Are you thinking about purchasing an Air fryer, but overwhelmed by all the choices out there? Read on to find out my picks for the best air fryers for 2023.
This article was originally posted in 2019, but I am updating it with new information and new Air Fryer models as they have evolved even in the few years I have had one.
I still get asked almost every day about Air Fryers – which one do I have? What size do I recommend? And do I really need an Air Fryer?
Keep reading to find out the answers to these questions and to get my top Air Fryer Recommendations!
Should I get an Air Fryer?
I was on the fence about getting one for so long, but I bought one on a whim during a Black Friday sale years ago. And guys…we freaking love it. We make everything in it – from breakfast foods like hard boiled eggs in the air fryer, Air Fryer Turkey Bacon, and Air Fryer French Toast Sticks to our favorite Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin.
It even makes veggies taste amazing like Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts with Hot Honey and Air Fryer Zucchini. And it couldn’t be easier to operate – my whole family uses it!
How Does An Air Fryer Work?
An Air Fryer is basically a smaller convection oven. Instead of lots of oil, it uses convection heat to cook your food and get that signature crispy outside we all want. It’s also FAST – it takes way less time to Air Fry than deep fry or even oven roast your food. And it’s also way less messy.
Air Fryer Sizes
When thinking about which air fryer to buy, you want to think about:
- Quart Size – the actual size of the cooking basket – they ranges from as small as 2-3 quarts all the way to 10+ quarts.
- Space – How much space you have to store it – air fryers are not small, even if they have a smaller cooking capacity.
- Budget – there are a wide variety of price points for Air Fryers and it’s always good to get the most bang for your buck.
First, all air fryers are large appliances, but the actual cooking basket size varies from model to model. If you are cooking for yourself or just one other person, a 3-5 quart is just fine. But note – this is still a large machine (I call mine the space ship) and so you will need enough space to store it!
If you are cooking for more than a couple people, you will need to cook things in batches or get a bigger quart size fryer -so this is why I suggest a 6 quart air fryer or higher.
My rule of thumb is this: get the biggest quart size in your budget with the best reviews, as long as you can store it!
Types of Air Fryers
There are two categories of Air Fryers:
- Basket Air Fryers: Similar to a deep fryer, these Air Fryers have a basket to hold the food and you can give everything a shake halfway between air frying to get everything super crispy. These tend to be the more popular style and there is a wide variety of sizes and price points with basket style Air Fryers.
- Convection Oven Air Fryers: like mini convection ovens for your counter, these Air Fryers generally have racks to place your food for frying, and might also have additional functionality like doubling as a toaster oven, too!
The Best Air Fryers
I talk about Air Fryers with readers all day, everyday, so these are my researched top picks for the Best Air Fryers, updated for 2023!
Best Overall Air Fryer
Instant Pot Vortex Air Fryer – 6 Quart – this is the exact Air Fryer that I have and it works perfectly, fits a decent amount of food, and it fits on my countertop in my coffee pot nook. This basket style Air Fryer also has a reheat setting which we actually use a lot to reheat leftovers. The basket is large enough to fit a slice of pizza or cook enough chicken for the 4 of us, and we use this bad boy nonstop here.
It’s also important to note that it is way easier to clean than my first basket style Air Fryer because it has a removable tray, and not a wire basket bottom. I would for sure avoid any air fryer with that.
There is a similar 5.7 quart model also on Amazon here. And there is this version with a clear window that people love, but I just want to warn you…the glass door might be tough to clean!
Best Countertop Air Fryer
Ninja Countertop Air Fryer – this Air Fryer gets RAVE reviews from my readers and here is the best feature – it folds up so sleek and pretty on your counter, it’s amazing for people who want to keep their Air Fryer out but don’t, you know, want to stare at it everyday. It also doubles as a toaster oven, roaster, broiler, and has a keep warm setting.
The only downside I have heard is you cannot cook anything tall like a turkey breast or whole chicken, so keep that in mind. and that is something that is important to you, be sure you buy a basket air fryer that is at least 6 quarts.
Best Large Air Fryer
Instant Pot Vortex Pro Air Fryer – 10 quart – Again – another nod for the Instant Pot Vortex line of Air Fryers. This one is huge and also has a rotisserie feature which is awesome for anyone who loves making homemade rotisserie chicken. It also has both a basket option with the rotisserie, but also has the ability to be a countertop toaster oven. And the reviews are 🙌.
Best “Dual Zone” Air Fryer
This Ninja Foodi 10 Quart Air Fryer has two independent 5 quart Air Fryer baskets with completely separate heating zones. Perfect if you want to make Air Fryer Cauliflower and my Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders at the same time. This is a very large Air Fryer, so you want to make sure you have space for it, but it’s perfect for families and for making a main protein and veggie or Homemade French Fries at the same time.
Best “Smart” Air Fryer
This 6.8 quart COSORI Air Fryer Dual Blaze is a great size, has great reviews, comes with an easy to clean basket. And it also has it’s own app that you can control from your smart phone or even your Alexa which is pretty cool. You can also monitor cooking so if you are always multitasking like me, this could be helpful. The app also has a neat scan to cook feature to help you figure out cook time for a variety of frozen food.
Instant Pot | Air Fryer Combo
All this talk about Air fryers, we can’t forget about the good old Instant Pot. This Ninja Foodi TenderCrisp Multi-Cooker and Fryer is BOTH a pressure cooker and also an air fryer (amongst other things!). If you could only get one appliance, this might be the one for you. I will say, having the convenience of a countertop Air Fryer if you plan to use it often cannot be beat. This is a huge appliance and I would not want it on my counter.
What to Make in an Air Fryer
Once you finally have your Air Fryer and you are ready to start cooking, I have a TON of healthy Air Fryer recipes for you to get started right away, all beginner friendly and easy for even an Air Fryer rookie! Some of our favorite recipes are:
More recipes here: The Best Healthy Air Fryer Recipes
I hope this is super helpful for you! If you decide to get an Air Fryer after reading this, let me know which one you picked! I would love to know!
Happy frying!
Noemi says
Thank you so much for this post! I am looking for an air fryer and it helped me a lot!
Nancylynn says
Yay! So glad it helped!
Deb says
Hi !!
Your review of the Mealthy CrispLid has convinced me to buy one.
I already own and thoroughly enjoy using my Cosori (brand) 8-qt multi-cooker and 8.5 qt air fryer. I pretty much use either own or the other every single day. But I would very much prefer being able to crisp up my pressure-cooked chickens, etc in the same pot than have to switch things around in order to do it with my oven’s broiler. (Not to mention having to heat up the kitchen in the hot summer months.)
And it will be less expensive to buy just a lid rather than an entire new multi-cooker.
Thank you very much for your reviews.
Nancylynn says
Awesome! You will love having both!
Margaret Girgenti says
I’m so glad you posted about the different Air-Fryers. I’m so happy that I saw this. It was very helpful Nan! I will be getting mine this weekend. Thanks so much!
Nancylynn says
How exciting!!!! Let me know which one you get!!
Tiffany says
Thank you SO much for doing this post! I have been debating the air fryer for months and I am just overwhelmed at the number of choices. This really helps me see which one will meet my specific needs. You’re the best! 🙂
Nancylynn says
I am SO happy to hear!!!