Best Air fryers 2026: 16 Compared (22 Sources)

What are the best air fryers in 2026?

Summary

Two basket air fryers lead the tests we read. The COSORI TurboBlaze 6-Qt is RTINGS’s best air fryer for most people, TODAY’s best overall and Wirecutter’s runner-up, and TechGearLab names it its best air fryer for families; Engadget’s runner-up is the Cosori 6-quart 9-in-1 (its Amazon link is the TurboBlaze). [src1, src3, src8, src14, src5] The Ninja Air Fryer Pro AF141 is Wirecutter’s top pick, for producing “the most satisfyingly crispy food of all the air fryers we’ve tested”, and Tom’s Guide’s best overall; RTINGS makes it its best mid-range pick. [src8, src2, src1] The two trade places by outlet: Wirecutter found the TurboBlaze “just a little less” crisp than the Ninja, while RTINGS found the Ninja cooked less evenly than the DZ071 and the Beautiful 6-Qt, and the TurboBlaze unusually versatile, with five fan speeds. [src8, src1] This card puts the TurboBlaze first because more outlets back it, and lists the AF141 as the compact pick. [src1, src3, src8, src5, src14, src2]

This card has no budget pick this cycle. RTINGS’s budget pick on its main list (its budget guide calls the TurboBlaze the best budget air fryer) is the Beautiful 6-Qt air fryer, which TODAY found the easiest to clean of the air fryers it tested, and Taste of Home’s budget pick is a Beautiful air fryer too; but RTINGS reviewed the Black Sesame colour, TODAY links the White Icing colour, and Taste of Home states neither size nor colour, so the Beautiful is listed as an alternative. [src1, src11, src3, src7, src19, src22] For a window on the food, Engadget, Reviewed and Consumer Reports pick the Instant Vortex Plus 6-Qt with ClearCook and OdorErase. [src5, src13, src4] For two dishes at once, RTINGS rates the two-basket Ninja DZ550 the best air fryer it has tested and says the DZ401 comes very close, and the DZ401 is Engadget’s dual-zone pick. [src1, src12, src5] Reviewed, Tom’s Guide and Engadget back the stainless-steel COSORI Iconic, Tom’s Guide and Taste of Home back the probe-guided Dreo ChefMaker, and America’s Test Kitchen, Engadget and Reviewed back the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro BOV900BSS as an air fryer toaster oven. [src13, src2, src5, src7, src16, src17]

The testers disagree on three products. Taste of Home’s best overall air fryer, the Cuisinart AIR-200, is CNN Underscored’s runner-up, but Wirecutter found it ran 30 to 50 degrees cooler than its setting; RTINGS and Consumer Reports both include the Typhur Dome 2 among their large-capacity picks, but Wirecutter dismissed it; and RTINGS’s budget guide picks the two-basket Ninja Foodi DZ201, whose Amazon listing TechGearLab links for its favourite for meal prepping, but Wirecutter found neither basket ran hot enough. [src7, src6, src8, src12, src15, src11, src14] They also disagree about coatings: Cosori describes the TurboBlaze’s basket as PFAS-free ceramic, while Wirecutter says Cosori disclosed that the coating contains PTFE and TechGearLab says the manufacturer told it the basket coating includes PFAS. [src20, src8, src14] This card ranks a product only when at least two outlets that tested it pick it; an alternative is one outlet’s pick or a product the outlets disagree on, and each section names the outlet. Where no single colour or version of a model has two tests, as with the Beautiful 6-Qt, that model is an alternative.

16 Air Fryers Compared

Capacities, coatings and picks are the outlets’ and makers’ own. [src1, src2, src3, src4, src5, src6, src7, src8, src11, src12, src13, src14, src15, src16, src17, src18, src19, src20, src21, src22] A price is the Amazon price from our US price check for the listing we link, updated daily; the Beautiful’s Walmart listing has no price feed, and a dash means our check has no current offer to show, or has not yet checked a link new to this card.

