a double shot, and even help you steam milk for the optimal texture and temperature.

However, when it comes to choosing how to grind the beans, even the best coffee makers usually leave you to your own devices, offering a numbered dial on the bean hopper, and the most basic instructions. That isn't great, because picking the correct grind size (known as "dialling in" the grinder) is one of the trickiest parts of making a well-balanced espresso. Getting it right can often be a case of much trial and error, and potentially waste a lot of coffee beans.

Well, not anymore, with Ninja's latest coffee maker, the Ninja Luxe Café, which I got to check out at a recent event in London. It's an all-in-one machine that can brew filter and cold brew coffee, and what impressed me most was its espresso function. Unlike almost all other bean-to-cup coffee machines, it handles the hard work of dialling in for you, and even adjusts grind settings on-the-fly throughout the day. As a trained barista, let me tell you, that's a big deal.

So why does grind size matter?

At its heart, making coffee is pretty simple: dissolving some of the chemical compounds from roasted coffee beans in water. However, some of those compounds dissolve more readily than others, and getting a good-tasting drink relies on extracting just the right ones. That's where it gets complicated.

Sour-tasting compounds (those that make your mouth water, sometimes in an unpleasant way) dissolve fastest. You want some of those, but if your coffee is only in contact with water for a short time, that's all you'll taste. In addition, your coffee will feel "thin" in your mouth, without much flavour.

Next, you have the chemicals that give your coffee a sweet flavor. You want plenty of these, so your coffee needs to be exposed to water for long enough to extract these – but not much longer.

That's because, finally, the coffee beans release bitter compounds. If the water is in contact with the coffee grounds for a long time, you'll end up with too many of these, and you'll end up with a drink that tastes nasty and leaves your mouth feeling dry.

To achieve the sweet spot and achieve a well-rounded flavor, pulling a double shot of espresso should take around 28 seconds. So how do you achieve that?

You do it by adjusting the grind size. If your coffee beans are ground coarsely, water will pass through them relatively quickly, reducing the contact time and extracting fewer flavor compounds. Grind them more finely, and it will take longer for water to find its way out. Plus, there will also be a larger surface area with which water will make contact, dissolving more flavor compounds from the beans.

That sounds simple in principle, but there are a lot of factors that can throw a spanner in the works, and there isn't one ideal grind size that will work for everything.

For example, how long it takes to pull a shot varies on the bean type (robusta or arabica) and variety, how it's roasted, and how old it is. For example, coffee beans lose carbon dioxide over time, which leads to faster extraction. So, the longer you've had them, the finer you'll need to grind them.

To make matters even more complicated, environmental factors such as temperature and humidity can affect how your beans behave, and if you've been using your coffee grinder a lot, it will start to heat up, which will also impact the results. Good luck if you're working by an open window, or under an AC unit.

To cut a long story short, it's complicated, so having a machine that can do it for you is an enormous time-saver.

How the Ninja Luxe Café does it

When you're dialling in a coffee machine yourself, you'll start by picking a grind size close to what you think will be correct, then seeing how long it takes to pull an espresso – and that's pretty much what the Ninja Luxe Café does.

It begins with a moderate grind size, then extracts a double shot and times how long it takes. If it happens to be the ideal time, then it recommends you go ahead and stick with it. If it takes too long, the machine moves the grinder burrs a little further apart to make the grind size coarser, then timing another shot. If the water runs through too fast, it will move the grinder burrs closer together for a finer grind.

Of course, this is great; but what impressed me the most is that the machine will also carry out adjustments throughout the day to make sure your coffee tastes consistently good, no matter when you have a cup.

Consistency is the gold standard in coffee-making, but as your beans age, their properties will change and the grind size will need adjusting to compensate. The Ninja Luxe Café will do that for you.

That means you can brew your morning cup of coffee, have another at lunch, then make espresso martinis for friends in the evening using the same beans without worrying about your brew starting to taste off. I'll certainly drink to that.

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You’re not exactly left short of options when it comes to buying one of the best air fryers, but deciding which one is best for your home can be a little trickier. Amazon may have just made that decision a touch easier with a huge 47% discount on a Ninja FlexDrawer air fryer, bringing it down to a truly affordable AU$159.

The model on sale here has 6.6 litres of cooking space, which can be split into two separate compartments for cooking two dishes at once. We’ve had experience with this air fryer range, albeit the much larger 10.4L version, which you can read about in our Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Dual Air Fryer review. But, while the model we’ve had personal experience with might be larger, the bones of the machines are the same, so you can expect fantastic results every time.

Despite being a smaller size compared to the model we’ve reviewed, this air fryer is part of the same series, so we’re confident in saying it will function exactly the same. As we said in our review, “it’s a delightfully easy machine to use that delivers consistent, fantastic results”. Of course, considering the model we’ve had experience with had a mammoth 10.4L cooking zone, it was rather difficult to house on a kitchen counter, but you’ll have no such worries with this model.

We love Ninja’s DualZone technology, which lets you cook two dishes at once when you insert the drawer divider. You can either have them cook at different times and temperatures but finish at the same time, or have them cook to the same settings. It can also cook food in six different ways: air fry, grill, roast, bake, reheat and dehydrate.

If you want to invest in an air fryer but don’t know which model to get or you don’t want to spend too much, this Ninja 6.6L model is, in many ways, the perfect middle ground.

We don’t know how long this deal will last, so you’ll want to be quick if you want to get it for this fantastic price.

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Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: one-minute review

The Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System is just that. It is indeed an air fryer, and not really more than that, but the design is utterly unique. Rather than cooking in a plastic drawer, your food goes on a metal tray in a glass cooking container with built-in plastic handles and feet. The heating element, which Ninja calls the PowerPod, is placed onto the glass container. When your cooking is complete, simply remove the PowerPod and place the glass container right onto the table for serving.

If you have leftovers, you can just put the included lid on your glass container and stick it in your fridge. The glass containers come in multiple sizes and the PowerPod has an adapter so it will fit on each container perfectly. There are four cooking modes: Bake, Air Fry, Max Crisp, and Recrisp. Each runs at a different temperature range, so you have some flexibility.

Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: price and availability

• List price: $159.99 (about £127 / AU$251)

You can purchase the Ninja Crispi directly from Ninja’s website, where it’s available in a number of bundles containing multiple glass containers. You can also purchase extra glass containers in three different sizes separately: $29.99 for the six-cup container, $39.99 for the 2.5-quart container, and $44.99 for the four-quart size. The standard $159.99 system, which I tested, comes with the large four quart and the small six cup glass container. It’s available just about everywhere that sells air fryers online and in person, such as Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and many more.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: specifications

Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: design and features

• Heat comes from removable Crispi PowerPod
• Four cooking functions
• Looks functional rather than attractive

The cleverly designed Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System is a really a cooking pod, called the PowerPod, and a collection of glass cooking dishes. The cooking dishes, which Ninja calls TempWare Containers, withstand high cooking temperatures and are made just for the Ninja Crispi. You must use Ninja’s TempWare Containers; the PowerPod won’t work on other dishes. A built-in plastic piece adds handles and feet so you can place the dishes on any countertop. Each cooking dish comes with a metal crisper plate that nests inside and keeps the food off the bottom so air can circulate around it.

Place your food into one of the glass dishes on the crisper plate and place the pod on top. The PowerPod fits the small six-cup dish perfectly on its own. If you’re using the larger four-quart dish, you’ll need to use the included adapter for the PowerPod. Choose your cooking function mode: Recrisp (380°-400°F), Bake (375°-400°F), Air Fry (400°-425F), or Max Crisp (425°-450°). Select your cook time by pressing the - or + buttons. Press the start button to begin.

As with most air fryers, you will usually need to flip your food over halfway through the cook time. To pause cooking, simply remove the PowerPod and it will power off automatically. To re-start cooking, place the pod back onto the glass container and hit the start button once again.

The standard bundle comes with the largest glass dish, which has a four quart capacity, and the smallest one, which holds six cups. Ninja also makes a medium 2.5-quart glass dish, which is sold separately. Any of the glass dishes can be purchased separately, and there are different bundles you can buy with varying dish combinations. The handles and feet allow you to use the dishes for serving the food; there’s no need to transfer it to another container. All of the cooking dishes also come with an air-tight lid, so you can use the dishes for storing food as well.

Cleaning the Ninja Crispi is easy. You don’t need to clean the PowerPod, just the glass containers and crisper plates. They are even dishwasher safe, though it is easy enough to just wash them by hand. Though it’s not mentioned in the literature, I was able to use paper air fryer liners which made cleanup even easier.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: performance

Though there are four cooking modes, the Ninja Crispi is truly an air fryer. The Air Fryer, Max Crisp, and Recrisp modes all worked pretty much as expected. The Bake mode, however, was a bit disappointing. I tried baking several items, all of which turned out fully browned on the top and raw in the middle. Since air frying in general requires flipping for even crisping, I’m not that surprised that the baking mode wasn’t great. I think baking would be fine for something quite thin, like cookies or very small mini muffins. If you want to make something thicker, like full-sized cupcakes, you’re better off using a regular oven. Of course, most people don’t buy air fryers in order to bake.

I eat a lot of fresh roasted vegetables, so I air fried broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers, brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes. I used both Air Fry and Max Crisp modes. There is a learning curve, but once I got the hang of it, the veggies turned out delicious with just the barest spritz of oil. You definitely want to remember to flip your food, at least once during the cooking process. When I didn’t flip it, the food did not cook evenly. The Ninja Crispi is very, very fast. It’s a good idea to check your food frequently to make sure you don’t burn it. Even with careful flipping and checking, vegetables tend to brown (or blacken) quickly in some spots before all of them are fully cooked. Raw vegetables tended to come out more blackened and crisp rather than tender.

My favorite vegetable cooked from its raw state was the diced sweet potatoes. They were crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. The next day I used the Recrisp mode to heat up the leftovers, which turned out great.

I made a bunch of veggie burgers, as well as protein waffles, veggie tots, falafel balls, and veggie “chicken” nuggets. They all turned out wonderful and crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. I didn’t need to add any oil to any of these convenience foods.

I hosted a Super Bowl party and air fried some frozen french fries for my guests. The fries disappeared so quickly, I ended up air frying another batch immediately! They were perfectly crisp and evenly browned on the outside and soft and fluffy in the middle. I did nothing to doctor them at all, no oil or seasonings, and they came out just right.

My family got in on the air frying fun. My youngest is a more adventurous cook than I, and they made some panko-crusted and seasoned tofu squares. The tofu was delicious! As expected, it was nice and crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. They didn’t even have to press and dry the tofu first. I’m a vegetarian but my husband eats meat; he used the Ninja Crispi to quickly and easily cook some chicken breasts. They got nicely browned on the outside (flipping half-way through cook time is a must) and cooked all the way through.

As I mentioned above, I did try Bake mode. First, I made some pancake bites in a little silicone baking dish. The tops browned but the rest was still raw. I actually pulled off all the tops, flipped them over, and put them through another bake cycle. That worked fine. I also baked a (rather thick) protein air fryer cookie with the same results. I did the same thing where I pulled off the top, flipped it over, and put it through another cycle. Again, it was fine that way. So if you do use Bake mode, just be sure your items are very thin.

• Performance score: 4/5

Should you buy the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja Crispi: also consider

If you're not sure about the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System, here are some other options to consider...

How I tested the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System

• I tested Recrisp, Bake, Air Fry, and Max Crisp modes multiple times
• I used it daily for two weeks to cook a variety of food
• I cleaned it after each use

Although I’m a foodie, I’m kind of a lazy cook. As a wife and mother of three, I used to put more effort into crafting a variety of nutritious meals from scratch when my kids were little. Now that they’re grown, I still want to eat healthy meals, I just don’t want to take the time to cook them. The Ninja Crispi certainly helps me get food on the table fast. My family (my husband, my adult child, and I) used the Ninja Crispi daily, sometimes multiple times in one day, for two weeks. We made loads of fresh veggies, plus veggie burgers, veggie chicken nuggets, french fries, frozen waffles, breaded tofu, falafel, veggie tots, chicken breasts, pancake bites, and a protein breakfast cookie. I cleaned it after each use, which was quite easy. I did use paper air fryer liners sometimes, which made cleanup even easier.

