About Instant Vortex Air Fryer

The 6 quart Instant Vortex air fryer guarantees healthier varieties of fresh hot as well as frozen fried foods with heated circulating air. Instant Vortex claims to make crisp foods flawlessly with just about 5% oil. The Instant Vortex air fryer minimizes use of oil and locks fluids inside foods to make them crispier without oil. Features FOUR pre-set Smart Programs – Air fry, Roast, Bake and Reheat food items instantaneously.

About Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer

The Instant Vortex PLUS air fryer comes with an advanced microprocessor and claims to make tasty and crispy deep-fried foods with just two tablespoons of oil.The Plus version has 6 pre-set cooking functions, two more compared to the basic Instant Vortex and Ninja Air Fryer models. The two extra extra functions are Dehydrate and Broil. The broiling option of Instant Vortex exposes the food DIRECTLY to the heat source which eliminates fat and speeds up cooking.

About Ninja Air Fryer (Original Model)

This air fryer claims it air fries several recipes with up to 75% less fat with a wide range of temperature. Compared to the other two air fryers, this is the smallest with a capacity of 4 quarts. Like the Instant Vortex, the Ninja Air Fryer too has 4 cooking options – Air fry, Roast, Reheat and Dehydrate. The unit has to be preheated for three minutes before use.This air fryer has to be preheated for approximately three minutes after which ingredients are added to it. It makes food crispy and dehydrated impeccably for desired results.

About Ninja Air Fryer MAX XL

The original Ninja Air Fryer has several short-comings when compared to the Instant Vortex models, small size, lack of cooking options like broiling were some of the shortcomings. The new MAX XL Air Fryer from Ninja comes loaded with these features and stands up to the Instant Vortex air fryers. The “MAX” and “XL” nomenclature indicate the improved size and power. The supposed MAX CRISP cooking feature claims to cook food 30% faster.

Verdict

Instant Vortex Plus and MAX XL with more cooking options scores over Instant Vortex and Ninja Air Fryer. The broiling feature as it’s far more sophisticated, uses minimal oil and works well. Both versions of Instant Vortex seem to work quicker than Ninja Air Fryer, which cannot be used without preheating. But the Ninja hits back with the new MAX XL air fryer with better features.

Compare Sizes: Size Matters when it Comes to Air Fryers!

Instant Vortex Air Fryer 12.36L x 14.92W x 12.83H

Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer 12.36L x 14.92W x 12.83H

Ninja Air Fryer Air Fryer 13.6L x 11W x 13.3H

Ninja Air Fryer Max XL 14 L x 11 W x 14.8 H

Verdict

Instant Vortex Air Fryer and Air Fryer PLUS are 6 quart while the Ninja Air Fryer and MAX XL are 4 and 5.5 quarts respectively. Air Fryers are small in size, that is what makes them better than convection ovens, but this is a major drawback of air fryers as they are not suited to cook food for a whole family. You have to use them to cook food in batches. But smaller sized air fryers are just perfect for individuals and small families, also they take up less counter space. So if you are an individual living alone Ninja Air Fryer should serve the purpose, if you are a small family then go for Instant Vortex Plus or MAX XL.

Compare Cooking Methods

Air Fry

This is to the core of all Air Fryers and their main purpose. Air Fryers come with a heating element at the top and a small fan that circulates hot air in a small cooking chamber, the small space of the chamber is the key to cooking faster and making the food crispy. There are certain disadvantages of air frying, like longer cooking time, small capacity, burnt and dried food (if not done as instructed). But the biggest benefit of air fryers is – “Oil-less air frying is way healthier than deep drying”. All the Instant Vortex and Ninja Air Fryers have this function.

Roasting with Air fryer

since you do not use oil, roasting in an air fryer is not different from “Air Frying”. The built in hanging basket facilitates the hot dry air to envelope the food to roast it from all sides. Roasting makes your food (veggies and chicken) brown from the outside. Roasting in an Air Fryer makes your food more crispier. To brown the outer crust of the chicken, roasting requires temperatures as high as 400 degree F. All the four air fryers (Instant Vortex and Ninja) compared here have the roasting function and requisite high temperature range.

