Ninja SP301 Review (2023) Ninja Foodi 13-in-1 Dual Heat Air Fry Oven

The Ninja SP301 or the Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Fry Oven is a much-needed upgrade for the classic flip-away toaster oven. It offers more vertical space and a new sheet pan design.

Ninja added the capability to sear, bake, and grill. The searing tray, as they call it, was made thicker to retain some of the heat. It works the same way as the sizzling plate.

If you’re looking to upgrade your countertop toaster oven, the Ninja SP301 Flip-Away Dual Heat Air Fry Oven is one of the best out there. On top of its space-saving design, it also offers a ton of extra cooking functions.

The Ninja SP301 is the most expensive of the Ninja Foodi Flip-Away Air Ovens, but it is well worth the investment. The most significant differences between the Ninja SP301 and others (see below) are that it has more cooking preset functions, vertical space, and a sear plate rather than a plain baking sheet.

The Ninja Foodi Air Ovens flip away against your backsplash to reclaim your counter space when not in use. (It’s about 15 inches high when flipped up for storage.)

Ninja Model Number	Ninja SP301	Ninja SP201	Ninja SP101
Picture
Oven name	Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Fry Oven	Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Oven Pro	Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Oven
Price range	$$$	$$$	$$
Number of cooking functions	13 cooking functions	8 cooking functions	8 cooking functions
Dual heat technology	Yes	–	–
with Sear Plate	Yes	Regular sheet pan	Regular sheet pan
Dimensions	20.21″ x 15.33″ x 8.15″	20.21″ x 15.33″ x 8.15″	20.1″ x 15.33″ x 8.15″
	Get at Amazon →	Get at Amazon →	Get at Amazon →

By the way, it comes in two modes: Air Oven Mode and Dual Heat Mode. More on these in a moment, but first here are the key features of this air oven.

XL Family Sized Capacity

The Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Fry Oven has a very large capacity for a flip-away countertop oven. You can fit up to a 2-pound roast in this air oven, or you can air fry up to 4 pounds of ingredients at one time. This means you can easily cook meals for the whole family in this air oven.

But… Standard 9×13 Baking Dishes Will Not Fit

It is important to note that a 9×13-inch pan with a lip or handles will not fit in this oven. Some pans from Ninja fit in the SP301 that will work for most recipes, for which you would typically use a 9×13-inch pan.

If you have pans without handles, they might work. For reference, the oven’s interior is just 13x13x4, which means there is no room for any edges or handles of your typical pans, and any pan you use will need to be shallow. On the other hand, a disposable aluminum 9×13 pan would barely fit.

Dual Heat Technology With Sear Plate

The Dual Heat Mode is made possible by adding a sear plate that heats to up to 500 degrees. This is in addition to the heating element at the top of the air oven.

More Even Cooking

Another part of this technology that has been updated since the earlier SP100 series is that the fan has been relocated to the back wall of the oven for more even cooking, which was a problem for the earlier model.

Air Oven Mode

The Air Oven Mode is the traditional setting for air frying, broiling, roasting, toasting, and dehydrating without dual-zone heating. Like the other Ninja Foodi Flip-Away Air Ovens, eight cooking functions are available with the air oven mode.

Air Crisp

Air Crisp is the cooking function to use if you want a traditional air fryer. Use this mode for anything you typically make using a basket air fryer. So use this mode for things like fries, chicken wings, and other ingredients you want to be crispy and cooked through.

Air Roast

Air Roast is the function for roasting a chicken, or you can roast up to a 2-pound beef roast in the Ninja SP301. The roast feature works like a conventional oven and is almost exactly like the other Ninja Foodi Air Ovens.

Air Broil

Air Broil is also very effective. It will give you a nice, crisp outer layer to your proteins, melt cheese, or do anything else you would want from a broiler. It is just as effective as my electric oven, but a gas broiler will always give you the best results.

Bake

The bake function turns your Ninja Foodi into a toaster oven for baking cakes and quick bread. You’ll want to preheat the oven first, just like your conventional oven, but it will preheat in 90 seconds. You can’t fit a 9×13-inch pan in this countertop oven, so remember that you’ll still need your traditional oven for full-sized muffin pans.

