The 4 Best Air Fryers of 2023

The Cons:

The Best Air Fryer

In February Cosori issued a recall of 21 air fryer models following incidents of them catching fire, melting, overheating, or smoking. Our budget pick, the Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer, isn’t part of the recall.

If you’re looking for a compact kitchen appliance to bridge that gap between a microwave and a conventional oven, a pod-shaped air fryer might do the trick.

An air fryer crisps food like an oven does, but it also functions quickly and conveniently, like a microwave.

We’ve tested dozens of models since 2017, and we believe the Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741 is the best model out there. It is easy to use, cooks food more evenly and consistently than other pod-shaped air fryers, and doesn’t take up too much counter space.

Everything we recommend

Our pick

Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741

The best air fryer

The Philips HD9741/56 is intuitive to use and has an elegant design that doesn’t take up too much counter space. When filled to capacity, it was able to cook food more evenly than any other pod-shaped model we tested.

Buying Options

Budget pick

Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer

A budget air fryer

This air fryer was the best model we tested in the $100 range. It shares some of the features we liked in the Philips, such as a large square basket and a streamlined control panel, though it doesn’t cook as evenly.

Buying Options

Also great

Instant Mini Vortex 4-in-1

A small-but-mighty air fryer

The Instant Mini Vortex is small, powerful, and one of the cheapest models we tested. While the wee basket can fit only one serving size at a time, the machine circulates heat fairly well and manages to cook food without dehydrating it.

Buying Options

What to consider

Air fryers are mini convection ovens. They use fans to rapidly circulate hot air and crisp your food.

Air fryers are compact and don’t need to preheat, which cuts down on cook time.

The size of these machines limits the amount of food you can cook at once, and they don’t always cook evenly.

If you have a large family and need a more spacious, versatile appliance, consider an air fryer toaster oven.

That said, the Philips Premium Airfryer is not our favorite appliance for air frying. If you have the space and budget, we recommend an air fryer toaster oven, which is more versatile and cooks more evenly than its pod-shaped counterparts. But we have learned over the years that many people prefer the pod-shaped style for a few reasons. Pods are typically more compact, which means they cook a bit faster, since there’s less oven space to heat. Some people also find that it’s easier (or just more fun) to use an air fryer basket with a handle, rather than pulling a hot pan from an oven. We get more into the pros and cons of each style below. But if you are short on time or space, cooking just a few servings, and favor crispy food, a pod-shaped air fryer might be right for you.

Our pick

Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741

The best air fryer

The Philips HD9741/56 is intuitive to use and has an elegant design that doesn’t take up too much counter space. When filled to capacity, it was able to cook food more evenly than any other pod-shaped model we tested.

Buying Options

After years of testing, we think the 3-quart Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741 is the best pod-shaped air fryer out there. It’s easy to use, has a relatively small footprint, and cooks food evenly. When tested against similar models from other brands, the Philips performed better across the board: It cooked the crispiest french fries and the most evenly golden chicken nuggets. We also like that it only has four preprogrammed settings: frozen fries, chicken, fish, and meat, all of which you access through a single dial on the control panel that’s simple and intuitive. More settings on other machines felt like overkill, since we ended up just using the manual settings regardless. One downside to note: The basket is heavier than others we tested and has more pieces to clean (though you can choose not to use some of them).

Budget pick

Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer

A budget air fryer

This air fryer was the best model we tested in the $100 range. It shares some of the features we liked in the Philips, such as a large square basket and a streamlined control panel, though it doesn’t cook as evenly.

Buying Options

The 5-quart Cosori Pro LE is big and beautiful, with a sleek design and easy-to-use interface. It’s no wonder many YouTubers and bloggers have proclaimed it their favorite pod-shaped air fryer. The Cosori Pro LE is the newest version of our previous budget pick, the Cosori Pro, and we think it offers a better user experience: The basket is easier to remove, and it fits more food than our other picks. The 11 preprogrammed settings are now clearly labeled with words rather than ambiguous food icons. The Pro LE also looks nicer. It has a chic matte finish, and the touch display screen has been moved to the top of the machine for a more streamlined appearance. In comparison to our other picks, the Cosori Pro LE cooked food the most unevenly; when we made french fries in this machine, for example, every fry was a little different. Some were crunchy on the ends and soft in the middle, and a few were wholly floppy. But most pod-shaped air fryers we’ve tested aren’t great at cooking evenly, and for the price we think the Cosori’s performance is good enough.

Also great

Instant Mini Vortex 4-in-1

A small-but-mighty air fryer

The Instant Mini Vortex is small, powerful, and one of the cheapest models we tested. While the wee basket can fit only one serving size at a time, the machine circulates heat fairly well and manages to cook food without dehydrating it.

