The Best Air Fryers, Tried And Tested By Experts

There are tons of air fryers out there that can give you a good enough result. Ones that can give you a crispy enough result. But the very best air fryers create the perfect golden brown French fries or crispy chicken tenders every single time.

Our years of testing and eating more French fries than we can count, at the cost of gaining a few pounds, we have created a list of the best air fryers. We’ve tested over 50 air fryers in total to give the best ones the spot light here. This includes cooking with them and pouring over thousands of reviews. So we can say we now know our air fryers. Here is our list of the best air fryers on the market.

Summary of best air fryers:

The best air fryer overall: Instant Vortex Slim 6-Quart Air Fryer, ~~$140~~ $114 at Amazon

The best oven style air fryer: Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, $400 at Amazon

Another great air fryer: Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-Quart ClearCook Air Fryer, $100 at Amazon

1) The best air fryer overall: Instant Vortex Slim 6-Quart Air Fryer, $140 $114

Find On Amazon

Pros: Affordable price, roomy capacity; compact footprint; intuitive controls; simple to clean

Cons: Limited temperature range (120°F to 400°F) Best for: Shoppers who prefer a classic basket-style air fryer over a convection oven alternative

Basket-style air fryers may not be as multifunctional as air fryer ovens (more on those later), but they typically cost less, take up less room, and are perfect for quick, crispy meals. If you mostly plan to make air fryer staples—think tater tots, french fries, or Brussels sprouts that need a good shake mid-cook—this style is easier to handle and often delivers better, more consistent results.

After testing numerous models, we confidently recommend the 6-Quart Instant Vortex Slim. It aced every test, turning out crispy, fluffy hand-cut fries, juicy chicken breasts, and perfectly browned tater tots. The digital interface is clean and easy to use, allowing you to adjust time and temperature manually or choose from presets like Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Broil, and Reheat.

Though compact, its clever basket design offers more cooking surface than other similar-sized air fryers. Our testers were able to cook six veggie burger patties—one more than in comparable models—without reducing airflow or crispiness, allowing you to prepare more food in each batch.

The Vortex Slim offers exceptional value. It’s the best-performing air fryer in the $100–$150 range by far. It’s powerful, quiet, lightweight, and straightforward to maintain. Both the nonstick basket and tray are dishwasher-safe, though hand-washing is ideal to preserve the nonstick coating.

One caveat: Not all Instant Vortex models deliver the same performance. We also tested the Instant Vortex Mini, the Vortex Plus 4-quart, and the Mini 2-quart versions. None performed as well as the 6-quart Vortex Slim, making it the clear standout.

What we didn’t love about the Instant Vortex Slim 6-Quart Air Fryer Although the slim profile makes it easier to store than some larger models, it still takes up a fair amount of counter space. That said, this was our only real complaint.

2) The best oven-style air fryer: Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, $400

Find On Amazon

Pros: Highly versatile with multiple cooking modes; generous capacity

Cons: Bulky size; higher price tag Best for: Anyone looking for an air fryer oven that offers expansive functionality and doesn’t mind a permanent countertop presence

If you're after a multifunctional air fryer and have room to spare, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is a top-tier pick. This countertop convection oven—also known as an air fryer toaster oven—delivers the crispy performance of a traditional air fryer while offering the flexibility and power of a full-size oven, making it a true all-in-one appliance. Breville’s lineup includes several options, but this model stands out for its balance of features, reliability, and overall value.

It's also a favorite of award-winning cookbook author Nik Sharma, who prefers oven-style models for their versatility. “I find toaster-oven-style air fryers better for everyday cooking like baking, roasting, or making toast,” he says. Despite resembling a large toaster oven, this machine goes far beyond that: it can bake, broil, roast, slow-cook, dehydrate, and air fry. With 13 preset functions on a sleek digital panel, it adjusts the heating elements for perfect results on everything from bagels and cookies to pizzas and stews. For those willing to splurge, a premium version includes app connectivity for advanced recipes like rotisserie-style chicken.

Our hands-on testing showed the Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro performs consistently well across a wide range of tasks. It excels when food is arranged in a single layer—perfect for salmon, veggie burgers, or roasted vegetables—but also handles frozen items like sweet potato fries and tater tots with ease.

What we didn’t love about the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro Like most oven-style air fryers, this model isn’t ideal for mid-cook tossing. Unlike basket-style air fryers, where a quick shake redistributes food easily, here you’ll need to open the oven and manually stir or flip items. We also noticed that many foods cooked best at slightly higher temps and longer times than in traditional basket air fryers.

