13 best air fryers 2023, tested and top-rated by our experts

Best for small households on a budget

Pros:

• Small and simple to use
• Great for small households
• Easy to set up

Cons:

• Hard to get the precise time for cooking

Wattage: 1300W

Star rating: 4/5

If it’s a simple, fuss-free air fryer you’re looking for, this might just be the one for you – this model from Magic Bullet is a solid, compact choice that’s incredibly easy to use, without compromising on quality.

We found the build to be excellent for the price, which makes this model great value for money. It also runs very quietly – this is all the more impressive when you realise just how quickly it heats up.

Though relatively small, the Magic Bullet fry pot has ample space for a small household, with a 2.5-litre capacity that can cook a decent-sized portion of chips, vegetables, burgers or sausages.

At just under 38cm, it neatly slotted in and out of the cupboard and drawer without any problems, too. That said, it’s good-looking enough that you could easily keep it on the counter.

The only difficulty we had was with the timer knob, which had small markings that were difficult to line up. Still, this didn’t impact the cooking results, and our thin and thick-cut chips came out beautifully, with a good texture and even colour. Read our full Magic Bullet air fryer review.

Other air fryers tested and rated

How to choose the best air fryer

Air fryers differ in size and versatility, so it’s worth considering the following while you do your research.

• What would you like to cook in it?
• How many people are you cooking for?
• How much space do you have?
• What is your budget?
• Do you have a specific requirement for ease-of-use? For example, large, clear function icons and controls, or perhaps an audible indicator for when each function has finished?

If it’s simply a healthier, more efficient method of cooking chips that you’re after, you can narrow your search down to one without bells and whistles, and save some pennies on a machine that does the core function well.

Top tip: Watch out for those that will require you to part-boil the cut potatoes prior to crisping – air fryers worth having should be able to fully cook chips on their own.

Are air fryers energy efficient?

Air fryers vary in their energy efficiency, but it is possible to calculate how much energy an appliance will use, which in turn will help you cost up the impact it’ll have on your bills. Here’s how:

Take the appliance’s wattage and multiply it by the gadget’s hours of use per day, then divide the total by 1000. The result will be the appliance’s daily kilowatt-hour (kWh).

The cost per kilowatt-hour will vary depending on your energy tariff and area. If you have a smart meter installed at home, you’ll be able to see the cost per use during cooking without having to calculate it.

One of the many useful qualities of air fryers is the countertop size. These gadgets are much faster to heat up and designed to circulate hot air efficiently, meaning food can be cooked much quicker than in a traditional oven. For smaller quantities and specific ingredients, air fryers will be switched on for considerably less time, which equates to less electricity consumption.

Are air fryers worth it?

If you’re wondering whether air fryers are really worth it, we think the primary perk of owning one is convenience. Like any kitchen gadget, you want something that’s going to make life simpler, and there’s no doubt that frying and baking conventionally can be messy, smelly and even dangerous.

Using an air fryer to bake, roast and fry will speed up the process, and can potentially cut calories and save money as you won’t have to use a larger oven for smaller portions and side dishes.

Think of air fryers as mini ovens that can tackle almost anything you’d put in a conventional oven or deep-fat fryer. They’re not just for chips: you can bake, roast and even dehydrate ingredients, too.

Is air frying healthy?

In comparison to deep-fat frying, air frying is a healthier alternative – using convection cooking rather than oil means there’s less fat in the finished food, which in turn means fewer calories. However, air frying does have some negatives, so it should be considered as part of a balanced diet. Read more about the health credentials of air fryers in our guide – is air frying healthy?

What can you cook in an air fryer?

Recipe-wise, air fryers are an excellent tool for not only knocking up traditional favourites, but aiding you in experimentation. The humble spud is a great starting point. As we mention above, it’s possible to achieve a similar texture and flavour of traditional fried delights with an air-crisp function for air-fried chips and air-fried roast potatoes using considerably less oil. The same applies to coated foods from which you’d like a crisp outer, like breadcrumbs. Discover our collection of air fryer recipes for a bit of inspiration for veggies and air-fried chicken.

On mid-range models, baking functions are often an option with non-stick accessories. This opens the door to thrifty bakes, classic cake recipes as well as free-from options to fit those with dietary requirements. Fruit leather is an excellent way to make the most of a dehydrate function if you have a hand blender, blender or food processor at home, or for an umami-kick try dehydrating tomatoes or mushrooms.

Not all foods are suitable for an air fryer, however – read our guide on what not to cook in an air fryer.

How we tested air fryers

What is the first thing you think of when you consider air fryers? Chips, of course, so our homemade fries test was crucial.

The key to crisp fries was to peel and soak the potatoes in cold water for half an hour to remove starch, before drying thoroughly. We used Maris Piper potatoes for all.

We looked at the manuals for each model and followed their directions for cooking temperature, time and the quantity of oil needed. If the type of oil wasn’t specified them we used vegetable.

Anything from the size of the cut to the variety of potato can make a difference here, so it’s always good to gauge things halfway through the time. But for the purpose of the test, we shook ingredients only when prompted too and scored the appliance based on its performance.

We tested the air fryers using set criteria and scored each one on the following core areas out of five. The average of all determined the overall star rating they achieved:

Quality of food
To ensure fairness, we initially cooked chips in every fryer we tested. We looked at how evenly they ‘fried’ and whether they were brown and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Ease of use
No-one wants to resort to a YouTube video to work out how to use a new gadget. We looked for fryers with clear, simple instructions, so we could get them out of the box and cooking our dinner as quickly as possible. Fryers also scored highly if the icons or control buttons were easy to use and intuitive.

Value for money
Some of our cheaper fryers made excellent fries without a big price tag. We looked at whether the fryers were worth the price.

Ease of cleaning
Some air fryer baskets are dishwasher safe or coated with a non-stick surface. Read our guide to how to clean an air fryer.

Quality of materials
We checked that every component of the air fryer was built to last and able to withstand regular use.

What to consider when buying an air fryer

Think of your individual requirements before investing. You may want to consider the following:

Manual or digital
The simplest air fryers come with manual knobs that you twist to set the time and temperature. You may prefer a digital version, where you press buttons to set this, and can see the remaining time digitally displayed.

Choice of pre-set programmes
Do you like to choose your own temperature and how long to cook things for, or would you prefer to leave all that to the machine? Some of our fryers had up to nine pre-set programmes for popular foods like chips and, bizarrely, shrimps.

Speed
It took between 17 and 30 minutes to cook chips in our samples, so this might be a factor. Some models need preheating, but only for a few minutes (much less than an oven).

Size
Always check the size as the capacity varies enormously – important if you’re feeding the masses or just want dinner for one. But bigger isn’t always better. Some take up more space on the kitchen surface and if you’re going to keep it in a cupboard, check the dimensions, some are sizeable beasts.

Transparent lid or internal light
Some models have a see-through lid so you can glance in and check your chips are browning well. With others, you have to open the basket to check, stopping the machine. The transparent ones tend to be a feature on more expensive machines, so you need to decide how important this is to you.

Shaking
With most air fryers, you need to shake your chips halfway through cooking (or more often if you want to see how they are getting on). Some fryers have clever devices built in to turn the food for you. Again, these tend to be the more expensive models, but this could a factor to consider if you want to go off and leave your dinner to cook itself.

Cleaning
You’ll need to wash the basket and pan after use. Some need to be hand-washed, while others are dishwasher-proof. (The main parts of the machine should just be wiped with a cloth.)

Price
Air fryers vary hugely in price – our tested models varied from £39.99 to £300.

Read more: Why are air fryers flying off the shelves during the cost-of-living crisis?

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