Engadget · Feb 13, 2026 · Collected from RSS
Air fryers have gone from novelty appliances to everyday kitchen staples surprisingly fast. They’re quick to heat up, easy to use and well suited to everything from frozen snacks to roasted vegetables and simple desserts. For many people, they’ve replaced the oven for smaller meals, cutting down on cook time without adding extra cleanup. The category has also expanded well beyond basic basket-style models. Some air fryers are designed for small kitchens or single servings, while others offer larger capacities and preset cooking modes for roasting, reheating or dehydrating. After testing a wide range of machines, the Instant Vortex Plus continues to stand out for its reliable performance, straightforward controls and consistently good results. Below, we’ve gathered the best air fryers you can buy right now across different sizes and price points. Whether you’re replacing an older unit or trying one for the first time, these picks focus on appliances that are easy to live with and deliver crisp food without the need for deep frying. Best air fryers for 2026 What does an air fryer do? Let’s clear one thing up first: it’s not frying. Not really. Air fryers are more like smaller convection bake ovens, ones that are often pod-shaped. Most work by combining a heating element and fan, which means the hot air can usually better crisp the outside of food than other methods. They often reach higher top temperatures than toaster ovens – which is part of the appeal. For most recipes, a thin layer of oil (usually sprayed) helps to replicate that fried look and feel better. However, it will rarely taste precisely like the deep-fried or pan frying version when it comes out of the air fryer basket. Don’t let that put you off, though, because the air fryer, in its many forms, combines some of the best parts of other cooking processes and brings them together into an energy-efficient way of air fryer cooking dinner. Or breakfast. Or lunch.
Air fryers have gone from novelty appliances to everyday kitchen staples surprisingly fast. They’re quick to heat up, easy to use and well suited to everything from frozen snacks to roasted vegetables and simple desserts. For many people, they’ve replaced the oven for smaller meals, cutting down on cook time without adding extra cleanup.The category has also expanded well beyond basic basket-style models. Some air fryers are designed for small kitchens or single servings, while others offer larger capacities and preset cooking modes for roasting, reheating or dehydrating. After testing a wide range of machines, the Instant Vortex Plus continues to stand out for its reliable performance, straightforward controls and consistently good results.Below, we’ve gathered the best air fryers you can buy right now across different sizes and price points. Whether you’re replacing an older unit or trying one for the first time, these picks focus on appliances that are easy to live with and deliver crisp food without the need for deep frying.Quick OverviewBest air fryers for 2026Capacity: 6-quart | Type: Pod-shaped | Cooking functions: Fry, roast, broil, bake, reheat, dehydrate | Weight: 16.19 lb | Power consumption: 1700W | Depth: 14.92” | Height: 12.83” | Width: 12.36” | Features: See-through window, odor control filter, EvenCrisp technology, fast preheating You probably know the “Instant” brand from the line of very popular Instant Pot pressure cookers, but did you know that the company makes great air fryers too? We’re especially impressed by the Instant Vortex Plus with ClearCook and OdorErase, which features a clear viewing window so you can see the air fryer basket while your food is cooking, plus an odor-removing filter. In our testing, we found that it didn’t completely eliminate smells, so if you’re whipping up an air fryer salmon it might be obvious, but it seemed significantly less smoky when compared to our Breville Smart Oven Air. We love its ease of use, intuitive controls, the easy-to-clean nonstick drawer basket, plus the roomy interior – it’s big enough to fit four chicken thighs. Plus, this top pick heats up very quickly with virtually no preheating time. A slightly more affordable option is its predecessor, the Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart. It lacks the viewing window and the odor-removing filters, but it still has the same intuitive control panel and roomy nonstick interior, so you can easily cook a chicken breast or smaller meals from your favorite cookbooks. If you want an even bigger option, Instant also offers Instant Vortex Plus in a 10-quart model that has a viewing window and a rotisserie feature. ProsClearCook window lets you see your food as it cooksIntuitive controlsEasy to clean drawer basketConsCan't cook very large foodsCapacity: 6-quart | Type: Pod-shaped | Cooking functions: Air fry, broil, roast, frozen, bake, reheat, preheat, dry, proof, warm | Weight: 13 lb | Power consumption: 1725W | Depth: 14.4” | Height: 11.9” | Width: 11.8” | Features: Touchscreen display, shake reminder, dishwasher-safe basket, rapid 360-degree air circulation We’ve tested a few Cosori small kitchen appliances in the past and have generally liked them, and the six-quart 9-in-1 air fryer is no different. While Instant’s Vortex has the upper hand mostly thanks to its ClearCook window, those who don’t mind peeking inside the machine to check out their food should consider Cosori’s machine. Its six-quart capacity is great for side dishes like brussel sprouts and onion rings, but it’s also large enough to have quite a few chicken wings and a whole block of tofu without too much overlap. The rounded-square basket is one of the roomiest I’ve seen on a device with as (relatively) small of a footprint as Cosori’s air fryer. Overall, this Cosori air fryer crisped up foods nicely regardless of if they started off raw, frozen or fridge-cool. The nine preset cooking modes include a preheat option for starting things off right at the precise