We tested 15 and this is the best Airfryer of 2024

So far, we’ve tested over a dozen air fryers to compile this list. Each air fryer is rated on its power, consistency, ease of use, design, features, and overall performance. In total, we’ve logged over 75 hours of air frying.

There are hundreds of recipes you can make with an air fryer, but we stuck to the basics and focused on the most popular foods people associate with air fryers. Chicken wings top the list, but French fries, frozen snacks, and dense vegetables — in this case, Brussels sprouts — are also staples for air fryer cooking. Before we got started, we consulted each model’s manual for relevant cooking instructions. If the manual didn’t provide specific instructions, we applied uniform procedures to each air fryer, depending on the type of food we were cooking.

For the chicken wings, we followed a basic air fryer recipe. First, we preheated the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cooked them in the basket with the included tray for 25 minutes, then checked and turned them every 8 minutes. Most of the air fryers we tested performed well in the wing test, though some, including the high-performance Ninja and Cosori Lite models, made the wings a little crispier in that time.

For Brussels sprouts, we preheated the oven to 375 Fahrenheit and cooked them for 15 minutes. Before cooking, we rinsed the sprouts, cut them in half, and tossed them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. In this test, some ovens struggled to brown the outside of the sprouts, but most eventually got the job done.

For the French fry test, we opted for Alexia’s frozen crinkle-cut fries and fried 1 cup, following the instructions on the air fryer bag. Quick note: be careful when cooking fries in an air fryer, as some varieties, especially thinner fries, can easily dry out when exposed to super convection. We recommend firmer waffle fries, tater tots, crinkle cut, or potato wedges over the shoestring variety.

At the end of each test, we looked at how evenly the dishes were cooked, whether they were cooked through and whether they were sufficiently crispy and fried, comparable to deep-frying or pan-frying.

Easy to use

In addition to cooking performance, we also looked closely during testing at how easy an air fryer is to operate and how intuitive the buttons and controls are. In general, overly complicated settings, controls, and presets didn’t result in high marks, but certain features were appreciated. All air fryers have basic control over temperature and cooking time, though some are digitally controlled while others require the twist of simple manual dials. From there, you’ll find preset programs for different types of foods, like wings, fries, fish, vegetables, and even baked goods.

How well they cook

To get a sense of how each air fryer in this test group performed, we ran a series of three tests on each model. Each test focused on a single food item: chicken wings, Brussels sprouts, and frozen French fries.