The best air fryers in 2025
Overview
These are the tech, tools, and products — from laptops to e-readers, from earbuds to robovacs, and more — that Mashable ranks best in class.
Table of Contents
This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.
Around a decade since they first caught on, air fryers are one of the must-have kitchen appliances. Indeed, when it comes to 21st Century countertops, the air fryer stands comfortably alongside the toaster, kettle, and coffee machine.
The appeal, of course, is all about easy cooking. All you need to do is chuck your food in, press a button, and occasionally give it a stir. But the big sell is the fact that air fryer-cooked food isn't just tasty — it's healthier too.
If you're in the market for an air fryer — or a more health conscious diet — we've put together a list of the best air fryers available right now. But before you tuck into to our top choices, here's some helpful info. An air fryer appetiser, if you like.
What is an air fryer?
Simply put, it's like a deep fryer without the oil. In other words, deep frying without the unhealthy part. Some people might say cut back on fried foods, but is that really the only option? Nope. Deep fryers heat food from frozen to ready-to-eat in minutes by dunking them in a bath of super hot oil. This is how your food gets brown and crispy and delicious, but also drenched in fat. While your typical deep fryer needs enough oil to completely drown the food, an air fryer barely uses any. A tablespoon at most.
How does an air fryer work?
Air fryers use a convection fan to surround the food with hot air instead of oil. The air bounces off the bottom of the air fryer and back up through the food, cooking it all over to create a crisping effect in a matter of minutes — something that was previously only possible with deep frying. Not only are you getting that great taste and texture, but you're getting it in just a fraction of the time. And more healthily.
Air fryers can also cook more foods than a deep fryer. They can be used for things like grilling steaks or baking pizzas. It's like having a combo oven and deep fryer, except it fits on your counter and it doesn't require you to thaw out your frozen food first.
Are air fryers actually healthy?
Eliminating the guilt from guilty pleasure eating is one of the reasons you want an air fryer, right? Manufacturers claim that air frying can reduce calorie intake by up to 80%, so yes, air frying is certainly a much better alternative. They're health-ier. However, scientists aren't messing around with the whole "moderation is key" thing, and calories aren't the only factor to measure health.
Owning an air fryer doesn't mean that a diet consisting of french fries and pizza is OK. Making sure you get those plant-based oils and vitamins from fruits and veggies should still be a priority. If you've got a picky eater at home, air fryers are a great way to crisp up courgettes, carrots, squash, and more to give them added taste and crunch, teaching kids that they don't always have to run for cover when the veggies come out.
What is the best air fryer?
As with any appliances, there are various sizes, features, and options from all of the major brands you'd expect. We'll keep it simple and fill you in on the need-to-know details and differences, so your brain doesn't get too, erm, fried.
These are the best air fryers in 2025.
Ninja Foodi MAX Multi-Cooker
Best For Big Meals
The Good & The Bad
- Cooks whole meals at once
- 2-tier rack and crisping basket
- Cooks 5-6 portions per cook
- Chef-Created Recipe Guid
- Smart Lid Slider design
- Clunky in the kitchen
- Big portions, big price
Why We Like It
Ninja is the name in air frying. And in this case — as Ninja say themselves — one pot does the lot. Smaller (and cheaper) fryers are brilliant in their own right but those models tend to handle just one foodstuff at once. With the Ninja Foodi MAX Multi-Cooker, there’s space and shelving to cook the whole meal: meat, fish, veggies, the works.
It had an extra-large 7.5 litre capacity, with a two-tier reversible rack and cook and crisp basket, all of which allows you to layer your mains and sides at once. It cooks exactly how you want, with 14 cooking functions that include pressure cook, fry, slow cook, grill, and multiple combi-steam modes.
Pushed for time? No problem. A Smart Cook System keeps tabs on your food’s temperature, meaning the Ninja Foodi MAX is very hands off.
Big cooking energy means big cooking space. It’s great for big households, which means it's also best suited to big kitchens considering it’s hefty design. Also best suited to chefs who have a bigger budget to spend.
