Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill and Griddle: a lightweight broiler for burgers, and brunch items

The Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill and Griddle is a versatile machine designed to solve some common challenges of indoor cooking.

The smokeless design, achieved by high-heat cooking and chef-recommended cook temperatures, allows you to grill indoors without worrying about smoke. 

Since this small kitchen appliance features an interchangeable grill and griddle plate, its space-saving design is ideal for schemes with limited counter and storage space. Plus, with its comprehensive list of food options and cooking directions, this is a versatile product that can be used to prepare countless dishes. 

Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill and Griddle review

Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill and Griddle specifications

What I thought of the Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill and Griddle

I was very impressed by the Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill and Griddle. This compact product weighs less than eight pounds, yet offers enough space to cook up to six burgers or pancakes at once. It’s easy to use and features a great temperature range. 

This grill and griddle performed well in all of my tests. I appreciated that it truly is smokeless, especially since I can easily set off my smoke detectors while cooking, triggering an alarm to my security company. I also thought the non-stick plate designs were fantastic, and was swayed by the fact that I could cook crepes and pancakes without greasing the griddle plate. 

While I’d like to see some changes, like storage for the extra plate and a light that alerts you when the machine has pre-heated, I think this is a great product. It could be ideal for kitchens with limited space, cooks who want to be able to grill indoors without dealing with smoke, homes that don’t have an outdoor grill, and anyone who wants to save on the space and cost of buying a separate grill and griddle.

Setting up the Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill and Griddle

The setup process was easy and simple. Once I removed the grill and plates from the packaging, I washed the plates with a little Palmolive dish soap (available on Amazon) . Each plate easily fits onto the machine’s surface, and the machine also features a label with suggested grilling temperatures for some common foods. 

The grill and griddle also included an owner’s guide with detailed instructions, as well as a 29-page full-color quick start guide. The quick start guide features some usage tips and guidance, as well as ten recipes such as French toast, strawberry hazelnut spread crepes, grilled caprese chicken breasts, and smash burgers with sauteed mushrooms. Additionally, and most importantly, it includes a grill chart and griddle chart outlining suggested amounts, preparation methods, temperatures, cook times, and instructions for foods. 

Using the Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill and Griddle

This machine has a very user-friendly design. It features only one knob, which turns the machine on and which allows you to adjust the temperature. While the quick start guide includes a full list of foods and suggested temperatures, the machine also features a few grill and griddle cooking temperature suggestions for common foods for easy reference.

Ninja recommends initially running the unit at 400°F for ten minutes without adding any food. This process helps to remove any packaging residue and odor traces. When I ran the unit, there was a very mild plastic odor that dissipated within about three minutes. 

Testing the Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill and Griddle

I first used the grill to grill kielbasa, following the cooking suggestions in the quick start guide. The grill requires seven minutes to preheat, and a power indicator light signals when the unit is on. There is no indicator to signal that the unit has reached its optimal temperature, so you have to keep track of time yourself.

The kielbasa cooked well, but slowly. I noticed absolutely no smoke while cooking it. I initially cooked a single large piece but also found that if I sliced the piece up, I could get very nice grill marks on every bite-sized piece. The kielbasa cooked all the way through, its skin was crispy, and there were deep, well-defined grill marks on the exterior. I also grilled tomato slices. They stuck to the grill slightly, but again cooked well and evenly and had some nice grill marks.

 Lid open or closed 

When grilling cheeseburgers, I again used the suggested temperature setting. I didn’t notice any smoke, though there was more splatter when cooking the burgers than the kielbasa. Once I added cheese, I closed the lid, which Ninja states helps to get the cheese to melt and contain splatter. I didn’t find that the lid made much of a difference with the cheese, as the cheese melted slowly and heat didn’t really seem to build up with the lid closed. The closed lid may have slightly reduced splatter, but it’s perforated, so some splatter still came through the lid. Ultimately, the burgers were evenly cooked and moist. To be honest, they were some of the best burgers I’ve ever had.  

Cooking crepes

I found that the recipes in the quick start guide were all relatively uncomplicated. I prepared the crepe recipe and followed the instructions to cook the crepes on the griddle. After preheating the griddle, I poured batter for the six small crepes, as instructed. By the time I finished pouring the batter for the sixth crepe, the first crepe was already ready to be flipped. This was very easy, thanks to the non-stick griddle plate. I used no grease in preparing the plate, but was able to easily flip every crepe with no sticking. 