Dehydrate

Like most air fryers, the dehydrate feature dries out whatever you place in the oven. The dehydrate feature works moderately well; I have no issues making apple and banana chips in this air fryer oven. Still, if you like dehydrating fruit and herbs or making jerky regularly, keep your dehydrator on hand.

Reheat

Reheat works just the same as every other Ninja Foodi Air Oven. You’ll get crispier results than if you reheat in your microwave. The Reheat function is only ideal for some foods. It is perfect for reheating pizza, burgers, or anything bread-like that you don’t want to go soft, chewy, or stiff like they can in microwaves.

Toast/Bagel

You can toast up to 9 pieces of toast in this Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Fry Oven, or you can do four split bagels. One of the cool features of this air oven is that the program remembers your choices. If you cook two pieces of toast every morning to the same level of doneness, the toast cooking program will remember that setting so that you have one button to push.

Dual Heat Mode

Alternatively, the Dual Heat Mode works hand in hand with the SearPlate. This gives you another 4 cooking functions.

Pizza

All Ninja Air Ovens will bake a pizza, but the Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Fry Oven does it better with the Sear Plate. You can get the perfect crisp to the bottom of your pizza without getting the ingredients too hot or the top too browned. This is true whether you are cooking fresh or frozen pizzas. You could bake pizza using the bake feature of the air oven mode, but why would you when you can get a much better result on the Sear Plate?

Sear/Crisp

The sear & crisp feature is the real star of the Ninja SP301, but how well does it work?

This is the cooking function when you want your recipe to have that perfect seared look as if it came off of a grill. The sear/crisp feature heats the Sear Plate to 500 degrees, giving your proteins the perfect like-grilled glaze. Likewise, you can crisp up the bottom of any recipe by placing it directly on the Sear Plate.

For example, the biggest complaint most people have about cooking steak in an air fryer is that it dries out. But with the griddle or sear plate function, this is fine. You can heat the sear plate first, then cook your steak or chicken breast on the griddle. This seals in the juices and gives you the perfect glaze for your proteins.

Rapid Bake

Rapid bake is the best function for cookies, brownies, and other baked goods. The rapid bake function works similarly to the air bake function, except that the Sear Plate gets hot, and the fan runs for a true convection oven. So you can get perfect cookies in the Ninja SP301, unlike most other air fryers.

Griddle

The griddle is just the Sear Plate. For griddle recipes, you’ll want to preheat your Sear Plate in the Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Oven to its full 500 degrees before adding your ingredients.

This griddle is different from the kind you’d put on your stove. You’re not going to be cooking pancakes on this griddle! Think of it more as a flat grill. Even though the Sear Plate holds heat for use as a griddle, it doesn’t hold it for long. Still, the griddle function does have its benefits.

That said, you could do grilled cheese with the Griddle function if you remember to flip halfway through and preheat the Sear Plate beforehand.

I have also seen eggs fried on the griddle, but you’re only going to be able to do sunny side up unless you pull it out to flip a minute or two into cooking. For most people, frying your egg on the stove will be easier and faster. Still, if you didn’t have a range, you could make a full breakfast in the Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Fry Oven.

Technical Specifications

Type	Air Fryer / Oven Toaster
Brand/Series	Ninja Foodi Oven | Ninja Air Fryer → The Ninja Foodi Collection
Model #	Ninja SP301
Price	$$$
Rating	4.7 out of 5
Wattage	1800 Watts
Functions	13-in-1: Air Fry, Air Roast, Broil, Bake, Dehydrate, Toast, Bagel, Sear Crisp, Rapid Bake, Frozen Pizza, Fresh Pizza, Griddle, and Reheat
Capacity	Fits up to 6 chicken breasts or around 4 lbs of ingredients (air fry)
Dishwasher safe	Yes (Wire Rack + Air Fry Basket only)
BPA Free	Yes
Colors	Stainless/black
Dimensions (LxWxH)	20.1 x 15.33 x 8.15 inches (51 x 38.9 x 20.7 cm)
Cord Length	34 inches (86.4 cm)
Application	Personal Use
Warranty	1 Year
Related Products	Ninja 8-in-1 Air Fryer, Ninja Foodi Smart Xl Pro Air Oven, Ninja Foodi XL Pro Air Oven

What can you cook with the Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Fry Oven?

