11 of the Very Best Air Fryers

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Function:Air fry, roast, bake, reheat, broil, dehydrate| Capacity:6 quarts

When I tested the Instant Vortex, the first thing I noticed and appreciated was the smooth, integrated interface. The touchpad is fully flush with the surface of the machine and lights up when you plug it in; it’s actually quite sleek-looking for a big appliance. The functions are intuitive, so much so that I never once had to reference the instructions the first time I used it. You choose from roast, bake, broil, reheat, dehydrate, or air fry, then click time and temperature, adjusting each by turning a small stainless-steel knob. The machine preheats in only two minutes, automatically pauses when you pull the basket out midway to shake food around, and — perhaps my favorite feature of all — has that light inside and a clear window at the front so you can actually see what’s going on. It alsocleans upperfectly with a light scrub.

But don’t just take it from me: The machine also comes recommended by three experts.Bruce Weinstein, co-author of multipleair fryingcookbooks, explains that while some models are very tall, which accounts for their overall capacity and ability to fit, say, a big pile of French fries, that setup won’t allow air to flow around as easily and result in the crispy texture you’re after. The Vortex, however, has a large square footage on the bottom, meaning you can lay everything in a single layer and avoid overcrowding. “It just has the perfect ratio of height to width,” he says.Cookbook authorJulia Turshen(who has the same modelbut without the see-through window) also appreciates the space. It’s basket-style (as opposed to a few models on this list that look liketoaster ovens), which means she can “fit way more than a skillet” and “just shake things up” instead of tediously flipping them over on a sheet tray.

Jenny Tschiesche, founder ofLunchbox Doctorand author of anair-frying cookbook, has tried a few different air fryers — but the Instant Vortex is the one that has stood the test of time in her kitchen with daily use for several years. “With some of the others, after a few months, the lining starts to come away, or you see scratches. But this one has lasted without damage,” she says. “And that’s something considering how much it gets used by all family members — including two teenagers.” For Tschiesche, the fact that many of her Le Creusetdishesfit in there is also a huge plus.

Function:Air fry| Capacity:2.6 quarts

If you’re air-frying curious but don’t want to break the bank on one — and might store it away in a cabinet instead of out on the counter for daily use — you can’t get better than the Dash’s Tasti-Crisp model, which is about half the price and half the size of all the options above. In testing, I found it to be supremely simple to use. There are only two dials: One at the top for temperature and one on the front for time. This makes it a breeze to figure out upon first opening and efficient to operate going forward (I find I gravitate towards just setting these two controls on any air fryer as it is, as opposed to using presets).

The machine is small, but that gives it a sleeker profile on the countertop than some others I’ve tested. And it perfectly fits one-person portions. For this reason, I especially like it for vegetables, like the broccoli below, though it does fit proteins like a filet of fish, or a handful of meatballs. Recipe developer and bloggerMadeline Parkof Cafe Maddy loves it for this reason, too. “I live alone and only cook one portion at a time,” says Park, who doesn’t even like to have leftovers because hervideo creationrequires her to make new meal after new meal. “I can cook a dish in 20 minutes, and it’s really intuitive to use.”

Function:Air fry, toast, bake, steak, chicken, seafood, shrimp, bacon, frozen foods, french fries, vegetables, preheat, shake, keep warm| Capacity:5.8 quarts

The Cosori air fryer has more particular presets than any of the other basket-style models on this list. While many of the others have additional functions like “bake” or “roast,” this one’s selections are more particular, allowing you to choose from food options like fries, vegetables, and bacon. They’re nice shortcuts — and ones that Jennifer West and Rebecca Abbott, the writers and recipe developers behindAir Frying Foodie, say work well. “Also, the directions are very clear and easy,” says West, who uses the machine to cook for four to six people regularly. “Some air fryers stress me out. You’re trying to set time and temperatures and there are too many buttons — and I’m someone who air-fries every day.” Hale appreciates that it’s affordable — “especially for the quality,” she says.

