Air fryers come in many different shapes and sizes (and prices) and not all air fryers are created equal. Generally speaking, the top brands manufacture high quality air fryers that are suitable for most cooks. When searching for the perfect air fryer, however, the subtle differences can be overwhelming. We hope this list of Best Air Fryers will help you feel confident when choosing the best air fryer for your kitchen. You can click on any of the air fryers below to see a full in-depth review that includes price, capacity, features, pros & cons, etc.
Best Overall
10
Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer
- 6-in-1 functionality: air fry, broil, roast, dehydrate, bake and reheat
- One-touch smart programs
- Easy to use display: touchscreen shows each stage of cooking
- Easy clean-up: non-stick, dishwasher safe air fry basket and tray
- Adjustable temperature: easily select temperatures from 95°F to 400°F
- Perfect size: holds enough food for growing families, preparing side dishes and appetizers
- Proven safety features: built-in safety features including overheat protection and auto-off
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Best Digital
9.9
Philips Essential Air Fryer XL
- Phillips is one the top air fryer brands
- High capacity air fryer basket perfect for families
- The unique “starfish” design swirls hot air to create delicious foods, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside
- Digital touchscreen is easy to use
- Comes with an automatic shut-off and a cool wall exterior
- Crafted by a team of experts, who have been perfecting airfryer technology for over 10 years
- All removable parts are dishwasher safe and our airfryer’s quickclean basket has a non-stick coating
- PFOA and PBA free
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Best Teflon-Free
9.9
Instant Pot Duo Crisp XL
- 11-in-1 functionality: pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, sauté pan, food warmer, sous vide, air fryer, roaster, mini oven, broiler, and dehydrator
- Instant Pot is one of the top air fryer brands
- Quick one-touch cooking
- Quick and easy clean up: finger-print resistant, stainless-steel sides and dishwasher-safe lid
- Proven safety features: includes over 10 safety features, plus overheat protection
- Teflon-free
- Perfect for larger families: cook for up to 8 people perfect for larger families, or meal prepping
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Top 27 Air Fryers of 2022
- Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer– Best Overall Air Fryer
- Philips Essential Air Fryer XL – Best Digital Air Fryer
- Instant Pot Duo Crisp XL – Best Teflon-Free Air Fryer
- Ninja Foodi 2-Basket Air Fryer
- Philips Premium Air Fryer XXL
- Ninja AF101 Air Fryer
- Oster Teflon-Free DuraCeramic Air Fryer– Best Small Air Fryer
- Dash Compact Air Fryer
- JKM Air Fryer
- Ninja Foodi Pro Air Fryer
- PowerXL Air Fryer Grill
- Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Countertop Oven
- Deco Chef Air Fryer with Toaster Oven
- BELLA Air Fryer
- Cosori Pro Smart Air Fryer
- Instant Vortex Plus XL Dual Basket Air Fryer
- Cosori Pro Air Fryer
- Chefman TurboFry Air Fryer
- Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven
- Instant Vortex Mini Air Fryer
- GoWISE USA Programmable 8-in-1 Air Fryer
- Aria Teflon-Free Premium Ceramic Air Fryer
- Yedi Teflon-Free Evolution Air Fryer
- Chefman Digital Air Fryer
- Innsky Teflon-Free XL Air Fryer
- Louise Sturhling Teflon-Free Air Fryer
- Chefman TurboFry Air Fryer 2Qt
What to look for when buying an air fryer?
With so many air fryers in the market right now, you might be overwhelmed when trying to select the perfect or best air fryer for your kitchen. Here are some of the main factors we used when researching air fryers for our list of best air fryers:
- Brand
- Price
- Capacity
- Features
- Ease of Use (Digital vs Manual Controls)
- Ease of Cleaning
- Materials
- Color
- Shape
- Safety Features
- Wattage/Power
- Warranty
- Temperature Range
Brand Name
In the Air Fryer marketplace, brand name means a lot. The larger more recognizable brand names are producing higher quality products.
In our opinion, the top 5 air fryer brands are:
- Philips
- Instant Pot
- Ninja
- Cosori
- Cuisinart
Price
The price of air fryer may be your number 1 priority. With air fryers, you don’t always get what you pay for. There is a huge range of prices. There are good air fryers for under $50, but our conclusion is that the $100 – $150 price point is the sweet spot.
