Ninja AF101 Air Fryer that Crisps, Roasts, Reheats, & Dehydrates, for Quick, Easy Meals, 4 Quart Capacity, & High Gloss Finish, Black/Grey

My first air fryer. I chose this brand because a friend with more experience told me they’re easier to clean than most. And it is super easy to clean! Very non-stick, the insert is lightweight – it takes just a minute with some soapy water, or you can put it in the dishwasher. I’ve been happy with the usability and performance of it. It is a little odd that it doesn’t pause when you open it, but it’s not really a problem. I don’t know if all air fryers require preheating, but you definitely need to preheat this for three minutes before you put food in it. It holds plenty of food for my husband and me. I’ve found that i don’t want to cook everything in it… But for frozen or leftover french fries, tater tots, leftover pizza, and other things you want to be crispy, it is the bomb and there’s really no substitute.

Had another air fryer for five years until it stopped heating. Bought this ninja based on consumer reports, amazon and other online reviews. Have used it twice and love it.

Came packed really well so no scratches or anything loose or broken. Just pull it out of the box, wash the basket, plug in and go. Couldn’t be easier. Read instructions to use it but didn’t really need to, it’s so easy. Controls are digital and simple. Instructions tell you cooking time and temps for cooking meats, vegs, frozen food, packaged food and more.

Gets foods really brown and crispy in a short amount of time. So easy to clean. Any food bits or residue washes right off.

The unit itself is pretty lightweight and doesn’t take up a lot of room. I didn’t notice that the outside gives off much heat while cooking.

I am really happy and highly recommend it. The one thing that would be nice is a handle to pick it up with. But the fryer works great, is so easy to use and those are the most two most important things.

Been having this fryer for 2 weeks now and it has not rested yet. I love it & wonder how i’ve gone this long w/out one. Before i start bragging on this thing, i am by no way endorsed by ninja or getting paid by them. I’ve owned a few ninja products blenders and still have one that’s over 10 years old. They make quality machines. This fryer is a life & time saver…especially if you’re a lazy cook. I have been researching air fryers for the past few months and nothing comes close to the ninja. The basket size isn’t the large 5+ quart capacity like the bigger fryers, (ninja is only 4qt), but this thing cooks so fast you won’t miss the extra 1 qt. It comes w/ a crisper that works perfectly, a recipe book and a multi-layer rack. The first night i had it i made wings and i tell you that i will never buy fried chicken again!!! Yes, they were that crispy and tasted much better. I bought the louisiana fried chicken flour from walmart, battered the wings, spritzed w/ a little olive oil and had fried chicken in 10 minutes. No greasy mess, no 3rd degree burns from hot oil, and your house doesn’t smell like a chicken joint for 4 days afterward. Because the ninja uses a ceramic coating on their fryers the clean up is very easy. Next, i made sweet potato fries! Had a bag of frozen ones in the freezer and popped those babies in for 10 min. They were crispier than mcdonald’s. I tried homemade fries but the procedure takes too long. You have to peel, slice, soak potatoes, dry them…i’m just ready to pop them in the fryer and eat! It has been nonstop air fryer cooking in this house! I hit youtube to get a few recipes and it’s been on ever since. What i like best about this fryer is it has a dehydrator feature and how fast it cooks. Frozen chicken wings? No problem! Throw them in the fryer for 10 minutes and they’re defrosted. I’ve cooked pizza, fries, wings, reheated food, fried zucchini, and tonight i baked a chocolate cake. Everything came out perfect! Next up is donuts! The only thing i don’t like about this fryer is 30 seconds after it finishes cooking it shuts off. I know this is a safety feature but i always have more items to cook. In 2 weeks, i have used my microwave twice, and that was to reheat coffee. Before i forget, i did cinnamon rolls too! I used the canned pillsbury ones and it normally takes 20 min in the oven. In the ninja? 8 minutes and that’s if you like them brown. I actually could have stopped it at 5 min and they would be perfect. My house smelled like a cinnabon factory! I have used every feature on this fryer except the dehydrator but i’ll be making beef jerky soon. Overall, i am very pleased! The best selling feature was the price & the size. The ninja is much slimmer than some of the bulkier fryers and fits under my cabinet nicely. I’m also happy it only used 1500w unlike some of the larger fryers that burn 1800 which could kill your light bill. The outside of the fryer doesn’t get hot so you won’t have to worry about getting burned but do take caution when taking your food out. Is it loud? My exhaust fan on my stove is louder than the ninja. The extension cord on it is long so you don’t have to worry about being limited on where you can place it. I think i’ve covered everything? This thing is the bomb! If you’re wondering what cookware you can use, just about anything you place in a microwave you can put in the ninja. I went to the dollar tree and bought a few 7′ foil pans i use to reheat food & bake in. Also, grab you some silicone tongs while you’re there so you don’t scratch the surface of your fryer. This thing has been almost as good as a kid getting a new bike for christmas. You will not be disappointed w/ this purchase. Happy & healthy cooking!

