The best air fryers could completely change your food preparation. Air fryers need a lot less oil than you'd use for regular frying, which means you'll get healthier food that's just as delicious, and because they're much smaller than standard ovens they heat up quicker and cook faster and more efficiently. So not only will you get your dinner much sooner, you'll save on energy bills too.

Air fryers don't actually fry food in the conventional sense. They're compact ovens that sit on your countertop and mimic the effects of frying with hot air and powerful fans that are large relative to the cooking space. Combined with designs that maximize airflow, they quickly deliver crisp and great-tasting results with not very much oil.

Our expert reviewers have tested dozens of of air fryers, from budget models with minimal options through to high-end smart models and dual-basket fryers that enable you to cook an entire meal in one go. They put them through standardized tests to gauge their performance on basic cooking, and also assess how easy they are to use and clean, and whether they offer good value for money. Based on those tests, we've rounded up what we think are the best air fryers for a range of needs and budgets.

Below is our quick guide to the best air fryers around. Use it to narrow down your options, then either hop down to the more in-depth entry, or head straight to a retailer to buy.

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 improves on the previous iteration, the Instant Vortex Plus, with a plastic window in the basket and an interior light so you can keep an eye on food while it's cooking, and it has a built-in filter to reduce smells, too.

However, it doesn't come with any cooking guides, 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 tends to fall out if the basket is tipped up too much when removing food, and the display doesn't take long to attract fingerprint marks. However, these are minor gripes on what is in our eyes, the best air fryer on the market for most people right now.

Read our full Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 with ClearCook & OdourErase review

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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. It's easy to use, with its LED touch control panel located on its glossy top, and it features seven presets for various foods including bacon, chicken and vegetables, and it enables you to adjust the temperature and cooking time to suit your tastes.

On test, we found the air fryer produced crisp, crunchy fries with soft, fluffy insides, 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.

The Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer L501 has some useful safety features: you have to fully insert the air fryer basket before the controls will work, and the basket as a button that you need to press before you can remove it from the air fryer. 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

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If you don't have room for both an air fryer and a microwave on your kitchen counter, this multifunctional cooker from Samsung combines them into a single appliance - and it works as a convection oven and a grill as well.

During our tests we found that the Samsung Combi took a bit longer than a standard air dryer to crisp our fries, but it was extremely versatile. There's a huge array of presets, but the intuitive controls make them easy to find and select, and the mobile app allows you to control it from afar. We were particularly impressed by its capabilities as a convection oven, and could see it replacing a freestanding oven in a small kitchen if you're particularly short of space, or need to make room for a dishwasher.

It's certainly not small, and it's pricier than most of the single-purpose air fryers in this guide, but it has a smart design that won't look out of place in a modern kitchen, and it can replace so many other appliances that it does represent good value.

Read our full Samsung Combi Smart Microwave Oven review

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With most air fryers, the more generous the cooking capacity, the more counter space you'll need to sacrifice. This Ninja model cleverly avoids that issue by stacking its baskets one on top of the other, rather than side-by-side. Each drawer holds 5qts / 4.75L, and you can create even more cooking space by slotting in one of the provided trays. Although do note that the tall-rather-than-wide approach means you won't get able to fit in, say, an uncut pizza. (If you just need something compact and don't need a large capacity, head to our guide to the best small air fryers.)

In our review, our tester noted no compromise in performance with this new design approach – the Double Stack delivers the same excellent performance as other Ninja air fryers we've tested. A wide range of different cooking modes make this model ultra-versatile, while the Sync and Match functions take all the pain out of cooking foods with different timing requirements – select your cooking mode, set your finish time and, if you're synchronizing the two baskets, select the cooking times for each, and it'll do the math for you. There's also virtually no heat leakage between the two trays, which is good news if you’re dealing with precise foods or don't want to waste energy when only using one basket.

