Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Indoor Grill & Air Fryer (AG301) review

Short verdict: I bought the Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 with my own money, and after several weeks, closer to several months, of regular use, my family got rid of our propane grill and cooked on this instead. It turns out the same burger every time once you’ve dialed in the time and temperature, it cleans up in a couple of minutes, and its air fryer makes the best tater tots we’ve had at home. It holds five or six burgers, though, so it won’t cover a backyard cookout, and it’s bulky enough that putting it away after every meal gets old. As of October 26, 2026, the AG301 still lists at $219.99, and Ninja now sells an updated 6-in-1 (EG201) that adds a broil setting.

Quick specs: Ninja Foodi AG301 (still the current 5-in-1)

Why we ditched the propane grill

This wasn’t a sponsored review. I bought the grill myself, and the whole review is built on our own family dinners. The headline is the part that surprised me: once this was in the kitchen, we got rid of our propane gas grill and used only the Ninja.

That says more about what we actually cook than about the Ninja being a full grill replacement. Our grilling is mostly weeknight burgers for a family with young kids. For that, a countertop unit that works in rain, snow or sunshine, needs no tank and needs no scraping of last week’s grease off the grates is just more practical. If your grilling means slow-smoking a brisket or feeding 15 people, read the size section before you sell anything.

How a burger night actually goes

Here’s the routine we settled into, because the numbers are what make or break this machine.

Warm-up: about five minutes. You choose the grill setting and set the timer, and the grill preheats before it tells you to add food. That five minutes isn’t counted in the cook time, so plan for it.

Cook: eight minutes for decently thick patties. That’s the timer setting we landed on. When I say that in the video I repeat it on purpose, because it sounds too fast. Eight minutes, start to finish, after preheating. Once you close the lid the timer starts counting down by itself, and the grill beeps when it’s done.

Flip at four minutes. You don’t have to flip. The Ninja moves hot air around the food, so it cooks through either way. I flip anyway, because I like grill marks on both sides, it cooks more evenly, and my family likes that it looks like it came off a traditional grill. The grill doesn’t remind you to flip, so I set a second timer on my phone for four minutes.

Bring your own tongs. Ninja doesn’t include a flipping or grabbing tool. I use a pair of long tongs to reach in. Plan to buy or borrow a pair.

Done: medium, a little red in the middle. That’s how we like them, and it took us a couple of tries to find the time and temperature that gets there. When I cut one open on camera it was exactly what we were after.

Capacity: five or six patties. That’s enough to feed a family, but not enough for a big barbecue where you’d want 10 or 15 burgers going at once.

Noise: noticeable, not loud. You’ll hear the fan spin up during the cook. It isn’t silent and it isn’t bad. I just want you to know it’s there before you buy.

When the timer ends, the screen shows “End,” you lift the lid, and the two handles on the grill grate let you pull it out.

The real selling point: the same burger every time

I think the performance of this grill is underrated, and here’s why. Once you know your time and temperature, the Ninja makes the exact same burger every time. Same patty size, same setting, same result.

That matters more than it sounds if you have picky eaters. Our kids got used to one burger, and that’s the burger they get every time. There are no surprise charred spots like you can get on a charcoal or propane grill. I like a little char myself, but some kids don’t, and this grill doesn’t make any. That kind of consistency is hard to get on charcoal and not easy on propane either.

I think the reason is simple. You start on a clean surface every time. An outdoor grill rarely gets cleaned thoroughly between cooks, and whatever’s left on the grates changes how the next meal cooks. Because the Ninja’s grate and pot get washed after every use, nothing carries over.

Cleanup takes a couple of minutes

I hate doing dishes, and I can’t overstate how easy this is to clean. After burgers there’s residue on the grill grate and in the pan underneath. I splash some water in, go over it with a scrub brush, and it comes right off. It takes a couple of minutes at most before it’s ready for the next meal. Ninja also says the grate, crisper basket and cooking pot are dishwasher safe, but the scrub-and-rinse method is what I actually showed.

Don’t skip the air fryer

The grill is the headline, but we use the air fryer at least as much. Our pattern is to air-fry the sides first and then grill.

• Order of operations: put the crisper basket in, cook the fries, tots or onion rings, then drop the cold grill grate into the hot pot and start the burgers. Be careful at that swap, because the pot is hot.
• Timing: we follow the package instructions on the bag, but if it says 10 minutes we stop at five and stir them around, the same way I flip the burgers halfway.
• Results: I’m not a big fan of tater tots unless they come out of this air fryer. We used to bake them in the oven, and these are completely different, close to restaurant quality. Onion rings and fries come out the same way.

So one appliance gets you burgers and the sides with them.

The one real complaint: size

If I had to name one complaint, it would be the size. We don’t leave it on the counter. It goes back in a cabinet after every use, and it’s bulky to haul in and out. We do it anyway because we use it all the time, but if your counter is crowded and your cabinets are full, keep in mind that this is 17 inches deep and 11 inches tall according to Home Depot.

