How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-22 · 9 min read · Independent comparison
My top pick is the SharkNinja Air Fryer Pro XL (AF182AMZ) — a 6.5-quart, 7-in-1 machine that hits 450°F, so it crisps more food at once and runs hotter than anything else in this lineup.
• SharkNinja Air Fryer Pro — best for feeding a family or batch-cooking; pick this if you want the largest basket here (6.5 qt, up to 5 lbs of fries or 9 lbs of wings) plus the widest function list and the highest max temperature at 450°F.
• Ninja Air Fryer Pro — best for smaller kitchens and one-to-two-person cooking; pick this if 5 quarts is plenty and you'd rather have a shorter, lighter unit with a 400°F ceiling and four core functions.
• INFRAOVENS Parchment Paper Sheets — best for messy, sticky foods and fast cleanup; pick this if you own the 6.5 qt XL and want pre-cut 8.7 x 8.7-inch liners instead of scrubbing the basket.
• Xabzhzn Silicone Liners — best for reusable, low-waste cooking in a 3–5 qt fryer; pick this if you want two dishwasher-safe silicone inserts rated to 450°F that fit smaller Ninja models and many other brands.
This is the XL version of Ninja's air fryer line, and the spec sheet reads like it was built for people who cook in volume. The basket holds 6.5 quarts — enough for up to 5 pounds of French fries or 9 pounds of chicken wings in one go. That's the number that matters most day to day: it's the difference between air-frying in two batches and air-frying once.
The 7-in-1 function set covers Max Crisp, Air Broil, Air Fry, Air Roast, Bake, Reheat, and Dehydrate. In practice that means one appliance replaces a few: Reheat for leftovers, Bake for small batches of cookies or a single cake, Dehydrate for jerky or dried fruit, Air Broil for a quick char on top of something. Max Crisp pushes superheated air up to 450°F, which is the highest max temperature in this group and the reason frozen foods come out with a genuinely crisp shell rather than a soggy middle. Ninja's own testing claims up to 75% less fat than traditional deep frying, measured against hand-cut deep-fried fries.
Controls are touch-based, with programmable temperature control, a timer, and automatic shut-off. The basket and crisper plate are nonstick and dishwasher safe, which is the feature you'll actually appreciate on a weeknight. It ships with a 20-recipe chef-inspired book and cooking charts, so you're not guessing times on your first few cooks. At 11.4 pounds and roughly 15 inches deep by 11.3 wide by 12 high, it's a countertop appliance you'll want to keep out rather than haul in and out of a cabinet — Ninja says the design saves space versus earlier models, and the footprint is reasonable for the capacity, but it's still a big box.
The trade-off is honest: this is the bulkiest, heaviest option here, and 6.5 quarts is more capacity than a single person or a couple needs for routine meals. If you mostly cook one or two portions, the extra size costs you counter space without buying you much. My opinion: it's the right call for households of three or more, or anyone who meal-preps in batches.
Ninja Air Fryer Pro
The four functions are Air Fry, Roast, Reheat, and Dehydrate, all customizable. Two things stand out in the specs. First, it's built from metal and plastic with a metal inner material, which is a slightly sturdier construction story than the all-plastic inner of the XL. Second, the control method is listed as touch with a push-button controller — a small detail that matters if you prefer a physical button press over a flat panel.
Daily use looks like this: Air Fry for the usual suspects (fries, nuggets, vegetables), Roast for chicken thighs or a tray of root veg, Reheat for pizza and leftovers that you want crisp rather than microwaved-soft, and Dehydrate for smaller batches of dried fruit or herbs. Ninja lists the same up-to-75%-less-fat claim, tested against hand-cut deep-fried fries, and the same "frozen to crispy in minutes" positioning. The basket and crisper plate are nonstick, and it's designed as a space saver for tighter counters. It also carries automatic shut-off, programmable settings, temperature control, and a timer.
Where it gives ground: no Bake function, no Air Broil, no Max Crisp mode, and a 400°F ceiling. That 50-degree difference is the practical gap — you won't get quite the same aggressive browning on frozen foods, and you lose the dehydrate-and-bake combo that makes the XL a fuller oven replacement. In my opinion, this is the better pick if you cook for one or two, have limited counter depth, or want a lighter unit to move around. It covers the four functions most people actually use 90% of the time.