The main down-side here is that the Double Stack is pricier than other dual-basket air fryers, so if you don't need to save on counter space you could get something as good for a lower price. But if you have a small kitchen, it could be well worth the extra investment. Currently only the 'XL' version is available, but we're expecting a smaller version to hit the market soon.

Read our full Ninja Double Stack review

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If you have yet to ever own an air fryer, but are a little nervous to try out new appliances and/or are conscious about spending money, the Ultenic K10 is a good beginner-friendly option to consider.

During our review, it was hard to find fault in its results. Its full-featured control panel comes with options like keep warm, automatic preheat, and a reminder to give the food a shake, giving you a lot of bang for your buck, especially with its budget-friendly price tag. It doesn’t have any other cooking function, however, apart from air frying, but its 11 presets and its app (which only works on 2.4GHz Wi-Fi) will make it a really easy-to-use and nice addition to the kitchen countertop.

In our tests we found it did a great job of producing crunchy, golden fries with fluffy insides, as well as crispy chicken wings with moist, tender meat inside. 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, which is something that's really easy to forget about if you're an air fryer novice. 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

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To the best of our knowledge the Ninja Double Oven is the only air fryer with a toaster oven design and two separate cooking compartments. Dual-zone air fryers usually achieve this with two drawers, but having two distinct cavities means this model is very flexible. The downside is that it's also harder to clean than models with removable drawers.

With the Ninja Double Oven air fryer, you can engage two different cooking functions at the same time: the top cavity can broil, toast, bagel, reheat and keep warm, while the bottom works like a standard air fryer. And there are 12 functions to choose from, including not just air frying but roasting, baking, toasting and more. In our tests we found it cooked very well across all its functions, and the Smart Finish feature makes it easy to co-ordinate two different kinds of cooking or two different temperatures so everything's ready at the same time.

The Ninja Double Oven is expensive, but if you want to have all your cooking bases covered, it’s an ideal solution for cooking for small or large groups alike. Unfortunately at the time of writing it's only available to customers in the US.

Read our full Ninja Double Oven Air Fryer review

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Though it’s still electric, the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill is designed for outdoor use, making it a fantastic addition to your backyard or garden and just the perfect cooking appliance to see you through your summer barbecues and backyard parties. It’s primarily a grill and a smoker, but it comes with a few additional cooking functions that give you a bigger bang for your buck – it can also air fry, bake, and roast.

Even if you haven’t used an electric grill or smoker before, you won’t have a hard time using this one. On test, we found it incredibly easy to use, thanks in large part to its clever self-igniting woodfire smoke box that utilizes wood pellets to give your food that smoky flavors that traditional wood or charcoal grills deliver. And it does so without a flame and with very minimal mess. If you hate the clean-up after grilling, this might be a better option for you. Just bear in mind that the accessories here aren’t dishwasher safe so you still have some cleaning to do.

As far as its air frying function, it works well too. It comes with a 2.5-quart basket that gives you enough room to cook around 3lbs (1.5kg) of fries, every single piece of which came out crispy and fluffy during our testing.

Read our full Ninja Woodfire review

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The Dreo ChefMaker is so impressive with 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.

Rather than the usual presets (bake, dehydrate, reheat etc), the ChefMaker 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 machine 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.

During testing, every meal we prepared turned out perfectly. We were particularly impressed by the way the ChefMaker cooked steak, with results that wouldn't look out of place in a restaurant.

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.

Read our full Dreo ChefMaker review

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If you need an air fryer that's smarter than average, the Cosori Pro III Dual Blaze, also known as the Cosori Dual Blaze in the UK, could be an attractive option. It's a smart air fryer, but there are some caveats: its Alexa support is US-only, and it needs to be connected to a 2.4GHz wi-fi network to communicate with devices such as smart speakers.

The app is very good, featuring over 100 tasty-looking recipes, with ingredients, method and settings required on the air fryer all outlined. It is possible to select a recipe and the temperature and time remotely on the app, however you'll need actually press the start/pause button on the air fryer itself to activate it.

