CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 9.2 / 10 SCORE Ninja Crispi $160 at Amazon $164 at Best Buy $180 at Target Pros Cook, serve, and storage capabilities Easy to clean: almost everything is dishwasher-safe Intuitive operation No concern about PFAS Ability to see cooking in progress Can buy additional glass vessels for maximum food prep Small storage footprint with nesting capabilities Portable Cons Price is on the high side for air fryers Some exposed hot elements during operation For those still relying on traditional basket-style air fryers with nonstick coatings, a revolutionary glass-bowl design deserves your attention. After making the switch to the Ninja Crispi six months ago, I decided not to mess with chemical-coated models anymore -- and it's not just to avoid the risk of pollutants ending up in food. Our rigorous air fryer evaluation process involves extensive testing of over 30 models across diverse cooking applications -- from crispy wings and golden fries to perfectly flaked salmon and satisfying snacks. Among the extensive range of countertop ovens we've analyzed, one standout model features innovative design elements that secured its position as our top-rated air fryer and earned it our prestigious 2025 Editors' Choice recognition. Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source. The Ninja Crispi removes the risk of having bits of nonstick coating end up in your food. Ninja The smartly designed Ninja Crispi with its sleek glass cooking chamber breaks from the usual bulky black box design and hard-to-get-really-clean nonstick basket. There is no chemical coating to worry about, and the cooking chamber doubles as a handy serving or food storage vessel when you're done cooking. Read more: Air Fryer Fails: 8 Foods That Just Can't Handle the Heat Here's how the Ninja Crispi glass air fryer works and four reasons I switched in 2025. Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 portable glass air fryer at a glance Style : Modular air fryer with two sizes of glass cooking vessels and a separate cooking pod in three color options : Modular air fryer with two sizes of glass cooking vessels and a separate cooking pod in three color options Dimensions : 13.5 by 12 by 13.5 inches : 13.5 by 12 by 13.5 inches Power : 1,500 watts : 1,500 watts Weight : 15.74 pounds : 15.74 pounds Price $160 Ninja Crispi operation: How it's different Being able to visually track progress is one of the big draws for Ninja's new air fryer. Pamela Vachon/CNET The cooking pod itself includes crisp, bake, air fry and max crisp functions. Crisp is intended to revive leftovers, while max crisp is the ideal setting for packaged frozen foods. While it is tempting, given its baking dish look, the glass TempWare bowls are not intended to be used as the actual cooking vessels for batters in bake mode, because air still needs to circulate below the cooking vessels to be effective. (Will I try anyway? The temptation is real…) Pressing any button will indicate a digital timer to which you can add or subtract minutes. (The timer defaults to 10.) Below 1 minute, the timer changes into seconds and the device beeps to alert you when the cycle is complete. Overall, the sound level of the Ninja Crispi was similar to conventional air fryer models, with just a moderate whir when operating. 4 reasons I switched to the glass-bowl Ninja Crispi You can see what you're cooking My brussels sprouts got a good char in the Crispi. Pamela Vachon/CNET As expected, the ability to see the cooking in progress was really satisfying, both from a nerdy perspective and also to be able to look for visual cues in terms of when to flip your items or to assess doneness. Both chicken parts and Brussels sprouts were cooked evenly and efficiently with little risk of over-cooking given the 360-degree window into the proceedings. 2. Glass bowls are nontoxic and easy to get clean NInja Most air fryers use aluminum cooking baskets with a nonstick coating. Those coatings tend to chip and breakdown if you're not careful. Plenty of folks are concerned about the health ramifications for ingesting nonstick chemicals that chip of of cookware. With a glass-bowl air fryer, there's no worry. If that's not enough, glass is much easier to deep-clean than nonstick surfaces and you can use the dishwasher without issue. 3. The glass bowls double as food storage containers The cooked food is ready to be packed away or brought to a party as soon as it's done. Pamela Vachon/CNET The versatility, however, makes the Ninja Crispi tremendously interesting, especially for avid meal preppers. Full meals or individual cooked components can go right from cooking into the fridge, with the included lids for easy storage. (Although I am bound by refrigerator logistics to tell you to let it all cool first, so you don't inadvertently raise the temperature inside your fridge.) Additional cooking bowls in a variety of sizes can be purchased separately, allowing for the possibility of a multitude of individually cooked meals with no cleanup required in between use: just transfer the cooking pod from one cooking vessel to the next, assembly-line style. Sunday meal prep has never been easier, nor required fewer dishes. 4. It's easy to store The Ninja Crispi is also easy to store, with a footprint and height requirement that is far less than a lot of conventional models. It also makes for easy portability -- ideal for a potluck situation or even just a hot-meal self-care moment -- where you could even justify cooking on site. Either of the cooking bowls and the cooking pod could easily fit in a shoulder bag. If I worked in an office, it would thrill me to bring the whole thing with me to have a hot, healthful lunch without reheating. Although if you're contemplating being the person to cook fish directly at your desk -- maybe don't. Not only can the larger 4-quart bowl be used directly as a family-style serving vessel -- whose practical feet preclude the need for a trivet or pot holder -- but one could argue that the smaller 4-cup vessel can be used to eat out of directly, significantly reducing the number of dishes to wash. Speaking of washing, everything except the cooking pod itself is dishwasher-safe. Ninja Crispy setup Convenient as it, the glass cooking chamber does get hotter than your average air fryer base. Pamela Vachon/CNET Despite not looking anything like a typical air fryer, the Ninja Crispi was intuitive to set up and use. Each of the glass cooking vessels has a built-in stand with feet that keeps it off the counter surface. Side handles are also fitted on the stands of the bowls, which allow not only for easy transporting between the counter and the table (because the vessels can also be used to serve) but also make it easy to shake the contents as needed during the cooking process. The nonstick crisper plates were packaged separately and simple to place inside the bowls and to remove for cleaning. Lids for the 6-cup and 4-quart bowls were also included: a snap-on lid for the smaller and a simpler press-on lid for the larger. The cooking pod itself has an ergonomic shape for easy lifting and also has feet for safe placement on the counter when not in use. The cooking pod sits easily on top of the 6-cup bowl and a big-batch adapter frame fits the cooking pod onto the larger bowl. Between unwrapping and rinsing all of the washable parts, I was ready to go in about 2 minutes. What I didn't like about the Ninja Crispi Convenient as it, the glass cooking chamber does get hotter than your average air fryer base. Pamela Vachon/CNET As a modular device with a ton of built-in practicality and versatility, the Ninja Crispi is a game-changer in the air fryer market. That said, at $160, it's on the higher side, price-wise, for an air fryer. Those with little ones in the house may also want to note: When the cooking pod is used with the adapter for large batches, the adapter can become hot and be potentially exposed once the heating pod is removed. Never mind little ones; if you're an absent-minded cook yourself, it can be a hazard. Read more: 8 Foods That Go From Good to Great in an Air Fryer Final verdict on the Ninja Crispi If you're a disciple of air fryer cooking and, especially if you have a serious commitment to meal prepping, the Ninja Crispi is arguably one of the most versatile models on the market. It's satisfying to use and easy to store and clean. You may want to look for it on sale during Prime Days or the like, but even without a discount, its utility and the reputation of the Ninja brand merits its price tag.