Ninja Foodi OL701 14-in-1 SmartLid Pressure Cooker Review: Worth the Counter Space?
The Ninja Foodi OL701 is the maximalist's multi-cooker: one 8-quart pot, one SmartLid that slides between three sealing positions, and a built-in thermometer that takes a guess at what "medium-rare" means. On paper it replaces a pressure cooker, an air fryer, a Dutch oven, a steamer, a slow cooker, and a half-acre of countertop. After cooking on one for a few weeks, the short answer is: yes, it does most of those jobs well — but only if you have the counter space and the patience for an appliance with a learning curve.
What you're actually buying
The OL701 is the XL "SmartLid" Foodi: 8-quart main pot, 5-quart crisp basket, deluxe reversible rack, and a leave-in Foodi Smart Thermometer that talks to the lid. The headline trick is the SmartLid slider — it physically locks the lid into Pressure, SteamCrisp, or Air Fry/Stovetop mode, which means you can pressure cook a pot roast and then crisp the top without swapping a separate air-fryer lid.
The "14-in-1" function list includes pressure cook, steam, slow cook, sous vide (low temp), yogurt, sear/sauté, bake/roast, air fry, air crisp, broil, dehydrate, proof, SteamCrisp, and the smart-protein guided cook. Most of those are software variations of the same heating elements, but the breadth is real.
It's a big machine. Plan for around a square foot of counter and reach-over clearance for the lid hinge.
Performance and real-world use
Pressure cooking is the strongest mode by a wide margin. Eight quarts is enough for two whole chickens or a brisket flat, and the seal is fast and reliable. SteamCrisp — Ninja's signature trick of steaming and then crisping in the same vessel — is genuinely useful for things like frozen wings, salmon, and weeknight roast vegetables. They come out moister than straight air-fry without sacrificing a real crust on top.
The thermometer is the headline feature and the most uneven part of the experience. For chicken breasts and pork tenderloin it nails doneness with very little babysitting, and the "smart proteins" guided mode is great for new cooks. For steak it's hit-or-miss — the probe reads the spot it's in, not the whole cut, and the algorithm tends to pull a thick ribeye slightly past where I'd take it. Treat it as a smart kitchen timer with a probe, not a sous vide replacement.
Air frying is fine but not class-leading. The 5-quart basket fits a family-sized batch of fries or wings, but airflow is less aggressive than a dedicated basket-style air fryer, so really crispy results often need an extra few minutes versus a standalone unit. Slow cooking works, though Ninja's "low" runs hotter than a Crock-Pot's "low," which matters if you're trying to do an 8-hour pulled pork.
Cleanup is a mixed bag. The crisp basket and reversible rack are dishwasher-safe and easy. The inner pot is non-stick coated and needs gentle treatment — no metal utensils, no abrasive scrubbers. Several long-term reviewers have flagged coating wear after heavy use, and that's the most consistent concern about the platform.
- Genuinely versatile — pressure, air fry, and SteamCrisp in one footprint
- Massive 8-quart capacity comfortably handles family-of-four meals and meal prep
- SmartLid slider is a clever, durable solution to "two lids" multi-cookers
- Foodi Smart Thermometer plus guided cooks make weeknight proteins very forgiving
- SteamCrisp mode is unique and produces better wings/vegetables than straight air-frying
- Frequent sale pricing brings it well below MSRP
- Large, heavy, and dominates a section of counter — not for small kitchens
- Non-stick coating on the inner pot and crisp basket is the durability weak point
- Air-fry performance trails dedicated basket air fryers on really crispy items
- Smart thermometer logic over-shoots on thicker steaks; not a sous vide substitute
- Steeper learning curve than a basic Instant Pot — more modes, more menus
- SmartLid hinge needs vertical clearance above the unit; don't put it under a low cabinet
People who actually want to retire two or three appliances in exchange for one, and who cook for a household of three or more. It's a strong fit for weeknight roasters who like guided cooks, pressure-cooker fans who also want crispy textures, and meal-preppers who appreciate the 8-quart batch size. If your current routine is "pressure cook then transfer to a sheet pan to broil," the SmartLid genuinely collapses that into one step.
Apartment cooks with limited counter space — this thing is large. Anyone who already owns a Breville/Anova-style precision cooker and a good air fryer separately won't gain much, and will lose some quality on both ends. Cooks who hate non-stick coatings on principle, or who prefer a stainless-steel pressure-cooker insert, should look elsewhere. And anyone expecting sous-vide-grade precision out of the smart thermometer will be disappointed.
**4/5.** The Foodi OL701 is the most ambitious mainstream multi-cooker on the market, and most of its ambitions land. It rewards households that will actually use the breadth — pressure plus SteamCrisp plus guided proteins — and punishes anyone who buys it expecting best-in-class performance in every mode. Watch for sales: at $200 or less it's an easy recommendation; at full price the value gets thinner.
