Whether you're cooking an entire chicken or reviving yesterday's dino nuggets, the best air friers deliver crispy, evenly cooked results. Despite the name, air friers don't actually fry — instead, hot air circulates through the chamber, creating food that mimics the taste and texture of frying without all the oil. Regardless, air fryers are one of the best ways to crisp up your favorite veggies for a side dish or cook frozen food.
After putting over 60 models through rigorous testing, the Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven is our best overall pick. It cooks evenly and quickly, with a unique, clear basket so you can watch your dinner cook. If you're cooking for a crowd, we recommend the Ninja Foodi DualZone XL Air Fryer, a massive option with a 10-quart capacity and two separate baskets.
Our top picks for the best air fryers
Best overall: Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven — See at Amazon
Best large-capacity: Ninja Foodi DualZone XL Air Fryer — See at Amazon
Best value: Beautiful Touchscreen Air Fryer — See at Walmart
Best toaster oven: Ninja Foodi XL Pro Air Fry Oven — See at Amazon
Most versatile: Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer — See at Amazon
Best small: Dreo Aircrisp Pro Air Fryer — See at Amazon
Best overall
The Instant Vortex Plus was the best air fryer in our tests and features a window into the basket to monitor your food.
- A window in the basket lets you view food
- Simple to use
- Cooks quickly and keeps food moist
- Dishwasher safe basket and crisper plate
- Basket takes up a lot of room in the dishwasher
That's right — our favorite model is an InstantPot. Well, not exactly. This model is from the same brand as the ultrapopular pressure cooker, but is focused solely on air frying — you won't find any slow cooking or pressure cooking features here. Even factoring in preheating, the Instant Vortex Plus cooked food the fastest in our tests, including evenly cooked hand-cut fries in just 14 minutes.
It's so easy to use. You can easily get this air fryer up and running without even glancing at the manual. You just select one of the six functions, use the temp/time button to adjust how long and hot the air fryer cooks, and press start. The unit will preheat and then begin the countdown.
The basket and crisping plate are both dishwasher-safe. However, I much preferred cleaning the basket by hand because it takes up a lot of dishwasher space, and the nonstick surface makes clean-up effortless. After countless rounds of testing, this is still the best air fryer on the market.
Read our full Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven review.
Best large-capacity
The Ninja Foodi DualZone XL Air Fryer is like having two air fryers in one with two 5-quart baskets that cook independently.
- Cooks two baskets of food independently or in sync
- Each basket holds 5 quarts
- Produced moist and evenly heated foods in our tests
- Cooked frozen fries slowly
This model is like two air fryers in one. It features two 5-quart baskets that you can program to heat independently or for the same time and temperature. A "smart finish" function ensures that both baskets finish cooking simultaneously if you're cooking two different types of food.
The food came out crispy and delicious. Most importantly, the Ninja Foodi DualZone cooks food evenly without drying out the food. While it was one of the slowest units preparing frozen fries, it quickly produced delicious broccoli and hand-cut fries.
It's simple to use and clean. With so many functions, we assumed this $200 air fryer would have a steep learning curve, but the controls are intuitive. We had it up and running without referencing the instructions. Clean-up is also a snap since the baskets and crisper plates are dishwasher-safe. We like that the baskets are smaller than the traditional 6-quart models, so fitting them in the dishwasher is easier.
Read our full Ninja Foodi DualZone Air Fryer review.
Best value
The Beautiful 6 Quart Touchscreen Air Fryer from Drew Barrymore's cookware line costs less than $70 and cooks food quickly and evenly.
- Cooked food quickly and evenly
- Dishwasher-safe basket and crisper plate
- Intuitive controls
- Eight color options
- Frozen fries were a little dry
- Basket takes up a lot of room in the dishwasher
Drew's air fryer is actually legit — and affordable. I'm always a little skeptical about products sporting a celebrity's name. However, I wholeheartedly recommend the Beautiful 6 Quart Touchscreen Air Fryer by Drew Barrymore as the best budget air fryer. It might be one of the cheapest air fryers we tested, but it delivered a top-notch performance.