Beyond its app, the Cosori Pro III Dual Blaze features an innovative design that includes an upper and lower heating element to cook foods quickly and evenly. It comes with 12 presets including chicken, veggies, fries, frozen, bake, reheat and roast. Each of these can be adjusted by temperature and/or duration, however we found in testing that they were pretty accurate by default, delivering golden waffles, crispy hash browns with fluffy insides, and equally crispy fries with no need to pre-heat the air fryer or shake the basket mid-cook.

This is one of the most expensive air fryers in the Cosori line-up, but it's one of the biggest and fastest too. It's worth considering even if you're not too bothered about the app recipes or control as it's a very capable cooking appliance.

Read our full Cosori Pro III Dual Blaze review

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What will you be cooking?

Different air fryers work best for different foods. Basket air fryers tend to be healthier because they funnel the juices, as well as the fat, away from the food but you can’t check on the food without opening them and letting cold air in, which can stall the cooking process. Bowl air fryers often have glass lids so you can keep an eye on your meal, but the cooking juices remain in the air fryer and in contact with the food, making it tastier but not as healthy.

How much will you be cooking?

If you’re feeding four or more mouths, look for larger air fryers, which can hold around 6.5 quarts / 6 liters, while couples will find designs that have a capacity of around 2.5 quarts / 2.5 liters will be sufficient. Some of the best air fryers also have more than one compartment, which means you can cook multiple foods at the same time. For more tips and tricks on getting the most out of your appliance, take a look at our guide to how air fryers work.

How much space do you have?

If you’re tight on space look for air fryers that offer a multitude of different cooking methods, to cut down on the number of appliances that clutter up your kitchen countertop. Sometimes an air fryer isn't the right appliance. For example, you could consider an Instant Pot or alternative multi-cookers, which includes some models that mimic the effect of a standalone air fryer.

Do you want to control it remotely?

Consider whether you want an air fryer with smart features that means you can switch it on or off from your smartphone.

What is your budget?

The price of air fryers varies enormously, with budget models starting below $100, and large-capacity premium fryers costing well over $300.

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Basket air fryers

Basket air fryers are the most popular type of air fryer. They have a slide-out basket or tray which slots in to the main unit, and tend to be available as a single or dual-drawer. Food like fries may be browned unevenly if it isn't rearranged or tossed around during cooking.

Oven-style air fryers

These are much larger than basket air fryers, and are often about the same size as a microwave. They have a door rather than a drawer, and use shelves rather than baskets. The air frying function is able to circulate air around the food more efficiently to achieve a more even crisp. Some may also include a rotisserie, and other accessories.

Halogen ovens

Although sometimes described as air fryers, halogen ovens work in a different way. Instead of circulating hot air a halogen oven uses infrared to constantly heat the food. This means that they can be more versatile than the more traditional air fryer, with a larger capacity and more forgiving shape of cooking area.

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To compare each air fryer, we cooked up batches and batches of fries and chicken wings, and evaluated the results for crispness and evenness of browning. In the case of chicken wings, we also checked how moist and juicy the meat was.

Plenty of cooking modes are a bonus, as are features like odor-reduction to limit the spread of cooking smells, but we also appreciate an air fryer that didn't require us to read a thick instruction book before we could get started. We rated each machine on ease of use, how loud its fans become (some are much noisier than others), and how hot the exterior casing got during use.

The type of controls is an important consideration (physical buttons or a touchscreen), as is the inclusion of a window and/or light that lets you check on the food while it's cooking without opening the air fryer and allowing heat to escape.

Afterwards, we rated each machine on its ease of cleaning, and durability of its body and parts. Some air fryers have components that are dishwasher-safe, while others must be cleaned entirely by hand.

Extra features like accessories and recipe books for ideas are a welcome addition, as are cooking charts that help you understand how long it'll take to cook your food compared to using a conventional oven.

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