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I've spent a full season with the Ninja FlexFlame, and it's time to talk about what actually worked, what didn't, and whether this cooking system lives up to the hype.
I've grilled, smoked, roasted, and my family has made more pizzas than we can count. The FlexFlame impressed us in ways we didn't expect—and yes, we'd recommend it—but we're breaking down a few things that bug us, too.
Is the FlexFlame worth it if you already own a gas grill and pizza oven?
That depends on how much space you have and how often you use both. We consolidated three separate outdoor cooking systems into one. The convenience of switching between outdoor grill, pellet smoker, and pizza oven is significant. If you're tight on space or want to streamline your outdoor cooking methods, it's worth considering.
Pros and Cons of the Ninja FlexFlame Cooking System
1. The Pizza Function Is Legitimately Excellent
I tested the pizza stone against some serious competition: an Ooni, our indoor oven with a stone, and a countertop pizza oven (ours is like the PIEZANO). The FlexFlame won, hands down.
The crust came out perfectly crisp with a great chew. Is it possible that the fan actually blasts hot air between the crust and the Ninja stone? I can't be sure, but I do know that it cooks fast and evenly, with none of the hot spots or floppy crust centers we've dealt with on other setups.
We hosted many outdoor pizza parties with this thing. The pizzas come out quick, so it's not like you're waiting 20 minutes between varieties. Five minutes, max.
Also, the stone has a large cooking area; I was able to put on three personal sized pizzas for the kids and they were all ready at the same time.
If you're buying this cooking system for pizza alone, it's worth it. I love pizza, and I love grilling pizza.
2. The Lid-Open Experience Needs Work
Sometimes you just want to grill with the lid open, right? FlexFlame doesn't like that, and it'll fight you with repeated alerts to close the lid so it can manage temperate control.
I think you'll understand; sometimes we need more time to rotate food or manage multiple items at different stages, right? The FlexFlame is clearly designed for lid-down cooking, which limits how much you can interact with your food.
3. It's a Big System, So Plan for Preheat Time
Yes, it's efficient, but know that this is a large cooking system. It takes longer to heat than our smaller gas grill. Give yourself 15-20 minutes minimum.
Once it's hot, it holds temperature beautifully; however, the startup time is something to factor into your meal planning.
4. The Smoker Delivers Real Flavor Fast
The built-in smoke box is one of the best features of this cooking system. If you're a Traeger or Masterbuilt fan, this will appeal to you. It's easy to use, and the convection heat circulation speeds up smoke penetration.
What we smoked this year:
- Ribs
- Chicken wings
- Mac and cheese
- Ice (cold smoking!)
The wood pellet flavor is legit. If you've been curious about smoking but don't want a dedicated smoker, this gets you most of the way there in less time.
5. You Barely Have to Rotate the Food
I share this evidence with everyone when we're cooking in the backyard: Unlike a gas grill, it's a convection system. It cooks food from all sides at once. Vegetables will cook quickly because the heat is circulating continuously. Chicken wings cooked startlingly fast—the top side got smoked and precooked before we even needed to rotate them. Sausages and hot dogs? 100%
We've cooked so many things without intervention: salmon, broccoli and peppers, and (yes) chicken nuggets and tots (lol). The air circulation handles so much of what you'd normally do manually. And because it's a real flame, it tastes even better than the indoor convection oven.
6. The Whole Unit Runs at One Temperature
This took some adjusting. Unlike traditional grills where you can create a hot zone and a cooler zone, the FlexFlame fights to maintain the same temperature throughout. The system is designed to circulate heat evenly, which means you can't really park food on a cooler side to finish cooking slowly. And moving items to the upper roasting rack only does so much.
It's not always a negative. When you're cooking one type of food, the consistent temperature is great. But when you're trying to cook multiple items for the same meal—say, steaks that need high heat and vegetables that need lower heat—you have to rethink your timing. You'll need to cook in stages rather than simultaneously managing different zones.
7. The Griddle Gets Super Hot (And That's a Good Thing)
If you've been eyeing a Blackstone, the FlexFlame's griddle might change your mind. It gets seriously hot and cooks everything beautifully. We made burgers, fries, pancakes, bacon, and smashburgers. Everything came out with a great sear and even browning.
The downside? I suppose it applies to every cast iron griddle... it's a little annoying to clean. You'll need to scrape it down while it's still warm and keep up with seasoning. But the performance makes up for it.
Charcoal Grills vs. Ninja FlexFlame Cooking System
If you're a charcoal purist, the FlexFlame isn't trying to replace that experience. Charcoal gives you a flavor that's hard to replicate. Charcoal and live fire cooking will always bring something extra, but it's still worth weighing the pros and cons.
The FlexFlame offers something different: speed, efficiency, and versatility. You're not waiting 20 minutes for coals to ash over. You're not dealing with temperature swings or running out of heat mid-cook. Plus, its built-in smoker box adds smoke flavor optionally, and it serves a wider variety of uses.
We still appreciate a good charcoal grill for certain foods. But for weekly cooking, the FlexFlame wins on convenience.
Does the FlexFlame replace a dedicated smoker like a Traeger?
We think it comes as close as possible. The smoker box works well and the convection heat speeds up cooking times. If you love spending all day smoking, a Traeger gives you that experience. The FlexFlame gets you great smoked flavor in less time, plus you get a full grill and pizza oven in the same unit. For folks who want an all-in cooking system, it would be hard to recommend anything but the Ninja FlexFlame.
