The 10 best air fryers of 2026

Tower is a British brand that has become a big name in air fryers, and the Vortx T17088 shows why. For under £80 you get two 4.5 litre drawers, a combined 9 litres of capacity and a smart finish function that makes both drawers end at the same time. That is roughly half the price of the Ninja equivalent.

Ten presets cover chips, meat, fish, vegetables and baking, and the 2,600 W element heats up quickly. Results are very good for the price, though buyers note that food in the corners can brown a little less evenly than in a Ninja, so a shake halfway through helps. The drawers are non-stick and dishwasher safe, but the coating is thinner, so avoid metal utensils. It comes with a two-year warranty, extendable to three years when you register. UK owners regularly describe it as the best value kitchen gadget they have bought.

The Ninja Double Stack XL solves the main problem with dual basket air fryers: worktop space. Instead of placing the two drawers side by side, Ninja stacks them on top of each other, so you get the same 9.5 litre capacity as the AF400UK in a footprint around 30 percent narrower.

Each drawer also comes with a removable rack, which lets you cook on two levels inside one drawer. That means you can do four foods at once, such as salmon and vegetables in one drawer and chicken and potatoes in the other. Sync and Match work as on other Ninja dual models, and the six functions include air fry, max crisp, roast, bake, reheat and dehydrate. Results are crisp and even. The trade-off is height, so check it fits under your wall cupboards, and the price, at around £219, though it regularly drops in sales. UK buyers love how much food it handles for its size.

The Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF300UK is the model that made dual drawer air fryers popular in the UK, and it is still one of the most reviewed kitchen appliances on Amazon.co.uk. Two 3.8 litre drawers give 7.6 litres of total capacity, enough for a meal for two to four people.

You get the same Sync and Match functions and the same six cooking modes as the larger AF400UK, and crisping performance is just as good. Chips, chicken wings and frozen food come out evenly browned, and many owners use it daily instead of their oven. The drawers are a little narrow for a whole chicken, so if you like to roast one regularly the MAX or a single basket model is better. The fan is audible but not loud. At around £129 it costs £40 less than the AF400UK and takes up a little less space, which makes it the sensible choice for smaller households.

The COSORI Turbo Blaze is one of the most refined single basket air fryers on sale. A brushless DC motor drives the fan at five different speeds, so it can blast hot air for crisp chips or slow down for baking and dehydrating. The result is quick cooking times and evenly browned food, and the fan is noticeably quieter than most AC-motor air fryers.

The 6 litre square basket is roomier than a round one and fits a small chicken or a large batch of wings. Nine functions include air fry, roast, bake, grill, frozen, proof, dehydrate, reheat and keep warm, and the temperature range runs from 30 to 230 degrees. The basket and crisper plate are dishwasher safe with a non-stick coating free from PFAS. The touch panel looks smart but shows fingerprints. UK buyers praise how quiet it is and how crispy their food comes out, and several say it replaced their oven for most weeknight meals.

The Instant Vortex Plus ClearCook adds a simple but very useful feature: a window in the drawer and a light inside, so you can see how your food is getting on without pulling the basket out and losing heat. That makes it easier to get chips and toast just as you like them.

The 5.7 litre basket is big enough for two to four portions, and six programmes cover air fry, roast, bake, grill, reheat and dehydrate. The OdourErase version includes built-in filters that cut down cooking smells, which is welcome in open-plan kitchens. Results are evenly crisp, and the drawer and tray are dishwasher safe. The window can get a film of grease when cooking fatty foods like sausages, so it needs a wipe now and then. At around £89 it is a well-priced, solid single basket air fryer, and UK buyers frequently mention the window as the feature they did not know they needed.

The Ninja Air Fryer MAX AF160UK is a straightforward single basket air fryer that does the basics very well. The 5.2 litre basket is wide and fairly shallow, which spreads food out and helps it crisp up evenly without much shaking. It is large enough for around 1 kg of chips or a small whole chicken.

Six functions include max crisp, air fry, roast, bake, reheat and dehydrate. The temperature goes up to 240 degrees on max crisp, which is ideal for frozen chips and nuggets. The basket and crisper plate are non-stick and dishwasher safe, and the unit is compact enough for smaller kitchens. The controls and display are basic compared with newer models, but they are easy to understand. With more than 31,000 ratings on Amazon.co.uk it has a long track record, and UK buyers often say it is the appliance they use most. If you rarely cook two foods at once, it is a good alternative to a dual model.

The Tefal Easy Fry Dual XXL takes a different approach to dual drawers: instead of two equal halves, it has a large 5.2 litre drawer and a smaller 3.1 litre drawer. That suits typical meals well, with the main dish, such as a chicken or a joint of pork, in the big drawer and chips or vegetables in the smaller one.

It offers a sync function so both drawers finish together, and a copy option if you want the same settings in both. Eight presets cover chips, meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, dessert, dehydrate and reheat. With 2,700 W of power it heats quickly and crisps evenly. The drawers and grids are dishwasher safe, but like all non-stick coatings they last longer if you avoid metal utensils. At around £99 it is good value for its capacity, and UK owners like that it can roast a whole chicken while cooking sides at the same time.

Philips invented the air fryer, and the Essential Airfryer XL draws on that experience. Its Rapid Air technology uses a starfish-shaped base that guides hot air evenly around the food, so you get consistent browning without much shaking. The 6.2 litre basket is big enough for a family portion of chips or a whole chicken.

Seven presets cover the most common foods, including frozen chips, chicken drumsticks, fish, steak and cake, and there is a keep warm function for up to 30 minutes. The basket and drawer are dishwasher safe. The NutriU app has hundreds of recipes, although the air fryer itself is not connected. The design is more traditional than the latest Ninja and COSORI models, and the handle makes the basket a bit bulky in the dishwasher. UK buyers praise the build quality and reliability, with many reporting years of daily use.

Not every kitchen needs a 9 litre double drawer. The COSORI Lite 3.8L is a compact air fryer that fits easily on a small worktop, in a student flat or even a caravan. The square basket is big enough for chips for two or a couple of chicken breasts.

Four presets cover chips, frozen food, chicken and vegetables, and you can set the temperature manually from 75 to 230 degrees. At 1,500 W it uses less power than larger air fryers, and because the cavity is small it heats up quickly, so cooking times are short. The basket is non-stick and dishwasher safe. Its limits are obvious: it is too small for a family meal and has fewer functions than the bigger models. But at around £59 it is a cheap way to cut down on oven use. UK buyers living alone or in pairs say it is the perfect size and saves them money on their energy bills.