I’ve been testing air fryers since before they hit the U.S. market more than 10 years ago, and I still use mine at least a couple of days a week to make a quick meal. They’re great at reheating food and cooking frozen ingredients, like fries and chicken nuggets, but I particularly like using mine to make proteins like salmon and chicken. Both come out juicy and flavorful with barely any effort.
1
Best Overall
Ninja Air Fryer Max XL
Pros
- Best performance of the basket-style air fryers we tested
- Easy to use
- Cooking basket is nonstick and dishwasher safe for easy cleaning
Cons
- Some may find the basket diameter a bit small
The 5.5-quart, basket-style Ninja Air Fryer Max XL continues to be the top performer in our air fryer tests. It makes the crispiest and most golden chicken wings we’ve come across, which are juicy and not dry, in the shortest amount of time.
It also scored the highest marks across the board for ease of use, thanks to its intuitive, easy-to-read buttons and clear and useful owner’s manual. During our tests, the air fryer basket slid in and out easily, which made handling a breeze.
We’re fans of the basket’s slick, ceramic nonstick interior, and we like that the removable tray fits snugly and securely in the bottom of the basket so you don’t have to worry about it falling out when you turn the food out onto a plate. Both the basket and tray are dishwasher safe and easy to clean, even if you choose to hand-wash.
This model features several cook settings, which are programmed with unique maximum and minimum temperatures — including Max Crisp and Air Broil (which reach 450˚F) and dehydrate (which reaches a low of 105˚F). It has a timer that counts down to the second.
2
Best Value
Instant Pot Vortex Plus ClearCook
Pros
- Preheat function
- Manual light turns on right before the timer goes off
- Cooking basket is nonstick and dishwasher safe for easy cleaning
- Quiet, according to user reviews
Cons
- Tray falls out when basket is turned upside down; use silicone-tipped tongs to serve
Air fryers from Instant have been on our list since we started testing them. All the Instant air fryers we’ve tested, including this one, are easy to program and high-performing.
This model — a steal when on sale but a great value even at full price — particularly stands out for its see-through window design, which allows you to peer inside without pulling out the basket. It has a light inside that turns on automatically right before the timer goes off — and you can turn it on manually whenever you want to see what’s going on in there. We also like its square basket that maximizes cooking space compared to round ones. Its capacity makes it one of the best air fryers for a family of four.
In our tests, chicken wings came out crispy, golden and juicy in just 20 minutes, and frozen fries were moist but crisp and evenly cooked without the need for shaking midway. This 6-quart ClearCook model has a preheat function built in. It takes about 3.5 minutes to reach 400˚F and chirps when it’s at the right temperature. It does not require you to press Start again after it preheats, which is helpful if you want to add your food from the beginning and walk away. It also alerts you halfway through cooking, should you want to shake or turn the food.
The digital control panel is highly responsive, and the knob makes it easy to program the temperature and time quickly. It has six settings that are preset with recommended (but adjustable) cooking temperatures and times, including air fry, bake, roast, reheat, broil and dehydrate.
3
Sleekest
Cosori TurboBlaze Air Fryer
Pros
- Shorter, sleeker design than many air fryers we’ve tested
- Easy to read and use control panel
Cons
- Air fry setting was too strong for grilled cheese, but you can choose a more gentle one
Even though this air fryer from Cosori has a 6-quart capacity like many of the air fryers we test (great for a family of four), it’s shorter and sleeker, which makes it feel more compact. It has a square basket and a removable tray that pops securely into place.
Its easy-to-view screen is flat and located on the top of the air fryer, unique compared to others that are angled or front-facing. It has large lettering, a clear font, straightforward settings and contrasting colors.
Food came out golden brown, moist and evenly cooked in our tests. The air fry setting was powerful and the fan blew the bread around when we tried to make grilled cheese, but we appreciate that this air fryer tells you the fan speed when you select each setting because we were able to choose a gentler option the next time.
4
Best Small
Ninja AF101 Air Fryer
Pros
- Smaller size doesn’t compromise cooking performance
- Easy to use and clean
Cons
- Not as small or compact as some other models we’ve tested
While similar to our best overall air fryer, this one from Ninja is shorter and a little slimmer with a 4-quart capacity. (The Max XL has a 5.5-quart capacity.) It boasts many of the same capabilities as well as the same high performance.