Buying Options

The Instant Mini Vortex 4-in-1 is proof that size isn’t everything. Despite its tiny, 2-quart capacity—it was the smallest air fryer we tested—it held its own against much larger machines. Though the Instant Mini’s square basket is a little more than half the capacity of the Cosori’s and a quart smaller than the Philips’s, it could fit a meal big enough for one hungry person (or two snacky people). Depending on the food, such as french fries (which can be stacked), brownies, or pizza, the Instant Mini can fit nearly as much as the Philips Premium or the Cosori Pro LE thanks to its wide, shallow shape. What’s more, this air fryer cooked food more evenly than most of the others we tested. Its streamlined interface has only four preprogrammed settings—air fry, roast, bake, and reheat—all operated by a single dial, which makes the Instant Mini easy to use right out of the box.

The research

• Why you should trust us
• Should you get an air fryer or something else?
• How we picked
• How we tested
• Our pick: Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741
• Budget pick: Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer
• Also great: Instant Mini Vortex 4-in-1
• What about air fryer lids for an Instant Pot?
• Other good air fryers
• The competition
• Sources

Why you should trust us

As a staff writer at Wirecutter, I’ve researched, tested, and written about a variety of topics, including Costco’s cheap Champagne, meditation apps, and the best facial sunscreens. I spend every Thanksgiving and Christmas in the kitchen with my mom cooking for a family of 12, and have always been interested in finding new ways to speed up the process. For this guide, I spent 34 hours cooking and reheating foods such as chicken wings, frozen french fries, pizza, and brownies in 10 pod-shaped air fryers at Wirecutter’s New York City offices, which made me quite well versed in the appliances—and popular with my co-workers.

Senior staff writer Michael Sullivan conducted research and testing for the previous version of this guide. He has researched, tested, and reviewed toasters, toaster ovens, and deep fryers, among other kitchen gear and gadgets, since 2016, and spent more than 250 hours over the past five years researching and testing air fryers. Michael also served as a knowledgeable consultant for the latest round of testing, researching, and writing of this guide.

Should you get an air fryer or something else?

For many, the term “air fryer” conjures up images of egg-shaped appliances featured in TikTok videos of viral recipes. That’s the style of appliance that this guide focuses on, but it’s not the only thing you can use for air frying. More and more manufacturers are now producing air fryer toaster ovens, but you could even use a regular convection toaster oven, since that’s what air fryers are: mini convection ovens. They use a fan to rapidly circulate hot air, cooking food faster and getting it crispier (essentially through dehydration) than a standard oven does.

The air fryers in this guide have some advantages over other options but also a number of downsides. They’re a good choice if you have a smaller household, both in terms of space and people. If you live in a dorm room, an apartment with limited counter space, or a retirement home, an air fryer will most likely fit wherever you can make it fit. If you live by yourself, or generally don’t have many mouths to feed at one time, it’s a good option for cooking one or two servings of food.

Plus, because of their small size, air fryers tend to cook faster than air fryer toaster ovens and don’t require preheating, both bonuses for people who are looking to save time. If you primarily want to cook frozen foods or are looking to reheat leftovers that would get soggy in a microwave, a pod-shaped air fryer might be all you need. They also make cooking kind of fun—pop open a drawer, pour in some food, toss it halfway through, and it’s done before you know it. For that reason, we think they’re a great tool to get uninitiated chefs interested in cooking for themselves. Pod-shaped air fryers can also be an invaluable cooking alternative for people with certain disabilities (video), since they don’t require handling a hot tray, or bending over to open or close an oven door. Some smart models, like the Cosori Pro Smart Air Fryer, even come with apps that pair with your phone to make the appliance accessible via voice controls (video), though we haven’t tested those features yet.

On the flip side, one of the biggest pitfalls of pod-shaped air fryers is that their compact size really limits not only the amount of food you can cook at once but also the kind of food you can cook. Air fryers can’t fit larger items like casseroles, whole pizzas, or whole chickens. Because their fans are so powerful and the interior is so cramped, they tend to cook unevenly, and they aren’t good for recipes that need a more delicate touch, such as cakes. Also, the preprogrammed settings, which may look enticing for new cooks, are generally inaccurate, so you’ll likely need to adjust the time or temperature a bit when using them. This can require a little trial and error, but if you spend the time to get to know your machine and how it tends to cook, this issue may not bother you. Finally, compared with washing a baking pan, some air fryer baskets are a pain to clean. Some claim to be dishwasher safe, but most have a nonstick coating that can be damaged by the dishwasher and will eventually wear off no matter how well you treat it.

When to consider an air fryer toaster oven

Air fryer toaster ovens are bigger and typically more expensive than the air fryers we recommend here, but they can do a lot more. Their larger size means they can cook foods that can truly feed a family: Whole roasted chickens, casseroles, and 12- to 13-inch pizzas are all feasible options for an air fryer toaster oven. Some can even fit a Dutch oven. And while they do take up more space, they eliminate the need for a separate toaster, whereas a pod isn’t great for making toast. The air fryer toaster ovens we recommend also allow you to adjust the fan speed—or turn it off altogether—making them better choices when more gentle, even heat is called for, like when baking a cake.

