Best air fryers for sale in the UK

What is an air fryer?

Stripping it down, an air fryer is just a super-charged mini fan oven. Contrary to its name, it bakes your food using convection heat rather than frying it. There are a few different types to choose from.

Types of air fryer

• Oven. Trays holding the food slot inside the oven; generally these are the biggest of the lot, so are able to cook the most food.
• Basket. Drawers with removable baskets hold the food; typically these fryers have small-to-medium capacity.
• Pot. These are rounder and look like a rice cooker; they typically have several functions and a medium-to-large capacity.
• Paddle. These turn the food with a small paddle to ensure cooking is even; they’re usually small-to-medium in capacity.
• Grill. If you want to chargrill meat and veg often, this is a good choice.

Finder’s best air fryers in the UK 2023

• Innoteck Kitchen Pro DS-5895 16 litre: Best for convenience
• Tower Vortx T17039 Air Fryer Oven: Best for a low budget
• Ninja AF160UK Max Air Fryer: Best for small kitchens
• Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Multi-Cooker 6L OP350UK: Best for foodies
• Ninja Foodi 7-in-1 Multi-Cooker 7.5l OP450UK: Best for complete meals
• Tower Xpress Pro Combo 10 in 1 air fryer : Best for a family of 4

Best for convenience

Finder's pick: Innoteck Kitchen Pro DS-5895 16L

★★★★★

Buy now at Currys

Price (from)

£149

Capacity

16l

Stated functions

6

Dishwasher-safe parts

• Why it's best
• Pros/cons
• Details

This large air fryer is perfect for cooking a lot of food without the hassle. A range of presets make it easy to use and you can either space food out on its 3 trays or in a robust rotating basket. Check your chips as they cook with the transparent window and internal light.

• Fantastic capacity
• Cooks a whole roast chicken plus veg
• Transparent front
• Rotating device and basket included
• Fast at cooking frozen food
• Easy-to-use presets
• No preheating required

• Quite loud
• Bulky
• Stubborn door
• Top of the machine gets hot
• Mesh trays are a pain to clean

Modes	Air fry Roast Bake Toast Dehydrate Rotisserie
Cooking zones	1
Cooking tiers	3
Timer	Digital
Transparency
Rotating basket

Best for low budget

Finder's pick: Tower Xpress Pro T17039 Vortx 5-in-1 Digital Air Fryer Oven

★★★★★

Buy now at Currys

Price (from)

£95.99

Capacity

11l

Stated functions

5

Dishwasher-safe parts

• Why it's best
• Pros/cons
• Details

This Tower is a solid 11litre capacity air fryer laden with 5 functions that won't break the bank. It can impressively hold a chicken on its rotisserie and will cook multiple items on its racks. Flip the light on and watch your food sizzle.

• Good capacity
• Multiple cooking options
• Transparent removable door
• Rotisserie included
• Relatively cheap

• Mesh racks can be tricky to clean
• Have to switch racks for the most even cooking

Modes	Air fry Grill Roast Bake Dehydrate Rotisserie
Cooking zones	1
Cooking tiers	3
Timer	Digital
Transparency
Rotating basket
Manufacturer’s warranty (years)	3

Best for small kitchens

Finder's pick: Ninja AF160UK Max Air Fryer

★★★★★

Buy now at Very

Price (from)

£149

Capacity

5.2l

Stated functions

6

Dishwasher-safe parts

• Why it's best
• Pros/cons
• Details

The Ninja AF160UK is a pocket Hercules. It may be small in size, but packs a punch with a 5.2 litre capacity and 6 functions. The Max Crisp mode will cook frozen foods in minutes. It's ideal for small kitchens or narrow counters, and it'll be easy to store or take with you.

• Great capacity for a small size
• Easy to use
• Versatile functions work differently from each other
• Will fit in most kitchens and is storable
• Simple to clean
• Quiet

• Shaking food is recommended
• No viewing window

Modes	Air fry Roast Bake Dehydrate Reheat Max crisp
Cooking zones	1
Cooking tiers	1
Timer	Digital
Transparency
Rotating basket
Manufacturer’s warranty (years)	1

Best for foodies

Finder's pick: Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Multi-Cooker 6L OP350UK

★★★★★

Buy now at Amazon

Price (from)

£172.11

Capacity

6l

Stated functions

9

Dishwasher-safe parts

• Why it's best
• Pros/cons
• Details

Ninja's gone and created an air frying multicooker for the creative chefs out there. This 9-in-1 machine can pressure cook, slow cook, air fry, steam, bake/roast, sear/sauté, grill, dehydrate and wait for it...make yoghurt. It'll feed four people and you can plonk a 2kg chicken in the pot.

