Best air fryers: 11 tried and tested

Jacket potatoes are quicker to cook in an air fryer compared to a standard oven, and come out crispy and not soggy like they can in a microwave; while chicken skins come out golden, while remaining tender and succulent on the inside.

“An air fryer cooks food much faster than an oven, with no need to pre-heat, and that can make an air fryer not only easier to use, but more affordable,” says AO.com’s air fryer expert Thea Whyte. “They can be a much healthier option too, as there’s no need to use as much oil when air frying your food as you would in a deep fat fryer.”

In the Saga Exceptional buyer’s guide to air fryers, we’ve included designs to suit a range of households and portion sizes, worktops and budgets. Every air fryer featured in our guide has been rigorously tested by an expert to earn a spot here.

Read on to discover which designs we rate and what to look for when buying an air fryer to suit your kitchen.

Make sure your read our things to consider when you buy an air fryer article before making a purchase to ensure you’re making the right choice, and if you do take the plunge consider these air fryer accessories as well.

With a 5.2-litre (nine-pint) capacity, this air fryer can make up to six portions in one go and it comes with all the sophisticated styling you’d expect from a Ninja appliance.

While it’s slightly above average in price for a single basket air fryer, its premium finish, superb cooking abilities and useful pre-sets made it stand out among the the crowd during our testing and makes it worth the investment.

The instruction manual and recipe booklet included in the box are helpful and inspirational. While we stuck to making chicken tenders in this air fryer, we also had our eye on the recipe for salmon fillets with fresh tomato and cucumber salsa, and the one for Cajun prawns with potato and corn. What makes this air fryer stand out from others is the wide temperature range, as it can go up to a to very hot 240°C (464℉). This is a good option if you want to give food an extra blast of crispiness. We cooked chicken tenders at 200°C (392℉) for 15 minutes, however, and that was just enough to create a crispy golden texture on the outside and ensure they were thoroughly cooked inside.

The air fryer basket slides out a little too quickly for our liking. While the overall feel is luxurious, this design feature could be improved.

The Cosori Lite Air Fryer makes for a different user experience versus many of the other models in this list, as its frame is far more compact and the capacity of the cooking basket smaller.

It may be smaller, but it still has a very impressive spec and includes a stylishly simple control panel with seven pre-set cooking functions, an above average variable temperature control and smartphone app control.

And with a sub-£100 price tag it’s also one of the most affordable, balancing an attractive price with plenty of features.

This air fryer is perfect for cooking two to three portions at a time and both its attractive White Peach or Truffle Grey finish with orange trim look neat and timeless on the worktop. You can also link it to a smart app that allows you to monitor your food from afar.

We tried cooking a portion of chips inside with the chip pre-set but on our first attempt the chips came out a little too crunchy. Once we tailored the temperature we were able to cook them to perfection in less than 15 minutes. We also tried cooking chicken tenders (nice results) and a chocolate cake, which rose well but needed longer than we expected to ensure the centre wasn’t too gooey.

We found the choice of pre-set cooking modes a little random and not entirely useful. These include Chicken, Fries, Bacon, Steak and Veggies. We think a Bake or Reheat setting could improve the line-up. We also tried cooking air fryer kale chips, but we weren’t too impressed with the results.

With its sleek black finish and illuminated viewing window, the Instant Vortex Plus with ClearCook looks eye-catching on the worktop. At 1,700 watts, it’s a powerful model that has the 5.7-litre (10-pint) capacity to air fry a range of foods including a whole chicken.

The roomy 5.7l (10-pint) cooking drawer on this design is ideal for larger cuts of meat and is large enough to fit a whole roast chicken – size dependent. We particularly like how efficient the design is, as the internal light switches off during the cooking process, for example, but it can be easily illuminated with a touch of the button on the control panel when needed. There are also all the useful pre-set programmes for all the popular tasks you’d expect from a good air fryer including, Air Fry, Roast, Grill, Bake, Reheat and Dehydrate. The variable temperature also goes nicely low to 49°C (120℉). Clean up is simple too, as the grill plate is dishwasher safe.

While we were very impressed by the overall performance of this design, we think the cooking basket slides out a little too quickly for our liking. This isn’t necessarily an issue until you’re hurrying to finish dinner and forget to rest the drawer on the worktop as opposed to half way out of the drawer where it may slip out and onto the floor. While there’s also a very good variable temperature range to choose from, if we’re going to be picky we think that the temperature could go up a notch like other designs, which have tried to give you that extra bit of air fried crispiness on your favourite fried foods.

