Ninja SL201 DoubleStack Air Fryer Review – First Hand Experience
When the Ninja DoubleStack 8 Qt 2‑Basket Air Fryer (SL201) first arrived, I was instantly impressed by its sleek, vertically stacked design. The ability to cook in two independent 4-quart baskets in a footprint about 40% slimmer than side-by-side dual-basket fryers seemed a clever space-saving innovation.
Claims of being able to air fry four different foods at once – two in each basket – had me intrigued. After several weeks of testing staple meals, from crispy wings to veggies and even brownies, here’s what I’ve discovered about its real-world performance, design, and everyday usability.
Ninja SL201 DoubleStack Air Fryer Review – First Hand Experience
Setting up the DoubleStack was smooth. The packaging was well thought out and mostly recyclable, Ninja’s newer boxes are cardboard-only, which felt eco-friendly and welcomed. Once unboxed, placing it on my countertop revealed a unit that’s narrow but tall; it tucked under my kitchen cabinets just fine, but you still need overhead clearance for good ventilation.
The stacked baskets are key. Each drawer holds 4 Qt and includes a crisper plate and a small rack so you can cook two levels per drawer. This feature enabled me to air fry veggies on the bottom and grill shrimp above with zero cross-contamination, especially useful when cooking for multiple diet preferences. Each basket is independently programmable, so you can run different cook functions on each.
The touch control dial is straightforward and intuitive. You choose a function like Air Fry, Roast, or Dehydrate, set a temperature, and time. There are helpful presets, but you can also adjust manually. The Smart Finish and Match Cook features synced the baskets when needed, handy when cooking an entire meal across both zones.
Cooking Performance
Air Frying and Crisping
I air-fried chicken wings twice: once using only the top basket, and once using both top and bottom stacked racks for two meal components at once. The results were well… crispy – but with one caveat: I noticed uneven browning from front to back unless I shook or flipped the food at the halfway point. That aligns with reviews noting heat comes from the rear, so food closer to the front cooks slower. Once I adapted (setting a mid-cycle shake), the results improved dramatically.
- SPACE SAVING DESIGN: Ninja’s stacked design lets you cook double the food in nearly half the space and still fits under standard cabinets. Plus, it’s 40% slimmer than your traditional 2-basket air fryers.
- DOUBLESTACK AIR FRYING TECHNOLOGY: Only Ninja’s stacked design has 2 independently controlled baskets so you can cook 4 foods at once.
Speed & Preheat
This unit does not require preheating, which is great. However, cooking times were slightly longer than many mid-sized single-basket fryers. Roast veggies at 400 °F took 25-30 minutes. Wings took around 16-18 minutes, compared to 14 on my older 6‑Qt model. Even so, cooking two components at a time offset the time difference and boosted efficiency.
Other Uses
Baking brownies in the bottom drawer while roasting small broccoli florets above worked surprisingly well. The rack and crisper setup make it flexible. Tried dehydrating apple slices as well, which turned out crisp and evenly dried.
Cleaning
I appreciated that all baskets, crisper plates, and racks are dishwasher safe. The exterior is plastic but easy to wipe down. The crisper plate did stick occasionally with sticky marinades, but a soak handled it. Overall very low effort for cleanup.
- SPACE SAVING DESIGN: Ninja’s stacked design lets you cook double the food in nearly half the space and still fits under standard cabinets. Plus, it’s 40% slimmer than your traditional 2-basket air fryers.
- DOUBLESTACK AIR FRYING TECHNOLOGY: Only Ninja’s stacked design has 2 independently controlled baskets so you can cook 4 foods at once.
Pros ✅
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Space-saving design lets you cook two meals in the same time and half the footprint.
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Stacked baskets and racks enabling four different foods at once.
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Smart Finish & Match Cook sync baskets for meals that finish together.
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6-in-1 functions: Air Fry, Air Broil, Roast, Bake, Reheat, Dehydrate.
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Dishwasher-safe parts make cleanup quick.
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Large 8 Qt total capacity easily handles meals for 4–6 people.
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Up to 75% less fat cooking allows healthier frying.
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No preheat needed-great for quick meals.
Cons ❌
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Uneven cooking front-to-back unless manually shaken or flipped.
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Slightly slower than smaller fryers: requires more time to crisp.
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Tall design requires clearance: may not fit low cabinets.
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User interface deep behind front edge; spills may pool beneath the control panel area.
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Occasional food sticking if heavily sauced and not shaken.
Detailed Conclusion & Recommendation
From weekday dinners to casual weekend snacks, the Ninja DoubleStack SL201 has become a reliable workhorse in my kitchen. The ability to grill wings and roast vegetables simultaneously, or bake brownies in one basket while baking hash browns in the other, greatly increased meal prep productivity. Despite cooking speed being slightly slower and requiring occasional basket shaking, the versatility and slim design outweigh these minor limitations.
If you’re cooking for multiple people or several dishes at once and want to save counter space, this unit is a smart choice. It’s ideal when you want to multitask with minimal equipment. Just expect a bit of a learning curve around splitting and flipping food evenly.
That said, if you primarily cook small batches and demand rapid, ultra-crispy air frying, another model like Ninja’s side-by-side dual basket (e.g. DZ201) might be faster. But you give up the compact footprint and built-in stacking that makes this model unique.
Overall, the Ninja DoubleStack SL201 delivers on its promise of cooking up to four foods at once with space efficiency and decent versatility, making it a standout for busy kitchens or families. For me, it’s earned a regular spot on my countertop.
