Best Air Fryers: Tested Picks for Every Kitchen

From the kitchen: Gerzsi slid a basket of frozen fries into the air fryer, then sat in front of it for twelve minutes as if it might start talking.

An air fryer is a small convection oven with a strong fan. Hot air moves fast around the food, so frozen fries, chicken cutlets and roast vegetables brown with little oil. Basket size matters less than floor space. Food crisps best in one layer, so a wide, flat basket beats a tall one.

We didn’t test these ourselves, and Chef Tamás hasn’t reviewed these models, so the rankings below are the testers’. America’s Test Kitchen cooked frozen and homemade fries, chicken wings, chicken Parmesan and pork tenderloin with butternut squash in 20 models, and cleaned each one after every test. ATK ran a separate test of air-fryer toaster ovens. Tom’s Guide cooked bacon, frozen chicken, fries and vegetables over more than 500 hours, and Shop TODAY ranked ten models in one test kitchen.

Quick picks

The six air fryers, side by side

Air fryer	Price at review	Who it’s for	Tester verdict
Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart · See today’s price	About $120–150	Almost everyone	ATK Winner: fits four cutlets. The basket liner sometimes fell out.
Cosori TurboBlaze 6 Qt (CAF-DC601-KUS) · See today’s price	About $90–100	Cooks who want two testers’ approval	ATK Highly Recommended, Shop TODAY Best Overall. Slower with two bags of fries.
Cosori Pro LE (CAF-L501-KUS) · See today’s price	About $90	Budget buyers, households of two or three	ATK Highly Recommended: easy to use. Fits three cutlets, not four.
Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket · See today’s price	About $250	Large families	Tom’s Guide Best Dual Zone: strong on meat. Top temperature could be higher.
Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven (DT201) · See today’s price	Not listed by ATK	Cooks who want a toaster oven too	ATK Highly Recommended (toaster-oven test). A bit hard to clean.
Philips Premium Airfryer (HD9741/99) · See today’s price	Not listed by ATK	Small kitchens	ATK Highly Recommended: slim and compact. Holds less than the winner.

1. Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart: the one for most people

ATK’s winner. The testers wrote that it was “the first model we’ve tested that delivers on its promise to offer an extra-large capacity.” It is “large enough to fit four chicken cutlets or two 15-ounce bags of frozen french fries.” Their one complaint: “the basket liner occasionally fell out when we inverted the basket.” ATK tested it at about $120 and later listed it at about $150 (America’s Test Kitchen).

Good for: a family of four, fries and cutlets in one batch. Not for: anyone who tips food straight from the basket onto a plate. Hold the liner when you do.

2. Cosori TurboBlaze 6 Qt: the one two testers agree on

ATK rated it Highly Recommended: “It made evenly golden chicken cutlets.” The drawback they found: “It took a little longer to cook two 15-ounce bags of french fries.” ATK listed it at about $100 (America’s Test Kitchen). Shop TODAY ranked it first of the ten models it tested, at about $90. Its editor noted that the “tray takes a while to cool” and “smaller foods may fall through” (Shop TODAY).

Good for: anyone who wants the pick with the most independent support. Not for: cooks who often air-fry small items like shrimp or diced vegetables.

3. Cosori Pro LE: the budget pick

Also Highly Recommended by ATK: “This air fryer was a breeze to use,” and its menu was “straightforward and intuitive.” It is smaller than the winner, “comfortably crisping up only three cutlets instead of four.” ATK listed it at about $90 (America’s Test Kitchen).

Good for: a first air fryer for two or three people. Not for: a family of four that wants dinner in one batch.

4. Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket: for large families

Tom’s Guide named it the best dual-zone air fryer. Two baskets mean the chicken and the vegetables cook at the same time. The tester said it “does an excellent job of cooking meats” and has a “super generous capacity.” The downsides: “you can’t cook directly on the base,” and the “top temperature could be higher.” Tom’s Guide listed it at about $250, on sale for about $210 (Tom’s Guide). ATK did not include dual-basket models in its test.

Good for: families who cook a main and a side together. Not for: small counters. A two-basket machine takes up much more space.

5. Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven: the toaster-oven style

This one comes from ATK’s separate test of air-fryer toaster ovens, where it was Highly Recommended. They called it “a great multipurpose appliance that will maximize their cooking capabilities.” The catch: “it was a bit hard to clean.” ATK did not list a price (America’s Test Kitchen). The winner of that test was the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, which we cover in our countertop oven guide.

Good for: anyone who wants to toast, bake and air-fry in one machine. Not for: cooks who mainly want crisp fries. In ATK’s air fryer test, oven-style models with several racks cooked less evenly than drawer models.

6. Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741: for small kitchens

ATK rated it Highly Recommended and praised its slim, compact design. One feature they liked: “It automatically stopped cooking as soon as the set time was up.” It “can’t hold as much food as our winner can,” so it suits smaller households. ATK did not list a price (America’s Test Kitchen).

Good for: apartments, short counters and cooks feeding one or two. Not for: anyone who wants a family dinner in one batch.

What to skip

ATK did not recommend the Chefman Turbofry Air Oven, whose auto-stir arm “completely mangled the fries,” or the Fritaire Self-Cleaning Glass Bowl Air Fryer, whose heavy, hot lid made it “difficult and dangerous to use” (America’s Test Kitchen). In the toaster-oven test, the Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven (TOA-60) “struggled with just about every task” (America’s Test Kitchen).

Air fryers are a common Black Friday deal. We list tested picks that go on sale on our Black Friday kitchen deals page.

Air fryer FAQ

What size air fryer do I need?

Look at the basket floor, not the quart number. ATK found that food cooks best in a single layer and favored baskets wider than about 10 by 10 inches. Models around 3 quarts hold enough for about two people.

Basket or oven style?

For fries and wings, a drawer basket. ATK’s drawer models performed best, and you can shake the basket without touching the heating element. Choose an oven style if you also want toast and baking in the same machine.

Is a dual-basket air fryer worth it?

Yes, if you often cook two things at once for four or more people. If you cook for one or two, a single basket is cheaper and takes less counter space.

The bottom line

Buy the Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart. It won ATK’s test and fits dinner for four in one batch. Buy the Cosori Pro LE if you cook for two and want to spend less. Then spread the food in one layer, and shake the basket halfway through.

Tester-ranked. Beaver-approved.

Sources

• America’s Test Kitchen: The Best Air Fryers of 2026 (January 15, 2026)
• America’s Test Kitchen: The Best Air-Fryer Toaster Ovens (August 5, 2026)
• Tom’s Guide: The Best Air Fryers (updated June 2, 2026)
• Shop TODAY: The Best Air Fryers, Tested and Ranked by an Editor (August 20, 2026)

Prices are the ones the testers listed, checked in October 2026; prices change often. Wirecutter, Serious Eats, Good Housekeeping and Food & Wine also test air fryers, but we couldn’t read them when this guide was written, so nothing here is attributed to them.