We Tested 20+ Air Fryers and 11 Crisped the Competition Part I

Best Overall

Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer

$100 at Amazon

View on Cosori.com

There are some awfully expensive air fryers out there, but the Cosori Pro LE proves that a higher price doesn’t always mean a higher quality. A top performer in all our cooking tests, it boasts extremely easy controls, with precise temperature settings, a cool-touch basket handle, and even a customizable “shake reminder” to ensure you periodically give your food a little agitation to ensure even doneness. It has a really nice, compact, sleek, and—most importantly—safe design. During our testing, even when operated by someone with no air frying experience, this machine was easy to brown Brussels sprouts as well as crisp up fries and wings. We did note that it took a bit longer than the recipes specified for full doneness.

Many product listings for the Pro LE call it a “9-in-1” appliance, which is a bit of a misnomer: It has settings for seven different foods as well as pre-heat and keep warm, but its only function is air-frying. It doesn’t offer dehydration, baking, toasting, or any of the other alternate cooking methods some models have. Still, it does an excellent job at its one main task, and its 5-quart basket had no trouble holding full batches of each recipe we tested. When it comes to cleaning, the basket and crisper plate that fits inside it—the only parts of the machine likely to get very dirty—are non-stick and dishwasher-safe.

Capacity: 5 quarts | Power: 1,500 watts | Dimensions: 10.7 x 10.8 x 11.9 inches

Best Overall, Runner-Up

Ninja 4-Quart Air Fryer

$90 at Amazon

$100 at Walmart

$90 at Target

This Ninja model performed beautifully in a range of cooking tests and really impressed us with its ease of use and cleaning. It had no trouble making deliciously crispy french fries, wings, and shrimp, with a basket and crisper plate that go right in the dishwasher after cooking. Its wings were probably the best in all of our testing, with crisp, golden-brown skin and a juicy, evenly cooked interior. The controls couldn’t be simpler, and we definitely didn’t need to consult the manual before getting started.

On top of its amazing air frying, the Ninja has reheat, roast, and dehydrate settings that extend its capabilities to things such as warming up leftover pizza to crispy-crust perfection, cooking pork tenderloin, and making apple chips. Our only real quibble is that its 4-quart basket is fairly small and shaped in a way that can’t fit larger individual items very efficiently: In testing, we needed three batches to air-fry four servings of coconut shrimp.

In all, this Ninja and the Cosori Pro SE we named our top pick would both be a welcome addition to your kitchen. The Cosori won for its slightly larger capacity and lower price, but the Ninja has extra cooking modes that the Cosori doesn’t. If you plan to use the machine for more than just air frying, the Ninja might well be worth the extra few bucks.

Capacity: 4 quarts | Power: 1,550 watts | Dimensions: 8.5 x 12.1 x 11 inches

 

Best Large-Capacity

Instant Pot Vortex Plus 10-Quart Air Fryer

$131 at Amazon

$150 at Walmart

$131 at Wayfair

We’re big fans of the Instant Pot company for its popular line of electric pressure cookers, so our expectations for its air fryer were admittedly high. This multipurpose appliance nonetheless managed to exceed them. It combines the features of a standard air fryer with the functionality of a countertop oven, plus a rotating rotisserie.

As a standard air fryer, the Instant Vortex was able to cook very evenly despite its large capacity, doing a fantastic job with everything we threw at it. The controls are quite user-friendly, but we noted a minor flaw in that the machine uses a tray rather than a basket to hold food. This makes it tougher to shake items while cooking and requires a hot pad to remove afterward.

It takes a time or two to figure out how to set up this machine’s included rotisserie basket and spit, but they also work quite impressively. We were able to roast a 4-pound whole chicken in 45 minutes and thought it was as good as those that are slow-roasted for an entire day. You can also use the rotating basket in air-frying mode, which tumbles wings or fries to help them brown evenly. (The basket isn’t a good choice for more delicate items that will crumble if tossed around, however.)

Another big plus for the Instant Vortex is cleanup: Almost everything that contacts food is removable, nonstick-coated, and dishwasher-safe, including the drip tray that lines the bottom of the oven. If the door and interior get dirty, you can wipe them down with a sponge and dish soap. It does take up a bit of counterspace, but we think it’s well worth it thanks to the variety of tasks it can accomplish.

