Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Air Fryer Review: Can It Really Replace Your Oven?

Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Air Fryer Review: Can It Really Replace Your Oven?

If you’ve ever had to juggle dishes around a Thanksgiving turkey, waited impatiently for your oven to preheat for a frozen pizza, or dreaded baking in the summer heat, you’ve dreamed of an alternative. The Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Air Fryer isn’t just another air fryer; it’s a powerful countertop oven that promises to do almost everything your big oven can do, but faster and more efficiently.

But can a small appliance really replace the central workhorse of your kitchen? I put this Ninja powerhouse to the test to find out.

First Impressions: It’s an Oven, But Smaller

The first thing you notice is its size. The “XL” is no joke—it has a substantial footprint. However, when you consider it’s meant to replace an appliance that’s built into your wall, the counter space it uses feels justified.

It comes with two large, restaurant-style sheet pans and a wire rack. The build quality feels solid, and the digital interface is intuitive and easy to use. This doesn’t feel like a gadget; it feels like a serious piece of cooking equipment.

The 10 Functions: What Ninja Foodi 10  Can Actually Do?

The “10-in-1” name covers a vast range of cooking methods:

1. Air Fry

2. Air Broil

3. Bake

4. Roast

5. Reheat

6. Dehydrate

7. Toast

8. Bagel

9. Keep Warm

10. Pizza

The key feature here is its Cyclonic Air Technology, which swirls super-heated air around the food at high speed for fast, even cooking and crisping. But the real advantage over a basket-style air fryer is its large, oven-style interior that fits full sheet pans.

Performance Testing: Oven vs. Ninja Showdown

I tested it head-to-head against my standard full-size oven on several key tasks:

1. Preheating:

• Standard Oven: 15-20 minutes to reach 400°F (375°F).

• Ninja Foodi 10: Less than 3 minutes.

• Verdict: Ninja wins, overwhelmingly. This is a massive time and energy saver.

2. Roasting Vegetables:

• Test: A sheet pan of broccoli, carrots, and potatoes.

• Result: The Ninja produced beautifully caramelized, crispy-edged veggies in about 20 minutes. The results were identical to my oven, but much faster and without heating up the entire kitchen.

3. Baking Cookies:

• Test: Two batches of chocolate chip cookies (one in each appliance).

• Result: This was the biggest surprise. The cookies baked in the Ninja were perfectly even, with a crispy exterior and chewy center. The convection-style air circulation prevented hot spots. The batch in my conventional oven spread more and baked less evenly.

4. “Air Frying” (Crispy Foods):

• Test: Frozen french fries and fresh chicken wings.

• Result: As expected, it excelled. The large capacity meant I could cook a family-sized portion in a single layer, something impossible with a basket-style air fryer. The wings were shatteringly crisp.

5. Reheating Leftovers:

• Verdict: Life-changing. It resurrects leftover pizza, fries, and fried chicken, making them crispy again instead of soggy like a microwave would.

Who Is The Ninja Foodi XL For? The Perfect User

This appliance is a game-changer for:

• Small Households & Apartment Dwellers: For those with small, inefficient, or non-existent ovens, this can absolutely serve as a primary oven.

• Summer Cooks: Anyone who wants to avoid turning on their big oven and heating up the whole house.

• Meal Preppers & Large Families: The XL capacity is legit. You can roast a whole chicken, bake a dozen cookies, or air fry two pounds of wings at once.

• Efficiency Seekers: If you hate waiting for an oven to preheat for a small meal, this saves significant time and energy.

The Honest Downsides

It’s powerful, but it’s not magic. Here’s the reality:

• Counter Space: It is large. You need a dedicated spot for it.

• Capacity Limitation: It can’t replace an oven for everything. You cannot cook a very large turkey or a full-sized casserole dish designed for a standard oven. It’s for sheet pan cooking.

• Learning Curve: Cooking times and temperatures can differ from your standard oven recipes. You’ll need to adjust and experiment slightly (though it comes with a great recipe guide).

• No Viewing Window: Unlike some basket air fryers, you can’t easily check on your food without pulling the basket out.

Final Verdict: Can It Replace Your Oven?

The answer is a qualified yes, for about 80% of daily cooking tasks.

For roasting vegetables, baking cookies, reheating leftovers, cooking frozen foods, air frying, and toasting, the Ninja Foodi XL is not just a replacement—it’s often a superior alternative thanks to its speed and efficiency.

However, your big oven is still necessary for very large holiday meals, baking in specific pans (like a 9×13 casserole or a bundt pan), and any recipe that requires a truly huge volume.

Think of it less as a replacement and more as a brilliant, efficient, and incredibly versatile supplement that will drastically reduce your reliance on your big oven. For many people, that’s enough to completely transform their time in the kitchen.

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Ready to Stop Waiting for the Oven to Preheat?

If the Ninja Foodi XL sounds like the solution to your kitchen woes, I’ve found the best place to get it.

➡️ Click here to check the latest price and availability for the Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Air Fryer on Amazon

(This link takes you to the official listing where you can see detailed specs, current promotions, and thousands of user reviews.)