REVIEW – I have a Ninja blender and coffee maker so I have only associated Ninja with small kitchen appliances. When they asked me to review their new FlexFlame Propane Grill and Cooking System I had no idea they even made grills. Well, turns out they make a lot of products I had no idea about and bottom line up front they make good stuff.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $1,274.99 for the 5-in-1 Bundle
Where to buy: Ninja
What is it?
The Ninja FlexFlame Propane Outdoor Cooking System allows you to cook five unique ways: grill, smoke, roast, griddle, and make perfect pizzas all in one outdoor system. This is Ninja’s first full-size propane grill and you can tell they really thought about how people use their grill and the best way to combine everything into one system.
What’s included?
- Ninja FlexFlame Propane Grill 5-in-1 Cooking Bundle
- Premium Half Griddle
- 16” Artisan Pizza Stone
- 16” Perforated Pizza Peel
- Expandable Roast & Smoke Rack
- Premium Grill Cover
- Ninja Woodfire™ Pellets All-Purpose Blend (2-lb Bag)
- Ninja Woodfire™ Pellets, Robust Blend, 2-lb Bag
- Quick Start Guide
- Product Manual
- Long Screwdriver and Wrench for assembly
Tech specs
- Model: PG301B3
- 5-in-1 cooking all under one hood
- Grill, smoke, roast, griddle and make pizza
- Fast, even, flavorful cooking with CyclonicHeat-iQ™
- Dial into an exact temp with Precision Temperature Control
- Cyclonic Fan: High-velocity convection fan evenly circulates heat and air around food
- Precision Burner Control: Dial in and maintain an exact temperature from 200°F-600°F
- Plug In Power: Requires a 3-prong outdoor extension cord and 20lb. propane tank
- Built to Last: 10-year limited warranty
- Dimensions: 59.57 in L x 25.08 in W x 48.31 in H
- Watts: 400W
- Weight: 130.07 lbs
Design and features
When I moved to Washington I bought a cheap grill from the grocery store that was on sale. It has since endured five winters and summers and the grill guards completely rusted out as well as most of the under tray. The Ninja FlexFlame is made of stainless steel and comes with a 10 year warranty so they are serious about their products lasting.
Other unique features of the Ninja FlexFlame are that the 3 burners run side to side instead of front to back with a little pilot burner above them. You do need to plug it in to use it so a plug and extension cord is needed. There is also a cyclonic fan which not only provides faster, more even cooking but is also located next to the wood smoker so you can cold smoke cheese and other food without heat.
The main cooking space is 424 square inches with a 180 sq in top cooking rack which is great for veggies. You can control the temperature in 5 degree increments from 200 to 600 degrees F. The Ninja FlexFlame is rated to 36,000 BTUs and is available with a stainless steel or black finish.
Assembly, Installation, and Setup
Assembly of the Ninja FlexFlame Propane Grill took me about an hour and only required help from my neighbor to help lift the grill onto the base. You can download and use the Bilt app for assembly but I found the printed instructions more than sufficient. I really liked that the grill was packed in pretty much reverse order from assembly so you naturally can find and grab the next piece you need. Everything was labeled clearly and the assorted bolts and nuts are ordered in step number.
Ninja also has plenty of videos to assist with their products and their customer service is very responsive if you need human help.
The only hiccup I encountered was putting the lower back panel on between the two side panels. One rivet nut was slightly off so the screw just didn’t line up correctly. I took the panel off and just filed the hole a little bigger and was able to line it up after that. You couldn’t really tell by eye so I won’t knock quality control on that one and everything else fit perfectly.
Once complete I wheeled it out of my garage and to the backyard. On my concrete the small 2 3/4in wheels made quite the racket on the short trip especially compared to my old grill with larger wheels. If you plan on wheeling it around a lot on uneven terrain you may want to swap them out for quieter/bigger casters.
Performance:
Ninja sent me the 5-in-1 Bundle which includes a half griddle plate, 16” pizza stone, 16” perforated pizza peel, expandable roast and smoke rack, and a premium cover. You do save some money versus buying everything separately and if you don’t already have a pizza stone and peel you are going to want to get them. To start the grill you spin the dial to start and push in till you see the burners light between the covers. Then turn to your desired setting.