When to consider a regular toaster oven (with or without convection)

You could also choose a convection toaster oven, which operates in basically the same way as an air fryer toaster oven: A fan circulates hot air around the food, crisping the outside in a way that mimics deep frying. The difference with convection toaster ovens is that the fan typically isn’t as powerful, meaning you’ll need to cook your food a little longer to get the same kind of crispy results. You also won’t get a dedicated air fry setting. But our top-pick convection toaster oven, the Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven, costs less than our top-pick air fryer toaster oven, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro.

If your main priority is simply to get a small, inexpensive appliance to heat food better than a microwave, you might be happy with a small toaster oven without convection. These are even more inexpensive than convection toaster ovens and more suitable for small spaces. We recommend the Panasonic FlashXpress (a top pick in our guide to toaster ovens). It won’t blast food with hot air, but it can still bake relatively quickly and provide crispy results due to its small oven cavity, which is similar in size to a pod-shaped air fryer.

How we picked

After several years of research and testing, we made a list of the most important qualities to look for when choosing an air fryer:

Compact design: We looked for air fryers that cater to one of their biggest selling points—a smaller footprint. We looked for streamlined machines that wouldn’t stand out on a countertop or take up too much space.

Easy to use: A good air fryer should be relatively intuitive to operate. We looked for air fryers with clearly labeled controls and easy-to-read displays. We didn’t want to feel like we had to look up the user manual every time we wanted to try (or retry) a function.

A square basket: Over the years, we’ve come to learn that round baskets simply don’t hold as much food as square-shaped ones. To get the maximum use of space out of an air fryer, we think a square basket is key.

Even cooking: While most air fryers won’t cook as evenly as an air fryer toaster oven, they should still brown and crisp your food overall. We dismissed models that left food scorched or soggy, as well as models with fans so powerful that they dried out the meal.

An easy-to-clean basket: Since the regular maintenance of air fryers is vital to their performance and overall lifespan, we generally avoided models with a lot of parts that would discourage people from properly cleaning them after every use. Although our main pick, the Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741/56, is a bit of an exception and difficult to clean when fully assembled, you don’t actually have to use the extra accessories (like the three-layered “fat-reducing” design) for the machine to work, which will significantly cut down on cleaning time.

How we tested

For our original guide in 2017, we ran the air fryers through a series of tests, cooking frozen and hand-cut french fries, frozen finger foods, and pork chops. In subsequent years of testing, we cooked frozen french fries, chicken tenders, and fish sticks, as well as fresh chicken wings.

In 2022, we polled our followers on social media to get a sense of what they use their air fryers for the most and let their answers inform this round of testing. (Frozen fries, chicken nuggets, chicken wings, and cold pizza were among the most popular items, so a lot of our tests remained the same.) We cooked french fries and chicken nuggets in 10 air fryers for the first round of testing, with an eye for fries that were crispy on the outside and fluffy inside, and nicely browned nuggets with moist interiors. In the second round, we cooked chicken wings and brussels sprouts (separately) in the top performers, looking for wings with crispy skin and juicy meat, and caramelized brussels sprouts with creamy interiors. Then, in the finalists, we reheated cold pizza and baked break-and-bake cookies and boxed brownies. We wanted cookies and brownies that were chewy on the outer edges and tender on the inside, and pizza with a crispy crust and evenly melted cheese. In every round of testing, we looked for consistent and even cooking and kept an eye out for food that was dried out, which is a common issue with air fryers thanks to their powerful fans.

Beyond cooking all those foods, we did some tests focused on how reliable and easy to use each model was. We stuck an air probe thermometer inside each oven to see how well they maintained a set temperature. We also used all of the controls to see how easy they were to navigate and how accurate the cooking guidelines were for preparing common foods such as french fries and chicken nuggets. Additionally, we compared the cooking capacity of each model, and we took note of any egregiously noisy fans or annoying beeps. After testing, we washed all of the fryer components to see how easy they were to clean.

Our pick: Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741

Our pick

Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741

The best air fryer

The Philips HD9741/56 is intuitive to use and has an elegant design that doesn’t take up too much counter space. When filled to capacity, it was able to cook food more evenly than any other pod-shaped model we tested.

Buying Options

The Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741 is the best pod-shaped air fryer we’ve tested. Compared with the others, the Philips cooked food the most evenly, aside from the occasional soggy french fry. It also cooked faster, on average, than most other models we tried. Its design is simple and straightforward to use, and the machine doesn’t take up too much counter space. It’s not as spacious or versatile as an air fryer toaster oven, but it’s a good choice for cooking frozen snacks, smaller portions of meat and vegetables, or certain dishes you want extra crispy, like chicken wings.

When filled to capacity, the Premium Airfryer cooked food more evenly than any other model, though we still discovered a handful of underdone fries and some soggy patches on chicken nuggets. But overall it produced the crispiest, most evenly browned food of any pod-shaped air fryer we tested: Brussels sprouts were perfectly crisped on the outside and tender within, and brownies were chewy and fudgy. Compared with other models, this Philips air fryer also had the most accurate preprogrammed settings. In every test, the Premium Airfryer cooked the food in the amount of time the directions called for. With many of the other air fryers we tested, we had to tack on extra minutes of cooking time just to get some color on the nuggets and fries.