• Versatile to the max
• Great for experimenting
• Cooks all-in-one meals
• Dishwasher safe

• Tall and wide
• Learning to use cooking functions is necessary
• Short cable
• Not transparent

Modes	Air fry Grill Roast Bake Steam Sear/Saute Pressure cook Slow cook Dehydrate Reheat Keep warm Max crisp
Cooking zones	1
Cooking tiers	3
Timer	Digital
Transparency
Rotating basket

Best for complete meals

Finder's pick: Ninja Foodi 7-in-1 Multi-Cooker 7.5l OP450UK

★★★★★

Buy now at Currys

Price (from)

£299

Capacity

7.5l

Stated functions

7

Dishwasher-safe parts

• Why it's best
• Pros/cons
• Details

The Ninja OP450UK does take a while to get used to, but once you've mastered its crisping and pressure cook functions, complete meals are at your fingertips. The large 7.5L capacity will fit big joints of meat for roasting or slow cooking. In the pot you can layer rices and pulses at the bottom, veg on the lower end of the rack and protein at the top.

• Versatile for all-in-one meals
• Excellent capacity
• Easy to clean
• Easy to use
• Not noisy

• Bulky
• No viewing window
• You’ll have to master the functions to get the best from it

Modes	Air fry Grill Roast Bake Steam Sear/Saute Pressure cook Slow cook Keep warm Max crisp
Cooking zones	1
Timer	Digital
Transparency
Rotating basket
Manufacturer’s warranty (years)	1

Best for a family of 4

Finder's pick: Tower Xpress Pro Combo 10 in 1 Air Fryer T17076

★★★★★

Buy now at Argos

Price (from)

£129

Capacity

11l

Stated functions

10

Dishwasher-safe parts

• Why it's best
• Pros/cons
• Details

This air fryer oven is a wonderful all rounder and will cook decent portions for your family. It'll roast a whole chicken on the spit, take a couple of pizzas, cook up to 10 kebabs, and do all the standard air fryer dishes on its three-tiered mesh racks. The viewing window is a cool bonus to check on your food.

• Many cooking accessories included
• Viewing window
• Extremely versatile
• Multi rack capacity
• Removable door
• Excellent warranty

• Rack system means rotation needed for even cooking
• High energy consumption
• Mesh racks are hard to clean
• Functions blend into presets

Modes	Air fry Grill Roast Bake Toast Dehydrate Rotisserie
Cooking zones	1
Cooking tiers	3
Timer	Digital
Transparency
Rotating basket
Manufacturer’s warranty (years)	3

How do air fryers work?

After you put your food inside, the fan in the air fryer will quickly swirl heat around. The food is surrounded by heat from top to bottom, and the fryer will carry on circulating heat until your food is ready.

If you’ve drizzled the food with a bit of oil, this flow of heat will coat the food with fine oil droplets, giving it that crunch we all love. So you’ll have a similar deep-fried texture to your chips with minimal oil use – cutting back on that dreaded saturated fat.

Is an air fryer healthier than other modes of cooking?

Generally yes. Since you don’t need to use as much oil as you would in a deep fat fryer or pan frying, you won’t be guzzling down any unnecessary saturated fats, which can raise the bad LDL cholesterol in the blood.

How to pick an air fryer: Key factors to bear in mind

We analysed the product details of 18 air fryers. We’ve listed some key factors to consider when picking yours.