Function:Air fry| Capacity:7 quarts

The Philips has a couple standout features that prompted me to give it the title of most durable. First, the food tray is stainless-steel mesh, “almost like chicken wire,” Weinstein says. It’s a material that is bound to last much longer than the usual slatted nonstick trays you’ll find at the bottom of other basket-style air fryers. (Weinstein notes that you can put it in the dishwasher, but if you don’t have one, just soak it right after use so no hard bits stick, and then wash when you’re ready.) The second reason is an additional built-in layer underneath that mesh tray: a catcher where released fat drips down and collects. “It keeps splatter and smoke down,” he says, “especially with fatty foods like steak and hamburgers.” The less grease buildup over time, the better your air fryer will function, and the longer it will last. Recipe developer and food bloggerNicole Modicalso calls the air fryer high-quality as well as heavy-duty. Though she has a couple of models on hand, she uses this one when making fattier foods, too, like chicken wings. As for getting the accumulated grease out of the bottom, she says that cleanup is super easy because the drip tray comes out fully.

Function:Air fry, toast, bagel, bake, roast, broil, pizza, cookies, proof, dehydrate, reheat, warm, and slow cook| Capacity:1 cubic foot

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro boasts 13 preset functions. You can toast nine pieces of bread at a time, roast a 14-pound turkey, and fit a five-quart Dutch oven inside. In other words, it’s really not fooling around. Food writer and editorAlyse Whitneyhas been using hers for the last several years, and used Breville’s previous similar model for eight years before that. “This is like my ride-or-die appliance,” she says. “It is what will be buried with me.” Obviously it’s big, and not everyone has the counter space for that. But if you do, Whitney can’t recommend it enough. “I use this as my oven six out of seven days of the week,” she says. “And I use it as my second oven when I’m hosting a party. Two quarter sheet pans fit nicely in there because it has two levels. The basket ones seem simple, but also limiting. I love how many things this one does. Also, it has a clear window, so I can see what’s happening, which I like.” As for the difficult cleanup that Mims mentioned? Whitney has a solution: “I put a piece of aluminum foil underneath.”

Function:Air fry, convection bake, convection broil, bake, broil, warm, and toast)| Capacity:0.6 cubic feet

The Cuisinart is a slightly smaller (12 x 16 x 14 inches instead of 21 x 17 x 12 inches) machine with seven preset functions to its name. Mims says that if you want an air fryer that can do more than just air fry, this one does a great job. Like the Breville, it comes with a tray and a basket insert, though it will only hold one level at a time.

For a similar price as the Cuisinart, Modic recommends thisOster Air Fryer Oven, which she keeps on her counter and uses several times a week like atoaster ovento bake, roast, boil, toast, and keep food warm in addition to air fry. She says the buttons are super clear, a plus for her 6- and 8-year-old boys who use it often to make snacks, too. And she says she likes that you can move the trays to different levels so you can fit different-size foods and get the most even level of cooking depending on what you’re making.

Function:Air fry, roast, broil, bake, reheat, and dehydrate| Capacity:5.5 quarts

Unlike the Breville and the Cuisinart, this Ninja is a basket-style multifunctional air fryer (as opposed to tray-style). Erin Clarke, the recipe developer behindWell Plated, purchased hers a few years ago, uses it several times a week, and says it has held up great. Beyond its durability, “it has a lot of surface area, which allows you to put food in a single layer so it cooks and crisps evenly,” Clarke says. She appreciates that it only takes three minutes to preheat (though oftentimes she won’t even wait and it still works perfectly, she says). The basket slides out smoothly, too, so she can pull it out and shake food up part way through cooking. And “there’s never any residual grease or stains” after cleaning with a sponge anddish soap, she says, even when working with fatty foods like chicken wings and bacon.

Function:Air fry, air broil, roast, reheat, dehydrate, bake| Capacity:8 quarts

A similar Ninja air fryer — theDualZone 2-Basket Air Fryer— previously held this spot. I thought its performance was decent after testing but couldn’t get over how impractically huge it was. Then, Strategist junior writerBrenley Goertzenand her boyfriend, who owned the DualZone for more than three years, gave it up in a recent move for that exact reason. “It just took up so much counter space,” she says.