Wow, this thing is great. So, we finally broke down and got an air fryer. I read the reviews and for the money this ninja one looked like the best deal. Let me tell you something this thing is great. So, it cooks faster than an oven but probably slower than deep frying. It produces crisp, good tasting food that is almost as good as fried.
As a fatty i got to say i love my fried food. The air fryer tastes much better than baked and better for you than fried. I mean i can tell a difference now, don’t get me wrong. It is not going to taste like french fries deep fried in lard, but its close.
I decide i am going to make hot wings. Good idea, right? Well the first batch came out great. Even better than fried because they were a bit crispier. So, i decide i want to have a glass of wine while i cooked. This was my first mistake. God, i wished i had just went with whiskey. So, i insert the corkscrew into the cork and pop, it broke. Oh well, i thought let’s see what the internet has to offer on alternative methods of wine bottle opening.
The first option is to screw a screw into the cork then pry it out using the screw as a lever. Well, i can’t do that because the corkscrew is broken off into the cork. The second option said to use a lighter to heat but the air in the neck of the bottle and the cork will rise out. The third option was to place the bottle in a shoe to not break the glass. Then smack the shoe against a wall. I went with option two. Note this was my second mistake.
So, i break out the old lighter and start heating the glass up. Mind you i am also flipping my chicken wings in the air fryer while starting to heat up some hot sauce and other ingredients on the stove for my buffalo sauce. I decided i needed help so enlisted my 18-year child to hold the lighter up to the glass while i cooked. No good, this trick isn’t working.
I tell him he can stop we are going to go with option three, the shoe. Here comes the third mistake. I grabbed the bottle. Yep you read that right i bare handed the bottle that i had ben applying a direct flame to for over 5 minutes. To top it off i grabbed the neck. This resulted in the most pain i have ever felt in my entire life. This is the pain atreyu felt when artax sunk in the swamp of sadness. This was the pain worse than 10 kicks to the balls. This was real pain. Kidney stones have nothing on my hand at this moment. I was done. My hand felt like it had melted to the bottle.
Remember my son that i had help me? Well he is still there, and i must look like a man so i can’t cry, but boy did i want to cry. I haven’t wanted to cry this bad sense i watched “ole yeller”. Despite the pain and fighting back tears. I managed to place the bottle in my shoe and set it on the table. I am still wanted to try that trick.
I then went into first aid mode, hand in the sink water running, ahhhh sweet relief. Unfortunately, that was not to last. The cool water only did so much. I decided burn creme would work. Nope don’t have any. Back to the water. Perhaps some ice. Ahhh flip the wings, run the water, check the sauce wait ….
The pot isn’t simmering. Why is the cutting board on the stove look funny? Yep mistake four here i come. I turned on the wrong burner and now my plastic cutting board has turned to liquid on my stove. Hand back in water again. I then retrieve my putty knife to scrape the stove clean. This causes wisps of plastic string to go from the stove to the sink. Hand goes back into the water.
At some point my son decides to wake the wife. Did i mention this was at about 1 am? She come into the kitchen and sees me. With one shoe one, a bottle of wine on the table inserted into my shoe. Note she mentions that is the shoe i walk into bathrooms in and its on her table. She then notices the burnt cutting board and an abundance of melted plastic in the sink. She then simply asks “hot wings hu?”
she is a god wife and wants me to go to the hospital for my possible 3rd degree burns on my hand but me, being a man, i decide i can tuff it out. She ends up getting me more ice and leaving my son in charge to go back to bed once she understands i am not budging on the whole doctor thing.
Anyway, in conclusion the hot wings were the best i have ever made. Although eating them one handed was a bit of a chore. I stayed up all night in pain and now i am out of ice. I never did open that bottle of wine. Also, that air fryer rocks.