Read more about how we test.

• The Ninja Creami Swirl soft-serve machine is available to buy now for $349
• It's expected to sell out after videos of influencers were given early access
• It's only available in the US for now, but an international launch is likely later

After much teasing, the long-awaited Ninja Creami Swirl soft-serve ice cream maker is finally on sale. A handful of influencers got their hands on the machine early, using it to whip up sorbets and frozen protein desserts in TikTok videos, and now you can get your hands on one too.

The Ninja Creami Swirl is an updated version of the original Ninja Creami, with a new soft-serve dispenser and a menu of extra presets including frozen custard, fruit whip, swirled frozen yogurt, regular soft-serve ice cream, and 'lite' ice cream. You can still make scoopable desserts like sorbet as well, and the new recipes mean you can now prepare 16 different treats on your kitchen counter.

The Creami Swirl is available to buy now direct from Ninja for $349 (about £280 / AU$560 – we're expecting it to launch outside the US later this year), and should be in stock at other US retailers within the next couple of months. According to Ninja it's likely to sell out, but the company says it will continue to restock it when it does.

Our kitchen appliance expert Karen Freeman is testing the Creami Swirl for TechRadar, and we'll be sharing her full review very soon,

A Creami alternative

As mentioned, the Ninja Creami Swirl is currently only available in the US, leaving ice cream lovers in other countries looking sadly at their empty waffle cones. The soft-serve machine is likely to launch elsewhere later in the year, but if you can't wait that long then don't worry, there are other options.

If you live in the UK, for example, the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker is a great alternative, and is currently discounted from £200 to just £150. It doesn't have as many preset dessert options as the Creami Swirl, but will let you make ice cream, gelato, sorbet, slushies, granita, and frozen yogurt – and it has containers for toppings, and a 'keep warm' plate for melting sauces.

I'm testing the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker in my own kitchen right now, and Karen and I will be comparing notes to help you decide whether you should grab one yourself, or hold out for a Creami.

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Ninja is one of the biggest names in air fryers, and if you're looking for a two-drawer model, the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone and Ninja Double Stack should both be on your shortlist. If you're struggling to choose between the two, we're here to summarize all the key differences so you can make the right choice.

The most obvious difference between these two top-rated air fryers is the arrangement of their baskets (horizontal for the Foodi Max and vertical for the Double Stack), but it doesn't end there. After putting both air fryers through extensive testing in our kitchen, we found a significant difference in how the two perform when cooking one particularly common food.

First, a word on naming and sizes. The original Ninja Double Stack air fryer was released in April 2024 and has a capacity of 8.3qt / 9.5l. We tested this version in our Ninja Double Stack review. In the US and UK, this specific model is known as the Ninja Double Stack XL, while it's the Ninja Double Stack XXL in Australia.

Ninja later released a smaller version of the air fryer, with a capacity of 6.7qt / 7.6l. In the US and UK, this is called the Ninja Double Stack, and in Australia, it is called the Ninja Double Stack XL.

The Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone air fryer has a capacity of 8.3qt / 9.5l, so we'll be comparing it to the larger of the two Double Stack models. Now, on with the details...

Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone vs Ninja Double Stack: price

• The two air fryers were similar prices at launch
• Both are still about the same price in the US and UK
• The Double Stack is now significantly more expensive in Australia

The exact price you'll pay for each of these air fryers depends on where you live. When they launched, the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone had a list price of £229.99 / $219.99 / AU$449.99, and the Ninja Double Stack XL had a list price of $229.99 / £269.99 / AU$449.99.

Both air fryers have now been available for a while, and discounts are often available on both models. At the time of writing, you can pick up the Foodi Max for about $170 / £190 / AU$240 and the Ninja Double Stack XL for roughly $200 / £210 / AU$390. In other words, there's little difference in price in the US and the UK, but in Australia, the Ninja Double Stack XL is significantly more expensive.

If you've already decided, you'll find today's best deals on the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone and Ninja Double Stack XL below. Otherwise, keep reading for more details.

Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone vs Ninja Double Stack: features

• Ninja Double Stack is narrower and taller, but also deeper
• Double Stack includes racks for cooking food in up to four layers
• Both air fryers have the same selection of cooking modes

The key difference between these two air fryers is their footprint. The Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone measures 13.9 x 12.8 x 17.1 inches / 32.5 x 41.5 x 27cm (h x w x d), while the Ninja Double Stack XL is 15.1 x 11 x 18.5 inches / 38.5 x 28 x 47cm. That might not sound like much, but the Double Stack's narrower build makes a real difference to how it sits on your kitchen counter. It's worth noting, however, that it's considerably deeper than the Foodi Max from front to back, so it's worth measuring your workspace to see how each one will fit.

As we mentioned earlier, both the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone and the Ninja Double Stack XL have a capacity of 8.3qt / 9.5l, and both have separate drawers, so you can't cook a single large item like a whole chicken or a pizza. Some large-capacity air fryers have a large drawer with a removable divider so you can cook something bigger or two smaller sides, but that's not the case here. The drawers and crisper plates for both fryers are dishwasher-safe as well.

The Ninja Double Stack XL lets you cook food in more layers thanks to a pair of stainless steel racks - one for each drawer. This means you can cook four different types of food or simply arrange your fries or nuggets so air can circulate around them more evenly.

In other respects, the two models are very similar. Both air fryers have six cooking modes (air fry, max crisp, roast, bake, and dehydrate) and operate at 2,470W. Both have a timer, and you can sync the two drawers to finish cooking different foods simultaneously. Both of the air fryers have a maximum temperature of 464ºF / 240C.

Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone vs Ninja Double Stack: performance

• Both air fryers produced succulent chicken wings
• Fries were more evenly browned in the Double Stack
• Neither showed noticeable heat leakage between baskets

After putting both air fryers through their paces, we were generally more impressed with the performance of the Ninja Double Stack. Both are excellent air fryers, but our results with the Double Stack were more even and consistent than those produced by the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone.

Both air fryers excelled when it came to cooking chicken wings, which turned out crisp and golden on the outside and succulent and juicy inside. However, they weren't so evenly matched when it came to browning fries. Ones cooked using the Foodi Max Dual Zone were noticeably less consistent in color, with some looking pale and others almost burnt, despite our best efforts to shake them up regularly during cooking as recommended in the instructions.

Fries cooked using the Ninja Double Stack were much more consistent in color. Those towards the back were fractionally darker, but we don't think you'd really notice the difference in everyday use.

Other foods cooked well, and unlike some other air fryers, neither of these Ninja models showed signs of heat leakage between the two baskets.

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Ninja Thirsti Max: one-minute review

Reduce the use of single-use bottles and cans by making your own carbonated beverages at home with the Ninja Thirsti Max. With a touch of the CO2 button, you can add a low, medium, or high level of carbonation for fizzy drinks or you can skip the carbonation entirely for a still beverage.

The Ninja Thirsti Max comes with four bottles of Flavored Drops, which you'll need if you want to make anything besides plain seltzer water. Ninja makes a variety of these flavor drops in different categories: Zero Soda, Seltzer, Fruiti Chill (electrolytes or B vitamins), and Fruiti Chill+ (with caffeine). You can also adjust the amount of flavoring that goes into your drink, either low or high. The machine holds two flavor drop bottles at once, so you can combine the flavors into one drink, proportioned the way you like. You can make four different drink sizes: 6oz, 12oz, 18oz, or one liter.

With some experimentation, I found the fizz and flavor level I liked best. I tested out eight different flavors, at least one from each category. I liked some flavors better than others, but overall the drinks were tasty. The flavored seltzer drops are unsweetened, similar to a La Croix or other sparkling water. All of the other flavor drops are sweetened with the artificial sweetener sucralose.

Ninja Thirsti Max: price and availability

• List price: $169.99 (about £132 / AU$259)

The Ninja Thirsti Max is available at all the major retailers you'd expect, both in brick and mortar stores and online. The price includes a CO2 tank and four bottles of Ninja Flavored Drops. If you order directly from Ninja's website, you can select the exact flavors you'd like, otherwise you get four pre-selected flavors in the box.

The Flavored Drops retail for $6.99 (£5.43 / AU$10.64) apiece. Each bottle yields 17-20 12oz beverages. The 60L CO2 tank runs $36.99 (£28.76 / AU$56.34), but you can save 30% by recycling your spent tank each time. Each canister should carbonate about 100 12oz drinks, depending on how carbonated you like your beverages.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Ninja Thirsti Max: specifications

Ninja Thirsti Max: design and features

• Easy to use
• Choose your fizz and flavor intensity
• Choose your beverage size

The Ninja Thirsti Max is a nice neutral matte metallic gray that will probably look at home with nearly any kitchen decor. It's not a tiny machine, but it's reasonably-sized for what it does. Setting up the Ninja Thirsti Max is easy and takes just a couple of minutes. Plug it in, insert the CO2 tank, fill the water tank, attach the drink tray, place your Flavored Drops into their slots, and you're ready to go.

The 60L CO2 tank is neatly hidden behind a door in the back, so once it's installed you don't notice it.

The water tank also happens to have a 60L capacity. Ninja recommends that you use either very cold water or water plus ice in order to maximize your carbonation and taste. The water tank has a plunger so you can quickly chill your ice water by pressing it up and down a few times.

The height of the drink tray can be adjusted depending on the size of the cup or glass you're filling. It can also be removed if you're using an extra large cup.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja Thirsti Max: performance

The Ninja Thirsti Max works exactly as Ninja describes. Once you have set up the machine, choose the flavor intensity you want from each Flavored drop bottle: none, low, or high. Choose your beverage size: 6oz, 12oz, 18oz, or 1L. Choose your carbonation level: none, low, medium, or high. Place your cup under the nozzle and press start. The Ninja Thirsti Max will beep when your drink is ready.

Ninja recommends using ice water or very cold water in the water tank, and I agree that you get a better result if you do that. I'd also recommend emptying the water tank and adding fresh water once a day or each time the ice melts, otherwise your drink can have a stale 'melted ice' flavor.

The real limitation of the Ninja Thirsti Max is the Flavored Drops. There are currently more than two dozen zero sugar flavors with more on the way. The seltzer flavor drops are unsweetened, but all of the other flavors are sweetened with sucralose, the artificial sweetener found in Splenda. There are no flavors with sugar or any other sweeteners in the lineup as of this writing.

I tried all of the Flavored Drops that Ninja sent me to test. There were four soda flavors: root beer, orange, cola, and Dr Thirsti. I also received a lemonade with added vitamins, strawberry kiwi electrolyte beverage, peach mango energy drink, and unsweetened black cherry seltzer.

The sodas are new to the Ninja Thirsti lineup. They all tasted pretty much like the diet sodas they are intended to replicate. However, the cola and Dr Thirsti flavors wouldn't fool you into thinking they are Diet Coke or Diet Dr Pepper in a blind taste test.

Ninja has changed the labeling on their original Flavored Drops, and I got both some of the old and the new. 'Hydrate' and 'Vitamins' became 'Fruiti Chill', 'Energy' became 'Fruiti Chill+', and what was called "Splash" is now "Seltzer."

All of the ones I tried were pretty tasty, once I got the right flavor intensity and level of fizz for my taste. All of the carbonation levels were sufficient, but I liked the highest level the best. I find I generally prefer a low level of flavor intensity since the higher level tended to be quite sweet, but your tastes may vary. In some cases, I even added extra plain seltzer to cut the sweetness a bit.

It's important to note that I do use sucralose in my everyday life, so I'm used to the way it tastes and I'm fine with it. If you don't, you might not enjoy it.