With its glossy black finish and digital touchscreen control panel, we think the design of this modern air fryer, grill and steamer is best suited to modern kitchens. Functionality wise, it impressed us as you can use it to grill and steam food as well as air fry. There’s a steamer container that sits at the top of the air and needs to be filled with water if you’re going to start steaming food such as fish and vegetables. 

The air fryer function on this model is effective and we were able to prepare an evenly cooked batch of chips and tasty chicken tenders by using one of the pre-set cooking modes. We found the 6.2-litre (11-pint) capacity basket large enough to cook up to six portions in one go, which speeds things up and is a good option if you’ve got a large number of people to cook for. We found the steam function surprisingly quick and easy to use when cooking cauliflower florets and were also impressed with how nicely our banana bread baked inside the basket – possibly as there’s so much room inside for it to rise.

It took us a bit of time to get used to the digital control panel as there are a lot of icons to contend with. That said, once we’d referred to the instruction manual and figured out what each icon does, we found it much easier to navigate. And while the black, glossy finish looks stylish and modern, we think it may not be to everyone’s taste, as its rather attention-grabbing and large.

This compact design packs in 10 settings in one and comes with an interior with a flexible crisper plate that can be tailored to suit what you’re cooking. There are 10 functions to choose from on its easy-to-navigate control panel that includes a Speedi Meals setting that can cook a complete dish in just 15 minutes.

There’s a good range of cooking modes to choose from in this attractive design, which packs in both a Steam Air Fry and Air Fryer setting. While we love the fact that it can air fry food using little to no oil, the Steam Air Fry setting creates food that is far more succulent and tender. We really like the deep 5.7-litre (10-pint) pot that lets you pack in up to four portions in one go. The crisper plate is also cleverly designed with adjustable legs that you can lower and raise to accommodate food – such as rice or veggies – and cook it alongside meat, poultry or fish all at the same time.

The design and functionality of this cooker really impressed us but if we were going to be tough on the design we would like to see it in an alternative finish to grey. We also think having a lid you can remove fully as opposed to lifting it up on the side might make for safer use when opening, as the lid can be quite heavy.

Design wise, the Salter Dual Air Fryer Pro is the most attractive dual cooking drawer air fryer we’ve come across in our tests. This is possibly due to its stainless steel drawer fronts that make the overall design look clean and streamlined at all times. While the overall capacity is 7.6 litres (13 pints), this is split into two 3.8-litre (seven-pint) cooking zones that include grill plates that allow the grease to drain away from your food as it cooks.

This is a design with lots of handy pre-set cooking modes on its  sensor touch control panel, which features up to 10 cooking functions for foods such as pork, shrimp, steak, chicken, baking and vegetables. Like the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer AF300UK, it lets you cook two different foods with different cooking timings and set them so that they stop cooking at the same time. You can also set one drawer to cook and simply press a button to mirror this setting in the second drawer, which makes for a convenient short cut. Overall, we were really happy with its even cooking results, and while it doesn’t have a ‘max crisp’ setting, its max 200°C does well to evenly crisp food.

As the control panel is illustrated with icons as opposed to written words, it took us a while to work out how to sync and match the cooking compartments, as we had to refer to the manual. At 5.6kg (12lb 6oz), this design is also rather heavy, so you’ll need to make sure you’re happy with the position you’ve chosen on the worktop and that it has enough room around it to ‘breathe’, as moving it around once in place isn’t ideal.

While this air fryer will take up quite a bit of space on the kitchen worktop, it performs well to create evenly cooked food with as much crispiness as you desire. You can whack up the heat to the top Max Crisp setting that cooks at a powerful and fast 240 °C (464℉) or take things down a notch and gently dehydrate food at 40°C (104℉). The overall capacity is 7.6 litres (13 pints) so you can cook at least six portions at a time if needed.

As well as variable temperature control, the six pre-set programmes on this air fryer impressed us, as each one is useful and well considered for everyday cooking. Choose from standard air frying as well as a Max Crisp, Bake, Roast and Dehydrate settings. Not all air fryers also include a Reheat setting, which we think is a useful addition to the spec. With two 3.8l (seven-pint) capacity cooking drawers, the design is flexible and efficient. You can switch between using the two together to cook two separate dishes, or just use one when you plan on a smaller meal, or just a single batch of chips, for example. The clever tech that enables you to ‘sync’ the cooking baskets so that they are ready to serve at the same time – even when they require different cooking times – is also a bonus. While it’s not the noisiest air fryer we’ve tried, at 59 decibels it’s not the quietest either.