The Premium Airfryer is one of the best-designed air fryers we tested due to its small footprint, sleek looks, and streamlined interface. Unlike other models—including our budget pick, the Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer—that have a plethora of preprogrammed settings, the Philips has just four: frozen fries, chicken, fish, and meat. While preprogrammed settings might initially seem convenient, they aren’t accurate, given that there’s no way the machine can weigh the food in the basket and adjust the cook time accordingly. We more often just navigated around the presets to manually operate each air fryer, and we appreciated having fewer buttons to deal with. It’s easy to program the Premium Airfryer yourself: The cook time and temperature are both easily accessed through a single dial on the control panel. We also like the fact that, unlike some of the other machines we tested, changing the controls doesn’t cause the machine to beep loudly with every adjustment.

We also found the Philips Premium Airfryer’s basket to be the most seamless to insert into the machine. It glided shut easily and didn’t require any extra force to close. In contrast, many other models we tested, like the Dash Deluxe Electric Air Fryer or the Ultrean 4.2 Quart Air Fryer, slid across the counter slightly or wobbled precariously when we tried to shut the basket, which seemed unsafe. The square shape of the Premium Airfryer’s 3-quart basket also allows a bit more space than round designs with similar capacities, which means you can fit four chicken thighs or wings in the basket versus three. This air fryer also isn’t as much of an eyesore as some machines we’ve tried over the years, so it won’t look like an alien spaceship has landed on your kitchen counter.

The Philips Premium Airfryer’s streamlined control panel is intuitive to use. Photo: Connie Park

The basket inserts smoothly, but it’s also among the heaviest (3.7 pounds empty) of the air fryers we tested, and the wire mesh makes it the most difficult to clean. Photo: Connie Park

The Philips Premium Airfryer’s streamlined control panel is intuitive to use. Photo: Connie Park

This air fryer also comes with a metal splatter-proof lid that, according to the user manual, can be placed over the basket during cooking to lessen the spray of grease, prevent food from overly browning, and to keep lightweight foods from flying around. The downside, the manual warns, is that things may take longer to cook (though the lid has some holes in it, it’s essentially creating a barrier between your food and the appliance’s heating element and fan). But we haven’t tested it ourselves.

If you’re looking to feed more people, Philips also sells a larger version of this air fryer, the 7-quart Philips Premium Air Fryer XXL HD9650/96, though we haven’t tested that specific model.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Although it performed better than the other pod-shaped air fryers we tested, the Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741 doesn’t cook as evenly as the air fryer toaster ovens we recommend because (like all pods) it requires you to cram your food in a basket rather than spread it out on a baking pan. This shortcoming, characteristic of all pod-shaped air fryers, can be quite limiting if you want quantity and quality, which is why we suggest an air fryer toaster oven if you have the space.

This model is only available at Williams-Sonoma. We used to recommend an identical version that didn’t come with the splatter-proof lid and was more widely available, but that’s been discontinued.

The basket in the Premium Airfryer weighs 1.8 pounds empty—significantly more than any of the other baskets we tested—and can feel quite heavy when you’re holding it in one hand. People who have weaker hand muscles or grip-strength issues may struggle with maneuvering this basket.

The Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741 is also designed with a grate in the fryer basket, which catches a lot of crumbs and oil from food. This feature made it the most difficult air fryer to clean. In contrast to the other machines we tested, which had single grates that took about five minutes to take apart and wash, the Philips’s three-layered design and intricate grate made this a 10-minute-plus cleaning job.

The manual claims that this multitiered system is the model’s “fat-removal technology,” which extracts fat from food and captures it all below the “fat reducer” at the bottom of the air fryer. This assertion is misleading, since the “technology” is just a plastic lid that rests over the bottom of the bucket where the fat collects. Fat naturally drains into the bottom tray of any air fryer, and it stays there even without a lid, thanks to gravity and the force of the fan—there’s nothing actively “extracting” fat from your food in this, or any, air fryer. In reality, the tray was just one more item we had to clean, so we wouldn’t recommend using it (the air fryer functions fine without it).

In our tests, bits of food stuck to the Philips Premium’s “fryer” basket, and a pool of grease sat at the bottom of the container, which made it more cumbersome to clean. Photo: Sarah Kobos

We don’t think the “fat-reducing tray” in the Philips Premium HD9741/56 is very useful—it’s just one more thing you need to wash after cooking. Photo: Michael Sullivan

Fat naturally drains to the bottom of the air fryer, whether you use the “fat-reducing tray” or not. Photo: Michael Sullivan

In our tests, bits of food stuck to the Philips Premium’s “fryer” basket, and a pool of grease sat at the bottom of the container, which made it more cumbersome to clean. Photo: Sarah Kobos

The Premium Airfryer is also one of the noisiest air fryers we tested—the convection fan is about as loud as a hair dryer. And while we haven’t noticed any malfunctioning of the membrane buttons on the control panel, we are wary that that may occur with more consistent use. Finally, as with all air fryers, the nonstick coating on the basket can scratch and will eventually wear down. Philips does sell replacement parts for its air fryers, but one thing we find a bit annoying is that they’re broken up into pieces: The basket costs $41, and the handle, sold separately, costs $31—which can almost add up to the price of a new (cheaper) air fryer if you’re constantly replacing parts.