A full griddle is also available, grease tray liners, and even a wireless thermometer to step up your grill game. I fired up the grill and it took about 3.5 mins to get up to 350 degrees F and that was just with two burners on. Being able to adjust the temperature with a digital readout allows way more control of the temperature as well. While it’s cooking the fan is slightly noisy but not loud enough to hinder a conversation. With the wood smoke activated you will want to place it away from open windows or doors since it does produce a good stream of smoke and you will smell like a campfire afterwards. Not unpleasant but you might not want your whole house to smell like it.
The Ninja FlexFlame Propane Grill is a game changer for sure. The convection fan really makes a difference and speeds up heating as well as cook time. There were plenty of times where I normally would put something on my old grill and go prep something else or take care of a few weeds while waiting but with the FlexFlame it cooks just as quickly as my gas stove top if not quicker.
I seasoned some steaks with salt and pepper and threw them on the porcelain-enamel cast iron grates. If you prefer stainless steel grates, those are also available. I put some corn and peppers on the top rack to see how those would cook. My son said it was a feast and it felt like it. I turned the smoke on which I had filled with the robust flavored pellets and it did add a nice smoky flavor to everything.
For the next test, my son and I made pizza with premade dough. From putting the pizzas on the stone to being done, it took 5 minutes! I was astonished. You could easily have a pizza night with everyone making their own pizzas.
I then used the half griddle which is made from Q195 carbon steel similar to cast iron skillets after seasoning it a couple times with oil. I put some burgers on along with some onion and I had mushrooms and peppers on the top rack. Again, I was very surprised at how well the food cooked on the top rack. Usually, at some point, those just don’t get enough heat and have to be moved down to cook. Not so with the cyclonic fan. I didn’t even have to flip them since they got enough heat all around to get fully cooked. Even though they were done, I did put them on the griddle for a minute just to simmer.
I scraped the skillet to clean it, then made some pancakes. I should have turned the heat down because the pancakes cooked really quickly. Are you sensing a theme here yet? I have to adjust my previous notions of cooking time on the grill now. I do like them a little burnt, so they were perfect to me.
I then cooked a ¾ in thick skirt steak and tried out the Ninja ProChef Wireless Thermometer. It does recommend using it on cuts that are an inch thick or more, but I wanted to see how it worked. I put the grill on low and slow then left it alone. The app told me what the temperature was and how long it needed to cook. It even told me when to flip the steak! Since the steak was thinner than recommended, when it said the internal temperature was 143 degrees F, a separate meat thermometer showed 157 degrees F. If you are planning on making whole chickens, brisket, or other meats with a long cook time, this would be pretty handy to monitor it.
When the grilling is done you can whip out the Ninja Creami Swirl which I have had my eye on for a while and finally got for some homemade soft serve ice cream. Ninja is really upping their appliance game and I will check them out first whenever I need a new appliance which might be a while since I need to go on a diet after this review.
Final thoughts
I used to like Ninja products, but now I love them. I absolutely love the Ninja FlexFlame Propane Grill and Outdoor Cooking System for its ease of use and versatility. This grill does it all and quickly. No need for a separate pizza oven or smoker. If you are going to move it around a lot on uneven terrain, the loud casters will get annoying, but this grill is worth it. You can do everything with the Ninja FlexFlame and do it well. Ninja really thought of everything you’d need in a grill and put it all in the FlexFlame. If you are looking for a new grill, then this is the one to get if you want to ‘flex’ your grill skills.
What I like about the Ninja FlexFlame Grill
- It does everything
- Quality construction
- 10 year warranty
What needs to be improved?
- Quieter casters or more off road worthy ones
Price: $999.99 Grill only or $1,274.99 for the 5-in-1 bundle
Where to buy: Ninja Kitchen website
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Ninja Kitchen. They did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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$34.90 (as of June 4, 2025 20:12 GMT -04:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
