If you cook for a big family or hate waiting for a large oven, this heavy machine is built for your kitchen counter. This honest Ninja IG651 Review looks at a massive 7-in-1 indoor grill that promises to crisp, sear, and griddle your food in record time.
After using it daily for weeks, I know exactly where it saves the day and where it gets highly annoying. It is a beast for proteins, but it takes up a lot of space and demands serious muscle during cleanup.
| Category | Verdict |
| Best For | People who love juicy steaks, fast cooking, and crispy texture without a huge outdoor grill. |
| Not Ideal For | Tiny apartment counters, tight budgets, or people who just want a small air fryer basket. |
| Biggest Strength | True high-heat searing that leaves genuine grill marks on meat. |
| Biggest Weakness | Heavy, clunky plates that fill up your sink instantly. |
| Overall Rating | 4.5 / 5 |
Unboxing & First Impressions
Lifting this machine out of its box takes some real effort because it is heavy and bulky. The dark finish looks sleek at first, but it shows greasy fingerprints the second you touch it.
The first test run gave off a slight plastic smell, but it faded after ten minutes and never came back. It takes up a massive amount of countertop space, and the short cord means it must sit close to an outlet. The lid swings upward on a tight hinge, so you cannot open it fully under low kitchen cabinets. The screen glows nice and bright, making the cooking presets easy to read from a distance.
Cooking Performance
Testing this machine with real food on a busy weeknight shows how it actually handles daily dinner duty. Here is how my meals turned out after trying different settings.
Frozen Fries
A batch of frozen fries took 16 minutes at 390°F to get a completely crispy texture. You must give the air fryer basket a rigorous shake halfway through the cook time, or the bottom layers will stay soft.
Chicken Wings
I piled two pounds of chicken wings inside at 400°F for 22 minutes. The skin got beautifully crunchy while the inside stayed juicy, but a strong grease smell filled my kitchen for an hour.
Vegetables
Chopped zucchini and peppers turned out great at 375°F in just 9 minutes. They got nice charred edges without turning into mush, though small bits can drop into the basket corners.
Reheating Pizza
Reheating pizza late at night on the flat griddle at 350°F takes about 5 minutes. The crust gets crisp and the cheese melts perfectly, which beats a soggy microwave result any day.
Real-Life Daily Use Experience
Living with this machine every day forces you to change your cooking routine. The preheat time is incredibly fast, so it is ready to go way before a normal oven even gets warm.
The controls are simple to use, and the smart probe stops you from drying out expensive meat. Still, swapping the hot, heavy plates during a busy meal workflow is a total pain. You also need to watch the heat coming from side vents, which can warm up nearby items on your counter.
Design & Build Quality
The materials feel thick and premium, using solid metal where cheap brands usually skimp out with flimsy plastic. The handle feels sturdy when you lift the heavy lid, and the buttons click with a solid feel.
| Feature | Material Type |
| Main Body | Stainless steel and thick plastic |
| Grill Plate | Heavy ceramic nonstick coating |
| Touch Screen | Responsive glass panel |
The unit stays firmly in place on the counter without any wobble when you open it. The nonstick coating is tough, but you still need to avoid metal tongs to prevent deep scratches.
Noise Level
The fan inside this machine makes a loud, deep whirring noise that you cannot easily ignore. It sounds much louder than a standard microwave when running at high fan speeds.
The air fryer noise means you might have to raise your voice during a conversation nearby. The unit also uses a very loud beeping sound to tell you when it is done, which can wake people up at night.
Cleaning & Maintenance
Cleaning up after messy foods takes some serious elbow grease because the parts are so large. The nonstick coating does a great job of releasing burnt sauces, but you still have to scrub the corners.
| Part | Dishwasher Safe | Clean Difficulty |
| Mesh Shield | Yes | Medium |
| Griddle Plate | Yes | Easy |
| Air Basket | Yes | Medium |
While the manual says these parts are dishwasher safe, they take up almost the entire bottom rack. Oil collecting in basket corners means you need a small brush to get it totally clean.
Pros and Cons
This appliance offers great speed, but the large size introduces distinct trade-offs for your daily kitchen habits.
| Pros | Cons |
| Super fast cooking speeds save time. | Takes up massive countertop space. |
| Delivers great crispy texture on wings. | Very heavy to move and store away. |
| Smart probe takes the guesswork out of meat. | Fan noise is quite loud during use. |
| Thick nonstick coating cleans up fast. | The power cord is short. |
Comparison With Similar Air Fryers
It helps to see how this model compares to older units you might be considering.
Ninja Foodi FG551
The older FG551 is a popular indoor grill, but it lacks the direct flat griddle option found here.
| Feature | Ninja IG651 | Ninja FG551 |
| Griddle Plate | Included | Not Included |
| Searing Heat | Direct Bottom | Cyclonic Air |
| Design | Flat and wide | Tall and boxy |
The IG651 handles even cooking much better because the heat plate sits directly under your food instead of just blowing hot air.
Who Should Buy This Air Fryer?
- Buy This If: You have plenty of countertop space, love grilling meat indoors, want even cooking, and need a smart probe for perfect steaks.
- Avoid This If: You have a tiny kitchen, hate cleaning heavy plates, use parchment liners for everything, or just want to reheat small snacks.
Long-Term Durability
The heavy build suggests this machine will last for years of daily use without falling apart. The nonstick finish has not peeled or flaked, and the lid hinge still feels tight and secure. The digital screen shows no signs of fading, and the heating elements maintain consistent temperatures every time.
Energy Efficiency
This unit handles small meals much faster than a standard oven, which saves a lot of electricity over time. It keeps your kitchen cool because it does not vent massive amounts of heat into the room. For quick weeknight dinners, using this appliance is much smarter than waiting for a giant oven range to warm up.
Final Verdict: Ninja IG651 Review
This Ninja IG651 Review shows that the machine is a powerful kitchen helper that easily replaces multiple appliances. It delivers excellent searing and a great crunchy texture that makes weeknight meals taste much better.
If you can look past the loud fan noise and the heavy cleanup, the fast performance is worth the high price. It is a solid investment that will genuinely change how you cook your daily meals.