Verdict
With all of the traditional air fry options, plus the ability to steam or cook on two layers, the Ninja Speedi is a flexible appliance, able to cook complete meals in around 15 minutes. It’s capable of some excellent results, and I love its steam air fry mode. My minor complaints are that it can be hard to shake food and, when multi-level cooking, the crisper plate is fiddly to remove. Still, if you want a single device that delivers good results fast, the Speedi is for you.
Pros
- Max complicated meals fast
- Versatile range of cooking options
- Steam air frying is incredible
Cons
- Crisper plate fiddly to remove
- Lower max temperature than some air fryers
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Cooking spaceThere’s 5.7-litres of internal cooking space. -
Cooking modesSpeedi Meals, Steam Air Fry, Steam Bake, Steam, Grill, Air Fry, Bake / Roast, Dehydrate, Sear / Sauté and Slow Cook
Introduction
Although it is an air fryer, the Ninja Speedi is more than that: built to deliver multi-level cooking, this device can dish out complete meals in just 15 minutes, as well as grilling, steaming and, of course, air frying.
It doesn’t have a traditional air fryer’s highest temperatures, but if you more want a device that delivers flexible cooking, the Speedi is a great choice, and it remains different to other products in Ninja’s line-up.
Design and Features
- Two cooking modes
- Crisper plate can be placed in two locations
- Steams as well as cooks
From the outside, the Ninja Speedi looks much like the company’s other air fryer/grill combination products, such as the Ninja AG651UK. In truth, the Speedi, despite the focus on its 15-minute meals, is a similar product in most regards.
The difference comes from how the Speedi can be used. Flip open the lid and there’s a 5.7-litre cooking pot, which makes this a larger air fryer than many single-zone models, such as the Ninja Air Fryer Max Pro 6.2L AF180UK. At the bottom of the pot sits the removable crisper plate, which is used for air frying.
The standard position is to have this crisper plate at the bottom, which works for regular air frying. In this way, the Speedi is similar to most air fryers. I did find that it was easier to use silicone tongues to turn food, as the pot is a little hard (and hot) to remove and shake.
I also found that it’s quite easy to lose a few small items, such as individual fries, in the gap in the middle, with food sliding through. At the end of cooking, after I’ve served up, I have to remember to remove the crisper plate and get the little bits of food that have slipped through. This is a bit of a tricky process, as the crisper plate locks firmly into position.
Take the crisper plate out and you’ll see that it has fold-out legs that let it stand halfway up the pot. This is the second cooking position, and lets the Speedi cook on two levels: the bottom level is for your base (pasta, rice, potatoes and anything you’d want to cook in liquid), and the top level is for protein, crisped up with the grill.
That combination means you can cook two different types of food at once, giving a complete meal with very little hassle. My only minor complaint is that the crisper plate is a bit fiddly to remove to get to the bottom layer: I found using a pair of insulated rubber oven gloves was the best way.
Using the Speedi is easy. At the top is a switch that moves the Speedi between its Rapid Cooker and Air Fry / Hob settings. For Rapid cooking, there’s a choice of Speedi Meals, Steam Air Fry, Steam Bake and Steam. All of these require some liquid in the bottom, but the quick start guide helps make the choice easy.
For the Air Fry / Hob setting, there’s a choice of Grill, Air Fry, Bake / Roast, Dehydrate, Sear / Sauté and Slow Cook. Again, the excellent guide helps choose the right settings and rough cooking times for various common foods.
Using the Speedi is easy. With a mode set, it’s a matter of setting the target temperature and then the cook time. For any option involving steam, there’s a pre-heat phase before the main cooking time is started; regular modes just start the timer automatically. For the latter, I needed to add a few minutes to the cooking time, compared to an air fryer with a pre-heat function.
At the end of cooking, everything is dishwasher safe, although it’s just as easy to manually wash everything up.
Performance
- Doesn’t have the highest temperatures
- Steam air frying is brilliant
- Makes complex meals easy to cook
The Ninja Speedia can be used as a regular air fryer, but it tops out at 210°C and doesn’t have the higher heat modes that some rivals have. Cooking hash browns, I got good results, but the final product wasn’t quite as crispy as when using a 240°C mode on the Ninja AF400UK.
I then moved on to cooking chips. An air fryer can dry out chips, but the steam air fry mode on the Speedi is brilliant. Using 125ml of water, I took parboiled Désirée potatoes, sliced into thin chips, and cooked for 25-minutes at 200°C (turning up to 210°C for the last few minutes). The result was some of the best chips that I have ever had: crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
Next, I moved on to multi-level cooking. I made some halloumi kebabs, coated with a soya sauce-based dressing and placed these on the top level. On the bottom level, I put 200g of rice with 500ml of water, and set a cooking time of 15-minutes at 180°C.
With this cooking mode, the crisper plate can’t easily be removed to check how the bottom layer is cooking, so you kind of have to trust that it’s cooking well: make sure you have enough liquid in the bottom to prevent drying out. If there’s liquid at the end, the sear function can be used to finish off.
Secondly, the top layer can cook faster than you may expect. I found that my kebabs were cooked a few minutes before the bottom layer was, so needed removing earlier. Even so, for a mid-week meal, it took 20 minutes (including prep) and a single pot to produce something that would otherwise have required multiple pots and grills.
I was happy with the final result. The liquid from the kebabs drips through onto the rice a little, so just be aware that what you cook on top will slightly come through to the bottom layer. That shouldn’t be an issue, as it is one meal that you’re making.
Overall, my kebabs were nice and crispy and the rice fluffy enough: sure a proper rice cooker will get the best results for rice, but here I’m willing to sacrifice the best results for the convenience that the Speedi offers.
I also like the flexibility. One night, I used the bottom layer to cook rice. Towards the end of the cooking period, I added some pre-cooked onions, pepper and sliced steak to the top, reheating them. Once finished, I removed half of the rice, and used that with a Thai green curry.
With the remaining rice, I added soya sauce and the heated onions and peppers, using the sear function to finish off the meal, and gave that to my daughter who doesn’t like the heat of the curry. That was then two different meals, using some shared ingredients, cooked with the minimum level of fuss.
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Should you buy it?
You want maximum flexibility
If you want an air fryer but want the flexibility to steam and cook different types of dishes, the Speedi is your friend.
You want the crispiest air fry results
Pick a model that has a higher temperature if you want the crispiest food.
Final Thoughts
At its best, the Ninja Speedi is a smart and convenient way to cook entire meals in one go, whether you want them fast (in 15 minutes or so) or via the slow cooker. With grilll, sear and air fry functions, too, the Speedi can also cook pretty much any type of dish, and the steam air fry function is just incredible.
If you want a device that’s multi-function, the Speedi is an excellent choice. If you’re more focused on air frying, then a model with higher temperatures, such as the Ninja AF400UK may suit you better. If you don’t need the steam option and want more space for air frying, the dual-basket Ninja Double Stack XL 9.5L Air Fryer SL400UK could be a good alternative. This has 9.5-litres of cooking space, spread over two baskets, and it can use double-layer cooking to increase capacity further. This model has the drawer’s stacked on top of each other, so it doesn’t take up much counter space. For other alternatives, check out my guide to the best air fryers.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every air fryer we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main air fryer for the review period
We cook real food in each air fryer, making chips, frying sausages and cooking frozen hash browns. This lets us compare quality between each air fryer that we test.
FAQs
It’s effectively an air fryer with a few extra modes that lets it cook complete meals on two levels.
No, this is not a pressure cooker.
Yes, the cooking pot and crisper plate can both be washed in a dishwasher.
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