Does the world need a portable air fryer? Ninja thinks so, and it has just launched one in the UK. The Ninja Crispi allows you to take food straight from the fridge or freezer, transport it easily to its destination, and cook from scratch or reheat on arrival. However, in this review, I will tell you why the only traveling my new air fryer did was backwards and forwards to Ninja.
Table of Contents
What Is Inside the Box?
When the Ninja Crispi arrives, you will receive eight different items in the box. First is the power pod, which comes in three different colors. Then there are two glass bowls, one with a 3.8L capacity and the other with a 1.4L capacity. Alongside those, you get two crisper plates, two plastic lids that fit the glass bowls, and an adapter you use when placing the power pod on the larger bowl.
Power and Temperature Settings
The power pod houses a 1700W air fryer. It only has four settings, and although you can alter the time, you cannot alter the temperatures. In fact, the instructions do not even tell you what the temperatures are, only that Keep Warm runs at 70C and Air Fry runs at 200C. I used an oven thermometer to check the other two settings and found that Recrisp ran at 150C and Roast ran at 160C on my unit. There is probably also some variation in fan speed between the settings.
The Testing Process and What Went Wrong
I always start testing an air fryer by running it empty for 10 minutes to burn off any new appliance smell. That is usually a pretty boring part of the review process, but not with the Ninja Crispi. Just 3 minutes after turning it on, I got an error code. The instructions do not mention what E1 means anywhere, so I tried the trusted method of turning it off and on again. It ran for another 3 minutes and then the same error appeared.
I unplugged it from the wall, let it cool down, and took the power pod off the glass container. Inside, I found lots of bits of black silicone and realized these were parts of the silicone bumpers of the crisper tray, which had disintegrated in the heat and fallen off. I also noticed a section of plastic on the Crispi container adapter had partially melted. After googling the error code, I found out it means overheating.
I called Ninja’s customer service team and did a screen share through the phone, showing them the problems and the black silicone fragments. They offered to replace the Crispi, but it took 5 days for them to collect, process the return, and deliver a new one. I thought that would be the end of it, but it was not. More on that shortly.
Also Read: Ninja Air Fryer MAX AF160 Review
Four Things You Need to Know Before Buying the Ninja Crispi
Aside from the smoke and the error code, there are four other things you need to consider if you are interested in buying this air fryer, which I do not think are immediately obvious on the product page.
It Is Portable but Not Cordless
Although the Ninja Crispi is portable, it is not cordless. In all the promotional pictures, the cable is not actually visible. Yes, you can travel with it, but you are still going to need a power point at your destination.
It Still Uses Non-Stick Coatings
Although the main bowl is made of PFAS-free heat-resistant glass, this air fryer is not completely free of non-stick coatings. For the majority of dishes you cook in it, you will have to use the crisper plate, which is made of aluminium with a nano ceramic coating. If you really want to avoid all non-stick coatings, there are a few ovenproof stainless steel trivets on Amazon that look like they could fit the Crispi, and you might be able to substitute those instead.
The Stand Is Not Removable
The stand that the glass bowl sits in is not removable, even for washing. This is presumably a safety feature because the glass gets very hot during cooking and the stand protects the surface it is placed on as well as the hands of anyone lifting it. However, there is a gap between the bottom of the glass bowl and the stand, which makes it difficult to dry the container after washing. That space could also be difficult to keep clean over time.
You Cannot Always Cook From Cold
Although the idea behind the Ninja Crispi is that you can prepare food at home, chill or freeze it in the bowl, and then eat it hot away from home, you cannot cook something like a cottage pie or a pasta bake from cold in the Crispi. Ninja advises you to microwave the food first in the Crispi bowl and then use the Crispi to finish off the top.
Weight & Safety
The Ninja Crispi is marketed as being lightweight and portable, but the power pod alone weighs 2kg, which is more than most laptops. It has four heat-resistant feet so you can place it on most kitchen surfaces, but Ninja stops short of guaranteeing it will be safe on places like an office desk or kitchen table, which are exactly the kinds of places a portable air fryer might be used. Fortunately, there are already heatproof mats made to fit the Crispi available on Amazon.