I purchased the 4 quart air fryer and it is just perfect for one/two people. The big question was does it fry crispy? Yes it does and without having to use oil. It does help to spray a very light mist of oil to help with the crisping … But it is still much better for you than deep frying in oil! I have been using it for just about everything, even deserts! I am very happy with the purchase and with the machine which is much larger than you might think. Would highly recommend

Having fun experimenting and trying different recipes. Getting used to a different,faster and somewhat healthier way to cook. They really should change the name as i find it misleading. This isn’t really a ‘fryer’ since it’s really cooking with hot air and not heavy oil. You can also roast and bake too. A friend said she never bought one because she seldom eats fried food. I don’t either, but i read about its convection features which i’ve found to be great.
Cooked chicken breasts with just salt and pepper and rubbed on a tiny bit of olive oil. They came out perfect. Lightly browned and juicy on inside.
Made scones for breakfast and they came out great.
Happy i bought this.

Use it all the time. Love how quickly it cooks. It puts a nice crust to fresh fish without usibg batter. Great for chicken wings, sausage, bacon, steaks. Contains all the splatter and so easy to clean the drawer! Do not need to purchase paper liners. In fact they actually block the air flow that cooks all around. They also hold grease and prevent it draining away fr the food as it cooks.

I went out the day that i received this and bought a ton of air fryer foods. This thing does not disappoint and i mean that 100%. It cleans easy and it’s very easy to use. Just stick them in for a few minutes and you’re done boom. Absolutely amazing product i wish i would have bought it sooner

I loved cooking in it and i hate it’s no good now it stopped working a few weeks after i bought it i’d love to get it exchanged it was defective but i’m sure you can’t do that i tossed it in the trash

Had no idea how to gauge the size so i just got the one that seemed popular. Wish i would have gotten the bigger one but that’s on me, not the device. I love it for what i use it for.

Love, love, love my ninja air fryer! Would have given it 5 stars, but sadly my first one gave out after 2 years. Perhaps that’s normal? I loved it so much i bought an exact replacement. This is big enough for my husband and i. We no longer have a grill, and it will hold a large ribeye that we share. After preheating for 3 minutes, cook 3 mins, flip and depending on thickness, 2 -3 mins more for perfect medium steak! Works for about any food you’d bake or grill. Add a tiny amount of oil and fry your favorite foods. Terrific to reheat leftover burgers, chicken wings, fries, pizza, pretty much anything you’d put in a microwave, but keeps food tasting fresh and crispy, too.

I did my research and the ninja had the best reviews so i bought one. This is my second air fryer and to be fair i had low expectations when i got my first on an xl and high expectations when i i bought this one. Objectively the ninja has more settings and is better looking, it does not alert you half way to turn your items over (i believe shake is a marketing thing to imply it’s easy to use – turn the food over you’ll get better results) also you have to pause the cooking if you pull the drawer out it will not automatically turn the fan and elements off it will keep blowing. Subjectively i think my 3 quart xl cooks food better than the ninja, i gave it a while for the ninja to undo this mindset as a realized my bias, but i still think the xl produces better outcomes. The ninja might cook it a little faster, maybe more unevenly, but it works and this is part of just learning your air fryer and different foods. The ninja is a fine looking tool i won’t be returning it. The differences are slight but i have brought them under a microscope. Even if they cook the same i like a timer that sounds halfway and it’s annoying i have to pause the cooking before i take the drawer out. Reliability and long term use can’t say i got the xl for christmas and it took me a while to try it out but once i did i was like oh boy i need another one for the other house so i expected the ninja to be better. If i had to do it again i’d get another xl 3qt., the cooking pot in the 4qt ninja is about the same circumference only deeper. I got it for 70 like new vs. 60 for an xl 2 quart. I thought i was getting a lot more for a little more when i could have just saved $10 and got the 2 qt xl. It’s okay (it works just fine), but i just personally prefer the xl so far.

