Capacity: How much food do you actually want to be able to cook in your air fryer? As a rule, we think a 5- to 6-qt. air fryer will suffice for a family of four people, so adjust your choice accordingly.
Form and function: The models you see most often are the basket air fryer, which are great for foods that benefit from frequent tossing like french fries and veggies. The slide-out baskets can be made of a solid nonstick material or mesh, both of which come with their own versatility and cleaning drawbacks (food sticks more to mesh, but it also tends to be dishwasher-safe). Another option is an oven-style, which may take up more room but can offer increased cooking space for whole pizzas, chickens, and other larger foods, and can also often double as a toaster oven.
There are also Instant Pot combo models with air fryer lids, truly all-in-one gadgets that will let you do just about every cooking task you can think of in a single appliance.
If you’re often hosting parties, you might opt for a dual-basket air fryer, which allows for concurrent cooking of different items or big batches of party snacks at once. Or, if space is at a premium in your kitchen, consider a compact air fryer to tuck between other appliances and under cabinets.
Technology: Do you want your air fryer to be an app-enabled, highly programmable “smart” model with multiple presets and cooking functions? Or would you prefer something simple that only requires you to set the time and temperature?
If that seems like a lot to consider, then take a deep breath and relax. We’ve written up a handy guide on how to pick an air fryer.
Best air fryer deals right now
We’ve consistently found Amazon Prime Day air fryer deals during every summer and fall sales event, and Amazon’s October Prime Day is no exception. The Instant Vortex Slim XL is our reigning top pick in air fryers, and it’s currently on sale as is its smaller counterpart, the 4-qt. Instant Vortex Plus. If you’re short on counter space, we recommend the 2.1-qt. Cosori air fryer, which is also on sale. Ninja’s AF101 air fryer is another good option, as is another from Ninja we think is a more than serviceable dual-basket air fryer. If you’re looking for an oven-style model, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro consistently performs well in our toaster oven product test, and it’s on sale for 25% off right now.
DEAL: Instant Vortex Slim 6-Quart Air Fryer
Most basket air fryers have the same basic build and functionalities, but what sets the Instant Vortex Slim apart (and one of the reasons it came out on top in our testing) is that the narrow shape of its basket allows it to accommodate an extra eight square inches of surface area without drastically increasing its total footprint. It’s also quiet and lightweight, and it has some clever features like reminders to flip your food halfway through cooking and a preheat feature that takes less than two minutes to rev up.
DEAL: Instant Vortex Plus 4QT Air Fryer
The Instant Vortex Plus was our previous budget pick before the Vortex Slim came along, and we still think it’s a great choice for anyone looking for a basket air fryer.
DEAL: Cosori Mini 2.1-Quart Air Fryer
If you have a small kitchen, this lightweight compact air fryer is perfect for you and can be easily tucked into a cabinet. Using the air fryer’s four simple preset options—air-fry, bake, roast, and reheat—you can reheat leftover restaurant french fries, crisp up sliced zucchini, or brown some tater tots. Additionally, this model operates more quietly than earlier versions, making it ideal for discreet late-night snacking.
DEAL: Ninja AF101 4 QT Air Fryer
The Ninja AF101 is a great, straightforward, easy-to-use air fryer that’ll serve you well if you’re in the market for a basket-style model.
DEAL: Ninja AF161 Max XL Air Fryer
The Ninja AF161 Max XL is similar to the AF101, but it has a larger capacity (hence the “XL”) and a “Max Crisp” function that hikes the machine’s temperature up to 450°F—a feat considering most air fryers max out at 400°F.
DEAL: Ninja SL401 DoubleStack XL 2-Basket Air Fryer
We’ve found historically that dual-basket air fryer models tend to overpromise and underdeliver, but we were impressed by this model from Ninja in a recent round of testing. Unlike many of the dual basket models on the market, the cooking chambers on this one are stacked, meaning this thing won’t take up all the space on your counter (but will still fit under most overhead cabinets). The two baskets have separate temperature controls, making this a great option if you’re looking to cook an entire meal for the family in one device.
DEAL: Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro
The sister to our product test winner, the Breville Joule Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, this toaster oven-style air fryer is a true joy to use (in fact, the only thing that really sets it apart from the Joule version is that it doesn’t have app connectivity). If you’re looking for an air fryer that can also roast a whole chicken, bake flawless cookies, churn out golden tater tots and fries, and even slow-cook and dehydrate, this is the one for you.
More air fryer deals
Other brands on sale which we’ve had good experiences with include Chefman, Cuisinart, Dreo, Midea, Philips, and more. And they come as both basket-style and air fryer–toaster ovens.
DEAL: Chefman Multifunctional Digital Air Fryer+
DEAL: Chefman TurboFry® Touch Air Fryer, XL 8-Qt
DEAL: Midea Dual Basket Air Fryer Oven
DEAL: Instant Vortex Plus 4QT Air Fryer
DEAL: Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart
DEAL: Instant VersaZone 9QT Air Fryer, 8-in-1
DEAL: Ninja Foodi 10 Quart 6-in-1 DualZone Smart Air Fryer
DEAL: Ninja Digital Air Fry Countertop Oven with 8-in-1 Functionality
DEAL: Instant Omni 19QT/18L Toaster Oven Air Fryer
DEAL: Toshiba 7.7QT Air Fryer
DEAL: Cosori Clear Window Air Fryer, 6.5 Quart
DEAL: Dreo ChefMaker Combi Fryer