Its boxy black design can be quite imposing on the worktop, plus you’ll need to make sure you have plenty of space around the air fryer while it’s in use. It also isn’t the quietest air fryer on the market. We used this air fryer for up to six months and noticed that when we hadn’t kept on top of cleaning it regularly the drawer interiors started to look a little shabby with burnt on grease discolouring the finish. For advice on how to properly clean your air fryer after each use, you can take a look at our how to clean an air fryer guide that features tips from Queen of Clean Lynsey Crombie.

To get maximum functionality from this design, you’ll need to download the NutriU app on your smartphone and pair it with the air fryer. While you won’t be able to turn the air fryer on using the remote, you can adjust temperatures and monitor your food so you know how long until you can serve up and eat.

The Philips Essential XL Connected HD9280/91 is very quiet in operation and this is something we instantly noticed when using it. The air fryer is also powerful and fast and did a good job at evenly cooking chips and crisping up chicken tenders so they were moist inside and nicely crunchy on the outside. While it took us a while to figure out the pre-set models on the manual digital control panel, it was easy for us to tailor the temperature and timings to suit our food inside using the manual control panel. While you won’t be able to start your food cycle using the app, you can monitor your food remotely, which is a nice touch if you want to take a break from the kitchen while your food cooks. On board the app, there’s a host of recipe ideas you can browse too.

We admire the sleek black finish of this design, but we think the digital control panel could be better illustrated, as it took us a while to figure out which pre-set cooking mode to choose. That said, the app does a better job at explaining all the settings, which we were able to refer to once paired.

Similar in style and size to the Ninja Air Fryer Max AF160UK, this air fryer comes with handy pre-sets neatly displayed on its control panel. Choose from Stew, Oven/grill, Reheat, Yogurt, Air Fryer and Vegetable/Fruit Drying.

This air fryer comes in Ruby red, Starlight and Space Grey Black, and we think its striking ruby red finish makes for a refreshing change to your standard design. We particularly like the oven/grill mode that gives a great taste when grilling fish or burgers. The cooking pot was also fun to use and produced surprisingly thick and tasty results when we made a lamb hot pot. The design also comes with odour trapping technology that prevents smoke formation and limits cooking smells from taking over the kitchen.  

The cooking drawer is also dishwasher safe, which makes the clean-up process easier, while the glossy exterior is easy to wipe clean.

The air fryer comes with a specific Yogurt setting, but we think a Chips or Fish setting would be used more. While the cooking pan is a handy feature, we also wish the four-litre (seven-pint) basket was larger, so in turn we could cook larger stews in one go. 

If you’re pressed for worktop space in your kitchen, the Lakeland Digital Compact Air Fryer is one of the most storage-friendly designs you can buy. Its cooking basket holds enough for 450g (1lb) of chips and at 30cm (1ft) high, the air fryer won’t take up too much room while out on display.

While the two-litre (three-and-a-half-pint) capacity on this air fryer can be limiting, it still does a good job at cooking popular air fryer foods. We used it to make chips, broccoli, cauliflower florets and chicken tenders and were amazed at how powerful its 1,200-watt design was. Its temperature controls were easy to identify on the digital control panel and gave us the ability to flick from 60°C (140℉) to 200°C (392℉) in seconds. The design also feels well built and doesn’t have that cheap plastic finish like some similar, small-capacity air fryers we’ve seen online. The handle remains cool to touch in use, which is always reassuring. To keep it in tip top condition you’ll have to hand wash the basket and crisper plate and buff down the exterior regularly.

The design of this air fryer is basic and, while it doesn’t come with handy shake reminders mid-cooking cycle or a ‘keep warm’ mode, it does have everything you need to make basic air fryer foods like chicken, chips, burgers, fish and veggies. If you want to pre-heat the air fryer before cooking, you’ll have to do it manually.

Basic in its design and offering, this air fryer is ideal for anyone who wants to use it occasionally. It’s also light enough to move and small enough to neatly store in a large kitchen cupboard when not in use.

If it’s a golden batch of crispy chips you’re after, this air fryer will work well. We used it to cook both homemade and frozen chips and we were pleased with the results. We kept a close eye on the chips while cooking by simply pulling out the drawer as and when we needed. We also tried cooking meatballs inside and these seemed to work well in the circular cooking basket. As there are no pre-set times on this air fryer, it did make us pay more attention and experimental when trying to cook our food for the perfect time. We found it easy to clean, but the parts aren’t dishwasher safe.

The ticking timer dial on this air fryer could start to get a little annoying. There’s also no way of turning it off once it starts, even when the machine isn’t plugged in. While we think the finish is perfectly fine for an air fryer in this price range, we think it can feel a little plastic and flimsy.