Best for Each Use Case

Top pick: COSORI TurboBlaze 6-Qt — Check price

RTINGS names the TurboBlaze the best air fryer for most people: with just over 6 quarts and a generous cooking surface it “easily serves up to four people”, its fries came out “crispy and golden brown with just a few fries that were under- or overcooked”, and RTINGS found it “unusually versatile for an air fryer at this price”, with five fan speeds and modes for dehydrating and proofing. [src1] TODAY made it its best overall air fryer at 4.71 out of 5, with full marks for nuggets and fries, whole chicken, roast potatoes, cleaning and ease of use, and 3 out of 5 for cookies. [src3] Wirecutter makes it its runner-up, finding that it “cooked almost as well as the Ninja Air Fryer Pro, achieving just a little less crispness”. [src8] Engadget’s runner-up is the Cosori 6-quart 9-in-1 (its Amazon link is the TurboBlaze), whose rounded-square basket Engadget calls one of the roomiest it has seen on a machine with so small a footprint. [src5] TechGearLab names it its best air fryer for families, and RTINGS’s budget guide says it offers “the kind of impressive performance and versatility usually found only in much pricier models”. [src14, src11] Its weak points: RTINGS found that its top fan speed makes the temperature fluctuate, so it suits delicate foods less well; TODAY found the tray takes a while to cool and smaller foods may fall through; and Wirecutter notes that Cosori does not sell replacement baskets or trays. [src1, src3, src8] On the coating the sources disagree. Cosori describes a PFAS-free ceramic-coated basket and crisper plate, but Wirecutter says Cosori has disclosed that the nonstick coating contains PTFE, and TechGearLab says the manufacturer told it the basket coating includes PFAS; Wirecutter measured about 454°F when it set the TurboBlaze to its 450°F maximum. [src20, src8, src14]

Best compact: Ninja Air Fryer Pro AF141 — Check price

Wirecutter’s top pick: the 5-quart Ninja Air Fryer Pro “heats up quickly and produces the most satisfyingly crispy food of all the air fryers we’ve tested”, with physical buttons instead of a touchscreen, and Ninja sells replacement baskets and crisper trays for it. [src8] Tom’s Guide makes it its best air fryer overall: it crisped french fries in under 10 minutes, its tester could meal-prep for four in the 5-quart basket, and it “will also slot easily under any cabinet”. [src2] RTINGS, which makes it its best mid-range pick, calls it a 5.1-quart model for two to three people, “ideal for those who want the best-in-class performance in a smaller form factor”, that “cooks even faster than the Ninja Foodi DZ071, but not quite as evenly”. [src1] RTINGS says its crisper tray has a ceramic nonstick coating instead of PTFE, and Wirecutter reports that Ninja’s customer service describes a PFAS-free “nano-ceramic” coating. [src1, src8] Against it: Wirecutter measured 430°F when it set the 400°F maximum and found it one of the loudest air fryers it tested, Tom’s Guide found it cooks faster at the sides of the basket, and RTINGS found it less versatile, with a narrower range of temperature and fan settings and four functions (air fry, roast, reheat and dehydrate). [src8, src2, src1]

Best with a viewing window: Instant Vortex Plus 6-Qt with ClearCook and OdorErase — Check price

Engadget’s best air fryer overall is the Instant Vortex Plus with ClearCook and OdorErase: its window shows the basket while food cooks, its controls are intuitive, its nonstick drawer basket is easy to clean, it fits four chicken thighs, and it needs virtually no preheating. [src5] Reviewed makes it its best basket air fryer, finding that it “crisps food quickly and evenly” and that its touchscreen and dial are easy to use without reading the manual. [src13] Consumer Reports picks the ClearCook model with “odor erase” technology, the 140-3089-01, for its top-notch controls and strong noise and cleaning results, and measured its capacity at 5.2 quarts; Engadget and Reviewed list it as 6 quarts. [src4, src15, src5, src13] The odor filter is the weak point: Engadget found it did not completely eliminate smells, and Reviewed did not find it particularly effective. [src5, src13]

Best dual basket: Ninja DZ401 Foodi DualZone XL — Check price

Engadget’s best dual-zone air fryer: two independent baskets cook two foods with different modes at once, Match Cook sets both the same, and Smart Finish times them to finish together; Engadget found it needs little to no preheating and runs relatively quietly. [src5] RTINGS makes it its best upper mid-range large-capacity air fryer, with 10.1 quarts across two baskets, and says that “while it can’t match its pricier sibling’s performance, it comes very close” — the sibling is the DZ550, listed below. [src12] The cost is space: Engadget calls its footprint large and says it is not a good option for small kitchens. [src5] For one large cooking area instead of two, RTINGS points to the convertible DZ071, whose single basket takes larger items such as a whole chicken. [src12]