What’s changed since my video

My video is from June 2021. Here’s what’s new as of October 26, 2026:

• The AG301 is still on sale. Home Depot and Amazon both list it at $219.99, and Amazon shows a 4.8-star average across more than 27,000 ratings.
• Ninja has an updated model, the EG201. Ninja calls it an “updated sleek design from the original Foodi Grill.” It adds a sixth function, Broil, and swaps the crisper basket for a “crisper plate.” Ninja lists it at 20.28 lb and 19.57 x 15.71 x 14.06 inches, which is bigger in every direction than Home Depot’s AG301 dimensions. The page says the price was “reduced from $219.99,” but the sale price didn’t show up when I checked, so I’m not quoting one.
• No recall on these grills. I checked CPSC. SharkNinja’s big 2025 recall was 1.8 million Foodi multi-function pressure cookers with lids that can open during use, not the indoor grill.

How it compares

How I’d read that table:

• AG301: the right pick if you want what I’ve described, meaning grill marks, an air fryer and cleanup in a few minutes, for the least money in Ninja’s lidded lineup.
• EG201: the same idea with a broil setting and a different look. Choose it if the sale price beats the AG301 on the day you buy.
• FG551: worth the extra money if you cook thicker cuts and don’t want to guess doneness. The built-in thermometer fixes the “took us a couple tries” learning curve I had with burgers.
• Sizzle Pro XL: for when the problem is capacity, not convenience. It’s a 20-inch griddle meant for 8 to 10 people, but you lose the air fryer that makes the AG301 a two-in-one for us. At SharkNinja’s $99.99 sale price on October 26, 2026, it also costs less than half as much.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Thick burgers in eight minutes after about five minutes of preheating
• Repeatable results, the same burger every time once you’ve found your settings
• Cleans up in a couple of minutes, and the grate, basket and pot are dishwasher safe per Ninja
• The air fryer is good enough on its own that we use it as much as the grill
• Works year-round, indoors, with no propane tank
• No CPSC recall on the grill

Cons

• Holds five or six burgers, which is too small for a party
• Bulky to store, and it’s 17 inches deep
• No tongs or flipping tool included
• No flip reminder, so I use a phone timer
• The fan noise is noticeable
• It took a few tries to dial in our doneness, and there’s no built-in thermometer on this model

Who should buy it, and who should skip it

Buy it if you grill mostly weeknight dinners for a family of four or five, you want burgers that come out the same every time for picky kids, you hate scrubbing grates, or you can’t or won’t keep a propane grill.

Skip it if you regularly cook for a crowd, you have no cabinet or counter space for a 17-inch-deep appliance, or what you love about grilling is smoke and fire. For that last one, a countertop air-fry grill is the wrong tool.

FAQ

Is the Ninja AG301 sponsored on this channel? No. I bought it myself, and Ninja had nothing to do with the video.

How long do burgers take? For decently thick patties, eight minutes after about a five-minute preheat. I flip at four minutes.

Do you have to flip? No. I flip for grill marks on both sides and a more even cook.

How many burgers fit? Five or six in my experience.

Is it loud? You’ll hear the fan. It isn’t loud, but it isn’t silent either.

Does it come with tongs? No. Plan to use your own long tongs.

Is it hard to clean? No. For me it takes a couple of minutes with water and a scrub brush, and Ninja says the grate, basket and pot are dishwasher safe.

Can I air-fry and grill in the same meal? Yes. We air-fry the sides first, then put the cold grill grate into the hot pot. Be careful, because it’s hot.

What’s the price right now? $219.99 at Home Depot and Amazon as of October 26, 2026.

Has the Ninja Foodi grill been recalled? Not that I could find on CPSC as of October 26, 2026. The 2025 SharkNinja recall covers Foodi pressure cookers.

AG301 or the newer EG201? I haven’t cooked on the EG201. On paper it’s the same idea with a broil function and a newer look. Buy whichever is cheaper the day you shop.

Why this review stops here

I only have one video on this grill, and it’s about burgers and air-fried sides. I didn’t test steaks, chicken, dehydrating, baking or roasting on camera, and I didn’t track long-term durability. Rather than guess at those, I’ve kept this review to what I actually did plus the current specs and prices.

Sources

• My video: The Ninja Foodi is Revealed (June 3, 2021)
• Home Depot AG301 listing, accessed Oct 26, 2026
• Amazon AG301 listing, accessed Oct 26, 2026
• Ninja EG201 product page, accessed Oct 26, 2026
• Amazon FG551 listing, accessed Oct 26, 2026
• Ninja Sizzle Pro XL GX101 page, accessed Oct 26, 2026
• CPSC: SharkNinja Foodi pressure cooker recall (2025), accessed Oct 26, 2026