Written by Lara Yehia. Lara researches home and kitchen products for Cupindy. · Published October 2026 · Last reviewed October 15, 2026
A glass air fryer swaps the coated drawer for a glass bowl, but your food still sits on a crisper plate, and Ninja and Cuisinart both say theirs is coated. Here is what touches your food in each model, in the makers' own words.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Our quick pick
Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Glass Air Fryer (FN101)
The top seller in Amazon's glass air fryer results when we checked. You cook, serve and store in the same borosilicate glass containers; Ninja's FAQ says the crisper plate the food rests on has a nano-ceramic coating.
Check the Ninja Crispi on AmazonWhat is a glass air fryer? An air fryer whose cooking bowl or basket is glass, so you can watch the food and skip a coated drawer. In every model we checked, the food still rests on a plate, tray or rack inside the glass, and Ninja and Cuisinart describe theirs as coated.
What Your Food Touches in Each Glass Air Fryer
The glass is only half the story. This table shows the bowl and the plate for each pick, as each maker describes them.
| Glass air fryer | Bowl and plate (maker's words) | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 | Borosilicate glass containers; crisper plate: aluminum with a nano-ceramic coating | Amazon |
| Cuisinart ClearView 4 qt | Borosilicate glass basket; crisper plate: ceramic nonstick, PFAS-free | Amazon |
| Ninja Crispi Pro | Borosilicate glass containers; plate material not named by Ninja | Amazon |
| NutriChef 5.8 qt | Glass bowl; a “Non-stick Basket Surface” and a mesh tray, materials not named | Amazon |
| Ninja 2.5 qt glass container (Crispi spare) | Glass container with its own crisper plate and lid | Amazon |
How we chose: the glass air fryers at the top of Amazon's results for glass air fryers, sold and shipped by Amazon, checked against each maker's manual, FAQ or product page on October 15, 2026. We have not tested these air fryers.
Weighing glass against ceramic or bare steel baskets? Our guide to air fryer materials compares all three, and are ceramic air fryers safe? explains what a ceramic coating is.
The Glass Air Fryers We Would Buy
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Our quick pick
Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Glass Air Fryer (FN101)
A PowerPod heating unit sits on top of the glass, and the listing says the set includes “4-qt and 6-cup borosilicate glass containers”, so the cooking dish doubles as the serving and storage dish. Ninja's FAQ lists “Containers: Borosilicate glass with BPA free plastic handles” and “Lids: BPA free plastic”. The listing says the “CleanCrisp borosilicate glass containers are free of PFAS, PTFE, and nonstick chemical coatings”; that sentence is about the containers.
Good for: meal prep and small kitchens; Ninja suggests the 4-quart container for “feeding a family of 4+”.
The drawback: your food rests on the crisper plate, not on the glass, and Ninja's FAQ says “Crisper plates: Aluminum with a nano-ceramic coating.” You also choose a mode rather than a temperature; the FAQ says “you cannot select or change the cooking temperature”.
Check the Ninja Crispi on Amazon
Best drawer-style glass air fryer
Cuisinart ClearView 4-Qt. Glass Basket Air Fryer (AFC-4)
A familiar pull-out air fryer, but the basket is glass and the listing adds a “top viewing window, and interior light”. Cuisinart's booklet: “Transparent borosilicate glass basket offers a clear view of food while cooking”.
Good for: people who want a classic basket air fryer they can see into, with temperature settings in “adjustable 5-degree increments” (listing).
The drawback: the crisper plate the food sits on is “nonstick ceramic-coated”, per Cuisinart's booklet, which asks you to “avoid metal utensils” to protect it. At 4 quarts it suits smaller batches.
See the Cuisinart ClearView on Amazon
Best for families
Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1 Glass Air Fryer (AS101)
A countertop base instead of a pod. The listing: “Includes a 6-qt CleanCrisp Borosilicate Glass Container for large meals and a 2.5-qt for everyday cooking”, and says the “CleanCrisp Borosilicate Glass Containers are 100% free from forever chemicals on all food-contact surfaces”. That sentence describes the containers.
Good for: families and batch cooking
The drawback: neither Ninja's product page nor the listing names the crisper plate material, and it is the most expensive pick here.