Anyone can use the controls. First, you press the power button, which illuminates the presets. Once you select a preset, you can adjust the time and temp, and the flashing start button begins the cook. The unit is attractive and comes in 10 colors: white icing, cornflower blue, black sesame, and more. It's also available in 3-quart and 9-quart options.
It's one of the fastest air fryers we tested. The $69 Beautiful air fryer was one of only two units to cook hand-cut fries in 15 minutes, and the results were evenly cooked and delicious. It was also among the fastest at cooking broccoli and frozen fries. The frozen fries were a little dry, but the broccoli was just right.
The basket is dishwasher safe. The basket and crisper plate are dishwasher-safe, though the basket, with its jutting-out handle, will take up significant space in your dishwasher. Thanks to the nonstick coating, hand washing is an effortless alternative.
Read our full Beautiful Air Fryer review.
Best toaster oven
With its massive 26-quart size, the Ninja Foodi DT201 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Convection Toaster Oven is one of the largest countertop air fryers you can buy, large enough to fit a 12-pound turkey.
- Comes with useful extras and presets
- Sleek design with large front window and interior light
- Maintains consistent and accurate temperature
- Cooked chicken and frozen fries evenly
- Preheats slowly
Air fryer toaster ovens are the ultimate convenience. For my best air fryer toaster ovens guide, I tested over 20 units, and the Ninja Foodi XL Pro Air Fry Oven (DT201) came out on top. The intuitive controls are built into the handle, freeing up more room for the massive front window. Thanks to this window and the interior light, it's easy to monitor your meal as it cooks.
It cooks evenly. In my temperature variance test, the Ninja Foodi outperformed the pack. The average temperature during the two-hour test was only half a degree off the 350-degree target. It ranged from 349 to 352, varying by two degrees from the goal temperature. This air fryer oven was among the fastest at cooking chicken, producing a perfectly cooked bird in an hour and 10 minutes. The pizza and french fry cooking times were average, though the fries were crispy and evenly cooked.
The interior is huge. Thanks to the included second wire rack, the Ninja Foodi XL can fit two pizzas or other dishes. It also dehydrates and features other useful presets. The main negative is that it takes longer to preheat than most air fryer toaster ovens, taking eight minutes to reach 350 degrees and nine minutes to reach 400.
Read our full Ninja XL Air Fryer Oven review.
Most versatile
The Instant Pot Duo Crisp is a pressure cooker, slow cooker, and air fryer all in one, making it one of the most useful and economical small appliances we tested.
- Multiple functions
- Doesn't dry out delicate foods
- Performs multiple recipe steps in a single appliance
- Many pieces to store
- Difficult to agitate food mid-cook
- Lower level of the fryer basket cooks more slowly
- Removing the lid exposes the heating coil
This multicooker is a great option if you want a model that does it all. Air fryers often get a bad rap for being uni-taskers. Still, Instant Pot has bucked the trend by adding air fryer functionality to its already versatile multicookers, making it the best multitasking air fryer. The $200 Duo Crisp comes with two separate lids — a traditional Instant Pot lid for pressure and slow cooking and another lid equipped with an electric heating coil and fan that you'll use for air frying, broiling, dehydrating, and more.
It excelled in every test. It produced tender broccoli and crisp frozen fries. Air frying is an add-on to the Instant Pot's already versatile design. If you've used an Instant Pot, you're already familiar with the Duo Crisp's pressure cooking. In our guides to the best pressure cookers and best sous vide cookers, we rated it the best multitasking unit.
But its design has a few downsides. The basket allows you to stack two layers of food to compensate for the lack of horizontal space, but because the heat comes from above, the food on the bottom layer is often less crisp than the top. The air fryer basket also lacks a handle, which makes agitating the food difficult. When you remove the lid, the heating coil is exposed, a burn hazard. The unit has a special plate for safely setting the lid down on your counter, but you must still be careful.
Check out our Instant Pots vs. air fryers review and our full Instant Pot Duo Crisp review.
Best small
The Dreo Aircrisp Pro Air Fryer is the best compact air fryer we tested, making it perfect for single servings of wings and fries.