Details
Salter EK2817 Digital Air Fryer
Best For Speed
The Good & The Bad
- Hits 200°C fast
- Generous capacity
- Compact
- Needs regular cleaning
- Lacks advanced features
Why We Like It
The Salter Digital Air Fryer is all about speed. With plenty of power, it can heat up to 200 degrees and utilises a heat circulation method to cook quickly.
It can cook a surprising variety of meals. Specialities include home-made chips, meat, spring rolls, stuffed vegetables, and quiche. And it's simple to use. There's a 30-minute timer with an automatic switch-off, plus digital touch sensitive controls and an LCD display.
Inside the Salter Digital Air Fryer is a removable 2 litre non-stick cooking basket. It's speedy in all aspects — you can just serve straight from the basket. But speed isn't the only bonus with this machine. It's also pretty cheap and super compact too, making it ideal for smaller kitchens and already-crammed countertops. It's basic but also basically a bargain.
Details
Philips Air Fryer 5000 Series XL
Best For Capacity
The Good & The Bad
- Multi-functional screen
- XL capacity
- Cooks up to five portions
- Recipes in the app
- Expensive option
Why We Like It
Philips is now crushing it in the air fryer game. Take the Philips Air Fryer 5000 Series XL, which is our pick for Philips' best overall model. It's also one of its biggest, with a whopping 6.2 litres capacity. The price, however, is on the smaller side. That makes this air fryer exceptional value.
The big sell of this air fryer is a family-size capacity combined with Philips' Rapid Air technology. This swirls hot air around the fryer to ensure that your food is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
This air fryer promises 90% less fat and has 14 cooking methods (including fry, roast, grill, sautéf, defrost, and stew), plus seven presets (such as frozen, meat, fish, and fries) and a keep-warm function. It does it all.
As a tasty bonus, it also pairs with the NutriU app, which gives you literally hundreds of suggestions and recipes. Just choose a recipe, send it to your air fryer, and check the progress from the comfort of your living room.
Details
Tefal Multicook Actifry
Best For Hands-Off Cooking
The Good & The Bad
- Transparent lid for checking food
- Cooks full meals at once
- Automatic stirring for even results
- Recipe-packed app
- Not everyone likes the stirrer
Why We Like It
While you may recognise the Tefal for its heavy duty pots and pans, it's also a force to be reckoned with in the air fryer game. The Tefal Multicook Actifry has a major 'set it and forget it' vibe that other cookers can't offer.
The Actifry doesn't use a pull-out food drawer. Instead, the overhead lid opens to reveal a (dishwasher-safe) ring-shaped basket that holds up to six servings. Once turned on, the Actifry's built-in stirring paddle will rotate your food under the hot air, so you don't have to keep stirring or flipping the food to make sure it cooks evenly. Which is always the hardest part.
The two-tier design allows multi-function cooking for different foods. For instance, it can boil the food at the bottom while steaming the food at the top. Or pan fry at the bottom and air fry at the top.
Meanwhile, a transparent lid allows you to keep an eye on your food. But if you don't have time to check in (or just can't be bothered), don't worry — a buzzer will go off once the timer is done. And you won't be waiting long.
Details
Russell Hobbs SatisFry
Best For Tight Budgets
The Good & The Bad
- Family sized frying capacity
- Built-in 60-minute timer
- Reliable brand quality
- Simple single-drawer design
- Fairly basic overall
Why We Like It
The Russell Hobbs SatisFry lives up to the pun. It's a very satisfying option from this menu of air fryers. The first thing to notice is that it's big — bigger than the average air fryer though not the biggest on this list — but it keeps the price in the budget range. That's what you might expect from Russell Hobbs, a reliably affordable brand in the world of electronics.
It's actually quite a basic air fryer that would suit anyone who's new to the air frying game. It has seven preset cooking functions — chips, fish, prawn, chicken, steak, pork chop, and bake — though it's missing some of the more advanced cooking options you might get on a more advanced Ninja model.
If you want to master the art of air frying for yourself, it has a 60-minute timer and adjustable temperature settings. Overall, the Russell Hobbs SatisFry would best suit a large household that wants to give air frying a try for the first time.
