​Author: Maurice Savaryego, M.Sc.Eng. (Learn More)
​(Please note that our website is supported by commissions earned when products are sold through the provided links.)

​Compare Ninja Foodi and Instant Vortex Air Fryers
(Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 vs. Ninja Foodi Pro 5-in-1 vs. Instant Vortex 4-in-1 vs.  Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1)

Ninja Foodi Pro Air Fryer (Photo Credits: Ninja)

There are a number of important reasons why the popularity of air fryers has so spectacularly grown in the last few years, and we have no doubt that once you have tested the air fryers to be compared in this article, you wil be more than satisfied with either of them, but the two brands have some important differences that will be detailed here.
Before we list some of these, here is a brief a description of what an air fryer essential is:.  

An air fryer unit is usually composed of one or more internal heating elements, a cooking basket that is detachable and that holds the food while it's air fried, a removable pan that contains the cooking basket and collects drippings, and control mechanisms to set the cooking time and temperature. Note that though these air fryers do not require oil, for perfect results it is recommended to sprinkle a tiny bit of oil (no more that a spoonful) on the foods to be fried.

Here are some of the advantages of using an air fryer:

• Because little or no oil is used, the resulting fries will have less than 3% fat as opposed to more than 15% fat for the traditional deep-fried chips, which represents 80% less fat! This will of course allow you to eat chips more often without having to worry too much about your health.
• Air fryers are safer to use than regular deep fryers since there is no boiling oil, and they are usually equipped with cool-to-the-touch handles that allow handling without any danger of burning the fingers. And because they require very little or no oil, air fryers generate much less cooking odor than traditional deep fryers.
• Air fryers can be used not just for making chips, but because of the various temperature settings and programmable cooking times they allow, one could also grill, roast, and even bake. 
• Because only very little amounts of oil should be used, you could experiment with various gourmet oils (such as olive oil, walnut oil, peanut oil, etc.) that would be too expensive to use for deep frying, resulting in chips with varied flavors.
• They are very easy to clean as some of the removable parts can be easily washed in the dishwasher.

​

---

This article will compare Ninja Foodi 5-in-1, Ninja Foodi Pro 5-in-1, Instant Vortex 4-in-1 and Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 air fryers. These four air fryers were amonge the top sellers in their category at the time this article was written and have received excellent reviews from Amazon customers (an average of at least 4.5 star rating out of 5 stars for each of them!).

You will find below a point by point comparison of the selected air fryers.
If you are in a hurry, and wish to see right away exact Amazon price information, please click:
Selected Air fryers on Amazon.

---

Comparing the Selected Air Fryers
(Ninja Foodi 5-in-1, Ninja Foodi Pro 5-in-1, Instant Vortex 4-in-1 and Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1)

Ninja Foodi 5-in-1
Air Fryer

Ninja Foodi Pro 5-in-1
Air Fryer

Instant Vortex 4-in-1
Air Fryer

Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1
Air Fryer

---

The following table compares the four selected air fryers. Please read the explanations to the table notes for a better understanding of the features that come with each.

Selected Air Fryers Comparison Table

Table Notes Explained:
​
Note 1:
All four air fryers are equipped with a removable non-stick basket used to prepare crispy fries and other foods. The basket itself is easily detachable from the unit which makes it easy to transfer food from the air fryer to a serving dish. There is however a difference between the Ninja Foodi and Instant Vortex air fryers:

• With both Instant Vortex air fryers, the basket is used for all the modes of cooking available that are offered.
  The basket that comes with the Instant Vortex air fryers can hold 6 Quarts of food.
• With both Ninja Foodi air fryers, while the basket must be used for some of the modes of cooking that are offered, other modes of cooking are done in a non-stick cooking pot that comes with both Ninja Foodi air fryers. For more details on this, please refer to Note 4 below.
  The basket that comes with the Ninja Foodi air fryers can hold 4 Quarts of food, while their cooking pot can hold 6 Quarts

The following pictures describes the structure and the included parts for all four air fryers considered here:

Ninja Foodi and Ninja Foodi Pro Product Structure

Instant Vortex and Instant Vortex Plus Product Structure

Note 2: 
All four air fryers are equipped either with dials and/or digital controls to set and adjust the temperature and the cooking time:

• Both Ninja Foodi air fryers use only digital controls with an electronic screen to set the temperature and the cooking time.
• Both Instant Vortex air fryers use digital controls with an electronic screen as well as a dial to set the temperature and the cooking time.