Budget pick: Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer

Budget pick

Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer

A budget air fryer

This air fryer was the best model we tested in the $100 range. It shares some of the features we liked in the Philips, such as a large square basket and a streamlined control panel, though it doesn’t cook as evenly.

Buying Options

The Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer was the best model we tested for around $100. Its large, square-shaped 5-quart basket fits more food than the Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741, but it doesn’t cook as quickly or evenly. The Pro LE’s many preprogrammed settings also weren’t as accurate as those of the Premium Airfryer—we preferred using the manual controls for selecting the time and temperature. But considering its relatively low price, and the fact that most air fryers of this style don’t cook very evenly, we think the results were good enough. It also comes with a recipe booklet, which is helpful if you’re new to air frying. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention how good looking this model is—the entire exterior has a sleek matte finish, and it features a brightly lit control panel that’s easily visible even in a dark room. Several co-workers who walked into the test kitchen immediately gravitated to the Cosori out of all of the other air fryers on the counter because it looks so chic.

The tempered glass LED display, located on top of the Cosori Pro LE, is slightly slanted to make it easier to view on a countertop. Photo: Connie Park

The 5-quart Cosori Pro LE (center) basket is the roomiest among our pod-shaped air fryer picks, and it can fit the most food. Though it’s the smallest of the bunch, the 2-quart Mini Instant Vortex 4-in-1 Air Fryer (left) can fit as many wings as the 3-quart Philips (right). Photo: Connie Park

The tempered glass LED display, located on top of the Cosori Pro LE, is slightly slanted to make it easier to view on a countertop. Photo: Connie Park

The user interface is the Cosori Pro LE’s best feature. The touch sensor LED display shows all of the functions in clear, easy-to-read text. It even has a “shake” button that makes the machine remind you halfway through the cook time to toss the food—a nice feature for the fiercely forgetful (guilty). The tempered-glass display on the top of the machine is slightly slanted to make it a little easier to see on a high countertop.

The Cosori Pro LE was able to fit the most food—six chicken wings in the Cosori versus four in the Philips. As for the cooking performance of the Cosori Pro LE, it wasn’t the best of our final contenders. French fries and chicken nuggets cooked using the standard time and temperature settings recommended on the packaging came out less browned than we’d like. And both batches cooked unevenly—none of the fries had a nice golden crisp to them, and a handful of the bunch were overly floppy and soggy. Similarly, the breading on the chicken nuggets was pale and crumbly in comparison to the batches that the Philips Premium Airfryer produced. But we’ve found that most pod-shaped air fryers struggle to cook food evenly due to their cramped cooking baskets. And brussels sprouts and chicken wings turned out better in the Pro LE; the sprouts were crunchy on the outside and still soft and sweet on the inside, and the chicken was juicy, even if the skin was a bit chewier than expected. For the price—and the nice user interface—we still think the Pro LE is a good option.

We were able to get somewhat better browning by extending the cook time. For example, when we cooked chicken nuggets, we set every air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for seven minutes, per the nuggets’ air fryer cooking instructions. While most of the other air fryers visibly browned the chicken nuggets in just seven minutes, we had to leave the Pro LE running for an extra three minutes before the nuggets started looking crisp, and another two before taking them out. The chicken wings we cooked in the Pro LE needed three minutes longer to cook and still came out paler and gummier than the wings cooked in other models, like the Philips Premium Airfryer or the Dreo Aircrisp Pro Air Fryer. Generally, it took the Pro LE about five minutes longer to cook food than all of the other air fryers we tested—a small margin in the grand scheme of things, but a notable difference if you’re looking for a machine that cooks in the shortest amount of time.

The Pro LE’s handle has an improved design over that of the original Cosori Pro, which we tested in 2017. The old version had a plastic guard on the handle to cover the button that releases the inner basket from the outer one. It slid around and looked a bit cheap, and didn’t actually do much to protect you from accidentally releasing the bucket and sending it crashing to the floor. The Pro LE has a simple release button and a guard that’s less conspicuous. The basket is also lighter than the Philips Premium Airfryer’s, and easier to lift with one hand.

The Pro LE has seven preprogrammed settings, which is a bit overkill, especially since some of them aren’t that accurate (a common drawback with most air fryers). The preprogrammed setting for frozen foods, for example, doesn’t take into account what kind of food it is and how much it weighs, so the set time and temperature may not be right for the type of food you’re trying to cook. You may have to figure out the optimal settings for what you’re cooking by trial and error. We found it just as easy to set the time and temperature manually, following the instructions in our recipe or on the food packaging, then adjust the cook time as necessary.

