6 Best Air Fryers of 2026, Lab-Tested and Reviewed
These models from Chefman, Cosori, Dash, and Instant claim top spots in Consumer Reports' air fryer ratings
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Despite the name, air fryers don’t fry food at all; they’re actually small convection ovens. A fan circulates hot air to quickly cook food from the outside in. While some high-end toaster ovens come with convection fans and even an air-frying setting, true air fryers are tough to beat. That’s because rapidly circulating hot air is concentrated in a smaller space and makes for quick cooking.
Most of the nearly 90 air fryers in Consumer Reports’ ratings allow you to automatically set a temperature and cooking time for foods like french fries, wings, vegetables, and more. Some can even dehydrate food, allowing you to dry out herbs and fruit or make veggie chips on low heat. An air fryer is also great if you simply want to cook or reheat food quickly.
The first consideration when choosing an air fryer is its size, which depends on how much space you have on your countertop and how much food you want to cook at once. The air fryers in our ratings range from about 2 to 12 quarts. But our testers have found that their actual capacity is often smaller than claimed.
“The real difference among air fryers comes down to convenience, so we designed our tests around that,” says Breann Chai, the engineer who oversees our air fryer tests. She and her team evaluate capacity, convenience, ease of reading and adjusting the controls, noise levels, and the effort required to clean a model.
Take a look at our air fryer buying guide for tips on selecting the right one for you. Consumer Reports members have the added benefit of exploring our comprehensive air fryer ratings, which can be filtered according to price, size, and other criteria.
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The high-scoring, budget-priced Amazon Basics AFT0003B-UL is a new addition to this list, and it’s whisper-quiet, earning an excellent noise score in our lab tests. Thanks in part to its dishwasher-safe basket, it’s a cinch to clean. The controls are easy to use as well, earning it very good marks in those evaluations. It earns just a middling score for convenience, however. It’s a “basic” model, after all; it has a digital display, but it doesn’t come with accessories, unlike some pricier air fryer models. It has a measured capacity of 5 quarts.
The Chefman RJ38-2T is a smaller air fryer, with a measured capacity of about 1.8 quarts. It’s a basic model that performs excellently in our noise and cleaning tests, and scores near the top for its straightforward controls. It has a digital display and a dishwasher-safe basket, but it lacks programmed settings or accessories, so it receives just a middling score for convenience. The RJ38-2T has a one-year warranty.
The Cosori Dual Blaze CAF-P583S-KUS Smart features WiFi integration, allowing you to control and monitor your cooking progress remotely. The squarish exterior might not be to everyone’s taste, but the appliance is easy to clean and very easy to control. And “blaze” sounds about right. When we set this model to 350° F, we measured a temperature of 363° F, which is worth keeping in mind when cooking. This model comes with a two-year warranty, a year longer than many other air fryer warranties.
The Dash Tasti-Crisp DCAF260 has a measured capacity of 2.4 quarts and an overall footprint of less than a square foot, making it one of the most compact air fryers in our ratings. This no-frills model doesn’t come with any accessories, but it’s the highest-rated air fryer we’ve tested. It earns high marks for its controls and ease of cleaning, and it excels in our noise test. It weighs just 6 pounds.
The Instant Vortex Plus 140-3079-01 is a solid pick all-around, with intuitive controls and an easy-to-clean interior and exterior. Plus, it operates quietly. Its measured 3-quart basket is smaller than the 4 quarts the manufacturer claims, but its square design makes it easy to fit a small dish or baking pan inside. It comes with programmed settings, reminders to add and turn food, auto-shutoff, and a one-year warranty.
This Instant Vortex Plus 140-3089-01 features a clear cooking window, making it easy to monitor your food without having to pull out the basket. Its capacity is 5.2 quarts, according to our measurements. It earns a top-notch rating for its controls and comes with customizable cooking programs and a digital display. In addition to being easy to use, this fryer also delivered a strong performance in our noise and cleaning tests. Plus, its parts are dishwasher-safe.
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