Ninja Foodi SmartLid Review: Pressure Cooking and Air Frying Finally Under One Lid

What Is the Ninja Foodi SmartLid?

The Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 SmartLid (OL550UK) is Ninja's answer to the question its own earlier Foodis raised: why does an appliance this clever need two lids? Original Foodis pressure-cooked under one lid and air-fried under another that lived in a cupboard between uses. The SmartLid replaces both with a single hinged lid and a three-position slider — pressure on the left, combi-steam in the middle, air fry and grill on the right — unlocking eleven functions from one 6-litre pot.

At £198 with a 4.6-star average from over 2,100 UK buyers, it sits above the Instant Pot Duo in price and ambition: the Duo pressure cooks; the SmartLid pressure cooks and then crisps, which turns out to be the difference between stew and a Sunday roast.

Design and Build Quality

There's no hiding it: this is a big appliance. The SmartLid claims a footprint similar to a microwave and needs clearance above for the lid to hinge open. In exchange, everything is integrated — no spare lid to store, no accessories beyond the crisper basket and reversible rack that nest inside the pot.

The slider mechanism moves with a positive, well-engineered click, and the lid seals for pressure with a simple turn-free close — easier than the twist-lock of most pressure cookers. The 6L cooking pot and 4.7L crisper basket are ceramic-coated non-stick and dishwasher safe; the coating releases beautifully but wants plastic utensils, a softer-touch arrangement than the Instant Pot's bare steel.

Performance

The signature result is the pressure-then-crisp whole chicken, and it delivers: a 1.8kg bird pressure-steamed in 30 minutes, then air-crisped for 12, came out with juicier breast meat than a 90-minute oven roast and properly crackled golden skin. That single workflow — speed from pressure, finish from crisping — is something no single-mode appliance produces, and it works equally on pork belly, ribs and gammon.

Steam-air-fry mode is the everyday surprise: frozen food cooks over a measure of water while the fan crisps, so chips and breaded fish come out crisp outside and noticeably moister inside than dry air frying. Standard air fry mode performs on par with Ninja's dedicated fryers; the round basket favours roasts and chips over flat single layers.

The remaining modes are genuinely usable rather than padding — grill browns properly at 240°C, prove holds a stable 35°C for bread dough, dehydrate runs low and slow overnight, and slow cook and yoghurt match dedicated appliances. Pressure cooking itself is as fast and safe as any electric: locked lid, automatic monitoring, quiet release.

Key Features

SmartLid slider: one lid, three mode families, zero cupboard storage — the design fix the whole category needed. Pressure-then-crisp: roast-quality results in under an hour; the reason to choose this over a cheaper pressure-only cooker. Combi-steam cooking: steam plus fan heat keeps food moist while crisping — especially good for frozen food and reheating. 11 real functions: from proving dough to dehydrating fruit, the extras work rather than existing for the box copy.

Who Should Buy the Ninja Foodi SmartLid?

Buy it if you: want one appliance to replace pressure cooker, air fryer and half the oven's workload; cook roasts and whole birds and want them faster without sacrificing crispy skin; have the worktop space and will leave it out permanently.

Skip it if you: already own an air fryer you like — an Instant Pot Duo at half the price covers the pressure side; or your kitchen is small, because this is a microwave-sized commitment.

Verdict

The SmartLid is the most capable multi-cooker Ninja has made, and the slider lid removes the genuine annoyance that held the Foodi concept back. It costs more and takes more space than single-purpose rivals, but it's the only machine here that gets you from frozen or raw to tender-and-crisp in one pot.

Rating: 4.6/5 — The do-everything pot, for kitchens that can house it.