See the Ninja Crispi Pro on Amazon
Budget pick: read before you buy
NutriChef 5.8 Qt. Air Fryer with Glass Bowl (NCAF539)
A drawer-style air fryer whose pull-out pot is glass. NutriChef's product page lists a “Transparent Cooking Basket for Easy Food Monitoring” and a “Mesh Tray” in the box, and gives the build as “Construction Materials: Stainless Steel, ABS & PP”.
Good for: a larger glass air fryer on a smaller budget
The drawback: NutriChef lists a “Non-stick Basket Surface” without saying what that surface is, and its two Amazon color listings disagree on the inside material. The NCAF539TB user guide attached to this listing carries a California warning: “This product contains Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) which is known to the state of California to cause cancer birth defects and other reproductive harm.” It does not say which part. Its range, “Air Fry Cooker Temp Range: 105 - 390 Fahrenheit”, stops below the Crispi 4-in-1 and the Cuisinart.
See the NutriChef on AmazonIs the Ninja Crispi Non-Toxic? What Ninja Says About Each Part
We report what Ninja publishes rather than rating safety ourselves. Ninja's FAQ for the Crispi portable system (it covers the FN101 models) says the containers are borosilicate glass, the lids are BPA-free plastic, and the crisper plate is aluminum with a nano-ceramic coating. To the question “Is the crisper plate nonstick?”, it answers “Yes. The crisper plate has a nano-ceramic coating.”
SharkNinja also posts a chemical list on its website under the link “California AB1200 Information”, named for California's cookware chemical law. The Crispi series (FN10X) sits in the table headed “Air Fryers (Product manufactured post 8/15/24 or purchased post 1/1/25)”. Its row lists aluminum, iron, copper, manganese and manganese compounds, phosphorus, chromium compounds, nickel and nickel compounds, molybdenum, isopropanol and diboron trioxide. No fluoropolymer is listed for the Crispi; the PTFE lines in the same file belong to older, non-Crispi air fryers in the table for products made before that date. What PFAS-free and PTFE-free labels do and do not cover is in PFAS-free vs PTFE-free air fryers.
One thing to watch for: some reviews call the Crispi's glass tempered or its plates silicone. Ninja's own documents say borosilicate glass and an aluminum plate with a nano-ceramic coating, and that is what we go by.
Ninja Crispi vs Crispi Pro: what changes
| Crispi 4-in-1 | Crispi Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Glass containers | 4 qt and 6 cup | 6 qt and 2.5 qt |
| Heating unit | PowerPod that sits on the container | Countertop base |
| Crisper plate | Aluminum, nano-ceramic coating (Ninja FAQ) | Material not named |
| California chemical list (SharkNinja) | Metals, isopropanol, diboron trioxide; no fluoropolymer | Aluminum, diboron trioxide |
| Link | Amazon | Amazon |
Does the Ninja Crispi have Teflon?
Ninja's documents name a nano-ceramic coating on the crisper plate, and SharkNinja's California list names no fluoropolymer (the chemical family Teflon belongs to) for the Crispi series. For the glass, Ninja's listing says the containers are “free of PFAS, PTFE, and nonstick chemical coatings”.
What You Give Up With a Glass Air Fryer
Glass solves one problem and adds a few small ones. Most come straight from the makers' own instructions.
- Food does not touch only glass. If that is what you want, no model here does it: each puts food on a plate, tray or rack, and Ninja and Cuisinart describe theirs as coated.
- Weight. NutriChef's Amazon listing for the white model says the bowl “weighs approximately 4.4 lbs”. Glass is heavy to lift when full and hot.
- Temperature shocks. Cuisinart writes: “Borosilicate glass is thermal shock resistant; however, avoid sudden extreme temperature changes.” Ninja asks you to “allow glass to cool gradually to room temperature” before it goes in water.
- Top temperature. Ninja gives the Crispi's range as “375°F (Bake) - 450°F (Max Crisp)”; Cuisinart's listing says its air fryer “reaches temperatures up to 450F”; the NutriChef tops out at 390°F.
- Capacity. The Crispi's large container and the Cuisinart basket are 4 quarts; for bigger batches, the Crispi Pro has a 6-quart container and the NutriChef a 5.8-quart bowl.
