We Tested 20+ Air Fryers and 8 Crisped the Competition

Best Overall

Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer

$100 $80 at Amazon View on Cosori.com

The 5-quart Cosori fared well in our tests, and it’s relatively affordable. The controls are intuitive, the handle stays cool during cooking, and it’s very safe to use. Even users new to air frying found it simple to operate when they made crispy Brussels sprouts, fries, and wings. There’s even a customizable reminder to make sure you shake or turn the food for the most even cooking. The design is sleek and compact, so it will fit the decor of most kitchens.

Some descriptions call this a “9-in-1” appliance, but let’s be clear: It’s an air fryer, plain and simple. It does have presets for seven different foods along with preheat and keep-warm functions. It’s not designed to dehydrate, toast, or bake, although a clever cook might find a way to do those. However, it does its primary job well, and the basket is roomy enough for full recipes. Another thing we love is that the basket and crisper plate are both dishwasher-safe for super-easy cleaning when cooking is done.

Type: Basket-style | Capacity: 5 quarts | Dimensions: 10.7 x 10.8 x 11.9 inches | Maximum Temperature: 450 degrees

Best Overall, Runner-Up

Ninja 4-Quart Air Fryer

$130 $107 at Amazon View on Walmart $120 at Wayfair

We’ve been fans of Ninja’s innovative products for a while, and this air fryer is no exception. In testing, it was easy to use even without peeking at the manual. It performed well in all of our tests, whether we were crisping up French fries or making shrimp or wings for lunch. In fact, the wings cooked in the Ninja were the best of all of our tests, with that classic combination of crisp skin and a juicy interior. Since the basket and crisper plate are both dishwasher-safe, cleaning was easy, too.

Besides air frying, the Ninja has presets for reheat, roast, and dehydrate, to make it even more versatile. While the dehydrate function can be fun for making a garnish, the 4-quart basket can only accommodate small amounts of food. Due to its shape, it’s not very efficient with larger recipes. (We had to split our coconut shrimp into three batches to cook them evenly.)

In the end, we liked both the Cosori and the Ninja, and it was hard to choose the top pick. In the end, the Cosori won because of its better price-to-capacity ratio. However, the extra functions on the Ninja are hard to ignore. Either would be a great addition to the kitchen.

Type: Basket-style | Capacity: 4 quarts | Dimensions: 8.5 x 12.1 x 11 inches | Maximum Temperature: 400 degrees

Best Large-Capacity

Instant Pot Vortex Plus 10-Quart Air Fryer

$160 $95 at Amazon View on Walmart $166 at Wayfair

The name Instant Pot is practically synonymous with electric pressure cookers, but the company has much more to offer, like the impressive Vortex air fryer. It’s so different from the competition that it’s hard to think of it as the same appliance; it’s more of a countertop oven that can also air fry. It did an amazing job with all of the air frying tasks, and cooks evenly despite its 10-quart capacity.

The rotisserie basket and spit are nice extras that you won’t find in most air fryers. A whole chicken cooked in just 45 minutes, and it was every bit as good as a traditional oven-roasted bird. But we found other great uses for the rotisserie, too! The rotation and jostling might not be the best for breaded or delicate foods, but it’s ideal for french fries—you won’t have to worry about flipping them during cooking. 

When not using the rotisserie basket, the oven utilizes a tray for cooking. You can’t really shake foods mid-cooking, so have your tongs or a spatula ready. Because the tray gets hot, a mitt is required to remove it from the oven, much like any cooking pan.

Cleanup is a breeze since all the removable parts are dishwasher-safe, including the drip pan. The manual suggested lining that drip pan with foil, but considering how easy it was to clean, we didn’t feel that was necessary.

Type: Air fryer oven | Capacity: 10 quarts | Dimensions: 13.2 x 13.2 x 14.4 inches | Maximum Temperature: 400 degrees

Best Budget

Dash Compact Air Fryer

$50 at Amazon $50 at Wayfair $50 at QVC

Dash specializes in small appliances, and this cute air fryer certainly fits that description. If you’ve got very little counter or storage space and you’re happy to cook in small batches, this may be the air fryer you’ve been looking for. The basket has a tiny 2-quart capacity, so we had to split our coconut shrimp over four batches during our tests. Testers loved the results, though.

Like many Dash products, this air fryer features analog controls for temperature and time. There are no other settings, options, or presets. It’s simple enough to use, but we’ll admit that sometimes it’s nice to be able to press a button and walk away. Another quibble is that if you know the correct timing for a full basket of food, a half-basket won’t give the same result.

Overall, we liked it, and it’s a terrific option for anyone who has limited space and for people who want to cook small portions.