Best stainless steel: COSORI Iconic 6.5-Qt — Check price

Reviewed’s best stainless-steel air fryer pairs a stainless body and a tempered-glass control panel with a PFAS-free ceramic basket; Reviewed found that foods “emerged golden and evenly cooked with minimal need for shaking or adjustment”, and it carries a five-year warranty. [src13] Tom’s Guide makes it its best PFAS-free air fryer: its tester found the DC motor fast and the results consistently crisp, and Tom’s Guide lists 50 dB, the lowest noise figure in its comparison table. [src2] Engadget’s premium option performs similarly to its other Cosori pick, the 6-quart 9-in-1 (its Amazon link is the TurboBlaze), but is “noticeably quieter”, and its Wi-Fi app, which can set default times and temperatures for each mode, is “actually useful”. [src5] RTINGS lists it as a notable mention with performance similar to the TurboBlaze’s. [src1] The drawbacks: it is expensive (Tom’s Guide cites $250), the stainless shell shows fingerprints, Tom’s Guide found it so powerful that it is easy to overshoot cook times, Reviewed noticed a “new appliance” smell on first use, and cooking must be started on the unit rather than in the app. [src2, src13]

Best smart: Dreo ChefMaker Combi Fryer — Check price

Tom’s Guide’s best smart air fryer: its probe tracks what is cooking, its tester cooked medium-rare steaks “to an astonishing degree of accuracy”, and a steam feature keeps foods that are at risk of drying out moist; Tom’s Guide gave it a 4.5-star review and a 2024 Tom’s Guide Award. [src2] Taste of Home’s best premium air fryer “outperformed all other models in terms of cooking abilities” in its test, with chicken so crisp “it might as well have been from a deep fryer”. [src7] Reviewed tested it without making it a pick: it found the results quick and crispy but the machine prone to overcooking, with a learning curve. [src13] It is expensive, Tom’s Guide says its basket suits smaller households, and Taste of Home warns that it is tall enough that it might not fit under cabinets. [src2, src7] It holds 6 quarts and runs from 100°F to 450°F. [src13, src2]

Best air fryer toaster oven: Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro BOV900BSS — Check price

America’s Test Kitchen’s winning air-fryer toaster oven “consistently made the best food in the bunch”: excellent toast, golden roast chicken, and air-fried french fries and chicken Parmesan “on par with recipes made in our favorite traditional air fryer”. [src16] Engadget calls it the best air fryer toaster oven: its 1-cubic-foot interior takes a 14-pound turkey or a 9 x 13 pan, with 13 cooking modes. [src5] Reviewed makes it its best large-capacity air fryer toaster oven, “a state-of-the-art toaster oven and a consistently excellent air fryer”. [src17] RTINGS has since moved it from its top air fryer toaster oven pick to a notable mention, saying the CHEF iQ MiniOven “produces crispier results more quickly”. [src18] The costs: it is large and expensive (America’s Test Kitchen lists $399.95 as its price at the time of testing and 21.5 x 13.55 x 12.5 inches as its dimensions), its uncoated metal air-fryer basket and large cavity are “a bit of a pain to clean”, Reviewed says its parts are not dishwasher-safe and its manual gives no air-frying guidance, and America’s Test Kitchen notes that air-fryer toaster ovens must preheat for many tasks, unlike conventional air fryers. [src5, src16, src17]

Alternative (RTINGS’s best air fryer): Ninja Foodi DZ550 DualZone Smart XL — Check price

RTINGS calls the DZ550 “the best air fryer we’ve tested”: two baskets totalling 10 quarts, crispy golden-brown wings, vegetables and fries, quick preheating, and a temperature probe that monitors meat as it cooks. [src1] It is also RTINGS’s best large-capacity air fryer. [src12] It takes a lot of counter space, and RTINGS notes that its ceramic-coated crisper trays are more difficult to clean by hand than conventional nonstick. [src1] It is an alternative rather than a ranked pick because RTINGS is the only outlet we read that picks it.