Borosilicate or tempered glass?
Ninja and Cuisinart say their containers and basket are borosilicate. Chefman's manual for its glass-bowl model lists a “Tempered glass cooking bowl”, and Willow's listing describes a “full-view tempered glass basket”. How the two glass types differ is explained in our guide can you microwave glass?.
Spare Glass Containers and Accessories
If you own a Crispi, a second glass container lets you prep the next meal while the first is in the fridge. Ninja sells them as separate containers. We would skip third-party containers sold as Crispi-compatible: Ninja does not list third-party containers as compatible, and we could not check their glass type or heat rating.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Spare container for the Crispi
Ninja 2.5 Qt. CleanCrisp Glass Container with Storage Lid
The listing says it is “Designed to handle temperatures up to 450°F” and that the “Dishwasher-safe container, crisper plate, and lid” all go in the dishwasher.
Good for: Crispi owners who cook small portions or meal-prep
The drawback: it only works with a Crispi; the listing notes it is “Compatible with the Ninja Crispi PowerPod with the included Ninja Adapter”. The listing does not name the crisper plate material.
See the Ninja 2.5 qt container on AmazonCleaning the glass bowl
Ninja lists the containers and plates as dishwasher-safe, with the lids “(top rack only)”; Cuisinart says the basket is dishwasher safe. Let the glass cool first, and use soft tools on coated plates. Our guide to cleaning an air fryer covers the rest, and are air fryer liners safe? explains when a liner on the plate makes sense.
How We Checked
We started from Amazon's top results for glass air fryers and kept models sold and shipped by Amazon. Then we read each maker's manual, FAQ or product page, plus SharkNinja's California chemical list, on October 15, 2026. Quotes are copied word for word. We left out the Willow Eco Series because we found no manual or maker page for it, and the Chefman Crisp n' Go because it had only a handful of reviews. We have not tested these air fryers, and we do not rate safety. Cupindy is not affiliated with any brand named here; brand names belong to their owners.
Questions People Ask
Which air fryers have a glass basket?
The Cuisinart ClearView (AFC-4) is a drawer-style air fryer with a borosilicate glass basket. The Ninja Crispi and Crispi Pro use glass containers instead of a basket, and the NutriChef has a pull-out glass pot with a mesh tray inside.
Are glass air fryers safe? Do they cause cancer?
We do not make safety calls. What makers publish: Ninja says its containers are borosilicate glass and its crisper plate has a nano-ceramic coating; Cuisinart says its plate is ceramic nonstick and PFAS-free. The NutriChef user guide carries a California Prop 65 warning for DBP. For what air fryers can release when heated, see what chemicals do air fryers release?.
Is a halogen oven the same as a glass air fryer?
They are close relatives: a halogen oven cooks in a glass bowl under a lid that holds the heater and a fan. The glass air fryers here keep the heater in a pod, a base or the housing instead.
Can the glass go straight from the freezer into the air fryer?
It depends on the maker. The Crispi Pro listing says “Go straight from freezer to air fryer with no thawing or extra dishes”. Cuisinart's booklet asks for a wait: “If frozen, allow the basket to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before use.” Follow the manual for your model.
Is a glass air fryer better than a ceramic or stainless steel one?
Glass lets you watch the food and keeps a coating off the bowl, but the plate under the food is usually coated. Our air fryer materials guide compares glass, ceramic and stainless steel.
Can you put the glass bowl in the dishwasher?
For the Ninja and Cuisinart picks, yes: both list the glass containers or basket as dishwasher-safe. NutriChef lists a “Dishwasher-Safe Tray for Easy Cleaning”; check its user guide for the bowl. Let the glass cool to room temperature first.
Related reading
Sources
- Ninja: Crispi Portable Cooking System FAQs
- SharkNinja: California AB1200 Information (linked from sharkninja.com)
- Cuisinart: ClearView 4-Qt Glass Basket Air Fryer AFC-4 instruction booklet
- NutriChef: 5.5 Liter Air Fryer (NCAF539) product page
- NutriChef NCAF539TB and NCAF539TW and Chefman RJ38-G4 user guides attached to their Amazon listings, and the listing wording for all five products, checked October 15, 2026.