One nice thing about some of the preprogrammed settings is that the machine beeps halfway through the cooking time to remind you to shake your food for more even browning, something the Philips Premium Airfryer doesn’t do. But even if you decide to set the machine manually, you can still press the “shake” button to activate the reminder. The beeping is much louder on the Cosori Pro LE than on the Premium Airfryer, and you have no way to lower the volume or turn it off, so some people may find the sound annoying. That said, the beeping is loud enough to be heard from far away, which is handy if you’re in another room. Like the Premium Airfryer, this Cosori model is about as loud as a hair dryer while the convection fan is running.

The overall design of the Pro LE is streamlined and modern, so it won’t look out of place on a counter. The machine is also light enough to move around or store in a cabinet if you need to free up some space.

Inside the Pro LE basket, there is a removable tray, which, during testing, fell out when we flipped the basket upside down to transfer food to a plate (this was also the case with the Ninja Air Fryer AF101). If the tray comes flying out, it could potentially cause burns. But when we later ordered another model to photograph, we didn’t have this problem. The Pro LE comes with a two-year warranty, but Cosori does not offer any replacement parts, so you’re out of luck if your outer basket handle breaks or you lose the tray.

The 4 Best Air Fryers of 2023

Air fryers have only recently had a surge in popularity, but my air fryer has quickly become a must-have appliance in the kitchen. Not only are the best air fryers easy to use, but they’re the perfect way to cook quick, healthy meals.

Some of my favorite recipes, like 10-Minute Blackened Air Fryer Salmon Bites and Crispy Golden Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, are specifically designed to be cooked in an air fryer. If you’re thinking about buying one of these appliances for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.

There’s many different types of air fryers out there, including basket style and toaster oven combos—some pressure cookers now have options for air frying. To help you find the best air fryer for your cooking style, I’ve put together a list of my top-recommended models, based on both my own personal experiences and reviews from other cooking pros.

Our Top Picks:

1. What’s in My Kitchen: GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Digital Air Fryer – $86.51 at Amazon
2. Best for Individuals: Ninja AF101 Air Fryer – $89.99 at Target
3. Best Small Air Fryer:Instant Pot Vortex 4-in-1 Mini Air Fryer – $59.99 at Amazon
4. Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven: Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro – $399.95 at Amazon

Reviews of The Best Air Fryer

1. What’s in My Kitchen: GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Digital Air Fryer

I’ve had this air fryer for three years and tested all recipes from my last cookbook in it! It’s the same size as my previous air fryer, but the way the basket is designed, there’s more space inside. It also includes a handy basket divider, allowing you to cook two different foods at once (like my Air Fryer Chicken Thighs in one and Parmesan Asparagus Fries in the other). It’s touchscreen is very easy to use and makes for a more stylish, modern touch on your countertop

Most importantly, the GoWISE Air Fryer is very powerful—it browns and cooks meat faster than some previous models I have owned—and it has eight pre-programmed cooking functions for popular foods like fries, chicken, steak, shrimp, and more. I love it and I know you will too!

The Specs:

• Capacity: 7-quart
• Watts: 1,700
• Temperature Range: 180 to 400 degrees F
• Settings: Air fry, bake, grill, roast

The Pros:

• Affordable
• Cooks food quickly
• Spacious basket
• 8 preset programs
• Includes basket divider

The Cons:

What Others are Saying:

America’s Test Kitchen ranks the GoWISE Air Fryer in its top three best air fryers. It also has a 4.7-star rating on Amazon from more than 3,300 reviews.

Buy the GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Digital Air Fryer:

Best for Individuals: Ninja AF101 Air Fryer

This mid-size air fryer has a 4-quart basket that’s the perfect size to cook for one or two people, and you can easily use it to cook a few servings of french fries or two pieces of protein for dinner. Its operation is simple, with just a few clearly labeled buttons on the control panel, and it offers settings for reheating leftovers and dehydrating foods, as well as air frying and roasting.

Plus, if you’re not a fan of hand-washing dishes, this popular air fryer has a dishwasher-safe basket and crisper plate that you can simply pop in the dishwasher for hands-free cleaning. The brand does recommend preheating it for 3 minutes before cooking, which is good to note while you’re prepping dinner.

The Specs:

• Capacity: 4-quart
• Watts: 1,550
• Temperature Range: 105 to 400 degrees F
• Settings: Air fry, roast, reheat, dehydrate

The Pros:

• Easy to use
• Perfect size for small households
• Dishwasher-safe basket

The Cons:

What Others are Saying:

This Ninja air fryer has a 4.8-star rating on Amazon from more than 43,000 reviews. NBC Select named it one of the best “pod-shaped air fryers” and Food and Wine calls it the best small air fryer.

Buy the Ninja AF101 Air Fryer:

Best Small Air Fryer: Instant Pot Vortex 4-in-1 Mini Air Fryer

Air fryers can be pretty bulky, and if you’re looking for something that won’t take up too much space on your counter (and can be stored easily in your pantry or cupboard), this compact model is a good choice. It has just a 2-quart basket, which can cook a single serving of food at a time, and there are settings for one-touch wings, roasted veggies, and other popular foods.

