The Ninja DualZone DZ801 is an 8-quart dual-chamber air fryer. It runs on 1,750 watts of power and has a temperature range of 105 °F to 450 °F. Six cooking method presets let you air fry, broil, bake, dehydrate, roast, and reheat. The Smart Finish feature coordinates both zones to finish cooking at the same time, while Match Cook mirrors the same settings across both baskets for larger batches. The air fryer features ceramic nonstick baskets and dishwasher-safe crisper plates.
Our Verdict
The Ninja DualZone DZ801 is great for air frying, producing mostly evenly cooked, golden brown results. It heats up quickly, maintains its temperature consistently as it cooks, and supports enough cooking methods to handle most everyday meals. One thing to note is that the unit runs hotter than its set temperature, so you'll likely need to dial down the heat or shorten cook times slightly compared to what a recipe calls for.
Preheats and cooks quickly.
Maintains a consistent temperature throughout the cooking time.
Produces evenly browned results.
Runs hotter than the set temperature.
The Ninja DualZone DZ801 is a good choice for large batch cooking, with a solid cooking capacity across both of its dual baskets. This design lets you cook two dishes at the same time, so you can prepare a full meal in one go rather than cooking sides and proteins back-to-back. One downside of the divided design is that you can't cook large whole items, like a whole chicken or a whole fish, that would otherwise fit in a single large-basket air fryer of the same total capacity. That said, it produces crispy, evenly cooked food, and cook times are fast, which helps when you're working through a larger volume of food.
Preheats and cooks quickly.
Maintains a consistent temperature throughout the cooking time.
Produces evenly browned results.
Solid total cooking capacity across both baskets.
Runs hotter than the set temperature.
Each basket individually has a limited cooking surface, limiting some dishes.
The Ninja DualZone DZ801 does a good job of frying food, producing largely consistent results. It cooks food quickly, gets back up to temperature fast after you open the basket, and maintains its heat throughout the cooking process. One quirk is that it tends to run hotter than its set temperature, which can cause food to brown more aggressively than what you'd expect based on the recipe.
Preheats and cooks quickly.
Maintains a consistent temperature throughout the cooking time.
Produces evenly browned results.
Runs hotter than the set temperature.
The Ninja DualZone DZ801 preheats very quickly and cooks food fast, making it a great option if you're looking for an air fryer to speed up your meal prep process.
Preheats and cooks quickly.
The Ninja DualZone DZ801 has solid cooking capacity. The total space across both baskets combined is good, and the actual usable capacity comes in slightly above what Ninja advertises. However, the split design means that the footprint of each individual basket is on the smaller side, so you won't be able to cook larger items like a whole fish or chicken.
Solid total cooking capacity across both baskets.
Each basket individually has a limited cooking surface, limiting some dishes.
The Ninja DualZone DZ801 is a moderately sized air fryer, so while it won't take up too much space on your counter, it's also not the most compact model available.
Reasonable footprint.
May be too large if you have limited counter space.
Performance Usages
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Ninja DualZone DZ801 comes in one color, grey, which we bought and tested. See the label for our unit.
If you come across another variant, let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Air Fryer Comparisons
The Ninja DualZone DZ801 is an 8-quart dual-basket air fryer that sits in the middle of Ninja's lineup. It's quite similar to the Ninja Foodi DZ201 and is a good fit if you regularly cook complete meals for a family and want the convenience of running two independent cooking zones simultaneously without stepping up to a larger appliance. If you cook for bigger groups, Ninja's 10-quart models like the Ninja Foodi DZ550 and Ninja Foodi DZ401 offer larger capacities and more fan speeds for wider cooking versatility. If counter space is a concern, the Ninja Foodi DZ071 has a smaller footprint and a removable basket divider that lets you cook larger whole items like a whole chicken when needed. For those who don't need dual baskets, the Chefman Crispinator 8 Qt. is an affordable option that performs similarly to the DZ801.
