6 Best Air Fryers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Cuisinart’s take on air fryers won us over because of a few features. First, its temperature goes all the way up to 450˚F, adjustable by 5-degree increments. Most air fryers max out at 400˚F. Second, it’s a no-brainer to use. You can use the functions, which include air fry, bake, broil, roast, or keep warm, or you can use one of the presets for common foods, from frozen French fries to wings to leftovers, programmed with the optimal time and temperature. In our testing, fries turned out crispy and greaseless, cake rose evenly, and chicken had a shatteringly crisp skin and juicy interior. We liked that this model switched automatically to keep warm mode in case you got called away from the kitchen when the cooking cycle ended. And finally, the viewing window and light was helpful in checking cooking progress without opening the drawer. Our only complaint was that a knob to adjust time and temperature would be a lot more efficient than having to repeatedly jab at a button.

We didn’t have high expectations for the performance of this air fryer from Drew Barrymore’s kitchenware brand. How could something this gorgeous also perform well at such a low price? But in our tests, this fryer held its own. Frozen French fries cooked crisp and lightly browned within 10 minutes, and chicken turned out tender and juicy. A cake was a little dark on top and rose unevenly but was otherwise moist. Each of the functions (air fry, roast, reheat, dehydrate) have a default time and temperature setting, which can be adjusted with up and down buttons on the touchscreen. This air fryer comes in seven pretty colors, with matte brass-colored trim. The digital display, when off, disappears into a panel that’s the same on-trend color as the body. It’s a product you can be happy showing off on your counter, while knowing that it’s also standing by to make delicious meals.

For small households, the Instant Vortex Mini is the perfect air fryer option. It has all the features of Instant’s larger sizes including a sleek touchscreen display with a knob to quickly change time and temperature, and four functions that include roasting and baking programs. The functions have preset time and temperature that can be changed as needed. The device will remember the new time and temperature and default to it the next time you use it. Frozen French fries took 12 minutes to cook and turned out uniformly browned and creamy inside. The temperature only goes up to 400˚F, and a chicken breast roasted at that maximum setting took just 15 minutes to cook. It was juicy and tender inside, with crisp skin. Although the cake got a little scorched on the top before it cooked through, the big chicken breast did not get too dark at its highest point.

With a basket that measures about 6.5 inches in diameter, it just fits one chicken breast, two servings of fries, or a 6-inch round cake pan. This air fryer’s size is well-suited for heating up an afternoon snack or a single serving of leftovers.

For serious air fryer short order cooks, the Ninja Foodi air fryer is a fun way to get a whole meal on the table with just one appliance. The unit is designed to be basically two separate air fryers in one appliance that is not much bigger than some of the single-basket fryers on our list. Each 4-quart basket has an independent control panel so function, time, and temperature can be programmed separately. The Smart Finish function will program the two baskets so they’ll be finished cooking at the same time — we cooked a batch of fries and a cake at the same time and both were done at once. We tried another handy feature, the Match Cook mode, for cooking one chicken breast in each basket (since two breasts wouldn’t fit in one basket). This mode lets you use both baskets with the same setting without having to program each separately. One drawback is that the baskets are small and narrow; this was the only air fryer we tested that couldn’t accommodate a 6-inch cake pan. The company makes a 10-quart model with bigger baskets that takes up more counter space but might be more useful.

Air frying newbies will appreciate the easy-to-use interface on this Instant Vortex Plus model, which includes a viewing window to visually monitor cooking progress. The digital display makes it easy to follow the prompts on the screen: choose the cooking function, adjust the time and temperature if needed with the spin of a dial, press start and the device does the rest. It will prompt you when the unit is finished preheating (most Instant air fryers include preheating time in the cooking cycle), will tell you when it’s time to give the food a shake, and the display shows the temperature and counts down the time. The different beeps and chirps were confusing at first, but over time users would start recognizing what each tone means. Not all Instant air fryers say that the frying basket and cooking tray are dishwasher safe, but this model does. We also liked that the exhaust fan channels air through a filter, cutting down on the cooking smells that are so prevalent with some air-fried foods. Instant air fryer manuals always include instructions on how to do a “test run” to learn how to use the air fryer and its feature, which is helpful for someone who’s never tried one before.

For large families or those who want to cook multiple foods at once in their air fryer, the Instant Vortex 9-Quart model is a great pick. This air fryer is just a few inches wider than smaller models, and still fits easily and unobtrusively under a cabinet. The basket is designed with one long crisping tray and a removable panel that slides into a grove to divide the basket in two. It’s not immediately obvious that each side can be operated independently with its own cooking cycle, but a quick scan of the manual will explain that pressing the dial twice shifts the appliance into VersaZone mode, and each side can be programmed with the function, time, and temperature, since this air fryer has two fans and two heating elements. Because of the larger size of the compartment, chicken breasts took a little longer to cook than some of the other models and needed to be rotated so the skin browned evenly. But they came out perfectly cooked with tender meat and crispy skin. We tried cooking bacon at one temperature and fries at another using VersaZone mode. The side with the shorter cooking time stayed in preheat mode before prompting to add food, so that both sides finished cooking at the same time. The compartment is big enough for even a 9-inch rimless cake pan or a square baking pan. Because of the larger cooking surface — 13 inches by nearly 10 inches — this is the only air fryer in which the dehydrate feature might actually be useful. Serious air frying enthusiasts will appreciate the versatility and capacity of this super-sized air fryer.