The Ninja SP301 Toaster Oven offers two cooking modes—Dual Heat Mode and Air Oven Mode.

Like the Ninja SP101, the Air Oven Mode can help you air fry, roast, bake, broil, toast, bagel, reheat, and dehydrate. These are the eight default functions for their air fryer ovens; even the Ninja SP201 offers the same features.

Although the other Ninja Foodi Air Ovens have these features, they don’t do it as well as the SP301. For example, the dual-heat air oven has more vertical space, accommodating up to a 2-pound roast with veggies.

Preheats in 60 Seconds

All air oven cooking programs preheat in 60 seconds, significantly shorter than electric range ovens. Even with Dual Heat Mode, the SP301 is ready in 60 seconds, making it ideal for quick meals.

Dual Heat Mode

With Dual Heat Mode, things get more interesting as the sheet pan serves as a grill. Along with the traditional capabilities, you can now sear and grill with your countertop oven toaster.

The Ninja SP301 Dual Heat Air Oven cooking programs run from 100 to 500 degrees and up to 12 hours. Here are the temperature and time ranges for each cooking mode.

Cooking Mode(s)	Temperature Range	Timer Settings
Air Fry	250 – 450 degrees	1-minute increments Up to 1 hour
Air Roast	250 – 450 degrees	1-minute increments Up to 2 hours
Broil (Low/High)	400 or 450 degrees	30-second increments Up to 30 minutes
Toast/Bagel	450 degrees	30 seconds to 10 minutes, based on slice settings
Bake/Rapid Bake	250 – 450 degrees	1-minute increments Up to 2 hours
Dehydrate	100 – 200 degrees	15-minute increments Up to 12 hours
Reheat	100 – 450 degrees	1-minute increments Up to 2 hours
Sear Crisp	250 – 500 degrees	1-minute increments Up to 2 hours
Griddle	300 – 450 degrees	1-minute increments Up to 30 minutes
Fresh/Frozen Pizza	250 – 500 degrees	1-minute increments Up to 2 hours

You can change the temperature or timer at any time during the cooking process. Being able to change the temperature or timer is an important feature, as some recipes need adjustments based on several variables.

Is the Ninja Foodi 13-in-1 Air Fry Oven easy to use?

Overall, I found the Ninja Foodi SP301 Air Oven easier to use than previous models.

More Even Cooking

The main issue of its predecessor (Ninja Foodi SP101 Air Oven) is heat distribution. The fan is located on one side, so you have to rotate your recipe at one point for even cooking. On the other hand, the Smart XL Pro Air Oven doesn’t have that quirk since the convection fan is at the center of the back panel.

Intuitive Controls

Compared to the first Flip Away Air Fryer Oven, the user interface of the Ninja SP301 is more polished. Despite having two modes, it’s very intuitive.

I love how easy it is to use this countertop oven with my traditional oven recipes. Using the bake mode, I can make any recipe from my conventional oven in the Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Oven without adjustments. Remember you need to preheat the oven, but it does so in just 60 seconds.

Flipping/Turning Still Required

Like cooking in any oven, I needed to open the door to flip, turn, or check on my dishes. Shaking or turning foods in an air fryer is very important for even cooking and crisping. Ninja recommends that you rotate ingredients according to recipes and the user manual.

Like my electric oven, the Ninja Foodi SP301 maintains its power and continues to heat when the door opens. That makes working with food as it cooks much easier, but like an electric oven, you will lose some heat from the oven while the door is open.

If you need to stop or pause the cooking function completely, this can be done quickly and easily by pressing the dial. It also acts as a start/stop/pause button.

I Found Using the Searing Plate Confusing

The only part you’ll need clarification on is the searing plate. It works in tandem with the Dual Heat Mode. To prevent under or overcooking your dish, preheat before baking, searing, grilling, baking your pizza, or using it as a griddle.

The searing plate can get pretty intense. It can reach 500℉. As a safety precaution, use oven mitts that can withstand high temperatures.

You can leave the SearPlate in the air fryer regardless of the cooking mode. Use it as a cookie sheet, baking tray, sheet pan, griddle, or drip pan.

*Product Images and Video Courtesy of Shark Ninja