Best Air Fryers of 2025: Tested and Ranked by Our Editors

Why Trust Our Air Fryer Reviews?

Our kitchen team spent 6 weeks testing 14 air fryers across every price range, cooking the same foods — french fries, chicken wings, salmon fillets, and frozen nuggets — under identical conditions. We evaluated crispiness, even browning, ease of cleaning, and noise levels. These are our definitive rankings.

Best Overall: Ninja AF101 Air Fryer (4 Quart)

The Ninja AF101 earns our Best Overall pick for the fourth year running. At $89.99, it delivers restaurant-quality crispiness in a compact form that fits on any countertop. During our testing, chicken wings came out golden and crispy in 22 minutes at 400┬░F — comparable to results from fryers costing three times as much.

The single dial control makes it genuinely foolproof, and the dishwasher-safe basket means cleanup takes 30 seconds. For individuals and couples, this is the perfect air fryer.

• Best for: Singles and couples
• Capacity: 4 quarts
• Price: $89.99

Best for Families: Ninja DZ201 DualZone Air Fryer XL

If you cook for 4 or more people, the Ninja DZ201 DualZone is the air fryer that will genuinely change your cooking routine. Two independent 4-quart baskets mean you can cook chicken wings in one zone and sweet potato fries in another — at completely different temperatures and times — with both finishing simultaneously via Smart Finish.

In our testing, this feature eliminated the "one food goes cold while the other finishes" problem that plagues single-basket cooking. The 8-quart total capacity handled a full meal for 6 without any batching required.

• Best for: Families of 4ΓÇô6
• Capacity: 8 quarts (2├ù4Qt)
• Price: $169.99

Best Budget Pick: COSORI Air Fryer Pro LE 5-Quart

The COSORI Pro LE at $79.99 packs a 5-quart square basket — which fits 15ΓÇô20% more food than a round 5-quart basket — plus 13 preset programs and a preheat function. Our blind taste test showed no statistical difference in food quality between the COSORI and the $150 Ninja at the same settings.

• Best for: Individuals and small families
• Capacity: 5 quarts (square basket)
• Price: $79.99

Buying Guide: How to Choose an Air Fryer

Capacity Guidelines

• 1ΓÇô2 people: 2ΓÇô4 quart
• 3ΓÇô4 people: 5ΓÇô6 quart
• 5+ people: 7+ quart or dual-basket

Features Worth Paying For

• Dual-zone baskets — Worth the extra cost for families
• Digital controls with presets — More consistent results
• Dishwasher-safe parts — Non-negotiable for regular use

Air fryers do not need to be expensive to produce excellent food. Our testing consistently shows diminishing returns above $150 for single-basket models. For most households, the Ninja AF101 or COSORI Pro LE will produce perfect results for years.