Capacity: 10 quarts | Power: 1,500 watts | Dimensions: 13.2 x 13.2 x 14.4 inches

Best Budget

Dash Compact Air Fryer

$49 at Amazon

$49 at Wayfair

$50 at QVC

At just 2 quarts, the capacity of the Dash Compact is the smallest we’ve found among air fryers. It’s also the lowest-priced of all the models we tested, but everyone in our Lab was very impressed with the results. It might have taken four batches to cook 12 ounces of coconut shrimp, but they were browned and crisp outside, juicy and sweet within.

In terms of controls, there are analog dials for temperature and a timer, and that’s it. With some practice, we were able to get excellent results. The key is to fill the basket to the roughly same level every time: When we cooked biscuit bites, the first batch, with a full basket, came out perfect, but the second one, with a smaller number of bites, was on the verge of burning.

The Dash Compact is tiny and cheap, but it really does get the job done. It’s not the air fryer for a large family, but it might be ideal for someone who lives alone, shares a tiny kitchen with roommates, or is whipping up snacks in a dorm room.

Capacity: 2 quarts | Power: 1,000 watts | Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.1 x 11.4 inches

 

Best With Toaster Oven

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer

$350 at Amazon

$350 at Target

$350 at Williams-Sonoma

The Breville Smart Oven might be pricey, but it does a great job as a toaster, broiler, dehydrator, and pizza oven in addition to an air fryer. It offers a huge capacity: It can fit nine slices of bread, a 13-inch pizza, or nearly an entire bag of frozen french fries. (It helpfully comes with custom-sized pizza and baking pans along with its large air-fry basket and oven racks.) The controls are simple to use, with a light-up display and simple dial to control the time, as well as a large-type display that’s easy to read, even from across the room.

With all these different functions (it has 11 presets), you might worry that this unit wouldn’t do a great job with any of them, but our tests found quite the opposite. It can make a huge batch of crispy, golden fries and then turn around and bake cookies or broil veggies, fish, or even bananas without missing a beat. The glass door does get hot, so we recommend giving it a good amount of space and using a kitchen towel to open it when in use.

Not only were we impressed with this appliance’s performance, but we also love how easy it is to clean, too: A removable crumb tray collects any stray bits of food, and each of the oven pieces comes out for cleaning with a simple wipe-down. None of the pieces are dishwasher safe, but they are easy to hand-wash.

This thing may be one of the most expensive air fryer/toaster/countertop ovens out there, but it really can replace all three, which might make the price worth it. It’s even available in seven different colors to match your kitchen decor.

Capacity: 4.4 quarts | Power: 1,800 watts | Dimensions: 10.9 x 18.9 x 15.9 inches

Best With Pressure Cooker

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

PHOTO: AMAZON

$174 at Amazon$229 at Walmart$200 at Target

Fans of multifunctional kitchen appliances will want to check out this air fryer option from Instant Pot. It comes with two lids—one for air frying and one for pressure cooking—that enable the pot to function as both an air fryer and the classic pressure cooker the brand is known for. Instant Pot has so many different models that it’s hard to remember the differences, but this one stands out from the crowd thanks to its sleek black exterior and its handy vent/pressure toggle.

The pot holds up to 8 quarts, which is enough room to air fry a whole chicken, and is equipped with 11 cooking functions that are sorted by which lid they require (though there are no preset cooking programs). The pressure-cooking lid can also sauté, slow-cook, steam, and sous-vide, and the air-fryer lid can also warm, roast, bake, broil, and dehydrate. The pressure cooker performed well with pork ribs, steamed cauliflower, and sautéed potatoes in our tests, while air-fried egg rolls and fries were also a success.

We also found that the inner pot has some upgraded features compared to other Instant Pot models, including side handles and a flat bottom for even cooking. It can even be used on the stovetop or in a conventional oven. The unit comes with a number of accessories, including a multi-use cooking rack, a nonstick air fryer basket, a dehydrate/broil tray, a protective pad for the lids, and a storage cover. Most of them are dishwasher-safe, and they also fit inside the machine all at once for compact storage.

Capacity: 8 quarts | Power: 1,500 watts | Dimensions: 14.8 x 12.5 x 15.5 inches (with air-fryer lid)