Running Costs
As you would expect, the Crispi is pretty economical to run. Ten minutes on Air Fry with the 3.8L bowl used 0.128 kWh, which is slightly less than one drawer of a comparable 4.25L air fryer, which is to be expected.
What Can You Cook in the Ninja Crispi?
Despite the lack of temperature control, you can cook a lot of things successfully in the Ninja Crispi, from pastries and fish fingers to salmon, vegetables, fries, and chicken breasts. Ninja suggests a small spatchcocked chicken would fit as well. Mostly, though, I think this air fryer is going to be used for smaller tasks like office lunches, camping, or taking a dish to someone else’s house.
If you are going to transport food from home, you will make use of the BPA-free plastic lids supplied with the Crispi, but they are not both the same. The smaller lid has a rubber seal and snap lock, so keeping liquids in safely should not be a problem.
The larger bowl has a plastic lid without a seal or clips, making it slightly less secure. The larger lid also seems to be a little hit and miss with its fitting. My first one did not want to stay in place, but the replacement I received was absolutely fine. If you have problems with the large lid fitting, it may be worth asking Ninja for a replacement.
A Few Other Design Frustrations
One other thing that is slightly less than perfect with the Ninja Crispi is the crisper plate, which does not really have a natural resting position in the bowl. It is often hard to make it level or to know how far to push it down or how forcefully to do so.
Once pushed down into the bowl, it is also hard to remove, particularly when hot. Ninja suggests using a fork to remove it in their instruction booklet, which seems a little contradictory to their advice to always use silicone-tipped tongs to avoid damaging the non-stick surface of the crisper plates.
The Second Unit Had the Same Problem
I had planned to take the Ninja Crispi on a short UK holiday next month to give it a proper away-from-home test. That is not going to happen, because this replacement unit is going to have to go back to Ninja too.
After a couple of days of using the replacement, I lifted the power pod off and once again found fragments of black silicone bumpers at the bottom of the glass bowl. The exact same thing had happened. They had disintegrated in the heat, just as they did with the first unit.
I reached out to Ninja’s PR team four days before publishing this review to see if they had any comment, but I never heard back. If they do respond after this video goes live, I will drop any comments in the description below.
- Economical to run with low energy consumption per use.
- Versatile enough for salmon, fries, pastries, and chicken.
- PFAS-free glass bowl with useful BPA-free lids for food transport.
Specification Table
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Product Name | Ninja Crispi Portable Air Fryer |
| Power Output | 1700W |
| Large Bowl Capacity | 3.8L |
| Small Bowl Capacity | 1.4L |
| Number of Settings | 4 (Keep Warm, Recrisp, Roast, Air Fry) |
| Keep Warm Temperature | 70C |
| Recrisp Temperature | 150C |
| Roast Temperature | 160C |
| Air Fry Temperature | 200C |
| Power Pod Weight | 2kg |
| Bowl Material | PFAS-Free Heat Resistant Glass |
| Crisper Plate Material | Aluminium with Nano Ceramic Coating |
| Lid Type (Small Bowl) | BPA-Free Plastic with Rubber Seal and Snap Lock |
| Lid Type (Large Bowl) | BPA-Free Plastic without Seal |
| Energy Use (10 min Air Fry) | 0.128 kWh |
| Available Colors | 3 |
| Items in Box | 8 |
| Cordless | No |
Final Thoughts on the Ninja Crispi
The concept behind the Ninja Crispi is genuinely interesting, and for the right person, a portable air fryer does make a lot of sense. The cooking results for smaller meals and snacks are solid, and the running costs are reasonable. However, experiencing the same silicone degradation issue across two separate units is a serious concern, and the lack of temperature control, the non-removable stand, the fitting inconsistencies, and the cordless misconception are all things worth knowing before you spend your money.
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