Ninja has stormed onto the scene and become arguably the most recognized brand name in kitchenware, so if you’re looking for a new pressure cooker to bring your cooking to the next level, you’ve probably at least considered the Ninja Foodi for your new pressure cooker. Of course, it’s always good to explore the field a little and see what the competition has to offer, and Instant Pot has really made a name for themselves with the Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Air Fryer.
If you find yourself having a bit of choice paralysis, not to worry. We’re going to pit these two pressure cookers against each other so that you can make the best choice and walk away with the ideal pressure cooking tool for your kitchen. You’ll be blowing away the neighbors with your home cooking before you know it.
Which Is Lighter?
The first battle in our Ninja Foodi vs Instant Pot Duo Crisp war is the battle of size. Both the Ninja Foodi and the Instant Pot Duo Crisp have a capacity of 8 quarts, but while our Instant Pot pressure cooker only comes in one size, the Ninja Foodi comes in a few different sizes, which makes it a more accessible product overall.
As for the 8-quart pressure cookers, the Ninja Foodi measures 16.1 x 14.6 x 14.3 inches, and the Instant Pot measures 14.76 x 13.58 x 15.28 inches. In terms of compact design, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp comes out on top with a slight advantage. While it may not seem like much, those few inches can go a long way in making your kitchen feel comfortable and organized. So if you’re dead-set on an 8-quart pressure cooker but you have a smaller kitchen, then the Instant Pot Duo Crisp is definitely the choice for you. Of course, if your kitchen is just way too small or you really don’t need to pressure cook or air fry 8 quarts of food at once, then one of the smaller sizes of the Ninja Foodi would probably be more suitable for your needs.
Which Has a Better Design?
Design can really be everything. Customers want an easy-to-use product that gives a streamlined experience, so even if one machine is more powerful than another, the average user will probably elect for the tool product that’s easiest to use.
Nobody knows this better than Ninja, who have achieved the popularity they have largely on simple and easy-to-use products. And when it comes to design, the Ninja Foodi comes out on top against Instant Pot Duo Crisp with no contest.
Both of our pressure cookers are fairly diverse, with the capability to do everything from pressure cooking to air frying to steaming to broiling, but no product is as easy to use as the Ninja Foodi. While the Instant Pot Duo Crisp has a relatively easy-to-understand control panel on the front, every function has its own button, and things start to feel a little cluttered. On the other hand, the Ninja Foodi has a knob in the center that makes everything quick and simple to access, and the dashboard never feels cramped. Everything is clearly labeled, so you don’t need to know a thing about cooking to pick the right option, and you can quickly change the settings to select either by preset function, temperature, or time. You’ll feel like a pro with absolutely zero effort.
In terms of the physical design, I still give the edge to the Ninja pressure cooker, though the decision isn’t as pronounced. While, as we mentioned before, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp air fryer has a smaller frame with the same holding capacity, the Ninja Foodi’s air fryer lid is attached by hinges to keep everything in place. The Instant Pot cooker is lacking these lids. This means that, if you go with the Instant Pot Duo Crisp, you’ll have to find somewhere to place the lid while you’re filling up your pressure cooker. This is not a problem you’ll have to worry about with the Ninja Foodi pressure cooker.
Of course, how important this is will mostly depend on the size of your kitchen, and your personal disposition. To some customers, this is a deal-breaker. To others, it’s completely negligible. At the end of the day, if you appreciate good craftsmanship and want the most convenient pressure cooker, then you’ll have to go with the Ninja Foodi pressure cooker.
Which Is More Popular?
If you’re still torn between our two pressure cookers, it might be helpful to see where the crowd leans. It’s always comforting to see that the masses approve of a given product, and there’s a reason it’s become pretty much ubiquitous for online stores like Amazon to include user reviews. If it’s a popularity contest, well, nobody is going to beat Ninja anytime soon.
The story of the Duo Crisp vs Ninja Foodi matchup is pretty clear when it comes to customer satisfaction. The Ninja Foodi has over 30,000 reviews on Amazon, and almost 90% of those reviews are five stars. Customers left reviews with titles such as “Delivers on its promises, worth the space on my counter,” “Foodi is definitely an upgrade…” and “Great multi-purpose cooker!” As I’ve already mentioned several times in this article, Ninja is the most popular kitchenware brand out there, so if you prefer to trust your friends, then the Ninja Foodi is the clear choice for your pressure cooker.