If you're looking for more alternatives, check out our picks for the best air fryers, the small air fryers, and the best affordable air fryers.
The Ninja DualZone DZ801 and the Ninja Foodi DZ550 are both dual-basket air fryers, but the Foodi is the stronger overall performer. It has a larger 10-quart capacity, more cooking surface area in each basket, and produces more evenly cooked food. It also includes a built-in temperature probe, which the DZ801 lacks, so you can monitor the internal temperature of proteins without a separate thermometer. The DZ801, on the other hand, is also a strong performer but is slightly more compact, making it the better choice if you have limited counter space.
The Ninja DualZone DZ801 and the Ninja Foodi DZ201 are both 8-quart dual-basket air fryers with very similar feature sets, so the differences between them are more about practical trade-offs than fundamentally different designs. The DZ201 has a larger cooking surface area in each of its baskets, giving you more room to spread food out in a single layer, and it offers a wider range of fan speeds for different cooking methods. The DZ801 preheats faster and cooks food slightly more quickly, but it consistently runs hotter than its set temperature, meaning you'll often need to adjust recipes to compensate. For most people, the DZ201 is the stronger value given its larger basket surface and broader versatility. The DZ801 makes more sense if preheat speed is a priority, and you don't mind making minor temperature adjustments when cooking.
The Ninja DualZone DZ801 and the Ninja Foodi DZ401 are both dual-basket air fryers, but the DZ401 has a significantly larger 10-quart capacity, more cooking surface area per basket, and a wider range of fan speeds, making it the stronger choice if you regularly cook for larger groups. Where the DZ801 has the edge is in frying consistency. The DZ401 has a tendency to burn portions of each batch, resulting in more uneven results. The DZ801 produces more evenly cooked food overall and preheats faster, though its tendency to run hotter than its set temperature means you'll still need to make some recipe adjustments.
The Ninja DualZone DZ801 and the Ninja Foodi DZ071 are both dual-basket air fryers, but the DZ071 uses a single basket with a removable divider while the DZ801 features two completely separate chambers. The DZ071's design lets you cook larger whole items like a whole chicken by pulling the divider out. The DZ071 also has more cooking surface area per side, a wider fan speed range, and a lower minimum temperature for dehydrating. The DZ801's separate baskets do a better job of isolating each cooking zone, though, so you won't get heat transfer between sides when running very different temperatures at once. It also preheats faster.
Test Results
The DZ801 has a very good cooking chamber. The combined cooking capacity of both baskets is great, and is actually slightly higher than the advertised 8 quarts, so you get a little more usable room than the spec sheet suggests.
The one limitation is the surface area of each individual basket. Because the total capacity is split across two separate zones, each basket is narrower than what you'd get from a single 8-quart air fryer. In practice, this means you'll need to cook in layers or batches more often when working within one basket alone.
This air fryer offers a lot of cooking versatility. It covers six cooking method presets spanning a wide temperature range, allowing you to dehydrate, broil, and roast, along with air frying. The dual cooking chambers also let you run two different modes simultaneously at different temperatures.
The six cooking method presets are:
- Air Broil: 400 °F–450 °F
- Air Fry: 300 °F–400 °F
- Roast: 250 °F–400 °F
- Bake: 250 °F–400 °F
- Reheat: 300 °F–400 °F
- Dehydrate: 105 °F–195 °F
The DZ801 produces good frying results. Most food comes out crispy and isn't likely to get burnt. Some food does end up being undercooked, so you may occasionally need to add a couple of minutes to finish a batch evenly.
This air fryer provides great temperature stability. It recovers quickly after you open the basket to add or check food, returning to cooking temperature in just a couple of minutes. Once it's up to temperature, it holds it consistently without fluctuating much.
One thing worth knowing: the DZ801 consistently runs hotter than its set temperature. Food may cook faster or brown more aggressively than you'd expect, so you may need to dial the temperature down slightly or shorten cook times compared to what a recipe calls for.