In T3’s Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker & Air Fryer review, I put this multicooker to the test to see if it earns its reputation as a quick and easy kitchen gadget that makes delicious meals in just 15 minutes. Spoiler alert: It definitely lives up to the hype!
In March 2023, . This new appliance from Ninja piqued many people’s interest as it comes with multiple cooking functions that are speedy and easy to customise, meaning lazy cooks or people who don’t have time can easily chuck food into it and leave it to do its magic. The new Speedi Meals function on the Ninja Speedi also drew attention as it promises to make delicious one-pot meals in just 15 minutes.
Known as the “UK’s no.1 air fryer and multi-cooker brand”, Ninja has an extensive collection of kitchen tech, and the brand has earned many spots on T3’s best air fryer and best multicooker guides. As the Ninja Speedi has an air fryer feature and many cooking functions, it looks like it could make it on to both lists… so I tested it out for a month to find out!
- Buy the Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker & Air Fryer at Ninja
- Buy the Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker & Air Fryer at Amazon
Ninja Speedi review: Unboxing & set-up
The Ninja Speedi arrived in a big cardboard box with lots of recyclable packaging. After removing the cardboard and paper surrounding the Ninja Speedi, I saw that it was a fairly decent size, measuring 31 x 33 x 35 cm and weighing 6.5kg. Lifting and manoeuvring the Ninja Speedi was easy as the device is surprisingly light. Despite its compact size, I did find that it took up a lot of room but I do have a small kitchen so that’s somewhat to be expected. It's worth keeping this in mind though if you have limited worktops and cupboards in your kitchen.
When you purchase the Ninja Speedi, you’ll receive the Ninja Speedi appliance, cooking pot, cook & crisp tray, a recipe book and instructions manual. Other accessories for the Ninja Speedi are available on the Ninja website but these will come with an additional cost. The attachments that already come with the Ninja Speedi will tackle any cooking task you throw at it but there are a few recipes in the book that require a different attachment.
With the instructional manual in hand, I found the Ninja Speedi incredibly easy to set up. All you have to do is remove any stickers or packaging on the device, wash the cooking pot and cook & crisp tray, and you’re ready to go! It didn’t take very long to get it up and running, so it’s definitely an appliance you can start using right away.
(Image credit: Beth Girdler-Maslen / T3)
Ninja Speedi review: Design & features
The Ninja Speedi comes with a 5.7-litre cooking pot, a decent size that can cook up to 4 portions at a time. This is handy for small families and for people who like to cook batches of food for meal prepping or leftovers (like me).
Using Ninja’s Rapid Cooking System, the Ninja Speedi combines steam and convection heat to make quick meals in one pot. It has two modes: Rapid Cooker and Air Fryer/Hob. To choose between the two, you flip the SmartSwitch on the top right hand side. The Rapid Cooker mode is the Speedi Meals and steaming functions and the Air Fryer/Hob mode takes care of everything else. Once you’ve picked between the two modes, the Ninja Speedi has 10 cooking functions: steam, steam air fry, steam bake, grill, bake/roast, air fry, slow cook, dehydrate and sear/saute.
To open the Ninja Speedi, there’s a handle above the control panel which you can use to lift and close the lid which comes up on the left side of the appliance. Once you’ve decided what you’re cooking, you’ll need to flip the SmartSwitch before turning the Ninja Speedi on by touching the power button. The display is clear, concise, and only requires a few buttons to customise the temperature, duration and cooking function. Do this by clicking the time and temp arrow buttons on the display, before clicking the Start/Stop button.
Ninja Speedi review: Performance
As a multicooker newbie, I was a complete beginner when I approached the Ninja Speedi but the instructions and the display made the entire process quick and easy. The display made adjusting the timing, function and temperature on the Ninja Speedi pretty painless – even the most technologically challenged will be able to use it!
After washing the attachments, I decided to try a recipe from the recipe book. I went for a Speedi Meal of BBQ pulled burgers with sweet potato wedges, which promises to take only 15-25 minutes. The recipe instructions were easy to follow – I had to put the chicken and BBQ sauce mix in the bottom of the cooking pot before pulling the legs out from the cook & crisp tray and fitting that on top. The inside of the pot has ridges that prevent the tray from touching the food below and this is where I put my sweet potato wedges.
Once I flipped the SmartSwitch to Rapid Cooker, I selected the time and temperature as stated in the recipe and clicked Start. The Ninja Speedi steams for a few minutes as a way of preheating before the actual cooking starts and the timer comes on. This is the norm with most Speedi Meals so while the Ninja Speedi says it will only take 15 minutes, it will steam and pre-heat for around 5-10 minutes before doing the main cooking. To be honest, you don’t really notice this added time and the entire process is still speedy.
When in use, the Ninja Speedi releases a lot of steam due to its Rapid Cooking System. It’s not too much steam that your kitchen will be filled with it but you might want to use it near an extractor fan. The Ninja Speedi does make noise while it's in use but it’s not particularly loud or annoying, so I wouldn’t say that’s something you need to worry about. It will also make a beeping sound once the timer starts and stops.
I made multiple meals using the Ninja Speedi, including burgers, quinoa, meatballs and even a curry. All meals came out deliciously – the meat was juicy, quinoa was fluffy and it handled liquid surprisingly well. When I was making the burgers, I had to remove the sweet potato in the middle of cooking. Opening the lid paused the timer and closing it restarted it, and removing the cook & crisp lid was seamless – you will need a pair of tongs to do this, though. After using the Ninja Speedi, the clean up took hardly any time and the attachments are dishwasher safe.
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Ninja Speedi review: Price
The Ninja Speedi is £249.99 and comes with a 1-year guarantee. It’s available to buy at Ninja, Amazon, Currys, John Lewis, Argos and Very. Considering the amount of functions and modes it has, the Ninja Speedi has a reasonable price and it’s since been discounted by Ninja during sales seasons, so chances are you can get it for cheaper.
Ninja Speedi review: Verdict
I really can’t fault the Ninja Speedi which is why I’ve given it 5 stars. It’s a great appliance to have in your kitchen, as it’s easy to use, creates quick and delicious meals and tackles many different cooking functions in one device. It’s perfect for beginners, small families, people who don’t have time or don’t enjoy cooking, and it will appeal to all types of multicooker users.
The only negative I can think of is the amount of steam it produces but as this is how the Ninja Speedi cooks its Speedi Meals, this is to be expected and if you place it near an extractor fan, your problem is solved. If you have a small kitchen, the size of the Ninja Speedi could be a drawback but it should be relatively easy to store if you can’t have it out all the time. Overall, I can’t complain about the Ninja Speedi at all and I enjoyed every meal I made with it.
(Image credit: Ninja)
Ninja Speedi review: Alternatives to consider
If you’re a fan of Ninja devices, an alternative to the Ninja Speedi is the Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 SmartLid. Another 5-star appliance from Ninja, the Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 is multi-faceted with brilliant air and steam-fry features. It’s bigger and more expensive than the Ninja Speedi and doesn’t come with the Rapid Cooker option, but it can cook a variety of meals in a variety of different ways.
If you’re looking for a budget option, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer is a top alternative to the Ninja Speedi. At £189.99, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer is cheaper and simpler than the Ninja Speedi, although its standout feature is its air fryer function which some people might not want.