Of course, the seltzer flavor drops are not sweetened at all, and making sparkling water might be some people's main reason for buying the machine. I'm a big sparkling water drinker, and lugging home multi-packs of canned water is a hassle. I found the Ninja Thirsti black cherry seltzer to be comparable in both fizz and flavor to popular canned sparkling waters like La Croix, Polar, Waterloo, and others.

Keep in mind, there is nothing stopping you from making plain seltzer in the Ninja Thirsti Max and adding whatever you like to it. I tried adding a favorite powdered drink mix to the plain seltzer I made and that was great. You could also try adding fruit juice or even wine for a sort of spritzer beverage. You can always add flavor drops from any other brands.

• Performance score: 4/5

Should you buy the Ninja Thirsti Max?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja Thirsti Max: also consider

If you're not sure about the Ninja Thirsti Max, here are some other options to consider...

How I tested the Ninja Thirsti Max

• I tasted a variety of beverages
• I tried different carbonation levels and different flavor intensities
• I made plain seltzer and added my own drink mix

I've been drinking lots and lots of fizzy drinks over the past couple of weeks. I tried all eight of the flavors that Ninja sent me, plus I tried adding my own drink mix to plain seltzer. I tried different fizz levels and different flavor intensities. Personally I liked the lower flavor setting, as the higher flavor setting yielded too sweet of a beverage for my taste. All of the fizz settings were really fine, but I kept it set to maximum carbonation for the longest lasting bubbles. I tried mixing some of the flavors together, though I didn't find a combination that I really loved. Everyone's tastes are different, though.

Read more about how we test.

First reviewed November 2024

Summer is only a few months away, and while every body is a beach body, I'd like to drop a few kilos before I'm running on the sand like David Hasselhoff. But the only better pairing than summer and the beach is summer and ice cream, and that doesn't exactly mix with my goals. Luckily, with the Ninja Creami, I can watch my calories, keep my added sugar down and hit my protein goals, all while enjoying an ice-cold treat.

That sounds like a dream, and it's one I've wanted to make a reality for a long time – but I missed it when it was on sale around Easter. Despite being tempted to pay retail price several times, I knew it would see another tasty discount eventually and boy, was I right.

I was prepared to wait for Black Friday sales to come around in November, but thankfully Amazon's Prime Day sale has discounted the Ninja Creami (NC300) to just AU$0.99 off its lowest Aussie price – and I'm definitely scooping it up.

While I am a purveyor of all foods bad for me, my sweet tooth is my Achilles heel – and ice cream is at the top of the list. I love healthy ice cream options from supermarkets that fulfil my cravings yet are low in calories, sugar, and full of protein. But they're just so darn expensive.

Even heavily discounted, a pint of high-protein/low-cal ice cream will set you back more than AU$5. At just one pint a week (that’s a normal amount, right?), that's AU$260 a year. And we all know I'd be having way more than one tub a week if my wallet allowed – which is why I'm so excited about my new Ninja Creami NC300.

It's not just those looking to watch their calories and macros that it's good for either. Those who require ice cream that is gluten and dairy-free or vegan can make their frozen treat with exactly the ingredients they want, without worrying about whether the label is correct, or that there's some hidden ingredient that'll give you a sore tummy.

It won't do my diet any good to remind you of this, but the Ninja Creami is also equally as good at making decadent, sugar, cream, caramel and cookie-filled ice cream as it is at making a frozen treat from almond milk, raspberries and protein powder.

Whatever you plan on curbing your ice cream cravings with, the Ninja Creami is up to the task and it has basically never been cheaper than right now. While the cheaper model offers everything I need, the Ninja Creami Deluxe is also down 20% to AU$359.99.

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Ninja, maker of some of the best air fryers, has unveiled a new machine that lets you cook and reheat food anywhere with a power outlet. The Ninja Crispi (following the same naming convention as the Foodi, Slushi, and Creami) is a portable air-fryer that will allow you to cook golden nuggets and fries in your kitchen, at your desk, or anywhere else you can plug it in.

The Crispi cooking system comprises a set of specially designed glass containers, with a Power Pod that snaps onto the top. Once attached, the Power Pod detects the size of the container (4qt or 6qt) and begins circulating super-heated air to cook the food within.

Each glass container also has a reusable lid, so you can take your prepared food or leftovers ready to crisp up at lunchtime. No more soggy microwaved meals or plastic boxes. Once you're done, the whole system stacks together to take up minimal space in your kitchen cupboard.

The world's your kitchen

The Crispi has four cooking modes (max crisp, bake, air fry and re-crisp), and according to Ninja, it can handle anything from light snacks through to a 4lb chicken. Bear in mind that it doesn't have an odor-absorbing filter, so preparing a roast at your desk might make you quite unpopular unless you're willing to share.

The Crispi is available to order now for $159.99 (about £120 / AU$230) direct from Ninja, and will be stocked at large US stores later this fall. Looking for something more conventional? Our roundup of the best air fryers is full of options if you'd rather confine cooking to your kitchen.

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Ninja Luxe Café: two-minute review

The Ninja Luxe Café is a three-in-one bean-to-cup coffee machine that makes espresso, drip coffee, and cold brew. With its grind size suggestions based on the type of drink, a weight-based dosage system, and an automatic milk frother, much of the guesswork when it comes to perfecting your brew is taken out of the equation It’s perfect for novices who are just beginning to dip their toes in the espresso world. But the real question is, does the Ninja Luxe Café actually deliver on its claim? And I’m happy to report that, for the most part, it does.

Ninja has been in the small kitchen gadget game for a while now, with a range of pod and drip coffee machines including the Ninja DualBrew Pro, but the Luxe Café is its first foray into bean-to-cup espresso machines - a field that's currently dominated by brands like Breville and De’Longhi. In fact, the Luxe Café goes head to head with one of Breville’s most popular semi-automatic espresso machines, the Breville the Barista Express - and in my opinion, it comes out ahead thanks to the lower price tag, foolproof espresso system, and ability to also brew drip coffee.

As soon as I took the Ninja Luxe Café out of its packaging, it looked and felt like a far more expensive machine. Though bulky, its sleek stainless steel body with black accents fit right into my kitchen. Given all that’s happening on this coffee maker, with its wealth of features and massive display, it’s a little intimidating at first but surprisingly easy to master.

The range of tools (like a funnel that does a decent job at keeping grinds in the filter and Luxe basket for quad shots and coffee brews) are nice inclusions, and Ninja has added a space to store these tools and more when not in use. Talk about convenience. However, it’s missing a hot water line for americanos, tea, and other beverages, I wish one could’ve been incorporated in some way.

The Ninja Luxe Café looks the part of a quality bean-to-cup machine, and luckily, it performs just as great. The grind size suggestions and weight-based dosage system were a huge boon, ensuring I had the perfect espresso pull every time with a lovely golden crema and strong, smooth taste. On the coffee side, the hot coffee and cold brew turned out great with minimal effort, as I never needed to measure out the proper amount of ground coffee or determine the proper grind size. However, the four different coffee settings were a bit gimmicky and unnecessary. A cold brew and classic coffee would’ve been fine.

When I wanted to make a latte, cappuccino, or flat white, the automatic milk frother settings almost always worked with my 2% milk, creating a lovely microfoam with no skill needed. Unfortunately, the frother didn’t perform as well with oat milk, not a major surprise, as this is the case with many plant-based milks. A cold foam setting is also available but didn’t work with either of my milks.

There is, however, a manual option that you can enable by leaving the wand up, selecting 'steamed milk'. and holding 'start froth' for three seconds. This will give you full control over the texture and temperature of your milk, letting you adjust your technique on the fly whether you're using dairy or a plant-based alternative.

Overall, if you’re a beginner who wants a quality, great value espresso machine that makes it easy to pull the perfect shot, the Ninja Luxe Café is for you. Even experienced at-home baristas will appreciate the excellent results this machine delivers. And it’s hard to beat the bonus of brewing tasty classic coffee and cold brew too.

Ninja Luxe Café review: price and availability

• List price: $499.99 (about £400 / AU$750)
• Launch date: June 2024
• Availability: US

The Ninja Luxe Café’s launch price was $499.99 (about £400 / AU$750), and at the time of writing it is only available in the US. It can be purchased directly from the manufacturer's website, or from third-party retailers including Best Buy and Amazon. This bean-to-cup machine was only recently released, don’t expect to find any major discounts for at least a few months.

Sitting right at a mid-range price point in the wider market, the Ninja Luxe Café’s versatility, solid performance, ease of use, and stunning build quality punch far above its weight. I would’ve expected this machine to cost far more, and it’s sure to give the ever-popular Breville The Barista Express a run for its money, especially since Breville’s offering costs $200 more and does less.

• Value for money score: 5 out of 5

Ninja Luxe Café review: specs

Ninja Luxe Café review: design

• Stunning, sturdy build
• Massive display
• Helpful storage features
• Lacks hot water line

Besides one glaring omission, I have almost no notes on the design of the Ninja Luxe Café. Like any bean-to-cup machine, it’s definitely not compact and takes up a good chunk of counter space and just fits under my kitchen cabinets, measuring 12.99 x 13.39 x 14.57in / 330 x 340 x 370mm (L x W x H). That’s just a little bit bigger than the most recent semi-automatic espresso machine I’ve been using, the Casabrews 5700Pro. At least Ninja’s offering is extremely versatile, making the most of that extra space it takes up. Weighing 25.73lb / 11.67kg, it’s also quite heavy, so I tried to move it around as little as possible.

As soon as I removed the Ninja Luxe Café from the box, I was struck by its sleekness, offering a stainless steel finish with black accents. Even the packaging for the tools oozed elegance. It was far nicer than I expected considering the reasonable price tag. It truly looks and feels like something that should be twice that price. Each component was sturdy and built to last.

Setting up this bean-to-cup machine was on par with others I tested, taking me just over 20 minutes to have my first shot of espresso ready to go. However, the Luxe Café is unique, as it calibrates itself, so you don’t need to experiment with different grind sizes for a great espresso pull. The hardness of your water is even taken into account, helping to perfect the extraction. If you’ve never used an at home espresso machine before, it’s a little overwhelming initially. A few instructional videos and an instruction book were helpful in navigating the Luxe Café.

After it was put together, I played around with the design features. Ninja thought of almost everything. The accessory storage was probably my favorite, as it’s a rarity on espresso machines. It drives me crazy to have components lying around waiting to be lost. A handy little door on the side of the machine opens up, letting you store a few cleaning tools, along with the double and Luxe baskets for the portafilter. The opposite side of the machine houses the tamper and funnel – which helps prevent grinds from getting everywhere while grinding – for ultra-easy access.

On top of the machine sits the removable bean hopper/grinder with a UV-protective lid to keep the beans fresher longer with an easy-to-use dial for adjusting grind size on the side, while around the back is a removable 70oz water reservoir. The water reservoir doesn’t appear to have any major filter, or the option to add one – a slight disappointment – and isn’t the easiest to reach given the location at the back of the machine under my cabinets. That’s not dissimilar to other coffee makers. Still, it holds a good amount of water. I refilled it only a couple of times per week after making about three beverages a day.

All the action happens at the front of the machine, and its most striking feature is the massive display running almost its entire width. The display lacks touch control, but a wealth of buttons and a couple of knobs made navigating relatively simple after familiarizing myself with the system.

Above the grinder, the display informs you of the current and recommended grind sizes based on the type of brew. Red warnings will even light up if the funnel, hopper, or portafiler aren’t installed or the coffee beans are out. It’s honestly pretty foolproof.

The center of the display right above the group head, which securely holds the portafilter during brewing, is where the type of brew is selected. On the espresso side, double, quad, and cold-press options are available, and the coffee side features a classic, rich, over-ice, and cold brew setting, along with various size options. Also at the center is the progress bar – a handy little tool that informs how far along in grinding, brewing, or milk frothing you are. Similar to the red warnings on the grinding side of the display, a rinse notification will display when the group head needs a quick clean.

