Instant Pot pro crisp vs Ninja foodi max: We put the two leading brands to the test

Buy now £230, Ao.com

• What you get: Main machine with air fryer lid attached, separate pressure lid, a 7.5l non-stick removable cooking pot, a two-tier rack (mainly for steaming), an air fryer basket with stand
• Functions: pressure cook, steam, slow cook/yoghurt, sear/sauté, air crisp (air fry), grill, bake/roast, dehydrate and keep warm
• Capacity: 7.5l
• Power: 1760W
• Weight: 11.3kg
• Dimensions: 35cm x 42cm x 38cm

Ninja has long been the market leader for multi-cookers and the Ninja foodi max 9-in-1 multi-cooker is the biggest and most function-packed model they do.

It’s a squat machine that takes up a little bit more room on the counter than the Instant Pot version (£249.99, Instantbrands.co.uk), but its looped handles make it easy to carry from storage to counter. The enormous 7.5l capacity is great for cooking for bigger families and the wider, shallower dimensions of the main cooking pot means it’s much better for cooking things that need a bit more room, like a whole roast chicken or a joint of ham.

Read more: 7 best pressure cookers to get dinner on the table in a flash

We had great results using the Ninja foodi max. Using the pressure cooker setting, for example, we were able to make seriously flavourful soup in 15 minutes, without stirring once. The air fryer basket also rendered perfect sweet potato fries in no time. But our favourite function on this machine has to be the steamer, as the two-tier tray really helped to double the capacity when we needed it.

We also loved the fact that the air fryer lid was attached to the base of the machine. You just leave it upright when you’re using the pressure lid. This meant we didn’t need to find anywhere to store it when not in use or when it’s hot, and it just snapped into place when we needed it.

The non-stick surface of the main cooking pot made it super easy to clean and most of the time we just needed to give it a simple wipe. That said, if you have a stick blender with a metal rather than plastic attachment, you’ll have to decant the soup into another container before you can blitz it as otherwise you can damage the non-stick surface. You also have to be careful when lowering the stainless steel steaming racks into the pot for the same reason.

Read more: 7 best blenders for smoothies, soups and sauces

Another downside we found was that all of the functions are controlled using the central dial, rather than via one-touch buttons. It means you might have to scroll either backwards or forwards to get to the one you want, before pressing another button to use the dial to adjust the timing or temperature. In use, we kept accidentally switching it on and off, and then having to start over again. It doesn’t take that much more time of course, but it’s also not as convenient as it could be.

Buy now £249.99, Instantbrands.co.uk

• What you get: Main machine, a pressure cooking lid and a separate air fryer lid (also used for baking, roasting and grilling), 7.6l stainless steel inner pot, steam rack, air fryer basket with stand, dehydrating tray, and protective pad storage lid
• Functions: pressure cook, sauté, slow cook, steam, sous vide, air fry, roast, bake, grill, dehydrate, and keep warm
• Capacity: 7.6l
• Power: 1500W
• Weight: 11.88 kg
• Dimensions: 37.6cm × 31.9cm × 39cm

Instant Pot’s Pro Crisp multi-pressure cooker and air fryer only launched in the UK in summer 2021, so it’s relatively new to the market, although the brand has been making multi-cookers with a special focus on pressure cooking for years. They also have the Instant Pot duo crisp and air fryer (from £179.99, Instantbrands.co.uk), which is virtually identical in function and capacity; the pro crisp is essentially a sleek looking upgrade with an improved lid and display.

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Compared to the Ninja foodi max (£230, Ao.com), the pro crisp is much taller and more compact, so it doesn’t take as much room on the counter, but it does require a higher overhead space for storage. At 7.6l (8l is mentioned in some places, but we found the working capacity is 7.6l), the difference in the amount of food you can cook is negligible.

Like the Ninja foodi max, the pro crisp has two lids, but they are both removable. This design means it’s easier to access the pot and there’s no need to worry about accidentally burning yourself on the hot air fryer lid. The downside of course is that you’ll need somewhere safe to put the lid down when it’s hot – Instant Pot’s solution is a heat-resistant protective pad that doubles as a storage cap. This is useful when you have a big kitchen but can be a game of Tetris when you don’t.

Another benefit of the Instant Pot is that the inner pot is stainless steel – so you don’t need to worry about using metal utensils – and it can be used on the stove, so it’s even more versatile. However, because of the high temperatures hitting the pan, the metal can discolour easily. This doesn’t affect its use, but it can look unsightly.

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We loved the results from the Pro Crisp. The pot came up to pressure more quickly than Ninja’s version, which reduced cooking time, and we were much less likely to accidentally knock the pressure valve into the vent position. We were also impressed by the speed with which it produced crispy sweet potato fries – the results were actually much better than the standalone air fryer we had, with zero shaking of the fryer basket needed. For roasting chicken though, the narrower cooking pot meant that we had to go with a smaller bird to make sure it fit properly.