That original Ninja Crispi came remarkably close to earning a perfect score, but Ninja isn’t resting on its success. The company just released a larger, feature-rich upgrade — the new Crispi Pro — designed to outpace competitors. I spent over three weeks testing this bigger, more versatile glass air fryer to see how it measures up against its predecessor.
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The Pro is larger and more modular than the original
The Pro’s most significant advantage is its increased cooking capacity. It comes with a massive 6-quart cooking chamber in addition to a shallow 2.5-quart casserole dish. Both are made of glass, making them easy to clean, and can be capped with included lids to store food for later use.
The Crispi Pro has a base that realistically has to live on your countertop. The glass cooking chambers slide into the base and can be adjusted in height using a removable shelf.
The Crispy Pro also comes with a shallow 2.5-quart casserole-style dish. This one is ideal for browning mac and cheese, English muffin pizzas, sweet potato casserole, and desserts, as it positions the food directly under the heating element. To be fair, those cooking tasks were easy enough to execute in the original Crispi.
I used a shallow casserole vessel to make bacon, letting the fat drip down through the crisper rack and separate from the bacon, leaving me with extra-crispy, less greasy strips.
Even the larger cooking vessel fit in my dishwasher and emerged sparkling clean — one of the best things about a glass air fryer. Those with smaller dishwashers or countertop models may not have as much luck getting it in.
One big reason I’m sticking with the original Ninja Crispi
While I like the extra room to fit a larger roast chicken and the casserole cooking chamber is a nifty idea, what ultimately gives me pause with the Crispi Pro is one of the things I love most about the original Crispi — its portability.
The original, when disassembled, fits easily in a cupboard or larger drawer, whereas the Crispi Pro has a base that’s likely to remain on your countertop full-time. Even as someone who air fries every day, if not more, I appreciate being able to stash it away when not in use.
Those with larger kitchens may prefer to leave their air fryer out at all times. If you’re in that camp, the Crispi Pro might be the better buy as it’s capable of cooking full meals and larger cuts of meat.
The Crispi Pro is expensive for an air fryer
The Crispi Pro launched with a steep $280 tag. I’d be reluctant to pay close to $300 for an air fryer, even a versatile and smartly engineered one like this. The original Crispi clocks in at about $160 — for me, that’s the clear value pick, considering the Crispi does everything I need it to and fits neatly in my drawer when I want to free up counter space. If you plan to cook larger cuts of meat in your air fryer or use the dehydrate mode, the larger Crispi Pro might be the better buy.




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