There are plenty of air fryers out there that can give you crispy-enough french fries and chicken wings, but the very best air fryers are versatile countertop convection cookers that do so much more. Though they can look like oversized toaster ovens, these do-it-all kitchen appliances can bake, broil, toast, slow cook, and some even dehydrate and steam. Thanks to built-in convection fans, these modern multi ovens also function as top-notch air-fryers, turning out perfect whole pizzas as well as whole chickens with exquisitely-crisped skin.
But if a bulky air fryer oven is out of your price range, or you don’t have the counter space to spare, you can still get perfectly crispy air-fried food with one of BA’s favorite basket-style air fryers. What you save in space and money, you’ll lose in versatility (they don’t bake or roast as well), but if you mainly want to crisp up frozen foods or reheat last night’s leftover french fries, a basket-style air fryer is be all you need.
No matter which air fryer is the right kind for you, here are four expert-tested recommendations, ranging from $50 to $500.
A countertop convection oven, or air-fryer oven, is the most versatile air fryer you can buy and in our testing, Breville’s are the best you can buy. This model, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, is packed with smart features but isn’t too techy, and it’s our top pick based on function, performance, and value.
If you want a super versatile air fryer and have the counter space to spare, spring for the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro. Breville is making the best air fryer toaster ovens on the market right now and various models can be found in the home kitchens of many of our editors (including my own). This mid-range model is the top pick for award-winning cookbook author Nik Sharma, who’s developed some of BA’s favorite air fryer recipes. “I prefer toaster oven–style to basket-style air fryers, because they’re easier to use for more common tasks like baking, toasting bread, and roasting more efficiently,” says Sharma. Though it does indeed look like an oversized toaster oven, this countertop cooker can also bake, broil, roast, slow cook, dehydrate, and of course, air fry. The air fryer function is one of 13 presets on the digital control panel, and each one employs the right combination of heating elements for perfect toast, bagels, cookies, pizza, slow cooking, and more. (A smarter, pricier model allows you to use Breville’s companion app for more advanced presets including an impressive rotisserie-style chicken).
In terms of value, we think the Instant Vortex Slim 6-quart air fryer from the maker of the Instant Pot is the best air fryer you can get right now. By far the top performer in its price range ($100 to $150), it’s powerful, versatile, quiet, lightweight, and easy to clean (both the nonstick basket and cooking tray are dishwasher safe, though we recommend hand-washing anything with a nonstick coating). According to the expert home cooks at Epicurious, what really sets this model apart from the competition is the generous cooking surface area. Though compact, this air fryer offers eight inches more basket space (it’s 11.2” x 7.8”) than models with a similar countertop footprint, which allows you to cook more food in each batch without sacrificing any of the airflow that makes air-fried food so crispy. One important note: Not all Instant Vortex air fryers are created equally. We also tried the Instant Vortex Mini Air Fryer, the Instant Vortex Plus 4-Quart Air Fryer, and the Instant Vortex Mini 2-Quart Air Fryer, and none impressed as much as this Instant Vortex Slim 6-quart air fryer.
The sleek, modern Typhur Dome is fast, powerful, and the basket is big enough for a 12-inch pizza. It’s pricey and has a large footprint, but the dome design will surely be a conversation starter in your kitchen.
If you want something sleek and spacious and have room in the budget, the new Typhur Dome offers just over 150 square inches of cooking surface area in its square-ish basket. Our testers were able to fit a 12-inch pizza, six slices of toast, 20 chicken wings, and 10 slices of bacon per batch, while maintaining enough space for airflow around each item. It’s powerful and fast as well; the Typhur Dome doesn’t require any preheating and the construction retains heat incredibly well. We found it cooked French fries, chicken, and bread several minutes faster than any other machine we tried. Because it can maintain a temperature as low as 140ºF, it can be used for dehydrating foods too. The relatively simple digital control panel has 10 presets, plus arrows to adjust the temperature and cooking time, and the companion app has even more settings—including a self-cleaning function—as well as 50 one-touch air fryer recipes. The entire basket, which has a ceramic nonstick surface, is dishwasher safe. Because it’s so roomy, this air fryer does take up a lot of space, but if you’re into kinda-cute, futuristic small appliances, you might not mind making the space for this on your countertop.
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