Finally, above the frother are the milk frothing settings. Unlike many semi-automatic brewers, this one lets you select foam levels and milk type: dairy or plant-based. I only had to add the milk to the jug with an integrated whisk and place it in its designated location with the steam wand inserted. The jug even has size markings inside and outside, so you get the proper milk levels. The steam wand automatically purges after frothing, though a 'purge' button is available. This side of the display also indicates when the water reservoir needs to be filled.

At the base of the Ninja Luxe Café is the main drip tray and a separate center drip tray. It felt unnecessarily complicated being two components. However, having a separate center drip tray makes it possible to use larger travel mugs. On the side of the main drip tray is a tiny indicator, letting you know when it’s full and needs emptying. I had to empty it every few days of use. Beyond the removable center drip tray, another sturdy adjustable cup tray can be set at different levels, depending on the vessel – a handy addition that prevents splashing.

It truly seems that Ninja thought of everything when crafting the Luxe Café, except for a water line. I love having a hot water option to make an americano, tea, or other warm beverage. Integrating one into the steam wand or elsewhere would’ve brought the machine near perfection level in terms of design. Instead, I relied on a kettle, something I never had to do with my usual espresso machine.

As for the accessories, the portafilter also doubles as a brewer for the coffee settings on the machine. It comes with two baskets: double and Luxe. When using the coffee settings or brewing a quad shot, the Luxe basket must be installed. Like most portafilters, it’s a bit of a struggle to swap baskets, but that ensures they remain securely in place when dumping grinds. Unfortunately, it costs extra for the knock box to remove the grinds. Luckily, the grinds come out relatively easy with just a few whacks against the garbage can.

Beyond the portafilter, many of the other accessories deal with maintenance. A descaling powder, a cleaning disc, a cleaning brush, and a couple of cleaning tablets ensure the machine remains in tip-top shape.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Ninja Luxe Café review: performance

• Handy grind size suggestions and automatic weight-based dosage
• Consistently great espresso pulls and coffee brews
• Quick and easy to use

The Ninja Luxe Café is far easier to master than other semi-automatic espresso machines; even novices should figure it out quickly. That’s, in large part, thanks to the machine’s ability to automatically suggest grind sizes based on the type of drink brewed, the weight-based dosage system for the perfect amount of grinds depending on the drink, and the hands-free frother to dial in the ideal amount of microfoam.

Admittedly, the whole system is a little overwhelming initially, especially the large display and various controls. But, after a couple of brews, I had it down to a science and had to do far less experimenting with grind size than usual to pull the perfect espresso shot, wasting less pricey coffee beans and time. Regular coffee always requires less effort for a solid brew, and this machine delivered a great classic cup of joe on the first try.

Seven different types of brews are available with Ninja Luxe Café. On the espresso side is a double, quad, and cold-pressed extraction, while coffee can be brewed classic, rich, over-ice, and cold brew. I tested out every setting to see how each stacked up.

I started with the double espresso shot, my most used setting over the testing period. Installing the double basket on the portafilter required a little muscle while the funnel easily latches on top. Inserting the portafilter into the grinder will automatically adjust the brew setting options based on the installed basket. With the double basket, only a double or cold-pressed extraction was available. Turning the large main knob lets you select the setting. If the funnel isn’t on when the portafilter is inserted into the grinder, a warning will pop up – I forgot to use it many times.

The machine then tells you the ideal grind size for the espresso pull, and you can adjust to the suggested grind size using a knob on the side of the machine. I adjusted accordingly and started the grind. The progress bar at the center of the display let me know how far along in the process I was.

After grinding, it was time to brew. I used the tamper with the funnel still attached to level the freshly ground coffee. It did a successful job of keeping the grinds in the basket most of the time, but on several occasions, a good deal of grinds managed to escape. This usually happened when the basket was extremely full, or I inserted the tamper too fast.

Placing the portafilter securely into the group head takes some effort, and I usually had to hold the body of the coffee maker to prevent the whole setup from moving. From there, I moved the handy little adjustable cup tray to fit my mug and pressed the large center knob to begin the brew, watching the progress bar begin to flash. Less than a minute later, a beep indicated that my double-shot espresso was ready. The whole process is quiet too, averaging about 60dB, so you don’t need to worry about waking others in the household for an early morning caffeine fix.

The espresso shot had a thick golden crema that could briefly hold a small sprinkling of granulated sugar before falling through. The crema then reformed after; a tell-tale sign of great pull. Its taste was equally wonderful, rich, and smooth with a slight acidity.

Without fail, each espresso pull after my initial yielded similar results, including the quad shot and cold-pressed extraction. However, the cold-pressed extraction only reached about 80°F compared to the 120°F for the other two espresso shot settings. It also took slightly longer to brew at 2.5 minutes but was perfect for my iced lattes and prevented ice melt. Of course, results will also vary based on the type of coffee beans used. I stuck with quality beans from Stumptown and Groundwork during my testing.

Brewing coffee follows a similar process, although the larger Luxe basket will always be installed and there’s no need to use the tamper. The grind sizes for all the coffee brews were significantly larger than the espresso, and there are various brew size options from six oz to 18 oz. The Ninja Luxe Café automatically adjusts the amount of beans it grinds based on the brew size and weight. It’s honestly hard to beat the convenience of not needing to measure out anything ever.

The coffee brews took longer than the espresso pulls, at around three to six minutes, depending on the setting and size. The results were consistently flavorful with just a slight bitterness, never watered down which was one of my fears. However, if you asked me to differentiate between the 'rich' and 'classic' settings, I wouldn’t be able to. Each tasted great and had a temperature of around 160°F. The same goes for the 'over-ice' and 'cold brew'. Both settings brewed the coffee at a lower temperature around 100°F, but I couldn’t tell you the difference between the two. The Ninja DualBrew Pro I reviewed in 2023 had similar setting options and results. It all just seems sort of gimmicky on an otherwise awesome machine.

Beyond brewing espresso and coffee, the Ninja Luxe Café offers a hands-free milk frother for those coffeehouse-style drinks at home. It’s sometimes a struggle to get the perfect microfoam from a steam wand, and this takes all the guesswork away. The milk jug has an integrated whisk, and when combined with a steam wand on the machine, frothing was easier than ever. I could even choose between four presets: steamed milk, thin froth, thick froth, and cold foam.

I tested all the froth presets with both 2% milk and oat milk. With 2% milk, the frothing settings worked just as expected (for the most part). The steamed milk yielded little foam just warming the milk, the thin froth had a nice bit of microfoam ideal for latte art and flat whites, while the thick froth had a nice fluffy foam on top that lasted the entire time I drank my cappuccino. Unfortunately, the oat milk struggled to form much of a microfoam, even on the thick froth setting. But these results aren’t uncommon for plant-based milks, so I don’t fully fault the machine. I also failed to create a cold foam, as heavy cream is required for that setting.

If you're comfortable frothing your milk the traditional way, you can switch the steam wand to manual mode instead. This will give you more flexibility, letting you adjust your technique to suit plant and dairy milks.

When it comes to maintenance, the Luxe Café attempts to keep things as simple as possible. Besides rinsing the portafilter, emptying the drip tray, and wiping down the machine, there isn’t much hands-on cleaning that needs to be done. Even after several weeks of use, the machine looked is good as new besides a few splashes of coffee on the front panel and grinds in the drip tray.

Occasionally, the coffee maker's internals will need a thorough cleaning, but the most you will have to do is either fill the water reservoir with a descaling solution or insert the cleaning disc and tablet into the portafilter, and press a few buttons after. It’s all very manageable.

Overall, the Ninja Luxe Café delivered on its promises of uncomplicating espresso. It consistently created quality espresso and made things simpler by intuitively dosing and providing the correct grind level for the perfect pull, something you’d be hard-pressed to find on other semi-automatic espresso machines at this price point. The milk frother made it possible to create some near-coffeehouse-level lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites at home, which in the long run could end up saving you a ton of money. Plus, it's a nice bonus to get delicious regular and iced coffee brews from the same machine — a feature you don’t see in most mid-range bean-to-cup offerings.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Ninja Luxe Café?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Ninja Luxe Café: also consider

If you're not sure about the Ninja Luxe Café, here are a couple of other options to think about

How I tested the Ninja Luxe Café

I used the Ninja Luxe Café for several weeks at home, making two to three coffee drinks per day using high quality Stumtown and Groundwork coffee beans. During testing, I noted flavors, consistency, temperature, time to brew, and noise levels. Beyond drinking the espresso and coffee black, I tried the different milk frother presets with both dairy and plant-based milk, observing the foam levels and differences between settings. In the end, I tested almost every setting on the bean-to-cup machine and observed how it held up to usage.

Ninja Slushi: two-minute review

Frozen drink connoisseurs rejoice - the Ninja Slushi is here. Even the best blenders, tend to create watered-down beverages full of ice chunks, but this machine aims to deliver your favorite frozen drinks, from milkshakes to spiked slushies, at the perfect temperature, with an ideal texture, in under 60 minutes. That’s thanks to RapidChill Technology, which uses an evaporator, auger, and motor to continuously rotate the liquid while chilling. But does this kitchen gadget deliver on these promises? For the most part, yes.

Ninja has been in the small appliance game for a while and is known for creating quality, mid-range products from coffee makers to air fryers. However, the Slushi is a completely new and unique product from the brand, paving its own path. In fact, there’s really nothing like it on the market. Sure, there are a few at-home slushie machines, but none come close to the Slushi’s versatility, making this device worth the higher price tag.

It’s even poised for the same viral popularity as the Ninja Creami; at the time of writing, the Slushi is sold out. But Is the Ninja Slushi worth the hype? Yes, as long as you love a frozen drink and set your expectations accordingly.

This slushie machine is a bit heavy and tall, but surprisingly easy to use with a straightforward control panel featuring presets that automatically set the optimal temperature. The five presets are slush, spiked slush, frappe, milkshake, and frozen juice. Some recipes are as simple as pouring a juice or soda into the vessel and watching the machine turn your drink into slush in as little as 15 minutes, all while staying whisper quiet.

I managed to test out most of the Ninja Slushi’s presets to varying results. The machine produced the best consistency using tropical juice in the frozen juice setting, and Coke in slush mode, with both beverages ready to drink in under 20 minutes. Making those drinks thicker using the temperature controls on the panel was also simple.

However, when testing the frappe mode, my drink came out extremely frothy, and the strawberry daiquiri on the spiked slush mode was too liquid, even after adjusting the temperature to the coolest setting.

Though there were some slight texture issues, the drinks were delicious and never watered down like the ones made in blenders tend to be. Clean-up afterward is less hassle than you'd expect, too. A rinse cycle does a great job of removing stuck-on residue, and most components are easily removable and dishwasher-safe.

The Ninja Slushi is a solid machine that’s especially well-suited for those who love to entertain, as it’s capable of making up to 64oz of frozen drinks that will remain frozen for up to 12 hours, and has an easy-pour handle for guests to serve themselves. However, given the high $299.99 (about £240 / AU$470) price tag, it’s only worth the investment for those who adore a variety of frozen drinks and plan to use this kitchen gadget regularly.

Ninja Slushi review: price and availability

• List price: $299.99 / AU$499.99 (about £240)
• Launch date: July 2024; February 2025 in Australia
• Availability: Select markets, including US and Australia

The Ninja Slushi retails for $299.99 / AU$499.99 (about £240) and initially was only available in the US. As of February 2025, it's also now available in Australia. However, it’s currently sold out. It’s possible to join a waitlist on the Ninja website to be notified when the machine is back in stock. Given this product is brand new and extremely popular, don’t expect to see any major discounts on the Ninja Slushi for a few months to a year.