It’s a great option for making sides without needing to preheat or take up space in your oven. Plus, the non-stick basket is dishwasher safe, and there are many pretty colors to choose from, as well.

The Specs:

• Capacity: 2-quart
• Watts: 1,300
• Temperature Range: 120 to 400 degrees F
• Settings: Air fry, bake, reheat, roast

The Pros:

• Affordable
• Compact size
• Customizable cooking programs
• Dishwasher-safe basket

The Cons:

• Lower wattage
• Not big enough to cook multiple servings

What Others are Saying:

Wirecutter named it the best small pick. Additionally, it has a 4.7-star rating from over 19,000 reviews on Amazon.

Buy the Instant Pot Vortex 4-in-1 Mini Air Fryer:

Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven: Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

If you plan on keeping your air fryer out on your counter, it’s nice to have a versatile option that doubles as a toaster oven. This one from Breville is more expensive than most basket-style air fryers, but it has more cooking functions—13 of them, to be exact—and could replace multiple appliances in your kitchen. How awesome!

In addition to air frying, roasting, and broiling, you can use it to toast, bake, proof bread, dehydrate, and more. Plus, the interior is large enough to fit a 13-inch pizza or a 9-by-13-inch pan, making it easy to cook for the whole family.

The Specs:

• Capacity: 1 cubic foot
• Watts: 1,800
• Temperature Range: 180 to 480 degrees F
• Settings: Air fry, toast, broil, bake, roast, and more

The Pros:

• Versatile
• Easy to operate
• Includes several accessories
• Replaces multiple kitchen appliances

The Cons:

What Others are Saying:

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro has been named the best air fryer toaster oven by Food Network and Bon Appetit, and Serious Eats calls it another great air fryer in its roundup. It has also earned a 4.6-star rating on Amazon from more than 8,500 reviewers.

Buy the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro:

Also Great

Best Dual-Basket: Ninja Foodi 8-Quart 6-in-1 DualZone Air Fryer

The Ninja Foodi DualZone is basically two air fryers in one. It has two 4-quart baskets that can be controlled independently, allowing you to cook multiple foods at once. Even better, it has a handy “Smart Finish” setting that makes the baskets finish cooking at the same time. It does more than just air fry, too, with additional functions like broil, dehydrate, and bake. The dual-basket design and large size is perfect for families, but just keep in mind that this appliance is quite large and will take up quite a bit of counter space. However, if you plan to use it frequently, it is completely worth it!

The Specs:

• Capacity: 8-quart
• Watts: 1,690
• Temperature Range: 105 to 450 degrees F
• Settings: Air fry, broil, roast, reheat, dehydrate, bake

The Pros:

• Two cooking baskets
• Large capacity
• Smart Finish setting

The Cons:

• Takes up a lot of counter space
• Hand-wash only

What Others are Saying:

The Ninja Foodi has more than 18,000 reviews on Amazon with a 4.8-star average rating. It’s also named the best large air fryer by CNET and the best dual basket option by Food Network.

Buy the Ninja Foodi 8-Quart 6-in-1 DualZone Air Fryer:

Best Budget: DASH Tasti-Crisp Electric Air Fryer

You don’t have to spend a lot on a good air fryer! This simple model is extremely budget-friendly, and it has two dials that adjust its temperature and time. Its basket can hold up to 2.6 quarts, and it even comes in several colors to match your decor. Unlike the other options on this list, the Dash doesn’t have any other cooking functions, but it will still leave your food well-cooked and crispy. But I think it would be good for anyone who only needs basic air frying capabilities.

The Specs:

The Pros:

• Budget-friendly
• Simple operation
• Available in several colors
• Easy to store

The Cons:

What Others are Saying:

The Dash Tasti-Crisp was named the best budget air fryer by CNN Underscored and the best air fryers for beginners by The Strategist. It also has more than 30,000 reviews on Amazon with an average rating of 4.5 stars.

Buy the DASH Tasti-Crisp Electric Air Fryer:

Other Air Fryers to Consider

Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-in-1 6-Quart Air Fryer

This 6-quart air fryer is another good option that’s slightly bulkier and more expensive than my other picks, but it’s well-loved by reviewers. It offers six cooking functions and dishwasher-safe pieces, and its square-shaped design makes the basket a little more spacious if you’re cooking for multiple people. The Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-in-1 6-Quart Air Fryer is available at Amazon for $109.99.

Cuisinart Air Fryer + Convection Toaster Oven

This toaster oven air fryer is another popular option that has additional toast and baking settings. It has four control dials that adjust its temperature and time, and it comes with an oven rack, baking pan, and AirFry basket. Though cheaper, it’s quite a bit smaller than the Breville model and offers fewer overall cooking functions. The Cuisinart Air Fryer + Convection Toaster Oven is available at Target for $179.99.

