Ninja has finally cracked it - this hybrid could replace your microwave and air fryer in one

Ninja has finally put an end to the air fryer vs microwave debate - and the answer will surprise you. Ninja is famous for its air fryers, which are good enough to render traditional ovens almost redundant. Now Ninja's bought brains and technology over to the modern microwave.

In an innovative hybrid design, the Ninja Crispi Microwave Air Fryer and Oven gives its many functions away in the name. It works as either a modern microwave or an air fryer oven, so you can cook all your air fryer foods in minutes and still tackle batters and wetter mixes in the microwave.

It doesn't stop there though - Ninja has fundamentally changed the design of the traditional microwave in ways that will, if you pardon the pun, make waves in the sector. It's modern microwaves like you've never seen them.

Ninja Crispi Microwave Air Fryer and Oven

• External Dimensions: 35.8 cm (H) x 44.6 cm (W) x 51.6 cm (D)
• Weight: 18.6 kg
• Cable Length: 0.8 m
• Function: 3-in-1 Freestanding Combination Microwave, Air Fryer, and Convection Oven
• Capacity: 5.2L CleanCrisp Glassware tray, flatbed microwave design (no turntable)
• Microwave Power: 1000W output with 13 power levels
• Max Temperature: Up to 240°C of super-heated cyclonic air
• Convection / Air Fryer Power: 2000W
• Programs / Presets: 13 total programs
• Microwave Presets: Popcorn, Potato, Defrost, Beverage, Soup, Frozen Dinner, Frozen Vegetable, and Soften Butter
• Air Fry Presets: Air Fry, Max Crisp / Crisp, Air Roast, Air Bake, and Air Grill / Air Broil

Who would the Ninja Crispi Microwave Air Fryer and Oven suit?

• Anyone with an air fryer and a microwave taking up space: this combines the two and frees up room on your surfaces
• Busy homes who want weeknight meals fast: it cooks and crisps without any pre-heat needed
• People who reheat leftovers often: the microwave warms food through while the air fryer crisps it, solving the soggy reheat problem

A microwave and air fryer combination appliance isn't new to the market. Smeg has made one before and plenty of modern microwaves come with clever features that offer crisping and more versatility, but Ninja has done it better than anyone else. This is the most seamless, convincing hybrid of both appliances: it genuinely works like one of the best air fryers and one of the best microwaves in their own right, meaning you don't need to compromise or miss out on any of the foods that you could never cook in a microwave.

I had a jacket potato with beans ready in seven minutes, perfectly air fried chips in 9 minutes, and reheated leftovers that were piping hot and crispy in five minutes. It has speed nailed without sacrifice.

What is the Ninja Crispi Microwave Air Fryer and Oven like to use?

For the most part, using the Ninja is just like using your microwave. A button at the bottom opens the door and the controls sit on a panel to the side. However, in true Ninja style, it's been reimagines so that it's smarter and still simpler than your average model. It's a microwave that takes the new trend of elevated microwave meal cheffing to the next level.

The biggest changes are inside. There's no rotating plate at the base, which means you get more room for food and a much easier clean-up afterwards. At the top, for the air fryer, there are two runners, each with an anti-tip notch. These hold a glass dish (with a crisper plate for when you're air frying) so that everything is stable and secure.

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I started with the air fryer functions which are all wonderfully straightforward. You'll find all the settings that you'd expect from the best air fryers, including roast and max crisp, so there's no learning curve if you've used an air fryer before. I put it through its paces with all my classic air fryer tests: frozen fish fingers and chips for a quick weeknight meal, grilled vegetables as a healthy side, reheated pizza for a weekend treat, and a tray of cookies. The pizza came out hot and crispy, with richness in the sauce and good bite in the vegetables too. The vegetables charred as evenly as the golden chips cooked. Each dish was a great success, with no need for me to interfere or flip half way through cooking.

The air fryer dish also slides in and out so easily, everything felt really smooth. My one word of warning is that glass is heavy, so grip onto the lip with both hands and some oven gloves for protection.

When you move over to the microwave, you'll need to remove the air fryer accessories. I kept my tray and crisper plate inside the Ninja when it wasn't in use, so moved them on the side for my microwave meals.

For the standard microwave tests, I heated soup, reheated leftovers, softened butter, made a mug cake, my morning porridge, defrosted a pie, and baked a potato. I loved having the whole base for my food, because it meant I didn't have any gymnastics with a rotation plate. There weren't any cold spots in my soups or porridge and my baked potato, which needed 55 minutes in the oven, was piping hot and perfectly cooked in nine minutes. Add on the two minute bean heat up and I had a quick, evening meal in just over 11 minutes.

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The real star is, of course, the FusionCrisp functions, which blend air frying and microwaving, taking the best bits of both. You get quick heat and crispiness teamed together, which made a brilliant pasta bake, burgers and chips, roasted chickpeas, and batch of cookies. The pasta bake had a bubbling, golden, cheesy top and was steaming hot the whole way through. My chocolate cookies were gooey in the middle, crispy on the outside, and worthy of a Hollywood handshake. The chickpeas roasted, crisped, and warmed up to make a delicious, healthy snack that I bet I could get even the fussiest eater devouring.

I saw some Ninja inspiration for burgers and chips, a simple meal that normally takes some juggling in the oven or in the air fryer. In this instance, I could sit my burgers and chips in the tray and they came out perfectly. The chips were golden and crunchy with perfect fluffiness inside, whilst the burgers had brilliant bite and a juicy inside. This is the setting that really shows off why a microwave and an air fryer are appliances worth having in the kitchen, but also why you should buy them in hybrid form.

Cleaning the Ninja Crispi Microwave Air Fryer and Oven

Ninja makes a point about this being exceptionally easy to clean. With a smooth, glass-like interior and no rotator plate it's easy to wipe clean. I had roasted chickpeas which popped and exploded all over the inside. This would normally be a nightmare to clean out, but a once over with a simple microfibre cloth worked wonders: the microwave was sparkling clean with almost no elbow grease.

How does the Ninja Crispi Microwave Air Fryer and Oven compare?

Ninja isn't the only brand working on the modern microwave. Smeg, LG, and Russell Hobbs are all working hard on impressive alternatives to Ninja's design. Here are just a few of them:

Should you buy the Ninja Crispi Microwave Air Fryer and Oven?

If you've got the space, I think the new Ninja Crispi Microwave Air Fryer and Oven is a fantastic buy. It does the job of two appliances in one, non-toxic design. It's every bit as simple to use as a standard microwave, but with the useful features of an air fryer integrated into the design. Removing the rotating plate is a genius feature that makes for roomier cooking and an easier clean-up. Plus, FusionCrisp gives this an edge that neither an air fryer or microwave can compete with.

Of course, you'll want to consider that this is still a hefty piece of kit to keep on the counter. Plus, it's weighty, so will need to stay put once you've chosen a place for it. However, if you already have a use for both appliances, this frees up space for quicker, more versatile cooking.

How we test air fryers and microwaves

At woman&home we have a series of standardised tests for every air fryer and microwave that we recommend to you. The Ninja Crispi Microwave Air Fryer and Oven went though all of our classic air fryer tests (which you can read about on our page dedicated to how we test air fryers) as well as all the microwave functions that it offers too. This means that we can give you an honest, holistic picture of what the Ninja Crispi Microwave Air Fryer and Oven is like to use, whether it offers good value for money, and whether it would be suitable for you. It's important to note that our reviews are independent and unsponsored, which means we will always give you a balanced picture of what products are like to use.