We really like the way this appliance reheats foods, especially pizza. Makes great vegetables, fish, chicken without a lot of grease. It does not take up a lot of room in my cupboard, but has plenty of cooking area for 2 of us. However, everytime we use the air fryer, it leaves a smell of plastic. After 3 months, we thought this would go away, but it hasn’t. Ninja makes great products, but i am not happy with the plastic smell. This appliance deserves a 5 star, but the plastic smell is the reason for 4 stars. Anyone from ninja company have some suggestions? Thank you! Carol jacobsen

I bought this air fryer 6 months ago… All of a sudden, while in the middle of cooking, the unit just shut off on its own… After it happened 3 times, i’ve decided to call ninja… They were very nice and told me that it sounds like there’s a defect in the unit and they are shipping me a brand new one, but i have to pay the $22.81 shipping fee… I think it’s fair, and hope this doesn’t happen again with the new unit in 6 months…

My wife and i decided to buy another air fryer for our vacation home. Since it’s usually just the two of us now we settled on a 4qt unit as opposed to our 8qt at our regular home. After reading the reviews here and on other websites we decided on the 4qt ninja. Upon receipt the unit was well packaged and looks great on our counter top. We thoroughly was the cooking basket and accessories with soap and water and put it through a 10 minute trial heat cycle. Well, as some others have suggested, this should have been done outside or in a garage as the unit gives off a terrible smell (plastic/electrical burning smell). However, after the initial burn in the smell does disappear. As far as cooking, the fryer does what it’s supposed to do and is fairly to use. But, it’s missing some basic features and functions that our 8qt chefman has:
1. It does not remind you to flip or shake your food after half of the cooking time has passed.
2. When you open the tray to perform the above function (flipping food) the unit continues to run (no automatic pause), thus blasting hot air into the kitchen and running down the timer.
3.. If you do try to shut the unit off during during flipping, and you use the main power button, it will result in all of your cook settings being lost. So you need to make sure to hit the pause button.
4. The 4qt basket seems a little small and did not do a good job cooking a 1lb 4oz bag of refrigerated hash browns. The potatoes around the edges were burned while the ones in the middle didn’t brown – even with frequent stirring. Perhaps this was too for the 4qt unit.
The unit did however do a great job on frozen fish sticks, crab cakes and the like. Just don’t overload the basket. The basket and cooking surfaces all clean up very easily with absolutely no sticking.
Overall we are happy with our purchase. If we ever decide to buy one of these in the future we may consider a unit with more convenience features as well as a little larger.

There is a strong plastic smell associated with the one i own.. I had to use it outdoors the first several times i did use it.. Very unpleasant. For that reason i can’t recommend this cooker.

I like it’s sleek design, size is perfect for my family of four plus made by ninja, a name you can trust for their products.

Cooks well, easy to clean, but the smell from the non stick coating or plastic can stink up the house or stick to your food.

Good product. Able to cook small meal in a timely manner.

I wasn’t really sure about which air fryer to buy, so i depended on customer reviews…especially when it came to size. There is just my husband and myself, so i went with the 4 quart. First, this is a big air fryer, finding room for it off my counter was a bit difficult. However, when i started using it, i could already see that i could have used two trays. Second, this is so easy to clean. Dishwasher safe if you want to use the space or very easy to hand-wash.
There was ‘adequate’ instructions to get started, but the recipes are not very helpful. I am not looking for heavy breaded items, but healthy alternatives. So far, air frying fresh (and frozen) vegetables is my go to. Need to do more exploring.