Note 3:
With all four air fryers considered here, cooking temperature and cooking time can be set as required using the appropriate temperature and timer buttons on their screens. However, the following programmed cooking modes are also available on each of the four air fryers considered here:
​
Ninja Foodi and Ninja Foodi Pro come with 5 programmed cooking modes:

• Grill (done using the cooking pot and the grill grate)
• Air Crisp (Air Fry) (done using the cooking pot and the basket)
• Roast (done using the cooking pot and the roasting rack)
• Bake (done using the cooking pot)
• Dehydrate (done using the cooking pot and the basket)

Instant Vortex come with 4 programmed cooking modes all done using the basket:

• Air Fry (done using the basket)
• Roast (done using the basket and the cooking tray)
• Bake (done using the basket)
• Reheat (done using the basket)

Instant Vortex Plus come with 6 programmed cooking modes:

• Air Fry (done using the basket and the cooking tray placed at the bottom of the basket)
• Roast (done using the basket and the cooking tray)
• Bake (done using the basket and the cooking tray)
• Broil (done using the basket and the cooking tray)
• ​Reheat (done using the basket and the cooking tray)
• ​Dehydrate (done using the basket and the cooking tray)

Note that, with all four air fryers considered here, even though their programmed cooking modes have pre-set cooking times and temperatures, they can be customized to your own settings using the temperature and timer adjustment control buttons on their screens.

The following are some tips regrading what the various the programmed cooking modes listed above can be used for:

• ​Air Fry is good for making fries, cauliflower wings, chicken nuggets and more.
• Bake is good for making light and fluffy cakes and pastries, scalloped potatoes and more.
• Roast is good for making beef, lamb, pork, poultry, vegetable dishes and more.
• Broil is good for direct top-down cooking, melting cheese on French onion soup and nachos, and more.
• Reheat is good for preparing leftovers without overcooking or drying out. 
• Dehydrate is good for homemade fruit leather, jerky, dried vegetables and more.​ 

​Note 4:
The following pictures show the control panels of the four air fryers considered here:

Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Air Fryer Control Panel

Ninja Foodi Pro 5-in-1 Air Fryer Control Panel

Instant Vortex 4-in-1 Air Fryer Controls

Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer Controls

---

Note 5:
With Ninja Foodi Pro, when the temperature probe is used, you select the cooking temperature, but there is no need to set a cook time:  the unit will automatically turn off the heating element and alert you when the probe senses your food has reached the internal temperature you set.
Using the temperature probe is very easy: after selecting the desired cook function and temperature, you just need to plug the temperature probe into the socket located on the right side of the control panel. Note that the probe cannot be used with the Dehydrate function.

Note 6:

• Ninja Foodi and Ninja Foodi Pro:
  The cooking pot, grill grate, crisper basket, splatter shield, cleaning brush, and any other included accessories are dishwasher safe, except the temperature probe. DO NOT place the temperature probe in the dishwasher.
• Instant Vortex and Instant Vortex Plus:
  Clean the air fryer basket with a sponge or cloth and a solution of warm water and dish soap. DO NOT immerse the basket in water or any other liquid and DO NOT clean the basket in an automatic dishwasher.
  The cooking tray can be placed in an automatic dishwasher. 

​

For exact prices on the above compared airfryers, please click:
Selected AirFryers on Amazon.

---

So which air fryer is best to buy?

All four air fryers compared here had received raving reviews from Amazon customers at the time this article was written with a minimum of 4.5-star average rating for each (out of 5 stars). This means that chances are you will be quite happy with either of them once you have tested them. However, they do present certain differences that may convince you one way or another. Here are the points you should keep in mind when deciding:

• Only Ninja Foodi Pro comes with the smart temperature probe feature:  when the temperature probe is used, you select the cooking temperature, but there is no need to set a cook time:  the unit will automatically turn off the heating element and alert you when the probe senses your food has reached the internal temperature you set. Thanks to this feature, there will be no need to cut into foods or constantly probe them like when using an instant read thermometer. Guesswork will be eliminated, and you will never worry about under or overcooking your meat. 
• The four different air fryers considered here come with different sets of programmed cooking modes. So, you should carefully read Note 3 above, and select the air fryer that offers you those programmed cooking modes that you will be using most.

---

 

Compared Air Fryers on Amazon​

You will find below all four air fryers compared above.
Please click the Amazon image below for the air fryer of your choice to see exact price information or to purchase.
​Please Note: For non-US customers, when you click the links below, you will be provided with the Amazon links for your country (such as Canada or UK), if the product is available in your country.​

Ninja Foodi Air fryers on Amazon

Ninja Foodi
5-in-1 Air Fryer

---

Ninja Foodi Pro
5-in-1 Air Fryer

---

Instant Vortex Air Fryers on Amazon

Instant Vortex
4-in-1 Air Fryer

---

Instant Vortex Plus
6-in-1 Air Fryer

---