Alternative (RTINGS’s best upper mid-range): Ninja Foodi FlexBasket DZ071 — Check price

RTINGS’s best upper mid-range air fryer is a 7.1-quart model for five to six people with a removable divider, so it cooks two foods at once or one large dish; RTINGS found it cooks quickly and evenly, with very low fan and temperature settings for baking and dehydrating. [src1] On its large-capacity list RTINGS notes that the single basket takes larger items such as a whole chicken. [src12] The trade-offs: the divided halves are less insulated than separate baskets, so heat transfers between them, and the wide basket with its horizontal handle is awkward to shake. [src1]

Alternative (Taste of Home’s best overall): Cuisinart AIR-200 6-Qt Basket Air Fryer — Check price

Taste of Home’s best overall air fryer produced “the crispiest french fries of the bunch”, reaches 450 degrees and has a window; its 6-quart basket and 9 x 9-inch tray hold up to four chicken breast halves, though it has a large footprint and takes no foil or parchment. [src7] CNN Underscored’s runner-up needed no preheating, has five functions and a toss reminder, toasted bagels excellently, ran quietly and carries a three-year warranty. [src6] Wirecutter disagrees: in its test the Cuisinart Air-200 “ran about 30 to 50 degrees cooler than its set temperature” and produced uneven trays of nuggets and fries. [src8] Cuisinart describes its basket as PFAS-free ceramic nonstick. [src21] Because the testers split, it is an alternative rather than a ranked pick.

Alternative (RTINGS’s pick for pizza): Typhur Dome 2 — Check price

RTINGS’s best large-capacity air fryer for pizza has a shallow 5.7-quart basket with more surface area than any basket-style model on that list, enough for a 12-inch pizza, and heating elements above and below. [src12, src1] RTINGS found that it cooks about as evenly as the Ninja DZ071 but takes longer and is less versatile. [src1] Consumer Reports includes it among its best large air fryers for easy cleaning, an excellent noise score and a self-cleaning function, but measured its capacity at 5 quarts, found its controls not the most intuitive, and notes that at 22 pounds it is the heaviest on that list and the priciest air fryer in its ratings. [src15] Wirecutter dismissed it: it “struggled to reach its maximum temperature and produced middling results”, and its enormous basket was hard to hold with one hand. [src8]

Alternative (TODAY’s pick for chicken and cookies): Instant Vortex Plus 6-Qt ClearCook — Check price

This is the ClearCook model TODAY and CNN Underscored tested and link, not the model with OdorErase picked above. [src3, src6] TODAY scored it 4.25 out of 5: it “created the best tasting and looking cookies” and a dark brown, crispy, juicy whole chicken, but it was the only air fryer TODAY tested that had to preheat, and it scored 2 out of 5 for volume. [src3] CNN Underscored tested it without making it a pick: it liked the window with its internal light and the fast preheat, and notes that the product contains PTFE. [src6]

Alternative (RTINGS’s budget pick on its main list): Beautiful 6-Qt Air Fryer with Touch-Activated Display — Check price

RTINGS’s budget pick on its main list (its budget guide calls the TurboBlaze the best budget air fryer) is the Beautiful 6qt Digital, a 5.9-quart model “big enough to cook for about four people” whose roomy basket helps it “cook a little more evenly than the Ninja Pro AF141”; RTINGS says it is “usually available for less than $70 USD”. [src1, src11] Taste of Home’s budget pick is the Beautiful by Drew Barrymore air fryer, which it says comes in 3-, 6- and 9-quart sizes, with a link to the 6-quart model; it found that it “runs very quietly”, that its large basket takes large batches, and that it “crisps food well and cooks quickly”. [src7] TODAY scored it 3.88 out of 5: it cooked everything “averagely”, proved the easiest to clean, and was “the most affordable air fryer we tested that managed to have respectable scores”. [src3] The trade-offs: RTINGS found it slower than its other picks and its top fan speed too weak for roasting or extra-crispy snacks, TODAY notes it has only four functions (air fry, roast, reheat and dehydrate), Taste of Home found the rubber feet on the basket come off easily, and CNN Underscored, which tested it without making it a pick, found it lacked a window. [src1, src3, src7, src6] Beautiful is Drew Barrymore’s brand, and RTINGS says it is sold only at Walmart, so this link goes to Walmart. [src19] It is an alternative rather than the budget pick because no single colour or version has two tests. RTINGS reviewed it in Black Sesame and found a PTFE-coated crisper plate on that unit. [src19, src1] TODAY’s pick links the White Icing colour; that Walmart listing (item 16101019328, which Taste of Home links too) was titled, when we checked on 2026-10-15, as a 6-quart version with an EverGood ceramic coating, which Walmart says has no intentionally added PFAS or PTFE. [src3, src7, src22] Taste of Home does not say which size or colour it tested. [src7] This card links the touch-display model in White Icing (Walmart item 597932797), which none of these outlets says it tested. [src22]

