Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker and Air Fryer ON400UK review

We rated it on design, functionality, noise levels and how easy it is to clean. To test just how versatile its features are, we used it to cook meat, fish and vegetables.

We used the standard air fryer setting to cook salmon fillets to see how well it can create a crispy finish with a tender inside. We also used the steam function to test out how well it cooks kale and broccoli.

It made sense to use the ‘Speedi Meals’ setting to see how easily it could make both chicken and rice at the same time.

Set up of the Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker and Air Fryer ON400UK was simple. It’s just a matter of taking it out of the box, removing the packaging and tape, and washing and drying the pot, ‘Cook & Crisp’ tray and condensation collector, before plugging it in.

As with most Ninja appliances, it comes with a comprehensive set of instructions and recipe book to start you off and give you inspiration. Recipes include cauliflower and chickpea curry, vegetable bake and slow-cooked veggie chilli. 

The exterior of the Ninja Speedi comes in a grey finish that looks good on the worktop. At 31cm (12in) high and just 6.5kg (1st) in weight, it’s not that hard to fit neatly on the countertop and store away afterwards if your cupboards are large enough.

You will have to bear in mind that when in use in one of the steam modes, the lid vent will emit quite a bit of steam, so you’ll need to make sure there aren’t any obstacles above the device.

While the lid is easy to open, we also think you need to be careful when lifting it up and keeping it in position when you take food out – like most multicookers with lids attached to the body, you need to be mindful that it doesn’t slam back down on your hand. 

At 5.7 litres (10 pints), the Speedi’s dishwasher-safe cooking pot is large and deep enough for up to four portions. It comes with a ‘Cook & Crisp’ tray that can be put in two positions to accommodate what you’re cooking. For air frying, you can place it at the bottom of the pot to act as a grill that drains away excess oil.

If you’re using it in one of the ‘Speedi Meal’ or steam functions, you just need to pull out the legs and position it at the top of the pot. We found this easy to do and were impressed with the simplicity and flexibility of the design. 

With so many settings, you’ll be spoilt for choice when using the Ninja Speedi. There are 10 functions on board to suit your tastes – whether you’re going for a crispy, fried finish or would prefer a healthier steamed flavour. It also has a very impressive adjustable temperature control range, from 40°C to 240°C, so you can slow cook or give food as crispy a finish as you like.

To test the device, we stuck to cooking simple meat, fish and vegetables, which makes it easier to compare against other air fryers. We found its digital control panel easy to read and navigate with simple push controls. It comes with a ‘SmartSwitch’ on the top right hand side of the air fryer that you simply flip up or down depending on what cooking mode you want.

To start with, we chose to steam air fry some salmon and were impressed at how quickly it cooked. We placed two salmon fillets inside and hit the Steam Air Fry button. This setting is designed to give food a crispy exterior while staying juicy inside and suggested 20 minutes at 200°C (392°F).

There’s no pre-heat setting and the air fryer gets straight to work, but you do need to ensure there’s a little water at the base of the pot for the steam.

After 15 minutes we checked the salmon and it looked perfectly cooked, so we stopped the cycle. It also tasted delicious, with a nice, crispy finish you’d expect from a fryer.

While there’s no beep mid-cycle to nudge you to check in on your food, the device does beep loudly when it’s finished. 

Next up, we tried steam air frying some broccoli and kale, but this was a little too powerful for our vegetables and they began to brown.

We think this setting is best left for harder vegetables such as carrots and parsnips, or meat and fish.

We tried again using the Steam only setting for 10 minutes and this steamed the vegetables perfectly. They were cooked through but had a nice bit of crunch to them and weren’t too soggy.

Our final test was to use the Speedi Meals setting to cook chicken and rice at the same time.

We washed some white rice and placed it in the bottom of the cooking pot, covered with water. We put the ‘Cook & Crisp’ grill in the top position and added some naked chicken tenders coated in a little oil. We then closed the lid and turned it on to the ‘Speedi Meals’ setting, which suggested 20 minutes at 200°C.

After 15 minutes we checked the food and were impressed to see the chicken well cooked through. The rice needed the full 20 minutes to soak up the water and give it that fluffy finish, but it came out well cooked.

We had to take care lifting the grill plate out of the pot after use as its handle is quite small and it obviously got quite hot after use. As a result, we think an implement that helps you take the grill out would be a welcome addition to the box.

That said, overall we were very impressed at how powerful and quickly this air fryer produced tasty results.

We found the Ninja Speedi easy to use and clean, as the grill is dishwasher safe and the pot could be easily washed with warm, soapy water.

It does get a little hot at the sides when in use and can also emit a lot of steam, so you’ll need to make sure you give it lots of room when in use. You’ll also need to take care when opening up the lid to avoid a puff of steam hitting you in the face.

We found the corners of the ‘Cook & Crisp’ grill plate easy to adjust so it fitted securely in both positions.

The appliance is also reasonably quiet in operation too, hitting an average 64.2 dB when cooking rice and chicken.

To keep it smelling fresh, you’ll need to make sure you wipe the heating element regularly and empty the condensation collector.

As the Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker and Air Fryer ON400UK has such a versatile design, we think it’s excellent value for money.

While its premium price tag makes it an investment buy, having a multi-functional device limits the need for separate small appliances cluttering up the worktop –  such as a steam cooker or slow cooker.

We also like the fact that it includes a grill, as not every air fryer design does. This adds to its ability to prepare healthy meals quickly.

While the Ninja Speedi has an air fry mode, it works like a multicooker, as it can steam, bake, sauté and slow cook.

If you find the quick cook ‘Speedi meals’ and steam functions particularly attractive, you may also want to take a look at the Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid Air Fryer and Multicooker, (£199.99, Lakeland).  

It comes with 13 functions including air fryer, slow cooker, pressure cooker, steamer and roaster, and it bakes, dehydrates, grills, makes yogurt, proofs dough, keeps food and has a sous vide function (which is ideal for cooking vacuum-sealed foods for long periods of time.)

While this 5-in-1 multicooker and grill may not have quite as many functions as the Ninja 10-in-1 air fryer, it’s still a versatile machine. It offers multiple ways to cook including air frying, dehydrating, baking, roasting or grilling.

It also heats up to a higher 265°C (500°F) and has a very decent a 5.2 litre capacity.

While it’s RRP is £149, it can be picked up from as £118 on sites such as Amazon, making it a reasonably priced air fryer.

With an excellent variable temperature range and the ability to do so much more than simply air fry, the Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 Rapid Cooker and Air Fryer ON400UK is a great option.

Not everyone will need so many cooking modes, but with such flexible functionality, it will limit the number of small appliances you need on the worktop.

The design is not too imposing and we love the way that the grill plate can be raised to make room for food underneath so that complete dishes can be prepared at the same time.

We also like how speedily it can prepare suppers, and the slow cook option that is ideal for lazy Sunday lunches.