Baking in an Air Fryer

Except for the Ninja Air Fryer all the air fryers have the “Bake” cooking option. Baking is also a type of dry heating cooking method similar to roasting which applies to food items like cakes and muffins which do not have the solid form before baking. Since air fryers have a closed cooking environment they are ideal for baking, but the small space does not let you bake too much stuff at a time. Also air fryers unlike toaster ovens have one one heat source at the top, which is not well suited for baking.

Reheat

All the four air fryers have the reheat options, the Ninja Air Fryers with 3 minutes of reheat time seem to have an edge over the Instant Vortex models which have a reheating time of 5 minutes.

Broil

Only the MX XL model of Ninja Air Fryer and the Instant Vortex Plus have the “Broil” option thanks to the powerful heating source at the top. The infrared heat from the heating element penetrates the food below (chicken) and cooks it from the inside while the hot air makes the outer surface crisp. You need to to turn the turkey to make it cook from all the sides. The Ninja MAX XL with its max temperature of 450 Degree F is more suited for broiling as compared to other air fryers.

Dehydrate

The Dehydrate option makes you prepare healthy homemade dried fruits snacks. All the Instant Vortex and Ninja Air fryers can be used to dehydrate fruits.

Compare Capacity: Bigger is Better!

Instant Vortex Air Fryer 6 Quart Capacity

Instant Vortex PLUS Air Fryer 6 Quart Capacity

Ninja Air Fryer 4 Quart Capacity

Ninja Air XL MAX Air Fryer 5.5 Quart Capacity

Verdict

Both versions of Instant Vortex have the same capacity which is higher than that of the Ninja Air Fryer. Therefore, both the Instant Vortex models have an edge over Ninja Air Fryer in this area.

Compare Price

Instant Vortex $99.95 USD

Instant Vortex Plus $119.99

Ninja Air Fryer $119.99

Ninja Air Fryer MAX XL Air Fryer $129.99

Verdict

Instant Vortex Plus (6 Quart) is the winner here when it comes to the pricing part. Instant Vortex Plus has more advanced features as compared to the other three air fryers.

Compare Wattage

Instant Vortex 1500 Watts 

Instant Vortex Plus 1750 Watts

Ninja Air Fryer 1500 Watts

Ninja Air Fryer MAX XL 1750 Watts

Verdict

The Instant Vortex Plus and Ninja Air Fryer MAX XL have higher wattage of 1750. Higher wattage imply faster cooking as the air fryer chamber reaches maximum temperature in lesser time especially while broiling. But higher wattage also mean more electricity consumption.

Final Verdict

Instant Vortex Plus has better features as compared to the remaining two air fryers. Most of the aspects of Instant Vortex Plus are more appealing, hence it emerges the winner here.

	Instant Vortex Air Fryer	Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer	Ninja Air Fryer	Ninja Air Fryer MAX XL
Price	$99.99	$119.99	$89.99	$129.99
Heating Element Wattage	1500 watts	1750 watts	1500 watts	1750 watts
Cooking Method	Convection through Air Frying	Convection through Air frying + Boriling	Convection through Air Frying	Convection through Air frying + Boriling
Certifications	ETL certified	ETL certified	NONE
Dimensions	12.36L x 14.92W x 12.83H	12.36L x 14.92W x 12.83H	13.6L x 11W x 13.3H	14 L x 11 W x 14.8 H
Weight	12.08 pounds	12.46 pounds	10.58 pounds	12 pounds
Capacity	4 lbs	4 lbs	2 lbs	3 lbs
Warranty	1 Year	1 Year	1 Year Limited Warranty	1 Year Limited Warranty
Accessories Included	Standard Accessories		Air Fryer Rack	Air Fryer Crisper Plate, Mid Level Rack, Broil Rack
Exterior	Black heat-resistant plastic housing, bright LED display	Fingerprint resistant brushed stainless steel accents; black heat-resistant plastic housing, sleek black touchscreen and bright LED display	Plastic
Compare Cooking Methods
Air Fry	Yes
Roast	Yes
Bake	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Reheat	Yes
Broil	No	Yes	No	Yes
Dehydrate	No	Yes
Preheating Time	5 minutes		3 minutes
Max Cooking Temperature	400 Degree F			450 Degree F