In our tests, chicken wings came out super crispy quickly, and fries cooked well. It’s easy to program and clean with a nonstick basket and removable cooking tray. We rated it our best overall pick in our “best small air fryer” story, and we appreciate that its smaller size doesn’t compromise performance and that its capacity isn’t that much less than its counterpart.
5
Best Dual-Basket
Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 8-qt. 2-Basket Air Fryer
Pros
- Two baskets offer more cooking versatility
- Comparable performance to our best overall air fryer
Cons
- Can be confusing to program if you don’t select the right basket on the control panel
Sometimes it’s helpful to have two air fryer baskets — you might want to cook two different foods at once, or you might want to cook a smaller portion. Or, you’re like me, and you’re not very good at cleaning your air fryer basket right away. This dual-basket air fryer from Ninja is one of our top-tested models.
Each basket is perfect for air frying one to two portions, or you can combine them to cook at the total 8-quart capacity, which makes it a great air fryer for two people or a family of four. Wings and fries cooked as quickly and as well as they did in our best overall air fryer, and both sides of the air fryer cooked the same whether operated solo or together.
The dual design makes it a little tricky to set the air fryer, but once you make sure the correct side is selected, you’re golden. Unlike most air fryers from other brands, this one doesn’t stop when you pull out the basket to check on the food.
Our favorite thing about this air fryer is the size of the baskets — they’re smaller than your average 6-quart air fryer baskets so they’re easier and less bulky to clean, especially in the dishwasher.
6
Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven
Cuisinart Air Fryer + Convection Toaster Oven, TOA-70
Pros
- Works quickly
- Comparable performance to a stand-alone air fryer
Cons
- Since the air fry function is so powerful, we recommend using a lower temp and keeping a close eye on food to help prevent burning
- Mechanical dials make it hard to program toaster oven to the exact minute
Cuisinart was one of the first brands to introduce an air fryer toaster oven that allows you to air fry, toast, bake, convection bake and more all in one appliance.
This model not only makes the crispiest air-fried food in the shortest amount of time out of all the air fryer toaster ovens we tested, but it also produced some of the most evenly colored toast in our toaster oven test. Since foods cook quickly using the Air Fry setting, we recommend using a lower temperature than you’re used to and keeping a close eye on food to help prevent burning.
The rectangular 15.5-inch by 16-inch air fry rack offers a large cooking surface (especially compared to basket-style air fryers) and sits atop a drip/crumb tray for easy clean-up.
7
Best with Rotisserie
Instant 10QT Air Fryer
Pros
- Chicken wings air fried nicely
- Rotisserie feature is easy to use and produce an evenly browned and juicy chicken
Cons
- The door needs to be pushed firmly to close
Oven-style air fryers like this one from Instant come with multiple shelves so you can cook different foods at once like you would in your full-sized oven. This one includes two nonstick shelves and a drip pan that can double as a baking pan. In our tests, wings came out crispy, tender and evenly browned when cooked on the top shelf. (If you’re using multiple shelves, we recommend rotating the shelves halfway through cooking for the most even results.) Fries came out nicely as well but cooked better in the rotisserie basket where they stayed more moist.
Our favorite feature and biggest selling point of this air fryer is the rotisserie spit: It allows you to cook foods, like a 4-pound chicken, to juicy perfection. The chicken was easy to insert onto the spit and into the oven, and it came out evenly browned.
Compared to other air fryer ovens, this one has an appealing stainless steel design and a clear, easy-to-use control panel. Like most other air fryer ovens we tested, the door needs to be pushed firmly to close.
8
Best Smart
Dreo ChefMaker Combi Fryer
Pros
- Uses steam to help keep foods moist
- Comes with a temperature probe to achieve the proper doneness
Cons
- Expensive
If you’re looking for the perfect doneness levels, the Dreo ChefMaker can help you. It’s more high-tech than most air fryers we’ve tested and includes a temperature probe that can be inserted into food to help guide you through the cooking process. When we tested the accompanying “Chef Mode,” it made perfectly cooked salmon.
In our tests, chicken wings air fried nicely too. This air fryer needed a little longer than our standard testing time for grilled cheese, but we were very pleased with how crunchy and gooey our sandwich was in the end, likely thanks to the small water reservoir that helps keep food moist during cooking.
The digital interface is attractive and helpful, but it’s somewhat unique (with basic air frying accessed via the “classic cook” menu), so there is a small learning curve. All of these extra perks make it pricier than your average air fryer.
