The 6 Best Air Fryers We Tested for 2026

The Ninja Combi 400F won our overall pick for one reason above all others: it produced the crispiest, most evenly cooked chicken wings of every basket air fryer we tested, and it did so consistently across every run — not just the first perfectly controlled test batch. The combination of Ninja's DualFan technology (two independently controlled fans rather than one) and the 400°F maximum temperature produces a crust on wings, fries, and breaded foods that no other basket fryer in our test group could match.

Cleaning is the other area where it genuinely earns its pick. The basket insert and outer tray are dishwasher-safe and structurally designed so oil doesn't pool in inaccessible corners — our timed cleaning test after a full batch of bone-in wings took under four minutes from basket removal to clean and dry. The 6-in-1 functionality (air fry, roast, bake, reheat, dehydrate, broil) is more genuinely useful than the 14-function claims on cheaper units, and the control panel is among the most intuitive we tested. Read our full Ninja Combi 400F review.

The Cosori Pro Gen 2 Dual Basket is the air fryer we'd buy for households that regularly cook a full dinner — protein and sides — in one unit simultaneously. The two independent 4 Qt baskets with fully independent temperature and timer controls mean you can run salmon at 380°F for 12 minutes in one basket while roasting asparagus at 400°F for 8 minutes in the other, and the "Sync Finish" mode automatically staggers the start times so both finish at the same moment. In our testing, this feature worked reliably every time and genuinely changed weeknight cooking logistics for our test household.

Where it trails the Ninja: basket crisp performance is excellent but not quite at the same level on the wing skin and french fry test. The dual-basket format also means the total footprint is substantially wider than a single-basket unit — measure your counter space before buying. The app connectivity via VeSync is functional and adds 60+ recipe presets, but the on-device controls are complete enough that the app feels optional rather than necessary.

Philips invented the air fryer category in 2010, and the Premium XXL reflects sixteen years of iteration on the same core concept. The 7 Qt basket is the largest single-basket capacity in our test group, fitting a whole chicken (up to 3 lbs), a full tray of roasted vegetables for six, or enough frozen fries for a family of four in a single cook — with enough clearance that food crisps evenly rather than stacking and steaming. The Rapid Air Technology circulation pattern is genuinely different from competitors and produces more even browning across the full basket, including the center, where cheaper air fryers often undercook.

The basket design is the most thoughtfully cleaned in our test group: the inner basket and tray separate completely, every surface is dishwasher-safe, and there are no recesses or joints that trap grease. After our wings test, full cleanup took five minutes including the dishwasher load — the same cleanup took eight to twelve minutes on three other models. The premium price is the main barrier, and it's real — but for a household of four or more who will use this daily, the durability of the StarFish design and the cooking consistency justify it.

The Instant Vortex Plus's ClearCook window sounds like a minor feature until you've used an air fryer without one. Being able to see your food without opening the basket — which releases heat and extends cook time — turns out to matter practically every single time you cook something you've never made in the air fryer before. Combined with the EvenCrisp 360° airflow system and the Instant app's guided cooking with step-by-step smart notifications, it's the most genuinely beginner-friendly air fryer we tested.

The Instant brand is well-known from the Instant Pot, and the Vortex Plus benefits from the same quality of sensor technology and companion app ecosystem. Real-time cooking guidance via the app showed more accurate timing than the on-device presets across our standardized tests. Where it lost points: cooking performance slightly trails the Ninja and Philips at the highest temperatures, and the ClearCook window accumulates grease from splatter faster than testers expected, requiring a wipe between cooks to keep it functional.

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is a fundamentally different product from the other five on this list — it's a 13-in-1 countertop convection oven that includes air frying as one of its modes, not a dedicated basket air fryer. The interior cavity is large enough to roast a whole 9-lb chicken, cook a 12-inch pizza, or air-fry a batch of wings on the included mesh tray. For households that want to replace both their air fryer and their toaster oven, or those who regularly cook larger volumes, the Breville's capacity and cooking versatility are in a different league than any basket fryer.

Where it trails: air-fry mode crispiness is very good but doesn't quite match a dedicated basket air fryer like the Ninja for the extreme surface crunch on wings and fries, because the open interior can't circulate air as intensely as a sealed basket system. Cleanup is more involved than basket fryers — the interior requires wiping after oily cooks and the crumb tray needs regular attention. The price at $399 is substantial, but for what it replaces (air fryer, toaster oven, convection oven, slow cooker), the value argument is real.

Most budget air fryers earn their low price by delivering noticeably worse results — uneven cooking, hot spots, coatings that chip after a few months, or controls that don't hold temperature accurately. The Cosori Lite 4.0 Qt does not have any of those problems. In our standardized wing test, it produced results we genuinely couldn't distinguish from a $150 mid-range unit. Frozen fries came out crispy and evenly cooked without shaking mid-cycle. Temperature accuracy was within 8°F of the set point — closer than several pricier competitors.

The trade-offs are real but fair at $79: the 4 Qt capacity limits you to cooking for one or two people per batch (three wings, a small portion of fries, or a solo salmon fillet fits comfortably; a full batch for a family of four does not). Build quality is appropriately plastic-forward — it won't last as long as the Ninja or Philips with heavy daily use, and the basket coating will eventually show wear. For apartment dwellers, students, or anyone who wants to try air frying without a significant investment, it is the genuinely capable budget pick we'd recommend without hesitation.