Air fryers are becoming very popular because they are affordable, offer versatility and and heat food evenly and quickly.
An Air fryer circulates hot air incredibly efficiently to cook food with minimal amount of oil. It is similar to a mini oven that can take on almost anything you’d put in a conventional oven or deep-fat fryer.
And because it uses hot air to cook your food, you don’t have to use as much oil, meaning the results are healthier too.
We tested some of the best air fryers on the market and have done the hard work for you, selecting the 6 best air fryers, whatever your requirements.
Our Picks for the Best Air Fryer
Tower T17021 Air Fryer
Power: 1500 watts
Capacity: 4.3 litres
Size: 14.37 x 11.42 x 12.8 cm
Programs: 4
Price: £54.61
Tower sells the most air fryers in the UK and the brand has been around for a long time, so this appliance is off to a solid start.
The Tower is more basic than the Ninja or Corsori (a manual dial rather than a digital interface, for example), but it has more than 20,000 reviews, 76 percent of which are five-star.
This air fryer oven lets you fry, grill, bake and roast, for the ultimate cooking companion.
Given the price, it’s no surprise that there’s no auto-shake paddle so you’ll need to open the drawer halfway through to shake the basket to ensure an even fry.
The control is manual not digital but it’s simple enough to master – just turn the dial to adjust the timer and temperature.
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COSORI Air Fryer with 100 Recipes Cookbook
Power: 1700 watts
Capacity: 5.5 litres
Size: 32 x 30 x 30 cm
Programs: 13
Price: £109.99
The Cosori Air Fryer is an Amazon bestseller, with more than 75,000 of positive reviews across the brand’s line of fryers.
We loved its compact design and simple touchscreen, which displays 13 cooking functions – from frozen food, seafood, bread, toast, bacon, root to vegetables, and french fries.
There is also auto shake function to ensure food is fried evenly, so you don’t have to worry about doing it yourself.
The Cosori Air Fryer comes with a useful books of 100 recipes which are easy to follow, such as Chicken Tikka Drumsticks and Lemon Pound Cake.
If you’re looking for a large and easy-to-use air fryer, the Cosori Air Fryer is the one for you. It’s perfect for families, if you are a family of 2-4 people and occasionally cook larger meals.
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Instant Vortex 6 Plus
Power: 1700 watts
Capacity: 5.7 litres
Size: 33 x 30 x 37.9 cm
Programs: 6
Price: £119.99
The versatile Vortex Plus offers 6 functions in one. AIR FRY the crispiest chips, BAKE delicious cakes and pastries, ROAST whole chicken, meats or veg, REHEAT Leftovers, GRILL perfect steaks and DEHYDRATE your fruit, veg or meat.
Vortex 6 Plus doesn’t come with an auto shake function, it does have a handy ‘shake and turn’ reminder to ensure even cooking results. At this point, the machine auto-pauses when you remove the drawer, but auto-starts when it’s replaced.
Furthermore, it comes with a window and light that allow you to keep an eye on food as it’s cooking without having to open the frying drawer.
Thanks to a unique fry basket design, the Vortex Plus is easier to clean than most air fryers on the market.
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Ninja AF100UK
Power: 1550 watts
Capacity: 3.8 litres
Size: 10.98 x 13.58 x 13.31 cm
Programs: 4
Price: £129
As the smallest air fryer available from Ninja, the AF100UK is also their cheapest model at £129. Ninja is great as a brand at plastering its packaging in clear, easy to read instructions.
if you’re not looking for a larger capacity model, this is a great air fryer and it doesn’t take up too much space on your worktop. It’s the perfect choice for smaller kitchens,
It comes with a handy quick start guide that includes some recipes for inspiration as well as cooking charts. The cooking charts give you guideline cooking times and temperatures for common foods
There were a few key features the air fryer was missing, such as a preheat function, a turn reminder
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Tefal ActiFry Genius XL
Power: 1500 watts
Capacity: 1.7 kg
Size: 47.6 x 32.8 x 26.3 cm
Programs: 9
Price: £200
It’s one of the more expensive models on our list, but that’s because Tefal is the leading brand of air fryers in the United Kingdom, with several models on the market.
There is no need to shake the food because Tefal actifry genius has an integrated central paddle that moves your food around as it cooks.
It is easy to cook more than one type of food at once, too, as there are two levels and up to 54 pre-set combinations that will tell you when to add the second ingredient so it’s all ready at the same time.
The appliance comes with a useful book of 20 recipes, plus access to an app with 300 more dishes including desserts.
Tefal measures capacity in grams rather than litres like the others, and claims this serves enough food for up to eight people.
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Sage Smart Oven Air Fryer
Power: 2400 watts
Capacity: 22 litres
Size: 47 x 37 x 28 cm
Programs: 10
Price: £299.95
One for tech fans, sage smart oven uses a system called Element IQ with powerful algorithms to steer power to different areas of the oven, meaning heat is directed to where it’s needed most, as the result you’ll get an even, crisp coating on roast potatoes.
There’s even a dedicated slow-cook function that maintains a low heat for up to 10 hours, so you can create delicious stews, casseroles and succulent meat dishes.
Reviews show that it can get pretty hot on the outside so it would require a safe spot – and rather a large one, at that, as Sage recommends at least 10cm clearance to the sides and 15cm above.
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What to Consider When Buying an Air Fryer
The best air fryer for you will of course depend on your needs and budget. But there are a number of things to consider:
- Capacity: The bigger the basket capacity, the more people you’ll be able to cook for. If you have a small family, you’ll want a capacity of around 1.5l to 2l, while a family of four or more would benefit from one that has a capacity of 2.5l and above.
- Wattage: The more watts an air fryer has, the easier and quicker it will reach higher temperatures.
- Self-stirring/Shaking: With most air fryers, you need to shake your chips halfway through cooking. Some air fryers come with a paddle that moves the food around as it cooks to make sure it does so evenly.
- Ease of cleaning: You need to wash the basket and pan after every use. Some need to be hand-washed, while others are dishwasher-safe. (The main parts of the machine should just be wiped with a cloth.)