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Ninja FlexFlame Review
Sep 10, 2025
Is the Ninja FlexFlame the ultimate backyard cooking machine? In this review, Kate put Ninja’s first-ever propane grill to the test, grilling, smoking, roasting, griddling, and more. With fast heat-up times, real smoker-style performance, and true two-zone cooking, it promises a versatile cooking experience for the $999 price tag. But there are some trade-offs, like needing electricity and buying extra accessories to unlock its full potential. Watch to see if the FlexFlame is worth the splurge and is the best grill for you, or if a simpler grill might suit you better.
View Video Transcript
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Hey guys, if you saw my hands-on video here on the channel, you already know that you're looking at
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the Ninja Flex Flame, Ninja's first propane-powered grill. And at $999, it's also Ninja's most
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expensive product to date. This thing is promising to be the all-in-one backyard cooker, propane grill
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smoker, pizza oven, griddle. I've cooked a lot of meals on it and tested every setting to answer
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the big question, should you buy it or skip it? Let's break it down
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setup was super simple attach the grill to the base screw in the control panel pop on the doors
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insert the grease trap done one of the easiest grill assemblies i've ever had it comes with basic
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grates but ninja's calling this a quote-unquote system so there are tons of accessories you'll
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want to pick and choose from full and half griddles roasting racks smoke and roast racks even a
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weatherproof cover i'll show off a few later on in this review now it is propane powered but it
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also does need electricity to run. That powers both the control panel and the built-in fan
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which circulates air for more even heating. It gets very loud when the lid is closed, not gonna
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lie, but that same fan is why this thing can hit 600 degrees in as little as seven minutes
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and hold that temp even if you're opening and closing the lid a lot. For my first cook
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I grilled up kebabs and some fresh pita. I used the basic grill mode, and it was a super even
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cook all the way through. The grates didn't stick much. Nice charring, very strong for showing
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Now let talk about smoking because this is where it gets fun and where the Flex Flames surprised me the most This isn just add smoky flavor territory With the two smoke box and the internal fan you actually get real smoke behavior
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A little bark, some smoke rings, the whole deal. I made a small rack of beef ribs using the roast rack accessory, fired up the wood fire burner on low and slow, and just let it ride for three hours
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The result? Fall off the bone ribs with a mouth-watering bark and actual smoke rings, no lie
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I did have to refill the smoke box halfway through, so if you're going to be smoking a lot of food, stock up on pellets
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The sample bags that Ninja included are not going to cut it. Ninja says you're supposed to use its brand of pellets, but you really can use whichever ones you like
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Speaking of which, if you have any good pellet recommendations you swear by, drop them for me in the comments
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You can also use the bake or roast mode for faster cooks that still bring the flavor
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I roasted a spatchcocked chicken right there on the grates. Used the wood fire setting again, dropped in a wireless probe, and let the fan do its thing
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Crispy skin, juicy interior, maybe one of the best roast chickens I've ever made without an oven
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My family just demolished it. And that's the thing, between the wood fire setting and consistent airflow
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you're getting an oven style roasting with actual grilled flavor. That combo is going to be tough to beat on the market right now
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The Flex Claim Grill also supports true two zone cooking. Turn on the front burners, leave the back one off, that's it
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I used this setup to make the strip steak you see here I seared it up front for a couple of minutes each side then moved it to the back to finish gently basically a reverse sear but in real time The inside was perfectly even almost like I sous it without the water bath
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And because of the layout, I didn't have to reach over active burners to flip or move things around
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Absolutely loved that. Griddle cooking? Also an option. I used the half griddle accessory on the
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basic grill setting and made some bacon for breakfast. The heat distribution was nice and
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even and cleanup wasn't bad. Just remember to wash the griddles down and give them a good season before
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your first cook and let me know if you'd want to see a video where I actually show you how to
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properly season a griddle. The griddle plates are pretty heavy and you can't move them once the grill
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is hot so make sure you plan ahead. I kind of like this half griddle setup. It gives me the flexibility
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of a flat top without giving up full grill real estate. If I'm cooking for a crowd I'd probably
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want the full griddle but for everyday use just for myself half and half might just be my go-to
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There's also an optional pizza stone that I didn't show here in this video because if I'll be honest
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if I'm making a pizza, I'm going to be using a dedicated outdoor pizza oven. You can check out
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my full review of the Unicoda 2 here on the channel if that's what you're after. Cleanup is
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easy. The drip tray pulls right out. The grease trap is here underneath. Nothing too crazy. Just
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know that the lid will be discoloring over time. It's a patina thing, not a flaw, just something to
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expect. Ninja also does sell a cover which I recommend for outdoor storage. I got a lot of
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rain this weekend and I was glad to have it protected out there Okay let talk value because at before all the accessories I been mentioning and showing off this isn competing with your average backyard grill I recently reviewed the Weber Spirit which comes
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in at about half the price. It's smaller, super beginner friendly, and you can purchase a griddle
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accessory for it. For a lot of people I think that'll be more than enough, but the Spirit doesn't
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smoke, it doesn't bake or roast, and it doesn't hit 600 degrees in seven minutes. Still if you just
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want to grill and maybe occasionally griddle, I'd say go with the Weber. But if you want the works
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the smoke, the multi-zone cooking, fast high heat, the Flex Flame absolutely justifies the higher
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price. It's not just five appliances in one, it's five legit appliances in one
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So buy or skip. If you're looking to seriously upgrade your outdoor cooking game and don't want
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to mess with all these separate grills and smokers and griddles, buy it. You'll get high
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performance, serious versatility, and really impressive food. But if you're just starting out
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short on space or mostly making burgers on the weekend, skip for now. Get something like the
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Weber Spirit instead. I'll include links for both options in the description as well as links for
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all the accessories that were here in this video. If you found this video helpful, hit that like
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button and subscribe. I've got more grill tests, tech breakdowns, and reviews coming your way
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Drop your questions in the comments. I always try to read them. Otherwise, Thanks for watching guys. I'll catch you in the next one
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