 Non-stick cooking 

The non-stick plate proved itself when I made pancakes using Jiffy cornmeal mix (available on Amazon) (available on Amazon). This batter is notoriously sticky, and often the pancakes still stick even after liberally spraying the pan with PAM cooking spray (also available on Amazon). This griddle proved otherwise. While I had to play with the temperatures a bit and found the suggested temperature too high, ultimately I had good results and no issues with the pancakes sticking. 

I did run into a stickiness issue when cooking eggs on the griddle. I suspect I added the eggs before the griddle was fully preheated, as both eggs stuck to the griddle when I tried to flip them. I had no issues flipping the eggs a second time, though, possibly because the griddle was hotter at that point. Next time, I think I'll use an egg ring (like this one on Amazon) for my eggs and pancakes.

 Even cooking 

In cooking the crepes and pancakes, I discovered that the outer corners cooked more slowly than the inner edges and center of the griddle. While the heating coils are arranged to promote an even cook throughout the entire griddle surface, I found that there is some minor unevenness in the heating. However, I only noticed this with the pancakes and crepes.  

Smoke-free cooking 

I never observed smoke during any of these tests. According to Ninja, the smokeless design is the result of specific, chef-provided cooking temperature recommendations for each food. I found that these temperatures were, if anything, a little bit high, such as in the case of the pancakes. However, the unit performed very well throughout all of my testing, and I found the foods to be well and evenly cooked. I particularly appreciated the smokeless design, since my smoke detectors are linked to my house alarm system and cooking can set them off and potentially trigger a call to the fire department.  

Cleaning the Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill and Griddle

Since both the grill and griddle plates simply lift up and off of the unit, they’re easy to clean. These plates aren’t dishwasher safe, and since they have a non-stick coating, Ninja recommends you don’t use any abrasive brushes or cleaning supplies on them. I found that I could easily clean the griddle using a soft dishwashing sponge (like these from MR. SIGA on Amazon), soap and water. 

The grill was a little more challenging to clean because the grill “wires” are placed so closely together. Ninja sells a grill brush for use with this unit, and I imagine that brush would make cleaning the grill plate easier. I was able to compact the corner of a sponge to clean out the spaces between the “wires.” 

The rest of the grill can be wiped clean. The lid is removable and dishwasher safe, though I found it was easier to simply hand wash it. Once cleaned, I reinserted one plate into the unit but realized there was no storage option for the other plate. A design allowing you to store the spare plate underneath the unit would be helpful and would cut down on clutter and storage space.

Should you buy the Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill and Griddle

Short answer: yes. The smokeless design is one of the machine’s best features, allowing for indoor use without setting off your smoke detectors. The non-stick cooking plates are also great, making for better grilling and cooking results without the extra calories of using oil or butter. The grill and griddle plate size is large enough to prepare burgers or pancakes for multiple people at once, so this product is ideal for families as well as for people, like me, who often cook for just one or two. 

There are a lot of positives to this machine. Adding storage for the extra plate and an indicator light to signal when the machine reaches its set heat would make it just about perfect. Even without those features, it’s a fantastic addition to many kitchens, whether you already have a grill and want an indoor-friendly option or are working with space restrictions that make buying a grill and griddle impractical. 

How we tested the Ninja Sizzle

Ninja sent me the Ninja Sizzle and I tested it for several weeks in my home before writing this review. I used these criteria when testing the grill and griddle — a little similar to how we test air fryers: 

Packaging: The Ninja Sizzle Smokeless Indoor Grill and Griddle arrived double-boxed and in excellent condition. The packaging included two large pieces of styrofoam, and the grill was wrapped in a plastic bag. The griddle plate was packaged in a second cardboard box, and none of the components were damaged.

Unboxing: I considered the packaging used, as well as its condition on arrival and how well it protected the product. I looked for the use of sustainable and recyclable materials, such as cardboard, instead of materials like styrofoam. 

Cooking options: I evaluated the product’s versatility and the different cooking options it offered. I thought about its size, the different foods and preparation options it supported, its temperature range, and how useful it would be when added to the average kitchen. 

Cooking quality: I tested various foods using both the grill and griddle plates to evaluate how well the Ninja Sizzle performed overall. I looked for a quality, even, and thorough cook, and also considered how well the product performed with different foods. 

Ease of use: As I tested the Ninja Sizzle, I thought about how easy it was to use, including its assembly, the clarity of the instructions, and how quickly I was able to start using the product. 

Ease of cleaning: I evaluated the process of cleaning and maintaining the Ninja Sizzle. I considered whether any components were dishwasher-safe or whether they needed to be hand washed. I also evaluated how easy it was to clean each component.