Slushie machines are few and far between. When comparing the Ninja Slushi to others on the market, nothing beats its versatility and ease of use. The Slushi is in a category all its own, and the high price tag reflects the uniqueness of this kitchen gadget. Since the build quality is solid and the machine delivers on the promise of producing less watered-down frozen drinks quickly, it’s good value for money. However, I would only invest in this machine if you love frozen beverages and plan to use it regularly.

Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5

Ninja Slushi review: specs

Ninja Slushi review: design

• Heavy and tall build
• Sleek, simple design that highlights drinks
• Straightforward control panel

The Ninja Slushi resembles a smaller version of the slushie machines you see at the movie theater or convenience store. It’s still a hulking device that takes up a good amount of space, weighing 24.25lb / 11kg and measuring 16.28 x 6.52 x 16.92in / 414 x 166 x 430mm (L x W x H).

The narrow design allows it to squeeze between other appliances. My biggest issue was height, as the Slushi failed to fit under my kitchen cabinets. That led to lots of rearranging of kitchen gadgets. Given its size and weight, the Slushi isn’t something you’ll want to move often. At least the power cord reached a long way, which was necessary for my final placement.

Assembling the Ninja Slushi was an absolute breeze. Out of the box, it came almost fully assembled. The two-part drip tray was the only component not attached. There's a handy notch on the side panel to slot the drip tray when you store the machine, ensuring it doesn’t get lost.

Before the first use, I washed the vessel and auger. The evaporator needs to be wiped down, as it’s not removable. That process was fairly simple, and the machine comes covered in stickers and has multiple instruction booklets to help you along while removing different components.

Once it's set up, the Ninja Slushi looks awesome, and is definitely a conversation piece when you have friends over. The arctic blue and gray coloring is simple and stylish, while the clear vessel for frozen beverages looks especially flashy with colorful, fruity drinks inside. It’s mesmerizing watching the evaporator and auger do their thing, creating and spinning the slush.

Most of the machine’s components are plastic, but feel sturdy. However, the vessel, which can hold up to 64oz / 1.9L of slush, seems a little flimsy and could crack if accidentally dropped during cleaning. I also would have loved a metal handle for pouring, but the one included feels solid enough to last several years.

The Ninja Slushi’s control panel is straightforward. There are five presets to choose from when making a drink: slush, spiked slush, frappe, milkshake, and frozen juice. After selecting a preset, the machine will begin the cooling process with a small LED illuminating the selection. A beep indicates that the beverage has reached the desired temperature (each option sets the optimal temperature for your drink of choice).

On the opposite side of the presets is the temperature control with easy-to-press up and down arrow buttons to adjust the preset temperature. The LEDs indicate the current set temperature, and will blink as the beverage cools to the set temperature. Blinking will stop and the LEDs will remain lit when that temperature is achieved. It’s
super simple and took me less than a minute to figure out how the control panel worked.

Design score: 4 out of 5

Ninja Slushi review: performance

• Easy to create frozen drinks quickly
• Not always the best drink consistency
• Quiet operation

The Ninja Slushi may be one of the easiest kitchen appliances to master, as it mainly involves pressing a couple of buttons and letting the machine do its thing. Sure, I had to mix up a few beverages before pouring them into the vessel, and occasionally tap the temperature control for the proper slush consistency, but that’s it. Never needing to deal with ice makes life so much easier.

Out of the five different drink presets available, I tested four. My first drink was a tropical juice slush. It just involved pouring juice straight from the carton into the vessel. There’s a 16oz / 473ml minimum for liquids, and it’s well-marked on the vessel. The inability to make smaller portions is a slight annoyance, but you can leave the machine on for up to 12 hours – plenty of time to finish the frozen beverage.

Since I was drinking the tropical juice slush alone, I only filled the drink to the minimum mark. After turning on the machine and pressing the Frozen Juice preset, the Ninja Slushi’s auger attached to the motor immediately began to spin. Thanks to the Whisperchill compressor, the machine only hit about 55dB while in use. The noise level is consistent and around the same level as an electric fan. I found it quickly became a barely noticeable background sound.

After about seven minutes, I noticed the drink getting thicker, and after 15 minutes it beeped and the temperature control LED stopped flashing, indicating the drink was finished. Ninja was right on the money, stating you could have a frozen drink in under 15 minutes.

Immediately after finishing, I poured myself a glass of frozen juice. As I pulled the handle towards me, the beverage started to come out, but it didn’t dispense smoothly, coming out in clumps. Still, the drink itself had a lovely consistency but melted rather quickly. With the RapidChill technology that allows the machine to forgo ice, my tropical frozen juice wasn’t watered down in the slightest, maintaining a rich, tangy flavor.

I tested the machine further using the temperature control panel to make the beverage thicker. It worked like a charm, with the consistency getting chunkier in under 10 minutes. I also let the drink just spin for about four hours. Even after all that time, it tasted the same with a similar texture. Just be prepared for the machine itself to get a little warm

Beyond the frozen juice setting, I was hyped to try the frappe mode, as I love these blended coffee beverages. To make it, I followed a recipe in the instruction manual. Around 25 minutes after pressing the frappe preset, the drink was finished. Unfortunately, when I poured it out, it was excessively frothy. Still delicious, but almost my entire glass was filled with foam. That’s not the ideal situation when trying to get your caffeine fix, but not having it become a watery, tasteless drink after melting was a huge boon.

Using the spiked slush preset also had its own issues, as the drink would come out too liquid, even on the coolest setting. It was also ready surprisingly fast, at under 25 minutes, when the drink was estimated to take closer to 45 minutes. That could be due to the alcohol content, as the recipe for the strawberry daiquiri I created called for a tiny amount of rum (a third of a cup to served between four and six people), so I added more. However, the machine alerts you when too much alcohol is in the vessel, and that didn’t happen. Maybe pre-mixed alcoholic beverages or wine slushies would’ve worked a little better. The drink still tasted great and had some slushiness to enjoy.

Similar to alcohol, a low sugar warning goes off when the minimum sugar levels aren’t met. It’s an easy fix, as you can add sugar, syrups, and honey to meet the requirements. Just don’t expect to be drinking low-calorie beverages, as artificial sweeteners and sugar-free substitutes will not meet the recommended sugar minimum.

Another slight qualm with the machine was the martini glass for the daiquiri didn’t fit under the spout when the drip tray was installed, leading to drips on the tabletop when I was pouring. Also, at one point, I didn’t have the removable shroud attached to the spout, and the slush splashed everywhere, so don’t make that mistake.

For my final frozen beverage, I made a Coke slush using the slush preset. After about 20 minutes, this soda slush yielded the best results of the bunch with a great consistency that took me straight back to my childhood of getting slushies from the machine at the movie theater.

Even if the results weren’t always perfect when making my different beverages, the Ninja Slushi achieved what it promised, creating a less watered-down frozen drink quickly. Sure, the texture wasn’t always ideal, but I was never left with the random ice chunks you’d get from a blender. Some of the machine’s problems could have been human error; more experimenting could’ve yielded better results.

Cleaning the Ninja Slushi was easier than it looked. The machine runs a rinse cycle after finishing the frozen drink, which does a solid initial clean, helping to remove any sticky residue from the components. After that, a bail handle lets you remove the vessel, auger, and drip tray for a more thorough cleaning. I had some issues with dripping upon removal, but tipping the vessel upwards helped alleviate the problem. The condensation catch also needs to be dumped and rinsed.

If you’re hand washing the vessel, it’s a bit of a pain to get in all the nooks and crannies, but it didn’t take me more than two minutes to clean. The auger and drip tray took less time. Most components are dishwasher safe, but note that the motor base and evaporator need to be wiped down by hand. Other than cleaning, no regular maintenance is required on the Ninja Slushi.

Performance score: 3.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Ninja Slushi?

Buy it if...

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How I tested the Ninja Slushi

I tested the Ninja Slushi for a couple of weeks, making various frozen beverages in the machine for myself and a few friends. I used four out of the five presets available: slush, spiked slush, frappe, and frozen juice. Beyond observing the texture and taste of the different slushies, I used a decibel reader on my phone to measure the noise levels.

First reviewed August 2024

Ninja has launched a new three-in-one coffee maker that makes precisely-measured espresso, cold brew, and drip coffee. The Ninja Luxe Café also has grinder with 25 settings, a scale for weighing out the perfect dose of coffee for your preferred brew an automatic milk frother and whisk to get exactly the right texture for your drink.

The espresso option lets you choose your preferred strength and temperature, with double and quadruple shot settings for those mornings when you need an extra kick to get you started.

The drip coffee option can brew 6-18oz coffee hot or cold, and for the summer, the machine can also make cold-pressed espresso shots (useful for an espresso martini, or espresso and tonic). Cold pressing doesn't extract the same flavors as using hot water, and (like cold brewing) generally produces a less acidic, more mellow tasting drink.

If you're not confident wielding a steam wand, there's also a hands-free froth system that combines steaming and whisking to get exactly the right texture. You can use dairy or plant milk, and take your pick from steamed milk, thin froth, thick froth, and cold foam. The only thing it won't do is pour the latte art for you.

The Ninja Luxe Café is available to buy direct from Ninja for $499.99, making it a more affordable alternative to multi-function coffee machines like the all-singing, all-dancing Jura Z10 (albeit without the Wi-Fi connectivity). The Luxe Café will soon be on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target too.

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• US: View DoubleStack Air Fryer at Ninja

Ninja Double Stack air fryer: two-minute review

The Ninja Double Stack air fryer demonstrates once again that the brand is king of convection cooking, offering blazing cooking speeds in a clever form factor that serves to address the needs of smaller households and keen cooks the world over. Without a doubt, it’s one of the best air fryers I’ve ever used – and I’ve used a fair few at this point.

Shopping for the perfect air fryer can leave you feeling a bit like Goldilocks, and especially if counter space is at a premium in your kitchen. A two-drawer model like the Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone technology might be perfect for the number of mouths you typically have to feed, but these are typically behemoths. Alternatively, you could opt for one of the best small air fryers, but then these often have a meager, sometimes single-portion only capacity.

It’s been my perennial issue as a single-person household that regularly has guests. My kitchen is fairly compact, so I've been incredibly limited for space when I’ve tested larger models like the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Dual Air Fryer. That’s why since I learned about the Ninja Double Stack air fryer – styled as the DoubleStack in the US – I’ve been itching to get my hands on it.

As the name suggests, the Ninja Double Stack air fryer stacks its two cooking drawers stop one another instead of side by side, as we tend to see in dual-basket air fryers. Instead of a top- or front-mounted dashboard, a small panel juts out to the right side of the device, hosting all the functions and controls you’ll need to operate the Double Stack. Plus, Ninja has even thrown in two extra racks, which can be slotted in above the main crisper plate, giving you bonus surface area to cook with – though the grill spacing makes these far better for larger food items.

Just like other products in the Ninja line, I saw great results from the Double Stack air fryer, from delicious fluffy fries to perfectly crispy chicken and succulent salmon. It should be no surprise, but I was concerned before trying the device that the cooking quality may have been compromised by the new design. Thankfully, there were no cooking compromises that I could detect. The only real down-side is the price, which is on the high side for a dual-basket air fryer – but for those who need to protect their precious counter space, it's well worth the extra cost. Here's my full review.

Ninja Double Stack air fryer review: price & availability

• List price: XL (8.3qt / 9.5L): $229.99 / £269.99 / AU$479
• Availability: UK, US, Australia and other markets

At time of writing, the Ninja Double Stack was available in the UK and US, but was released in Australia in October 2024. In its XL 8.3qt / 9.5L capacity, it has a list price of $229.99 / £269.99 / AU$479. There should also be a standard, 6.7qt / 7.6L model to go alongside the XL model reviewed here, but since the devices were first announced earlier this year, we haven't heard anything about it.

The Double Stack XL is a fair bit more expensive than comparable double-drawer air fryers like the Instant Vortex 9-quart air fryer, which costs $199.95 / £199.99 / AU$399, but for the price difference, you get an as of writing one-of-a-kind device offering superior performance and maximum air frying potential.

