How To Clean A Ninja Air Fryer? [6 Quick & Easy Steps]
Cleaning your Ninja air fryer is essential to keep it in good shape and ensure long-lasting use.
The grease and grime build-up and stuck-on residues on its various parts keep burning during cooking, which can ruin the appliance if you don't clean it properly.
The best way to clean a Ninja air fryer is to put the crisper plate, basket, and other accessories in a tub filled with warm, soapy water and wash them by hand. Though air fryer parts are dishwasher safe, I don't recommend doing so because this can damage the non-stick coating too quickly.
How To Clean A Ninja Air Fryer? [6 Quick & Easy Steps]
Below, you will learn a more detailed step-by-step process of cleaning your Ninja Foodi air fryer. For more such tips, keep following KitchenHanker.Com.
Unplug The Unit
Though it may seem the most obvious step, you won’t believe how many people ignore this tiny but important detail.
Therefore, it needs to be mentioned separately. Turn off your air fryer and pull out the switch from its socket, lest it cause electrocution.
Let The Unit Cool Down
If you recently used your air fryer, it will probably be very hot. Therefore, let it cool for some time before touching it with your bare hands.
Otherwise, you may burn your hands or damage the air fryer by improper handling. If you can’t wait for it to cool down, remove the Ninja air fryer basket and the crisper plate and let the cool tap water run on it for a few minutes.
Cleaning Ninja Air Fryer Heating Element
Now comes the heating element— the most neglected part of the whole cleaning process.
If the heating element of your Ninja air fryer is not clean, you may experience a smell in the air fryer every time residual grease burns, or your unit may not heat up properly.
For cleaning the heating element, flip it upside down and clean it with a damp sponge.
If there is too much grease build-up, you may need a small amount of dishwashing soap or air fryer cleaning spray to scrub it off.
Using a soft brush with gentle bristles and a little soap can also help clean tough grease burned during cooking food in an air fryer.
Clean The Lid
Next, you have to clean the lid and the rubber valve underneath it. To clean the Ninja Foodi air fryer lid, use a sponge soaked in warm water and lightly scrub the surface area.
For cleaning sealing rubber value, pull it off and clean it under warm running water. Don’t panic if you see discoloration in your ring; multiple washes and exposure to high temperatures can often cause this.
Wipe Clean The Interior And The Exterior
Cleaning the interior is a breeze. Use a soft sponge with some soap to gently Wash the ninja air fryer interior, including all the nooks and crannies.
Then use a clean, damp sponge to remove the soapy scum. Finally, dry off the surface completely with clean paper towels.
If soapy water does not effectively remove stains and residue food, use a little rubbing alcohol and baking soda and mildly scrub the surface.
Once you are done cleaning, make sure no cleaning products remain on the surface.
For cleaning the exterior of the Ninja air fryer, use a damp kitchen towel and gently wipe all sides. If it is tough to remove stains on the air fryer exterior, use soap and water solution instead of tap water.
Occasional use of ammonia solution—one of the recommended degreasers—to clean the exterior can help.
Cleaning Air Fryer Basket and Crisper Plate
One of the best features of Ninja air fryers is that all the accessories are dishwasher safe.
But hand washing is recommended because it protects the non-stick ceramic coating of air fryer accessories. So, it is better to wash all the accessories by hand.
If there is excessive grease and residue build-up on the crisper plate, air fryer basket, etc., soak them in warm, soapy water.
Add a few spoonfuls of vinegar for easier cleaning. You can also use a good grease remover for this purpose.
The baking basket and crisper plate of the Ninja air fryer are mostly non-stick and ceramic coated, so hand washing is hassle-free.
If scrubbing is required, use a non-abrasive sponge to prevent scratches or damage to the non-stick coating.
When all the burnt food and baked-on grease loosen up, run all the accessories through clean water. Later, dry them with a soft kitchen cloth.
All the above-given steps are compatible with the following Ninja Air Fryer models:
How To Clean Ninja Dualzone Air Fryer
Ninja DZ550 Foodi 10 Quart 6-in-1 DualZone Smart XL Air Fryer
Cleaning the Ninja Foodi dual basket air fryer is not difficult, especially if you clean it as soon as you cook in it and the air fryer is still warm. If you leave the air fryer, the burnt-on food and oil can become stubborn grease, which is difficult to clean.
There are two steps to cleaning the Ninja dualzone air fryer: Cleaning the interior and the exterior. Here is how we washed our
Cleaning The Exterior Of The Ninja Dual-Basket Air Fryer
To clean the outside of the air fryer, you need a damp microfiber cloth. Dip the cloth into the warm, soapy water and squeeze the extra liquid.
Wipe down the whole unit with a damp cloth to clean any oil splatters or dust that might have smeared the exterior. Later, clean the unit with a clean, damp towel to ensure no streaks of soapy water are left on the surface.