3) Another great basket-style air fryer: Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-Quart ClearCook Air Fryer, $100

Find On Amazon

Pros: Reasonably priced, spacious capacity; intuitive controls; see-through basket window; simple cleanup

Cons: Takes up more space than slimmer models Best for: Basket-style air fryer fans who want to visually monitor food without interrupting the cook cycle

If you're set on a basket-style air fryer and can spare a bit of extra counter space, the Instant Pot Vortex Plus ClearCook is an excellent choice. It closely matches the performance of the Vortex Slim in our tests, which isn’t surprising given their similar build. The standout feature here is the ClearCook window, a front-facing viewing panel in the basket paired with an interior light that lets you check on your food—like fries, wings, or tater tots—without pulling the basket out and losing heat. For anyone who cares about perfect golden crispiness, this is a major win.

This model also scores extra points for versatility. It includes a Dehydrate function and can go as low as 95°F—a slight edge over the Vortex Slim, which bottoms out at 120°F. Another perk? The ClearCook model typically runs about $30 less than the Slim version at full price, offering similar power and features for less.

What we didn’t like about the Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-Quart ClearCook Air Fryer Although the capacity is listed as 6 quarts, just like the Vortex Slim, its more squared-off basket shape meant we couldn’t quite fit as much—one fewer veggie burger in our tests. It’s also on the bulkier side, so make sure you’ve got the space before committing.

4) An excellent air fryer upgrade: Typhur Dome $381

Find on Amazon

Pros: Extra-large cooking area; self-cleaning feature; fast and powerful heating; wide temp range; Bluetooth/app control; ceramic nonstick basket; long warranty

Cons: Expensive and heavy; low interior height limits cooking taller items Best for: Tech lovers who want a spacious, high-performance air fryer with smart features

For those who want a cutting-edge air fryer with serious cooking space, the Typhur Dome is a standout option—if you have the room (and budget). With more than 150 square inches of cooking surface in its wide, flat basket, this model easily handled an entire 12" pizza, 20 chicken wings, or six slices of toast in one go, all without crowding. It's one of the fastest air fryers we tested, thanks to its excellent heat retention and powerful 1750-watt heating system. No preheating required—just load it up and let it rip.

The control panel is clean and modern, offering 10 preset cooking functions, plus manual adjustments. The connected Bluetooth app opens up even more options, including a self-cleaning mode and access to 50 guided recipes. The ceramic nonstick basket (not Teflon) is fully dishwasher-safe, making cleanup hassle-free. And with a 3-year warranty, it’s built for the long haul. What we didn’t like about the Typhur Dome

At nearly 21 pounds, this is a heavy appliance that needs a dedicated spot on your counter. Its low internal height also makes cooking larger items—like a whole chicken—a challenge. And at a premium price point, it’s clearly geared toward buyers who value design, speed, and smart features over compactness or affordability.

5) The best small air fryer: Cosori Lite 2.1-Quart Mini Air Fryer $60 $44

Find On Amazon

Pros: Compact and lightweight; budget-friendly; simple digital controls; easy to store and clean

Cons: Very small capacity; limited cooking functions; no shake reminder Best for: Those who want a compact air fryer for one or two people that’s easy to use, clean, and store away when not in use

If you’re short on space or cash—but still want crisp, golden tots on demand—the Cosori Lite 2.1-Quart Mini Air Fryer is a solid pick. This pint-sized machine is perfect for small households or solo cooking, and it handled everything from frozen fries to zucchini slices with impressive crispiness during our testing. You can expect just enough room to cook two veggie burgers or a modest batch of fries at once. At under $60, it offers excellent value for a digital air fryer with four straightforward functions: air-fry, roast, bake, and reheat.

Its lightweight design (just under 5 lbs) and low profile make it a breeze to stash away in a cabinet when not in use. The nonstick basket is labeled dishwasher-safe, but as with most nonstick cookware, hand-washing is the better option for longevity.

What we didn’t like about the Cosori Lite 2.1-Quart Mini Air Fryer This model’s small size means it’s not ideal for cooking for more than one or two people. It also lacks a shake reminder, so you’ll need to monitor the timer yourself and manually toss or flip foods for even cooking. That said, the digital display is clear and easy to read, so keeping an eye on cook times is simple.

This completes our list of the best air fryers. If you want more posts about recipes and reviews, check our other blog posts here.