It comes with two non-stick, dishwasher-safe drawers and crisper plates, two stainless steel racks and a recipe guide.

• Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5

Ninja Double Stack air fryer specs

Ninja Double Stack air fryer review: design

• Space-efficient design, with two drawers stacked vertically
• Side-mounted dashboard
• Two extra stainless steel racks doubles the cooking space

For anyone with a smaller kitchen or who prefers a more compact setup, the Ninja Double Stack is a revelation. It’s the first air fryer to stack two drawers vertically to optimize counter space, and the inclusion of its two stainless steel racks doubles the surface area available for cooking. The air fryer is available in one colorway; a sophisticated slate gray shell, with ridged silver handles. It’s simple and subtle, and I personally prefer that to the glossy black cladding many air fryers opt for.

To account for those who might have lower-hanging cabinets, the controls for the Double Stack are mounted to the right of the air fryer, which does add 2in / 5cm to the overall width. However, it’s fairly unobtrusive, and unless you plan on having the right side of the air fryer flush to the wall shouldn’t pose a problem (reminder that you should be leaving at least 5 inches of space around an air fryer if you don’t want to make one of the biggest mistakes of air fryer cooking).

The side panel offers all the usual Ninja air fryer features. There’s a screen at the top which shows the timer for each drawer as well as the temperature setting. Beneath are numbered buttons to individually control each drawer, as well as a list of the six presets for air frying, roasting, max crisp, reheating, baking and dehydrating. Each setting has a light indicator next to it to show which mode is currently selected, and you can tweak the settings using the temperature and time buttons in tandem with the roller dial. Lastly, you’ll find the Double Stack Pro, Sync and Match buttons above the power and stop / start buttons.

Its two dishwasher-friendly 5qt / 4.75L baskets have individual handles, so you can fully manage each drawer independently. However, if you’re using the two stainless steel trays on top of the base crisper plates, it might be a little more annoying to flip and adjust your food mid-cooking cycle. Ninja has made efforts to ease this slight drawback by adding handles to the trays, making them nice and easy to quickly remove.

It’s worth noting that the back of the baskets each have a grate with fairly large holes, so it’s not suitable for cooking high volumes of liquid – we recommend against cooking these kinds of dishes in an air fryer instead of one of the best instant pots, regardless, but some users do like to break convention. These holes also mean that if you shake particularly oily, batter-laden or otherwise messy foods, some liquid may splash behind the baskets onto the back of the air fryer. It’s a very small issue judging by my testing so far, so long as you keep on top of cleaning the Double Stack.

• Design score: 5 out of 5

Ninja Double Stack air fryer review: performance

• Same fantastic performance as other Ninja air fryers
• Perfectly crisp chicken wings and fluffy fries
• Time and effort-saving Sync and Match settings

Before I tested the Ninja Double Stack air fryer, I was a little dubious about how its performance would hold up against other Ninja models I’ve tested. Surely, there would be a compromise to vertically stacking the drawers, otherwise, it would have been done far sooner, right?

Thankfully that doesn’t seem to be the case with the Double Stack. Everything I cooked came out just as good as I’d expected, with perfectly crispy chicken wings without the need for a drop of oil, and gorgeous fluffy fries with the perfect amount of bite. There was a small degree of unevenness; fries towards the back of the basket cooked ever so slightly faster than the front, but it was to such a small degree I don’t think most users would notice.

The Double Stack offers six cooking modes – Air Fry, Max Crisp, Roast, Bake, Dehydrate, and Reheat – all of which work just as well as in other Ninja air fryers. The different modes all have different temperature and time limits, but the Double Stack can reach temperatures of 450F / 240C and cook for up to an hour. It doesn’t require pre-heating, meaning you can get straight to cooking.

Food cooked on the stainless steel trays seems to fare just as well, though you do lose the benefit of the crisp trays’ surface area. For some foods, that’s a benefit; you don’t always want foods to cook via contact as well as convection, which was definitely the case for the chicken wings I cooked across both types of trays.

You’ll also have to think about the overall temperature setting of each basket and put foods with like-for-like cooking times and temperatures in each basket, or open up the trays to add in food later. This can be slightly annoying at times; I had to strategically plan how I cooked four tapas dishes to make sure I’d optimized both the strengths and weaknesses of both types of tray, as well as the cooking times and temperatures of each dish. It’d still opt for this rather than heating up a whole oven, though.

In case you’re new to the world of Ninja air fryers, it’s worth highlighting the Sync and Match cooking modes, which work to ensure your food all comes out at the same time. Simply select your cooking mode, set your time and, if you’re synchronizing the two baskets, select the cooking times for each, and you’re all set.

Unlike other dual-drawer models I’ve tested, including Ninja’s Instant Vortex 9-quart air fryer, there’s virtually no heat leakage between the two trays, which is excellent news if you’re working with very precise foods or just don’t want to waste energy by passively heating two areas when you only need one.

On the down-side, you can’t cook larger foods like pizzas or whole chickens in the Double Stack like you can in wider air fryers with larger cooking cavities. It’s the natural trade-off with its smaller footprint, and there are plenty of options that do cater to that need, if that's your priority. While Ninja claims the XL model I tested can feed eight people, I’d say that’s a little ambitious unless you’re padding out the meal with non-air fryer foods too.

• Performance score: 5 out of 5

Should I buy the Ninja Double Stack air fryer?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Ninja Double Stack air fryer: alternatives to consider

How I tested the Ninja Double Stack air fryer

• I used the Ninja Double Stack air fryer for two weeks
• I used it to cook all of my meals, including chicken wings, fries and salmon
• I also tested the different cooking functions

I used the Ninja Double Stack air fryer as my main countertop cooker for two weeks, using it to cook everything from fries to chicken wings, salmon and even cauliflower cheese. I evaluated how each food item cooked across all four trays, using different settings to see how well each function performed. I assessed how succulent meat and fish were after cooking against how well the outside crisped, as well as the evenness of the browning, and how well fries managed to retain their internal fluffiness while still achieving crispy skin.

In addition to the cooking, I evaluated how easy maintenance was; is it easy to clean the baskets and trays both with and without a dishwasher, are there any extra considerations for cleaning, and how easy is the device to actually operate.

I’ve been testing air fryers for two years, and in that time I’ve tried everything from premium to affordable, single-serve to full family models. This experience combined with my love of food and cooking help to inform my findings in every review.

Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL: two-minute review

Ninja’s near-relentless mission to become king of all appliances continues with the launch of the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL, its first smart Woodfire offering huge capacity and the same delicious flavors. 

We loved the Ninja Woodfire, scoring it a perfect five stars in our review. Nevertheless, on a personal level, I’d remained largely unconvinced by Ninja’s outdoor cookers – until now. Adding smart features such as the app-connected thermostat and a higher capacity for catering to larger groups, the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL stands to make a grill master out of me yet. 

Delivering delicious smoky flavors, convenient smart cooking features, and fantastic ease of use, there’s very little to complain about with the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL BBQ Grill and Smoker. If I’m nitpicking, I’d say the hefty ‎40.2lb /18.3kg weight warrants the inclusion of the Ninja Woodfire stand, especially if you have a wooden table as I do and are concerned about it buckling; but that might have driven up the price enough to discourage prospective grillmasters, so I understand the logic. 

At 16.1 x 22.4 x 20.1in / ‎41 x 57 x 51cm, it’s a little larger than the 13.4 x 18.1in x 18.1in / 34 x 46 x 46cm  (h x w x d) standard Woodfire model, and enough so to offer 30% greater capacity according to Ninja. In practice, it offers some (much-needed) headroom, plus space for another portion or two of food – which, in my opinion, is more than enough to justify the meager $ / £50 / AU$ price difference. In addition, there’s the included smart thermostat, which can connect with the Ninja app to ensure perfect results every time. 

With that logic in mind, I’d go as far as to say the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL BBQ Grill and Smoker is far more than a capacity upgrade to the original model. It might not quite qualify as a next-generation device, but it iterates enough upon the success of the original to stand on its own four feet. 

Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL review: price & availability

• List price: $449 / £499
• Available in the US and UK, no confirmation on AU release

Available for $449 / £499 directly from Ninja US and Ninja UK, as well as third-party retailers such as Amazon, the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL is a fairly pricey purchase, coming in at around double the cost of a standard, basic BBQ – but you get a whole lot more for that price. 

It arrives with a sample pack of robust blend pellets, plus a pack of all-around blend wood pellets, which you can purchase separately for $32 / £30 for two 2lbs / 900g bags. Also included is the Ninja smart thermostat, which you can buy separately for $19.95 / £19.99, as well as a pellet scoop, a crisper basket, the grill plate, and the grease tray. 

There are a few further accessories you might need, however. The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL is water resistant to IPX4, but to keep it in good condition if storing outdoors, you’ll want the waterproof cover that costs an additional $25 / £25. 

While the outdoor cooker’s underside is heat-safe and won’t damage surfaces, it’s a fairly heavy piece of kit, so you might prefer to shell out for Ninja’s collapsible grill stand, too, which will set you back a further $150 / £130.

If you want the full assortment of accessories, there are a variety of bundles available through both Ninja and Amazon. 

Considering the original Woodfire sold for $370 / £350 at launch in 2023 and now is available for $399 / £399, the relatively slim price difference between the original and the new XL version makes for a compelling argument to spend a little more for a whole lot more.

• Value score: 4.5 out of 5

Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL specifications

Design

• Bigger capacity than the original
• Handy smart thermostat storage tray
• IPX4 water-resistant for rainy days

It’s pretty hard to make a BBQ, grill and smoker multicooker look sexy, but Ninja has certainly tried – and to great effect. Available in an attractive blue colorway, it’s a fairly robust device, weighing 40.2lbs/ 18.3kg and measuring 16.1 x 22.4 x 20.1in / ‎41 x 57 x 51cm.

One of the biggest design departures from the original Woodfire is the layout of the control panel, which has been entirely revamped. From left to right, you’ll find the seven cooking functions (Grill, Smoker, Roast, Bake, Dehydrate, Air Crisp, and Broil), which can be easily navigated using the Mode button, as well as the Woodfire Flavor button to the left, the LCD panel and temperature/time controls in the center, and the control dial, start/stop and thermometer buttons to the right. This offers a significant improvement over the original model, which we found difficult to navigate for our original review. 

Above the control panel is the lid handle, which stays cool even after longer cooking periods. A surprising omission, given the increased weight of the Pro Connect XL, is the handles – meaning it’s a little more difficult to maneuver than the original Woodfire. Thankfully, however, there are still small grips on either side to help you lift and maneuver the Woodfire Pro Connect XL. On the right-hand side of the device, you’ll find the wood pellet tray, and underneath the control panel is a slot that houses the smart thermostat when it isn’t in use.

One of the biggest drawbacks of the entire Woodfire product line is that none of the accessories are dishwasher-safe. This isn’t too much of an issue when it comes to the grill and grease tray, which are relatively easy to clean by hand; but the crisper basket is quite a chore to clean off after use. At least all of the accessories are non-stick, but due to the increased size of the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL, they’re just a little too large to soak in the sink.

Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL review: performance

• Delicious, smoky flavors
• Very easy to use
• Smart thermometer app pairing and features work well

As someone who isn’t really a fan of a BBQ, I was pleasantly surprised by how consistently and deliciously well the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL performed on-test. In terms of its cooking capabilities, it’s as successful as the original Woodfire; both smoked and unsmoked dishes were bursting with flavor and cooked to perfection. 

It’s easier than ever to smoke your meals with the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL. Simply throw in one level scoop of pellets, preheat the grill, and you’re set to throw on whatever you’re cooking. For my test, I tried chicken, ribs and asparagus with the robust blend wood pellets, using the smart thermostat to primarily test the internal temperature of the chicken. Following Ninja’s instructions, I set the Pro Connect XL to cook for one hour at 275°F / 135°C. 