Cleaning Ninja Dual-basket Air Fryer Interior
Here are the two ways to clean the interior parts of the Ninja dual basket air fryer.
- Soak the accessories, such as the crisper plates and the baskets, into the sink full of warm, soapy water. Let them stay for a few minutes before gently scrubbing them with a nonabrasive sponge and rinsing off the soap under tap water. Soaking them in warm, soapy water removes all burnt food and oil.
- Place all the removable parts of the air fryer in a dishwasher if they are dishwasher safe.
PS: We recommend hand washing as it improves the accessory's lifespan and prevents the non-stick coating from flaking off. Also, don’t use abrasive sponges or harsh chemicals to clean your air fryer.
Once all the removable parts are cleaned, use a damp microfiber to clean the inside chamber of the air fryer where the basket sits.
Steps To Clean Ninja Foodi 6-in-1
The Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 air fryer with grill combo has a heavy lid at the top that opens upwards. So, cleaning it is a bit different from standard basket-style air fryers. Here is the step-by-step process of cleaning your Ninja air fryer grill combo.
- Unplug the unit from the electrical supply and let it cool.
- Remove the splatter guard from the heating element; remove all the accessories.
- All the accessories are non-stick; therefore, put them in the dishwasher or hand wash them with warm water and soap.
- Clean the splatter shield with the accompanying Ninja Foodi cleaning brush after every use; otherwise, the oil will become stubborn grease.
- Use the other end of the brush as a scraper to remove baked-on sauces and food from the grill plate and the basket.
- To clean the exterior and the control panel, use a clean, damp cloth to wipe them off.
- Most people find cleaning the baked-on grease on the lid complicated. The easiest way is to use a grease cleaner such as La’s Totally Awesome Cleaner and spray it on the lid. Later, you can use a soft bristle brush to loosen up the grease. You might see the residual cleaning liquid dripping out on the countertop, but you can wipe it off later once the whole air fryer is cleaned.
- Dip the meat probe in soapy water to clean it.
You can follow the same steps to clean Ninja Foodi 5 in 1 air fryer.
How To Clean Ninja Air Fryer Oven
The size of the Air Fryer oven combo is a bit large, which makes it difficult to handle. But its proper maintenance requires you to clean it after each use.
Start cleaning by turning off the air fryer and unplugging the unit from the outlet. Let it cool so that you can touch it without burning your hand.
Next, take out all the accessories and wash them with a mixture of a dishwasher and warm water.
You can put all the accessories in the dishwasher, but hand washing is better.
If there is any sticky grease inside the air fryer oven, in the grooving, or around the exhaust fan, use a non-abrasive sponge to scrub softly.
Later, you can clean the surface with a clean, damp towel.
Once everything is clean, dry the accessories and the interior with a dry kitchen towel. You can use a soft squeegee and mild surface cleaner for the exterior.
Don’t spray the air fryer cleaning spray directly on the air fryer surface. Instead, apply it to the sponge. But be careful about scratching the surface.
How To Clean The Bottom Of A Ninja Foodi Air Fryer
Due to the non-detachable lid, cleaning the Ninja Foodi air fryer is a bit difficult. To clean the bottom of the Ninja Foodi air fryer, use a cloth and warm, soapy water and gently clean the food and oil residue.
However, don’t use harsh chemicals or abrasive sponges to clean the stuck-on residue at the bottom.
Is The Ninja Foodi Difficult To Clean
No, it is not! In fact, cleaning a Ninja Foodi is very easy.
The crisper plate, air frying basket, and other accessories are often dishwasher safe, but hand cleaning is easy. You can use a damp cloth to clean the inside of the air fryer, followed by drying with a kitchen towel.
Make sure to wash your air fryer after every use. Persistent use can make the grooving and other nooks and crannies quite dirty and, hence, difficult to clean.
In this case, you have to deep clean the air fryer to get rid of stubborn baked grease and food residue.
Can I Use Oven Cleaner On My Ninja Foodi
No, you must never use your oven cleaner on your Ninja Foodi. It will clean the grease and stuck-on food residues. But it will leave permanent stains on the basket and can also destroy the non-stick coating as well. Oven cleaners can also warp some plastics too. The recommended cleaning agent to remove stains from the air fryer is dishwashing soap.
Final Words
You might be tempted to throw all the components in the dishwasher and get done with it. But this is not the right way to do it! Keeping your ninja air fryer clean is essential to enjoying the authentic taste of your recipes. Grease accumulation and food residues can release burning smells when you cook in the air fryer without cleaning it properly. Warm water and dishwashing soap solution are the most recommended cleaning agents for a Ninja Foodi air fryer. But you can occasionally use ammonia solution, air fryer cleaning solutions, vinegar, and baking soda as well.