temperature, a proof option for bakers and a dedicated frozen setting for premade appetizers and snacks. Most people will likely use the standard air fry mode the most, but it’s convenient to have so many other options, including the basics like broil, bake and roast. After testing a number of air fryers over the past few years, I appreciate the small features this Cosori model has like an easy to use touchscreen, a basket release button (a good safety feature, since you must press it to remove the basket from the main unit) and the auto-pause feature that turns the cooking element off when you release the basket (it’ll turn right back on, though, if you just opened it up for a quick look). ProsSpacious cooking basketNine preset cooking modesHandy basket-release buttonConsA little on the wide sideCapacity: Up to 10-quart | Type: Pod-shaped | Cooking functions: Fry, broil, roast, bake, reheat, dehydrate | Weight: 19.80 lb | Power consumption: 1690W | Depth: 17.1” | Height: 12.8” | Width: 13.9” | Features: DualZone technology, two independent cooking baskets, Smart Finish sync feature Most machines can make one thing at a time, but Ninja’s Dual Zone digital air fryer can handle two totally different foods simultaneously, making it a top air fryer by our standards. Available in 8- and 10-quart capacities, this dual-basket air fryer isn’t compact, so it won’t be a good option for those with small kitchens. However, if you have the counter space, it could be the best air fryer to invest in especially if you cook for a large family. You can prep two totally different foods, like a chicken breast and brownies, at the same time with totally different cooking modes, or use Match Cook to prepare foods in the dual baskets the same way. The heating zones are independent, so if you only want to fill up one side with french fries and leave the other empty, you can do that as well. We appreciate how quickly the Ninja air fryer heats up (there’s little to no preheating time at all) and how it runs relatively quietly. It also has a feature called Smart Finish that will automatically adjust cooking times so that your fried chicken thighs in the first chamber and asparagus in the second will finish at the same time, so you don’t have to wait for one part of your meal to be ready while the other gets cold. In general, dual-zone air frying capabilities aren’t necessary for most people, but those who cook often will get a lot of use out of machines like the Ninja Foodi. ProsTwo separate chambers for cooking different foodsSmart Finish feature adjusts cooking times so foods finish simultaneouslyConsLarge footprintCapacity: 2-quart | Type: Pod-shaped | Cooking functions: Fry, bake, roast, reheat | Weight: 7.28 lb | Power consumption: 1300W | Depth: 11.26” | Height: 11.73” | Width: 9.02” | Features: Compact design, one-touch smart programs, dishwasher-safe tray, fast preheat Not only is the Instant Vortex Mini budget-friendly with a $60 price tag (and you can often find it on sale for less), but it’s also the best small air fryer on this list. Most air fryers will take up a lot of precious countertop space, but this two-quart model is great for those who don’t have a lot to spare and are looking for something that’s particularly user-friendly. The Vortex Mini can air fry, bake, roast and reheat, and you can control the temperature and cook time using the dial sitting in the middle of its touchscreen. Unlike some of the other, more expensive air fryers we tested, which have a variety of modes and settings, the Vortex Mini is dead simple to use. Just plug it in, press the preset cooking method of your choice, customize the temperature and cook time and press Start. The machine will beep about halfway through the cycle to let you know when to flip your food, and it’ll chime again once it’s finished. Arguably the biggest caveat to the Vortex Mini is also its biggest strength. It’s so compact that cooking more than one thing, or a lot of one thing, won’t be easy. But I was able to cook a whole block of tofu cut into cubes (with a bit of overlap) and reheat (and re-crisp) leftovers in it for myself and my fiancé with no problems. Overall, this compact air fryer will be hard to beat for those with tight budgets and tiny kitchens. ProsAffordableEasy to use touchscreen and dialConsQuite smallCapacity: 1 cubic foot | Type: Convection oven | Cooking functions: Toast, bagel, broil, bake, roast, warm, pizza, proof, fry, reheat, cookies, slow cook, dehydrate | Weight: 38.9 lb | Power consumption: 1800W | Depth: 17.5” | Height: 21.5” | Width: 12.7” | Features: Element IQ system, LCD display, interior oven light, large capacity fits 9 slices or a 14-lb turkey Listen, most people don’t need the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro. But if you love to cook, have a large family or throw a bunch of parties, you’ll likely get a ton of use out of this machine. This stainless steel countertop oven is a beast, measuring one cubic foot, so be prepared to carve out some space in your kitchen for it. But its size allows it to cook an entire 14-pound turkey and fit things like a five-quart dutch oven and a 9 x 13 pan inside of it. This large air fryer basically acts like a second oven, or even a primary one if your main oven is out of commission. As the best air fryer toaster oven on this list, it’s quite capable and its size helps since you can spread your food out to ensure things are as crispy as possible. It also helps that you can cook a lot of servings at once, which will make it easier if you’re preparing snacks like bagels for brunch, appetizers for a party or a side dish for a family dinner. In addition to air frying, it has a number of other cooking modes including toast, broil, bake, pizza, dehydrate, slow cook and proof. Despite the “smart” moniker, this model doesn’t have app connectivity – but you can get that feature if you upgrade to the Joule. That’ll allow you to get push notifications when your food’s ready, and the companion