- Makes efficient use of space
- Easy to clean and use
- Fast cooking
- Fries, wings, and broccoli came out perfect
- Crisping tray's rubber feet came off easily
- Confusing preset symbols
This is one of the smallest air fryers you'll find. I considered 11 compact air fryers. No matter the test, the Dreo Aircrisp Pro Air Fryer was among the best in quality and speed. While broccoli is a challenge for air fryers, the Dreo did the best at balancing tender stems and crispy yet not burnt florets. The fries and wings were evenly cooked and perfectly crispy.
The controls are a tad confusing. Lights illuminate the buttons for time and temperature adjustments. However, the presets are confusing as they rely on ambiguous symbols, like an orange representing the dehydration mode. Still, we were happy to see a dehydration function since most air fryers don't have one.
The tray and basket are dishwasher safe. If you wash them by hand, the debris slides right off. However, the rubber feet that hold the tray in place and protect the nonstick basket from scratching kept falling off during washing.
It's the best air fryer for small spaces. The $74 Dreo Aircrisp Pro used space efficiently and had the best exterior size-to-food-capacity ratio of the small basket air fryers I tested. The air fryer is flat, so you could store items on top, though you'll need to remove them to cook. Its 3.6-quart capacity makes it ideal for two people.
Read our full Dreo Aircrisp Pro Air Fryer review. Check out our guide to the best small air fryers.
What else we tested
We tested over 60 air fryers for this guide. Here are some that didn't make the cut, but are still recommended.
Under $100
Chefman Small Compact Air Fryer: This air fryer excelled at chicken wings, delivering crispy, flavorful results, though fries came out uneven. The small capacity best suits solo diners.
Gourmia Fry 'N Fold Digital Air Fryer: This Gourmia has a transparent glass drawer that affords you a 360-degree view of your food. Unfortunately, it cooks much more slowly than other basket air fryers.
Under $200
Cosori Max XL Air Fryer: The Cosori produced some of the best broccoli during our testing, but it dried out fresh-cut fries. It also takes a full five minutes to preheat. Read our full Cosori Smart WiFi Air Fryer review.
Cuisinart 6-qt Basket Air Fryer: This was a strong contender for the best air fryer. Its large viewing window and interior light make monitoring food easy. Its even cooking and quick performance make it a solid choice, even though it didn't quite edge out our category winners.
Over $200
Philips Premium Airfryer XXL: Philips popularized air fryers, and when this model was released seven years ago, it was our top pick. However, other brands have caught up with Philips, and at this price point, there are units that cook faster and more evenly. See our full Philips Twin Turbostar XXL Airfryer review.
Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL Cooker & Air Fryer: This is positioned as a competitor to our most versatile pick, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp. However, it doesn't slow cook nearly as well as the Duo Crisp, and it doesn't sous vide at all. Plus, it costs more. Read our full Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL review.
Breville Joule Air Fryer Pro Smart Oven: This air fryer toaster oven is a good splurge option. It excelled at maintaining consistent temperatures and cooking evenly. Yet, it preheated and cooked more slowly than most units. Also, the $500 price is a lot for an air fryer.
What to look for in the best air fryers
Size: Choose a 4- to 6-quart unit if you're only cooking for yourself or another person, says Laurie Fleming, creator of Fork to Spoon. For families of four or more, use air fryers that are 6 quarts or larger. She recommends larger air fryers when possible because they give you more flexibility in what you can make.
Type: There are two main types of air fryers: traditional basket units and air fryer toaster ovens. Air fryer toaster ovens are more versatile and perform several tasks, including non-convection baking. Basket air fryers are usually smaller and cook food faster, but have limited functionality.
Price: The air fryers in my guide range from $59 to $200. Higher prices generally equate to more functions and a larger capacity. If you don't need fancy functions and only cook for one or two people, you can save a few dollars with an affordable air fryer.
Functions: Manufacturers continually introduce new functions. Some common ones are dehydration, dual-zone cooking, and WiFi connectivity. More and more appliances offer air fryer cooking, including some toaster ovens and pressure cookers, like the Instant Pot Duo Crisp. However, more functions usually lead to a higher price tag.
Accessories: Air fryer accessories range from a wire rack for stacking items to rotisserie kits for roasting chicken. Most accessories I've tested haven't been very useful and are not worth the markup they add to the price of the air fryer.