Both the ribs and chicken cooked faster than the app had suggested, but it’s worth noting both were pretty lean to begin with. Regardless, the speed with which Ninja’s Woodfire cookers can work while still creating delicious food is incredibly impressive.

The results overall were spectacular. Enriched with smooth yet smoky flavors, the wood pellets had clearly done a fantastic job of imparting flavor to the meat. I loved that I barely had to interact with the cooker, freeing me up to speak with guests, tidy up the kitchen, or even file my taxes. 

I turned my food halfway through for this test, given it was a whole (albeit small) chicken we were cooking. For the next meal, I made chicken wings, where I didn’t see as much benefit from the flavor when left unturned – which is pretty similar to my experience with the original model. 

Even the non-smoke-enhanced cook settings work fantastically, netting me some deliciously grilled burgers, immaculately air-fried potato wedges, and crispy asparagus full of flavor – and moisture. We tried and enjoyed baking brownies in the previous model, and while I wouldn’t normally bake in my garden, having the ability to do so is useful if only for the Pro Connect’s app controls.  

If you opt to use the Woodfire technology for non-smoking settings, you really don’t need to use the recommended level scoop of wood pellets; better to be conservative with these fairly pricey pellets and opt for a half-scoop instead.

While the Woodfire Pro Connect XL is undoubtedly larger than the original, it’s nowhere near big enough to cater for larger groups. In terms of branding, Ninja would have been more accurate with “large”, since there’s nothing extra about this smart cooker when you’re feeding more than six people. 

All in all, the Woodfire Pro Connect XL is a spectacular addition to any patio, porch or plot, offering impressive (albeit sometimes unnecessary) versatility, fantastic flavor, and blistering cooking speeds.

Should I buy?

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How I tested the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL BBQ Grill and smoker

• I used the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL BBQ Grill and Smoker to cook a variety of meals over several weeks
• I tested all of its different cooking functions on vegetables, meat and fish
• I used the smart thermostat and app to test the functionality

I put the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL BBQ Grill and smoker through its paces by cooking a variety of different meals over the course of my three-week testing period – including chicken, ribs, salmon, pepper, asparagus and beans. 

I tried all of the different settings, including the Woodfire mode where appropriate, and used both of the sample flavor packs that came with the device. I compared the results to my previous experience with standard BBQs as well as the original Ninja Woodfire, evaluating how well it delivered on flavor and ease of use.

While I’m no grill master, I’ve been cooking on BBQs during the rare bouts of summer sun in the UK for years, and I’ve also tried a host of electric cookers, both indoors and outdoors during that time. 

Cooking up a big meal for family and friends can feel like a kitchen scene from The Bear – being stuck labouring over a hot stove isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, making for an incredibly stressful experience.

Thankfully, there are some fantastic kitchen gadgets to help make cooking a breeze, and air fryers top the list for ease-of-use when it comes to preparing meals. Some of the best air fryers can cost a pretty penny though, especially if you need a larger one to feed many mouths.

The Ninja Foodi Max XXXL air fryer (AF400) is a great fit for larger households, or those who love to have guests over for dinner – it has two separate cooking compartments, so you can have two dishes on the go at once, and it stops food contamination while cooking. In total, this air fryer boasts a massive 9.5L capacity, so you really can feed an army. 

Importantly, it's down to just AU$269, which is its best ever price on Amazon. It has an official RRP of AU$449, but Amazon's current list price matches a discount we'd seen towards the end of January. It had dropped to AU$318 last week (start of February), making this AU$269 discounted price a very delicious offer indeed – which is 40% off the actual RRP! 

You’ll be cooking up a storm in no time with this air fryer – the Ninja Foodi Max XXXL has six different functions built in. You can grill, fry, bake, roast, reheat and even dehydrate your food, all while using less oil than other traditional cooking methods.

See, an air fryer lives up to its name – circulating hot air inside the device to cook your meals to perfection. You don’t need large vats of oil to crisp up chips or other tasty delights, making for a healthier meal that still has a delectable crunch to it. 

What makes the Ninja Foodi Max XXXL really stand out is its aforementioned dual zones – most air fryers only have a single compartment, meaning you have to cook one portion of your meal, then wash out the basket if you want to avoid contamination. This dual basket system will let you cook twice as much at once, with independent cooking zones so you can set the temperature and times independently from one another.

It boasts a sleek finish with chrome-coloured accents and an easy-to-use button pad and dial for all your settings, acting as multiple different cooking appliances built into one.

When you’re all done, it’s super simple to clean as well, so you won’t be stuck in the kitchen cleaning up a large mess for too long. It has dishwasher-safe baskets, and non-stick crisper plates that need a simple handwash wash after each use, giving you more time to spend with your household or guests, without worrying about a stack of pots and pans in the sink.

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Update: we've had a chance to properly test this product – head to our Ninja Double Stack air fryer review to find out what we thought. 

SharkNinja has revealed a whole bunch of new products for the UK and Europe including a new air fryer and combi multi-cooker, which it hopes can sit up there with the best air fryers around.

The revelations came at an EMEA Forum event, where some 20 new Shark and Ninja products were shown off – we’ll give you all the highlights here.

Top of the list for us is the new Ninja Double Stack Air Fryer (above), where the selling point is the ability to cook double the food without eating into your kitchen worktop space as much.

By using removable racks, you get four layers of cooking in the two drawer compartments which are stacked on top of each other, with DualZone tech giving you the ability to cook for up to eight people, Ninja notes.

So, it’s possible to cook up to four different foods at the same time, and there’s the same ability to sync foods to finish simultaneously as with existing Ninja devices.

There are two different sized models of Double Stack Air Fryers, namely the SL300 with a 7.6L capacity, and the SL400 with a 9.5L capacity (above). The drawers also benefit from a non-stick ceramic coating, and there are six different modes of cooking: Air Fry, Max Crisp, Roast, Bake, Reheat, and Dehydrate.

We don’t have pricing for the Ninja Double Stack Air Fryer yet, or for any of the products unveiled here, for that matter – hopefully details will follow soon enough.

Another big launch is the new Ninja Combi 12-in-1 Multi-Cooker which is an all-in-one oven and air fryer that’s again capable of preparing meals for up to eight people.

The key points here are cooking healthier meals with greater convenience and speed, with Ninja’s Air Fry tech reducing fat content by up to 75%, we’re told. You can cook up to 50% faster than a conventional oven, and it’s possible to use frozen ingredients straight out of the freezer, with no defrosting required.

There are 12 cooking settings, as the 12-in-1 name suggests: Combi Meals, Combi Crisp, Combi Bake, Prove, Rice/Pasta, Steam, Grill, Air Fry, Bake, Reheat, Sear/Sauté, and Slow Cook.

With a 12.5L capacity and a two-level design, you can cook a main dish and two sides at the same time, and there are other useful perks like a keep warm function.

Full steam ahead

Moving to Shark products, a definite point of interest is a revamped Steam & Scrub mop with Steam Blaster Technology, the latter being a powerful blast of steam to deal with tougher spots of dirt and stains on the floor.

The Steam & Scrub with Steam Blaster also has LED lights, so you won’t miss any smaller marks that might otherwise fly under the radar, and the mop is detergent-free, yet removes 99.9% of bacteria according to Shark’s testing.

Back to Ninja, then, for a further revelation: the new Ninja Thirsti Drink System. This is a device in a Sodastream vein, allowing you to make your own carbonated drinks with different flavors and the ability to choose how strong those flavors taste.

There’s a bunch of Thirsti Flavor Pods to choose from, and the flexibility to create over a thousand drink combinations in total. On the health side of the equation, there’s no added sugar, natural colors, and real fruit is used (with vitamins added in some cases, such as a Revive Flavor Pod with zinc and vitamin C).

Like ice cream? Then you’ll be pleased to hear that the Ninja CREAMi now has a Deluxe version, with four new functions. In total, you get 10 one-touch options on this machine, namely: Ice Cream, Gelato, Sorbet, Light Ice Cream, Milkshake, Frappe, Slushi, Frozen Yogurt, Frozen Drink, and Mix-Ins.

What’s more, Ninja notes that the Ninja CREAMi Deluxe boasts 50% larger Max Tubs to allow for bigger frozen treats for the family.

Smart grilling

Ninja has also improved its grill with the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL Electric BBQ Grill & Smoker, which is 30% bigger than the original model. This is a smart grill, too, with an app that allows for remote cooking and gives you real-time notifications on how it’s all going.

The Ninja FrostVault Cooler is another of the entirely new products here, and this cooler is split into two sections. The DryZone drawer is capable of keeping food at refrigerator temperatures (under 4.5 degrees) for up to five days, and the cold FrostVault can keep ice from melting for the same period of time. It also doubles as a seat for camping trips, to boot.

Finally, another innovation Ninja has cooked up is the ProChef Connected Thermometer. This hooks up via Bluetooth to your phone, and pipes cooking updates to the Pro Connect app. The thermometer can withstand temperatures of 370 degrees, so there’s no worry of it melting in the oven, and it offers a battery life of 30 hours.

It’s also worth noting that the Ninja Detect Duo Power Blender Pro is now coming to the UK (it was out in the US already). This is a smart blender capable of sensing the ingredients it’s dealing with and adjusting its power and speed of the blades appropriately. Nifty.

We'll update this story as soon as we get pricing and release date for all of the products from SharkNinja. Until then, our dreams of a Double Stack Air Fryer will have to wait.

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One-minute review

The Ninja Blast is Ninja’s first portable blender, but it packs much the same punch as we’ve come to expect from the minds behind some of the best blenders you can buy. It’s stylish, it’s compact, and most importantly it makes quick work of smoothies.

Portable blenders make a fantastic addition to smaller household’s kitchens, and they’re perfect for putting in your gym bag as an easy way to guzzle down some nutrients post-workout, and the Ninja Blast is laser-focused on meeting these specific needs. 

The blender is immensely portable thanks to its to-go lid, handle, lightweight design and two extra caps – one to cover the blades and one to screw onto the bottom of the main blending chamber for when you’re out and about and don’t want to carry the heavy base.

It’s entirely cordless, and with a full battery can blend 10-15 times before it needs to be charged via the supplied USB-C cable, which takes approximately two hours. 

Design-wise, the Ninja Blast sports a stylish, slightly retro feel. From its colorways to the ribbed edges of its jar, it oozes both fun and sophistication, which is great for when you’re taking it on the road. The base sports a square start / stop button surrounded by an LED indicator, which will let you know the progress of your blend as well as any other status indicators you might need, such as when the blades are jammed or the blender is running low on power. 

There are no speed settings; every blend lasts for 30 seconds (unless you choose to stop it early), and while this does make it supremely easy to operate, it can be a little irritating when you’re certain the job’s not quite done. Thankfully, much of the time, one cycle is all you’ll need for effortless and consistent smoothies.

The main jar and the lid are both dishwasher-friendly, but it’s also very easy to clean the blades and vessel by simply adding some water and a drop of dish soap and running a 30-second cycle.

Now onto the drawbacks. As it’s a portable blender, it’s got to be light and easy to carry, and this comes at the expense of capacity, which is just 18oz / 510ml. At a push, you can make two smaller smoothie portions, but generally speaking this is a blender that’s best suited to single servings, though it’s worth noting this is a larger capacity than most personal and portable blenders offer. 

It’s powerful enough to handle most fibrous ingredients, but if you try to pack in your fruits and vegetables too tightly the Ninja Blast will get jammed, which happened to me more than once with harder ingredients like carrots. The Blast makes a good effort with ice, and can at the very least break cubes down a fair amount, but the results are far from even. 

All in all, though, this is a brilliant little blender that does what it’s designed to do very well.

Ninja Blast review: price and availability

• List price: $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$99.99

The Ninja Blast launched in 2023 and costs $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$99.99, which is fairly affordable for a portable blender this capable - by way of comparison, the Smeg Personal Blender sells for $169.95 / £109.95. It’s available directly from Ninja’s online store, as well as through retailers including Amazon, Target in the US, and Very in the UK. 

