What the Ninja Foodi Smart XL is built to handle
- Before bringing it home, check your counter clearance and nearby outlet.
- Measure your usual batch size against the 9" x 12" grate.
- Confirm you have room for the separate 4-quart basket.
The Ninja Foodi Smart XL Grill and Air Fryer brings high-heat cooking indoors, with a temperature-controlled grate that reaches 500°F and a shielded fan that circulates hot air around your food. That means you can get char marks on steaks and vegetables without firing up an outdoor grill.
It also covers air frying, roasting, baking, broiling and dehydrating, so it can replace several countertop appliances. The included Foodi Smart Thermometer tracks doneness across four protein settings and nine levels, from rare to well-done, which takes some of the guesswork out of cooking meat.
We'd consider it for anyone who wants grilled dinners year-round, especially in a kitchen where outdoor space is limited. The 9" x 12" grate is sized for family meals, fitting up to six steaks or 24 hot dogs at once. The separate 4-quart crisper basket handles air-fried sides. If you mostly cook for one or two people, the XL footprint and capacity may be more than you need.
What the $199.99 price means for your kitchen
At $199.99, this Ninja Foodi Smart XL offer sits below the typical price over the last 90 days of $262.90, a difference of $62.91. That's a meaningful gap for a countertop grill with a thermometer and multiple cooking modes.
We recommend treating the typical price as a baseline, not a former sale tag. Compare the current figure against what you'd pay for a comparable indoor grill plus a separate air fryer, and factor in whether you'll actually use the thermometer and six functions.
| Offer detail | Recorded value |
|---|---|
| Amazon price | $199.99 |
| Customer rating | 4.5 |
| Customer reviews | 2258 |
| Typical price over 90 days | $262.90 |
| Difference | $62.91 (24 percent) |
Fitting, cleaning and keeping it running
This is a countertop appliance, so plan for its footprint before it arrives. The grill grate and crisper basket come out for cleaning, and along with the cooking pot they can go in the dishwasher, which simplifies cleanup after greasy meals. The ceramic coating on the grate is meant to release food more easily, but hand washing the thermometer probe is a good habit to protect its sensor.
A few cooking checks are worth doing in advance. The smoke control system relies on a splatter shield and cool-air zone, but you'll still want to follow the included chef-created grilling practices and avoid overloading the grate. The included cleaning brush and 15-recipe book give you a starting point for settings.
One thing to verify on your own: the cord length and whether the unit will sit under your upper cabinets with enough room for steam and airflow. If you plan to use it daily, check the wattage against your kitchen circuit. Energy-use estimates are not part of this listing, so treat those as a question to answer from the manual rather than a promise either way.
When you'd skip this indoor grill
If you want a small, single-purpose air fryer for quick sides, this XL grill is more appliance than that job needs. It takes up real counter space and asks you to manage a grate, a basket and a probe if you use the smart cooking modes.
If you already own a large air fryer and an outdoor grill you use year-round, the overlap may not justify another machine. And if you need to cook for a crowd larger than the grate allows, you'd be better served by a full-size outdoor grill.
One last check: measure the space you have and confirm the 9" x 12" grate fits your usual batch size before you commit.
Product details
| Model | DG551 |
|---|---|
| Color | Black/Silver |
| Size | Ninja Foodi Smart XL Grill + Thermometer |
