Ninja is the single most-searched air fryer brand in the UK, and after several years of it turning up on more kitchen counters than any rival, it's still the one readers ask us about first. This review covers the single-basket Ninja Air Fryer — the entry point of the range — rather than the Dual or Double Stack models, which we've reviewed separately.
What's in the Box and First Impressions
The Ninja Air Fryer ships with a non-stick basket and crisper plate, a quick-start guide, and — depending on the specific model number — a recipe booklet. Out of the box it's noticeably heavier than budget rivals like the Tower or Salter, which is a reasonable proxy for build quality: the housing doesn't flex when you pick it up, and the basket clicks into place with a positive, reassuring stop rather than a loose wobble.
How It Cooks
We ran the same batch of frozen oven chips through a Ninja, a Tower and a Tefal at their respective factory-default settings. The Ninja's Max Crisp function pushes air at a slightly higher temperature than most rivals we've tested, and it showed: the chips came out with a genuinely crunchy shell rather than the slightly soft finish we got from the Tower at the same time setting. On breaded items like frozen chicken goujons, the difference was smaller but still noticeable — about 10% more visible browning at the same cook time.
Noise and Everyday Use
It's not silent — expect a steady fan hum, roughly comparable to a kettle simmering rather than boiling — but it's noticeably quieter than the Ninja Dual, simply because there's only one motor and one basket to push air through. The digital display is easy to read from across a kitchen, and the presets (chips, chicken, fish, vegetables) get you within a couple of minutes of the ideal time for most everyday meals.
Running Costs
At 1750W, running the Ninja for a typical 20-minute cook uses roughly 0.58 kWh. At a UK average electricity price around 27p/kWh in early 2026, that's about 16p per cook — considerably cheaper than heating a full-size oven (typically 2.5–3kW) for the same 20 minutes, which would cost closer to 40–45p. That gap is the main reason air fryers have kept selling well despite already being in most UK kitchens.
Common Mistakes Owners Make
The two mistakes we see most often with a new Ninja: overcrowding the basket (which blocks airflow and leaves food soggy rather than crisp — cook in batches instead) and skipping the shake or turn halfway through, which the Max Crisp function relies on for even browning. Neither is a fault with the appliance; both are simply about adjusting the habits built up from oven cooking.
Is It Worth the Price?
At £89–£149 depending on capacity and retailer, the Ninja Air Fryer sits mid-range. If you're cooking for one or two people and don't need dual-zone cooking, it's the safer buy over the pricier Ninja Dual — you get the same core crisping performance in a smaller, quieter, cheaper unit.