It arrives neatly packaged in a cylindrical cardboard box with the base, a sip lid with a built-in handle, and vessel as well as a USB-C cable and two caps, one to cover the blades when they’re not in use, and the other to seal the bottom of the vessel when you want to take your smoothie on-the-go.

It’s available in three colorways; Denim Blue, Black, Cranberry, Forest Green, Passion Fruit and White (at the time of writing, only Denim Blue is available in the UK.)

• Value score: 4.5/5

Ninja Blast review: specifications

Ninja Blast review: design and features

• Lightweight, stylish and portable design
• 18.0oz / 532ml capacity is sizeable for a portable blender
• To-go lid with flip-open cap and built-in handle

Standing at 10.6 x 3.5 x 3.3 inches/ 27 x 9 x 8.5cm (H x W x L) with its base attached, the Ninja Blast is a petite and stylish addition to your kitchen or your gym bag. It’s lightweight at just 2.4lbs / 1.09kg, making it easy to carry, too.

The Ninja Blast features a screw-on to-go lid not unlike a sippy-cup, with a see-through pop-open cap and a built-in handle for when you’re out and about. Below the lid is a 18.0oz / 532ml vessel, with bevels on the inside which Ninja claims are intended to create a vortex and draw ingredients down onto the blades. On the front of the vessel are measurement indicators all the way up to the max fill line of 16oz / 455ml. Both the lid and vessel are dishwasher safe.

Moving down to the base, there are six non-removable blades, meaning cleaning can be a little tricky, especially considering that the base isn’t fully waterproof. On the front is the sole control for the Ninja Blast: a square stop-start button, surrounded by an LED light which illuminates purple to indicate the progress of the blend cycle, and in a variety of other colors to communicate the status of the blender. The USB-C charging port is on the rear of the motor unit, and there are rubber feet on its underside to prevent the blender from slipping on surfaces.

Our review unit came with two screw-on caps, one for the base of the vessel and one to cover the blades; however, user reviews have indicated that certain models and regions don’t include these.

• Design score: 4/5

Ninja Blast review: performance

• Handles most fibrous fruits with ease
• Struggles a little with frozen fruits and ice cubes
• Gets stuck if the ingredients are too large

The Ninja Blast is operated by pressing the start / stop button on the base to begin its 30-second blend cycle. For a personal and portable blender, it’s pretty powerful; on a par with others we’ve been impressed with at TechRadar like the Smeg Personal Blender. 

I tried several different recipes to test the Ninja Blast’s moxy, and it performed consistently well, albeit, as can be expected, never quite as well as a traditional countertop blender might. 

First up, I tried a personal favorite recipe of mine for when I’m feeling under the weather: carrots, an orange, water, honey and turmeric. Here’s where I encountered my first hurdle: hard veggies. I’d cut the carrot into batons, and they got drawn right down to the blades and almost immediately jammed them. I removed them and cut them down to size further, and after ample poking and prodding managed to blend the mix down to a relatively smooth blend with two 30-second cycles. It was still a little bitty in places, but enjoyable to drink nonetheless.

Up next was our standardized TechRadar test: banana, spinach, greek yogurt, apple juice and pineapple chunks. I had to blend this one twice too, and there was one solitary pineapple piece that wasn’t broken down even then, but overall it was a decently smooth blend. Small pieces of spinach leaves were still visible, but they were small and evenly sized.

Lastly, I wanted to try a dryer, thicker blend, so I opted for a mix of frozen berries, cocoa powder, peanut butter and kefir with a dash of oat milk. As I expected, this was a bit of a struggle for the Ninja Blast; it got stuck a few times, and required two and a bit full cycles with some fierce shaking in between to break down the ingredients. However, the results were silky smooth and delicious. 

Despite Ninja’s assertion that the Blast is more than capable of crushing ice, there are three major caveats here. First, due to the shape, size and capacity of the vessel, it’s pretty hard to fit in more than a couple of cubes. Second, with the above in mind, it’s sometimes hard for the cubes to actually reach the blades at first, so you end up using multiple cycles and shaking the blender around a fair bit. Lastly, even when you’ve overcome the aforementioned hurdles, you then have to contend with an uneven blend that never really manages to sort itself out. If you add a small amount of water (up to the recommended liquid line on the front of the vessel) the process becomes a lot easier.

It’s nice and easy to clean the Ninja blast – you simply put a drop or two of dish soap into the vessel and turn on a 30-second clean cycle. You’ll probably need to rinse the vessel again, and clean the lid by hand; alternatively, both of these components are dishwasher safe. 

Considering that you have to cut ingredients down to a fairly small size if you don’t want to run the 30-second cycle twice, the battery often didn’t quite last as long as I’d hoped, making only 5-6 smoothies instead of the 10 suggested by the battery’s promised 10-cycle capacity. Thankfully, it’s quick to charge, taking just two hours. 

• Performance score: 4/5

Should I buy the Ninja Blast?

Buy it if...

Don’t buy it if...

Also consider...

If you’re not sure about the Ninja Blast, here are a couple of other options to consider...

How I tested the Ninja Blast

• I used the Ninja Blast for two weeks and made smoothies most days
• I tried a variety of recipes and ingredients
• I drained the battery and recharged it multiple times

I used the Ninja Blast as my main blender for two weeks, using it to make a variety of recipes with various ingredients. These ingredients included fibrous foods like spinach, kale, and pineapples, powdery and thick substances like flaxseed, protein powder, and nut butters, as well as hard ingredients such as carrots and ice. 

I tried putting in ingredients of various sizes to test how powerful the motor was and identify how easily it became blocked, and strained my smoothies to see how successfully the blades mixed and pulverized the ingredients.

I’ve used a variety of blenders, and compared my experience with the Ninja Blast to using countertop devices, as well as TechRadar’s reviews of comparable models. 

Read more about how we test.

[First reviewed Novembers 2023]

Now here's a clash of the titans: in one corner we have Ninja, part of the giant SharkNinja home tech empire, and in the other we have Instant Brands, creator of the legendary and genuinely wonderful Instant Pot. Both firms make a wide range of air fryers, both as dedicated devices and as multi-function cookers. 

But which has the best air fryers when you want to make some fries, blacken some salmon or reheat takeout?

Both brands offer multiple models for multiple kinds of cooking. The simplest air fryers are single-basket cylinders, ideal for relatively small and straightforward frying and reheating. More advanced models have twin drawers so you can cook two things at the same time at different temperatures – something Ninja pioneered and Instant imitated – or double them up to get twice the cooking capacity.

Where things get complicated is when you move into the brands' multi-cookers. Both firms make toaster ovens that also air fry and multi-cookers that can air fry too. 

Some of those solutions are more elegant than others. Instant Brands offers a variation of the Instant Pot with a swappable lid that turns it into an air fryer; it works well, but the lid is one more thing to store. The similar Ultimate Lid model is more streamlined, with a removable section in the non-removable lid instead. 

We're here to guide you so you can choose the best brand or model for your air frying needs.

Instant vs Ninja: product range and price

Both companies offer a very wide range of air fryers with a similarly wide range of prices. And both discount heavily and frequently, so we'd recommend waiting for deals such as Black Friday air fryer deals if a particular model is currently selling at the full recommended retail price.

Ninja's air fryers are in three product lines: Foodi, Speedi, and Combi. The Foodi options are the cheapest ones, with even the 6-in-1 smart 10-qt 2-basket air fryer coming in at a very reasonable $129.99; the most expensive Combi, the Combi Ultimate Chef's package, is a 14-in-1 multi cooker with pans and accessories included and currently costs $299.95.

Instant Brands' cheapest air fryer, on the other hand, is the Instant Vortex Mini, a 2-qt air fryer with a price of just $59.99. The Instant Pot Duo Crisp 6.5qt with Ultimate Lid, which transforms the device from an Instant Pot multi cooker to a dedicated air fryer, is $199.95. And the Instant Omni Plus 18L Air Fryer Toaster Oven is $249.95.

Instant vs Ninja: design and features

Both air fryer brands offer three kinds of air fryer: dedicated air fryers, multi-cookers that can air fry, and countertop ovens that can air fry. Both Ninja and Instant also offer large capacity air fryers with configurable baskets: Ninja's MegaZone models enable you to choose between one giant 7-qt basket or two 3.5-qt ones while Instant's VersaZone goes bigger with one 9-qt or two 4.5-qt baskets.

The designs of each kind of air fryer will differ because of their differing functions. For example, an Instant Pot with air frying capability will look rather like Darth Vader's dustbin or R2-D2 wearing a nice hat (Instant has leaned into this in the past with Star Wars-themed cookers) and will take up a comparatively large amount of space; a dedicated air fryer from either brand will be much smaller, slimmer and streamlined-looking. And despite both brands' best efforts, toaster oven-based air fryers will be big and bulky – although both brands make good use of light and dark materials to make them look less large.

One obvious difference between Instant and Ninja air fryers is that Instant is increasingly putting windows into its standard air fryers, enabling you to see what's inside without opening it up and interrupting the airflow. Whether that's worth having is a good question, as you'll need to pull out the drawer to shake your fries mid-cook anyway. But it certainly looks good.

Both brands' user interfaces are simple and straightforward to use with clear controls and easy access to presets.

Instant vs Ninja: performance

In terms of pure air frying, you'll get the best results from either a dedicated air fryer or a device that can become one, such as the Instant Pot with Ultimate Lid. That's because air fryers are all about airflow, and dedicated devices can focus entirely on that without having to worry about also making room for roasting. 

Toaster ovens that also air fry tend to be less impressive because they have much larger internal capacities compared to the size of their fans. Their multi-cooking skills make them much more convenient, but the trade-off is that they don't air fry quite so well.

That means the comparison here isn't really between brands, but between shapes. A cylindrical or semi-cylindrical air fryer such as a Ninja Air Fryer Max or Instant Vortex Slim will produce great results and is exceptionally easy to clean but doesn't have the range of cooking options of more complex models. A double oven that can air fry, such as the Ninja Double Oven, is harder to clean and isn't quite as impressive as an air fryer – but it's capable of cooking more food in many more ways.

Instant vs Ninja: other considerations

It's worth thinking about cleaning when you're considering an air fryer. 

Basket-based air fryers are by far the easiest ones to clean thanks to their removable baskets and overall simplicity. And Instant Pots or Ninja Speedis with air frying capabilities are simple too, as their basket/tray and bowls are dishwasher safe. 

Toaster oven models are tougher to clean because of course you can't stick an oven in the dishwasher or under the faucet; models with mesh trays for air frying are prone to grease and other bits and pieces falling to the bottom of the oven and getting burnt on.

There's a large elephant in this particular kitchen: at the time of writing, Instant Brands is in Chapter 11 administration in order to restructure its finances. The goal with Chapter 11 is for the firm to emerge in better shape and ready for the future, but it does mean there's a risk that it won't – and in the long term that could affect things like warranty service and parts availability. 

On that basis it may be wise to buy any Instant product with a credit card that has purchase protection benefits on the account, just in case.

Instant vs Ninja: which is best for you?

At the time of writing, we think the best air fryer for most people is an Instant one: the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1. It manages the tricky task of offering large capacity without compromising on frying performance. But for frozen foods our pick is a Ninja, the Air Fryer Max. Its Ultra Crisp feature does a great job of making frozen food taste fresh. 

For multi-cooker models, it's a draw there too. We love the Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid: the combination of Instant Pot and air fryer means it's one of the hardest-working appliances in our kitchen. But for ovens, we really rate the Ninja Double Oven for its many cooking options.

With so many different models to choose from, and so many different cooking options between them, when it comes to actually picking an air fryer the difficulty isn't so much choosing between Instant and Ninja but between air fryer types, capacities and flexibility. 

If all that choice is giving you a headache, check out our constantly updated guide to the best air fryers for every kind of kitchen and every kind of cooking. 

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