The list in brief
1. Best air fryer overall
2. Best budget air fryer
3. Best premium air fryer
4. Best toaster oven
5. Best for first-time users
6. Quietest air fryer
7. Best with smart thermometer
8. Best for outdoors
9. Best dual basket
10. Best for frozen foods
11. How to choose
12. How we test
Having one of the best air fryers in your kitchen makes getting dinner together so much easier. Not only are they fairly inexpensive, but they save time, don’t require too much space in the kitchen, and can help you create healthier meals, especially if you often cooked with oil.
If you’re new to air fryers, just know that they don’t actually fry anything. They’re convection ovens that use a fan to not only heat up quickly but circulate the hot air for even cooking results.
They also require 20% less time and temperature to cook the same recipe as a traditional oven. On top of that, many models have multiple presets for even more functionality, so you can also bake, dehydrate, broil, and more. Some air fryers even have two baskets so you can cook two different foods at two different temperatures at once.
If you care particularly about that multi-functionality, you might also be interested in checking out our best Instant Pot cookers guide. Brands like Ninja and Instant have a whole range of products that combine air frying with other functions like pressure cooking for a one-stop cooking shop.
But, for the best air fryers, we’ve collected our top picks here. We’ve tested different models from different brands and every option you see here has gone through rigorous real-world testing, which includes how well they cook, how easy they are to clean, and how useful their presets are, among other factors such as price. With that in mind, here are the best air fryers available right now.
Be sure to check out our picks of the best Black Friday air fryer deals as well so you can get them for even cheaper.
The quick list
With so many options out there, we made it simpler for you to choose the best air fryer for your needs. Whether you have a small household, are preparing for a feast, or need one that meets all you everyday cooking needs, our list should have something for you. And we've all tested and approved every single one.
Best air fryer overall
Versatile, simple to use, and does an excellent job of crisping food, this Instant Pot air fryer also comes with a window, a light, and built-in filters to reduce the smells.
Best budget air fryer
A sleek and easy to use air fryer, this 5-quart budget option produces crisp results. It’s better than other cheap air fryers, but it still requires some experimentation.
Best money no object
It's pricey, but this combination cooker is worth every cent. Its air fryer function is one of the best we've ever tested, and it has a Chef Mode for creating perfectly-cooked meals.
Best toaster oven
This toaster oven air fryer variety offers six other cooking functions and a whole lot of space. It delivers crispy, delicious air fried food and some great results with other settings.
Best for first-time users
With plenty of auto programs for time and temperature settings to make it easier for air fryer newbies, this is a reasonably-priced air fryer recommended for inexperienced users.
Quietest air fryer
A better choice for smaller homes and spaces, this compact option is exceptionally well-rounded and possibly the quietest air fryer from Instant Pot, if not on the market.
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Best with smart thermometer
While this indoor grill-slash-air fryer from Ninja can grill, fry, roast, bake, dehydrate, and broil, it’s its built-in smart thermometer that help you achieve perfect doneness.
Best for outdoors
Though electric, this outdoor grill with an air fryer function is designed for cooking on balconies and terraces. On air fryer mode, it delivers nicely golden, crispy results.
Best dual basket air fryer
With two drawers (and windows to keep an eye on what’s cooking) that let you cook different foods at the same time and sync their finish times, you can make a perfect feast.
Best for frozen foods
An air fryer of many talents, the feature that separates it from the rest is its Max Crisp function, a setting is dedicated to frozen food. It comes with duration guidance too.
The best air fryer 2023: tried and tested
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The best air fryer overall
The brand behind the iconic Instant Pot also makes air fryers, and its top-of-the-range model consistently turned out the crispiest fries and chicken wings of any air fryers we tested. In our testing, the fries had crisp exteriors but soft, fluffy insides, and the chicken was moist, while its skin was crispy and retained loads of flavor.
The Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer with ClearCook & OdourErase builds on the previous iteration, the Instant Vortex Plus, with a plastic window in the basket, and a light, that lets you keep an eye on food while it's cooking, and has a built-in filter to reduce smells too.
However, it doesn't come with any cooking charts, which means you will need to spend time experimenting to achieve the right cooking duration and temperature, particularly when it comes to frozen food. We also found the crisper plate falls out if the basket is tipped up too much when removing food, and the display suffers from fingerprint marks. However, these are minor gripes on what is in our eyes, the best air fryer on the market right now.
Read our full Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 with ClearCook & OdourErase review
The best budget air fryer
If you want a budget-friendly air fryer that's as stylish as it is effective, then the Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer L501 is worth considering. Unlike any of the air fryers we’ve tested previously, the LED and touch control panel is located on the glossy top of this kitchen gadget creating a streamlined look.
On test, we found the air fryer produced crisp, crunchy fries with soft, fluffy potato inside and succulent juicy chicken wings. However, it struggled to evenly brown foods, so we found ourselves tweaking cooking times, and it wasn't effective when cooking frozen foods either.
It has seven presets for dishes such as bacon, seafood, and cake. It also has a reminder to shake, which can be activated when setting the cooking time that will alert you halfway through cooking so you can turn the food to achieve an even crisp.
Read our full Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer L501 review
The best money no object air fryer
We're almost done with our testing and review of the Dreo Chefmaker, and we can already attest to its cooking prowess and its ability to deliver moist-on-the-inside and crispy-on-the-outside results. That’s due to the fact that this air fryer is able to cook more precisely than many others.
While it’s missing a lot of the usual presets – at least without app support – it offers Chef Mode, Classic Cook, and Probe Cook, so that you can either fine-tune the cooking experience, set it and forget it, or have the Chefmaker cook your food until its internal temperature is right where you want it, thanks to a nifty probe aka food thermometer that’s included in the box.
The transparent glass basket is also a nice addition as you can keep visual tabs on your food without pulling the basket out. We also appreciate the fact that the components are dishwasher safe. And, though water atomization and super convection seem like buzzwords that Dreo applies here, make no mistake. This is a powerful, if pricey, air fryer.
The best air fryer toaster oven
While most choices on this list are basket fryers, this offering from Cuisinart raises the bar with its mini oven or oven toaster design. The Cuisinart TOA-60 Air Fryer Mini Oven is a little more expensive than the others, but you're getting a lot of bang for your buck as it offers every cooking function you could need.
It doesn't just air fry, roast, bake, and reheat. It also convection bakes, convection broils, bakes, and toasts. And, we found it to be a powerful air fryer whose seven functions performed well during testing. Just bear in mind that, as in our experience, it takes a bit of tweaking and guesswork to get cooking times and temperatures right.
Finally, while the air frying function doesn’t make full use of its generous capacity, its spacious interior does grant more real estate to spread out your food while cooking. Plus, as it's several cooking appliances in one, you're also saving counter space.
Read our full Cuisinart TOA-60 Air Fryer Mini Oven review
The best for first-time users
If you're yet to ever own an air fryer, a little nervous to try out a new appliances and / or are conscious about spending money, the Ultenic K10 is a good one to consider.
During our review we couldn’t fault the food we cooked in it. With features such as keep warm, automatic preheat, as well as a reminder to shake foods, there’s certainly nothing lacking from the control panel, even with the wallet-friendly price tag. It isn't able to perform any other feature, other than air fry, but the app and 11 presets will make it a really easy-to-use and nice addition to the kitchen countertop.
A particular feature we loved is that there's a little beep half way through select cooking modes to remind you to shake the foods. You won't be able to cook two food types at the same time, though, and the controls are on the top so placing it on a high counter may not be the best position for it.
Read our full Ultenic K10 review