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In the past few years, air fryers have crept into our hearts, and subsequently, our kitchens. And just like our coffee machine and blender, we believe it has become a staple of the modern kitchen. Healthier than frying, faster than roasting, and easy to clean, air friers make cooking easier, more efficient, and perhaps even tastier.
Whether you are a self-proclaimed master chef or think not burning your toast is an accomplishment, your kitchen could always benefit from the addition of this versatile appliance. Since there are a lot of options out there, we have gathered up some of our favorites to simplify your shopping experience.
What Should I Look for in an Air Fryer?
Most air fryers function similarly, with removable baskets to hold your food and convection fans inside that blast your food at temperatures between 200 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike a standard oven, they are able to heat up in under 5 minutes to temperatures as high as 400 degrees. Not only are they safer than pan frying, but they are healthier, using a fraction of the oil used on regular fried food. They also usually have some have dishwasher-safe removable parts that make them easier to clean.
Air fryers’ capacities typically range from 2 to 6 quarts, but you don’t want to overfill the basket, so consider buying a larger model if you have a hungry family to feed. The larger you go however, the more counter space the air fryer will take up. If you are looking to reduce the amount of appliances in your kitchen you may want to consider a combo model—these can combine air fryers with convection ovens, instant pots, and more.
How We Choose
To find the best options among the many air fryers out there, we researched the most popular models available. We then took into account price, footprint, ease of use, features, and capacity. Finally, we consulted more 96,000 than reviews, written by people who’ve bought these models on sites like Amazon, to settle on these eight.
Key Specs:
- Capacity: 4 quarts
- Max Heat: 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cooking Functions: Air frying, roasting, reheating, dehydrating
This Ninja is a great deal for $99. It has a medium-sized 4-quart basket and is capable not only of air frying, but also of roasting, reheating, and dehydrating.
It has a range of 105 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and has super user-friendly controls—plus it heats up to its hottest temperature in a matter of 3 minutes. The basket, crisper plate, and multi-layer rack are also all dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup.
Key Specs:
- Capacity: 2 quarts
- Max Heat: 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cooking Functions: Air frying
This mini fryer is great for both small budgets and small spaces. While the capacity is only 2 quarts, it works great for one or two people. This is also about as user-friendly as they come with two dials—one for temperature (max of 400 degrees Fahrenheit) and one for time (up to 30 minutes). The crisper holds up to 12 wings or a half bag of fries, and will shut off automatically when done cooking.
Key Specs:
- Capacity: 3.6 quarts
- Max Heat: 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cooking Functions: Air frying
This air fryer provides some serious real estate at a reasonable price. On sale now for $60, it is one of our more affordable picks, but it boasts a 3.6-quart basket, which is big enough for a small family, and it's easy to clean thanks to dishwasher-safe parts.
Cuisinart Convection Toaster Oven Air Fryer
Key Specs:
- Capacity: 0.6 cubic feet
- Max Heat: 450 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cooking Functions: On Sale Right Now
This air fryer and toaster oven combo is a great addition to any kitchen—particularly small ones, or for people that don't cook a lot. It allows you to toast, bake, convection bake, and air fry, and it does so quickly and evenly according to testers at the We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. It also features a 15.5 by 16–inch air fry rack that allows the food to spread out more instead of being in a pile allowing it to get extra crispy.
GoWise USA GW22954 Air Fryer
Key Specs:
- Capacity: 7 quarts
- Max Heat: 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cooking Functions: Air fry, roast, broil, dehydrate, grill, bake, reheat, keep warm
This air fryer is absolutely massive, making it a great option for big families or meal prepping. The basket holds up to 7 quarts, making it the largest air fryer on our list. It features a touchscreen with options like reheat, roast, bake, dehydrate, and more. It comes in four different color options, and also 2- and 5-quart models.
Key Specs:
- Capacity: 6 quarts
- Max Heat: 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cooking Functions: Running in the Cold.
This air fryer comes with a unique feature—rotisserie. Testers at Muscle-Building Proteins for Vegetarians found that it cooked a 4-pound chicken in under an hour. It also comes with skewers and kabobs, which makes it great for cooking all types of meat. Juices and excess oil collect on a removable, dishwasher-safe tray at the bottom, and the door comes off as well making for easy cleanup.
Key Specs:
- Capacity: 5.8 quarts
- Max Heat: 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cooking Functions: Air fry
This air fryer may be a bit pricey, but with it you get the luxury of controlling the settings, looking up recipes, and monitoring cooking all from your phone. It also responds to voice commands through Alexa or Google Assistant. There are a bunch of preset options, but if none of them seem right, you can always control it manually.
Instant Pot Pro Crisp 11-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker
Key Specs:
- Capacity: 8 quarts
- Max Heat: 450 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cooking Functions: Air fry, broil, bake, roast, dehydrate, reheat, rotisserie, toast, warm, convection oven, pressure cook
This appliance is advertised as a pressure cooker, but it has a great air frying function that earned it a place on our list. Compared to the other appliances, it technically has the largest capacity, fitting 8 quarts at max. It comes with a bunch of accessories like a multi-use cooking rack, nonstick air fryer basket, dehydrate/broil tray, a protective pad for the lids, and a storage cover to help support its 11 different cooking functions.
Before joining Runner's World, Gabrielle Hondorp spent 6 years in running retail (she has tested top gear from shoes, to watches, to rain jackets which has expanded her expertise—and her closets); she specializes in health and wellness, and is an expert on running gear from head-to-toe. Gabi began her journalism career as a Digital Editorial Fellow for Runner’s World and Bicycling Magazine, and has since advanced to a Runner's World Editor specializing in commerce. She has a double degree in English and Media and Communication from Muhlenberg College where she also ran cross country and track.
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