Type: Basket-style | Capacity: 2 quarts | Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.1 x 11.4 inches | Maximum Temperature: 400 degrees

Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer

$350 at Amazon $350 at Target View on Williams Sonoma

Breville is known for high-quality appliances, and this smart oven is no exception. And yes, we think of it as a countertop oven that can also air fry, rather than an air fryer that might also make your toast. But there’s more! It’s large enough to handle a 13-inch pizza, or almost an entire bag of frozen fries without stacking. Even better, it comes with a pizza pan, baking pans, and an air fry basket that fits the oven perfectly, so you won’t need to buy accessories. 

Those who have used Breville products will be familiar with the controls and display, which are easy to use, read, and understand. But the proof is in the cooking, and in tests, this air fryer performed exceptionally well, whether we were making fries, baking cookies, or broiling meats and vegetables. Sheet pan suppers are no problem with this countertop workhorse.

Be aware that the glass gets hot, so it’s wise to grab a mitt to open the door, just to be safe. The Breville has a removable crumb tray that keeps the bottom of the oven clean, and while its other parts aren’t dishwasher-safe, they were easy enough to clean by hand. 

Type: Air fryer oven | Capacity: 4.4 quarts | Dimensions: 10.9 x 18.9 x 15.9 inches | Maximum Temperature: 450 degrees

Most Versatile

Instant Pot Pro Crisp & Air Fryer 8-Quart Multi-Use Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer

$270 $190 at Amazon $270 at Wayfair $270 at Target

While air frying, pressure cooking, and slow cooking are distinct cooking methods, Instant Pot managed to combine them all in a single appliance, and each one performs well. This innovative cooker comes with updated versions of the classic Instant Pot lids, now safer than ever. This model has an 8-quart capacity, so there’s enough space to cook a whole chicken, whether you’re pressure cooking to make stock or you’re air frying for dinner.

When it comes to air frying, there’s only one preset, though the Crisp lid can also be used with the bake and roast functions. You simply place the nonstick air fryer basket inside the Instant Pot’s stainless steel bowl, which now locks into place, and arrange your food with the help of its accessories: the vented tray and/or the metal rack. The air frying function automatically begins preheating and will alert you when it’s time to add food (or you can leave the food in from the beginning).

The Crisp lid comes with a bottom cover to protect your counters and hands after cooking. Most of the accessories are dishwasher-safe, and they store inside the pot when it’s not in use. Still, you’ll need storage space for everything, and the air fryer lid is fairly tall.

Type: Basket-style | Capacity: 8 quarts | Dimensions: 14.8 x 12.5 x 15.5 inches (with air-fryer lid) | Maximum Temperature: 450 degrees

Best Mid-Size

Cosori Dual Blaze Air Fryer

$180 $153 at Amazon View on Walmart View on Target

This Cosori air fryer has several innovations we like, including the dual heating elements, with one above and one below the food tray. This means there’s less need to shake or flip food for even cooking. Additionally, it pairs with Alexa or Google Assistant, offering voice control. While you still need to be near the fryer to handle the actual food, it’s fun to add a timer or set the temperature using voice commands. It can also be handy to stop the cooking from another room if you get distracted and don’t want the wings to overcook.

It has a whopping 12 presets that include both heating options and settings for specific foods, so it was simple to get food cooking quickly. With the phone app, you can also scan the barcode on frozen foods, and the app finds the best cooking instructions for air frying. That makes air frying super easy, even for folks who might have trouble seeing the fine print on the frozen food packages. 

Our quibbles are about details rather than cooking prowess. The holes on the cooking basket are a bit large, so smaller foods can fall through, although that can be fixed with an air fryer liner. Also, the edges of the basket were a little sharp in places, so we had to be careful when cleaning.

Type: Basket-style | Capacity: 6.8 quarts | Dimensions: 11.7 x 12.9 x 13.8 | Maximum Temperature: 400 degrees

Best Dual Basket

Ninja DoubleStack XL Air Fryer

$250 at Amazon View on Walmart $250 at Wayfair

Fish sticks and fries require different cooking times and temperatures, so what do you do if you want to cook both at once? This air fryer solves this dilemma with two independent 5-quart compartments. Even better, there are removable metal racks within each compartment, so your sweet potato fries won’t mingle with your regular fries, and mozzarella sticks won’t get attached to breaded shrimp. 

This fryer has just six functions (air fry, air broil, roast, bake, reheat, and dehydrate), but those are sufficient for everything we like to cook. It has a maximum temperature of 450 degrees, which is enough to get food nice and crisp. Overall, we are impressed with its performance, particularly the air-fried salmon. We also like how the vertical stacking means a slim design that takes less counter space.

There’s a learning curve with this machine since food cooks differently depending on whether you’re using one basket or two. There was a bit of trial-and-error during testing, but it didn’t take long to figure it out. For sure, food benefits from being tossed or flipped during cooking. This is undoubtedly a more expensive option, but if you regularly need to air fry different foods at the same time, it’s a much better option than having multiple air fryers.

Type: Basket-style | Capacity: 10 quarts | Dimensions: 11.25 x 19.2 x 15.1 inches | Maximum Temperature: 450 degrees