These are pre-cut, unbleached, square parchment liners sized at 8.7 x 8.7 inches, and they're made specifically for the Ninja Air Fryer Pro XL 6-in-1 6.5 qt AF181. That size match is the whole point — a square liner that actually sits in the basket without curling up the sides or folding over your food.
The set is 100 perforated, nonstick sheets plus one reusable liner made of food-grade, PFOA-free fiberglass. That reusable piece is the smart part of the kit: parchment handles most things, but sticky or wet foods — marinated meats, dumplings, anything saucy — tend to soak through or tear paper. The fiberglass liner is meant for exactly those cases, and it can also sit under food to keep residue off the bottom of the tray.
What this buys you is cleanup time. Grease, oil, and food residue land on the paper instead of bonding to your basket or crisper plate, so you're not soaking and scraping after dinner, and you're not scratching the nonstick coating with a scrubber. The manufacturer also notes that, unlike aluminum foil, parchment won't leave a metallic taste in your food. Uses listed include meats, vegetables, pizza, dumplings, wings, dim sum, cakes, cookies, and brownies — plus steaming.
Xabzhzn Silicone Liners
This is a two-pack of round silicone basket inserts, black and red, 8 inches in diameter and just 0.1 inch thick. They're reusable, dishwasher safe, and rated heat resistant up to 450°F. The material is 100% BPA-free food-grade silicone with a nonstick finish, and it's colorfast — meaning it won't bleed or discolor over repeated washes.
The compatibility list is broad and it's worth reading carefully, because fit is everything with inserts. It covers Ninja AF101 4 qt, AF161 5.5 qt Max XL, AF150 5.5 qt XL, and AF141 5 qt, plus COSORI 4–5 qt, Gourmia 4–5 qt, Fabuletta, PowerXL, Instant Pot, Philips 4 qt, Ultrean 4.2–4.5 qt, GoWISE 3.7 qt, LATURE 4.2 qt, Chefman 3.5–3.7 qt, and most 3–5 qt air fryers. Note the ceiling: it's built for the 3–5 qt class, so it does not fit the 6.5 qt XL.
The design detail I like is the raised lines across the base. They lift food slightly and open up airflow underneath, which helps heat circulate for more even doneness — a real advantage over a flat paper sheet that can block the perforations. In daily use you drop one in, cook, then either hand-wash or run it through the dishwasher, and your basket stays free of grease and baked-on residue. The brand also positions it as a multi-purpose accessory: oven, microwave, steamer, rice cooker, even as a fruit plate.
The trade-offs are practical, not fatal. Silicone gets hot — the manufacturer explicitly says to use tools to lift it out or let it cool first, which is a step paper doesn't require. It's round, so in a square basket you'll have gaps at the corners. And the brand's claim that it's "better than parchment" leans on fire-hazard and long-run-cost arguments rather than cooking performance; take that as marketing framing, not a spec. In my opinion, if you own a 3–5 qt Ninja and want to stop replacing disposable liners, this two-pack is the sensible buy.
How We Picked
how to ninja air fryer
Load the basket without overcrowding — leave room for air to move around the food. Set your function (Air Fry, Max Crisp, Roast, Reheat, Bake, or Dehydrate depending on the model), set the temperature and timer with the touch controls, and let it run. Both fryers here have automatic shut-off, so the unit stops when the timer ends.
how to ninja air fryer chicken breast
Use the Air Fry function and keep pieces similar in size so they finish together. The XL reaches 450°F and the AF141 reaches 400°F, so the higher-temp machine will brown the outside faster. For anything sticky or marinated, the INFRAOVENS reusable fiberglass liner or a Xabzhzn silicone insert keeps the basket clean.
how to ninja air fryer roast potatoes
Cut potatoes into even chunks, toss with a little oil, and use Air Fry or Roast. Spread them in a single layer — the 6.5 qt basket fits up to 5 lbs of fries, but crowding steams them instead of crisping them. Shake the basket partway through for more even color.
how to ninja air fryer bacon
Lay strips flat in the basket without overlapping, and use Air Fry rather than a lower-temperature setting. Bacon renders fat as it cooks, so a parchment liner or silicone insert is worth using to catch the grease. Both models list 75% less fat than traditional deep frying, tested against hand-cut deep-fried French fries.
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