COSORI Air Fryer Pro LE

For many years, COSORI sold one of the most popular air fryers on Amazon, but unfortunately, several of its bestselling models were part of a recent recall due to a fire hazard. The brand’s Pro LE model, which has a 5-quart capacity, is now the only one available. While the interior is spacious, this air fryer has controls on the top of the appliance, which can make it tricky to use if it’s sitting on the counter underneath cabinets. The COSORI Air Fryer Pro LE is available at Amazon for $79.78.

Emeril Lagasse Power Air Fryer 360

Another toaster oven-style air fryer, this model offers 12 cooking functions, including a rotisserie setting that lets you cook a whole chicken. However, it’s not as powerful as the Breville model, and some reviews say they have experienced issues with the appliance breaking after a few weeks of use. The Emeril Lagasse Power Air Fryer 360 is available at Amazon for $142.99.

Beautiful ​​6-Quart Touchscreen Air Fryer

This budget-friendly air fryer from Drew Barrymore has an attractive matte finish, and it comes in several pretty colors. It’s fairly spacious, with a 6-quart basket, and it has a touchscreen control panel. However, its construction is somewhat flimsy compared to more trusted brands. The Beautiful ​​6-Quart Touchscreen Air Fryer is available at Walmart for $79.

Why You Can Trust Me

Hi! I’m Gina, the creator and recipe developer of Skinnytaste, which focuses on sharing delicious and healthy recipes for the whole family, made with seasonal, whole foods. I’ve written several best-selling cookbooks, including two focused specifically on air fryer recipes—The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook and Skinnytaste Air Fryer Dinners Cookbook—and I love that air fryers offer an easy way to turn classic comfort foods into lighter, healthier dishes. It’s changed the way I cook and I’m certain it will change your life too!

To put together this list of the best air fryers, I started with my previous experience with certain brands and models. Then, for the ones I was less familiar with, I looked into reviews and ratings from other cooking experts and everyday users. My top picks are appliances that I love and that get consistently positive feedback from professional product testers and food publications. They also have helpful features that make them easy to use, including adjustable temperature, non-stick interiors, and different settings.

Everything to Know Before Buying an Air Fryer

What to Consider Before Buying an Air Fryer

There are a few things to consider before purchasing an air fryer with a basket.

Temperature: I recommend looking for a model that’s around 1,700 watts, which is powerful enough to get your foods nice and crispy. You’ll also want to look for the ability to adjust the air fryer’s temperature in a range between at least 150 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit to cook most foods.

Size: Air fryers with a 2- to 4-quart capacity are generally well-sized for one- or two-person households, but if you have a larger family, you’ll want a model with a capacity of 6 quarts or more. These devices can be quite bulky, so larger ones are easier to store on your countertop.

Versatility: Some air fryers offer additional functions that help make the appliance more practical. They can double as toaster ovens, dehydrators, and even rotisserie ovens, which can be helpful if you’re trying to save on space.

How Does An Air Fryer Work?

Unlike deep fryers, which use hot oil to cook food, air fryers work by circulating hot air throughout the cooking basket, similar to a convection oven. The air circulates around your food, creating a crispy exterior that’s similar to classic fried food—but without all the extra oil!

Do You Need An Air Fryer?

While I love my air fryer, it’s not an “essential” appliance for your kitchen. Most air fryer recipes can be cooked in the oven (and I offer the oven version of my recipes in the instructions!), though you might not get the same level of crisping without a convection setting. There are still many benefits to using an air fryer instead of the oven. They often cook food more quickly and require minimal preheating, and make it super easy to reheat leftovers or cook a meal for one.

Can You Put Foil In An Air Fryer?

If you’re cooking something messy in the air fryer, you can absolutely use foil to make clean-up a little easier, just like you would in the oven. I also love using air fryer parchment paper, which is great for preventing foods from sticking and makes clean up even easier.

How Do You Clean An Air Fryer?

Most air fryers have a non-stick lining in the basket, making them easy to clean with a little soap and water. I like to clean it right after I use it, and if I cook something messy, I’ll add about 1 inch of water to the basket with some dish soap and turn on the air fryer for a few minutes to loosen the mess. Alternatively, some air fryers have dishwasher-safe baskets and racks, so you can simply put them through a wash cycle with the rest of your dishes.

The Best Air Fryer Recipes

Air fryers are extremely versatile appliances, and you can use them to cook all sorts of recipes, from french fries, chicken wings, hard-boiled eggs, homemade bagels, and even things like cheesecake. Some of my favorite foods to cook in the air fryer include salmon, because it’s so quick with no need to pre-heat, and breaded meats like chicken tenders or pork chops, which get deliciously crispy, unlike in the oven where they often get soggy. Plus, it makes them a little healthier without the need for a lot of oil.

If you’re looking for foods to make in your new appliance, here are some of my most popular Skinnytaste air fryer recipes:

Prices were accurate at time of publication.

Have an air fryer you love not mentioned here?

If there’s an air fryer you absolutely love not mentioned here, leave a comment and tell us why you love it!