Capacity
Capacity is perhaps the second largest factor when determining the ideal air fryer for your kitchen. Small air fryers obviously take up less counter space, but lack in the ability to cook for a family. If you have kids or plan to cook in bulk, a high-capacity/large air fryer will likely suit you better. Manufacturers use quarts to describe the capacity of the air fryer basket. The smallest air fryer capacity is 1 quart. Even a 2 quart air fryer would be considered compact or mini. For a family, you will want an air fryer basket with at least a 4 quart (perhaps even 6 quart) basket.
Features
You will want to pay close attention to the features a prospective air fryer offers. If you only want one appliance out on the countertop, you may consider an air fryer combo that can also function as a pressure -cooker or toaster oven. These combos will need their own space on the counter as they may be bulkier than a regular air fryer and not so portable.
Another feature to consider in your air fryer is how many cooking functions it features. We have seen touchscreen digital air fryers listing up to 11 cooking functions. Each function translates to “temperature paired with time” depending on what you plan to cook and how you want to cook it. A simple manual dial on an air fryer, though, gives you basically the same features. Manual vs digital is probably the most important feature to consider and this applies mostly to your personal preference. We prefer manual-dial air fryers for their simplicity and easy learning curve.
Ease of Use (Digital vs Manual Controls)
One of the biggest complaints we see is that digital air fryers can be hard to use. While some digital interfaces are intuitive, others can be really difficult to get used to. While some peoplelove the preprogrammed settings that come with most digital air fryers, we really like the simplicity of the manual air fryers. Simply set the time & temperature with manual dials. The manual controls seem to last longer too.
Ease of Cleaning
Due to surging demand for healthy living and eating, many air fryers now come with PFOA and PFTE-free nonstick pans, baskets and crisping trays that are removable and are dishwasher safe. Look for this info in the description of the air fryer you are looking at just to make sure. The removable trays and baskets make an air fryer so easy to clean and all the air fryers in our best air fryer list have removable and dishwasher-safe trays and baskets.
A common complaint of new air fryers is the bad plastic or chemical smell. If you wash all the removable parts first and do a test run at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, the smell should be removed. Learn more in our article “Why does my air fryer smell like plastic?“
Materials
The materials used in the construction of the air fryer are important for a few reasons. Quality materials are of course very important, but perhaps more important is the existence of various chemicals. When cooking food, you have to pay attention to potential sources of toxins. We are big believers in teflon-free air fryers and BPA free air fryers. See our list of best teflon-free air fryers.
Color
Most air fryers come in black or stainless steel. We have noticed a proliferation in available colors recently and believe that trend will continue to grow.
Shape
Air fryers are normally egg-shaped or angular (square or rectangle). The square models typically have a square air fryer basket and hold more food than the round baskets that normally come in the egg-shaped models.
Safety Features
Air fryers will list some very important safety features. Some of the common safety features you may want your air fryer to have include:
- Auto-shutoff
- A cool-touch handle for safety when opening the air fryer tray and basket
- Cord storage in back of the air fryer to protect you from accidents when moving the air fryer
- Air vents in the exterior of the appliance to ease the flow of hot air
- Durability; air fryer baskets and exteriors coated with a ceramic finish are safe and durable as is a stainless steel interior cavity.
- Air fryers constructed without Teflon are by far the safest to use when considering your good health.
- Look for PFOA/PTFE/Teflon/BPA-free construction in the air fryer’s safety features.
Wattage/Power
The cooking strength of an air fryer power is measured in watts. Generally speaking, the higher the wattage, the higher power or temperature the air fryer can generate. Compact or mini air fryers are around 1,000 watts. Larger or high powered air fryers can have up to 2,200 watts. Thehigher the wattage, the higher temperature the air fryer can generate. Lower wattage air fryers, for example, max out at about 350 degrees F, while higher wattage models can get up to 400 degrees F. While it may sound counterintuitive, the high powered air fryers are often more efficient as they cook at higher temps and therefore faster.
Warranty
Most air fryermanufacturers offer a 1-2 yr warranty from the date ofpurchase. Fill out the registration card that comes with the air fryer. A good warranty insures the appliance will either be repaired or replaced if found to be defective, or they will offer a refund during the warranty period. The warranty is only valid for the original retail purchasers from the date of the initial retail purchase and is not transferable. Keep your original sales receipt, as proof of purchase is required to obtain warranty validation.
Temperature Range
You need to prepare different types of food that require distinct temperatures. Hence it is crucial to consider the temperature control feature of an air fryer before saying yes to it. Make sure that it is able to get to a high temperature enough to satiate your air frying needs.