Alternative (RTINGS’s best budget large-capacity): Ninja Foodi DZ201 DualZone — Check price

RTINGS’s budget guide makes the 8-quart Ninja Foodi DZ201 its best budget large-capacity air fryer. [src11] TechGearLab’s favourite for meal prepping is the Ninja Foodi 8-Quart 2-Basket (its Amazon link is the DZ201, the listing this card links). [src14] On its main list RTINGS says the DZ201 is not as versatile as the DZ550 and does not air fry as evenly. [src1] Wirecutter disagrees with the picks: in its test the DZ201 failed to run hot enough in either basket. [src8] Because the testers split, it is an alternative rather than a ranked pick.

Alternative (Wirecutter’s budget pick): Gourmia GAF486 4-Quart Air Fryer — Check price

Wirecutter’s budget pick “heated faster and held its temperature better than other air fryers in its price range”, and Wirecutter describes it as an air fryer that costs around $60 or less. [src8] Compared with Wirecutter’s top pick, the Ninja Air Fryer Pro AF141, it “heated a little more slowly and crisped food slightly less effectively”, and its results were less consistent, but it made reasonably crunchy fries and nuggets and “surprisingly crisp and sumptuous chicken wings”. [src8] Wirecutter says its basket is PTFE-free: according to Gourmia’s customer service, it is aluminum covered in a food-grade silicone nonstick coating. [src8] Against it: Wirecutter found the touchscreen cluttered and counterintuitive, waking only when you press the Gourmia logo above the handle, and its beeps shrill and loud, and notes that Gourmia sells no replacement parts and gives a one-year warranty. [src8] It is an alternative rather than a ranked pick because Wirecutter is the only outlet we read that picks it.

Alternative (TODAY’s runner-up): Philips 2000 Series 4.4-Qt Air Fryer — Check price

TODAY’s runner-up scored 4.63 out of 5, the second-highest average in its test, and ranked high for baking cookies, dehydrating strawberries and roasting a whole chicken: its cookies were still soft an hour after baking, it dehydrated strawberries in one hour where other air fryers took upwards of three, and it scored full marks for cleaning, volume and ease of use. [src3] Its lowest score, 3 out of 5, was for air-frying nuggets and fries, and TODAY notes that some food was undercooked. [src3] TODAY lists a 4.4-quart basket and a range of 140°F to 392°F. [src3] It is an alternative rather than a ranked pick because TODAY is the only outlet we read that picks it.

What the Other Testers Picked

These are picks from the outlets above that this card describes but does not list or link, with the reason:

