Ninja DZ201 Review: Foodi DualZone 8-Qt 2-Basket Air Fryer

Ninja DZ201 review: what lab data and 5,000+ owner reviews say about the 2-basket DualZone, its uneven baskets, and why Ninja now points to the DZ901.

By Maksud · Published Sep 26, 2026 · Updated Sep 27, 2026

The Ninja DZ201 is worth it if you want to cook a main and a side at once and can find it well below the newer DZ901’s $249.99. Its two 4-quart baskets are popular with owners, who rate it 4.8 of 5 at Best Buy. But TechGearLab measured it running cool, the baskets don’t always cook alike, and Ninja’s site now redirects the DZ201 to the DZ901.

Is the DZ201 being discontinued?

The DZ201 looks discontinued at Ninja. As of Sep 27, 2026, both Ninja’s old DZ201 product link and its current SharkNinja product link redirect to the DZ901 page. The DZ901 is a 10-quart model with two 5-quart baskets, listed at $249.99, and its page doesn’t mention the DZ201. I found no official discontinuation notice.

Retailers still sell it. Target listed the DZ201 in stock at $199.99 on Sep 27, 2026, and Consumer Reports showed it from $187.99 across 11 retailers the same day (Consumer Reports). Food Network’s list, updated Aug 14, 2026, showed $160 against a regular $200 (Food Network). My read: Ninja has stopped selling it direct, and retail stock will thin out.

Ninja DZ201 specs and lab measurements

Smart Finish staggers the start times so both baskets end together, and Match Cook copies one basket’s settings to the other.

What lab tests found: cool heat, uneven baskets

Heat runs cool. TechGearLab measured an average of 386.4°F at a 400°F setting (TechGearLab best air fryers) and scored it 6.7 of 10 for temperature accuracy (TechGearLab). It says the baskets stayed within a few degrees of each other even when set to different temperatures.

The two baskets don’t always cook alike. TechGearLab found the left basket cooked some foods faster than the right. That matches the most common complaint in Target’s owner reviews, where the right basket cooks less consistently on matching settings. Nobody has published a figure for the gap, so I can’t tell you how many minutes or degrees it is.

Speed and results. TechGearLab measured a 3-minute preheat and scored cooking speed 8.6 of 10 and cooking quality 7.7. It ranked the DZ201 fifth of ten with a score of 73, and named it a Top Pick for meal prepping. Food Network named it Best Dual-Basket and credits Smart Finish with getting both foods done together.

Usability gaps. TechGearLab lists no auto-pause when a basket is pulled, no preheat alert, and large temperature steps that make recipes hard to follow exactly.

Capacity is smaller than the label. Consumer Reports measured 6 quarts of usable capacity against the 8 quarts claimed. Food Network’s main con is that each basket is only 4 quarts. TechGearLab measured 98.4 square inches of cooking area across both baskets, against 87.8 in the single-basket Instant Vortex Plus 6 quart.

What DZ201 owners say about smell, noise and speed

• Mostly happy. Best Buy owners give it 4.8 of 5 across 4,364 reviews, and 97% would recommend it.
• Smell, noise and price are Best Buy’s top complaints, with 23, 20 and 14 mentions.
• Speed: owners disagree. Best Buy’s review summary says owners praise fast cooking times. Kitchen Deets calls slowness the biggest owner complaint, even with preheating (Kitchen Deets).
• Durability. Some Target reviewers raise concerns after extended use, without a consistent failure pattern.

DZ201 problems, error codes and recalls

• “E” on the display. The DZ201 owner’s guide says an E message means the unit isn’t working properly and to contact Ninja customer service at 1-877-646-5288 (owner’s guide).
• Recalls. SharkNinja’s May 1, 2025 recall covered about 1.8 million Foodi OP300-series multi-function pressure cookers, whose lid can open during pressure cooking. It doesn’t cover the DZ201 (CPSC). I found no CPSC recall for the DZ201 as of Sep 27, 2026 (CPSC).

DZ201 or DZ901?

Going by Ninja’s DZ901 page, the DZ901 has two 5-quart baskets instead of two 4-quart ones and swaps air broil for Max Crisp. It’s 16.93 by 14.57 by 12.6 inches and weighs 19.4 lb, at $249.99 on Sep 27, 2026. I found no independent measurements of the DZ901 yet, so the only proven advantage is basket size. The DZ201 makes sense while it sells for about $50 or more below the DZ901.

Who the DZ201 suits (and who should skip it)

Buy it if you regularly cook two foods at different settings for three or four people and find it near $160 to $190.

Skip it if one basket is enough. The Instant Vortex Plus 6 quart measured much closer to its set temperature, and the Ninja AF101 is smaller for one or two people. Skip it too if precise temperatures matter to your recipes, given the 386.4°F reading and coarse steps.

Other air fryers to compare with the DZ201

• Best air fryers, ranked by weight of evidence
• Instant Vortex Plus 6 quart review if one basket is enough
• Ninja AF101 review, Ninja’s 4-quart single basket
• How we research