Details
Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer
Best For Full Meals
The Good & The Bad
- Dual zone cooking
- Cooks two foods in two ways
- Massive MegaZone capacity
- Fast cooking performance
- Missing some Ninja functions
Why We Like It
Ninja really is the name in air frying, so it's no surprise we've picked multiple models for this roundup. The Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer Air Fryer is even bigger than the previous model, but that's not the defining feature. No, this one can be split into dual zones, allowing you to cook two different foods in two different ways at the same time (i.e. meat on one side, veggies on the other). That means you can easily cook full meals. And there's no waiting around. It may cook two foods in two ways, but it makes sure they finish at the same time.
Each zone is big enough to cook a large chicken, but you can remove the divider and use it as a 10.4 litre MegaZone, which cooks enough food for eight people.
It doesn't have the full compliment of functions found on all Ninja models, but it has most bases covered with options to air fry, max crisp, roast, bake, reheat, dehydrate, and prove. A pricey but premium choice.
Details
Chefman Multifunctional Air Fryer+
Best For Families
The Good & The Bad
- Huge food capacity
- Multifunctional cooking
- Rotisserie feature
- Viewing window
- Three-tiered space
- No multi-zone cooking
- Takes up counter space
Why We Like It
If you live in a busy family household, the Chefman Multifunctional Air Fryer+ is a sizeable choice. Not to mention the fact its price will suit families shopping on a budget. It's got stacks of great Amazon reviews and one of the biggest capacities on this list. There is, quite literally, a lot to like.
There are three tiered shelves, giving you space to cook various foods at the same time (i.e. family meals), and a window to keep tabs on the progress, along with four cooking modes — air fry, bake, dehydrate, or roast — and 17 pre-sets, including fries, chicken, and vegetables. There's also an option to cook a whole chicken rotisserie style. Just remove the shelves and add the rotisserie spit.
As far as we're concerned, the only letdown is that it doesn't offer multizone cooking like the similarly sized Ninja but we're being picky. If you've got a family to feed, this is excellent value for an excellent air fryer.
Details
Ninja CRISPi
Best For Portability
The Good & The Bad
- Fits in larger bags
- Convenient for reheating
- Ideal for wings and fries
- Great for office lunches
- Glassware and storage lids
- Fewer cooking options
- Lots of pieces to remember
- Takes some time to master
Why We Like It
It’s easy to get caught up on size when shopping for an air fryer — particularly if you live in a busy household with several hungry mouths to feed. But the brilliance of the Ninja CRISPi is that it’s small. Small enough to carry with you (though let’s be clear, you’ll need a decent sized bag) for use in the office or camping or university halls. All you need is a plug socket.
It's obviously more limited than some other air fryers on this list, but this is Ninja, so it delivers on quality regardless. That includes four cooking modes — air fry, roast, recrisp, and keep warm — with two different sized, swappable glass containers to choose from (1.4 and 3.8 litres). Just put the lid onto either glass container and programme it to do its thing.
It’s especially good for reheating and re-crisping leftovers, or cooking indulgent snacks such as wings and fries. Just note that the temperature does take some mastering, particularly when switching between dishes.
If you don’t want an air fryer permanently clogging up your countertop, this one is easy to stash away in a cupboard and take in and out whenever you want.
Details
Topics Kitchen
Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers and tests essential home tech like vacuums and TVs, plus eco-friendly hacks. Her ever-evolving experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.
Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.
Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen.
Jae Thomas is a Colorado-based Shopping Editor for Mashable. They specialize in pet tech, smart fitness gear, finding the perfect gift, and sourcing the top deals on shopping holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Jae has worked at Mashable since 2020, where they've written countless deals roundups and product reviews. Before Jae came to Mashable, they received a B.A. in Journalism and English Literature from New York University and wrote food and lifestyle content for publications like Bon Appétit, Epicurious, The Daily Beast, Apartment Therapy, and Marie Claire.
When they're not testing products or writing about online shopping, you'll find Jae whipping up an elaborate meal, hiking, camping, or training their dogs, Miso and Dashi. Reach out to them on X at @jaetaurina or by email at [email protected].
Matt Ford is a freelance contributor to Mashable.