Of course, this isn’t to say that the Instant Pot Duo Crisp is derided by the masses. The Duo Crisp itself has garnered about 15,000 reviews on Amazon, with about 85% of those reviews being 5-stars. If you sort by feature, the Duo Crisp pressure cooker has earned praise for its temperature control and safety features, so if you want to avoid any accidents then this is definitely a product worth looking into. Of course, those 15,000 reviews pale in comparison to the Ninja Foodi, which has twice the amount.
No matter which of our pressure cookers you go with, you’ll be walking away with a pretty popular product for your kitchen, but if you put a lot in store in the reviews of your peers, then the Ninja Foodi will always be the number one choice.
Which Is Cheaper?
Okay, now to the important part. We all know how important money is, and everything we’ve written so far is moot if our two pressure cookers aren’t within your budget. For the purpose of this section, I will be comparing the Instant Pot Duo Crisp to the 8-Quart version of the Ninja Foodi, as that makes the discussion of value for your dollar less complicated.
In a one-to-one comparison of the 8-quart models of our pressure cookers, the Duo Crisp wins hands down. The Duo Crisp is cheaper than the Ninja Foodi by a pretty significant amount while holding the same capacity in its inner pot. So if that’s the beginning and end of it, well, then you can stop reading and go make your purchase.
Of course, the Ninja Foodi comes in several different sizes, and the smaller versions of the Ninja food processor are cheaper than the Duo Crisp. Whether or not that’s a sacrifice you’re willing to make is up to you.
What Sizes Does the Ninja Foodi Come In?
In order to know if you want to save and go with a smaller model of the Ninja Foodi, you obviously need to know what the sizes are. In addition to the 8-quart model, the Ninja Foodi can also be purchased in sizes of 6.5 quarts or 5 quarts.
The 5-quart model is the only one that is actually cheaper than the Instant Pot Duo Crisp, while the 6.5-quart version costs about the same. If you really want to save money, the 5-quart version is obviously the best choice, but you may decide that the smaller size is just too big a compromise, while the 6.5-quart model will offer you all of the great features of the Ninja Foodi at the same price as the Instant Pot Duo Crisp with minimal sacrifices in terms of capacity.
It’s all about weighing the pros and cons, and we hope we’ve made that as easy as possible.
Conclusion: Ninja Foodi vs Instant Pot Duo Crisp
We’re just about finished comparing the Instant Pot Duo Crisp to Ninja’s Foodi pressure cooker, but we want to do more than just throw the information at you rapid-fire. You might still be processing everything we’ve gone over, so to make things as clear as possible and to make your decision as easy as possible, I’m going to recap everything and focus on why you may decide to go with either the Ninja or the Instant Pot Duo Crisp.
If you want the best value for your money, pick the Instant Pot Duo Crisp.
It’s the same size and just as capable as the Ninja Foodi, which makes the Instant Pot Duo Crisp the clear winner if you’re focused on getting the most bang for your buck. The only real downside is that you may find the design and control panel of this Instant Pot pressure cooker a little less intuitive, but it’s far from complicated, and I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it in no time. Sometimes it’s worth it to save some money and go with the (relatively) “hidden gem.”
If you need the best design, pick the Ninja Foodi.
This might be the biggest contributor to the surge in popularity Ninja has seen. The control panel on the Ninja Foodi is about as easy to use as possible. You’ll feel ready to jump in as soon as you pull this pressure cooker out of the box. This is definitely the signature feature of our Ninja pressure cooker, and it’s the reason you might decide to pass on Instant Pot and splurge for Ninja.
If you want to keep the spending cheap, pick a smaller Ninja Foodi model.
If you really need to keep things as cheap as possible, then you’ll want to go with the smaller options of the Ninja Foodi. Especially if you live alone or with only one other person, then this might be the smarter decision regardless. A cramped kitchen is the worst, and there’s no value in a larger pressure cooker if you don’t need it. But with the 5-quart version of the Foodi, you can get all of the amazing features of this mega-popular pressure cooker at the cheapest price possible.
That brings us to the end of this article, and we hope you’re ready to make your decision. There are obviously other pressure cookers and air fryers out there, so if you’ve decided that neither of our products are for you, then you should definitely feel free to keep looking further.
As for the Duo Crisp and the Foodi, it really comes down to priority. The Ninja is the better overall product, but the Duo Crisp is the better deal for your dollar. So if you’re willing to splurge, go for the Foodi. Otherwise, the Duo Crisp is the choice for you.
Click here to grab a Ninja Foodi at Amazon
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