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- Compact and easy to use
- Pre-set modes produce even results
- Temperature probe included
- Grilling space is small compared to dedicated grills
- Splatter guard and grill plates can be awkward to clean
The Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer is a multi-functional appliance that’s compact and challenges many of the best grills on the market. It gives the best George Foreman grills a run for their money in terms of performance as it goes beyond what a regular countertop grill can do: not only can you use the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer for grilling meat and vegetables and creating delicious sandwiches, but you can use it to bake cakes, roast potatoes and cook foods on a low heat for recipes such as kale crisps or dried banana chips.
The Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer EG351UK launched in March 2025, complementing Ninja’s comprehensive line up of health grills and air fryers. It’s one of Ninja’s smallest designs to offer both grill and air frying functions and also includes pre-set cooking modes for baking, roasting and dehydrating food. In this in-depth review, I’ve taken a closer look at the device, judging it on design, performance and practicalities.
Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer review: What do you get for the money?
This smart kitchen gadget might cost more than your average grill, but it comes with enough extra features and a premium finish that I, I’d argue, justify the cost. At the time of writing, you can buy it online for £200 over on the Ninja website and £197 on Amazon.
Its neat and tidy form measures 28 x 35.5 x 43cm (WDH) and it weighs 8.3kg. While this isn’t the lightest grill I’ve come across, it’s still easy to pick up and move around the worktop thanks to two cool-touch carry handles on either side.
It has a 5.7l capacity and, according to Ninja, the brand’s “Cyclonic Grill and Air technology” allows you to cook up to four portions of food 50% faster than you would in a conventional fan oven.
Stored neatly in the side of the appliance is a thermometer probe that is designed to monitor the temperature of food using two sensors. There’s also a heavy-gauge, ceramic-coated grill plate for searing and sizzling food, and a crisper plate that helps to drain fats as you cook. This means you can make healthier meals using little to no oil, and any oil you do use drains away in the grease collector that sits at the back of the device.
What’s good about it?
As I’ve touched on above, the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer differs from other dedicated grills, such as the Ninja Sizzle. Not only can it grill, but it can also air fry, bake, roast and dehydrate your food. The temperature probe is also a new addition. With its “Smart Cook System” technology, I was able to use the probe and control panel to determine how well my food was cooked, from rare (at 50°C) to well done (that cooks at 70°C).
As I’ve come to expect with Ninja appliances, the digital display panel is intuitively easy to navigate. This really adds to the enjoyment of using the grill and air fryer as it meant I didn’t need to faff around too much reading the instructions. Within minutes I had taken the appliance out of the box, plugged it in and was pre-heating the unit ready to take on four burgers. There’s even a button to skip the pre-heat feature if you’re feeling particularly impatient.
The device is surprisingly powerful and on my first attempt at cooking burgers it was easy to overcook the meat. As well as pre-set modes that can be adjusted to suit your meat, vegetables or fish, there are manual temperature and time controls, ranging from 50°C to 265 °C. This allows you a fair bit of freedom to play around with the settings and as I used the appliance more, I got to know what worked best. When cooking lamb steaks I used the probe to make sure the meat was cooked on the inside, with a nice chargrilled finish on the outside. While cooking breaded chicken tenders, I made sure I didn’t raise the temperature too high and stuck to 180°C for the ideal crispy exterior and nicely cooked insides.
If you want to get more creative, you can also make use of the recipe inspiration guide that comes in the box, with recipes including Portobello Mushroom Burgers, Smokey Steak Fajitas and even an Orchard Fruit Cobbler.
How easy is it to clean?
With Ninja’s signature silver and black styling, this grill and air fryer has a plastic and stainless steel finish. I found its exterior easy to wipe clean with a damp cloth and I could buff it dry to get rid of any smudges.
The design comes with a removable splatter guard that sits in the lid and clips off when needed for washing up in the sink. The parts are not dishwasher safe, but I didn’t find this to be too much of an issue, as they’re pretty easy to wash in the sink provided you don’t let them build up grease for too long. A cleaning brush with scraper is included with the appliance, which makes it easier to tease off any dried grease from the grill plates, which can be quite awkward to clean. I also used the brush to scrub the removable splatter guard and remove any grease that had clung to it, but trying to get it looking back to its box-fresh self after a few uses proved too difficult.
What could be better?
Suitable for cooking portions for up to four people, there’s a lot to like about the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer. It is compactly designed, easy to control and the temperature probe is very useful. That said, I can see how this grill and air fryer might not be for everyone.
While the cooking pot is deep and is an ideal size for its four-portion grill plates and crisper drawer, its grilling area does feel rather small compared to some of the dedicated grill appliances I’ve tried. If you’re looking for a versatile appliance that can do more than simply grill, the Ninja 5-in-1 is a good choice. But for a dedicated grill, you may want to try something with a bit more cooking real estate such as the Zwilling Enfinigy Contact Grill that has flat grill plates that can fold out, doubling the cooking area.
Should you buy the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer?
I’ve trialled a range of combination Ninja health grills and air fryer in recent years such as the larger capacity Ninja Foodi Max Pro and the Ninja Foodi Max Health Grill and Air Fryer. The compact form of the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer makes for a nice change, however, as it doesn’t take up as much room on the work surface and is even easier to use.
What I immediately liked about the design is how neatly its ceramic coated grill and crisper drawer fit into the 5.7l capacity cooking pot. The pot is deep so you can easily get enough chips or potatoes inside to feed up to four, and I like the way the meat probe is neatly stored on the side of the design so that it’s close to hand.
Team this with the fact that the Ninja 5-in-1 Grill & Air Fryer’s is easy to use, has a good range of temperature and timing controls and useful pre-set cooking modes, and I think this is a great-value and versatile appliance to complement your kitchen.