• Capacity. Smaller fryers like the Tower Compact (with a capacity of around 2 litres or less) take a few fish fingers but you can’t stuff a whole chicken in there. A medium one (over 2 litres, but typically 4 litres or more) will cook an entire chicken and bigger fryers can stretch to 12 litres or more, meaning you can cook multiple dishes at the same time.
• Kitchen and storage space. Will it fit in your cupboards after use? Or if it’s living on your countertop, will there be enough space? Dimensions for each model are in our table, above.
• Features and functions. Some air fryers offer pressure cooking and slow cooking or come with a rotisserie. If you fancy dried apple chips, go for one that dehydrates. You can see your food cooking through transparent windows of some air fryers, like the Tefal ActiFry Genius YV970840. Most fryers have dishwasher-safe parts and non-stick baskets, but a few don’t like the dishwasher, and want warm soapy water and elbow grease.
• Price. You can get a basic, compact air fryer for as little as £30. The air fryers in our comparison table are from popular brands and start at around £80 up to around £200, but there are usually deals to be had if you shop around or use one of our discount codes.
• Energy. An air fryer is unlikely to decimate your electricity bill but it’s worth considering the wattage. A medium-sized fryer is typically around 1500 watts, while the biggest air fryer ovens go beyond 2000 watts. To put this into perspective, a typical fan-assisted oven is 2500 watts, but you’re likely to use an air fryer for a shorter period – say 15-30 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

• Is an air fryer healthier than a deep fat fryer?

  You'll be using much less oil in an air fryer so that means lower saturated and trans fat levels, plus lower calories. Since oily and greasy foods are linked to heart disease, stroke and slower immune response times, air fried foods are considered healthier. But as with all food, a balanced diet is key.

• Do I need oil to cook in my air fryer?

  Most air fryers won't need oil to cook. But you won't get crunchy, crispy food without a little oil. Some cooks suggest spraying a teaspoon of oil on all sides of the basket. If the food looks dry as you shake it, spray a bit more oil in there. If you opt for no oil, the food can feel dry.

• Why can't I use an oven instead of an air fryer?

  There are many reasons why you might prefer an air fryer to an oven for cooking certain foods.

  • Quicker cooking. These bad boys are rapid to heat compared to the traditional oven. Since they're smaller, the heat produced engulfs and cooks the food faster – in some cases, without the need to turn or shake the food.
  • Crispiness. An air fryer's rapid air technology mimics deep-fat frying or pan frying to get that lovely crispy outside and juicy or fluffy inside.
  • Air fryers are a great option for smaller meals. Certain fryers have racks on which you can cook different items of food, making them ideal for cooking a complete meal efficiently.
  • You'll be at peace with grease. Air fryer parts like trays (where cooking fats drip onto) tend to be dishwasher safe or are easy to clean.
  • Most air fryers are multipurpose. As newer models come out, we've seen more functions and presets. Some can grill, pressure cook and dehydrate as well as mastering the perfect chip. Some even have a rotisserie. We explain what these functions mean below.

• What food can I cook in an air fryer?

  You can cook meat, veg, fish, brownies and loads more in an air fryer. But some foods just don't work: cheese, wet battered foods, rice and other grains, and delicate green veg. You should also be wary of massive roasts, which can cook unevenly.

• Can I season the dish once it's been put in the air fryer?

  It's best to coat your food in oil and season it before it enters the fryer. Once the food's inside, it's usually fine to open the drawer and season or stir it, but wise to consult the user manual first.

• Can I cook more than one food at a time?

  Yes! You can cook foods on different tiers (or trays). But avoid overcrowding the basket or piling foods on top of each other, to allow the air to reach all surfaces.

• Can I cook frozen meat and vegetables in an air fryer?

  For sure. With a preheated air fryer you can cook meat and veg from frozen. The water from the ice will evaporate and leave the meat nicely seared and veg crisp. Adjust the temperature accordingly to achieve your desired cook.

• Can I use foil or parchment paper in an air fryer?

  You can but not while it's preheating. Place foil or parchment paper in the air fryer, and layer your food on it. So the hot air can circulate around your food, make sure you leave gaps at the edges of the basket.

• How should I clean my air fryer?

  Certain air fryers have dishwasher-safe parts. Others will require you to clean them by hand and some warm soapy water.

• How do I avoid food sticking in an air fryer?

  Most air fryers will have non-stick baskets. To be extra sure, spray your air fryer basket with oil that has a high smoking point (such as vegetable oil) before cooking.

• Can I put glass bowls in an air fryer?

  Sure, if they are oven-safe. You can typically find the relevant symbol at the bottom of bowls.

• Are air fryers just a fad?

  We believe they're more than a fad. Air fryers don't fry anything but mimic that deep fried feeling. If you want less oil in your food, faster cooking times, and a versatile cooking appliance then an air fryer is worth considering.

• When did the air fryer come out?

  The first air fryer came out in 2010 when Philips introduced it at an electronics convention in Berlin. It was there that its Rapid Air Technology came to light.