The 3 Best Large-Capacity Air Fryers - Fall 2024

The best large air fryer we've tested is the Ninja Foodi DZ550. Ninja makes a wide variety of air fryers, including plenty of large-capacity models that outperform similar models, which is why the picks on the list are all from that brand.

This 10-quart air fryer has a large cooking surface area, giving you plenty of room to spread your food in a single layer, which helps with getting evenly air-fried food. You can cook separate foods in each basket with different settings, so you can easily prepare a main and a side or keep vegetarian and meat-based meals separate. The 'Smart Finish' setting automatically syncs up the baskets, so both sides finish cooking simultaneously.

It's fast and produces very evenly fried food, with only a small proportion under or overcooked when it's ready. It's also very versatile since it offers quite a wide range of temperature and fan speed settings for different cooking methods, like broiling and dehydrating. This model also includes a temperature probe, which can help the air fryer automatically cook cuts of meat and fish.

If you want a good large-capacity air fryer for less, consider the Ninja Foodi DZ201. This 8-quart model has a smaller capacity than the Ninja Foodi DZ550 but performs better than the brand's other 10-quart air fryer, the Ninja Foodi DZ401. Its smaller cooking surface area gives you less room for arranging food in a single layer, but it still has a big capacity and produces good-quality air-fried food. It preheats and cooks food quickly and maintains a stable temperature during cooking, which helps you accurately follow recipes and cook delicate foods.

It's just as versatile as the previous pick, with settings for different cooking methods like 'Bake' and 'Dehydrate.' However, despite its smaller capacity, it has a bulky design since it's not much smaller than the DZ550.

Dual basket air fryers let you cook different recipes on each side, but if you want an air fryer with one big drawer for larger items like a whole chicken, you might prefer the Ninja Foodi DZ071. This 10-quart fryer has a single drawer and produces very good-quality air-fried food. It cooks a bit less evenly than the Ninja Foodi DZ550, but most of your food comes out well-cooked and crispy without being overdone. It also boasts fantastic versatility, with a somewhat wider temperature range than the previous picks and several different modes for various cooking methods.

You can also use it as a dual basket air fryer with the included drawer divider. The two sides of the basket aren't as well-isolated from each other as separate baskets would be, so it might not work as well if you need to use very different settings on each side, but you can still apply different cook times and settings to either side. However, the big basket is a bit awkward to hold onto.