Still, she wanted the functionality of two different baskets — something no other model on this list has. So she went with the DoubleStack for the obvious reason: Its footprint is in height not width. Several months in, she likes the functionality even better, too. “It can actually cook more food, like two different dishes in each basket, thanks to the stacked meal racks,” she says. “We use the top rack to cook meats like chicken, and the bottom rack can be used for veggies and starches.” Goertzen notes that the “air broil” setting is great for finishing steaks and the “reheat” setting makes leftover pizza even better than the night it was delivered. Plus, it’s easy to wash the basket and racks in the dishwasher, and the body of the fryer is easy to wipe down if it ever needs it.

Function:Crisp, bake, air fry, recrisp| Capacity:4 quarts and 6 cups

A few years ago, Strategist writerArielle Avilabecame fed up with her air fryer. It was bulky and annoying to store, cleanup went from easy to arduous after some residue started to build up inside of the basket, and she became increasingly concerned about the plastic interior. Then her sister gifted her theNinja Crispi. “Over the past six months, it’s converted me into a full-on air-fryer devotee,” she says.

What sets the Ninja Crispi apart is that it cooks food in glass containers instead of nonstick-coated ones. There are two sizes that attach — a larger four-quart one and a smaller six-cup one — and Avila likes that she can switch between the two depending on whether she and her boyfriend are both eating or if she’s making a quick lunch for herself. Either way, an added bonus is that she can see the food as it cooks in real time. Both containers come with lids, so she can store leftovers directly in them. And all the pieces come apart to be stackable, so she can more easily keep them in her cabinet. “On top of that, the Crisper Plates it comes with are aluminum with nano-ceramic coating, so no PFAS there either,” Avila says.

Function:Air fry, pressure cook, saute, slow cook, steam, sous vide, roast, bake, broil, dehydrate, keep warm| Capacity:8 quarts

In fact, the Instant Pot Duo has 11 preset functions — but it’s the only one on this list that pressure cooks in addition to air frying. “For a long time, I was one of the most outspoken and vehement critics of air fryers,” says Courtney Kassel, recipe developer atAllrecipes. “But after moving in with an air fryer-owning friend, I’m well on my way to converted. In our apartment, as is the case with many, using the oven takes more effort than a simple switch, and can often be unreliable both in preheating time and temperature. Our trusty air fryer, however, preheats in minutes and I’d argue outperforms the oven for various tasks; evenly roasted vegetables, cooking proteins quickly, or just generally existing on TikTok in 2022. Additionally, ours happens to be a combination air-fryer-Instant Pot, meaning I can further justify the space it eats up in our limited kitchen storage and it’s a lifesaver on nights when the ‘What’s for dinner?’ conversation doesn’t even kick off until 7 p.m.”

Function:Air fry, roast, boil, bake, reheat, dehydrate, rotate)| Capacity:10 quarts

This Instant air fryer is the largest on the list and as such, accommodates several insertable accessories for cooking that wouldn’t fit in any other model. The first is a metal spit specifically designed for making rotisserie-style chicken that Hale says “has the crispiest skin on all sides.” You secure the bird on the spit, insert it into the air fryer, set your temperature and time, select the “rotate” button, and let it go. (While Instant says you can fit a bird up to four pounds, Hale prefers hers to be around three to prevent it from rubbing against the sides.) The machine also comes with a perforated cylindrical basket suspended in the center of the main chamber that rotates so the food inside tumbles around and receives maximum air flow. Hale says this makes the outside of french fries, tater tots, and chunks of vegetables even more uniformly crisp than other air fryers. It also accommodates two trays at a time that you can air fry on, as well as use with the machine’s toast and bake settings. While Hale admits the appliance isn’t quite as easy to clean as her Cosori XL based on sheer size, she says the inside still wipes down nicely and the front door comes completely off so it can be washed more thoroughly by hand.