I Tested the Ninja French Door Air Fryer – It Handles Big Meals in Small Kitchens Impressively

The Ninja French Door Premier Air Fryer, Convection Oven, and Toaster is a super-charged, multi-function smart oven that boasts a few extra features and a streamlined French door design. I’ve been testing air fryers in my modestly-sized Brooklyn apartment for over a decade, and this new, PFAS-free Ninja device is the first of 2026 to be put through the paces.

After reviewing several of the best Ninja air fryers, I think this more practical oven is perfect for those who want to do it all in a limited amount of space. I’m a huge fan of multi-functional appliances because, while not tiny, my kitchen does have limited counter space. And because I’m constantly cooking meals and snacks for a family of four, I appreciate having a countertop oven that is not just simple to use, but will also save me time.

The Premier Air Fryer has all the usual suspects when it comes to cooking functions, but it also adds Air Roast, Whole Roast, Reheat, and Pizza to its repertoire. I also like how it bridges the gap with conventional, basket-style air fryers by adding a deeper, 5-qt air fry basket for larger meals.

I tested this kitchen workhorse for a week, and I found that it offers a solid cooking experience – and also works as the best toaster I’ve used in an air fryer yet.

Design & First Impressions

The Ninja Premier Air Fryer is, as advertised, designed with French doors, which open out vertically like a fridge rather than horizontally like an oven. I happen to be in two minds about this: Yes, you get extra space inside the oven, but in my testing of the Midea Flexify French Door Air Fryer, I found that I was more prone to burning my forearms when I reached inside to adjust or remove food. Also, aesthetically, I don’t find this design to be as attractive as the conventional oven door. Even my husband (who hardly steps foot in the kitchen) commented that it didn’t look as nice as the Our Place Wonder Oven Pro I previously reviewed.

Another thing I noticed is that the accessories are, well, fiddly. Out of the three racks and one basket, only one locks into the oven. The others need to be stacked, sometimes two to three on top of each other. So, even though the oven is roomy, it feels like you may lose some space for actual food (though it does bill itself to have the largest air frying capacity in the French door oven market).

As for the controls, I was impressed with how simple and intuitive they are. With six buttons, you simply press power, press Mode, toggle through to your desired function using the Start/Stop knob, then use the Temp and Time buttons to personalize your cooking or toast shade. The digital display is easy to read.

Lastly, the Ninja Premier Air Fryer is compact and easily fits on my counter.

Specifications

Cooking Performance

Test 1: French Fries

Air frying 101 is always frozen French fries for me. So when my teen son woke up on his winter break at noon, and asked for lunch, I poured in half a bag of seasoned spuds and hit Air Fry at 400° Fahrenheit. The one thing I’ve learned about nearly every air fryer/toaster oven I’ve used is that it’s best to start on a lower temperature and ratchet up if need be. I’ve experienced way too many over-fried fries when I go for the full 450°F.

As mentioned earlier, the air fryer basket needs to be stacked on top of both the lower rack and the sheet pan, which made me worry that the hot air would not easily reach the bottom of the basket, and I’d have to stand there and keep shaking it. But, lo and behold, after just 12 minutes and not a single shake, the fries emerged perfectly crispy. It may have been a little finicky to set up, but so far in all my air fryer testing, these were the most evenly cooked results yet.

Just to be sure I'd get similar results with a larger batch, I later took a full bag of fries and filled that deep, 5-quart basket all the way up. I stuck with 400°F, and this time, I did shake them twice in the approximately 20 minutes of cook time, but I was left with the same excellent crispiness.

Test 2: Chicken

I make a ton of chicken. It’s my go-to for at least half of my family's weeknight dinners, and I almost always cook it in my air fryer. So to test, I opened a Trader Joe's package of two bone-in breasts and four legs and decided to use the Air Roast function at 400°F, which Ninja claims uses gentler, circulated hot air to crisp food without drying it out. And, from what I could see, that’s exactly what it does.

I was minimal with my preparations: No extra oil, just salt, pepper, and a little paprika. I set the timer for 30 minutes, and again, stacked all the accessories as suggested, though I did cover the sheet pan in foil so it would be easier to clean up the chicken grease after the fact. I turned the chicken once during the half hour, and when the oven dinged, I was left with what looked like slightly crispy, beautifully browned breasts and legs.

As with the French fries, I was impressed with the circulation of the hot air and how it evenly cooked all parts of the chicken with minimal intervention, keeping the inside moist as well.

