The best air fryers of 2024

To date, we’ve tested over a dozen air fryers to compile this list. Each air fryer is rated for its power, consistency, ease of use, design, features and overall performance. In total, we logged over 75 hours of air frying.

There are hundreds of recipes that can be made with a deep fryer, but we stuck to the basics and focused on the most popular foods that people associate with deep fryers. Chicken wings are at the top of that list, but French fries, frozen snacks, and chunky vegetables—in this case, Brussels sprouts—are staples in the deep fryer. Before starting, we consulted each model’s manual for appropriate cooking instructions. If the manual didn’t provide specific instructions, we applied the same procedures to each air fryer depending on the type of food we were cooking.

For the chicken wings, we followed a basic deep fryer recipe. First we preheated the fryer to 400F and cooked them for 25 minutes in the basket with the pan on, then checked and turned them every 8 minutes. Most of the fryers we tested performed solidly in the wing test, though some, including the powerful Ninja and Cosori Lite models, made the wings a bit crispier during that time.

For the Brussels sprouts, we preheated the oven to 375F and cooked it for 15 minutes. Before cooking, wash and cut the sprouts in half and cover them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. In this test, some ovens struggled to brown the outside of the sprouts, but most eventually succeeded.

For the French Fries Test, we chose Alexia’s Frozen French Fries and cooked 1 cup, according to the fryer directions on the package. Quick note: Be careful when cooking fries in an air fryer, as some types, especially thinner-cut fries, can dry out easily when hit with superconvection. We recommend heavier waffle fries, tart tots, crinkle cut or wedges than the variety variety.

At the end of each test, we looked for how evenly baked the products were, whether they were baked, and whether they had a sufficient level of crispy, crunchy, fried goodness comparable to deep-frying or pan-frying.

Ease of use

Beyond cooking performance, how easy the air fryer is to operate and how intuitive the buttons and controls are was something we observed closely during testing. Overcomplicated settings, controls, and presets generally did not result in high marks, but some features were appreciated. All air fryers have basic level control over temperature and cooking time, although some are digitally controlled while others require the cranking of simple hand dials. From there, you’ll find preset programs for a variety of foods like wings, fries, fish, vegetables, and even baked goods.

How well they cook

To get an idea of ​​how each air fryer in this test group performed, we ran a set of three tests on each model. Each test focuses on one food: chicken wings, Brussels sprouts and frozen fries.