How we test air fryers
Cooking: Early in my testing, I discovered that even the best air fryers varied wildly in cook times. One unit charred broccoli to an undesirable crisp in 6 minutes, while another took 13 minutes to reach al dente. So, I cooked three recipes in each machine and evaluated how quickly and evenly they cooked.
| Test | Ideal results | Our findings | |
| Fresh vegetables | Cook fresh broccoli florets and, previously, hand-cut french fries | Evenly cooked fries and florets ready in 15 minutes and 8 minutes, respectively | All air fryers struggle to cook fresh vegetables, but our top picks perform better than average |
| Frozen food | Air fry frozen french fries at 400 degrees, jostling halfway through | Evenly cooked french fries ready in 8 minutes | Similar taste and evenness across the board, but speed varied |
| Meat | Cook chicken wings at 400 degrees, flipping halfway through | Crispy, juicy, and evenly cooked wings ready in 16 minutes | Wings varied widely in how even and crispy they came out |
Setup and ease of use: I try to approach testing each unit as if I were new to the process. To determine if the controls are intuitive, I don't reference the user manual during setup. Ideally, you should be able to select the function (air fry, toast, warm, etc.), time, and temperature without referencing instructions.
Cleaning: I tracked how many parts there were to disassemble and clean. A unit with dishwasher-safe accessories got bonus points. I've found washing the crisping tray in the dishwasher is best because it doesn't take up much space, and cleaning the debris from the little vents and slots by hand can be a pain. I wash the basket by hand because the gunk comes off easily, and it frees up dishwasher space.
Air fryer FAQs
Are air fryers worth it?
Yes. After testing over 60 models, we're convinced that air fryers are worth the cost and counter space. At first, we thought they were a gimmick, but experience proved to us that they are versatile and efficient small appliances.
Unlike even the best microwave, air fryers make foods crispy without drying them out, which means your leftover pizza and french fries taste the same as when you first ordered them.
During the summer, I like that air fryers don't give off much heat, so you can keep your oven off when cooking. Plus, they preheat and cook faster than a standard oven, so your food is ready faster. Air fryers also work well when there is no space for an oven or if you are just cooking for one or two people.
Should I buy an air fryer microwave?
Yes, air fryer/microwave combos exist, but in our testing, they don't match the performance of separate dedicated appliances. The GE 4-in-1 Air Fryer Microwave Oven is one of the better options. Just below $200, this appliance is an excellent microwave but limited as an air fryer. While the GE Combo handled thin items like pizza reasonably well, it struggled with air-frying thicker foods like large batches of frozen fries and a whole chicken. For more details, check out our air fryer microwave review and our guide to the best microwaves.
How do air fryers work?
Air fryers work like convection ovens, using a fan to circulate hot air. This browns the food and makes it crispy, similar to deep-frying. Air-fried food's texture and taste won't be the same as something deep-fried, but it's as close as you can get without a tub of oil. To learn more, check out our article on how air fryers work.
What's the best way to clean an air fryer?
It depends on your air fryer model, so consult the user manual. Generally, you should clean the fryer basket and grease catcher with hot, soapy water and a soft sponge after each use. You can simplify cleanup by air frying your food on aluminum foil or parchment paper.
For more details, check out our article on how to clean an air fryer. For easy cleaning and grease-free cooking, look at the best silicone air fryer liners.
Are air fryers healthy?
The short answer is "it depends." Food made in an air fryer is typically lower in fat and calories than its traditionally fried counterparts. However, the nutritional composition of foods cooked in an air fryer is similar to that of the same items prepared in an oven.
What can I cook in an air fryer?
Since they rely on the same technology, air fryers can make anything a convection oven can make, including baking, convection baking, air frying, roasting, and toasting items. This article covers the best and worst things to make in an air fryer. If you're just getting started, check out our recipes for air-fried bacon, air-fried French fries, air-fried baked potatoes, and air-fried hot dogs.
What should I avoid when buying an air fryer?
The most common mistake when buying an air fryer is underestimating the amount of cooking space you'll need. Be sure to check the capacity to ensure you'll have enough room for common cooking tasks. At the same time, carefully consider the amount of counter space you have before splurging on a huge model.
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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected].