• Tom’s Guide’s best dual-zone air fryer: the Philips 3000 Dual Zone, with one large and one small drawer; CNN Underscored tested the Philips 3000 Dual-Basket and found its touchscreen tricky to navigate. [src2, src6]
• CNN Underscored’s best air fryer and Tom’s Guide’s best small air fryer: the Ninja Crispi, an air-frying lid that sits on glass containers. Tom’s Guide says it is “not, in any real sense, an actual air fryer” because it lacks specific temperature controls, TechGearLab flags its super hot exterior, and Wirecutter dismissed it as unwieldy and complicated, so this card does not compare it with basket air fryers. [src6, src2, src14, src8]
• RTINGS’s best glass air fryer: the Ninja Crispi DualZone DD101, which RTINGS found very heavy at about 30 pounds. [src1]
• Reviewed’s best value and TechGearLab’s best overall: the 4-quart Ninja AF101. TechGearLab says the AF141 listed above is its newer version, and Wirecutter found that the AF101 runs too hot and that its tray falls out when you turn food out of the basket. [src13, src14, src8]
• Reviewed’s best overall: the Ninja Speedi SF301, which RTINGS says has been discontinued. [src13, src1]
• Consumer Reports’ picks: the Dash Tasti-Crisp DCAF260 (“the highest-rated air fryer we’ve tested”), the Amazon Basics AFT0003B-UL, the Chefman RJ38-2T, the Cosori Dual Blaze CAF-P583S-KUS and the 4-quart Instant Vortex Plus 140-3079-01. Consumer Reports’ tests measure capacity, controls, convenience, noise and cleaning. [src4]
• Taste of Home’s other picks: the Bella 2.9-Quart (small), Gourmia 8-Quart (large), Chefman TurboFry (stainless steel), NuWave Brio (reheating), Instant Pot Air Fryer Oven (beginners) and Ninja Max XL (multipurpose). [src7]

Key Market Trends (2026)

• Two models lead the tests: the COSORI TurboBlaze is first at RTINGS (for most people) and TODAY and second at Wirecutter, and Engadget’s runner-up is the Cosori 6-quart 9-in-1 (its Amazon link is the TurboBlaze); the Ninja Air Fryer Pro AF141 is first at Wirecutter and Tom’s Guide. [src1, src3, src8, src5, src2]
• Coating claims need checking: Cosori markets the TurboBlaze’s coating as PFAS-free ceramic, but Wirecutter and TechGearLab report PTFE or PFAS in it. CNN Underscored notes that the Instant Vortex Plus ClearCook contains PTFE, and RTINGS found a PTFE-coated plate in the Beautiful 6-quart; RTINGS describes ceramic crisper trays on the Ninja DZ550, DZ071 and AF141, and Engadget and Reviewed describe the COSORI Iconic’s PFAS-free ceramic basket. [src20, src8, src14, src6, src1, src5, src13]
• Glass air fryers are now picks: CNN Underscored’s best air fryer is the glass Ninja Crispi, and RTINGS added the Ninja Crispi DualZone DD101 as its best glass air fryer; Wirecutter says air fryers with glass panels have worse temperature fidelity. [src6, src1, src8]
• Advertised capacity overstates: Consumer Reports says actual capacity is often smaller than claimed; it measured the Instant Vortex Plus 140-3089-01 at 5.2 quarts and the Typhur Dome 2, which RTINGS lists at 5.7 quarts, at 5. [src4, src15, src12]
• Toaster ovens are the alternative: Wirecutter recommends air fryer toaster ovens over pod-shaped air fryers for even cooking and versatility; America’s Test Kitchen’s top air-fryer toaster oven is the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, which RTINGS has moved behind the CHEF iQ MiniOven. [src8, src16, src18]

Important Caveats

• The table at the top of the page shows today’s price and stock for every listed air fryer, from our daily US check of the listing we link. A price quoted from an outlet is that outlet’s figure when it wrote.
• Temperature accuracy varies. Wirecutter found air fryers that overshot the target by as much as 30 degrees and some that never got within 50 degrees; the Ninja AF141 hit 430°F at a 400°F setting, and Consumer Reports measured 363°F from the Cosori Dual Blaze set to 350°F. [src8, src4]
• Capacity: Wirecutter recommends no more than 6 quarts, finding 4 to 5 quarts the sweet spot and larger air fryers slower to crisp, while RTINGS rates the 10-quart two-basket DZ550 the best air fryer it has tested. Tom’s Guide advises laying food in one layer, so basket width matters more than quarts. [src8, src1, src2]
• Nonstick care: Wirecutter recommends hand-washing nonstick air fryer parts rather than using the dishwasher, avoiding metal utensils, and replacing a basket once its coating starts to degrade; it says cookware that contains PTFE should not be heated above 500°F. [src8]
• Noise: Tom’s Guide lists 72 dB for the Ninja AF141 and 50 dB for the COSORI Iconic, and Wirecutter found the AF141 one of the loudest air fryers it tested. [src2, src8]
• Recalls: two CPSC recalls are often confused with these picks (see Decision Logic); this card did not run a full recall search. [src9, src10]