The Ninja Crispi MW101 is a premium, mid-sized, 1000-watt countertop microwave. It doubles as an air fryer, and FusionCrisp Technology automatically switches a cook from microwave heat to air fry heat, so you don't need to switch functions manually partway through. It skips the turntable and has a flatbed cooking chamber, so square or rectangular dishes fit without needing room to spin freely. It features eight one-touch microwave presets and five dedicated air fry presets, along with dishwasher-safe CleanCrisp glassware and a crisper plate.
Our Verdict
The Ninja Crispi MW101 is a good everyday microwave, heating food quickly, operating quietly, and offering straightforward controls that don't take much thought to use. Although the turntable-free, flatbed design saves space, the chamber is still on the smaller side, so you may run into limitations if you often reheat or cook in larger containers. It doubles as an air fryer, which is convenient if you want to reduce the number of kitchen appliances on your counter. It produces crispy, well-cooked food, but it preheats slowly and struggles to maintain a steady temperature once it reaches it.
Heats food quickly.
Simple, easy-to-use controls.
Doubles as an air fryer.
Medium-sized chamber may limit what you can cook.
The Ninja Crispi MW101 has a 1000-watt power capacity and heats food quickly.
Heats food quickly.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Ninja Crispi MW101 comes in four colors: Silver, Black, Stone Gold, and Cyberspace. We bought and tested the Silver version. Here's a photo of our label.
If you come across any other variants, let us know in the comments.
Popular Microwave Comparisons
The Ninja Crispi MW101 is a countertop combo microwave and air fryer with a compact footprint. It's a good fit if you want a compact microwave and air fryer in one, since FusionCrisp Technology automatically handles the transition between the two cooking modes. If the air frying function isn't important to you, there are better microwaves available. The Breville the Smooth Wave has a larger cooking chamber, heats food a little more quickly, and operates more quietly. If you want even more cooking versatility without giving up much counter space, the Panasonic HomeMADE NN-CD66NS adds a convection oven and broiler on top of microwaving and air frying. The GE JES1109RRSS has a larger capacity and is also more versatile; it can air fry, broil, and double as an oven.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best microwaves, the best countertop microwaves, and the best small microwaves.
The GE JES1109RRSS and Ninja Crispi MW101 are both microwaves that can air fry, but the GE also functions as a convection oven and broiler, with enough room inside for casserole dishes or mixing bowls. It's also considerably quieter. The Ninja's air fryer works differently: its FusionCrisp Technology automatically switches a cook from microwave heat to air fry heat without you combining functions yourself. The Ninja's controls are easier to use overall, though the GE lets you start a basic 3-minute, full-power cook in a single tap.
The Ninja Crispi MW101 and Panasonic HomeMADE NN-CD66NS are both mediocre-sized combo microwave/air fryers. The Panasonic runs much quieter, and it adds a convection oven and broiler on top of its air fryer, making it the more versatile pick if you want something closer to a small second oven. The Ninja heats food faster, and its controls are easier to use. Its FusionCrisp Technology also automatically switches from microwaving to air frying, so you don't have to step in and change the settings mid-cook.
The Ninja Crispi MW101 and Breville the Smooth Wave are both premium countertop microwaves that heat food quickly. The Breville is advertised as having a 1200-watt power capacity, and the Ninja has a 1000-watt capacity, but under real-world conditions, they heat at almost the exact same speed. The Breville has a larger cooking chamber, easier-to-use controls, and quieter operation, but the Ninja has a smaller footprint. The Ninja's real draw, however, is a built-in air fryer with FusionCrisp Technology that automatically switches a cook from microwaving to air frying.
Test Results
This microwave has a medium-sized cooking chamber. That said, it has a flat-bottomed design and doesn't use a turntable, which maximizes usable space. Because of this design, you can fit square or rectangular dishes, like a 9" x 11" baking dish, in the microwave despite its moderate size.
This microwave doubles as an air fryer. Eight one-touch presets cover common microwave tasks, and there are five dedicated air fry presets.
If you plan on using the Air Fry function, here's how it performs:
- Setup: The air fry cooking surface is fairly compact compared to a standalone air fryer.
- Preheat Speed (Score: 1.9): Preheating takes about six minutes to reach 400°F, and the ramp-up is quite slow.
- Temperature Stability (Score: 3.2): Once at 400°F, temperatures swing as much as 35°F off target, and that swing repeats throughout the cook rather than settling down.
- Recovery Time: The temperature drops when you add food, and it struggles to get back to the intended temperature.
- Condensation: You'll notice steam escaping from the top of the door while air frying, which condenses into visible moisture on the front of the unit.
- Frying Quality (Score: 7.9): Fries come out crispy and evenly browned.
- Cooking Speed (Score: 6.8): The cooking speed is reasonable.
Its FusionCrisp feature combines both functions automatically, starting with the microwave and finishing with air frying, so you don't need to switch modes yourself.
The two-step child lock stops kids from opening the door once a cycle is running, but it doesn't lock out the rest of the control panel. A child can still press buttons and start a cook on their own; they just won't be able to open the door again until the lock is disengaged. You can mute the microwave's sounds entirely if you'd rather cook without the beeps.
This microwave is easy to use, but when the child lock is engaged, you have to press Child Lock and Door Release at the same time rather than just hitting Door Release like you normally would.
Microwaves all perform similarly when heating food in shallow dishes. Evenness depends on what you're warming up, since liquid foods tend to heat more evenly than solid ones, as well as where you place your dish and how much steam builds up inside the microwave. Read more about our investigations into microwave performance here.
As with shallow dishes, all microwaves perform similarly when heating food evenly in deeper containers. Evenness depends on what you're heating, your specific container, and where you place it inside the microwave. You can read more about our investigations into microwave performance in our R&D article.