Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro review: a true all-rounder

The Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro has amassed a cult following in recent years as one of the best pressure cookers you can buy. This all-rounder not only pressure cooks, but air fries, bakes, and so much more. For such a multi-faceted machine though, we needed to put it through its paces in a Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro review.

Our conclusion? You can throw away most – if not all – of your countertop appliances and just use the Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro Pressure Cooker Air Fryer. A pressure cooker that also crisps your food is the best of both worlds. Usually, you’d need a pressure cooker and then opt for the best air fryer. However, the Ninja Foodi Pro has two lids: a pressure lid and a crisping lid, so you can do both in the same pot. 

Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro: Specifications

• Cooking functions: 11 – pressure cook, steam, slow cook, yogurt maker, sous vide, air fry crisp, bake/roast, sauté, broil, dehydrate, warmer
• Weight: 22.05 pounds
• Dimensions: 16.18 x 13.98 x 13.23 inches
• Cleaning: dishwasher safe pot and accessories, wipe exterior with a damp cloth
• Color: stainless steel/black
• Control method: Touch

Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro Pressure Cooker Air Fryer: What’s in the box

The first thing you’ll notice when unboxing the stainless steel and black Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro Pressure Cooker Air Fryer is that it has two lids. The air fryer lid is permanently attached to the appliance. The second lid is the pressure cooker lid. It may sound confusing to have two lids when one of them can’t be removed. However, as you can see in the photo below, when you lift up the air fryer lid, it stays completely out of the way.

There’s a removable, non-stick cooking pot that’s large enough to hold a 5-pound chicken or a 6-pound roast. It’s surprisingly lightweight, but definitely feels durable. Also included: the cook and crisp plate, and nesting broil rack. There’s also plenty of documentation, including an owner’s manual, quick start guide, and a recipe book with over 45 recipes and charts.

Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro Pressure Cooker Air Fryer: Setup/ease of use

The control panel on the front has simple and easy-to-use controls. There are 10 preset buttons to choose from: pressure, steam, slow cook, yogurt, sear/saute, air crisp, bake/roast, broil, dehydrate, sous vide, and keep warm.

In addition, the panel includes operating buttons, such as the temp arrows to adjust cook temperature and pressure level, and time arrows to adjust time. And, of course, the power button and the start/stop button are also on the control panel.

Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro Pressure Cooker Air Fryer Functions

These are the specific functions of the Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro Pressure Cooker Air Fryer

• Pressure: cooks food quickly while maintaining tenderness
• Steam: gently cooks delicate foods at a high temperature
• Slow cooker: cooks meals ‘low and slow’ – at low temperatures for a longer period of time
• Yogurt Maker: makes homemade yogurt
• Sous Vide: cooks vacuum-sealed foods in water to lock in the flavor
• Air crisp: using little to no oil, adds crunch and crispiness
• Bake/roast: makes meats, baked treats oven-tender
• Broil: using high heat, carmelizes and browns foods
• Dehydrate: dehydrates meats, vegetables, and fruits
• Sear/sauté: Simmers sauces, sautés vegetables, and browns meats
• Food warmer: keeps prepared food warm for up to 12 hours

Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro Pressure Cooker Air Fryer: What's it like to use? 

I made several meals in the Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro Pressure Cooker Air Fryer. I started with a simple vegetable medley that included green beans, carrots, and rice, along with some seasoning and water.

The next time I used the appliance, I put seasoned barbecue ribs in it. I pressure-cooked the ribs, and then removed the pressure lid, and closed the crisping lid to brown. I selected air crisp, and added a little more sauce so the ribs wouldn’t dry out.

My final meal was chicken wings and French fries. I pressure cooked the food, and then removed the pressure cook lid so I could brown the food using the crisping lid by selecting the air crisp function.

Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro Pressure Cooker Air Fryer: What I liked and didn’t like

I love the versatility of the Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro Pressure Cooker Air Fryer. The idea of making ribs was based on a recipe in the book, and there are so many more possibilities, including macaroni and cheese, miso-glazed salmon, upside down loaded chicken nachos, and berry upside down cake. Also, the detailed charts make preparing meals almost foolproof.

Also, the pot is so large, that it’s easy to fit a lot of food in it, which save time. And compared to frying the chicken and French fries, these foods are a lot healthier than if they’d been fried.

Cleanup is simple. The cooking pot, pressure lid, silicone ring, and cook and crisp plate can all be washed in the dishwasher and the nesting broil rack is hand washable. The pressure lid can be washed with soap and water, and the other parts can be wiped with a wet cloth.

However, it’s a massive countertop appliance (weighing 22 pounds), so make sure you have enough space on your countertop. Space is a problem for me since the pressure cooker opens vertically, so I have to position it closer to the edge of the cabinet than I’d like.

The only other problem I have with the Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro Pressure Cooker Air Fryer has more to do with personal preference than the appliance itself. Because I hate to cook, I tend to bake food, which is really simple: put it on an aluminum foiled-linked sheet, and then slide into the oven. While I like the idea of using the Ninja Foodi’s crisper, it usually requires (for example) slathering more sauce on the ribs or adding oil to the wings and fries – and this adds more fat, sodium, etc., than baking in the oven.

Should you buy the Ninja Foodi Pro? 

This pressure cooker makes meal prep foolproof, and while it's a large machine, it can replace everything from the best slow cookers to a rice cooker. Truly, it's packed with excellent features. 

If (like me) you're not a keen cook, the machine is designed to create delicious meals with minimal effort. However, the fact that you need to lift up the main lid to attach the pressure cooker is a bit of a problem, especially if you plan on using the Foodi underneath your kitchen counters. 

About this review, and our reviewer

Terri’s product review experience ranges from home goods to office equipment to TVs, speakers, and headphones. She has product review bylines at Realtor.com, Bob Vila, Apartment Therapy, The Spruce, The Daily Beast, Tom’s Guide, and Investopedia. Terri is always on the lookout for new products that can make chores easier (or at least, less tedious).