Ninja Sizzle Review: Smokeless Indoor Grill + Griddle

Looking for a compact grill? Check out the Ninja Sizzle. The indoor grill and griddle is perfect for quick meals.

What is a Ninja Sizzle

Ninja is known for its array of kitchen appliances, including the Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill and Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill.

They’re also known for including a ton of different functions in one appliance. Virtually all of their grills can grill, bake, roast, air crisp, etc.

But the Ninja Sizzle is different. It only has two functions – grill and griddle, but that’s plenty for cooking up quick basic meals.

There is zero assembly with the Ninja Sizzle, which is awesome. You just pull it out of the box and add either the grill or griddle plate. Then, plug it in and get cooking.

It comes with a removable splatter lid and each plate includes a built-in grease trap. That’s it! Super simple.

The Ninja Sizzle is powered by electricity. Before adding the grill or griddle grate, you’ll see the burner. The design provides consistent heat across the whole unit.

Why I love this grill

Some might think grilling on the Ninja Sizzle isn’t real grilling because it’s electric, but I disagree. Because of the way it’s designed, you get high dry heat like an outdoor grill.

I love it for quick meals and here’s why.

• It’s size is great for when I just need to cook up 2-3 steaks, 4-6 burgers or a pound of shrimp.
• It creates perfect grill marks, just like an outdoor grill.
• It’s easy to adjust the cooking temps for different dishes.

Unlike a George Foreman Grill, the Ninja Sizzle doesn’t smush and steam your food. The Sizzle has a perforated mesh lid that you close. The metal helps lock in heat and the holes allow excess steam to escape.

I also love that it doesn’t take up a lot of counter or cabinet space. I can store it and easily pull it out when it’s time to whip up a meal. It’s size also makes it fantastic for the RV.

SAFETY NOTE: For best results, use on a level surface like a flat countertop, so the grease runs naturally into the trap. 

How to cook on the Ninja Sizzle

Cooking on the Ninja Sizzle is so easy. First, you need to decide if you want to use the grill plate or the griddle plate.

The grill plate will give you great grill marks and is good for steaks, chicken and pork chops. The griddle plate is used for searing food like fajitas, smashburgers and scallops. It’s also great for fried rice, fluffy pancakes, bacon and eggs.

Once your plate is in place, adjust the temperature dial and let the grill heat up for 7 minutes.

THOUGHTS: The only feature I wish this grill had was a timer or a tone to tell me when 7 minutes was up. 

Ninja’s chefs provide recommended temperatures for each food to reduce smoke and splattering. These are in the manual and pictured on the front of the grill.

The surface is non-stick, so you shouldn’t need to add any oil. If you do want to add oil, use one that can handle high heat like canola or avocado oil. Ninja doesn’t recommend using olive oil or butter.

After the grill preheats, you can add your food. For better grill marks, press down on the food for a few seconds to lock in that sear.

You can cook with the lid open or closed. When you close the lid, it helps radiate the heat inside the grill and cooks the food a bit more quickly. I close the lid when making sunny side up fried eggs and when I want to melt cheese on burgers.

Closing the lid also helps reduce splatters on your kitchen counter.

Keep an eye on your food as it cooks. Once you get great grill or sear marks, give your food a flip and continue cooking to your desired internal temperature.

The Ninja Sizzle comes with a quick start guide, which includes these tips, 10 recipes and a grill and griddle chart that outlines temps and times.

THOUGHTS: I used an infrared gun to look for hot spots or cold spots. Overall, I found it has even edge-to-edge heating.  

How to clean the Ninja Sizzle

Once you’re done cooking, turn the grill off. I do an initial cleaning while the grill is still warm. This helps prevent food from sticking.

When using the nonstick grill plate, grip a damp paper towel with a pair of tongs and run it from the back of the grill toward the grease trap. Push any residue into the trap.

If you cooked on the nonstick flat-top griddle plate, use a plastic spatula to push any grease or food residue toward the trap.

Leave the lid open and let the Ninja Sizzle cool. Then, remove the plate and wash it in the sink with warm soapy water.

To clean the rest of the grill, just use a damp paper towel to wipe down the lid and exterior. If the lid gets too greasy, you can remove it and wash it in the dish washer.

Accessories

Because this grill is pretty basic (in the best way possible), there aren’t really any accessories. You’ll want a plastic turner and some tongs, but other than that, it’s ready right out of the box.

There are some after market accessories online that you may want to check out like the reusable mats that keep your plates clean and the carrying bag that holds your Sizzle and plates.