Test 3: Vegetables

Cooking veggies in an air fryer is always a slight disappointment. I consistently have high hopes of mimicking restaurant-quality fried vegetables like zucchini, Brussels sprouts, or cauliflower – but alas, in all the ovens I’ve used, that is still just a dream.

Here, I tried lightly spraying zucchini sticks with avocado oil and using the air fry function at 400 degrees, but per usual, the result was well-cooked, but only slightly crispy. My limp, homemade zucchini fries were yummy, but tasted more like they were broiled. A fine side dish, but not what I was hoping for.

What is it Like to Use?

Once plugged in, you just pick your function, time, and temp, and it’s all shown clearly on the oven’s easy-to-read LCD. Just press the large button to start and the on/off button to end. Even my super lazy teens mastered it in no time. I was also impressed with the quick, 90-second preheat.

As prefaced already, I was less crazy about the stacking of the accessories and still like the idea of locking in the air fryer basket and sheet pan, but after a few tries, I got used to it. And though I thought I wouldn’t be able to cook the same amount of food with the slightly smaller area, that never proved to be a problem throughout my testing.

The only thing I had to get used to was the outward swing of the doors, though maybe because I was used to it from my last dance with the Medea air fryer, there were no awkward burns. I did, however, have to rearrange a few things on my counter (my olive oil and where I kept my fresh garlic cloves) so the doors could swing fully open without hitting them.

How Does it Compare?

I have to admit, I’m a little flummoxed about whether or not I will move this to pole position for my everyday air fryer/oven. It does cook quicker and more evenly than my current favorite, the Our Place Wonder Oven Pro I reviewed, but the latter is definitely more attractive and better designed.

I’m also still not fully sold on the French door of theNinja French Door Premier Air Fryer, which ends up taking up space from other items on my countertop. But it smokes the Midea Flexify French Door Air Fryer in both looks, functions, and cooking results. However, it’s not cheap and is comparable in price to higher-end air fryers.

Cleaning, Maintenance & Storage

It took me a little time to get a handle on how best to keep all the aspects of this oven clean. As I do with all my multi-function air fryers, I wrapped the crumb tray in foil so I wouldn’t have to take it out after every use.

But because the sheet pan needed to be under the second wire rack if I was broiling, baking, or air frying, I also had to make sure that it was covered in foil if I didn’t want to clean it after every use, so that made it easier in general.

As for storage, the compact size allowed me to keep it on my counter, but if you have the space, you could easily store it away as well. All the accessories either went inside or on top of the oven.

Should You Buy It?

Like many Ninja appliances, the Premier Air Fryer is versatile. It’s crafted with everyday use in mind, and the fact that it toasts bread like a dedicated toaster makes it even more useful.

It’s small enough to fit under most counters, so a good purchase for apartment dwellers or anyone with a smaller kitchen. I also give it a shoutout for its large capacity air fryer basket, which can feed groups of hungry kids and which makes it perfect for parties or larger gatherings.

It offers simple, intuitive settings and functions, a compact footprint, and a generously-sized air fryer basket. I was also extremely impressed with how evenly it cooked most things, including regular, old toast.

My one complaint is its design, both the stacking of accessories inside the oven, as well as its decision to go with French doors rather than the more conventional design. And though I think Ninja is an innovative brand, I worry about its durability, as seen from its mixed online reviews and Better Business Bureau complaints.

In the end, however, if you’re looking for a multifunction air fryer/toaster oven for a smaller kitchen that can handle everyday cooking as well as shine during parties and larger gatherings, I’d suggest giving it a proper second look.

How We Test Air Fryers

Our team is made up of expert cooks, home economists, and experienced reviewers. If you're interested in what happens in the test kitchen, you'll find all the details on the 'how we test air fryers' page.

To give you the bullet points, we focus on exceptional cooking performance by air-frying frozen French fries, chicken, and roasted vegetables. During our taste tests, we seek food that’s perfectly crispy on the outside and tender within.

Ease of use is the best part of air frying, so our tests also evaluate the intuitiveness of the controls, basket design, instruction booklet, and the accuracy of recipe presets. We also make sure to explore any special features, like grilling and dehydrating, the capacity, cleaning, and durability.

Finally, when you're making a kitchen investment, price really matters, so we weigh up the air fryer's features and performance to see if it offers good value for money. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure you choose an air fryer that looks stylish in your kitchen, as well as being reliable, efficient, and a joy to use.

Next delve into our best non-toxic air fryers.